Christmas as a Child...

As promised in an earlier email, here are the childhood pics of many of your fellow 2.22ers & leaders. Guess who?
(If you see a big black space below, keep scrolling down to see the pics. Apparently Blogger has an unresolved bug right now!)

2.22 Christmas Party - December 18th

On the 18th, in lieu of our regular 2.22 meeting, we'll gather at the home of Aaron & Anita Wilson for our 3rd annual Christmas party. We'll begin at 6:30 with lots of great food - including a juicy, deep fried Turkey! If you haven't signed up for food yet, send an email to Anita & she'll suggest something for you to bring. Also, be shopping for your Dirty Santa gift ($5 - $10 range) to bring for a good round of Christian thievery and back stabbing (Hint: good books always make for some serious action).

Also - we're going to play a fun guessing game at the party - and I need your help. I need everyone to send me a picture of yourself - as a child - at Christmas. It can be a pic of you opening a gift... or in front of the tree, etc. Please can scan your pics (since there were no digital cameras in the 80's & 90's) at a good resolution (2 - 3 MB) & email them to me at 222mission@gmail.com. (send them ASAP!!) If you don't have access to a scanner, bring me the actual photo in an envelope with your name on it, and I'll scan it and get it back to you. The more that participate, the funner (funnier) it will be. The more that participate, the funner (funnier) it will be. Plus, we might even get to see a picture of Jeff Crotts opening his first Chia pet or Judy's blue, Shawn Cassidy jacket, or Anita Wilson's Easy Bake Oven... or worse!

Check your inbox for the address to our house, or just email with any questions. Also, check out pics from the last two parties over in the left side bar.

2.22 Week Links

Remember these? Here's a few of the latest links in cyberworld...

Movies - Does the Golden Compass point in the right direction? Al Mohler gives an extremely helpful overview of the movie & instruction on how Christians should react.

Movies (Part 2) - The 2nd Narnia movie "Prince Caspian" has released it's trailer.

Politics '08 - A good reminder of how we should approach the upcoming presidential elections.

Christmas Gift for Others - Josh Harris has a great suggestions for a Christmas gift - journals!

Christmas Gift for You - Books make great gifts - for you! Here's a helpful OT commentary hot off the press.

New Attitude - New Video

Check out this new video for Humble Orthodoxy. And don't forget these dates: May 24 - 27 - the 2008 Na Conference!!

2 Special Guests Coming to 2.22

Please make a point to be at 2.22 on Tuesday, October 2nd and October 30th (well, and all the Tuesdays in between, too). On these particular dates, we will have the opportunity to hear from two men from two totally different fields, and yet both have a passion for our Lord.


John F. Redman, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.P. is well known professor in the field of pediatric urology at UAMS. After a dramatic conversion late in his life, he has become passionate about sharing the gospel with the lost. He will be giving his testimony, explaining his method for evangelism, and then giving a demonstration of how it works. We're looking forward to having Dr. Redman join us at 2.22 on October 2nd.


On October 30th, we'll have the privilege of hearing from Stephen Nichols. He'll be in town preaching at BCLR the previous Sunday, and presenting a message during Wednesday's Reformation Celebration. Here is what Tim Challies, of Discerning Reader says of Nichols:


Stephen Nichols is quite the prolific author. A professor at Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School and a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary, Nichols has written several notable books in the past few years and it seems that he always has at least one title on the “Coming Soon” lists at Crossway or P&R Publishing. Nichols has a gift for presenting church history in a way that is interesting and in a way that appeals to those who may not otherwise know (or care) about the long, storied history of the church. He shows how church history is relevant precisely because the controversies we face today are strikingly similar to ones the church has dealt with long ages ago.


Here's what Aaron Wilson says of Nichols:

He must be cool...he's a Cash fan.

Stephen will be sharing with our group from his studies on Jonathan Edward's vision of the Christian life, featured in his book "Heaven on Earth". He'll also be sharing about Edward's view of evangelism and conversion and the Holy Spirit's role in illumination.


Both speakers will be preparing us for a Fall series by Pastor Jeff on communicating the gospel to our lost world. We'll see you there!

New Attitude News

If you don't already get the Na newsletter via email, I've pasted it below. You can subscribe here at the Na blog. Remember, we will be taking a group to the '08 Na Conference, (May 24-27, 2008) so you'll want to be sure to keep up with everything that's going on.

Greetings from Na.

