A new week begins, a very sweet week, and a very full one as well.

In Minneapolis, as we walk on many friends in town for the annual pastor's conference,

the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors and Church Leaders in partnership with DesiringGod.org.

Once again, is downtown at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

This year's theme is this, joy set before us.

Perseverance and hope in the day of opposition.

For these first three days of the week, we'll be talking at the conference about the reality

of cultural opposition to the gospel and learning how to spiritually flourish and faithfully

minister in the face of cultural persecution, however subtle or severe that persecution

is.

It is, of course, a leader's conference, but this one, I think, of all years will be especially

relevant for any attentive Christian who wants to engage a culture with the gospel thoughtfully

and humbly.

The speakers include you, Pastor John, of course, and I know you're prepared and ready to

go.

Also, Don Carson is in town and, of course, Jason Meyer and Leon's Crump and missionary

Tim Kazee from the dispatches from the front DVDs you may have seen.

He's in town, along with us, as is Oz Guinness and many other speakers.

You can follow the schedule and the live stream at DesiringGod.org, forward slash live

for more.

Well, on to the inbox.

Many questions have come in this month, Pastor John, and they have had to do with the theme

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