The Apostle Paul gathered the leaders from the church at Ephesus for some parting words. He had been with them for a few years and they had experienced an incredible revival in their city and beyond. We don't have this meeting on DVD but thankfully someone took some notes of what he said (see Acts … Continue reading A Theology of Self Care
Leadership Development Event
One of the best leadership development events in the world is the annual the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Bill Hybels and his team always put together an amazing line up of speakers all with the specific focus of helping people develop their leadership gift. A few weeks ago this years summit was held in Chicago … Continue reading Leadership Development Event
A Night at the Movies
Going out to see a movie or hiring a DVD can be a fun way to spend an evening, especially with family and friends. However, choosing a good movie is quite another thing. To save the 'hit and miss' approach, it pays to check out as much as you can about a movie beforehand. One … Continue reading A Night at the Movies
Wonder
"The world will never starve for lack of wonders, but only for lack of wonder." [G.K. Chesterton]
The God Delusion?
Walk into any Border's Bookstore and you'll see Richard Dawkin's latest book The God Delusion somewhere amongst the Top 10 non-fiction books. Dawkins is one of the world's leading and most outspoken atheists. He believes that religion and the belief in God are the source of most of the world's evil and that we'd all … Continue reading The God Delusion?
What Would Jesus Say
In the early 1990s, Lee Strobel, teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church at the time, shared a series of messages entitled "What Would Jesus Say." His goal was to help people see well-known personalities as Jesus might see them. Through people such as Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, Donald Trump and even Madonna, Lee endeavoured … Continue reading What Would Jesus Say
A Prayer
"May the God of hope fill us up with joy, fill us up with peace, so that our believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!" The Apostle Paul - Romans 15:13 [The Message Bible]
The Emerging Church
The emerging church is a recent organic movement among postmodern believers seeking to practice the way of Jesus within contemporary culture. Eddie Gibbs' and Ryan Bolger's book Emerging Churches endeavors to provide a pulse on this diverse grassroots movement. They define emerging churches by nine practices. In their opinion, emerging churches: (1) identify with the … Continue reading The Emerging Church
The Multi-Site Church
Up until this time, the two primary ways for a local church to fulfill the Great Commission has been church growth and church planting. Church growth has focused on growing a congregation in one location, often through the use of multiple services. Church Planting has focused on starting new churches in different locations with the … Continue reading The Multi-Site Church
Mega-Churches
A 'mega-church' is defined as a church with over 2000 people attending each weekend. The number of mega-churches around the world has continued to escalate exponentially despite a variety of criticisms. Foundationally, we need to acknowledge that the church in Jerusalemin the first century was a mega-church with 3,000 people joining the 120 disciples on … Continue reading Mega-Churches
Kevin Rudd – When Our Past Comes Back to Haunt Us
News this week revealed that the Federal Labour Leader, Mr Kevin Rudd, visited a New York strip club back in 2003, where he also drank too much. What do you think? How do you feel about this incident? I have three responses: Disappointment. I have met Kevin personally, he has visited our church, and I … Continue reading Kevin Rudd – When Our Past Comes Back to Haunt Us
“Look Mum, No Notes!”
For the last year, I have been speaking my main messages to our church without using notes and without a pulpit to stand behind. This has been a big change for me. I've been speaking for over 20 years now and although there have been a few shorter messages I've given where I haven't used … Continue reading “Look Mum, No Notes!”
A Journal Begins
August 10th, 1978 was a tragic day for our family. I was 16 years of age. We had a Bible College student named Robert Muthman living with us in our home in Portland, Oregon (USA). Robert was swimming with some friends and he tragically drowned. We were shocked, as was his family and our whole … Continue reading A Journal Begins
My Studies
One of my passions is personal growth. I want my life to be a life of 'progress' so that I develop my full potential (see 1 Tim.4:12-15). I want to be the very best I can be - for the glory of God and then benefit of other people. Growth happens through personal study, … Continue reading My Studies
Christians and Politics
God has called us as Christians to be 'salt' and 'light' in our world. This includes every sector of society, including government. It is exciting to see more and more Christians aspiring to roles in politics. This is so important as we need people with Christian values in these influential positions. Some people are called … Continue reading Christians and Politics