(1) Update: Thank you so much for your prayers. My good friend Jim was released from hospital yesterday to start rehab at a care facility in Sun City, Arizona. It was great to see him in this new environment as it speaks volumes as to the amazing progress he has made. I took my children out there to visit him last night and they were so happy to see him too.

He is a miracle man – we’ve now been told he was dead for a full 18 minutes. I have spoken to a number of nurses/doctors and none of them know of anyone who has come back from that. PLEASE keep praying though for Jim’s heart, liver, kidneys, blood clot in the arm, recovery from skin graft surgery, etc. He is still not completely out of danger.

Apparently, his daughter Alisa is also currently experiencing some nightmares, having been present in the hospital when her father died. Please keep her in your prayers too.

(2) Quote from Dr. John Piper – The Supremacy of God in Preaching:
“People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul: “Show me Your glory!”

The greatness and the glory of God are relevant. It does not matter if surveys turn up a list of perceived needs that does not include the supreme greatness of the sovereign God of grace. That is the deepest need. People are starving for God. People need to hear God-entranced preaching. They need someone, at least once a week, to lift up his voice and magnify the supremacy of God. They need to behold the whole panorama of His excelencies! It is not the job of the Christian preacher to give people moral or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world; someone else can do that. What people need is for someone to tell them, week in and week out, about the supreme beauty and majesty of God.”

(3) A reminder about the importance of personal prayer from Alistair Begg:

“Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.” – Leviticus 6:13

Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here; therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer of vital and experimental [experiential] religion.

Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer avails much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbors, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world.

Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar and lessen our influence both in the church and in the world.

The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing toward Himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek His grace, that the fire may never be quenched, for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pours on the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s fire; they are live coals. Let us attend to sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.”

(4) Ligonier has some great deals today in this week’s $5 Friday sale here on the subject of Christianity v. Islam, defending the Christian faith and Steve Lawson’s book “The Pillars of Grace” in an e-book format. Remember, if you decide to purchase material, you can claim a further 10% discount on these and on ALL Ligonier products (as a reader of this blog) by using the coupon code EGRACE10.