the polystyrene cup

Changes and updates in progress

2008-06-24T13:57:00.003+10:00

Am currently in the process of finishing off a Church History assignment but keep an eye out for more changes to this blog - especially now that its holidays again and my ability to blog increases!

Am also thinking about changing over to Wordpress so not too sure if you might experience some 'technical difficulties' in the next few days!

But otherwise, quick quib for today is a great song by Moses and Miriam in Exodus that I read this morning. Its amazing how quickly Israel goes from on the one hand falling down and praising how good God is at delivering them from their enemies to almost the next chapter, grumbling and complaining that the Lord brought them out of Egypt for nothing and they would have been better off staying put because at least they had food.

These verses from Exodus 15 however, had a wonderful "Amen" to it however.......

Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?

Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand
and the earth swallowed them.

13 "In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.

I follow a God......unlike any other! How awesome is He! There simply is no other and it makes all the other 'gods' of our society (relationships, family, power, money, wealth, possessions) look so so stoopid

A few photos to share

2008-05-24T18:16:00.008+10:00

Following on from my email update (if you're not subscribed and want to be, pls drop me a line), here's a few photos to share with you from church and college so far this year.

My translation group. We meet for an hour each Wednesday to translate a portion of Mark's gospel. Its slow going as it takes us nearly an hour to get through 3 verses!

My prayer group made up of Dan (3rd year, far left), and Ben (2nd yr in the middle). We meet each Monday.

Some other 1st years I'm studying with

We have chapel three times a week. This particular one is more of a traditional style where we sing hymns and use a prayer book.

An excerpt from the Greek NT. Languages have so far taken up a lot of my time but also been a joy learning as I've been able to unlock more of the treasures of God's word

This is an excerpt from the Hebrew Bible. The only words from the above text I can read so far is "King of Judah"

Fellow 1st years from college (we meet each week in small groups of other 1st years to catch up, share and pray for one another). I'm really thankful for these guys - we get along really well and have some great laughs getting to know each other. As you can see we're also a very "Asian" group and have introduced yum cha and steamboat socials!

Some of the regulars from my new Bible study group at Bossley Park. As you can tell, I'm the youngest which is a different experience to my previous bible study groups!!!

Our church weekend away from back in April

watermelon out of your nostril.......

2008-05-20T22:56:00.002+10:00

this was how childbirth was recently described to us.....

WOW.......i'm trying to picture it and its scary.........but we're still excited nonetheless. We're at the half way point!

I know I'm overdue for a post but here's one in anticipation of one coming later with photos etc.

Chapel today - heard about the EASE.....that's right EASE......in which God created this world of his in this Psalm

God is our great provider..........he provides even for the person who is right in the middle of the earthquake that hit China or the child who's helpless waiting for aid after the cyclone in Burma.

Also had some interesting discussion in our biblical theology lecture about the fact that we ought not to separate the Trinity on the cross.....the Son, Spirit and Father all suffer and are forsaken.

And also, hell is not separation from God..........its actually much worse than that. Comment and let me know your thoughts but in the meantime, you can try here for starters

Holidays approaching!

2008-04-18T14:06:00.003+10:00

Essay is done! (well, except for the synopsis). Let me know if you want a copy to read and I'll forward it to you.

I thank God for the things he's taught me as I've wrestled with what 1 Peter does (AND DOESN'T) say about suffering. I pray that God will enable me to draw upon this learning for future ministry and believe it or not, look forward to writing the next essay! These things provoke thought about things of eternal significance, unlike the essay I did on how to appropriately reward your staff back at uni.

As a result of procrastination during my essay, I happened to find another thought-provoking piece about 'preacher/teacher idolatry' as I'm going to call it now.

Food for thought......especially in light of Facebook groups, availability of sermons to download onto the ipod, quoting people etc etc. Maybe this just the Gen Y way of doing what used to be done by our forefathers with books that were published?

(On another note, I also have an email distribution list which I tried to invite people to at the beginning of the year. If you'd like to subscribe just let me know by sending me an email and I'll add you. You'll know if you're on it if you received an update from me around Easter and just after)

random thoughts

2008-04-17T00:46:00.003+10:00

Tonight on the way out to dinner over at a college friend's house, the car ride conversation spiced up as we took an alternate route instead of King Street (which was surprisingly busy!)

1. what comes to mind when you think of the word "vulcan"

Reason for discussing this was because the question on ABC 702's quiz was "Dr Spock from Star Trek is half man, half what....?

The answer turned out to be half vulcan.

To which i mentioned to tree, 'Isn't a vulcan a type of bird too?' Enter tangent in conversation number 1.

(Apparently, it turns out that Google brings up no references to vulcan being a bird, although one of our hosts shared the same inkling as me, whilst the other said it was this)

2. Outside Enmore Theatre, there were three stormtroopers outside the front entrance! People were posing for photos and had Tree and I had our camera we would have done likewise!!! D'oh!!! They looked awesome

Anyway, its back to the essay for now........funny how my blogging becomes more regular during lecture free weeks!!!

I've set my self a deadline for the end of the week. This weekend, we've got our church weekend away (READ: NOT HOUSEPARTY. I'm trying to eliminate this term from the vocabulary. Who's with me?)

Should be great. Looking forward to it was we explore "the body" in 1 Cor 12-14. Please pray that it'd be an awesome time of rejoicing in God's goodness.

Speaking of God's goodness, dinner conversation was varied but two things I took away were:

1. do we tend to often take people through a 'negative' stage (ie. pointing out how sinful, how rebellious, how lost we are) before presenting the positive (basically presenting the But, the awesome change that's on offer through Jesus) in our preaching and teaching? Is there a place to just focus on the positive?

Preliminary thoughts: Yes - a place for both. You could argue that by going through the negative, it helps us appreciate and value the positive even more. (It adds weight to the 'but' even moreso). Yet, i think we often tack the positive on to the end.

2. why is our singing in church so often unemotional?

Funnily enough, this month's Briefing deals with that topic and I've found it tremendously helpful so far. As someone who has only recently seen and experienced first hand the value and place of music personally for my own soul and feelings towards God, I really appreciated the discussion of our singing as 'a second sermon'.

Finally, a random thought to go out on.....

Stumbled across this post on Justin's blog which i though was slightly relevant (just better articulated) to my post on Engage

As someone who used to be a fanatical American sports card collector, I completely get the metaphor!!

(Sorry - another random thought that just came to mind as I was about to hit "Publish". I've decided to post up a "Theological college buzzword in my mind which gets mentioned a lot but I don't really understand in its entirety or would be confident using in a sentence". Last week's winner: "nuance or nuancing". This week's winner: "presupposition")

Which brings me to the point of essay writing which Adele helpfully pointed out tonight........there's no point trying to use big sentences to try and make me sound scholarly or learned. My aim is to be a clear communicator and to use simple sentences that convey the message for all to hear (even in a cross cultural setting). I wouldn't speak like that in general conversation, so why write like that?

On that note, its back to 1 Peter......

Lecture free weeks!

2008-04-13T22:14:00.002+10:00

Its lecture free weeks!!! (oops....I meant holidays!)

Hoping to make the most of these weeks to catch up on all the things that got neglected because we were so busy living life since the start of the year......Greek, Hebrew, readings.....

Plus, I'm trying to finish my New Testament essay. The essay question I've chosen to tackle is:

"How does 1 Peter's teaching about God relate to its treatment of Christian suffering?"

