The Mark Drama — 2023

From Moore College:

“A fast-paced re-enactment of Mark’s Gospel.

JESUS?

Jesus has to be one of the most hotly debated people of all time. During his lifetime many questioned his origin and authority, while others feared he was a dangerous revolutionary. A production of the Moore College community, the Mark Drama turns Mark’s biographical account of Jesus into a 90-minute, theatre-in-the-round stage production. Fully immersed in the action, here you can decide for yourself – is Jesus just another guy with imaginative ideas about God, or is he truly the King of the universe? …”

– A great idea. Details from the College.

Turning Biblical Convictions into Practical Expectations

“At the end of 2021, Suellen Milham was feeling unsettled. As the Women’s Ministry Worker at Orange Evangelical Church (OEC), there was a lot of change happening in her ministry space. The Covid years had meant she felt some disconnection with the women; there had been virtually no opportunities over the previous couple of years for large gatherings in the women’s ministry context; the church was just about to transition into their new building; and there were 3 new ministers on the staff team.

One of the tools that Suellen devised to tackle this unease was to hold a number of Women’s Focus Groups – just to see where the women were at, spiritually, and to pull women together after this period of disconnection. …”

– At Equal But Different, Lesley Ramsay shares a story of one church’s journey towards clarity.

Psalm-Like Songs in “Real Self, Real God”

“The Aussie Christian music scene boasts very few who’ve stayed the course.

Nicky Chiswell is one such gem who continues to gift the Church her heart-on-sleeve music. Thirty years since releasing her first solo album, 2023 saw Nicky release her fifth studio album, Real Self, Real God. …”

– The Gospel Coalition Australia’s Kingsley Davidson writes of Nicky Chiswell’s latest album.

From my study to yours’ — Dick Lucas on Luke 14:16-24 — The great supper

At his kitchen table, Dick Lucas has been continuing to record reflections on Bible passages, and all are worth hearing and pondering.

“Dick Lucas was Rector of St Helen’s Church from 1961–1998. He was instrumental in the establishment and growth of St Helen’s Bible teaching ministry. Dick continues to speak at various conferences and church gatherings. He has also been at work recording new material. His ‘From my study to yours’ audio recordings are aimed at helping people study and teach the Bible.”

Recently he turned to Luke 14:16-24.

“This parable is both sobering and unsettling. It strikes a tragic note. A personal invitation to attend a great banquet is sent out to many, but all decline. Their places are taken by ‘unworthy’ substitutes. Here, Dick reflects on the work of the evangelist in the light of this tale.”

– Listen here at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate. 11 minutes.

Improving our church’s public Bible reading – with Simon Camilleri

At The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steel speaks with Simon Camilleri:

“We put lots of emphasis and training into becoming better teachers. But how can we improve the clarity, comprehension, conviction and confidence in public reading?

Bad public Bible reading is too soft, too fast, with mispronunciations, lack of preparation, bad pausing, emotionless, lacking understanding of the text, monotone and mono speed.

Good public Bible reading is faithful to text, without errors, understands context, has good eye contact, articulation, conviction, flow.”

– Watch or listen here.

Very helpful – and ideal to share with Bible readers and others involved in public ministry.

Also see Simon’s website – publicbiblereading.com

The Bible Abhors Domestic Abuse

“I’ve appreciated the insights shared on the difficult topic of domestic violence by advocates, police, practitioners, counsellors, chaplains, doctors and especially victim-survivors over the years. …”

– With a revised Domestic Abuse Policy and Guidelines to be discussed at Synod next month, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant reminds everyone that the Bible abhors domestic abuse. At SydneyAnglicans.net.

Book review — Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation

“This is the best book I’ve read this year. Once I picked it up, I struggled to put it down and went through it front-to-back in three days. It is not a biography in the traditional sense. It does chart aspects of Tim and Cathy’s story but is more interested in tracing the formative influences that shaped their lives and ministry. …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Martin Salter reviews Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen.

From Campus Talks to Bookshelf: Reviewing “The Coming of the Holy Spirit”

“I think the highest compliment I can pay Phillip Jensen’s The Coming of the Holy Spirit is to say that I found it pretty much what I was expecting because the author had already convinced me of it at an AFES national conference in 1992.

I can’t remember a lot of talks from my university years, but I can remember that series very clearly…”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Andrew Moody hopes that Phillip Jensen’s book will be widely read.

It’s available from Matthias Media.

“Lord, have Mercy” — new song from Emu Music

Emu Music have released a new single, “Lord, Have Mercy”.

– Listen here.

The Alphabet Bible

“When I was at uni, we read an article about memory. It argued that pen and paper, computers and smart phones have erased our reliance on memory. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Jeanette Chin has a simple way to help memorise Scripture – it’s ‘the alphabet Bible’.

The challenges, struggles and opportunities of small church leadership

On The Pastor’s Heart this week:

“What are the issues that senior pastors of smaller churches face – personally and to do with church culture, mission and identity.

What are the joys and tensions? What is ministry success?

What are the common pastoral frustrations?

How is long term ministry fruitfulness helped or hindered by our ecclesiology?

The reality is that most churches are small churches …”

Dominic Steele chats with Stephen Anderson. He also provide a link to Stephen’s Encouragement for the Small Church website.

– Watch or listen here.

Why everyone started talking about Expositional Preaching

In this article at The Gospel Coalition, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra looks at what happens when you discover expository (‘expostional’ in the US) preaching, and what led to the founding of the Charles Simeon Trust –

“[Walter] Carter was having the same eye-opening experience that [Dave] Helm had 25 years earlier when British pastor Dick Lucas first demonstrated expositional preaching to him.

‘It felt like a light bulb going on,’ Helm remembers. ‘It felt like you were closer to having command of what God was actually trying to say.’

Helm couldn’t get enough, and in 2001, he and some others started the Charles Simeon Trust (CST) to teach Lucas’s principles to others. Light bulbs have been going on ever since. …”

Many Australians have had similar experiences, thanking God for the ministries of Dick Lucas and John Stott and others.

See, for example these related posts. – in particular, Sydney Church History by David Cook and Reflecting on Fifty Years of Expository Preaching in Australia (1965–2015) by Peter Adam.

Photo: Dick Lucas at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2014.

The Christian Gospel – a new resource

On the latest Two Ways News podcast, Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen chat about Tony’s new book The Christian Gospel. They also speak about the difference between the gospel and the Gospels.

– Listen here.

Read about (and order) the book from Matthias Media.

In their conversation, Phillip Jensen makes a great point:

“…one of the signs of a true fisherman is that they are optimistic and come prepared – they take something with them to carry the fish home in. Any fisherman who goes without some bag or net or bucket to carry home the fish is not a real fisherman.

And so to enter into conversations with people without something that you’re going to put in their hands afterwards is like being a pessimistic fisherman.”

Image of Tony and Phillip: The Pastor’s Heart.

The Key

“In my opinion, this is the KEY.

In 1976, having spent 3 years of formative theological training at Moore College, I moved to my first parish, Wee Waa, in the north west of NSW.

I was to be the church’s second minister, the first was a faithful man, an excellent communicator. …

My sermons were very different to the previous minister, I preached for longer, I had been trained to always expound, and, I wasn’t the communicator he had been.

It was not going well, I knew that the congregation were switching off…”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook shares The Key.

God is Over All

Another encouraging and edifying song from City Alight and Colin Buchanan. “God is Over All”.

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