The Art of Reading

BooksThe God we serve is a relational God. He communicates with us. He speaks and he listens. He has also created us as relational beings, created to communicate. Through communication we can know God and know each other, as well as the world around us.

The Bible is God’s primary source of communication to us – a book. Through it inspired words He has revealed himself to us and his plan for our lives. We read to know him as a person, as well as for wisdom, comfort and inspiration. The Bible is relevant for our lives and is our authoritative guide to living a life that pleases God.

The Bible is THE book that we should read and meditate on. It is our authoritative guide for life. However, we need to understand that’s its primary goal is to tell us the story of God’s plan for the ages. Although is also has information and insight into a wide variety of other areas of life, it is not a textbook containing everything we need to know. We must also take time to read our world, to read other people, to read events, and to learn from history. God is speaking through everything that is taking place around us. We must learn to hear his voice in many contexts.

Solomon was given wisdom as a gift from God but he also acquired wisdom from studying and observing God’s world (see 1 Kings 5:29-34). We can do the same. After all, ‘all truth is God’s truth’.

As followers of Christ, I believe that we should give ourselves to continual growth and learning, feeding our heart, soul and mind on a daily basis. God’s Word, as contained in the Scriptures, is to be our ‘daily bread’ (Matt.4:4. 2 Tim.3:16), enabling us to know God and gain wisdom for life.

We can also benefit greatly by reading widely from a variety of fields of knowledge.

A very helpful book about the general art of reading is How to Read a Bookthe classic best-selling guide to reading books by Mortimer Adler.

Happy reading!

Continue reading “The Art of Reading”

Just Do It!

Some thought-provoking quotes …

  • "If you love me, you will obey what I command." [Jesus – John 14:15. NIV]
  • "Knowledge doesn’t change the world; action does." [John Maxwell]
  • "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continue in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do." [James 1:22-25. TNIV]
  • "Most Christians are educated beyond the level of their obedience." [John Maxwell]

It’s so true: often we don’t need to learn new things; we just need to do what we already know – more consistently and more effectively. Together, let’s bridge ‘the knowing-doing gap’.

What do you KNOW that you need to DO today?

As the prophet Nike says, "Just do it!"

The BBQ Rules

BbqSome gender-related humour … for your enjoyment …

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it’s the only type of cooking a ‘real’ man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved. When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill – beer in hand.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL .

More routine….

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine….

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off’. And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women … "

[Source Unknown]

Preaching Thoughts from Rob Bell

PreachingLast year I took a course on ‘Preaching’ with Haddon Robinson and Rob Bell, as part of my Doctor of Ministry program with Fuller Theological Seminary. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so much.

There is an entire field of study in preaching and communication and although I’ve spoken thousands of times, I’ve only given it occasional thought and attention. Yes, I’ve taken a class or two on preaching, read some books on the topic, and listened to a lot of preachers, but there is so much more to learn about communicating to our contemporary audience from the timeless Word of God and about helping people grow and change. I want to keep learning in this area and help others to do the same.

I’ll be making occasional posts on my blog about some of the things I’ve been learning. [See my post on ‘Look Mum, No Notes!’, under the preaching category of my blog, for some thoughts on preaching without notes]

Rob Bell is the Teaching Pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan. He is a speaker, author, and the creator of the Nooma visual presentations. Rob is a very interesting person – creative, arty, humble and insightful. He spoke mainly about ‘text in context’ and the benefits that come from thinking through the context of Scripture thoroughly. He also had some excellent tips on sermon preparation and how to be always on the look out for insights well ahead of when we preach them. He uses four words to describe his process: RADAR, BUCKETS, CHUNKS, and MARINATE.

Let me unpack those for you …

Continue reading “Preaching Thoughts from Rob Bell”

Maturity

“Maturity does not come with age but with the acceptance of responsibility.”

[Edwin Louis Cole]

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I grew up, I put childish ways behind me."

[The Apostle Paul – 1 Cor.13:11. NLT]

Sacred Sex

Male_and_female_2We are currently doing a series of messages at CityLife Church on Sacred Sex.