Sounds like a juicy question and I've enjoyed the exercise of getting into the text of 1 Peter and trying to understand more and more about this letter and some of the issues and answers it puts forward

But its not gonna be all work and no play........planning to go away for a few days up to Forster over the Anzac Day weekend to get some R&R.

But in the meantime, its back to the books!

Engage.....(d)

2008-04-07T09:10:00.002+10:00

Wow! Engage Conference went on sale last week and it sold out in 15 minutes. Wow! That's like the concerts that you can never get tickets to on Ticketek even though you've got the fastest internet connection and you were logged in at 8:50am for a 9am sale.

Deep down, I hope that this conference attracts who its targeted for - ie. workers not just Driscoll (and perhaps a lesser extent Carson) fans. I hope that those who are genuinely workers and seeking to wrestle with the issues that workers face (evangelism, serving God, balancing everything) were able to get tickets.

Whilst I'm just as keen to hear and see Driscoll in the flesh as the next person, I can't help but think that I've so often put the preacher up on a pedestal - almost to the extent that it becomes idol worship. And so we sign up for Engage, just to hear Driscoll. We have massive expectations coz he's gonna blow our minds and help us understand the Bible in ways we've never been able to understand. Or he's gonna make us laugh, and make insightful comments about our culture.

(Now don't get me wrong, Driscoll is a man who's extremely gifted and has been used by God to bring many people into his kingdom in extraordinary ways! But by the same token, we can understand the Scriptures. We have the ability to understand God's word. We, if we put our minds to it and seek God, we can see how the Scriptures affect our life. How it shapes our attitudes to work, life, rest. We need to be prepared to do the hard work and not just consume the hard work of others)

So why am I going? Especially now that I'm not working in a secular job anymore and don't really fall into the 'target market' for this conference. Its so tempting as an ministry apprentice or a theological student just to head along for my own edification and to hear two fantastic speakers

What's my reason for heading along to Engage? Well, I'm hoping to bring some people who otherwise wouldn't normally go away to a Christian event, but who are workers..... and that by coming away, they see the answers the Bible provides to their lives as workers. Hopefully, the weekend away itself will provide opportunities to discuss these issues more at length, to get real and to respond to God in obedience.

Oh - and sheer coincidence.....but yesterday my brother got engaged too!!! Woo hoo! Congratulations Derek and Aimee!!!

Moore College mission

2008-04-03T21:37:00.007+11:00

I've been meaning to post a weekly update of my reflections/learnings from MTC but as you can tell, that hasn't happened!

With such a busy run up to Easter - househunting, pregnancy, writing houseparty talks, adjusting to 110 new faces at college, settling in to a new church at Barneys, I think blogging was one of those 'would have been nice to's'

So, instead, let me share with you one reflection now that its Moore College mission week which hopefully encapsulates a variety of thoughts that've been going on in my head. Point form to make it easier for you.......

our Houseparty talks were on the topic of 'mission' or to the ends of the earth. We had the privilege of speaking to the high schoolers on this very important topic. And whilst they certainly appreciated the input (eg. challenging about whether they were on God's mission or their own mission, how big their own view of God is coz how we view mission starts with how we view God, being megaphones about Jesus to all people around us, seeing God's plan and purposes from beginning to end, being mission minded individuals who pray, care, give and go etc etc), probably people who benefited most were tree and I!!
at lot of the things were were speaking to the teens were really just extensions of what God had been doing in our own hearts. In preparing these talks, it was awesome to see God's mission. To see where its all heading and the picture in Rev 7
our own desires, yearnings, burdens and passion for God's global mission in sending the gospel to the ends of the earth were 'refreshed'. I think personally, I became more and more convinced in leaning towards being involved in some form of cross cultural ministry post college (and possibly out of Sydney too)

on a separate train of thought, one of the other things i've noticed since starting college is the fact that i haven't got any substantial non-Christian relationships apart from my family. Its kinda become a bit of a Christian circle of friends that i've acquired as i've been a Christian for longer and longer (and i suspect i'm not the only one in this boat. Am I?)
what a shame that is. We who have received the gospel, also need to be proclaimers and senders of this gospel so that it goes out and affects the lives of others just as it done to us. (One of my friends at college keeps on helping asking 'where's evangelism in this? where's proclamation in all this' as we reflect together on what's happening around us and in gospel ministry)

That finally brings me to Gladesville - the suburb I've been in this week as part of MTC mission. Its been a great week, seeing another model of ministry (esp in terms of church planting), seeing perhaps the best children's minister in Sydney in action, bonding with other guys in my college chaplaincy group
But perhaps the biggest highlight believe it or not has been doorknocking. Each afternoon for an hour or two, we've been hitting the streets of Gladesville knocking on doors and trying to find out people's opinions about Jesus. We've had mostly Catholic people, but we've also had the Church of England people who no longer go to church, the Greek Orthodox, the Buddhist, the 'my grandfather used to be a minister but now I believe in science', the agnostic, atheist, apathetic, the 'I used to believe' and today had a homosexual as well.
The reason why this has been a highlight - even though its been one of the most daunting experiences - is for the following reasons:

its been refreshing to engage with people who don't have the same belief and viewpoints as me. Nearly everyone we've spoken to has no assurance, no certainty, no guarantee of future salvation, or where everything's heading. (This is something i experienced as we were travelling around with a group in Turkey last yr)
the gospel divides - although none have yet to repent just yet, i now know what it feels like to have the door slammed in your face literally (twice). In fact one of those doorslammers (who after we questioned her about whether she was certain God would let her into heaven) was so upset as she slammed the door on us that she then rang up the church office and complained about what we were telling her.
its a reminder of God's gospel to keep going out to the ends of the earth and that God's mission is still very much happening as he seeks to bring every living CREATURE to confess that Jesus is Lord!

Who's mission are you on - yours or God's?

How are your non-Christian relationships going? Do you have more of one over the other? How is your time being spent? Are you using your money to win more for the kingdom?

Commentary on the below post

2008-04-03T21:30:00.003+11:00

Despite best intentions, its taken me this long to post an entry since the last quarter of last year.

Most of you would have probably seen my newsletter which fills in the gaps of my reflections from PCT.....

......so that brings us to life since Feb '08!

Well, as you can see from the post below, we're expecting!!!!

We're SO SO SO thankful to our great God for blessing us with a baby who is growing inside Tree! We basically found out that we were expecting literally the very first day of my college life! 4th February at about 2:30 in the DBK Morning Tea area whilst I was crawling my way through reading Mark 1 in Greek!

Baby Lee (or other names its been given so far include God-Lee, Hole-Lee, Precise-Lee, Exact-Lee, Beautiful-Lee....i think you get the drift) is due to enter the world on 5 October this year.

So far, Tree has been feeling very tired and often nauseous although with the first trimester drawing to a close, those days should be over. She hopes to be ready by April 10 when we're scheduled to have a family buffet!

(And no - we won't find out if its gonna be a boy or a girl till later)

alien life form....

2008-03-30T22:32:00.002+11:00

Eeek!

