gratefulness

If you had to pick an attitude that distinguished happy people from unhappy people, what would it be? For me, gratefulness would be pretty high on the list. Grateful people are generally happy, its one of those attitudes of choice that can may a significant different in ones disposition. So I wonder what you are grateful for from the last year? Why not make a gratitude list list and check it twice and see how your disposition ends up being happier.

wise cop

Met with the Commissioner of NSW Police Andrew Scipione on Monday. With just three of us in the room we got to spend 25 minutes talking about how the church I pastor can make an impact in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.
I've got to say I was really impressed with Commissioner Scipione. He seems to be a man of great intellect, integrity and deep faith.
I encourage us all to think about and pray for all of our leaders, but in particular those leaders who live out their faith in the public arena. Pray that they may be excellent at their job and because of their excellence they will get opportunities to communicate how their faith helps them in the way they think about and serve the greater good of the community.

Men only

Men, if you really want to grow in holiness then here is a site that you will find most helpful. It has resources to deal with FREEDOM FROM ... Alcohol & drugs, Gambling, Overeating, Overspending, Sexual Addiction, Stealing and Workaholism.
http://battlezone.echurchnetwork.net/Support/AddictiveZones/default.aspx

Porn-Again Christian

It was in the late ‘80s, Christians were delighted to hear that rocker Billy Idol had become a believer after a near-fatal motorcycle accident. When asked was he “born again”, Idol replied, “No, I’m into porn again.”
Segue, segue, segue…into uber-cyber-Christian-wunderkind Mark Driscoll’s latest (e-)book “Porn-Again Christian”. Driscoll is releasing this challenging new publication in a most appropriate way for a web-based problem - serialised on the Internet. Week by week he reveals a chapter, a bit like a striptease I suppose… And the content even has a warning label on it:
“Because I am speaking to fellow men, my tone may not be well suited for some women and, therefore, I would request that they not read this booklet, unless they are a wife whose husband has read it first and he can discuss its contents with her in love.” (1st chapter, 2nd par.)
The result?
Well, let’s just say, your ears will burn and your eyes will water at the frank and direct language that Driscoll is famous for, and you’d better have an icepack or a cold shower running nearby, and at least for one chapter, a sick bucket…
He starts off promisingly enough, with the introduction and Chapter 1 addressing the need for his e-book:
“The church…largely fails to teach men masculinity in any area, particularly regarding sexuality.”
A bold claim, and one with teeth, at least in my previous church experience.
Chapters 2-4 feature as warnings on how to live wisely as Christian men in a sensual world and outline his “theology of pornographic lust”. Along the way, Driscoll makes some astute observations on the difficulty of defining pornography and the increasing sexualisation of our culture:
“It has taken forty years to go from one dirty magazine under the counter at the local convenience store to today where it is expected that junior high boys have at least one nude shot of their junior high girlfriend on their cell phone.”
See, told you it was frank… His central argument is that “pornographic lust exists to elicit coveting and dissatisfaction that no woman can satisfy”.
Chapters 5-7 feature a helpful discussion on a fairly taboo subject in Christian circles (with the exception of perhaps Phillip Jensen’s “Love, Sex, & Marriage” CDs) – masturbation. He advances both practical and theological reasons for and against masturbation. A confronting Q&A follows with real “live” questions from Christian men on the issue.
Chapter 8 is a highlight / lowlight with its chilling interview of convicted US serial killer Ted Bundy by well-known Christian counsellor and author James Dobson. Bundy is frighteningly honest about the effects of pornography on his life, and how it contributed to his horrific beating, raping, and murdering of at least 30 girls and women between the ages of twelve and twenty-six. Grief gripped my heart.
An extended address to military men on prostitution and a painful analysis of the worldwide sex trade concludes the book. These chapters are graphic in their details and sickening in their brutal depiction of the treatment of many women.
“Porn-Again Christian” is more like a tour through the roughly ordered thoughts of Driscoll on the topics of sex, marriage, pornography, masturbation, prostitution, and the sex trade, than a publishable book in itself. Therefore, as an e-book, it works quite well, but do brace yourself before picking up your hard copy from the printer.
Helpful to young men at your church?
I’d recommend a PG rating (only with parental or big-brotherly guidance), some sections MA (mature adults), and a hardcore R (risky) for the remainder.
Now that you’ve read the warning, you will find that Mark Driscoll’s “Porn-Again Christian” is, like the problems it seeks to combat, freely available at this web site.
Andrew is Sydneyanglicans.net’s resident digital scholar and the pastor of the Asian Bible Church (ABC), a congregation of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, and the organiser of the Australia Day Convention.

