The following resource is from desiring God.org.

I just pray one more time.

Unless, unless the Lord builds a house, the builder builds in vain, unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain, unless the Lord preaches the sermon, all the preparation done is in vain. So we all

together now want to hear from you please do the to the word I pray in

Jesus name.

So in the first service I started with a personal testimony and I just want to tell you

that because of how significant it was and is

I was ordained to the Gospel Ministry of 1975 at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California in July, and the signature of the chairman of the

Ordination Council at the top of my ordination certificate and

the pastor of that church is Raymond C. Ortland Senior. So get the picture now for the Providence to hit you the way it hits me.

Ray Orland Senior shepherded me as a young man toward ordination and his son Raymond

Orland Jr. the founding pastor of this church shepherded my son toward the

gospel ministry. That's an unusual and sweet and precious providence and I thank

thank Janny and Ray for their parting that and I just want to say it again that two

generations of Piper's oh more than we can say to two generations of Orlands, I would not be here.

I don't think without raised dad because though I was already in

seminary I didn't believe much in the local church people in my days, that was 1968, 9, they were going barefoot, walking

around the streets wearing black armbands marching and didn't go to church

on Sunday and didn't call themselves Christians and I would have been there I think if I hadn't

gone to church at Lake Avenue and looked around around and listened and thought this is real.

The company of the committed, remember that?

...