Responses to "Jesus Tomb" Hype

Hey all, here are some responses to the "Jesus Tomb" hype going on. Thanks to Justin Taylor, his Between Two Worlds blog is where I found most of these.
Craig Blomberg
Denny Burk
Andreas Kostenberger
Darrell Bock
John Piper

Great Blog Posts, Spurgeon, Hymn, and Poem!

Here are some great blog posts that point us to great works of saints before us. I highly encourage you to read over these and meditate on them, and be amazed at our great God and Savior

Come ye sinners

Only Jesus

And this poem that I found on this blog: Do the Next Thing

Bride in Boots

Hey all! Last night Prepare had the annual Romance of the Ages Banquet. Praise God for another year of His faithfulness and grace to Prepare Ministries. We hope God will be pleased to continue to bless Prepare and grant more grace for us to display the glory of Christ Jesus on the college campuses.

Gary's message was about being a "bride in boots". We long to be filled with a loving, adoring heart towards Christ our Savior, and be striving to increase in our personal spiritual beauty day by day as we await for our great and glorious sovereign Bridegroom to break into this earth from heaven and usher His kingdom into earth in its final consumation. So we long to be a pure and holy bride for Him in that day, and to focus on fellowship with Christ, and beholding Him so that we will love Him as He deserves.

But along with being a bride, we must realize there is an unspeakably urgent and serious war going on around us. There is work to do! We have a very short time on this earth, and there is a battle for the praise and glory of God in the souls of men all around us. A battle that affects peoples' eternal destinies. There is work to be done in showing mercy to those in need, those in poverty, especially those in need of the Savior.

So let's call out to God for grace to be a loving, adoring bride, loving the appearing of Christ (2 Tim 4:8). And for grace to put on our boots and work and fight hard for the glory of God and the everlasting good of men's souls.

Mat 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Joh 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

Rom 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Happy Birthday and Online Tracts

First off, today is the birthday of the distinguished founder and leader of Prepare Ministries, Gary Gilbertson! This man of God is celebrating his 63rd today, and we in Prepare would like to thank and praise God for working through Gary in our lives. Happy Birthday!

Here are some online gospel tracts from a great blog: Irish Calvinist
Free Gift
More Tracts

So if you want to share the gospel via blog, shares these links with those in need of our Great God and Savior. They are very well presented and Biblical gospel presentations.

God bless us all.

Sanctity of Life

Last Monday, Jan. 22nd, was Sanctity of Life day, the day we sadly remember that Roe v. Wade was passed into law 34 years ago. Here is an extended quote from an article by Alveda King, niece Dr. Martin Luther King:

"Oh, God, what would Martin Luther King, Jr., who dreamed of having his children judged by the content of their characters do if he’d lived to see the contents of thousands of children’s skulls emptied into the bottomless caverns of the abortionists pits?

It is time for America, perhaps the most blessed nation on earth to lead the world in repentance, and in restoration of life! If only we can carry the freedom of repentance to its fullest potential. If only America can repent and turn away from the sins of our nation. Abortion is at the forefront of our destruction. Partial Birth Abortion is perhaps the most heinous form of this legal genocide. Direct links connecting abortion and serious conditions such as breast and cervical cancer, emotional disorders and other serious ills must be considered! The only healing and redemption is in the blood of Jesus, blood willingly shed so that we could stand today and cry out for the blood of the unborn that is drenching the land of our children.

...I too, like Martin Luther King, Jr., have a dream. I have a dream that the men and women, the boys and girls of America will come to our senses, and humble ourselves before God Almighty and pray for mercy, and receive His healing grace. I pray that this is the day, the hour of our deliverance. May God have mercy on us all."

Read the whole article here

May God give us passion, boldness, and wisdom to be full of grace, truth and light to speak the truth in love to our generation.

Spiritual Warfare Retreat

Eph 6:10-13
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Hey all! Just want you all to be reminded and invited to come to the Spiritual Warfare Retreat next weekend. Here's Tom's writeup about it:

Spiritual Warfare Conference

Date : 19 January 2007 (Friday)

Event Description :

Intro: Prepare Ministries' first ever spiritual warfare conference; through it you will recognize spiritual attacks and how to defeat them.

Cost: $20 with the book / $15 without book (covers food and housing)

Requirements: Read "The Final Quest" before the conference. (It is available either hard print or via the web at: http://www.prepareministries.com/images/TheFinalQuest.pdf (187Kb) ). The book will take about 3-4 hours total to read, and it is worth it! The article online is shorter at about 2-3 hours.


Registration: Email Charlie by Jan. 15th and indicate which method you want "The Final Quest", either *.pdf or bound.

Details: Do you struggle with thoughts that you do not desire? Have a hard time controlling the mind? Need a refresher before the school year begins? The battlefield of the mind is the greatest place for spiritual attacks. Understanding these attacks and their natures is a key to walking in further freedom. Understanding the battle of you're mind is essential to walk in deeper Christianity.

Rough Schedule: On Friday night Gary will speak at 7pm on the nature of Spiritual Warfare a discussion, snacks, and hanging-out will follow. Those who desire it are welcome to stay overnight at the Weber's house, however you'll need to bring a sleeping bag as beds are limited. On Saturday we'll have breakfast together and then move into a second session, followed by a late lunch and then a third session. The conference will end late afternoon around 4pm.

Email To RSVP or Questions: events@prepareministries.com

Gospel and Islam

Here is a good interview with former Muslim Thabiti Anyabwile about the gospel and Islam. Thabiti is now a very well respected pastor.
Interview