Weekend A La Carte (August 27)
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of newer books and a selection of older ones.
Todd Friel’s Wretched is having a big sale on their digital and streaming products.
(Yesterday on the blog: Joni’s Songs of Suffering)
Every Step (Video)
I’m really enjoying this new song from CityAlight. Speaking of which, there’s a new CityAlight album available now.
The Bible in English
Stephen Nichols has put together a helpful little introduction to the history of the Bible in English.
Despite Claims Otherwise, Treatment for an Ectopic Pregnancy Is Not an Abortion
Randy Alcorn: “Unfortunately, since the overturning of Roe and Casey, there has been much misinformation on the internet and in the media about ectopic pregnancies, and claims that women will not be able to receive medically necessary treatment in states that have restricted elective abortion. This is a straw man and/or a red herring argument.”
A League of Their Own
WORLD has a review of the new Prime series “A League of Their Own.” The show appears to be yet another symptom of the modern world in which story is less important than ideology. “When rebooting A League of Their Own, Amazon Studios didn’t make a baseball comedy at all. Instead, the series is a lesbian romantic fantasy.”
Life in the Blood
Ed Welch reflects on these words from Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
Wrecking Ball
“I sat on our front brick steps early the other morning, delighting in the cooler temperatures, inhaling the vibrant hints of fall. The robust spirit in the air seemed a nod toward future glory. Although autumn means death to leaves, such loss promises resplendent hues: rich, cinnamony reds, burnt orange, deep, buttery, yellows. This seasonal reminder is salve to my wounds. God’s promise is to never leave me nor forsake me. He faithfully turns the pages of life through all seasons. Pay attention–he is doing so even now.”
Flashback: Nurture Your Children
A key part of heeding God’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” is to make disciples of your own children. What value is there in saving the whole world but neglecting your own children?
However bitter the cup we have to drink, we are sure it contains nothing unnecessary or unkind; and we should take it from His hand with as much meekness as we accept of eternal life with thankfulness. —William Goodell
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A La Carte (March 29)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
Presbyterian School Mourns 6 Dead in Nashville Shooting
Like so many others, I’m shocked and grieved by the recent tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville (which CT reports on here). I am praying for all those whose loved ones have been taken and whose hearts have been broken.
More Than Watchmen for the Morning
Meredith Beatty: “The watchman trusted that the sun would come up every single morning, but don’t we have a greater hope? Shouldn’t we be spilling over with faith-filled confidence?”
The Kingdom of God Bible Storybook” Now Available from Lithos Kids
A faithful retelling of the story of God’s kingdom from Genesis to Revelation. Fully illustrated Old and New Testament volumes for ages 2 to 11. (Sponsored Link)
How to Respond to Deconstructionist Social Media
“Last week, a young adult I pastor came into my office to ask about something he’d seen. It was a video of a deconstructionist influencer on TikTok ‘proving’ that the Gospels are unreliable. He wanted to know what I thought. The video had shaken his faith. Videos on social media like these have millions to hundreds of millions of views. If you pastor younger generations, you’re likely already aware of this new reality. If you’re not, welcome.”
Is there a difference between regeneration and being born again? (Video)
Is there a difference between regeneration and being born again? Sinclair Ferguson clarifies the terms.
Wrath Is Not an Attribute of God
“The love of God and the wrath of God are commonly pitted against one another, particularly in the doctrine of atonement. If the cross is the demonstration of the love of God (Rom. 5:8), then how could it also be an expression of his wrath?” It’s important to know that wrath is not one of God’s attributes alongside love.
Fear After Grief
Brianna Lambert: “Perhaps you’ve been walking through seasons of grief, as you mourn especially deep pain. The dark clouds have begun to shift, but you’re not sure if you can bear to greet the sun, lest you have to return to the dark.”
Flashback: 31 Days of Purity: A Renewed Mind
Throughout his life, the Christian is to be renewing his mind by the Word of God, to take it into captivity and bring it into conformity. As he does this, his words and his deeds, and even his thoughts, will necessarily follow.Loneliness is one of humanity’s most tender emotions. It reminds us that we are not made for ourselves. We were made for our Creator. The barbs of loneliness are God’s way of saying, “Here I am!” —Steve DeWitt
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Free Stuff Fridays (Children’s Hunger Fund)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Children’s Hunger Fund. They have three book bundles for giveaway, featuring titles that have influenced CHF’s ministry and will hopefully encourage you and your family. Each giveaway package will also include hand-selected items from the Children’s Hunger Fund store. The giveaway will close on May 7 at noon EST.
