Yesterday my Queen and I thoroughly enjoyed our very first Grandparents’ Day program as our two oldest of seven grandchildren (plus one more coming soon, D.V.) are now old enough to be students in our Christian school. The entire 2-hour program was outstanding and absolutely precious as grandchildren ministered by way of song, Scripture memorization, and musical instruments to their grandparents.

It makes a grandparent overflow with love for God’s covenant mercies, love for the grandchildren and their parents, and love for Christian education and the teachers. And it also makes a grandparent pray earnestly for the genuine conversion of every grandchild, pleading for the spiritual legacy and promise of Psalm 128:6: “Yes, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace [that is, true spiritual peace in Christ most of all!] upon Israel.” Will you bow your head right now and plead for this spiritual legacy and this promise in prayer with me also for your grandchildren?

In this conference address I highlight John Bunyan’s writings as a resource to more deeply understand both the Trinitarian Gospel of grace and the Trinitarian grace of fear.

Reformation Heritage Books just printed three more Puritan titles under our Soli Deo Gloria imprint: “The Mischief of Sin” by Thomas Watson (which also includes a 60-page appendix on “The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper” and a foreword by John MacArthurr); “Standing in Grace” by Jonathan Edwards; and “A Treatise on Earthly-Mindednes” by Jeremiah Burroughs (with a foreword by R. C. Sproul).

All three are excellent reads on critical subjects.

I felt like I got ¾ of my heart back when I saw my Queen come off the plane in San Jose, California on Saturday evening. Mary had addressed the women at the New England OPC Women’s Retreat in Monterey, Massachusetts on “The Kindness of Jesus Christ,” “Love your Enemies,” and “Kindness in the Church.” One of the conference organizers took advantage of the conference prices and enlarged her personal library (photo #1). The women sang “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” in a circle as they said good-bye (photo #2). Mary thoroughly enjoyed her time at this conference.

On Sunday I preached at Trinity Bible Church, Morgan Hill, California on “Sola Gratia: How Jesus, the Great Office-bearer, Meets all our Needs.” We always meet interesting and special people as we travel. BJ and Andrea Lopez (photo #3) used to be missionaries in Cambodia, with our good friends, Darryl and Kara Dedert. The Lopez’s adopted nine Cambodian children. They had to return to the US to care for ailing parents, though their hearts are still back in Cambodia. They took with them their two youngest, Boaz and Judah. The other children are grown and living in Cambodia. Their energy and love for the Gospel and for souls in Cambodia was palpable and contagious.

We also met Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Miller (photo #4). He is a retired police chief from a town in California where he served for 33 years, and they have since moved to Idaho to be closer to children and grandchildren. He loves to read theology and is half-way to earning his MDiv at a local seminary. It was a joy to speak to them. Pray with us please that God blesses the sermons, addresses, and fellowship.

On Wednesday evening, Mary and I hosted two Filippino ministers and one of their deacons for dinner (photo 1). For the past two years, I have done conference addresses for them virtually. We had a great time fellowshipping with them and hope to work with them in the future in assisting them in some way in providing solid Reformed training for theological students.

On Thursday morning, Mary flew to Boston to speak for a women’s conference and in the afternoon I flew to San Jose, California to do a conference of about 250 people (photo 2) for Trinity Bible Church in Morgan Hill, together with their pastor, Rev. Manny Periera, as well as Dr. Paul Twiss and Rev. Burgett. The conference was on sola gratia (grace alone). Yesterday and today, I spoke three times: Total Depravity, Justification by Grace, and Thriving in Grace. The other speakers spoke movingly and powerfully on Unconditional Sovereign Grace, Grace to Those Who Hear, The Grace of Perseverance, and The Only Ground for Glory. The conference concluded with a helpful QA with the speakers. The book sales (97% of the books were sold and many back orders were taken) and the grace-centered singing were both robust and the people were responsive and warm in every way.

Last evening we had good fellowship over dinner with the speakers (photo 3). In a few minutes I hope to pick Mary up from the airport, as her conference is also finished now and she hopes to join me here in California, and then tomorrow morning I hope to preach for Trinity Bible Church in Morgan Hill, California. We hope to fly home early Monday morning, D.V. Pray for much fruit upon both of our conferences.

I am excited to receive two more Spanish titles: first, “Volver a la carrera: La cura para el cristiano que se aparta” (Spain: Editorial Peregrino), which is my “Getting Back into the Race: The Cure for Backsliding,” and second, “Como Ir a Dios” (San Antonio, Texas: Publicaciones Gracia Sobre Gracia), by Horatius Bonar (“How Shall I Go to God?”), a great little book that contains an introduction by Paul Smalley and me.

Pray that God will use these two titles abundantly to help forward reformation and revival in Spanish-speaking circles all over the world.

This afternoon we had a 3-hour open house for the retirement of Henk Kleyn as Vice President of Operations at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, which included a one hour program expressing thanks. Hundreds attended the open house to express their love and congratulations.

Our dear brother Henk served here faithfully at PRTS with all his heart, exemplifying Christlike love, for nearly 17 years, supported throughout by his dear wife Margaret who also showed much love to the students.I gave a 15-minute opening meditation which included thanking him especially for four of his most sterling qualities, using the acronym of PRTS: Passionate service, Readiness to serve, Tender-hearted leadership, and Sacrificial spirit.

Following the meditation, a half hour video was shown in which about a dozen faculty and students expressed their deep love and thanks for brother Kleyn in a variety of ways. Dr. Bilkes closed the program with some heartwarming comments, the reading of Revelation 4 (a chapter that is precious to Henk), and prayer.

We will miss brother Kleyn greatly; he truly served “the Lord with gladness,” as Psalm 101 commands, which was also the text he quoted at the end of all his letters. Please pray for him as he enters a new phase of his life where he will be doing part-time volunteer labor in the Free Reformed Church serving as a kind of “pastoral visitor” while this vacant church continues to seek to receive its own pastor. And please pray also for Chris Hanna and Jonathon Beeke as they take up the responsibilities that Mr. Kleyn as carried for so many years.