No, 'sacred sex' is not an oxymoron. The word 'sacred' means holy, special, set apart unto God. We must avoid a dualistic philosophy that separates life into two spheres: the sacred and the secular, the holy and unholy, the pure and the profane. ALL of life is meant to be sacred, including our sexuality. 

Sexuality is such an important part of our personal lives and because we now live in such a highly sexualised culture it is vital that we catch God's perspective on it. I am glad that we serve such a wise and loving God. As we follow his ways, we will experience his goodness in every area of our lives, including our sexuality.

While a lot of people in our culture have made a god out of sex, we need to realise that God intended sex to be holy – to be sacred. After all, sex is God's creation. It is not bad, evil or dirty. It is designed to be something good and beautiful. He sees it as something 'very good', like all of his creation (Gen.1:26-31). Sex is holy because God created it. It needs to be treated with honour and respect. It has been set apart for a special purpose by God himself.

Why did God create sex? What were his intentions?

There are three basic reasons that God created sex:

1. For the creation of children and the formation of a family (see Gen.1:28-31).

2. For enjoyment and pleasure between a husband and wife as they express their love for each other (e.g. The Song of Songs).

3. As an expression of and means of achieving oneness within the marriage relationship. Sex is more than just a physical encounter. Something happens. It's a sharing and an overflow of emotions, hearts and lives. It creates an emotional bonding. It's about oneness (Gen.2:18-25. Eph.5:31-32. 1 Cor.6:15-20).

Sex really is sacred – holy. Degradation or misuse of sex doesn't nullify its inherent sacredness.

Biblical teaching, such as that recorded in Proverbs 5:15-20 and 1 Corinthians 7:1-7, gives some helpful instruction for married couples. Sexual enjoyment in marriage is expected and seen as normal. A husband or wife need to give their spouse unconditional acceptance and choose to make their spouse the exclusive source of their sexual fulfilment. Sexual abstinence is, for the most part, inappropriate for married couples. Barriers to sexual fulfilment within a marriage may include: negative thinking about sex, previous negative sexual experiences (including sexual abuse), physical fatigue, differing or fluctuating sex drives, and a poor relationship. The better the marriage relationship, the more likely sexual fulfilment will take place. Both genuine love (agape) and romantic sexuality (eros) are necessary for a great marriage.

Married couples who are encountering challenges in the area of sexuality should not ignore the problem. Start talking openly and honestly about it. Listen and learn. Share your feelings, along with your likes and dislikes, with your spouse. Break down the barriers and create an environment of mutual love and respect. Make every effort to make your marriage the best it can be.

For those who would like to do some reading and study on the area of sexuality, here are a few resources that might be helpful to you. You won't agree with everything they say (I don't), but as you read you'll become aware of various perspectives on a variety of important issues relating to this subject.

  • Sacred Sex by Tim Alan Gardner. This is an excellent book for married couples. It provided a lot of ideas and thoughts for my current messages on this topic.
  • The Sexual Man by Dr. Archibald D. Hart. This is one of the few comprehensive books, written by a Christian psychologist, on the area of men's sexuality.
  • Secrets of Eve by Dr. Archibald D. Hart, Catherine Hart Webber and Debra L. Taylor. This is one of the few comprehensive books, written by Christian psychologists, on the area of female sexuality.
  • Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. This is a very honest and open book written specifically for men to help them in the area of sexual temptation. There are also a series of books along the same theme for women, young people, and singles.
  • Intended for Pleasure by Dr. Edward Wheat. This book, of which there have been a few editions since its original release back in the 1970s, was written specifically to help married couples in the area of sexual fulfilment.
  • A Celebration of Sex by Dr. Douglas E. Rosenau. This is a comprehensive and more contemporary book written to help married couples enjoy the gift of sexual intimacy. I just purchased this book and have only glanced through it.
  • The Marriage Book by Nicky and Sila Lee. This is a very good book for married couples and is the basis for The Marriage Course (produced by ALPHA ministries). It has a section on 'good sex'.
  • Fit to Be Tied by Bill and Lynne Hybels. This is a very good practical book for married couples.
  • The Valiant Man Course by Allan Meyer from Careforce Church. Allan has done extensive reasearch in the area of male sexuality and this course is the result. Check out this web site for more information about this excellent resource – Careforce Lifekeys.
  • XXXCHURCH.COM is a web site with a wide range of information and resources dedicated to helping people in the area of pornography.