Mission Drift by Peter Greer
Too often, as Christian organizations grow, the gospel often becomes cursory, expendable, or even forgotten. Again and again, leaders have watched their ministries, businesses, and nonprofits professionalize, expand, and lose sight of their original goals. Even churches can stray from their calling.
In Mission Drift, Chris Horst, Anna Haggard, and Peter Greer provide the tools leaders need to keep their organizations “mission true” or get back on track. Supported by research and filled with compelling anecdotes, Mission Drift identifies organizations that exhibit intentional, long-term commitment to Christ in contrast to those that have wandered away from their core beliefs. Discover what you can do to prevent drift or get back on track and how to protect what matters most.
George Muller of Bristol by A.T. Pierson
George Muller was living proof that God can be known intimately, that He is a faithful companion, and that prayer yields miraculous results. This classic biography tells of George Muller’s dependence on prayer and how his compassionate concern for orphans in Bristol, England, shaped decades of missionary and social endeavors throughout the world.
Emblems of the Infinite King by J. Ryan Lister, illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto
In an imaginative journey through the grand story of the universe, this book introduces kids ages 10+ to God’s radiant beauty using the main categories of systematic theology: God, humanity, sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and last things.
Full of captivating illustrated “emblems” meant to symbolize key facets of Christian doctrine, this unique book seeks to bring theological truths from words to life. The creative design combined with rich theology will challenge young readers to search God’s Word for important answers to big questions about themselves, God, and the gospel.
All you need to do to enter the drawing is drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules
You may enter one time. When you enter, you permit Children’s Hunger Fund to send you marketing emails. The winners will be notified via email. The giveaway closes on Sunday, May 7 at noon EST.#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:600px;}/* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
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Behind-the-Scenes: Conference Speaking
A short time ago I shared a behind-the-scenes look at book endorsements—why publishers and readers demand them and how they come to be. I did this to simply tell people how they work and to address some of the critiques of the system. Today I’d like to do something similar with conferences—to tell what comes with being a speaker at Christian events.
Before I do anything else, let me say that it’s a tremendous honor to be invited to speak at a conference and, even more so, to speak at a local church. I do not take lightly the privilege of being able to stand in the pulpit or podium at a church or event. And I’m certain I’m not alone in this.
Preparing for a Conference
Some conference speakers are chosen because of their experience or expertise on a specific topic. Others are generalists who are capable of speaking on a wider variety of topics. Often at least one or two speakers at each event are chosen more for their popularity and their likelihood of drawing a crowd than for any other factor. There, are, after all, costs involved in hosting an event and conferences tend to draw people more on the strength of the list of speakers than the actual topic they will cover. (A large convention center will charge hundreds of thousands of dollars per day for the use of its facility so the costs can be astronomical!) Wise speakers will know when they are in over their heads with certain topics and decline events for which they would have nothing helpful to say.
At the majority of events, the speakers are assigned a topic. Less commonly they are assigned a specific biblical text they are meant to exposit. Occasionally they are told they can speak on anything they like—especially for Sunday morning sermons.
It is not unusual for speakers to bring the same message to a number of events, perhaps especially when the speaker tends to lead seminars more than preach sermons. Sometimes there will even be a specific request to deliver a talk that the conference organizers heard at a previous event. I believe, though, that this has become a bit less common now that most events are recorded and uploaded to YouTube.
I expect I am not alone in that I prefer to prepare messages for my own church before delivering them elsewhere so that my speaking ministry essentially flows out of my ministry within the local church. This ensures that every message is prepared with real people in mind rather than with not-yet-known strangers.
