Food for the brain

I'm not a natural reader........I've always found it difficult to just engross myself in reading a book. I struggle with fiction books (with the exception of Da Vinci and Harry Potter), let alone historical, non-fiction and Christian books.

However, some of wiser men and women have been reinforcing the need to be a reader. The fact that this is coming from all sorts of directions seems to suggest that this is something important (they also happen to be theologically trained people too!)

So therein lies the challenge......to read! To read widely and to read with a critical and discerning mind!

So here's what I've decided to do. (It would be great if you could keep me accountable in this area)

- I've started to embark on reading more of the OT this year (so far Deuteronomy is done, now I'm doing Isaiah)
- I'm going to allocate a portion of my week to just sitting down and reading (it will be a challenge in itself because I'm not the sort of person that can just sit still and slow my mind down)

This morning I decided to at last try to read "God's big picture" by Vaughan Roberts - its basically a simplified, more accessible version of Gospel and Kingdom. I'm looking forward to it!!

On a separate note, one of the elders at my church has given me a suggested booklist of "pre-college reading" that is centred around church history and ethics. I think its going to be a while since I get a chance to make a dent on that reading list, but if you're intested, I'll post some of his suggestions up.

Still alive

Hey guys

Not too sure how many ppl out there are reading this.....

I've had numerous things to post on this blog but have had to delay in doing so due to the busyness of the last two weeks in particular.

In that time, I've had:

- an ECOM mission in the city of Sydney
- a Maitland Alive training day
- numerous thoughts and reflections about ministry and the Bible (eg. how to do leafletting, what does the NT say about "prophecy", what does effective team ministry look like, how do you do children's ministry, how do you explain the Trinity?

More info to come soon (with pictures hopefully)

In the meantime, I'm trying to get a newsletter out this week....stay tuned :)

What do I ask for?

Was greatly encouraged by this verse from Psalm 27 that we looked at during a staff meeting.....


One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:4

How often I forget to ask God for the things that he declares as important and worthy...... dwelling in HIS house and the opportunity to see his beauty and seek him.