Most of these books can be purchased through your local Christian bookstore or online through web sites such as www.amazon.com

Christians and Alcohol

Alcohol"Should Christians drink alcohol?"

This question has caused a fair bit of heated discussion over the centuries. Obviously, alcohol abuse does a lot of damage in our society and drunkenness needs to be avoided by any Christ-follower. But should a Christian totally abstain from all alcoholic beverages or is it okay to drink in moderation?

For many years our church required all leaders to abstain from alcohol, for a variety of reasons. Back in 2004, we reviewed this policy, in light of the biblical teaching on this issue, as well as our contemporary context. As a result, we made a decision to allow leaders to choose between abstinence and moderation, while also deciding to continue to make our church events alcohol free. This decision was received well by the majority of our leaders and church community, and thankfully, we have not had to discipline any leader for abusing their freedom.

Ultimately, each Christian must make a conscience decision as to whether to drink alcohol or not. There are many good reasons for choosing to abstain, while at the same time, drinking in moderation is also acceptable, as long as it is done in a way that does not cause other people to stumble.

What’s a Senior Minister to do?

Church work is never done. There’s so much to do with seemingly not enough time to fit everything in. The urgent constantly seeks to crowd out the important. We often question whether all our efforts are truly effective. So, what’s a Senior Minister or Pastor to do? The leaders of the early church faced the same challenge:

"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-4 NIV)."

Their response indicates that they had clearly determined their priorities and how they believed God wanted them to spend their time. This enabled them to say "No" to this urgent matter so as not to neglect the important work God had uniquely called them to do. Therefore, they chose to delegate this task out to others within the church community.

If you are a Senior Minister, do you know what your priorities are? Do you know what you should delegate and what you should not? Here are some extremely important tasks that I believe a Senior Minister should give his or her attention to:

Continue reading “What’s a Senior Minister to do?”

Prophetic Bloopers

At our church we believe in the ministry of prophecy. God still speaks today, not at the authoritative level of Scripture, but to bring strength, comfort and challenge to people’s lives (see 1 Cor.14:3). Recently, we had a time of prophetic ministry over 250 of our church leaders and we’ve received many excellent reports about the positive impact that this had. We encourage each person to listen to the audio CD of the prophecies with someone, so that each prophetic word can be judged appropriately. The apostle Paul tells us not to treat prophecies lightly, but to test them – holding on to what is good and right, and letting the rest go (see 1 Thess.5:19-22).

On the humorous side, a friend of mine, Pastor Joseph Garlington, has collected a number of ‘prophecy bloopers’ over the years. I’m not sure how many of them actually took place, but they are a good laugh anyway. Here they are …

Continue reading “Prophetic Bloopers”

My Encounter with Grief

FuneralSeventeen years ago tomorrow (October 20th, 1990), I had my first real encounter with intense grief. Yes, I had seen other people grieve. Yes, I had played the piano and sung at funerals … but nothing this close to home …

It was the day my mother passed away – Joyce Conner. My parents had flown to the USA and my dad had left my mother in the LA airport where she was waiting to catch a flight up to Portland, Oregon to spend time with my sister, Sharon. My dad flew on to Chicago for some meetings. While alone in the LA airport, my mother had a massive heart attack. She was rushed to intensive care. My dad had to come back to LA and Nicole and I flew over to be there too, along with my sister and her family. My mum went into a coma and after 10 days we agreed to switch off the life support. She kept breathing on her own for a few days, while still in a coma, before breathing her last. We didn’t get to have a conversation with her – she had gone.

