2016 CFBS Christmas Newsletter

Christmas greetings from the Whitney family and 

The Center for Biblical Spirituality.

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!  

Before I give you an update on ministry of the CFBS and on the Whitney family, I’ll mention the following resources in hopes that they might serve you and/or your ministry.

First is a new blog post, a Christmas meditation on “God, the House-building God.”

These “Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering” may be of service in stimulating discussion in slow or difficult conversational settings this week. I’m hopeful they’ll be especially useful in settings where you want to ultimately share the gospel.

Ready for 2017? Ready or not, it’s almost here. These “Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year or on Your Birthday” may help you enter the new year more thoughtfully and deliberately. At the end is a bonus of 21 additional questions, for a total of one for every day in the month of January. This Sunday or the next would be the ideal time to print this document as a bulletin insert or handout for your church or small group.

Hoping to read through the Bible in 2017, but not sure how to go about it? Or maybe you read through the Bible on a regular basis, but would consider altering your approach. Last yearJustin Taylor collected several dozen different Bible reading plans. Here’s a link to that post at The Gospel Coalition Blog.

Next, here’s a “Bible Reading Record” to assist you in reading through the Bible next year. Regardless of your pace or plan, this tool can keep you on track. Print a paper copy, put it in your Bible, and cross off chapters as you read them. Or download it to your smartphone or tablet, then delete or italicize the chapters you complete each day.

Say hello to my grandson, Trippe! My daughter, Laurelen, and her husband, Mike, presented us with Trippe on May 27, so he’ll be seven-months-old soon. Obviously, this happy little fella is the most handsome grandson in the world, although admittedly as a new cereal-eater he is still working on a few of the finer points of keeping the food in his mouth. So far our two favorite activities together are sitting in the porch swing with each other and anything that makes Trippe laugh.

One of Caffy’s most satisfying activities is investing in the lives of women in the Southern Seminary Wives Institute. Led by Mrs. Mary Mohler, wife of SBTS President Albert Mohler, the program involves both seminary faculty and faculty wives. Caffy is involved in both teaching and discipling these young women.

 

Caffy’s talent and passion for art is manifested year-round by teaching art and art history at the Sayers Classical School in Louisville, and by teaching a couple of dozen private art students. In between she produces commissioned art work and pieces for her own pleasure. The latter category is represented by the two large pieces on the right of the fountain in the Norton Commons area of Louisville and Hinkle, Mike and Laurelen’s bulldog. The 4 x 5 portrait of Charles Spurgeon was done for the office of Dr. Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, where Spurgeon’s Library is housed in a marvelous new facility. 

Another highlight for me in 2016 was the release of the Crossway edition of my Family Worship book. In conjunction with that, Crossway released a free, five-part video series on family worship called “Family Worship 101.”

By going to this page to sign up (simply by providing your email address), you’ll receive an email from Crossway each day for the next five days. Each email will contain a video (of about 3 to 5 minutes) in which I teach practical tips on leading family worship. Here’s a sample:

Family Worship 101 with Don Whitney from Crossway on Vimeo.

Also new in 2016 was the release of the Spanish translation of my two most popular books, Disciplinas espirituales para la vida cristiana and Orando la Biblia. The are available in both print and Kindle editions. And though I’m not able to tell you where to get a copy, I can announce that just a few days ago the Korean edition of my Praying the Bible was released.

On the CFBS website we now have our three best-selling resources available in what we are calling the “Spiritual Disciplines 3-Pack.” You can order Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Family Worship, and Praying the Bible for $27.00. The cost includes shipping and handling. This is a savings of more than $3.00 off Amazon’s best price.

If, however, you prefer to order the e-book edition for your Kindle (or Kindle app), you can do that, too. Below are links that will take you directly to Amazon where you can order Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life for $9.07, Family Worship for $5.37, and Praying the Bible for $8.53.

Did you know you can support The Center for Biblical Spirituality while you shop on Amazon? It is as simple as going to smile.amazon.com and choosing The Center for Spiritual Disciplines as your charitable organization. The smile.amazon.com website is Amazon. You’ll notice no difference in appearance or function. It is simply the portal into Amazon created by Amazon to allow its customers to designate a portion of their purchases to a non-profit organization.