Latest news

2007-08-23T16:10:00.000+10:00

Hey guys

Just letting you know that I'm back on the blog. Something called Facebook interrupted for a while which probably means that blogs are on their way out (had to happen sooner of later didn't it)

Anyway, for what its worth and in case you've clicked on the link from the bottom of one of my emails, here's what's the latest news:

About a month ago, Teresa and I were really thankful for the opportunity we had to visit Turkey and Greece. We had an amazing, relaxing, fun-filled 4 weeks meeting people (locals, people in our tour group through Turkey, and some old friends - ie. the Yeos). On top of that we're really thankful to our parents who basically made the whole trip possible thanks to their generosity. Still working through the photos (that's what happens when you have a digital camera).

Some of the highlights included:
- Gallipoli
- the diversity of Istanbul - hip and trendy on one side, conservative and head coverings on another
- a quad bike tour through the amazing landscape of Cappadocia
- visiting Ephesus and Athens (the Areopagus)
- soaking up 4 breath-taking Santorini sunsets
- tandem paragliding over Oludeniz Beach from 1,900 metres!

One of the things I was reminded of whilst on the trip was how certain our hope is as Christians. In the course of speaking with people on our tour group, as they opened up and shared their lives (maybe people are more inclined to do this when they travel?), Tree and I discovered that these guys are looking, searching for something.

Thankfully we were able to share about the hope that we have. The coherent world view and perspective we have on life. But for these guys, I pray that they'll come to see that Jesus is the one who brings them hope and certainty.

In the process of giving us a bit of a run down of Islam, our tour leader (who happened to be an Aussie! Go figure), mentioned that for some of these guys being a muslim is a total way of life. It challenged Tree and I into thinking how much of our trust in Jesus affects our entire life and is it noticeable to others. Or are we just like others with a bit of Christianity tacked on the side.

Also - reading Islam in our backyard whilst in Turkey was great. Its a book i highly recommend - not just for the purpose of knowing what muslims believe, but rather getting a handle on things like church and state, religion vs secularism

Now that we're back in Sydney, here's some other things that have been happening:

I've been accepted to study here next year! Thank God for providing an opportunity to do so and please pray for us as we make the transition to college life that we'd be growing deeper in our trust despite the changes (which may include church and home).
Maitland Alive continues to keep moving along. The Saturday I came back we had our first training day where we discovered that we had more than enough people to serve on team. In fact, its gotten to the point that we've asked people to consider serving on another mission that might need more people. What a luxury that is!
Alongside the mission prep, God's also taught me that he's got things in control. I've been rebuked about how his grace is sufficient and that in my weakness, his power is made perfect. Its been great coming before God in prayer - pleading and genuinely casting everything to him and seeing him work.
Last Sunday, I preached at bilingual service on 2 Peter 1:12 and Ch 2 about false teachers. It was pretty scary to think about the nature and future of false teaching.
wellbeing has hit a bit of a slow period. We've had some difficulty getting our trainers in. Would be great if you could pray that as we start to enter warmer weather that we'd be able to attract newcomers. Having said that, I'm meeting with one guy to do Just For Starters which has been a highlight of the week
I've also done some more thinking about the role that parachurch organisations play and how they can relate to the church

Further thoughts about narrative preaching

2007-06-14T16:13:00.000+10:00

After preaching narratively on 1 Thes 2, here are some reflections and feedback from my trainer for next time

you still need to exegete the passage as you would normally
be true to the genre of the passage...its more natural to preach narratively if its a narrative genre to begin with
you can realistically only express one idea throughout
never ever take the persona of Jesus
application is harder - there are more barriers and obstacles to overcome for them to understand the big idea
milk the emotional aspect of the narrative
illustration - avoid pointless ones (just like any other sermon)
you'll need to work hard at keeping the listener's attention

What do we want? Instant gratification! When do we want it?

2007-06-14T15:57:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Phil Wilding who sent this into the SMH recently.....

It reminded me of a sermon i heard a few weeks ago where we were looking at Genesis and how just like Jacob did, we ought to be wrestling, contenting with God. We're too used to having everything done for us NOW - instant noodles (which i had for lunch today), instant internet, instant messaging etc.

Here's some choice comments from Mr Wilding (who maybe i suspect is a Christian......dunno)

'Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can. Seldom in a woman, never in a man.'

In the world of the noughties, this adage really has added bite. There is less room for patience than ever more. Even worse, there is little room for expectation, or the joy of anticipation.

I took a photo of my granddaughter on my now outmoded, got-to-have-film-in-it camera. She immediately said "Can I see it?". Obviously her dad's got a digital. There's no need to wait.

In the noughties we want instant gratification. The price we pay is loss of the joy of anticipation.

Communication is now instant. You can join chat rooms on the net; text on the mobile; call people from wherever you may be. On the train? No problem! Just call them and yell out your secrets

During the time of the dinosaurs, my then fiancee and I were teaching in different locations in the bush.......we communicated by writing letters (what's that?). It took time, and thought, to compose a letter. You thought about the person, you thought about what you wanted to say; and you waited with excitement and anticipation for the reply. The waiting, the thinking, deepened the feelings and developed a relationship based on more than physical closeness and pleasure.

In his book Surprised By Joy C.S Lewis wrote of joy as 'an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any satisfaction'. He said, 'It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still 'about to be'.

We have lost this joy, even in little things. Think about showbags. For months before the Show we would dream of what exciting things we might get. Now kids get on the net before the Show, suss out what's in each bag and its done and dusted before they leave the house.

As an aside......the impact of all this on work and family is documented here

Children's ministry conference

2007-06-04T17:05:00.000+10:00

The conference opened by looking at how God deals with families and what he requires of family. Namely, how God's grace overrules the folly of families; God's law directs the instruction of families; God's judgement overtakes the permissiveness of families and God's apostle addresses the responsibilities of families.

We then moved on to looking at developing a children's program that builds family life.

Here the aim of children's ministry is as follows: its to serve in partnership with parents, encouraging them in their God given role and responsibility and working with them to facilitate the Christian growth and nurture of children within the church family.

If it doesn't start early (ie. pre kids), then it won't happen when you do end up having kids!

We also need to think of how we view the child. So, we explored the child as created. The child as sinner, as saved, as immortal and as immature

In terms of practically meeting the needs of families there were some fantastic ideas:

Resourcing families:
- teach parents how they ought to conduct their ministry
- run parenting courses, put books/CDs into ppl's hands
- teach kids their roles and responsibilities
- help them make the most of their planned family times. Do the research, suggest materials
- match the preaching program with the kids program so that you can send home Bible bites and devotions to the family
- suggest creative ways for the kids to get into the Bible
- encourage prayer time - diary, photos
- planned teaching time as part of church activities (eg. teachers, parents AND kids); combined youth group with parents
- send craft or a question home so they'll dialogue over the week

Resourcing church:
- in terms of creche, what toys do we have, what do we do, what are we teaching?
- run all age services - family time learning as a church from the oldest to the youngest
- families reading the Bible and praying publicly together
- make sure there's family teaching time - songs, kids spot, children's talk by the Snr Minister, language from the front is inclusive of kids, structurally/architecturally fit in

Resourcing children:
- something they can take home over the week
- make time to connect Christian and non-Christian parents - eg. presentation, or BBQs
- send home Bibles, books, notes
- connect them with significant ppl who'll nurture them and pray for them.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev

2007-06-04T15:04:00.000+10:00

I've only ever heard of Mark Driscoll by name

I've never heard him speak. Nor read any of his stuff before.

However, it seems like over the past few months, its Mark Driscoll this. Mark Driscoll that.

