THE NEWSLETTER OF ITBM
with Douglas Jacoby
.
31 August 2026
Good evening from St. Augustine, America’s oldest city! My brother and his wife moved to this this picturesque and historical location some time ago (though not back in 1565!). Photo (R): the old Spanish fort. Last weekend we celebrated dual birthdays here, as both my brother and my wife turned 65. (They were born only a few hours apart.) A few days before that, we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary (at a nice Italian restaurant).
On our Florida trip—the first road trip for our puppy (7 months)—we visited a number of good friends from around the state. I also had the honor of preaching for the Space Coast Church of Christ—plus superb fellowship in a church with a terrific culture.
Yesterday my M.A. course in Apologetics started. Students reside in the US (AZ, CA, CO, GA), Nepal, and Singapore. (Yes, it’s distance learning!) There are all sorts of assignments. Perhaps the most interesting will be real-time classes with several of my friends who, as apologists, strive to defend the faith as I do. Our special guests this round are Rubel Shelly (PhD in philosophy, former college president, brilliant writer, and much-sought-after conference speaker); John Clayton (a former high school science teacher who has delivered some 13,000 apologetics programs (at his own expense) to defend the faith all over the country, and also a mentor to me since 1986; and Denis Lamoureux (my only personal friend with three earned doctorates, also a professor in a Canadian university who’s helped tens of thousands of students to navigate the issues surrounding evolution).
Since these men all have amazing ministries, here are some websites. (Take a peek!)
(1) Rubel Shelly (Digital Commons)
(2) John Clayton (Apologetics website)
(3) Denis Lamoureux (Science & faith material)
In September we’re off to San Francisco to speak to a group of house churches. I’ll also head up to North Carolina for the North American Teachers Conference—including the graduation ceremony of Mountain Theological Seminary. At the very end of the month I’ll head to Athens, for a tour I’m co-leading with Paul Copan (yet another great apologist!).
In today’s bulletin:
* Two new talks in “Against the Flow”
* Five Myths about Happiness
* Current financial needs
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!
Against the Flow
Want to jump-start your Bible study? Looking for ideas for your small group, or even a Sunday sermon? Not sure how to get started? These iFaith resources are intended to help individuals, families, and ministry leaders focus on God’s Word and spark the love of Scripture in others. Two new iFaith talks are featured today.
The first, from 1 Kings, urges us to honor and obey God’s Word over human words. It runs 14 minutes, and was recorded in a military cemetery in Marietta, Georgia (where we used to live.) Note: in the intro, I accidentally announce that the message is from 1 Samuel. To watch, CLICK HERE.
The second, from 2 Kings, urges us to listen to mentors—not politicians. It runs 12 minutes and was recorded on the small island of Dominíca. To watch, CLICK HERE.
If you are new to the series, the first talk is available here. Please join!
5 Myths About Happiness
by Andrew Wilson
In an art museum in the beautiful Tuscan city of Siena, there hangs a 500-year-old oil painting that captures nearly everything that is wrong with our view of God... If this visual depiction is anything close to the truth about God, then the idea of approaching him to ask for mercy, let alone spending eternity in his presence, is the stuff of nightmares.
Guest article courtesy of Crossway.org.
Q3 Engagements
Jul: Antigua & Barbuda: Caribbean Teachers Fellowship
Jul: Philippines (online): Messianic Judaism
Aug: Salvation Series, pt. 4 (Repentance), Atlanta Braves Front Office
Aug: Florida fellowship visit
Aug: Sermon at Space Coast Church
Aug: Apologetics 600 begins (Mountain Theological Seminary)
Sep: Salvation Series, pt. 5 (Baptism), Atlanta Braves Front Office
Sep: San Francisco, CA: Teaching weekend
Sep: Cary, NC: North American Teachers Conference: “Intellect, Impact, & Integrity”
Sep: Cary, NC: Mountain Theological Seminary graduation
Sep: Interview with Jon Sherwood on The Unarmed Truth: Following the Prince of Peace in a World of Violence
Thank you!
Your prayers and financial support for this ministry are always appreciated. To donate, please click HERE. For more specific (targeted) giving, take a look at the info below, or explore the donations page.
Teaching materials
* $750—Ghana—$366 received, $384 to go
* $2665—Indonesia — $695 received so far, $1885 to go
* $3975—Philippines—$1389 received, $2586 to go
Monthly donors needed
If you would like to become a monthly donor, click HERE.
Non-US residents
If you live outside the United States, we need your help, too. Please email me directly at dj@douglasjacoby.com.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your sacrifice and trust.—Douglas
Photo (top R): Celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary
For all bulletins 2004-2026 (100s of pages of biblical material), click here. Access the website here. New material every week—typically, every day! Become a website member ($1/week, paid annually) here. Your membership is a tremendous boost to this ministry. To donate, click here.