So whenever you go to smile.amazon.com and order anything, Amazon will donate a small percentage to The Center for Biblical Spirituality. There is no other information exchanged (such as who made the purchase or for how much) except that Amazon let’s us know at the end of the month of the total that the CFBS has received a donation. Thank you!

When the Lord moves people to provide financial support for The Center for Biblical Spirituality, I am very grateful, both to the Lord and to His human instrument. Right now gifts to this ministry would be used to provide some much-needed administrative help and allow me to focus more on preaching, teaching, and writing. Our address for tax-deductible gifts is The Center for Biblical Spirituality, 11113 Peppermint St, Prospect, KY 40059-6603. If you’d prefer to give by phone, our number is 502-883-1096.

 

If you’re active on Twitter and/or Facebook, you can follow my Twitter posts via @DonWhitney and get my Facebook feed by “liking” my page there.

“Finally, brothers, pray for us” (2 Thess. 3:1). 

 

  • Pray for our family. On January 8 Caffy and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage. My mother recently began her seventh year with us. Since falling and breaking her pelvis last year she has lived nearby in an assisted living facility. Please pray for Mike and Laurelen as they grow in grace as believers, as a couple, and as parents.

 

  • Pray for my ministry of teaching as professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. One out of five seminary students in America is in one of the six SBC seminaries, and the oldest and largest of these six is SBTS. We train students from all fifty states and dozens of countries, including more than half of the Master of Divinity students in the SBC seminaries. It is a solemn and joyful responsibility to prepare these students for a lifetime of service to Jesus and His kingdom. 

 

  • Pray for my preaching, teaching, and writing done in addition to my seminary ministry. In 2016 I preached or taught 198 times and was interviewed on 22 radio programs or podcasts and two TV broadcasts. This also included 32 churches and 5 denominational events and pastors’ conferences in 16 states via 70 airplanes and more than 42,000 miles. This is a joyous privilege, but a heavy responsibility. It is impossible without prayer.

 

At the close of this year, I want to express my thanks to all you who pray for us. Thanks also to those who send financial support to The Center for Biblical Spirituality. These are all gifts from Him “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Most of all, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift,” the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15). May the Lord greatly bless you this Christmas season and new year! 

By His grace and for His glory,

Don Whitney

www.BiblicalSpirituality.org

The Center for Biblical Spirituality

11113 Peppermint St.

Prospect, KY  40059

Give the Gift of Family Worship to Your Men on Father’s Day

Center for Biblical Spirituality Newsletter

May 16, 2016

Give the Family Worship book to your men for Father’s Day

 

Equip all the men in your church, class, or small group to lead their families in the daily worship of God by providing them with a copy of my Family Worship book.

For Father’s Day, we’ve reduced the price of a case of 124 books to $425 with free shipping. That’s just $3.43 per book.Packs of 10 are $57 and single copies are $10, shipping included.

To order from the CFBS website, click here, or call 502-883-1096.

Order by Monday, June 13 to assure delivery by Father’s Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Now in Spanish!

Does your church have a ministry to Spanish-speaking believers?

Does your church sponsor mission trips to Hispanic countries?

Does your church support ongoing missionary work among Spanish-speaking peoples?

If so, you may want to consider using Disciplinas Espirituales Para La Vida Cristiana.

At present you’ll need to make bulk orders through the publisher, or get individual or small quantities—or the Kindle edition— through Amazon.

Praying the Bible

—Now in Spanish!

Please pass the word about Orando la Biblia to your Spanish-speaking Christian friends and to those ministering among Hispanic peoples.

Although we expect to have these soon at The Center for Biblical Spirituality, for now you’ll need to make bulk orders through the publisher, or get individual or small quantities through Amazon.

Note: for a short time, the Kindle edition of Orando la Biblia is just 99 cents!

It’s currently the #1 selling religious book in Spanish in the Kindle store.

Whitney Family News

The biggest news is that our daughter Laurelen and her husband Mike are expecting our first grandchild—a boy—around June 13. At least that’s the date the doctor expects to induce labor if Laurelen has delivered by then. She has been on bedrest she since was at 31 weeks and having serious contractions. She’s now at 35 weeks and still having contractions. If she makes it to 39 weeks—about June 13—the doctor says she will induce labor. Caffy and I are so excited! You’ll definitely be hearing more about this development!

