Don Carson’s evangelistic talks in Melbourne

Don Carson spoke evangelistically in Melbourne in August.

The “Christ-Expo” was part of the celebrations of Ridley College’s Centenary. The audio files of Dr Carson’s talks are available on the Ridley website:

Monday: How can we see God?
Tuesday: How can we start over again?
Wednesday: How can God Have a Son?
Thursday: How to get the Best Bread in the World
Friday: How can I believe Jesus Rose from the Dead?

He also spoke at St. Alfred’s Blackburn North on Suffering: a theological response.

Audio: Reformation Conference with Stephen Nichols

Last weekend, at the Omaha Bible Church in Nebraska, Stephen Nichols spoke at their Reformation Bible Conference.

All the audio files have been posted here, thanks to Erik Raymond. Total 67MB. Or links to individual talks below:

The Road to Worms: Jan Hus, Martin Luther, and Sola Scripture
Wittenberg: The Life of Luther and Commitment to the Church
Flossenburg: Martin Luther to Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cross and Discipleship
Marks of the True Church with Question & Answer
Sunday morning sermon: Spare Everything But the Word

History comes alive. Great to pass on to members of your church while memories of Reformation Sunday are fresh.

Christians responding to suffering

Over the last week, Bishop of Tasmania, John Harrower, has been sharing the insights of some friends on the topic of Christians responding to suffering. See his blog – Imaginary Diocese.

Don’t Waste Your Life — free audiobook

The free audiobook for November 2010 from Christian Audio is John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life. Narrated by Lloyd James.

Grab it here. (175MB mp3)

God displays his wisdom — through the church!

John Piper spoke at the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town a week or so ago – on Ephesians 3 and the breathtaking wisdom of God.

It’s worth watching his full talk. See it via The Proclamation Trust website.

Defence Sunday & Remembrance Day 2010

Sunday November 7th (the Sunday closest to Remembrance Day) is ‘Defence Sunday‘ and prayer is requested for Defence Force Personnel and the Chaplains who minister to them.

The Defence Anglicans website has some useful resources, including Bible readings, prayers and music which could be used in church – as well as a Powerpoint presentation shown at General Synod.

Facts and Questions for the Southern Cone HOB and Standing Committee

“The House of Bishops of the Anglican province of the Southern Cone will be meeting this weekend to discuss a variety of matters.  Among them will be the unprecedented action by the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, purportedly on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Communion, asking Bishop Tito Zavala of Chile to withdraw from the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order.”

– Canon Phil Ashey, from the American Anglican Council, urges prayer for Archbishop Greg Venables and friends in the Southern Cone this weekend.

Luther’s Stand

“Luther understood what was at stake.

He mentioned to a friend in advance, ‘Unless I am restrained by force or the emperor rescinds his invitation, I will enter Worms under the banner of Christ against the gates of hell…. I have had my Palm Sunday. Is all this pomp merely a temptation or is it also a sign of the passion to come?’

In just over 24 hours Luther would receive the answer to his question.”

– While this weekend is the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 Theses to the castle church door in 1517, it led to his crucial stand at the Diet of Worms in April 1521. Chris Castaldo has written a gripping account of the events.

(Chris serves at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. h/t Tim Challies.)

Cracks at the top — ECUSA’s ‘Constitutional Crisis’

“Now that we have the reports from the third and final day of the meeting in Salt Lake City of ECUSA’s Executive Council, we are finally able to fill in the picture of what is going on among the Church’s elected and appointed officials. The picture is neither pretty nor reassuring.…

We find out that in approving a reduced budget for 2011, the Council approved the Church taking out a new loan of up to $60,000,000, and securing its note by mortgaging its headquarters at 815 Second Avenue, as well as by pledging unrestricted endowment funds…”

– A S Haley, The Anglican Curmudgeon, pieces together what’s been happening in the Episcopal Church’s halls of power. (Image courtesy St. Paul’s Church, Ventura, CA.)

Do not be afraid

“It is amazing, once you are alerted to it, how often the brief encouragement ‘Do not be afraid’ occurs in Scripture. Often in the context there seems very good reason to be afraid. There might seem no way out. The opposition arrayed against you might seem overwhelming. The virulence and persistence with which you are opposed may be a very real cause for terror. And then the words come, ‘do not be afraid’. …”

– Read Mark Thompson’s encouraging words at Theological Theology.

Carl Trueman on the 95 Theses — for Reformation Day

“This Sunday is Halloween. But more importantly, it’s Reformation Day—when the church celebrates and commemorates October 31, 1517.

It was on this day (a Saturday) that a 33-year-old theology professor at Wittenberg University walked over to the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed a paper of 95 theses to the door, hoping to spark an academic discussion about their contents. In God’s providence and unbeknownst to anyone else that day, it would become a key event in igniting the Reformation.”

– Justin Taylor asks Carl Trueman about Martin Luther’s 95 Theses – at Between Two Worlds.

‘Should I pull the Trigger?’

“It was 3 am. I sat in the sandbagged bunker guarding the entrance to the 400 year old Portuguese fort in Balibo, East Timor. Behind me nearly 100 Australian soldiers were sleeping peacefully. I was dressed in full camouflage battle dress, Kevlar flack jacket, and helmet. I rested the minimi machine gun in the crook of my shoulder and peered sleepily out through my night vision goggles at the Timorese village below…”

– Defence Sunday is being observed on November 7 (Sunday closest to Remembrance Day). This is a good time to be reminded to uphold in prayer (prayer guide) Christians serving in the Australian defence forces.

Ridley graduate Andrew Grills, now a military chaplain, reflects on his experience as an Army Officer in East Timor. Could he pull that trigger if needed?

ACL Synod Dinner talk: New Churches

Bishop Al Stewart spoke about New Churches at last night’s ACL Synod Dinner at Chapter House.

We’re thankful to Mark Earngey for posting the video online. You can see a 3 minute excerpt here – but take the time to watch the full 28 minute talk here.

You also can listen to the audio here (10MB mp3 file).

Vic Tourism ad offensive

“Perhaps someone needs to talk to Tourism Victoria about the difference between sexy and sordid, because it is difficult to think of any situation in which the concept of a double life is a positive one… Someone might also put it to them that this promotion is seriously distasteful, trampling community values and moral codes.

But there is a greater offence here…”

– Morag Zwartz in The Age writes about a Tourism Victoria commercial you may have seen. (h/t Bp. John Harrower.)

Oversight: in the grip of grace — by John Woodhouse

Paul’s description of what is needed in an overseer in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 presents a picture of a person who is firmly in the grip of the glorious gospel of God’s grace.

“when Paul describes what is needed in those who do the work of oversight in a church, he does not mention many of things that we might have expected.”

Today we have all been touched by the culture of celebrity. We have imbibed ideas about leadership from the business world. Furthermore as we see too many churches in decline, and too few growing, we long for people with new, bold ideas and the energetic drive to change things. But when Paul describes what is needed in those who do the work of oversight in a church, he does not mention many of things that we might have expected.   Read more

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