Here it is: My 100th post. I asked myself, "what should I post about in #100?" I decided that I should make it a tribute to the most influential author and preacher in my life: Dr. John Piper. As some of you know, Piper was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is presently weighing his options as to treatment. Most likely, John will have to miss an extended period of time from his normal ministry.Lord, thank you for your servant, John Piper. Thank you for giving him such a grand vision of You and Your Word. Thank you for intersecting my life with his writings and sermons. Thank you for the sustaining grace through these years of ministry. I pray that you would heal him from this cancer. I pray that you would use this time to increase the fruitfulness of his ministry. I pray for a quick recovery and profitable study time. Use this cancer to help him spread a passion for Your supremacy in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. Only because of Jesus' shed blood, Amen.
2 comments:
I echo this post. I am so thankful for the spring of 2000. God was moving in significant ways in my life in those days and I was riding in my mentor's truck and asked if we could listen to a sermon. He put in a tape by John Piper. All I remember was the "God is most glorified in us..." truth spoken at the end of the tape. I could not believe what I heard. I remember turning that over and over in my mind for days after that. It was not long after that that I attended Passion's first One Day event in May of 2000 and heard Piper preach for the first time. I am so grateful to God for the intersection of my life John's ministry. I had the opportunity to meet him a few years later and all I could say was, "Thank you for helping me love Christ more."
How did the Lord bring Piper's ministry into your life?
Mark, my encounter with Piper is very similar to yours. I was riding in a friend's car in the summer of 1997 and he popped in "Did Christ die for us or for God?" by Piper. I had no categories in my brain to understand what Piper was saying. I was just thinking: "This guy is way too deep."
Then, another friend gave me a copy of 'Let the Nations be Glad.' I stopped after the first couple of pages because I had never heard anyone say that God loves God most of all.
Then, I went to Passion '99 and Piper spoke on suffering. I bought Desiring God, Pleasures of God, and A Godward Life.
And I have never been the same since, PRAISE GOD!
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