love

A helpful concept that is floating around in my head and heart at present is that all of lifes moments are a test. Not a test designed to try and trip me up, but a test lovingly given to me by God to help me see if I believe that he truly loves me. Each opportunity that comes is an opportunity for me to believe or disbelieve God's way which is essentially an opportunity to believe that God truly only has love for me in mind. When a choice presents itself before me, I can believe God loves me and do that which he calls me to do, or I can believe that God doesn't really love me and make the choice that satisfies my short-term desire.
All of life it seems to me is an opportunity to love God, love self and to love others because Jesus said the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself.
My prayer is this: Lord, help me today to believe you love me so much that I choose to live life your way because that ultimately is the best way to live.

Global Warming

For a contrarian view on the 'overwhelming evidence for gloabl warming' check out this from the Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/michael-duffy/truly-inconvenient-truths-being-ignored/2008/11/07/1225561134617.html

thinking

I think occassionally ... think of lots of things, strange things, normal things, weird things. Sometimes people think that cause I'm a Pastor I must think holy things all the time. But I reckon we're much the same, all of us seeking to make sense of the world, to love our families, to care for our friends, to leave the world a better place.
Here are some things that have flitted across my mind in the last few hours.
How awesome is my God. How much work there is to do. Concern for a friend. Laughter with a work mate. How good the chocolate was. I could kill a beer. The joy of going for a bike ride. Surprise at finding an old friend on facebook. Looking forward to a day off. How we organise our leadership better. Catching up on emails. Sex.
Yeah, just a pretty normal day of thinking ... and now my thoughts turn to lunch.

What I supposed to be

I love the Youtube video clip called 'What I supposed by be' by Ray Bolt. A moving message about the potential of what could have been done by those lives who never made it out of the womb.

The best website

I reckon the best website on the web is http://www.ted.com/, what do you reckon?

Live without it

A spiritual seeker interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. 'I hope your stay is a blessed one,' said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. 'If you need anything, let us know and we'll teach you how to live with it.'
P.45, Philip Yancey, 'Prayer: Does it make any difference?'

Forgiveness

“A human being is not someone who once in a while makes a mistake, and God is not someone who now and then forgives. No, human beings are sinners and God is love.”
Phillip Yancey, Prayer, P.27

Einstein's Relativity

Been listening and watching some really fascinating stuff about the theory of relativity. If you're interested in exploring it more I recommend ...
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution from 'The Teaching Company' which is 23 x 30 minute lessons.
Or check out from your local DVD store the DVD 'What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole" for a fascinating exploration of the world we live in. (Note: Be a bit careful with this, some pseudo science from a particular religous veiwpoint, but there are some really interesting bits of science explained.)

Obscure Passion

Isn't it amazing the variety of things that people get passionate about. Check out Arthur Ganson at www.ted.com/talks/view/id/267 and see his passion about moving sculture. I think my favourite is the exploding chair.

Check out the universe

Check out the download available at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/ which allows you to tour the universe from your desktop. Amazing images of the universe. What an awesome place God has made.

Great talks

Check out www.ted.com for a variety of excellent talks on a variety of subjects. An excellent source of learning. I loved the one by Alisa Miller about how the news influences our view of the world. (4.29 minutes long.)