So I finally picked up a book of his (although i had no intention of actually searching for it)

This book by Mark Driscoll (pastor of this church) is 'the story of the birth and growth of Seattle's innovative Mars Hill Church - one of America's fastest growing churches in one of America's toughest mission fields. It's also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he's made along the way, and God's grace and work in spite of those mistakes.'

In his opening chapter he asks these questions:

1. Will your Rev. require reformission

Reformission according to Driscoll 'begins with a simple return to Jesus, who, by grace saves us and sends us into reformission. Jesus has called us to:

1. the gospel (loving our Lord)

2. the culture (loving our neighbour)

3. the church (loving our Christian brothers and sisters

He argues that we need all of these aspects - leaving one out poses great dangers

It results in the following:

Gospel + Culture - Church = Parachurch

Culture + Church - Gospel = Liberalism

Church + Gospel - Culture = Fundamentalism

Whereas Gospel + Culture + Church = Reformission

2. Will your church be traditional and institutional, contemporary and evangelical, or emerging and missional?

Here, Driscoll argues that society's view of church and Christendom as we move into post-Christian viewpoints has changed as time's progressed. We're now in a phase where emerging and missional churches are whats needed in order to survive.

Some of the features of such a church include:
- missions is every Christian being a missionary to their local culture (not one that sends people to foreign countries exclusively)
- church gains its influence in society by serving the common good rather than having its assumed position
- the primary culture to reach is postmodern and pluralistic
- churches are the people who love Jesus and serve his mission in a local culture rather than existing to meet the felt needs of spiritual consumers
- pastors are missiologists who train Christians to be effective missionaries, not CEOs who lead and manage their staff.
- churches grow as Christians bring Jesus to lost people through hospitality (not through church events)

3. Will you proclaim a gospel of forgiveness, fulfillment or freedom?

As we live more and more in a biblically-illiterate and post-Christian culture, the gospel of forgiveness (people don't think their sinners straight away. it takes months/years to understand sin) and fulfillment (like Maslow's hierarchy of needs) are not necessarily the hallmarks of an emerging church.

The gospel of freedom says we live in community with God and with each other without the pains of sins and death. But because of our sin, we have wrecked God's good creation and brought death and havoc into all of life. And though we are self-destructive, God in his loving kindness has chosen to save us from ourselves. Our God, Jesus came to live without sin as our example, die for our sin as our substitute, and rise from death as our Lord who liberates us from Satan, sin and death.

The gospel of freedom says that only through Jesus can we be brought back into friendship with God and with each other, because he takes away the sin that separates us.

4. Will your church be attractional, missional, or both?

5. Will your church have a mission of community, or be a community of mission?

Here, distinctions are drawn between Babel and Pentecost. In the Babylonian community, godless affinity was ever-present. the Pentecost community existed for mission - it held together because they were on the same mission for the same Lord.

We can so often strive to achieve community in our churches that we can neglect to focus on the fact that they must first be repentant and filled with the Spirit. Our unity lies not in the fact that we enjoy hanging around together and enjoy one another's company, but rather we're united in purpose and goals of serving God together inwardly AND outwardly.

6. Will your leaders work from guilt or conviction?

One of the inhibitors of keeping a church on mission is the erroneous spoken and unspoken expectations they have of its leaders and their families. Leaders must decide between offending Christ, or other Christians.

7. Do you have guts to shoot your dogs?

Dogs are those ministries that are holding your church back. Don't lack the courage to shoot them and make it count so it doesn't come back to bite you

8. Can you wield a sword and trowel?

When the Israelites rebuilt the wall, Nehemiah had his people carry a trowel in one hand to build and a sword in the other to defend their work.

___________________________________

What proceeds from these questions is an honest, roller coaster story of the Mars Hill church. Although i thought this was just a 'numbers' game, as I read through the rest of the book, I could really see these questions coming to the surface and Driscoll making decisions which has lead him to where they are today.

Its a great read. Easy, funny, amazing and at times you think 'I'd never do that'.

Its full of excellent quotes ("the upstairs room of our church was so hot, everyone was sweating like Mike Tyson in a spelling bee") and one liners which are just so spot on.

The behind the scenes look into his church I think really supports the big theme that runs through his book - getting people on a mission for Jesus, reaching the city, reaching the culture.

This starts with working with the right people, not being afraid to part ways, having what's called 'Gospel Class' which is the membership process for anyone to be involved in any ministry, performance reviews for elders, pruning for fruit. There's also stories of church plants and how these need to be accompanied by fresh ways of doing evangelism.

He also provides this assessment of people that exist within a church:

HORSES - vibrant leaders who pull a lot of weight and run fast. They've got sound doctrine, character and agree with the vision of the church

COLTS - emerging leaders who need training, testing and opportunities to lead. If properly broken in, they can become horses

FISH - non Christians who are spiritually lost and not actively looking for God. They need a Christian friend to lovingly introduce them to Jesus

EAGLES - skilled leaders who are being developed with the expressing kingdom purpose of leaving the proverbial nest and leading a ministry elsewhere

MULES - faithful workers who are dependable and do what ever is asked of them. They need to be continually thanked and prevented from burnout

COWS - selfish ppl who wander from church to church, chewing up the resources without ever giving back. A fence needs to be built around the church to keep the cows out

SQUIRRELS - people who are generally liked coz they're nice but rarely do anything meaningful. Squirrels need to be put to work

STRAY CATS - socially peculiar loners who linger around the church. They need a friend to help bring them into the church and an opportunity to serve the other peopel so that they can be meaningfully connected.

RATS - appear to have potential but lack dependability, humility or maturity. Need to be rebuked, and if they don't repent, they must be strategically ignored until they commit to no longer being a waste of time and effort

SHEEP - have legitimate needs that require patient and loving support.Need to be loved and served (eg. widows, orphans)

WOLVES - false teachers whom Satan sends into the church to devour Jesus' sheep. Remove them

SNAKES - evil people sent by the Serpent to destroy the church from anything from sexual sin to starting rumours. Heads must be stomped on.

In the end, as he says 'We need to stop playing church and start owning the mission to reach the city and see Jesus transform our culture'

Can't wait to hear him next year when he's speaking here in Sydney

BTW - thanks for 'lending' it to me Ying

Narrative preaching

2007-05-31T14:41:00.001+10:00

This Sunday I'm giving a talk on 1 Thess 2:1-16.

Its an awesome passage....have a read. One where Paul pours out his heart and explains the way in which he's ministered to the Thessalonians.

A great challenge for our motives, methods in ministry.

I'm also gonna take a risk and try to preach it narratively. From the perspective of a Thessalonian Jewish Christian who saw Paul preach firsthand.

So far, i'm finding the preparation enriching. Having to place myself in those shoes makes you pick u the details a lot more as you take on that persona and imagine what it would have been like.

I got the idea after reading this article during our PCT training and discussing it last week

BBQs and street evangelism

2007-05-31T14:23:00.000+10:00

This past week has been full of scary, stranger, cold turkey, walk up whatever you wanna call it work in the city.

Monday and Tuesday i was helping out at the City Bible Forum BBQ held in Martin Place.

The aim was to raise the profile of the ministry and alert people to the fact we exist and there are meetings for them in the city to come along to if they want to hear what the Bible's all about. We tried to do that all in the space of the time it takes to get a sausage into your hand.

There was a variety of conversations....the most (scary) interesting one was a guy who asked us the process of getting his son baptised and who he needed to speak to so that he could enrol him into this school

He was deadly serious as well.