It all happened so quickly – the phone call from my dad, the sudden trip to the USA, the days spent praying and waiting and hoping that she would wake up from her coma, and then coming back home … without her.

We were in shock for many weeks – it seemed like a bad dream that we were all going to wake up from any moment. It couldn’t be happening. She was just here. Surely, she’s coming back. This can’t be happening. She as only 65 years of age. We weren’t prepared for this. We didn’t have time to say ‘goodbye’.

Over time the stark reality that my mother was gone … and that she wasn’t coming back … began to settle in. We had to let her go. Her time on earth was finished. She had run her race. As much as it hurt, we wouldn’t see her again … in this life.

Eventually, we had to reach out to the future … a future without her here with us. We had lives yet to live. We couldn’t live in the past. The memories lived on, as did her impact. But we had to move forward.

This whole process (shock, accepting reality, letting go, and reaching forward) took many months … even years. Emotions were unpredictable. At times the loss would hit me like a tidal wave and I would cry uncontrollably. At other times, I couldn’t cry, even if I wanted to. Just when you think you’re through the grief … something would trigger a memory and the tears would be there again.

Any time you lose something or someone you love, you experience grief. It’s a normal emotion – it’s the way we respond to ‘loss’ … of any kind. Understand that it takes time to work through the process of healing and grieving. Be patient with yourself. Lean in to your emotions. Feel them deeply. Don’t be ashamed to weep. Pour out your heart to God. Don’t rush the process. In time, you will be able to move forward … to see the light of a new day … maybe even to understand a little of the ‘why’ … and hopefully, to find joy and laughter again.

Mum, thanks for everything … you live on in our hearts and lives … we miss you!

Isaiah 53:3. "He (Jesus) was … a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief." NLT
Psalm 30:5. "… weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." NIV

Angels Watching Over Me

Africa_thursday_oct_4th_189_2While on safari in Tanzania, Africa, recently, we stayed at a place where you weren’t allowed to walk outside your room at night. If you wanted to go to the dining room or reception area (both separate buildings) you had to call the office and they would send one of their staff to escort you – a Masai warrior with a big spear! Why? Because there were often wild animals walking through the camp grounds at night – zebras, buffalo and an occasional lion. Needless to say, we kept close to our Masai warrior.

I’m glad that in real life we have God’s angels watching over us as we walk – even in dangerous places. Jesus seems to indicate that each one of us have at least one guardian angel (Mt.18:10) and the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve us (Heb.1:14).

Be thankful that God’s angels are watching over you today!

Psalm 91:9-12. If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling. For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone. NLT

Who will you vote for Prime Minister – John Howard or Kevin Rudd?

ElectionThe Australian Federal Election date has finally been set for Saturday, November 24th, 2007.

Who will you vote for Prime Minister of Australia – John Howard or Kevin Rudd?

I have a personal conviction that it is not my role to tell people how I think they should vote. Neither does our church take a stand with one particular political party or individual politician. However, we do encourage people to do all that they can to make an informed vote, for the common good of our nation.

I have had the privilege of meeting and speaking briefly with both Mr Howard and Mr Rudd a number of times over the last year or so. They both seem to have a genuine belief and faith in God. They both have good leadership qualities, and appear to have good basic ethics and morals. I encourage you to pray for wisdom and discernment as to who you think will make the best Prime Minister for this next season for us as a nation. Take time to thoughtfully consider each political party’s policies – in a broad range of areas. Look at the team of people around each leader, considering their character and qualifications too.

To assist us in making an informed vote, the Australian Christian Lobby are doing us an excellent service by putting together a comprehensive list of the views of each political party on a wide range of ethical and social issues. This information is currently being gathered and will be available on their web site in the next day or so.

The Make Poverty History initiative has compiled policies from four political parties in relation to the key aid and development issues. You can view the report here. Doing justice and showing mercy to the poor are important values (Micah 6:8).

As I become aware of other resources to help inform your vote, I’ll add them to this post.