See Don’s speaking schedule here.

Read Don’s blog here.

Newsletter from The Center for Biblical Spirituality

In this edition:

  • Crossway releases new edition of Don’s Family Worship book
  • A new, free, five-part video series by Don on family worship
  • New blog post by Don: “Family Worship and the Day I Made by Daughter Cry”

 

Crossway releases new edition of Don’s Family Worship book

After 10 years in print, I am excited to announce that my self-published Family Worship book has been revised, repackaged, and re-released in a beautiful new Crossway edition.

“Don Whitney has written a book we truly need. . . . This book belongs in every Christian home and in the hands of every Christian parent.
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

What’s different from the original, 2006 edition?

——More content. In every major section—family worship in the Bible, family worship in Christian history, and in the Family Worship_Cover--Finalpractical, how-to section—there’s at least some new material. If you are familiar with the original edition, you’ll still see all of that, but now you’ll find even more helpful material about family worship.

——More features. In addition to an attractive new cover, the Crossway team has reformatted the book for easier reading. This edition of Family Worship also has a Scripture index and more extensive endnotes.

——More editions. Besides the paperback edition, Family Worship is now available in Kindle and iBooks formats. You can also get the book on CD audio from christianaudio.com and as a digital download from both Audible.com and christianaudio.com.

Family Worship by Don Whitney is a priceless little volume. . . . This book is persuasive, practical, and most of all, doable.
—Dr. Tedd Tripp, Pastor; author, Shepherding a Child’s Heart

I’ve also revised the Discussion Guide printed in the back of Family Worship. This makes the book useful for class or small group study

With the original edition, the majority of copies sold were through bulk sales. Because of that trend, Family Worship will be available at a significant price reduction for bulk orders. As many did with the older edition, you may want to consider purchasing the book in discount quantities for your men’s ministry, men’s or couples’ conferences, or to distribute as gifts to your men on Father’s Day. Crossway has discount pricing on case quantities (call 800-543-1659), as does The Center for Biblical Spirituality on both case orders and 10-packs.

If you are one of the 35,000 who read the original edition of the book, please receive my heartfelt thanks. May the Lord guide you in your use of this new edition, and bless you with much lasting fruit in your life, family, and ministry from it.

********************

A new, free, five-part video series by Don on family worship

Many readers of this newsletter enrolled in the free, five-day video course on praying the Bible when my book on that subject came out last year. That series was so successful that Crossway, the publishers of Praying the Bible, decided to do the same with the release of Family Worship.

So “Family Worship 101” is also a free, five-day video course. By going to this page to sign up (simply by providing your email address), you’ll receive an email from Crossway each day for the next five days. Each email will contain a video (of about 3 to 5 minutes) in which I teach practical tips on leading family worship. Here’s a sample:

Family Worship is a great introduction to a topic of great importance. I recommend it for any and all Christian families.”
—Tim Challies, author, The Next Story; blogger, Challies.com

********************

 Family Worship and the Day I Made My Daughter Cry

My daughter, Laurelen, graduated from a small, classical Christian high school. The school enjoys a commencement tradition in which the parents hand the diploma to their child, but only after speaking a few words of encouragement (usually accompanied with some nostalgia) to him or her. The graduate responds with some brief, prepared remarks of his or her own.

A surprise for me

From her response to us, here’s the section Laurelen specifically addressed to me:

Dad, I can’t think of learning to read, reading, or books without thinking about you. I remember how encouraging you were when I first learned to read. I would finish those little books, so proud of myself, and you would encourage me to start another one right away. I remember you reading to me when I was little and telling me how exciting it would be when I learned to read and could read to you. For as long as I can remember, you’ve been bringing home books from used bookstores for me to read and enjoy. By the time we moved from Kansas City, I had 4 or 5 bookcases full of books that you had lovingly brought home for me.

Reading has always been such an important part of us as a family. Dad, the way you have so consistently led us in family worship every single night of the week for every night of my life [Note: her memory certainly failed her here] is so meaningful and inspirational for me. I’m going to cherish those moments together for as long as I live. You have been a wonderful, loving, spiritual leader for my entire life. Not only our time reading the Bible or Christian books together, but also our time reading classic books will be something I’ll remember forever. Thank you so much, Dad, for making that such a huge part of our time as a family.