But having done these two days of cold contact work, it made me realise even more the necessity of it. Sure we might be freaked out by but we actually have more of a need to do it. Here's some quick thoughts:

1. It shows to people that there are still Christians out there. If all ppl read is the SMH then they're eventually gonna listen to the lie that churches are dying, there isn't anyone going to churches anymore etc etc. However, if ppl meet real, genuinue Christians (who aren't nutters or freaks, but just ordinary ppl like themselves) then it starts to work against their perceptions

2. It enables us to get in touch with society and hear what they're thinking. The thought of someone getting their son baptised just to enhance their chances of getting into a private school is preposterous to us, but it actually helps us read our culture and the thoughts and opinions out there (see book review on Confessions of a Reformission Rev

Today, more than ever, we need to re-introduce the lost art of conversations. We need to converse beyond our Christian networks and speak with, listen to what is beyond that network.

3. We are the ultimate beneficiaries of this sorta work. Almost everyone's reaction to doing walk up work is 'How effective is it? Does anyone get saved?'. Whilst there might not be thousands getting converted, it does achieve Reason 1. Who knows how God will use that seed that's been planted

But more than that, generally those who engage in this sorta stuff find it a lot easier to talk to their friends about the gospel because they've had conversations with people and engaged with them. If its hard to speak to a stranger, imagine how much easier and natural it is to speak with a friend!

Plus - it also keeps you sharp in your own understanding of the gospel as you articulate it to others. You begin to realise how much jargon you use and learn to simplify your language.

So scary yes, I agree. But essential - even more so.

You also find how much easier it becomes if there is someone with you too. Even though you might be shaking and trembling in your boots, the fact that there's someone else there with you is enormously comforting.

If you're ever looking for a partner in crime, just shout! Or else I might look to you :)

Any answers?

2007-05-21T13:49:00.001+10:00

This past week, I was asked the following questions.....

1. Do we know why God specifically choose Abraham to give him the promise of land, offspring, blessing?

2. What is humility, and how do you practically display it/work at it?

My personal thoughts:

1. There wasn't anything particularly special about Abraham. It was God's sovereign choice to choose him and to reveal his grace to him - especially in light of the situation of him not having any children at such an old age. Maybe God intended to use such a person to show that he is really the God who's in control. That supernatural things happen only with his divine intervention.

2. Humility is something internal, its an attitude of the heart. Whilst it might be shown in putting other people ahead of yourself and being other-person centred, it ultimately comes down to how we respond in our own heart. (eg. to compliments, our attitude towards others doing 'better' than us). This is a tricky one - its difficult, in our selfish nature not to naturally be resentful, jealous or envious as opposed to praising God for the way in which he has gifted the body of Christ.

As for how you work on it......i don't know? Ask and rely on the Spirit to change you? Wait for the new creation where we'll be given new bodies and there'll be no more sin?

Any thoughts? Pls post your comments/suggestions!

Spiderman 3

2007-05-18T13:17:00.000+10:00

You're probably thinking "What?!" Why is this even remotely relevant to my PCT program?

Well here goes:

1. Spiderman 3

Tree is now going to be working full time for Crusaders which means that we unfortunately will be losing our Monday days off together. (I'm now going to try to take Sat as my day off)

It'd be great if you could pray for us as we make this transition and still find time to grow in our marriage.

That meant that last Monday was our last day off together.

So after salivating at all the yummy food at DJ's foodhall, we then went and pigged out at the Marriott Buffet for lunch (thanks dad for the discount card!)
Then, after nearly being forced to be rolled out the door we made our way over to Randwick Ritz for Spiderman 3 (go the Entertainment Book BOGOF voucher!)

The movie was long (with so many storylines running, i guess it kinda had to be), but thankfully they all came to an intersection with the ending. Overall, better than Spiderman 2 (though that wasn't hard to beat).

It was interesting though the subtle messages that were being communicated from the movie. The posters and advertising S3 has all been geared towards the tagline of 'The Greatest Battle lies within'

Without spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, i thought whilst this is true from a Christian perspective (ie. our own sinfulness), the message S3 ends up conveying is quite the contrary.

Overcoming our sinfulness is not something that we have a choice in. The beauty of the gospel is that its been done for us. That which is impossible for man, is possible with God - restored relationship with our creator.

However, there is a pretty good treatment of gospel matters (unlike a majority of Hollywood moviews). Namely, the idea of marriage (the question to Peter Parker about whether he's willing to sacrifice everything for his future wife was surprising) as well as the all consuming nature of evil.

Worth watching - 3.5 out of 5 for me. For a more 'expert' review, click here

One book finished!

2007-05-18T13:07:00.000+10:00

Frequent readers of this site would know how much i struggle to read a book, let alone a Christian one.

Well, I pretty much forced myself to write a book review for the upcoming houseparty so here's a sneak preview of it for you:

Beyond Greed by Brian Rosner

‘I’m not greedy. Why would I wanna read that?’

That was my first reaction when I heard the title of this book. My rationale went something like this – if I’m not greedy, then why would a book called Beyond Greed even be relevant for me. If it’s not a struggle, then why bother trying to overcome it and look beyond it.

But how ignorant I was.

If your reaction to hearing about this book is similar to mine, then can I suggest to you that Beyond Greed is exactly the book for you.

Rosner’s book begins with some stirring words - enough to cause each one of us to search our motives and attitudes towards money and wealth (much like what we’ll be hearing at this houseparty). He succinctly puts forward reasons for why we’re all inherently greedy and puts forward a solution.

In the end, Rosner tells us all to ‘Get a life’ – not the most encouraging and affirming of statements, but in order to find out why, you’ll just have to read the bits in between.

Have you read it? How'd you find it? It certainly gave me a wake up call....post your thoughts!

Now I'm gonna try Michael Hill's the How and Why of Love

Stay posted for a book review (hopefully by year's end!)

SMBC'd out

2007-05-18T13:06:00.000+10:00

Last week I had the privilege of attending SMBC Preaching AND Children's Conference. Both were excellent and i'll post some thoughts and reflections shortly.

Don't you hate it when......

2007-05-18T12:48:00.000+10:00

.....you mix colours in the wash!

A pair of off white golfing shorts, a business shirt got stained (not to mention Teresa's favourite yellow top) got stained with Teresa's denim jacket.

Brown stains but of a different variety!

(sorry no photos coz we were in panic stations!)

Anyway, upon a reflection it was a really powerful illustration of Jesus' work on the cross. Prior to Jesus, my life was stained with sinfulness. God saw them all over me. There was nothing i could to to get rid of them. No soap or napisan powerful enough to remove the stains.

But now I have been washed clean, those stains been removed and done away with because of Jesus' death on my behalf. He's the 'Great Unstainer'. I can confidently say that God no longer holds those stains against me because Jesus bore them.

But more than that, it reminded me of my role as a husband:

Ephesians 5:25:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Wow - a big wake up call to what my role as the husband is. Just as Christ has done for all of us, now i must take on that responsibility for tree.

Oh and BTW the stains came out on the clothes thanks to a bit of Napisan plus this stuff

Latest newsletter

2007-05-02T11:21:00.000+10:00

Hey guys

I know I haven't posted on here for a while.

Here's my latest newsletter to keep you posted on what's been happening.

http://www.4shared.com/file/13466738/bdbbbd68/polystyrene_cup_-_Mar_07.html

Happy reading and feel free to drop us a line!

