Thanking God This Spring for Events, Events, Events!

It is staggering to consider how many important and interesting conferences are scheduled to take place over the next couple of months. They are unique events which put a strong emphasis on the Word of God, the gospel and the supremacy of Christ in all things. Thanks be to God for these events!

We surely can't mention them all here (and there are surely many good events that we don't even know about), but we thought it might be helpful to highlight a few of these events that you might find of interest. Hopefully you'll be able to attend one or more of these and, in doing so, find your soul encouraged in the Lord.

April 7-9 - reFocus Canada - Held at Willingdon Church near Vancouver, this event is a preaching and theology conference that will focus on "Suffering for the Gospel." Featured speakers include John Piper and Bruce Ware. The cost is about $190.

April 9-10 - Desiring God 2010 Regional Conference - Our event is held at the same church (Willingdon) near Vancouver. We will focus on the theme "What Jesus Demands from the World" and John Piper is the only speaker. There will be two plenary sessions and an extended Q&A session plus time of worshipping in song. The cost is just $25.

April 26-27 - Advance the Church 2010 - Held at The Summit Church in Durham, NC, this conference is committed to equipping pastors, lay-leaders, and members to engage Southern culture with the unchanging message of the gospel. This year the theme is "Contextualizing the Gospel in the New South," and their speakers include Mark Driscoll (video), Tullian Tchividjian, Ed Stetzer, David Platt, and others. The current cost is $60.

April 28 - In partnership with that event, the next day Acts 29 is hosting a church-planter Boot Camp in Raleigh. If you're interested in church planting, this day-long event should prove helpful. It's just $99, and the speakers include Elliot Grudem, Tyler Jones, Matt Carter, and others.

April 29-30 - Sponsored by the Christian Alliance for Orphans, Summit VI will be held near Minneapolis. Two wonderful days of teaching and testimony from speakers like Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman and John Piper. If you have a heart for adoption and/or orphan care, this event is for you. Registration cost varies from $99 - $149.

May 1 - Fight Club 2010 Minneapolis, this one-day event targets men who want to take seriously the call to fight for radical gospel transformation in their own lives. The hopeful result of this event is that it would produce real men who love Jesus, love people, love the church, hate sin, and earnestly desire the gospel to become rooted in their lives. The cost is just $25, and the speakers are Scott Thomas, Tyler Powell, Steve Treichler, and Andy O'Rourke.

May 10-11 - Redeemer Conference for Pastors 2010 - Held at Redeemer Bible Church near Minneapolis, this event aims to tackle the issue of "The Pastor & Pleasure"—how does the gospel change our understanding and experience of pleasure in a pleasure-obsessed culture? How do we deal with the temptations of money, food, and sex? How do we grow in our knowledge of God and the gospel as our superior delight? Come hear from speakers Paul Tripp and R. W. Glenn. The current cost is $65.