This looks like something we all should see.  Unfortunately, so far, it’s not showing here in the Wenatchee area.

I appreciated this recommendation from Alex & Brett Harris - author’s of The Rebelution blog and the book Do Hard Things we gave out at RockSolid.

[HT: Alex Harris]

Go to www.abort73.com today.

This is one of the best, if not the best, pro-life website that exists. Tons of really good, solid information. Videos. Testimonies. Use it to stay informed and engaged.

Educate yourself. Educate the world.

At RockSolid, we’re clear about this issue.  Lord willing, we’ll be part of a growing movement to bring the truth of abortion to light in this culture and see lives saved and laws changed.  For the good of precious helpless babies in wombs and the glory of God, in whose image we are made.

Never apologize for a clear, level-headed, intellectually honest, self-controlled conviction about this issue.

If you were at RS 08 you know the resounding answer to that question.  “HOO-RAH!“  (It doesn’t quite sound as cool and masculine on screen as it does in person…But there’s a point to be made.  And we are serious and passionate about making the point at RockSolid.)

God designed the genders.  And He designed men to be men.  To take responsibility and to lead.  Not chauvinistic, domineering, ego-serving, self-centeredness.  Not passive, weak, conflict-avoiding, lazy, mouse-like, self-centeredness.  Manhood.  Leadership.  Servanthood.  For others good and God’s glory.

John Piper defines masculinity in very helpful (& accurate) terms:

“At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differeing relationships.”

(from “What’s the Difference?  Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible” - p. 23)

Each word is carefully placed and unpacked in the helpful little book (which is a distillation of an excellent larger work, Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism.)

This is a huge issue and a huge need in the Church today.

And a word to the Ladies - you want men to be men! (can I hear an amen?!)  God’s design is not only true, but beautiful.  It is most satisfying for the masculine human soul and the feminine human soul, when we discover and embrace the truth and beauty of our Creator’s design in making us equally dignified and uniquely distinct (Gen. 1:27).

It is not only good and satisfying for men, to be men, and women, to be women.  But it is good for women when men are men.  And it is good for men when women are women.

This issue is on unique display right now in our culture, garnering massive press and attention on the highest public venue in the world:  US Politics.

It’s a great time to be discussing these matters and searching the Scriptures and our own beliefs.  Don’t misunderstand me, my main aim in this post is not to make any political statement.  It is simply to engage a (I dare say “the”) vital issue facing the Church today, certainly facing young men and young girls today.  It affects every marriage, every family, everyone.

There is an identity crisis in the world, mass confusion abounds in our society, and sadly, even in our churches about the issue of biblical manhood and womanhood.

At RockSolid, we face this issue head on, and it strikes at all three of our primary aims:  Sound Thinking, Sound Living, Sound Relationships.

In closing this post down, there is so much that could be said and should be said.  We will also address biblical womanhood at more length on this blog as we move forward.

Two things:

1. We will be sharing clear and passionate teaching on this subject and it’s implications on dating/courtship and marriage at the upcoming Finding a Mate - Forging a Love Conference, here in Cashmere, WA.  October 17-18.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here.  I strongly encourage you to come if you can and help us spread the word.

For more information, read the flyer.

2. I was prompted to write this specific post after reading an excellent, and I mean excellent, series of 3 posts (not long at all) by Owen Strachan on the Gender Blog at the Council for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood.  I include them here, for your recommendation and reference:

A Blueprint for Manhood, Part 1: The Problem, A Solution, and The First Few Years of a Boy’s Life

A Blueprint for Manhood, Part 2: In Adolescence and Beyond, the Importance of Living for Others

A Blueprint for Manhood, Part 3: Maturity, Singleness, and the Legacy Every Man Can Leave

Ok, if you don’t yet know about Desiring God Ministries, ignorance is not bliss for you, but miss.

Don’t miss out on the audio or video or written content (take your pick) they have made available on their website, from their recent 2008 National Conference.

DesiringGod.org is the home of “God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper“.  A wealth of resources, sermons, articles, conference audio/video, books, Q & A - you name it… and most of all it’s FREE.  You can purchase Piper’s books or order sermons series or conference sets - but you can almost always read it or watch it online for free.  Stunning.

So take the time - rearrange your evenings this week - get your homework done, not so you can watch the Monday Night Football game on ESPN, or the MLB playoffs, or the new Survivor…but so you can feast on the sermons and content of the conference just completed on the theme of “The Power of Words and the Wonder of God“.

Feast this week on “rock solid” teaching (couldn’t resist) and enlarge your hunger and passion for Jesus and the Word of God…you’ll be convicted, challenged, and laugh some too (Mark Driscoll was there - the guy’s funny at times…).

All the video from the conference is now online:

• Sinclair Ferguson - “The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing”
• Driscoll, Ferguson, Piper - Friday Panel Discussion
• Bob Kauflin - “Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing?”
• Mark Driscoll - “How Sharp the Edge: Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words”
• Daniel Taylor - “The Life-Shaping Power of Story: God’s and Ours”
• Kauflin, Piper, Taylor, Tripp - Saturday Panel Discussion
• Paul Tripp - “War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God’s Sake”
• John Piper - “Is There Christian Eloquence? Clear Words and the Wonder of the Cross”

For all our RS female alumni and friends, here’s a great website to check out with “conversations on biblical womanhood and other fun stuff“, it’s called girltalk.

It’s one of my wife, Erin’s, favorites, so I asked her a couple questions about it:

A: Why do you like the girltalk blog?

E:  I like girltalk because it not only addresses married women with children, but they also include single women and married women without children.  The encouragement and help they offer also gives great lessons and preparation for younger women as they look ahead down their own road towards possible marriage and child rearing.  It’s always supported by scripture and sound doctrine.

A: What have you gained from it?

E:  I often learn something new and many times feel rebuke to be better - to strive to be more of what Christ wants me to be.  Always learning, always growing.  For example:  a recent post called “Fashion Advice from John Clavin” reaches girls from 10 to 100.  They also have a section for CJ Mahaney which allows not only perspective, but teaching from a godly man.

Thanks, Sweetie!

AJ