As meaningful to me as they obviously were, Laurelen never finished reading these two precious paragraphs (which, with her permission, I copied from her manuscript). When she started talking about how much family worship had meant to her, Laurelen began to cry. And when I say cry, I mean I cannot remember her weeping that hard since she was a preschooler. She came and sobbed on my shoulder, and the photo of that moment is my all-time favorite of the two of us together.

Perhaps a surprise for you

Now before you imagine something that isn’t true, I want you to know that I cannot recall once in the thousands of nights before Laurelen wrote these words when we concluded family worship and I had some atmospheric sense of the presence of God. Not one time did we finish family worship where I would have said afterward, “The Lord evidently moved in great power among us tonight.”

On the contrary, most nights our family gathering was more like, “Will y’all pay attention; I’m reading the Bible here. . . . Please put down your phone. . . . Are you listening?”

Was anything accomplished tonight?

Many times after family worship I wondered if anything good had been accomplished. Almost nightly I had to remind myself to trust in the Lord to do His work through His Word, and not in my perceptions or feelings about what had or had not occurred.

Often came the nights when I perceived no enthusiasm to gather for family worship, and frankly, many times I had very little myself. In many such cases you know you need to proceed with at least a brief time of family worship out of sheer discipline and a resolve that refuses to cave in to plausible excuses of everyone’s fatigue or busyness. Sometimes you’ll sense that for you to mandate family worship on that occasion would be received as harsh and legalistic, so you simply for a quick circle and sing the Doxology or offer a brief prayer. And you’ll second-guess yourself just about every time you have to make such a call.

It will be worth it

Strive for faithfulness in family worship, not immediate results. I fully understand that what you may see night-after-night, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year in family worship may be uneventful. Just realize that the effects are rarely immediate; usually they’re cumulative.

Oaks aren’t grown by the effects of an occasional spectacular day of weather, but by long-term, consistent exposure to the elements that encourage their growth. The same patient persistence is true for growing “oaks of righteousness” (Isa. 61:3).

Give your family years of faithful, if unspectacular, leadership in family worship, and you’ll agree it’s worth it all when someday, perhaps far from now, unexpectedly, you get a response like this:

Laurelen and DW at DSCS graduation 3

 

“This book will equip you to lead your family in worship, without fear or awkwardness or intimidation. This book could change your home, and you will be glad for the change.”
—Dr. Russell Moore, President, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
“I love this little book. It is clear, biblical, and practical. It gives hope and direction for anyone. . . . The “what if” chapter is worth the price of the book. I highly recommend it.”
—Martha Peace, Biblical Counselor; author, The Excellent Wife

To order Family Worship online, click here.

Family Worship_Cover--Final

To order by phone or get more information, call Terry at 502-883-1096.

 

 

New Year’s Update from The Center for Biblical Spirituality

Happy New Year from The Center for Biblical Spirituality!

Just two items in this edition of the newsletter:

1. Links to the five recent DesiringGod/Ask Pastor John podcasts where Don was a guest and answered questions about spiritual disciplines.

2. An announcement about dramatic discounts on both the print and audio editions of Don’s Family Worship: In the Bible, in History, and in Your Home.

At the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, Don was the guest on the “Ask Pastor John” podcast produced by DesiringGod Ministries. Filling in for Pastor John Piper, here are questions Don was asked each day by host Tony Reinke:

As a bonus, here’s a link to a conversation I had with ten years ago with Dr. Albert Mohler shortly after my life-saving cancer surgery. In this “Redeeming Cancer” interview, we also discuss John Piper’s then new, but now famous piece on “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”, for Piper had recently had cancer surgery as well. (Note: you’ll probably want to skip the brief review of the news in the first five minutes.)

Family Worship

Second, a new edition of my Family Worship book is coming soon. To make room, we are selling the remaining stock of the current edition at deep discounts on bulk orders especially.

For instance,

Family Worship book         Originally       While supplies last

1 book                                    $10.50                       $9

10-pack                                 $46                             $26

50-pack                                 $215                           $87

 

Family Worship CD            Originally       While supplies last

5-pack                                   $35                              $20

10-pack                                 $65                              $30

 

To order online, click here.