The conference might seem like a distant memory now, but we haven't taken a day off. We're continuing our vision for humble orthodoxy, adding new friends to help, and dancing to new music in our offices.

Our Vision

If you haven't noticed, we're pretty excited about this humble orthodoxy thing. Eric Simmons, who leads Na, laid out the vision for why Na is all about humble orthodoxy in a recent blog post. And for the past two weeks our new bloggers have talked about why they're committed to a humble orthodoxy.

New Friends

Oh yes, the new bloggers. Joining Joshua Harris, Eric Simmons, and Ricky Alcantar are Thabiti Anyabwile, Justin Taylor, Doug Hayes, Isaac Hydoski, Joe Stigora, and Justin Buzzard. They come from the east coast and west coast, from inside and outside Sovereign Grace Ministries, from different backgrounds, from differing degrees of athleticism and…well maybe you should just see for yourself. They've already tackled issues like social justice, hypocrisy, and the proper use of adjectives. Check in often. We want to make the blog a place you can stop during the week and get a dose of transforming truth, practical application, and humble orthodoxy.

Music to Dance To in Our Offices

Oh, and if you missed out on the new Nap Records album Asleep In a Storm when it sold out at the conference this year, we have good news: It's back in stock. Available in both digital and holdable versions. Forget reinvention. Embrace a humble orthodoxy.

-The Na Crew

You guys...

ROCK!!!!

Sovereign Grace Free MP3 Messages

Sovereign Grace Ministries is giving an invaluable gift to the body of Christ by making their store's entire collection of MP3 messages available for free download. Audios are sorted by topic, event, and speaker."

Here are some of the speakers:

Randy Alcorn

Mark Altrogge

Mike Bullmore

Mark Dever

Ligon Duncan

Wayne Grudem

Joshua Harris

C. J. Mahaney

John MacArthur

Carolyn McCulley

Albert Mohler

John Piper

David Powlison

Ken Sande

R.C. Sproul

Bruce Ware

The Glories Continue!

We are continuing our study through the book of Revelation this summer and coming to our last two months. To help you in your own study, we're providing the passages that will be covered in the coming weeks.

Aug. 14 – Rev. 19:17-21 (Jeff)
Aug. 21 – Rev. 20:1-10 (Jeff)
Aug. 28 – Rev. 20:11-15 (Aaron)

Sept. 4 – Rev. 21:1-8 (Jeff)
Sept. 11 – Rev. 21:9-27 (Jeff)
Sept. 18 – Rev. 22:1-10 (Jeff)
Sept. 25 – Rev. 22:11-21 (Aaron)

All John Piper Books $5.00 !!!!!!!!

From Desiring God Ministries:

Every book in our store will be $5 on June 27-28, Wednesday and Thursday next week.
No limits, so spread the word.
(This sale is online only.)

Thanks to Gary for this HT.

Plow Patrol Pics

On Saturday, June 16th, several 2.22ers went to Mrs. Goodson's home (she's a friend of Elijah's family) to serve her by cleaning up her yard. After many hours and lots of sweat, the work was completed and God was glorified by this ministry.
Why don't you join us next month to help serve someone else? Details coming soon.

Three Share Thoughts from Na

From Beth Riley:

What are the idols in your life? Or "in the pursuit of something, do you sin to get it or sin when you don't get it"? (Todd Murray, he wasn't at the conference :)) In defining idolatry John Calvin stated that the evil in our desire usually doesn't lie in what we want but that we want it to much. Thinking through my daily pursuits I am convicted of the time I spend pursuing pleasure. Pleasure such as being "comfortable", feelings of happiness, getting my way, receiving other people's good opinion ... Whether or not these "sins" are viewed "as bad as" the world or not, the motivation is still the same, namely the pursuit, or idolatry, of SELF. We should call it the "S-word".

Mahaney gave four ways to identify idolatry:

1. through scripture

2. through the Holy Spirit

3. through the church-example: blue strip on his cargo shorts (listen to the sermon for a good laugh)

4. circumstances-what is your response if you don't attain your pursuit?

Mahaney also gave the hard reality of idols in your life, namely that they NEVER deliver. They ALWAYS disappoint. Pure joy cannot be derived from idols, or anything created but can be found only from shifting focus from created things to the Creator. Applying this is hard. I see so much sin that I have been blind to. I see just how much like the world I am in my thinking. But, I am encouraged to be able to struggle and strive to become more like Christ. This is just one of the truths from the conference. I encourage you to listen to the sermons and plan to go next year for the Word taught WILL reveal sin, encourage your heart, and build relationships between the body.

