Is God disappointed with me?
“For a long period in my Christian life, I felt like God was always just a bit disappointed in me.
Sure, I believed he loved me enough to die for me, and I knew he forgave me for my sin, but I felt that perhaps God just tolerated rather than delighted in me. After all, Jesus calls us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). Christians are told to pray continually (1 Thes 5:17). Paul exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4). I knew I wasn’t perfect, my prayers were certainly not continual and I failed to always rejoice, so I felt that God must be constantly displeased with me.
I walked around in a persistent state of low-level guilt. I assumed God gave a bit of a deep sigh and an eye roll each time he saw me fail again.
I wish I had been able to read Faith Chang’s heartwarming book, Peace Over Perfection, in those long years. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Jocelyn Loane reviews Peace Over Perfection.
Older people and ‘positive, Jesus focussed, choices’
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How do we proactively serve Jesus in retirement? How might we motivate our older church members to prioritise the work of the gospel?
Mike Raiter said on The Pastor’s Heart a little while back that retirement needs rethinking to avoid the sin of the sluggard.
Mike Raiter said downing tools at 65 and spending 20 or 30 years resting is a 19th century concept and is not Christian.
But what is the alternative?
Ying Yee is lead English Pastor of Chinese Christian Church Milsons Point in Sydney.
Carmel Vincent serves as training and events coordinator at the Ministry Training Strategy.
And Ian Carmichael was CEO of Sydney’s Matthias Media.”
Duties of Church Membership (i) — Church Society podcast
“In 1954, the Church Assembly (the forerunner to General Synod) asked the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to write this short guide to the duties of church membership.
It is a simple list which could be given to every person in church, indicating what is expected of them as disciples of Christ and members of the congregation. Presumably in 1954, there were already concerns that not everyone who attended church understood these. It is certainly the case today that newcomers to church have no idea about many of them.
In this week’s episode of the podcast, Tony Cannon and Steve Short discuss the first three items: discipleship and witness, prayer and Bible reading, asking what benefit they would bring to individuals and congregations if we were all more faithful in doing them. …”
– The latest Church Society podcast.
Preaching Mentors 2025
From The Expository Preaching Trust:
“The Trust is delighted to offer mentors to encourage faithful and engaging expository preaching.
Mentoring can take place on a weekly or fortnightly basis and consists of the mentor listening to Sunday’s sermon and then meeting via Zoom to give feedback.
Feedback consists of highlighting the positives of the sermon and then mutual investigation of how the sermon might be improved. …”
– Very helpful and encouraging. See the details from David Cook here.
Looking for Remembrance Day resources?
Defence Anglicans has some resources – including audio files – you could use – for Remembrance Day, 11th November, or perhaps in church on Sunday.
Image: Defence Anglicans.
How an Australian church is changing Christian songwriting
“Over the last few decades, church music has shifted. Congregations sing fewer hymns and more praise songs. We hear fewer organ chords and more guitar riffs. We read lyrics that are less theological and more generic.
The move toward quicker and more casual songwriting means new music hits our Spotify—and CCLI—lists more quickly. But it also means Christians are sometimes singing repetitive choruses, nonsensical lyrics, or wrong theology.
That matters, because we sing those songs so often that we memorize them. We hum them in the car. We play them while we’re making dinner. We lean on them when hard times hit.
About 10 years ago, a church in Australia noticed these problems. They tried a different songwriting process. It was slow and clunky and never should have worked—and yet it did.
Odds are, you’ve sung their good theology in your church, in your car, or in your kitchen.”
– At The Gospel Coalition’s Recorded podcast, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra introduces CityAlight to her audience.
See also the accompanying article.
Related:
Launch 2025 for School Leavers– and ten years of Two Ways Ministries
From Phillip Jensen –
“Join us at Launch 2025!
Launch is the camp for school leavers keen to live for Jesus. It is where you will –
- Meet others who have just finished school
- Listen to great Bible talks from Phillip Jensen and Richard Chin
- Equip yourself for University/TAFE alongside leaders and staff-workers
Our leaders are an awesome group of young women and men just a few years ahead of you! They are keen to help you work out what it means to align your priorities to God’s in this next phase of your life whilst having a fantastic time meeting others doing the same thing. Launch camp truly is the best investment you can make to think through how to live for Jesus!…”
– Download a flyer, and secure your spot.
