The Forsaken Children - I don't know much about this ministry, but I was moved to read a two part story of returning a kidnapped child to his family: Zor-zor and Zor-zor Part 2.

There Is No Overpopulation Problem - Here is an interesting perspective on the supposed overpopulation problem. "Focus on the population 'problem' is essentially a matter of the rich 'downplay[ing] the importance of our own environmental footprint because future generations of poor people might one day have the temerity to get as rich and destructive as us.'"

Jonathan Edwards Center - Jonathan Edwards fanboys will want to take a look at the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Death and Social Media - Ever wondered what would happen to your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or GMail if you were to die? This article explains.

That Superbowl Commercial - Boundless has an update on that infamous Superbowl commercial."It's been over a month since Focus on the Family's ad appeared in the Super Bowl. From time to time I hear comments that maybe Focus shouldn't have placed the ad, or should have placed a more hard-hitting ad. 'What good has it done?' I hear some ask."

R.C. Sproul on Roman Catholicism - For the past week, Dr. Sproul has been going through the series Roman Catholicism on his radio program, Renewing Your Mind, and will conclude the series on March 19. In this series, R.C. Sproul carefully and respectfully looks at the doctrines that are at the heart of the Catholic-Protestant divide.

From his earliest days, Mosab Hasson Yousef had a view of the inner workings of Hamas. The son of one its founders, from childhood he was immersed in the shadowy world of Middle Eastern terror and politics. Arrested time and again by the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence service, he eventually made the decision to become a double agent, working for Israel instead of against her. For ten years, from 1997 to 2007, he lived like this, deeply embedded within Hamas, suspected by no one, yet passing vast amounts of information to Israel. In this way he prevented assassinations, stopped suicide attacks and provided information leading to the arrests or killings of many terrorists. He was Shin Bet's most valuable source of information about Hamas.

In 1999 he had a chance encounter with a British visitor who invited Yousef to learn about the Christian faith. Curious and intelligent, Yousef took this opportunity and was immediately struck by the difference between Jesus Christ and Mohammed, between the Christian faith and the Islam he had inherited from his fathers. In the months that followed he made a slow conversion to Christianity and was quietly baptized.

Eventually Yousef grew tired of his double life and convinced the Israelis to release him from his position with them. With some reluctence they agreed and allowed him to move to the United States where he continues to live today. Son of Hamas is the story of his life, "A gripping account of terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and unthinkable choices," according to the rather verbose subtitle.

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a return to basics: may 10-12

We are pleased to extend an invitation to join for our eleventh annual Basics Conference. As we meet this year, we look forward to God using our time together to encourage us in our work for the Gospel.

a practical look at preaching

In his introduction to the “Priority of Preaching,” Christopher Ash describes how he left a large pastors’ conference feeling like a dog with his tail between his legs. The conference speakers all seemed to be handsome, successful, and strategic and far removed from the ordinary pastor in an ordinary place preaching regularly to ordinary people.

I suspect that many of us can identify with Christopher’s reaction. Our plan hope for this year’s conference is to encourage one another in the essentials of pastoral ministry and particularly to get help with our preaching.

I have invited two very good friends and mentors to join us here at Parkside in May. Sinclair Ferguson is a fellow Scotsman and needs no introduction. John Shearer is well known and loved in his native Scotland and in other parts of the world but will be a new name to many. These men embody the kind of Bible-based, Christ-centered, Spirit-endued ministry that we are seeking to uphold in this conference. I look forward to seeing you in May.

Warmly Yours,
Alistair Begg

conference speakers

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years. He served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church. more>

Sinclair Ferguson is the Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Dr. Ferguson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. more>

John Shearer is the Senior Minister at Musselburgh Baptist Church in Scotland. He has pastored churches in Northern Ireland and Scotland and has been involved in a pioneering work in the Republic of Ireland. more>

schedule

Arrival and registration begins at 12:00pm on Monday, May 10. There are seminars scheduled at 3:00pm with our first conference session at 4:30pm. The conference concludes at 12:30pm on Wednesday, May 12. more>

hotels & transportation

We have blocked rooms at three local hotels. Please reserve directly with them but ask for the Parkside Church conference rate. more>

register

Basics is for men: pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian workers or those training for such roles. To the extent that we value male friendship, support and camaraderie, we do not encourage wives to attend. Our brief but meaningful gathering is meant to equip, inspire, and strengthen us in a demanding work.

The conference fee is $140 and $65 for current students. To register online please visit www.parksidechurch.com/basics.

resources

For resources from last year’s conferences please visit http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/basics-2009/