10 word story*
25 June 2008
You are gone,
The world spins on.
It's not right.
*We found out the Christian Chaplain from Jane Franklin Hall died unexpectedly the other day. My mate Adam summed it up quite nicely.
tags friends, guest post, thinking
Australian beer tasting...
16 June 2008
...with Laura
Moo Brew Wheat BeerAroma: Bread!! Sweet banana, hay, honey, pineapple
Appearance: Very Cloudy, lemon yellow
Flavour: Sweet not as smooth as typical Hefeweizen
James Squire PorterAr: Dried fruit, coffee, astringent, figs, dates, molasses, toffee
Ap: Dark amber brown, creamy tan head (rapidly diminishing)
Fl: Molasses, dark sugar, dried fruit, sweetness, dirt in aftertaste. Soap, Very nice
James Boags Premium LagerAr: Skunk
Fl: Buttery a bit! Pretty well balanced
Cascade Premium LagerAr: Lager Skunk
Fl: Clean good texture, crystalline, wheat, ginger, very smooth.
Boags DraughtAr: Fruity, clean, no skunk
Ap: Good white head (rapidly diminishing)
Fl: Winey, very smooth, pleasant, not much complexity.
Cascade Blonde Wheat BeerAr: Skunk, hops
Fl: Uh it’s a lager duder
Little Creatures Pale AleAr: Good! Floral, citrus orange, classic hops
Ap: Too light not to much head
Fl: Well balanced, very pleasant, good wheat content. Nice citrusy flavour.
tags friends, guest post, linkage, shameless self promotion
Sydney and preaching...
30 August 2007
Earlier in the year a mate who recently moved to Sydney made the following observations. I thought I'd throw them out there to see what the feeling was like.
One thing I have really noticed about Sydney more broadly: preaching takes a quite different shape. Most sermons are short (25 mins) but cover as much biblical material as our 40 minute sermons. This seems at first to be more efficient, until you realise that it is (generally) because they have not illustrated or applied the passage very much. Sermons are more like lectures than at home, and there is less evidence of "preaching to the heart". This is not necessarily because people do not like it, but just have not heard it. In fact, preachers like David Jones are well-liked by people once they have heard him.
I suspect this culture is (again, broadly) due to two beliefs: 1) positively, that the mere explanation of the Bible is sufficient to move people to repentance and faith; and 2) negatively, that extrapolating on the text in application is dangerous.
I agree with the underlying motive: to preserve doctrinal purity. But I think it makes too little of the fact that many preachers in the Bible, not least of all Jesus and Paul, often illustrate and extrapolate on OT texts to drive their message home to their listeners. I also think it is just poor communication.
I also think it is the product of a wider, "slow and steady wins the race" approach which, although it has lots going for it, has a tendancy to infantalise people. For example, many of the guys in first year at college have only preached a handful of sermons in their lives and who are scared silly of preparing one unless they have 25 hours to do so and have read four commentaries on the passage. This is an exaggeration, but not a large one. It worries me a bit.
tags christian, guest post, ministry tips, review
I remember...*
27 July 2007
...doing the same Worldview survey when I was in about 2nd year - I had just become a Christian. It was really really really good. Heaps of my friends took the surveys and filled them in and it turned into heaps of really awesome conversations about peoples' views.
It was good to open my eyes to the view of my friends and other people. And through conversations I discovered more about what I believed, and also my limitations! I found myself trying to explain my point of view, and being expected by my friends to have answers.
It was done in a really non-judgmental way. My friends didn't feel like they were having religion "shoved down their throats" or anything, I actually enjoyed the opportunity to discuss their thoughts with friends.
I think it also made me realise how empty a lot of people's beliefs are, and how little hope some views offer them. That made me even more glad to be a Christian and thankful to God.
*An anonymous guest post
tags christian, focus, guest post, ministry
How to be better at Evangelism Part 3*
15 September 2006
If you start by praying for deeper relationships, if you start actively getting to know people better, you will end up loving them more, desiring their salvation more, praying for them more often and praying for them more passionately.
If you have deeper relationships with Christians it will be more natural to pray with each other for one another's friends and family. In doing so you will end up growing in your relationship with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ.
(*My good friend Emma (aka "The Poo") guest posts about evangelism for the final time. Thankyou Emma.)
tags christian, friends, guest post, ministry tips, rant
How to be better at evangelism... Part 2*
09 September 2006
Have deeper relationships with those inside the church.
The more your church is your family, not just on Sundays, the more your friends and family outside the church will get to know that family. As you yourself get to know your Christian brothers and sisters better, you will probably end up meeting and befriending more of their friends and family as well. A relative who might never have been to church on a Sunday may end up having so much contact with Christians that they begin to see the body of Christ in action all the same. Don't segregate your church family from the rest of your life, let them overlap and intertwine.
(*My good friend Emma (aka "The Poo") guest posts about evangelism. Thankyou Emma.)
tags christian, friends, guest post, ministry tips, pictures, rant
How to be better at evangelism... Part 1*
08 September 2006
Have deeper relationships with those outside the church.
The better you know someone, the easier it is to pray for them, to care for them, to understand them, to love them. The more you are driven by love, the more you accident prone you will be when it comes to accidentally evangelising.
If you have a deeper relationship with a person, discussions of faith will hopefully become inevitable rather than uncomfortable. Friends want to know how each other tick, and they naturally share their lives with each other. Whereas it would be strange to talk about God with a work colleague or your boss, it would be natural in context of friendship. More meaningful relationships often lead to evangelistic opportunities that are not even initiated by the Christian.
Another accidental side effect will probably be an increase in your circle of friends - as you get to know your friends better, you will get to know the important people in their life better as well - and vice versa. On one hand, you will have more people to show Christ's love to. On the other, you will have more Christian friends who know your non Christian friends to help you do it.
(*My good friend Emma (aka "The Poo") guest posts about evangelism. Thankyou Emma.)
tags christian, friends, guest post, ministry tips, pictures
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