Cheers
Dan

Knowing God - recap

2006-12-27T13:23:00.000+11:00

Given that this blog helps me gather my thoughts as much as it helps you see what i'm up to, i thought I'd try and jot down the salient points from the previous chapters of the book. (coincidentally, I have to write a book review on it by the end of the summer!)

Here goes....

Chapter 2: The people who know their God

There is a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. I've been challenged recently to think longer and harder about which category i fall into

As Packer says, a little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about him.

i) One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him
ii) One can know a great deal about godliness without much knowledge of God

The book of Daniel provides key characteristics of those who truly know God:

Packer writes that those who know God:
1. have great energy for God
2. have great thoughts of God
3. show great boldness for God
4. have great contentment in God

If we desire such knowledge of God, we must:

a. recognise how much we lack knowledge of God - measure ourselves not by gifts, responsibilities or knowledge about God, but rather by how much we pray and what goes on in our hearts

b. seek the Saviour.

Chapter 3: Knowing and Being Known

Great quote to open: 'Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.'

Knowing God involves:

a. listening to God's word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself
b. noting God's nature and character, as his Word and his works reveal it
c. accepting his invitations and doing what he commands
d. recognising and rejoicing in, the love that he has shown in thus approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship.

Knowing God

2006-12-27T12:47:00.000+11:00

OK.....I apologise.

Sorry its taken so long for me to even post anything up here. Its not even time for New Years Resolution yet but i'm going to endeavour to make more use of my blog in the coming year.

But rather than dwell on the past, I'm gonna cut my losses and start now.

Over the summer, my aim is to finish reading two books: 1. Knowing God by J Packer; 2. God's Big Picture by V Roberts.

I'm taking advice from someone more godly than me and reading one chapter of Knowing God at time. (Apparently reading two or more consecutively like a book can do your head in. You need to just read one, digest it, ponder it, marvel at it and then tackle the next chapter)

So today I read Chapter 4 - The Only True God

It was a helpful read as it picked up on the second commandement: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God (Ex 20:4)

It was interesting that Packer picked up on the idea of images and argues that these are dangerous idols which can lead us away from the true and living God. Things like ornaments, jewellry, crosses, picture of Christ at home, at church.

He argues that such things do not attach themself to the truth of God for they:

1. dishonour God, for they obscure his glory

'the heart of the objection to pictures and images is that they inevitably conceal most, if not all, of the truth about the personal nature and character of the divine Being whom they represent'. Packer argues that for example, something like a a crucifix obscures the glory of Christ, for it hides his deity, his victory on the cross, his present kingdom. It shows human weakness, the reality of pain but conceals his divine strength.

2. images mislead us as they convey false ideas about God

The key quote of this chapter is this:

'We cannot know God unless he speaks and tells us about himself (as opposed to humans trying to depict or attempt to represent him using their imagination and creativity). He has spoken to and through his prophets and apostles, and he has spoken in the words and deeds of his own Son. Through this revelation, which is made available to us in Holy Scripture, we may form a true notion of God; without it we neve rcan. Thus it appears that the positive force of the second commandment is that it compels us to take our thoughts of God from his own holy Word, and from no other source whatsoever'.

Two questions have been raised in my mind:

1. If this source is the ONLY source, how does this impact my ministry? Quite often through this year, I've 'winged' my way through a teaching role.....a last minute prep job for bible study, or for a meeting where others were looking and relying on me to teach them the Bible. When I meet up with people, what emphasis do i place on the Word and letting that shape our time, our conversations about how their relationship with God is going. Instead of asking the question 'how's your relationship with God going', i should be asking 'How does God think your relationship with him is going'. Its a subtle difference but it places the emphasis that its only by God's grace that we can even come before him, that we can pray, that we can have reason for hope. We have been rescued from our most uncurable disease - sin. Forget finding a cure for cancer, the cure for the disease that we've all got has been given to us free of charge!

2. what do we do for children's ministry which is so heavily reliant on images and pictures to appeal to the visual side of children? Is it helpful showing posters that illustrate Jesus' death, or his life or his ascencion. On the one hand, i guess children can grasp hold of one aspect of the image as long as this is supplemented with words and different images.........But at what point do we try to avoid teaching a future generation something that they'll ultimately have to 'outgrow'

1 down......?? to go

2006-08-14T10:46:00.000+10:00

Thanks to those of you who were praying for my sermon last night on the parable of the rich fool.

It was an evangelistic sermon and most of my family was there which was very encouraging. I'm thankful to God for the opportunity to expound the Scriptures.

I guess the amount of preaching i've had to do over the last month (2 back to back judges talks, then this one) has opened my eyes to what life is like as a full-time minister of the gospel. That as a minister of the Word and of prayer, this is what a typical week can involve. Trying to find the time to meet with people, to lead a family, to do other ministry......where's the time?!!

On a separate note, we've had some missionaries from Thailand back on home assignment come to our church and speak at numerous forums/events. Each time I hear them, I'm really challenged by the question - how is my life attracting more people to Jesus?

Its made me think more about how i can be encouraging others to live lives holy, pleasing to God.

At the same time though, I think hearing about their ministry in Thailand, has made me think more about WHERE can I be serving God best.....is it here in Sydney, or overseas. Some of you would know that i have a real burden for Japan - i've studied the language at school and i've been there twice. The figures on the number of Christians is staggering and someone needs to reach them.

Finally, John shared with us that as ministers of the gospel (particularly paid ones), our intentions and our impact in ministry can be polar opposites at times. How things are perceived by others may actually differ from what we intend.

All in all, a very thought provoking, reflective sorta couple of weeks.

Keeping quiet times fresh

2006-08-11T12:19:00.000+10:00

I know its been a while since I last posted......since then, a lots been happening (including discovering how to change colours and fonts on blogger using a Mac!)

Something that I've been meaning to post up for a while is a discussion we had at PCT training a few Fridays ago about keeping quiet times fresh. I post this not only for my own reference in the future (go soft copy!), but also for your benefit too.....i've really appreciated the importance of 'being still and knowing that God is God' in amongst a busy day - even if its ministry.

So here goes....(feel free to post and comment about your own quiet times (hard/tough/good/learning) and whether you have any other suggestions):

Bible briefs from the Briefing (something I'm using now to go through Numbers)
Listening to talks
Using some resources from here
trying to memorise verses
speaking it out loud like you're telling children (reading for meaning)
reading a book
meeting with others
sharing what you're learning with some else (eg. write letters, post on blog)
use other devotional materials (eg. topicals)

Its helpful to mix it up and to use variety rather than just doing the same thing each time. By mixing it up, you'll be motiviated and excited to look at the Bible and apply it.

Basically, there are 3 reasons why we read the Bible. This will govern what approach/method we can take:

1. read for familiarity - in which case we're more interested in working through big chunks and getting through the text

2. read for enquiry - here we'd look through the details....maybe if we were doing a bible study or writing a talk

3. read meditatively - this is reading maybe just one verse and pondering, reflecting on it. Chewing over it. Psalms are great for this.

Hope this helps you all.....feel free to post away with any ideas or comments!

What's ahead

2006-07-20T23:45:00.000+10:00

After a few weeks of quiet, I suddenly have found myself in the middle of some hectic times and things that I really need to knuckle down and spend doing. It unfortunately means that I've got some long periods behind the desk rather than meeting people ahead of me.