~a debtor to mercy alone

Beth Riley

From Sarah Ross:

Here are my thoughts on the conference. It was Amazing. It completely opened my eyes to so many things. My walk with Christ is so much Stronger and I was able to see sin in my life I was totally oblivious to. It was a true blessing to be able to hear Awesome sermons from such Christ like men. I was able to build friendships and add on to those I already had. I have a clearer understanding of what discernment is and means. One verse that stuck out to me is 1st Corinthians 10:13-14, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry."

My action point that everyone could pray for is that I need to be an imitator of God.

From Peter Witkowski:

Spiritual discernment is often something we foolishly believe we possess or it is something we do not realize we lack. Falling into the later category, I ventured into the NA conference believing that my heart would only be warmed by a fleeting emotional high, facilitated by exciting music and passionate pleas from the portable pulpit. I left 4 days later truly convicted, challenged, and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. Through the sermons of Piper, C.J. and the other speakers, I saw that my spiritual growth was being stunted by my “own affections” (2 Cor. 6:12b). I was relying upon my heart to guide my spiritual life, being one of the many who spent less than 8 minutes a day in scripture and who often saw their horizons darkened by the despair of sin. This conviction has caused me to spend more time each day reading and studying the word so that I may live more fully for Christ. I also know that God is not pleased by obedience designed as a repayment for Grace. During these past days, I have been applying the teaching I heard by checking my heart to see if my spiritual desire is being replaced by cold, methodical studies.

The music was also resonated with my soul. The songs were all scripturally based and seemed to readily express the repentance and joy that was flowing through my heart. The music presented a rare blend of superb theology and contemporary music. I left with several CD’s.

In short, I would encourage people to go next year because NA is one of the few Biblically based conferences that are designed to equip people of all ages for their life in the real world. The environment is rightfully charged with emotion, because the conference is about making much of grace and more importantly, making much of God. I encourage all to go to the New Attitude website and download the sermons for free.

Cheers,
Peter Witkowski

Guys & Gals Summer Bible Study

Girl's Study - "The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life" by Colin Smith

Meet each week at Rachel Shaver's house at 7PM unless otherwise noted.
Contact Rachel for details at rachel.shaver@alumni.cedarville.edu or Beth Riley: bth_riley@yahoo.com
You don't need a book if this is your first time to attend.

Facebook RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2600576001

Guy's Study - "Desiring God" by John Piper

The first meeting will be in Conway - this Thursday, June 14th at the San Fransisco Bread Factory on Hwy 64.
Email Rob Molden rhmoldeniii@yahoo.com or Peter Witkowski pawitkowski@ualr.edu for details.
They will alternate venues - Conway one week, then Little Rock the next.
You don't have to have a book for this first meeting.

Facebook RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2413234206

2.22 Week Links - Book-O-Rama

When I was a kid, during the summer my mom would take my sister and I to the Grant County Library to listen to story time. We'd also participate in the book club, where we'd commit to reading a list of books during the summer.

This week's links are all related to books - for our un-official summer reading club. Who knows, maybe we can all sit on the floor Indian style and have Pastor Jeff read us a story...

Tim Challies highlights four new books from Reformation Trust, featuring R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur & former BCLR pastor Steve Lawson. Be sure to check out the rest of Tim's incredible site for the discerning reader.

John Hendryx lists his "Top Ten Books on Piety, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth" over at Reformation Theology. (HT: Taylor)

Non-Fiction - Al Mohler makes his summer reading recommendations for your leisure reading. (HT: Challies)

Crossway Books has some compelling titles coming out this summer and fall. Here's a list - you can discern which ones are compelling!

I don't wanna read! - Before you say that, consider some thoughts from C.J. Mahaney, Al Mohler and John MacArthur.

What are you reading this summer? Leave a comment below & let us know.

The Hunter and the Quarry

"We are the hunters. They are the quarry. It is for men to strike out into the forest and look. It is for women to crack the twigs and stir the leaves so we know where to find them."

This was a quote read by C.J. Mahaney at the recent Na conference, from the book "Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart" by John Ensor. This illustrative quote caught the attention of those of us in attendance, and has since become sort of an "inside joke" among us (look for t-shirts soon!).