To order by phone or get more information, call Terry at 502-883-1096

 

Family Worship CD front cover

Each bulk order will include a copy of the CD (while supplies last).

This enhanced audio CD of Don presenting the book also includes a two-page printable, detailed outline of the book as well as a printable discussion guide.

ABOUT THIS BOOK AND CD

Family Worship is a 64-page book by Don Whitney that surveys the biblical teaching on family worship, demonstrates how our heroes throughout church history have practiced it, and then gives fathers/husbands the simple, specific, practical how-to’s of family worship.

There’s also a section dealing with common questions such as,

  • What if the father is not a Christian?
  • What if there is no father at home?
  • What if the children are very young?
  • What if there is a wide range of ages among the children?
  • Plus, application is made to single men and women.

Discussion Guide for each of the five chapters concludes the book.

Family Worship is designed for individual reading or for group study. Many churches have given a copy of this book to every family in their church.

 

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID

“Don Whitney has written a book we truly need. . . . This book belongs in every Christian home and in the hands of every Christian parent.”

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

 

Family Worship by Don Whitney is a priceless little volume. Whitney makes a compelling case from the Bible for the practice and illustrates it richly with historical examples. He even answers the frequently asked questions and responds to common objections. This book is persuasive, practical, and most of all, doable.

Dr. Tedd Tripp, Pastor and author of Shepherding a Child’s Heart

 

Solid, substantial, gospel-centered, God-glorifying resources to recommend to families to help them either begin or to strengthen their family worship.

Dr. Ligon Duncan, President, Reformed Theological Seminary

 

To order Family Worship online, click here.

To order by phone or get more information, call Terry at 502-883-1096.

 

 

The CFBS December 2015 newsletter

Christmas and New Year’s greetings from the Whitney family. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Before I give you an update on ministry of the CFBS and on the Whitney family, I’ll mention the following resources in hopes that they might serve you and/or your ministry.

Most immediately, these “Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering” may be of service in stimulating discussion in slow or difficult conversational settings this week. I’m hopeful they’ll be especially useful in settings where you want to ultimately share the gospel.

Ready for 2016? Ready or not, it’s almost here. These “Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year or on Your Birthday” may help you enter the new year more thoughtfully and deliberately. At the end is a bonus of 21 additional questions, for a total of one for every day in the month of January. This Sunday or the next would be the ideal time to print this document as a bulletin insert or handout for your church or small group.

Next, here’s a “Bible Reading Record” to assist you in reading through the Bible next year. Regardless of your pace or plan, this tool can keep you on track. Print a paper copy, put it in your Bible, and cross off chapters as you read them, or download it to your smartphone or tablet and delete or italicize the chapters you complete each day.

In terms of family, our daughter Laurelen and her husband Mike are expecting our first grandchild on Father’s Day. Caffy and I are so excited! Below is the captionless photo they posted on social media to announce the news. If you’re over 40, then like me, you may not get it.

Ice, Ice, Baby announcement picture 

The picture is intended to convey the title of a popular 1990 hip hop song by rapper Vanilla Ice. The song is “ice, Ice, Baby.” Everyone over 40 to whom I showed this picture didn’t get it. Like me, they tried to read the wording on the label of the ice bag, or find some other clue to figure out the meaning. Everyone under 40 immediately said, “Oh, ‘Ice, Ice, Baby’—they’re expecting a baby!”

Caffy just relocated her art studio to the Frankfort Crossings building on Frankfort Ave. in Louisville. She loves the new location, and so do her students and their parents. She’s only a couple of blocks from the great Comfy Cow ice cream parlor, the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen, as well as coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, and the other amenities on Frankfort Avenue.

You can see a bit of her work, as well as some of the work of her students and other photos from her former studio, by going to her “Caffy I. Whitney” Facebook page. (Note that this is not the same as her “Caffy Cox Whitney” personal Facebook page.) Below is a piece that one of her students is currently painting.

Portrait by Caffy's student

Here’s a sample of some of Caffy’s artwork this year. She painted several portraits in 2015, and this is one of Jonathan Edwards. This 3×4 oil portrait was done for the office of Dr. Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City.

