Radical Womanhood

Mission Video Season Again!

I'm headed to Hamburg, Germany, today with a top-flight video crew--Andrew Gallo, David Altrogge, John David Maresco, and Drew Painter. We are shooting for the 2008 Sovereign Grace Ministries mission video. A week later, we'll be heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the next leg of the shoot. We're excited to be on the road again. It's a privilege to travel to document God's grace among His people in different nations. So keep an eye on this blog for updates from the road--Lord willing!

T4G Conference Reflections

Just got home from Louisville and T4G. Won't see that city again for another month, when we all descend once again for the New Attitude event over Memorial Day!

The last thing we did before running to the airport was upload this video--a compilation of comments and reflections from some of those who attended the event. You gotta watch this video to see the person who speaks last. If this isn't an encouragement about the rising generation, I don't know what is! I'm still in awe that he was there.

Big thanks to my "entourage"--the guys who really did the hard work toting cameras, shooting on the fly, and editing way into the night. I'm blessed to work with such a godly and talented group: Andrew Gallo, David Altrogge, and John David Maresco.

The Effect of Free Books

Here's a brief video about the books available at Together for the Gospel--both the importance of the massive bookstore and the amusing effect of free books on the pastors assembled!

I'm posting this just after John Piper participated in a speaker panel. In it, he mentioned why he appreciates strong women in the church--women who know the Word, love the Word, and disciple other women in the Word. It was a "whoop! bring it on, brother!" moment. If I am able, I'll get the video clip for you. If not, check out the audio when it's available on the Sovereign Grace site. (The messages are free.) These comments will be about halfway through the session.

Your comments are welcome.

When Preachers Get Discouraged

Here's an excerpt from one of the many panel discussions that occurred during T4G. In this segment, C.J. Mahaney says that there's a difference between being discouraged and dissatisfied with your preaching. That leads to a funny and illuminating discussion about times when the men have felt dissatisfied with particular sermons. I appreciate the zinger R.C. Sproul gets in there, which leads to a series of quips back and forth between the men.

Comments are open.

More Speaker Highlights

Here are a few more highlights from Together for the Gospel. First, we have Mark Dever's opening remarks as the conference started yesterday as he addresses the "togetherness" among the conference founders. Then we have a selection from Ligon Duncan as he talks about why doctrine matters--and applies it briefly to marriage. (Ladies, this is an exceptionally encouraging segment!) And the comments function remains open on these clips.

Christians of All Hues

Thabiti Anyabwile joined the T4G speaker team for the first time this year and he helped us all understand some important nuances between race and ethnicity. For that, you'll have to listen to the full message. Below you will find a clip where Thabiti presents a challenge to Christians of all hues.

(The comments function is open.)

T4G Day One

Here's the first video from the Together for the Gospel conference. Lord willing, there will be more to come!

For the Gospel, We're All Together

Okay, so I tried to come up with a witty headline and I failed. But here's the point: I'm in Louisville, KY, this week for the Together for the Gospel conference. My job is to bring you a little slice of the conference via video. Lord willing, if all goes to plan, you'll see these clips debut on Tim Challies' site as he live-blogs the event. So please pray for the technology to work. More importantly, please pray for the speakers and attendees. I've asked to interview pastors coming from numerous nations, ranging from Asia to the Middle East and to Europe, so I know that this event has the opportunity to minister to thousands around the world.

If I'm able, I'll add some items from T4G myself. If not, my posting will resume at the end of the week.

'I Was Adopted, Not Aborted'

The Holocaust. Rwanda. Darfur. Three terrible examples of horrific slaughter with millions of lives lost. The reasons are almost inexplicable--one day a group of people decided that another group did not deserve to live.

In our own nation, we have lost millions in the same way. One group has decided it has the right to terminate the life of another. We have a generation that is missing 48 million people, killed before they could be born. But alive, they most definitely were. That argument is fully supported by medical science.

Whenever the topic of abortion is defended, only the interests of one half of one side are addressed: the mother's. (Paternal interests are often dismissed, too.) But in the 35 years since Roe v. Wade, a generation has come to maturity who can speak to the loss from the other side.

Four of those young adults are marching today in D.C. They were each adopted, two from Russia, one from Romania, and one from D.C. I interviewed their adoptive mother for my book. We'll call her Marty Terrill. (Because some of the stories in my book are quite sensitive, I've decided to change all the names of those I interviewed for the sake of privacy.)

Lucas Terrill was adopted from Romania. His birth mother was in her fifth month of pregnancy, about to get an abortion. But one night, she had a dream in which she was told, "Don't abort the boy." She didn't know the sex of her child, but the dream sobered her enough that she immediately canceled the abortion and decided to give him up for adoption.

Lucas was two years old in 1992 when Marty took him to his first March for Life in Washington, D.C. "As we walked, we encountered a whole section of pro-abortion feminists," Marty recalls. "They were angry and antagonistic about the rally. So I stepped up, holding Lucas and said, 'I adopted him. Look at him! He could have been aborted.' I assumed they were be affected by this cute little boy, but it didn't affect them one bit. They shouted expletives in return. I was horrified by their reaction."

Lucas and his siblings have attended every March for Life since then, carrying signs saying, "I was adopted, not aborted." Often they are applauded. Sometimes they are jeered. In one recent march, Marty was confronted by a group of self-proclaimed atheists who yelled at her for bringing her children, accusing her of forcing them to come and carry these signs. Lucas immediately stepped up and corrected them, saying he wanted to come: "I believe in this. My life was spared! I definitely want to be here."

Then he witnessed to them, sharing the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

"I think for my kids it's very meaningful to be in this march," Marty says. "They've seen the pictures of the babies who were aborted. They are very aware of how they were spared. So we all want to stand up for other children in the same situation, where their mothers could choose to kill them instead of allowing them to live. I always say to my kids, 'Your moms were poor and didn't have the money to take care of you. They could have aborted you, but they didn't. You can thank your birth moms that they went through labor and gave you birth.'

"Every one of my adopted kids could have been aborted. But their birth mothers all chose life and gave me the chance to adopt them. God says we need to stand up for life. The Bible says we are to cry out for those who can't cry out for themselves--and that's what we're doing."

UPDATE: The headline in The Washington Post's report the next day concurs with this perspective, "A Youthful Throng Marches Against Abortion." Quote from a 17-year-old from Dallas: "This is the social justice issue of our era, and I want to do something about it."

(Photos: The Washington Post)

Jane Austen Festival!

A very important public service announcement for Janeites everywhere! I just set my DVR for the kick-off of Masterpiece Theater's Jane Austen festival. It starts with Persuasion next Sunday, January 13 on PBS. Over the next four months, this first-ever U.S. television extravaganza will feature new productions of Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Sense and Sensibility, along with classic productions of Emma and Pride and Prejudice.

Check out the preview below and have a great weekend.