Well, if you're interested in finding out more about this book, Tim Challies - THE "discerning reader" has done us a service by reviewing this book on his blog. You can read his full review here.

Now, it's not just guys who've been reading this book...the girls over at Girl Talk (Carolyn Mahaney & daughters) will be reading this book in their new & upcoming Book Club.

Na 2007 Pictures and Audio

UPDATE: Get the audio easier...go here and just RIGHT CLICK and SAVE to your computer - no sign in necessary!

ALSO: I apologize for the erratic page loading troubles...I'm working on reformatting the blog. If you don't see the slide show, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

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Please enjoy the pics from our trip. You can click anywhere on any of the photos and it will take you to a seperate page where you can leave your comments.

Also - all the messages from Na 07 are now available to download as mp3's FOR FREE!! Please - PLEASE - take advantage of this by going here and downloading these onto your mp3 player. You can then listen to these messages and interact with others over these important topics of discernment. You'll be asked to register in order to order these, but again, they're absolutely FREE!

I am encouraging those who went on the trip to post in the comments section some of their thoughts and "action points" that had from our God-glorifying time together. Be sure to check back and read their responses.

Thanks for praying for us, I believe that the Lord did some wonderful things over the weekend.

Singing a New Song

Greetings again from Louisville...

I just found this blog entry by Josh Harris' older brother on the blog of Harris' younger brothers listing all the songs we've been singing over the weekend. The 2.22 worship team will attempt to learn some of these over the following months in order to teach you some great God-centered songs.

You can view the list here.

If you're reading this today (Tuesday), please pray for us as we will be on the road back to Little Rock beginning early this afternoon. The conference ends at 1pm, we'll grab a bite, then go visit the Louisville Slugger [Baseball bat] Museum, then get on the road. We'll probably arrive at the church after 2.22 has ended, so we'll appreciate your prayers! We can't wait to tell you about how the Lord has blessed us at Na!!

Be watching the blog for testimonies from many of the 2007 Na attendees.

UPDATE: I just found a similar list of songs on Bob Kauflin's blog, complete with hyperlinks.

I Gotta New Attitude...

Greetings from Louisville, Kentucky!! We are beginning our second day (Sunday) at the New Attitude conference and are already encouraged by the ministry we've been under so far. For those who wish you could be here but couldn't, you can keep up with everything we're learning at the following links:

~ Justin Taylor's blog

~ Josh Harris's brothers --Alex and Brett--will be live-blogging the New Attitude 2007 conference. (HT: Justin Taylor)

~ And Tim Challies, as always, is here blogging live.

Christy Nockels (Watermark) in Concert

Click here to order tickets.

Christ in Revelation

Tuesday night, May 22nd, began a summer series in the book of Revelation on the Glories of Christ, taught by Pastor Jeff. Suffice it to say, based on the first message of this series...you need to be here!

Pastor Jeff gave us three premises as to why we need such revelations of Christ:

1. Because God gives this revelation as a gift - from the Father, to the Son, to the Angel (messenger), to John and to the church (Cf. Revelation 1:1)

2. Because seeing such a revelation will educate and inform our worship.

3. Because we need to know that God hasn't kept us in the dark - such revelation informs how we approach & interpret the Scriptures.

Some questions to consider as you determine whether this subject would benefit you:

• Who/what do you worship when you pray? Sing?
• How does NT revelation of Jesus Christ help you interpret the rest of your Bible?
• Why does God reveal Himself through His Son?

These are just some of things we'll be addressing this summer in our teaching series, "The Glories of the Exalted Christ". You might consider reading through the book of Revelation this summer - several times, as we study selected passages. Also, for supplemental reading, you might try John Owen's book, The Glory of Christ. It's available here for free download in it's unabridged, un-modernized version.

Hope to see you at 2.22 - 6:30pm on Tuesday nights.

2.22 Week Links

Another list of links from the blogosphere...

Modesty - The hot topic is back again over at Team Pyro.

Church & State - What's God got to do with politics? Larry King recently addressed this on his program - with, among others - Al Mohler.

Entertainment - Seen any good movies lately? What guidelines do you use in determining what movies to watch? Joe Thorn has some helpful thoughts. (HT: Justin Taylor)

Bibles - Ever considered taking a power tool to your Bible? You might if you want one like Jonathan Edwards.

(Image provided by http://www.bigfoto.com/)

2.22 Week Links

Another list of links from the blogosphere...