Caffy's portrait of Edwards

Among Caffy’s other projects in 2015 were two life-size portraits of Charles Spurgeon. One was of Spurgeon as a young preacher, and the one below is of him as a mature pastor. These 4×8 oils hang on either side of the entrance to The Spurgeon Library which opened at Midwestern in October.

Older Spurgeon by Caffy

Personally, in May I completed ten years as professor of biblical spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Training the best and brightest from all 50 states and dozens of countries for gospel ministry around the globe as pastors, worship leaders, church staff members, missionaries, campus ministers, biblical counselors and more is incredibly rewarding.


In June my material on Praying the Bible was published by Crossway. Having taught this material in classrooms and churches about 500 times, I’m more and more convinced that, next to the Gospel, this is the message God put me on the planet to proclaim. I’m grateful He has allowed me to live to see it go into print. There’s also a Kindle edition, as well as audio editions via Audible and ChristianAudio.com.Cover--Praying the Bible_ small

Crossway produced a free, 5-part video series in which I teach an overview of how to pray the Bible. At this page you can sign up for a 3-minute video emailed to you daily for five days. At this page is a 15-minute interview Justin Taylor did with me about the book.

 

 

BIG NEWS! Crossway will now be publishing the book I previously self-published on Family Worship. It has a new cover, new layout, some revisions, and a small amount of new content.

As with the previous edition, we’ll be offering bulk discounts on 10-packs and cases of the book via www.BiblicalSpirituality.org.Family Worship cover

For now, you can pre-order individual copies of the book for $7.99 here at Amazon. Kindle and audio editions of the book will be available as well.

The release date for the book is January 31.

 

 

 

I am very excited to announce that my two best-selling books will soon be available in Spanish editions! Please pass the word about this to Christian brothers and sisters you may know who speak Spanish, or to leaders of Spanish-speaking churches and ministries.

•   Disciplinas Espirituales para la Vida Cristianathe Spanish-language edition of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life is scheduled for release in paperback and for Kindle on April 1 and is available for pre-order here.

•   Orando la Biblia—the Spanish-language edition of Praying the Bible is scheduled for release March 1 and is available for pre-order here.

 

Spiritual Disciplines in SpanishPraying the Bible in Spanish

 

 

 If you’re active on Twitter and/or Facebook, you can follow my Twitter posts via @DonWhitney and get my Facebook feed by “liking” my page there.

 

“Finally, brethren, pray for us” (2 Thess. 3:1).

•   Pray for our family. On January 8 Caffy and I will celebrate 39 years of marriage. My mother recently began her sixth year with us. She fell in May and broke her pelvis. Since August she has been in an assisted living facility. Please pray for Laurelen and her pregnancy, and for Mike and Laurelen as they prepare for the delivery of the baby expected on Father’s Day.

•   Pray for my ministry of teaching as professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. One out of five seminary students in America is in one of the six SBC seminaries, and the oldest and largest of these six is SBTS. We train students from all fifty states and dozens of countries, including more than half of the Master of Divinity students in the SBC seminaries. It is a solemn and joyful responsibility to prepare these students for a lifetime of service to Jesus and His kingdom.

•   Pray for my preaching, teaching, and writing done in addition to my seminary ministry. In 2015 this has taken me to 36 churches, 8 denominational and pastors’ conferences, and 4 seminaries and colleges in 18 states via 114 airplanes and more than 52,000 miles.

At the close of this year, I want to express my thanks to all you who pray for us. Thanks also to those who send financial support to The Center for Biblical Spirituality. These are all gifts from Him “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Most of all, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift,” the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15). May the Lord greatly bless you this Christmas season and new year! 

If you’d like to receive this newsletter by email, simply scroll to the top of the page and enter your name and email address in the box in the upper right corner.

 By His grace and for His glory,

Don Whitney

 

www.BiblicalSpirituality.org

The Center for Biblical Spirituality

11113 Peppermint St., 

Prospect, Kentucky 40059

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Newsletter 2014

The Center for Biblical Spirituality

Christmas Newsletter 2014

from the W​hitney Family

 

Christmas greetings from the Whitney family!  Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

 

What a year 2014 has been! But before I update you on the Whitneys and The Center for Biblical Spirituality, I’ll mention the following in hopes that they might serve you and/or your ministry.

