In Sunday’s sermon, “A Better Home,” Ryan preached from Psalm 84, a psalm with the familiar and lofty line, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (84:10). While we certainly believe this to be true, we recognize that we don’t always live like it. We believe it, but we know we should believe it more.

That’s why, as Ryan said, the Christian life is a pilgrimage. We are on our way to the perfect presence of God.

On this pilgrimage, the author of Hebrews encourages us with the example of Old Testament saints who looked forward to their heavenly home in Hebrews 11:13-16:

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Following in the example of the faithful from the Old Testament means following them, ultimately, in the direction of their hope. This better and heavenly country, of course, is nothing less than the New Heavens and New Earth. And what’s so much better about it? There, we will hear the words, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3).

Another help for the pilgrimage comes to us from the English Puritan, John Bunyan. His classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, unfolds the nature of the Christian life by means of a powerful and imaginative story, making sense of the various struggles and temptations faced by every Christian. You can purchase a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress at Amazon here.

For children nine years old and up, Oliver Hunkin’s adaptation, Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim’s Progress, is an excellent resource.

Below is a two hour version of Hunkin’s adaptation being read with illustrations.

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HT: Justin Taylor

The theme for this year’s Clarus conference was, The Cross-Shaped Christian Life. Audio is available here and video is now available at DSC’s YouTube Page.

Fred G. Zaspel, “B. B. Warfield on the Doctrine of Sanctification”

D.A. Carson, “Living in a Difficult Time,” 2 Thessalonians 1

Fred G. Zaspel, “Serving as He Served,” John 13:1-17

D.A. Carson, “The Saving Word,” James 1:12-25

Fred G. Zaspel, “Forgiving as Forgiven,” Matthew 18:15-35

Q&A with D.A. Carson and Fred G. Zaspel

D.A. Carson, “Christians Living in the Last Days,” 2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Click here for links to audio from previous Clarus conferences. And for a recap of this year’s conference, including links to blogs, audio, and photos, click here.

On Sunday, Ryan preached from Psalm 78, one of six history psalms. The other history psalms are Psalms 105-107, 114, and 136. Psalm 78 is unique, however, for its focused statement of purpose to rehearse the history of Israel in order that the next generation should “set their hope in God.” That’s actually a very nice way of stating the aim of all Christian parenting.

Here are some resources for helping you help your children set their hope in God:

Resources on Parenting

• The Word on Parenting, Seminar Weekend by Fred G. Zaspel
• Three messages specifically on parenting by Ryan Kelly in the series, Proverbs: Wisdom for the Home, (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Messages on parenting preached at DSC
• The Duties of Parents, J.C. Ryle
• Your Child’s Profession of Faith, Dennis Gundersen
• Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting, William Farley
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp
• Instructing a Child’s Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp
• Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Paul Tripp

Resources About Family Worship

• “Family Worship: In the Bible, in History & in Your Home,” Don Whitney
• “Rediscovering Family Worship,” Jerry Marcellino
• “Leading Family Worship,” a message by Joel Beeke at the Desiring God 2011 Conference for Pastors
• “Do Not Forget: The Message of Deuteronomy,” (Part 1, Part 2), sermons by Ryan Kelly

Tools for Family Worship

• The Big Picture Story Bible, David Helm
• The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, Sally Lloyd-Jones
• The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments, Marty Machowski
• The Child’s Story Bible, Catherine Vos
• “And for Older Children…Respect Their Desire to Read and Learn,” an article by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. about The Child’s Story Bible with tips for reading Bible stories to school-age children
• Bible audio from Bible Gateway or of the ESV from Crossway
• ESV Children’s Bible, Crossway
• A Catechism by Ryan Kelly (This is not yet complete, but is more than enough for a few years of memorization. This pdf is intended to be printed and folded as a booklet. Here’s an alternative layout).
• The Heidelberg Catechism
• My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts, Susan Hunt
• Mighty Acts of God: A Family Bible Story Book, Starr Meade
• The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
• Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim’s Progress, Oliver Hunkin
• Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God, Marty Machowski
• Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God, Bruce Ware
• Grandpa’s Box: Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption, Starr Meade

Resources About The Church’s Ministry to Families

• “The Family Together in Corporate Worship,” sermon by Ryan Kelly
• A Vision for Ministry to Children and Their Parents, Bethlehem Baptist Church
• “The Family: Together in God’s Presence,” article by John Piper
• Worship: Together for the Glory of God, Saturday Seminar by Ryan Kelly

If you read this blog, you probably speak English. But perhaps Spanish is your primary language, or perhaps you have a relationship with someone for whom Spanish is their primary language. As a church, ministry among Spanish speakers is an important part of what it means to fulfill Jesus’ great commission, a commission to make disciples which includes teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

With that in mind, here are three opportunities for Spanish speakers:

Spanish Translation on Sunday Morning

A Spanish translation of DSC’s Sunday morning service is provided each Sunday during the 10:45 AM service. Spanish translation headsets are available on Sundays at the Information Center in the foyer. If you or someone you know would like to take advantage of this, please contact the church ahead of Sunday to give notice that you will need translation by emailing Carolyn Rush at carolyn@desertspringschurch.org.

Spanish Speaking Community Group

DSC has a new Spanish speaking Community Group open to all Spanish speakers and those desiring to improve their Spanish. This group meets on Thursday evenings for a meal, fellowship, worship, and study in Spanish. For more information, please contact the church office at 505.797.8700 or by email at info@desertspringschurch.org.

The New Spanish 9Marks Site

Many of you will be familiar with 9Marks Ministries, a ministry founded by Mark Dever and dedicated to “building healthy churches.” 9Marks was with us as a sponsor at Clarus in 2011, and has produced a number of books about healthy church life that we heartily recommend.

9Marks recently launched a version of their website in Spanish. Visit the new and expanding site here.

¿Qué es 9Marks?

9Marks es un ministerio dedicado a equipar líderes de iglesias con una visión bíblica y con recursos prácticos. Nuestra meta es simple: Iglesias que reflejen la gloria de Dios.

9Marks has also released several of their books in Spanish and other languages, including Chinese, French, German, and Korean. For a list of translations, click here.

Spanish Bibles

We always have a number of Bibles available in Spanish. To obtain copies for yourself or others, contact Clint at the church office at 505.797.8700 or by email at clint@desertspringschurch.org.