Sobering video of war

Went to my first Anzac dawn service this year, it was a sobering event, the early 5.10am start ended up being a very small price to pay to remember those who've gone before us to fight for our freedom.
For those who ever consider glorifying war, here's a great little video clip that brings some reality. 'I was only 19' found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urtiyp-G6jY

worship inputs

Some sites worth checking out for creative video clips and other creative worship inputs are ...
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/
http://www.sermonspice.com/

A site that deals with lots of worship stuff is ...
http://www.worshipideas.com/

also I've been recommended to but haven't checked out yet ...
www.worshipmax.com

important questions

If you had to list the most important questions you ask yourself as a way of making decisions, what would they be?
Here are my top two: Who is God, really? Who am I, really?
I believe that what we do is a consequence of the answers to these two questions. And so if we want to change a behaviour we need to consider our beliefs before changing our actions.
Romans 12:2 say 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.'
The transformation of our mind happens as we change what we 'really' believe. If I 'really' believe God exists that will impact my behaviour. If I 'really' believe God loves me or that he is Holy then this will impact my behaviour.
If I 'really' believe I am created by God, that I am a part of his family, that I'm loved by him, that I was made with a purpose, then this will impact on my behaviour.
We make a mistake when we focus on our behaviour, we need to focus on what we 'really' believe. Our behaviour is simply a good indicator of our 'real' beliefs.

Funny videos

Did you ever want to remember the elements. This is a funny song to do just that.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but I think its amusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNfx0FO4hzs

But this is even funnier. A video about fainting goats. Shown to me by my daughter and is hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3Utmj4RPU

Discipleship Direction (02) - see last post for 11 Discipleship Directions

This is a challenging quote that relates to Discipleship Area (02): Dr. Blackaby has said "People who struggle to spend time with God don't have a scheduling problem; they have a love problem."
Now, that's something to think about.

Discipleship Covenant

Over the years I developed these 11 directions that I call the Discipleship Covenant. I think they are useful questions to consider as a Discipleship review.

Discipleship Covenant (Matt 28:19-20; 2 Cor 13:5)

On a five-point scale, where ‘5’ is extremely satisfied and ‘1’ is extremely dissatisfied, how satisfied are you with each area in your Discipleship Journey? (Circle one for each question.)

(01) 1 2 3 4 5 Publically declaring my faith in the truths of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12) in the way that Jesus asks me to. (Acts 2:38; Matt 28:19)

(02) 1 2 3 4 5 Regularly setting time aside to be alone and commune with God to build up my personal relationship with God. (Matthew 6:6-18; Hebrews 11:6)

(03) 1 2 3 4 5 Seeking to make the world a better place for the poor & oppressed. (Luke 4:18-19; James 1:27)

(04) 1 2 3 4 5 Regularly meeting with others for mutual accountability where there is confession of sin. (James 5:16)

(05) 1 2 3 4 5 Regularly meeting with a small group of fellow believers where there is a focus on loving, learning, doing and deciding in the context of connecting with God. (Acts 2:43-47; Hebrews 10:23-25)

(06) 1 2 3 4 5 Making and following through on a regular generous giving decision. (Luke 12:13-34; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

(07) 1 2 3 4 5 Living a life that shows evidence of obedience to God’s personal direction as to how to use my gifts and skills to serve others and so fulfil God’s purposes in my life. (Matthew 6:10; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Timothy 1:6-7)

(08) 1 2 3 4 5 Being equipped by the Word through personal study and via God’s gift of the five-fold ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)

(09) 1 2 3 4 5 Regularly gathering corporately to worship God. (Hebrews 10:25; Acts 20:7)

(10) 1 2 3 4 5 Regularly praying for unbelievers and responding to opportunities God gives to share the good news of Jesus with unbelievers. (Philemon 6; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:12-14; 1 Peter 3:15; Col 4:5-6)

(11) 1 2 3 4 5 Living a holy & peaceable life that is attractive to others. (Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Timothy 2:1-4: Galatians 6:7-10; James 1:21-25)

Reflection Questions:
In what areas are you most pleased? Why?
In what areas would you most like to grow in the next three months?
What are some things you could do to grow in at least one of these areas?
What are you going to commit to do?

I'm back

Decided to do this blogging thing again. Will post sermons, thoughts, ideas, reflections and stuff about vision. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.
Will primary focus around resourcing or reflecting on the the areas of 'More & Better Disciples, Groups & Congregations'