Traveling to a Conference
In my experience, travel to conferences is comfortable and economical but never luxurious. I have never had a conference or event pay for more than economy-class flights or put me up in more than a standard mid-range hotel—and that’s true even when the events are overseas and require hours or days of travel. Most of the time the speakers book their own flights and send a receipt for reimbursement. I have long since learned that it’s best to book my own travel to ensure that I avoid flights departing too early or arriving too late. When I travel several time zones to the east I ask not to speak early in the day and when I travel several time zones to the west I ask not to speak late in the day—my way of compensating for jet lag. (An 8 PM speaking time in California is the equivalent of 11 PM at home—well after my prime time!)
Some events offer billeting with the pastor or a family from the church, though I and most other speakers generally prefer a hotel where there is the highest likelihood of getting a good night’s rest. Also, most of us have had one or two negative or uncomfortable experiences with billeting and realized that hotels are generally the best option. It would be uncharitable to recount those experiences, but certainly most speakers have had them.
Some conferences are glad to have the speakers present for only the sessions they will be involved in while others ask the speakers to be present for the entire duration of the event. Hence some events are a commitment of several days while others are no more than a few hours. I tend to prefer events where I stick around and get to know those who are attending.
Some conferences will pay for a companion to accompany a speaker (e.g. a spouse or colleague) and others will not. Some speakers have a ministry budget that will cover that additional expense if the event doesn’t while others do not. Some conference speakers prefer to travel alone and some only ever have people with them.
Some conferences try to build a bit of camaraderie between the speakers, but far more commonly they see little of one another. It is not unusual to routinely cross paths with another speaker, yet to barely know that individual. There are a good number of men and women who have spoken at many conferences with me, but whom I barely know at all. And all of that is to say that if you imagine there is some community of conference speakers who know one another well and coordinate efforts in big ways, that may be true in some circumstances, but certainly not all.
The Event
I think I can speak for most conference speakers when I say that conferences are usually very good experiences. I am sure that most, like me, have had the occasional event where they were treated poorly or taken advantage of, but far more often than not we are well taken care of and return home blessed and encouraged. Perhaps the foremost blessing, apart from being able to preach or teach truth, is being able to meet other Christians who have been impacted by our books, articles, or other resources. Mutual encouragement is a sweet blessing.
Speakers are sometimes asked to do book signings at conferences. From what I can tell, most speakers dislike doing them but will cede to the organizer’s wishes. There are few things that make an author feel dumber than sitting alone at a book-signing table—especially when another author has a massive line of people waiting for him or her. And yes, I speak from personal experience here! I guess the Lord has his ways of humbling us.
At some major conferences, the breakout or pre-conference speakers actually pay for the right to be there. This is because the conference offers a large audience and speaking there is more beneficial to the speaker than the event. This breakout or pre-conference session may be part of a larger advertising package purchased by the publisher or ministry. That said, most major conferences are also very generous in giving free or heavily-discounted exhibition space to smaller ministries that would otherwise not be able to afford it.
Most events offer the speakers a “green room.” I have often heard people speak of a green room as if it is a luxury, but usually it will simply be a quiet room with a few drinks and snacks where speakers can pray, prepare, rest, or chat. I have yet to encounter one that is the least bit posh. Most conferences provide meals for their speakers on-site, though some have them buy their own meals and later reimburse the expense. Very large conferences may invite their speakers to take advantage of a hotel’s room service, but this is rare. Most often conference speakers are eating your standard catered or church-cooked conference meals. If the event is in the South, they will be served barbecue at least once, not to mention a daily helping of biscuits and gravy.
The Honorarium
Just about every conference offers some kind of honorarium (i.e. payment) to its speakers. I don’t think I have ever asked or known the amount before getting home and opening the envelope I was handed on my way out. This is occasionally a “love offering” but more often an amount set in advance by the church or conference. I have never been given an honorarium that was embarrassingly high or discouragingly low. Thinking back to an event from some time ago, I spent roughly 8 days preparing two sermons to deliver there. The conference had me away from home for a further 4 days. In the end, I received $1500–an amount that seems quite typical. That’s the economics of a conference from a speaker’s perspective. Some conference speakers have these honoraria paid out to the ministry they represent while others, especially those who do not draw a salary from a ministry, count them as personal income.
Conclusion
Again, I consider it a privilege to speak at a conference. Yet the privilege is not in special treatment or luxurious perks. The privilege is simply being able to be with the Lord’s people and speak the Lord’s Word to them. And that, I think, is as it ought to be.