Laziness and the young leader
“Knowing Jesus is not just knowing what he’s achieved for me in his life, death and resurrection. It is knowing why he died for me. He died for my sins and he died to redeem my time for his service. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Adrian Foxcroft points out a common danger for young leaders (and older ones too).
Facebook rant vs. facing up: Which would you choose?
“Facebook now has over 2 billion active users. More than a quarter of the world’s population now has an active account. Clearly, they are doing something right!
But of course, there are cons to every pro. So it’s not surprising that my newsfeed contains a few of these every day:
“I was at / doing this ____ today and a person said / did ______. How terrible / insensitive / hurtful!”
Living in a fallen world where things aren’t perfect, it’s inevitable that there will be many things that upset, sadden and hurt.…”
– At The Australian Church Record, Susan An writes about counter-cultural use of social media.
Moore College Public Events for 2018
Moore College has published a one-page guide (PDF) to the public events they are running in 2018.
Note, for example, that Os Guinness is speaking at a CCL event in May!
EPIC Australia/New Zealand — Tim Challies
Tim Challies was in Australia and New Zealand a week or so ago. He’s posted his video blog here.
Reflections on “What can miserable Christians sing?”
“Of all the things I have written, my little essay, “What Can Miserable Christians Sing?” has provided me with so many delightful surprises over the years.
I wrote it in about 45 minutes one afternoon, infuriated by some superficial comment about worship I had heard but which I have long since forgotten.
And yet this little piece which took minimal time and energy to author has garnered more positive responses and more touching correspondence than anything else I have ever written. It resonated with people across the Christian spectrum, people from all different church backgrounds who had one thing in common: the understanding that life has a sad, melancholy, painful dimension which is too often ignored and sometimes even denied in our churches. …”
– Published at the 9Marks website in 2014, Carl Trueman’s reflection is well worth contemplating. What message do people take away from your church gatherings?
(From the 9Marks Journal issue entitled ‘The Church Singing’.)
Should I do a PhD in theology?
“I’m asked this question every so often, so here’s some questions that help answer it. …”
– Some helpful tips from Moore College’s Dr. Lionel Windsor.
Reading into discipleship: Knowing vs knowing of God
“Do you ever feel a sense of guilt or embarrassment when someone mentions one of the great Christian classic works and you’ve never even looked at it? …”
– Kirsten McKinlay points out that knowing about God – and knowing God – are very different things. Read it all at GoThereFor.com.
10 Point Sermon Checklist
Peter Grainger shares some simple questions you can ask about your sermon – at Unashamed Workman.
Church Society series for Lent
We’re now well into the season of Lent.
Whether or not you personally observe Lent, it’s always a good time to mediate on the great truths of Scripture.
Over at Church Society’s blog, Lee Gatiss has been posting Lent reflections:
So far (earliest first), the posts are:
A Revolutionary Act: Saying the Creed.
The Author of Perfect Happiness.
– with more to come, at Church Society.
Dealing with Guilt and Shame
“Western culture regards guilt and shame as overwhelmingly negative experiences. The catch-cry of our times is “believe in yourself”, and ridding ourselves of guilt and shame is part of the near universal pursuit of positive thinking. Yet, for many, guilt and shame are all-too crushingly real and inescapable. We feel their weight even as we try to banish them with positive spin.
In our first Centre for Christian Living event of the year, Faculty member Dr Dan Wu will explore what the Bible has to say about guilt and shame – what they are, and how they can be both negative and positive experiences for Christians. Most importantly, Dan will unpack how these experiences relate to the defining reality for all human life – the glory of God seen in the cross of Jesus. …”
– Read about Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living event coming up on Wednesday 7th March.
Growing godly kids #2: Teaching children to pray
“Speaking to our heavenly Father should be the most natural thing for a child of God. However, our own sinfulness often gets in the way of trusting God and speaking readily to him. It is a quaint idea to imagine children will naturally develop a vibrant prayer life, but the reality is that they struggle just like adults.
Therefore, a vital aspect of growing children as disciples of Christ is helping them to grow as praying disciples of Christ. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Pete Tong continues his series on Growing godly kids.
Submissions to Religious Freedom Review closing Wednesday 14 February!
Michael Kellahan, from Freedom for Faith, posted the above video last week.
From the Religious Freedom Review Expert Panel’s web page:
“The Expert Panel welcomes submissions from the public addressing the matters set out in the terms of reference until 14 February 2018. You can make a submission below by filling out the form and/or uploading a file.” (emphasis added)
Considering making a submission to the Panel? Time is running out!
Here are some relevant links:
Submission to Religious Freedom Review – Assoc. Professor Neil Foster shares the submission sent in his personal capacity.
My submission to the expert panel on religious freedom – Dr Lionel Windsor.
Be heard on religious freedom – Bishop Michael Stead.
Please Speak Up For Religious Freedom – Australian Christian Lobby.
Growing godly kids #1
“Many Christian parents hope and pray that their children will grow in faith but don’t often know what practical steps they can take to help this.
Over the next few articles we’re going to discuss some little steps we can all take to deliberately disciple the children in our families and churches by training them to pray, read the Bible and be active in the life of the church. …”
– The Australian Church Record has published the first of another series of helpful articles by Pete Tong.
My submission to the expert panel on religious freedom — Lionel Windsor
“The Expert Panel on Religious Freedom in Australia is taking submissions until 14 February 2018. Here’s my submission …”
– Dr Lionel Windsor, lecturer at Moore College, and one of the ACL’s clerical vice-presidents, has shared his submission – at Forget the Channel.
Please don’t forget the deadline for submissions.
Related: Assoc. Prof. Neil Foster’s submission.
Blindspots & Barriers
“Since 2011 Jane Tooher has been Director of the Priscilla & Aquila Centre (P&A): a centre whose stated mission is to benefit women and to encourage their ministries in partnership with men.
We chat to Jane about possible blindspots and barriers to effective complementary partnerships in ministry. …”
– The Australian Church Record has published this interview with Jane Tooher.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…