Here's a couple of pictures of my dining table as I go about preparing my Judges talks.

Last Sunday, I preached on Jephthah from Judges (you can listen to it here!) - a guy who tries to bargain with God by using his mouth. Ultimately leads to him making a vow to the LORD which sees him sacrificing his daughter. It really challenged me with my words before God and whether they mirror the conviction of my own heart

This week, its Samson - so far, I've discovered that he's a guy with an extrordinary birth (he's declared a judge before he's even born) and death (he achieves more thru killing the Philistines with him in his death than when he was alive).

Other things that lie ahead which I'd appreciate your prayer for include:

- Leading service on 30 July
- Making further progress on the new well-being ministry with ECOM
- Maitland Alive Training Day 2
- English Houseparty planning meeting
- Brisbane Leadership Training (leading a workshop on 'Demystifying Worship' with Teresa
- Preaching on the parable of the rich fool from Luke

And then, there's a holiday as I spend a week with Teresa after Brisbane Leadership Training on a road trip making our way from Noosa to Byron Bay.......I'm really looking forward to it!!

Things to do on a day off

2006-07-13T16:32:00.000+10:00

One of the challenges in ministry I'm learning is to take a day off. To take a rest and enjoy God's providence and creation. I've been reminded of this through two things:

1. Pete's talk on work at Workers InC the other week.

2. Karen Beilharz's Couldn't Help Noticing blurb in the June Briefing

So here's my wishlist of things to do on future days off (usually Monday). I'd write it on my whiteboard, but its just too cluttered at the moment! Especially with that "Do not erase until 2010" which is right in the middle of the whole thing!

a. Do a tour of Vinnies and Salvation Army stores like I did today with my brother and dad and pick up stacks of bargains!! First I was converted by Tree, then I converted Derek and I think Dad is starting to get converted! Especially after he came so close to buying some photo frames and we bought him a pretty David Jones nice tie for $2.

Meanwhile, Derek bought this for me...

Only $6 and it fitted perfectly!

And I bought this for Tree! Believe it or not 50c each for mint condition copies!

b. Hire a bike and cycle at the Bi-centennial Park at Homebush with their dedicated cycling paths

c. Go to an indoor rock climing centre and pretend to be a monkey for a day. This one is the closest to us

d. Watch a movie....(that one is pretty obvious) but even better when its the Greater Union $8 movie of the week!

e. Hire any 3 DVDs (new releases, weeklies...whatever!) for $9.95 from Video Ezy Chatswood

f. Have a onion and gruyere crouton soup at this place that we walked past last Monday.

g. Go for a scenic drive (difficult considering petrol keeps getting more and more expensive)

h. Do some exercise/go for a walk (eg. Bondi to Bronte, Manly to Spit)

i. Read a book at home

j. Clean the house :(

Anyone else got any suggestions/recommendations??

Strange coincidence

2006-07-10T01:29:00.000+10:00

Over the last 48 hrs, I've asked two non-Christians over the course of a conversation "What's stopping you from becoming a Christian"

Funnily enough, both of them said something along the lines of:"I need more time to investigate it more. To understand it better.....I think I want to read the entire Bible first before I make a decision so that I know what I'm making a commitment about."

Both times I've heard this I've been amazed.....read the Bible cover to cover??!!

I must admit, I've never heard anyone testify that they read the entire Bible first before becoming a Christian, but maybe that is how God is working in the hearts of these two guys.

Maybe its also a sign of the way people choose to make decisions these days....cautiously, with a healthy degree of scepticism....after all, you don't sign on the dotted line of a contract to buy a car, or a house without dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's first and reading it from start to finish. Maybe this is the equivalent format of someone deciding to becoming a Christian.

In response to hearing their answer, I re-iterated that you don’t have to read the whole bible first to become a Christian because Christianity ultimately depends on your answer to who Jesus is. Once you have understood why he needed to die and the reason why he rose again, that’s all you need.

But at the same time there is the need to heed the warning of judgment and your own frailty. Jesus may return before you make your decision and if you haven't asked for forgiveness and repented then you might be found on the wrong side of his judgment. Or you simply don't know how long you have left to live....you're life might continue for another 50, 60 more years, it could last another 50, 60 more minutes?

Having said all that, I'm learning to be patient, to trust in God's sovereignty and timing, to keep praying that the Spirit would turn their hearts from stone to flesh. It's a humbling experience for me as I learn that people won't just automatically become Christians as soon as they hear the gospel (though i don't doubt that they can't) - to not be frustrated at a lack of response is a valubale lesson to learn in ministry. After all, its not me and my 'wise' words that will convince people. Instead, it's up to God to water the seed that has been planted (1 Cor 3:6-9)

Anyone else want to make a suggestion/comment? Anyone else heard something similar? Post away!

Thanks Matthias Media

2006-07-08T22:59:00.000+10:00

One of the things that I think we often take for granted in Christian ministry is a publishing house like Matthias Media.

Personally, I know that when I purchase a product from them, I have a high level of comfort of its quality - both in terms of its Biblical/evangelical outlook and perspective as well as value for money.

I can trust that the material is well researched and reliable.

Here's some recent experiences I've had:

1. Recently, I finished reading "Is it worth believing? The Spiritual Challenge of the Da Vinci Code" by Greg Clarke. A good read as it outlines in more depth some of the errors within the book. However, I would have liked it to have pushed the beliefs angle a bit more and maybe challenge people more on what it is they believe and how they come up with their beliefs.

2. The Genuine Imitation Interactive Bible Study on CD-ROM has been a great resource as I've looked at 1 Thessalonians for my Wed night bible study group as well as in preparation for Maitland Alive talks.

Pitched at the right level for someone who is not looking for something as technical as a commentary.

3. The recent Taste and See magazine contained a helpful extract by J.C Ryle on Sickness - especially in light of the flu that Teresa is currently enduring.

Ryle says that sickness has benefits! Namely:

i. It reminds us of death
ii. It helps to make us think seriously of God
iii. It helps to soften our hearts
iv. It helps to level and humble us
v. It helps to test our religion

To quote:

'We have no right to grumble against sickness, and complain at its presence in the world. We ought rather to thank God for it. It is God's witness. It is the soul's adviser. It is an awakener to the conscience. It is a purifier to the heart. Surely I have the right to tell you that sickness is a blessing and not a curse, a help and not an injury, a gain and not a loss, a friend and not a foe to mankind. So long as we have a world in which there is sin, it is a mercy that it is a world in which there is sickness.'

I think its done its job in tempting me to buy these resources to read more!

I'm just about to utilise the revised Just For Starters training manual.....stay tuned!

Its already July!!??

2006-07-06T12:29:00.000+10:00

Happy New (Financial) Year!

Can't believe its July already...........already 6 mths in and there's been so much that's changed compared to last year, but at the same time its also starting to become routine.

Currently am thinking through two sermons that I need to give on Judges (11-12 then 13-16), Bible studies on Amos whilst trying to do a seminar on "Worship".

Its all systems go, but yet at the same time I'm also feeling a bit unmotivated and unproductive.

One of the things I overheard the other day was: "In ministry, you can get the things you need to get done, done (certain tasks, admin, teaching). Its no different to any other job.....the only thing you can't get done though is to change people's hearts. That is up to God."