 

Most immediately, these “Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering” may be of service in stimulating conversation in slow or difficult conversational settings in the next couple of days. I’m hopeful they’ll be especially useful in settings where you want to gradually bring the conversation around to the gospel.

 

Next, here’s a “Bible Reading Record” to assist you in reading through the Bible next year. Regardless of your pace or plan, this tool can keep you on track. Print a paper copy and cross off chapters as you read them, or download it to your smartphone or tablet and delete or italicize the chapters you complete each day.

 

 

In terms of family, the big news is that Laurelen is engaged. On March 28 she is to be married to Michael Müller. She met Mike at Castleview Baptist Church in Indianapolis where both are members. Laurelen graduated with her masters in music from Butler University in 2013, and has just completed a full year of teaching choral music at an inner city high school in Indy.

 

Caffy spends most of her days teaching private art lessons at her studio in the Mellwood Art Center in Louisville and teaching art & art history at a classical Christian school in town. Ever since we moved to Louisville in 2005 she has really enjoyed teaching a course for student wives one night a week each semester in the Seminary Wives Institute at Southern.

 

Personally, it was a once-in-a-lifetime year for publishing as providentially a number of projects came together within a few months of each other. Twenty-three years after the original appeared, the “Revised & Updated” edition of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life was released in July, along with the Revised & Updated companion Study Guide. Both are available on iBooks. Kindle editions of both the book and the study guide are also available.

 

In November my PhD thesis was published by Peter Lang international academic publishers. The title is Finding God in Solitude: The Personal Piety of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and Its Influence on His Pastoral Ministry.Because it comes from an academic publisher and thus is printed in small quantities, the cost is prohibitive (the cheapest price is $73 on Amazon!). But if you are a student or work in academia, I would be grateful if you’d ask your library to order it. Libraries are Peter Lang’s primary marketing target anyway. Incidentally, Caffy drew the portrait of Edwards that graces the cover of the book.

 

I’ve delivered the manuscript to Crossway for Praying the Bible, which is due in July. I’m really excited about this. I love the cover they’ve designed. What do you think?

 

We re-launched the website in August. If you’ve never visited, give it a look atwww.BiblicalSpirituality.org. You’ll find hundreds of pages of free materials there designed to help you grow in Christ.

 

In September I started a blog about biblical spirituality. I try to post twice a week most of the time. Here’s the latest post, a “Tribute to the most prayerful man I’ve known.”

 

Most of my books are now available digitally for Kindle or on iBooks. Perhaps you are using one in a small group study or as a textbook and would find it handy to have a digital copy, or you just enjoy reading books on your mobile device. Like to listen to books? Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (original edition) is available via iTunes and www.christianaudio.com. Family Worship is also ready for listening via www.christianaudio.com.

 

Remember that these digital editions can also be sent as gifts through the source where you buy them.

 

If you’re active on Twitter and/or Facebook, you can follow my Twitter posts via @DonWhitney and get my Facebook feed by “liking” my page there.

 

 

“Finally, brethren, pray for us” (2 Thess. 3:1).

  • Pray for my ministry of teaching as professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. One out of five seminary students in America is in one of the six SBC seminaries, and the oldest and largest of these six is SBTS. We train students from all fifty states and dozens of countries, including more than half of the Master of Divinity students in the SBC seminaries. It is a solemn and joyful responsibility to prepare these students for a lifetime of service to Jesus and His kingdom.

 

  • Pray for our family. Many of you would not have heard that Caffy’s mom, who had stayed with us for about eighteen months, died in the autumn of 2013. My mother recently began her fifth year with us and is in good health. Caffy and Laurelen are deep into preparations for the March 28 wedding. Please pray for Mike and Laurelen as they prepare to unite and to spend their lives together for Christ and His kingdom.

 

  • Please pray for my preaching, teaching, and writing. This has taken me to 27 churches (in addition to denominational and pastors’ conferences) in 17 states and 3 countries outside the US via 84 airplanes and more than 61,000 miles in 2014.

At the close of this year, I want to express my thanks to all you who pray for us. Thanks also to those who send financial support to The Center for Biblical Spirituality. These are all gifts from Him “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Most of all, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift,” the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15). May the Lord greatly bless you this Christmas season!

 

By His grace and for His glory,

Don Whitney