Thanks Dr. John Piper

How cool is this...a picture of Dr. John Piper of Desiring God Ministries holding a print of my painting, "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)". Dr. Piper and his ministry have been such an encouragement to my family and I, especially over the past year.

After losing my son, Zion in March 2011, I contacted Desiring God to inquire about a book on God's sovereignty and the issue of suffering. I spoke to a young man on the phone, and for the life of me, I can't recall his name. This young man was so kind in offering a listening ear to my situation. He then took the time to pray with me over the phone...a prayer that you could tell was sincere and heartfelt. He also informed me about the book I was calling about..."Suffering and the Sovereignty of God" edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor (contains writings on God's sovereignty and our suffering by people like Joni Eareckson Tada, Stephen Saint, Mark Talbot, and others). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing trials or any kind of suffering. It really helps you view these events through the eyes of God and not through the eyes of humanistic philosophies (which most merely portray God as a weak, impotent god who knows about your suffering but is too helpless to prevent it).  I asked the young man how much the book would cost and he completely surprised me by saying, "I'm going to send it to you free of charge."

Now, how many ministries out there would do that for some stranger who just randomly calls them up? Probably, not many. However, anyone who's familiar with Desiring God knows that they're not money motivated...they have a passion for treasuring Christ and helping others, even if it means they get nothing in return.

The print was just a token of our appreciation to Dr. Piper and Desiring God for their commitment to the supremacy of Christ and making Him known to the world. I once heard one of Dr. Piper's messages where he speaks of getting a "footnote" in one of, athiest and philosopher, Ayn Rand's biographies...all because he sent her a letter of critique and gave her the gospel...who knows, maybe one day, I'll get a footnote in one of Piper's books :)

Thanks Dr. Piper!