It was a good reminder for me because I think I have a tendency to just do things for the sake of doing things. I'm very task-orientated. I love to keep to-do lists and quickly get rid of what's on them. But, I think what I've got to remember in PCT is to keep relying on God. To keep trusting in him.

As I was reminded last night at our monthly workers meeting, one of the results of the Fall on our work is that it becomes frustrating, futile, selfish, idolatrous and babylonian.

How tempting it is for these things in ministry too!

Preaching to the Heart

2006-07-05T08:56:00.000+10:00

Last week, I was fortunate enough (along with Teresa) to attend the MTS/College of Preachers Preaching Conference held at Moore College

Here are some reflections:

- as a preacher, we are not lecturers, life coaches, entertainers only. Whilst there might be elements of those, our main job is to be a herald. To proclaim a message on behalf of the king of heaven!

- our aim is to move people forward spiritually. To do this, according to Murray Capill, you need to take people BACK to the Biblical text, UP to our glorious God and IN to the heart.

GOING BACKWARDS:

- the puritan style of preaching involved looking at the text/explaining what it means, then looking at how this truth applies to life by linking the text to various doctrines and proofs. Finally, the puritans would then talk about the uses of Scripture by asking the question, how do I USE this text - in relationships, in thinking, in approaching God's word, in work.

- a helpful reminder was how I need to not be so concerned with rehearsing my sermon, but rather pleading with God to impress the main point on people's heart. That I should be praying point by point for the hearers to heed the Word.

GOING UPWARDS:

- as we are engaged in the business of setting hearts and minds on things above, we are to lift people's eyes to God for that is where there is true joy and true peace.

- we are to take up great truths about God, Jesus and the Spirit and work those truths into people's affections. Not only do we address the mind, but also the yearnings of the soul.

- words are our tool - they can be sharp, blunet, insightful or pedestrian. Therefore use affective language - words that are different to what they would normally hear, analogies

- In the words of Richard Baxter: "The best matter will scarcely move people, less it be movingly delivered"

GOING INWARDS:

- The Bible is like a mirror - as preachers, we hold up the mirro to people and say this is what its really like - its not pretty, but its reality as we perform delicate heart surgery. When doing this, we need to help them to keep going upwards

- William Perkins defined 7 categories of people whom we preach to:
i. Hardened sinners
ii. Teachable sinners
iii. Informed sinners
iv. The humbled
v. The saved
vi. The backslidden
vii. The mixed mass

- The Puritans also divided people into spiritual categories too:
i. Going well and they know it
ii. Going well and they don't know it
iii. Not going well and they know it
iv. Not going well and they don't know it

Our job as preachers therefore is to try to speak to people with different heart conditions.

- As 2 Tim 3:16 says, there are varied applications to God's word. We are to teach, rebuke, correct, train and encourage

- we are to avoid that 'sameness' in application - eg. love more, serve more, give more.....a moreness in what you're saying

- as we deliver application, there is to be varied tone (like that of a father, mother, school teacher, lecturer, doctor, wife, investigator)

- we are to drawn upon our own life experience - this is the advantage of real pastoral work as we observe different heart conditions as we deal with different people.

- in preaching we draw upon two sources - the text and life's reservoir (ie. our life and what we've built up from reading, pastoring, being a husband, from evangelism, from watching movies). The larger the reservoir, the richer the preaching.

We also heard two great "model" sermons from Psalm 24 and 45 from David Jones. Heard about the life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (a Welsh preachers affectionately known as "The Doctor") and two expositions from Acts 20:17-38 about the priority of preaching.

In closing, I think I'll be reminded by what's in store for the preacher (both as I start out preaching as well as for those I sit under)

- preachers need to put their hand up for first the suffering, to count today's cost in order to receive tomorrow's glory.

- the pain of being like Paul - a slave, a prisoner, a marathon runner and seeing people reject, oppose, wander and those we 'never' see again is hard, toilsome work. But we have the privilege of entering the Holy City where there will be eternal rewards as God gathers his people.

From Katoomba to Killcare

2006-06-09T23:50:00.000+10:00

Am in the process of recovering from a draining but exciting week.

Had our housegroup weekend away up in Katoomba (and in the process realised that my body can't keep up with first years!) All nighters, sing star, choccie fondue, soup, log fires, bushwalks and plenty of fun and laughter with our housegroup all made for a great weekend in the mountains (check out below photo taken at the Three Sisters, as well as others via our housegroup blog on the side)

Then, seemingly in a blur, after a wet and sultry Monday day off (basically rugged up all day indoors with the exception of going to see M:I 3), was off the next day to Killcare for our church's pastoral team retreat.

It was an excellent, rewarding and encouraging week as we reflected on what has happened over the past year, and then started to dream, scheme and brainstorm for the year ahead. Was encouraged to see our diverse yet unified pastoral team working together and I think I came to appreciate the way in which God works to build up the body of Christ.

As we talked specifics (whether it be church planting, witnessing, discipleship, specific ministries), it was great to be reminded about engaging in "new creation" work but also being able to experience this in the context of our church.

But the busyness doesn't stop there.......workers meeting next Wed, then I'm chairing an evangelistic event in the city with a talk by former Wallabies team doctor, Dr John Best.

Shameless plug: If you're able to make it along next Thursday night from 6-8:15pm, please come along!

Food for the brain

2006-05-29T10:38:00.000+10:00

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

2006-05-24T00:02:00.000+10:00

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?

2006-05-11T22:20:00.000+10:00

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.

Teach what is in accord with sound doctrine

2006-04-08T00:18:00.000+10:00

So begins Titus 2:1-10, the passage I had the privilege of preaching from at St James Church, Lane Cove last Sunday. I really enjoyed preaching from this passage - it was probably the first sermon I had given to adults who weren't peers. I had only met a few of the people who attend St James the previous week, so the audience was almost foreign to me as I stood behind the pulpit! (kind of a good thing!)

Apart from that, got some good feedback from Pete on Thurs about things that went well and things that could be better.

Overall, I think next time I have the chance to write a sermon, I'll consider trying to write it all the way through rather than leaving the intro, writing the body and then coming back to the intro. By doing it from start to finish, it means that the sermon will be a bit more connected and flow better.

We're pro-genocide?

2006-03-29T16:19:00.000+11:00

Walking in to MTS training yesterday, this was DEFINITELY something I wasn't expecting to come away with.

I also wasn't expecting to be asked to forward my notes to the Dean either as a basis for a future article that he wanted to write! (note to self: the perils of being the only one taking a laptop into MTS training)

We also talked about when to publicly rebuke someone as ministers of the gospel (1 Tim 5:20), the place of aiming and measuring ministries numberically too.

Anyway, back to the genocide topic, here are some brief comments (watch out for an article to appear soon by the original author though!)

- Genocide in the Bible appears when God commands the Israelites to destroy all the Canaanites.
- Raises the question of how can God be a God of love?
- Justice and love go hand in hand. To love is to care about the well being. As soon as I love, I care and consequently I will seek justice
- When genocide occurs, those who remain faithful have always been saved by God - Noah, Rahab
- The next genocide to take place will be judgement. Christians must believe in justice otherwise we wouldn't believe in hell
- In Jesus, we are spared from that genocide as God removes the wickedness, corruption and evil within our world.

Welcome!

2006-03-09T17:11:00.000+11:00

Hi there.....this is where I hope to post some thoughts and learnings (as well as prayer points and items) as I commence 'pre-college training' at my church.