A final thought … making your vote count is important but that’s not all. I recently heard Steve Chalke from the UK say, "What takes 2 minutes and last 4 years? Your vote!" That’s very true. However, we need to do more than just cast our vote and then forget about it until the next election. A democracy is designed to be much more than just voting people into office and paying your taxes. We need to be actively participating with our politicians (whoever they may be) as key issues arise – and voice our opinions on important matters. After all, each politician is appointed to serve the people of our nation – which includes you and me.

"When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan." [Proverbs 29:2. NLT]

Reflections on the War in Iraq

IraqThe war in Iraq continues to be a topic of fairly heated political discussion across the globe.

I personally believe that US President, George Bush, would have been better to wait until a United Nations joint decision before choosing to invade Iraq. The ‘weapons of mass destruction’ that were the cause of the invasion soon turned into the ‘weapons of mass disappearance’. Saddam Hussein is gone but the war continues to drag on and on, at the cost of many lives. Rebuilding the nation has become an almost impossible task, much like the complex situation that developed with the Vietnam War last century.

Last year, I was privileged to be invited to a World Vision dinner with special guest Tony Campolo and a number of Christian leaders from around Melbourne. At dinner time, Tony was asked what advice he would give President Bush in regards to the war in Iraq. Without hesitation he said he would advise him to do three things immediately:

  1. Apologise for invading Iraq. The weapons of mass destruction simply weren’t there.
  2. Immediately withdraw all American troops. They are struggling in an unfamiliar environment and culture. The nearby Saudi Arabian government has offered to send troops to help the Iraq government. These troops are familiar with the environment and culture and would do a much better job helping to bring order to the country.
  3. Donate half of the billions of dollars that are being spent on the war to help rebuild Iraq as a nation. The other half should be invested back into America, to help alleviate poverty and other social issues that have been much neglected due to the drain of funds used to finance the Iraq war.

I must admit, I thought that was advice worth considering.

More recently, Tony addressed the question, "What would Jesus do about the war in Iraq?" You can read a transcript of his message here.

Have a read and let me know what you think. You may not always agree with what Tony says, but he always has something thought-provoking to say.

Tony will be one of our guest speakers for our REDLINE men’s conference on May 23-24th, 2008.

Anyone for Golf?

Golf_2Did you hear about the two guys who went golfing … the one guy hit the ball right down the middle of the fairway about 150 metres. He was so excited … he had never been down the middle of the fairway in his life. He was so excited … he got down to where his ball was and … not only was it 150 metres down the fairway, it had rolled up on top of an ant hill. So it was teed up about 2 inches for him. So he grabs his wood, he is so excited. He’s never been here before. He’s never had this opportunity before. He takes that club (a 3 wood) and swings as hard as he can and he misses the ball. He kills 5000 ants in this ant hill.

He can’t believe it – he killed 5000 ants, but the ball stayed on top of the ant hill. God must be in this – He wants me to hit a great shot. So he grabs his club and swings again, misses again and kills 4998 ants. Now there had been 10,000 ants in this ant hill and there were only 2 ants left.

And one ant looked at the other ant and said, "I tell you what, if we’re going to survive, we had better get on the ball!!"

[Source: John Maxwell]

Multiply Your Ministry Impact

MultiplyEveryone wants to have a fruitful life and ministry. But that’s only half of our mandate. God wants us to be "fruitful AND multiply" (Gen.1:28). He desires us to reproduce ourselves in others "after our kind".

Great leaders are able to train others to join them in ministry and thereby multiply their ministry impact. God is calling church leaders to make a leadership shift where they see themselves as equippers, not only ministers. Each leader needs to take on the role of a coach, who empowers others to reach their ministry potential. This is leadership the way God designed it.

Church leaders must also help their congregations make a ministry shift where they see themselves as contributors, not only consumers. God has a vision, a dream and a destiny for each individual person and this includes a significant contribution to the local church.

Jesus is an exceptional example of someone who effectively multiplied his ministry by building a team of ministers (Matt. 4:18-22).

Continue reading “Multiply Your Ministry Impact”