Three nights away at Stanwell Tops – 3rd-6th February 2025.
It’d be good to advertise it at youth groups and church too, before other, less strategic, things are booked to occupy that time!
“The aim of Launch is to work out together what it means to live for Jesus in the transition to post-school life – years that are likely to be the most formative years of life.”
Related:
Two Ways Ministries is ten years old! – See the TWM website to learn more, give thanks, and do pray.
How personality impacts ministry teams
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“I want to be a big hearted encourager like Barnabas. I want to be a reliable assistant like Timothy. I want to be passionate preacher like Apollos.
When you think about the qualifications for Christian ministry in 1 Timothy 3, the significance of personality is pretty much ignored.
What is the relationship between character and personality? Someone is all about structure and someone else is much more ‘loosy-goosy/flexible’.
When there’s conflict in church or in a ministry teams – it’s often put down to personality difference or sometimes even disorder.
What does the Bible say about all this?
Tim Omrod serves with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) at Griffith University on the Gold Coast and has just finished a study of the co-workers of Paul.”
US election season, politics and the gospel — Ministry Matters from the Church of Confessing Anglicans NZ
“With the US presidential election well underway … and because we here at Ministry Matters know no fear, we dedicate this issue to a few brief reflections on politics and the gospel.
If you’re over politics, sorry – but let me assure you the emphasis here is very much on the gospel! …”
– Editor of Ministry Matters from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa NZ, Geoff Robson, introduces the latest issue.
Alistair Begg with Biblical Wisdom for Voting (in the US elections)
“Dear Friend,
I haven’t checked, but I will not be surprised to discover that the content of my letter written four years ago on the threshold of the US election was not dissimilar to this letter, particularly in seeking to declare, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns’ (Rev. 19:6). …
It is imperative that we learn to discipline ourselves to view the world through the prism of God’s Word. In deciding how to vote, I have been helped by being reminded of this quote from Gresham Machen’s book The Christian Faith in the Modern World…”
– At Truth for life, Alistair Begg shares some wisdom from God’s word as the US elections arrive (Wednesday morning Australian time).
Related: 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”– ESV.
AP interview with Tim Chester on ‘Enjoying Jesus’
In the latest podcast from AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, Mark Powell speaks with Tim Chester about his latest book – Enjoying Jesus.
– Watch here.
Lies, flattery, and Artificial Intelligence
“Part of the value of Large Language Models like ChatGPT is their ability to act as a mirror into the human psyche.
Yesterday, I unintentionally discovered how brilliant ChatGPT is at pragmatic barefaced lying and feelgood flattery—masterfully learned from its human overlords. …”
– Moore College lecturer (and ACL Council member) Dr Lionel Windsor discovered that you just can’t believe everything AI chatbots tell you.
Win the complete set of Donald Robinson’s Works! — ACR
The Australian Church Record is giving away one set of the five volumes of Donald Robinson’s selected works.
Preaching through January
“This year, the quieter period of church life when families are away and thoughts turn to cricket test matches, begins on Sunday 29 December and continues through 5, 12, 19 and 26 January.
A total of 5 Sundays before life returns to normal on 2 February.
Some preachers use these Sundays to give younger preachers an opportunity to preach, others take a series on Psalms at each holiday period, so they continue with the next consecutive Psalm.
Why not make a special event of these Sundays because it is a special time as we turn the page on one year and get ready for 2025. …”
– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook has some helpful suggestions for preachers.
Christianity is not Colonial: An Autobiographical Account
“ ‘Christianity is colonial!’ I’m sure we’ve all heard variations on that theme. It’s a useful way to demoralise and demonise Christians in both the minority ‘western’ world and the majority world.
In our current historical moment, the nations in Europe and North America as well as Australia and New Zealand are reckoning with the consequences of 400 years of international influence – of ‘colonising’ the rest of the world. This colonialism, so it is said, was advanced through the following mutually reinforcing attitudes. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Canada, Sydney-based Kamal Weerakoon answers the charge of ‘colonialism’ from personal experience.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…