This is Mary, hijacking my husband’s blog. People ask me sometimes how my husband gets so much work done, and part of the answer is that he takes little naps. Here he was on Sunday, enjoying holding our little granddaughter. It was so relaxing that they both fell asleep.

Yesterday was a great day for our Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids. In the morning service, John Byl (2^nd from right) was ordained into the ministry as our fourth pastor, joining Pastor Simon Yin (far left; also Mandarin-speaking to serve our Chinese members), Pastor Darryl Dedert (2^nd from left—ordained last month with a special focus on evangelization), and me.

Dr. Michael Barrett (who served as John’s mentor for his four years at Puritan Reformed) preached the ordination sermon from 1 Timothy on “Good Ministers” and Dr. Maarten Kuivenhoven (who mentored John through a one-year internship among us) read the ordination form and gave the personal charge from John 21:15-17. In the evening, Rev. Byl delivered his inaugural sermon on “The Centrality of the Cross” from 1 Corinthians 1. Along with three others, I spoke some personal words to him (on 2 Cor. 4:1). Pray that Pastor Byl will be a great blessing for our flock in preaching and pastoring to the welfare of believers and the unsaved to God’s glory.

Since many of you have asked, here, finally, are all of this year’s Puritan Reformed Conference addresses:

https://conference.prts.edu/archive/

Enjoy!

P.S. The Michigan snowstorm (24 inches in all!) is over, and the sun is shining!

What are the best Puritan books? Enjoy this 35-minute video produced by Reformation Heritage Books (heritagebooks.org) of Paul Smalley and me talking about our top choices for those who want to start reading the Puritans for their own intellectual and spiritual profit. 

Thomas Goodwin has been my favorite Puritan writer for most of my life. You’ll understand why if you listen to my admiration of this man’s godly piety in this 2-minute video. Here is a link to “A Habitual Sight of Him: The Christ-centered Piety of Thomas Goodwin.”

Looking over our patio this afternoon: This is what happens in the fall in Michigan when a husband has been too busy to remember to get the patio furniture stored for the winter before the first major snowstorm strikes. My bad—but it is stunningly beautiful!

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with our nephew and niece, Phillip and Emily, and their new baby girl, Eliza—their firstborn. What a happy little family they are! Pray for Eliza’s early rebirth—an even greater miracle—by God’s saving grace.

A picture of God’s covenant faithfulness for four generations: our 90-year-old grandfather Henry, his daughter (my Queen), his grandson (our son, Calvin), and our grandfather’s namesake—his great grandson (our grandson), enjoying Michigan’s beautiful weather. Continue praying for our dear, God-fearing grandfather please, as he has been going through some rough times physically, though, praise be to God, he was able to attend church yesterday for the first time in quite a while.

Yesterday we arrived in Laurel, Mississippi for the 29th annual Reformation Conference hosted by the Audubon Drive Bible Church pastored by Jerry Marcellino with Jim Elliff, Lance Quinn, and me as speakers (photo 1). In the opening evening sessions, Pastor Elliff spoke on Hebrews 1:1–2:3, warning us not drift away from God’s words in Christ, and I spoke on Ephesians 2:18, focusing on John Calvin’s teaching on prayer.

We are staying in the beautiful Jerry and Dawn Marcellino home which, at the moment, happens to have all seven children present (which is a rarity!)–the five sons (photo 2, with their parents), and two daughters (photo 3). What a blessed family they are!

We also had a delightful visit with Marty May (who lost her husband Bill in April) and her two daughters, Mary Margaret and Madeline, with her two children (photo 4). Pray that God will fill the large empty place for them with His own continued presence.

Tuesday and Wednesday the Continuing Synod of the Heritage Reformed Denomination met for two days of deliberation under the able chairmanship of Rev. Bartel Elshout to finish up matters from the June meetings. On the second day Mary and I had to leave to do the first of two back-to-back conferences in Mississippi–the first being at the Pinehaven Presbyterian Church in Clinton (photo 1). Mary and I spoke five times on the theme of focusing on Christ. She spoke to the women on laying our anxieties before Christ. I spoke on (1) living Christ and dying in Christ as the only way to live, (2) cultivating holiness in Christ, (3) enduring through Christ, and (4) considering Christ in ten ways while in affliction. Upon request, I also gave a message on how God developed the ministries of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and Reformation Heritage Books to be what they are today. We sold 90% of the books that RHB shipped to the conference.

We enjoyed meeting old and new friends. In photo 2, we are having lunch with our friends, Pastor Allen Stanton (our first PRTS PhD graduate, sitting to the left of me) and his wife Lindsay (sitting behind Mary), and their four children on the back table, as well as a warm and outgoing deacon and his wife, Richard and Sue (in the foreground).

Now I am off this morning with my special, one-of-a-kind Queen in our little blue rental Toyota which is brand new (photo 3; it had only 3 miles on it when we got it!), on our way to visit three friends in Jackson, Mississippi, and then we will make the 2.5 hour drive down to Laurel, Mississippi, where, beginning this evening, I hope to give four addresses on prayer at the annual Reformation Conference held at Audubon Drive Bible Church pastored by Dr. Jerry Marcellino.