Archive for January, 2012


Jan 30

Clarus ’11 Q&A with Carl Trueman and Greg Beale (Part 1 of 3)

2012 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Clarus 11

With Clarus ’12 a little over one month away, we’ve decided to whet your appetite for this year’s conference with some clips from last year’s Q&A with speakers G.K. Beale and Carl Trueman. Over the next few weeks we will release three post of five videos each from the Q&A on last year’s conference theme, “Scripture: God Speaks.

Question 1: What is the relationship between Jesus as the Word and Scripture?

Question 2: What is the relationship between the nature of God/Scripture?

Question 3: Is Scripture personal or propositional?

Question 4: Historically, what are the most essential Christian beliefs?

Question 5: How did the Bible become the Bible?

Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life,” with D.A. Carson and Fred Zaspel, March 9-11.

Jan 26

Shop on Amazon, Support the Resource Center

2012 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Administrative

Did you know that when you buy a book through one of our Amazon links on this blog or at the Resources page you are supporting DSC’s resourcing ministry through the Resource Center? Did you know that there is a way to benefit DSC every time you buy anything from Amazon?

Save this DSC Amazon link as a bookmark on your browser and use it to get to Amazon. When you enter Amazon through this link anything you purchase will benefit DSC’s Resource Center.

DSC’s Resource Center serves the body at DSC by brining you some of the more helpful and more reliable biblical resources across a number of subjects, including theology, parenting, biblical manhood and womanhood, evangelism, suffering, and, of course, Bibles. Since the Resource Center is not a for-profit project, “suggested donations” generally reflect our cost, which is anywhere from 10%-40% off retail.

But the Resource Center is also a hub for resources given away at no cost, including Bibles, books for visitors to the Newcomers Reception, timely resources for those in crisis, sermon CDs for visitors, evangelistic literature, and children’s CDs to families who’s children join us at VBS.

Amazon, of course, has everything from $7.00 chocolates for your mom’s birthday, to this insane $25,999 lens for your Nikon camera, and many items at a discount. By investing in Amazon Prime account, you can get 2-day shipping for free, which we use to ensure a current inventory of books at the Resource Center each Sunday. 

Thank you for reading this blog, and thank you for supporting DSC’s Resource Center.

Jan 25

Introducing Clarus ’12, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life”

2012 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Clarus 12

This year’s Clarus conference will take place on March 9-11. Our theme is, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life,” and our speakers are D.A. Carson and Fred Zaspel.

Clarus is DSC’s annual theology conference weekend and is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition. For a eight years now, DSC has invited out a speaker or two for a weekend of teaching to help us get our minds and hearts around an important theological truth so to better know God. This year’s theme focuses us on the question of the nature and shape of the Christian life.

In this video, Ryan explains this year’s theme, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life”:

[RSS and email readers, click here to view this video]

Go to the Clarus page to learn more about Clarus and to register for this year’s conference.

Jan 20

The Voice of the Lord

2012 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Sermon Follow-Up

In Sunday’s sermon, “The Voice of The Lord,” we considered how Psalm 29 tells us to see the God of all power behind a ferocious storm. With vivid poetic imagery, David writes, “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, . . .The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; . . .and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!'” (3-9).

Psalm 29 is like other psalms in its use of nature to communicate the manifold glory of God on display in what He has made. Psalm 8, for example, speaks of “the moon and the stars” as set in place by God’s hand (3), and Psalm 19 speaks of the sun displaying His happiness, as it “runs its course with joy” (5).

With this in mind, these photos from a recent National Geographic photo contest are really pictoral descriptions of the glory of God:

 

“. . .and in and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!'” (Psalm 29:9)

HT: Zach Nielsen

Jan 18

Why Church Membership?

2012 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Community,The Church

DSC’s membership class, Knowing Christ, Knowing the Church (KCKC), is offered three times a year, and the spring session begins on Wednesday, February 1, from 6:30-8:30 PM.

Perhaps you are not a member at DSC and intentionally so. You aren’t certain membership is important for Christians or important for you specifically. Or maybe you are a member, but you’ve never really thought about what the Scriptures say about the nature of the church and our relationship to one another as Christians.

All of us could take church membership more seriously, and for that reason, Nine Marks ministries has a helpful video and summary in answer to the question, “What is church membership?”

[RSS and email readers, click here to view this video]

In KCKC, we explore the foundation, nature, and purpose of what is at the heart of God, His Word, and God’s plan of salvation: the church of Jesus Christ. She has been purchased by the blood of Christ for a display of God’s glory.

Here are some of the questions we explore in the class:

  • What is the foundation of the church?
  • Why the church?
  • What is the church?
  • What does the church do; what are its purposes?
  • What are the distinctives here?
  • How does DSC operate; how is it led?
  • Why join a church and what does it mean?
  • How do I get involved?

For more information about DSC’s membership class, visit the KCKC Page. To sign up, fill out a Communication Card on Sunday, email info@desertspringschurch.org, or call the church office at 505.797.8700. This class is not just for those pursuing church membership, but for anyone interested in getting better acquainted with DSC or the gospel of Jesus Christ.