Worship - Is it singing or listening or both? Bob Kauflin address this issue.

Evangelicals & Catholics - Francis Beckwith has stepped down as president of the Evangelical Theological Society...and returns to the Roman Catholic Church. Several have expressed their thougths on this and John, the "Reformed Baptist Thinker" has linked several of them.

Preaching - Nathan Williams has his own weekly links post, called "Pulpit Picks".

Mommy - Don't forget Mother's Day is this Sunday!. Here's a great gift for your mom. (HT: Pulpit Magazine)

Marriage vs. Singleness?

In coordination with Pastor Jeff's short series on marriage, here are a couple of resources that he mentioned in Tuesday night's message:

The Al Mohler message from the Na conferenc in 2004 entitled "The Mystery of Marriage" available as an mp3 download for $2.00 here or a cd for $5.00 here.

Here's Part One and Part Two of Mohler's response to the feedback from his message.

And here is Piper's recent message entitled "Single in Christ: A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters". At this link you can read, listen or watch, for free.

**UPDATE (5/4/07): After hearing Piper's sermon, one listener asks, "If what you say about the blessing of singleness is true, then why would one even want to be married?” Here is Piper's response.

Also, for you single gals - it's not too late to call and reserve your spot for a Q&A session with Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Carolyn McCully, this coming Monday night, at 6:30pm at the FamilyLife building. Email Aaron for details.

2.22 Week Links

Your weekly dose of links from around the web-world...

Bibles - What do Chinese smokers and the price of Bibles have in common? This. (HT: Taylor)

Persecution - 2.22er, Cala Neaves, sent me an email about this recent story of persecution in Turkey. Here's the story at Voice of the Martyrs. (HT: Challies)

Music - Any Derrick Webb fans out there? Here's his new album. (HT: Challies)

Blog - Here's a great series on the theology of blogging from Nathan over at the Shepherd's Fellowship blog.

Apologetics - "Atheism, the Cross and Revelation" from Tony at the Shepherd's Scrapbook.

SPECIAL Revive Our Hearts™ Radio Recording Session for Singles

On Monday evening, May 7th, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Nancy Leigh DeMoss will interview Carolyn McCulley on the topic of singleness. After the interview with Carolyn, there will be a time of "Q&A" in which to interact and ask any questions that you may have regarding the subject of singleness. This interview and discussion will be recorded for a future Revive our Hearts broadcast.

A special invitation is being extended for the single women of 2.22 to be a part of this special session with Carolyn McCulley. If you would like to attend, RSVP by calling 1-866-842-8381, ext. 3439.

Please avail yourself of Revive Our Hearts' online resources. Also, Caroly McCulley has her own website and blog.

(The recording will take place at FamilyLife, 5800 Ranch Drive, Little Rock, AR. Please plan to arrive between 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Dessert and coffee will be served. You may contact Aaron with any questions.)

2.22 Week Links...

Your weekly dose of links from around the web-world...

T4G - Together for the Gospel is gearing up for the 2008 conference. Here's the new promo video - including a fun game to play in Al Mohler's personal library! (HT: Challies)

VA Tech - Many of you heard a great sermon this past Lord's day from our pastor. Here's some other responses to the Virginia Tech shootings.

Grief - For further resources on dealing with any type of death, Ligonier's TableTalk has posted the April 2007 edition online for free. (HT: Taylor)

Blog - Vote for your favorite blog!

Praying for VA Tech

Pastor Jeff mentioned Tuesday night an indirect connection that we have with other believers in Blacksburg - namely, J.R. Foster, the leader of the Reformed University Fellowship on the VA Tech campus and good friend of Pastor Tim Senn. (Those of you who came through the BCLR Youth Group might remember when J.R. spoke at a Fall Retreat in '99 or '00.)

Tim Challies has some helpful information to inform your prayers that he received personally from some of the pastors & leaders at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg (J.R.'s church). Including this letter:

Statement from Pastor Chris Hutchinson, pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Blacksburg, VA, Tuesday, April 17th, 2007, 10:00 AM: 1) Our first priority is to try to find out whether any of the dead or wounded attended GCPC or our campus ministry, RUF, so that we may minister to them or their families. All media requests take a secondary place to that task. As of Tuesday morning, we do not know of anyone who attended GCPC who was killed or wounded. However, several worked in Norris Hall, and need prayer for the trauma they have undergone.

Read the rest at Challies' blog.