Better Relationships

We're currently doing a series of messages at our weekend church gatherings based on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. This weekend we picked up some of Paul's thoughts for better relationships. These are often referred to as the ‘household codes.’ Paul addresses husbands and wives (Eph.5:21-33), parents and children (Eph.6:1-4), and finally masters and slaves (Eph.6:5-9). Just prior to this Paul noted that God calls us to live life carefully, knowing his will and making the most of every opportunity. We are not to get drunk with wine but we are to be continually filled with the Spirit. Paul describes the results of the Spirit-filled life as people whose lives are marked by singing, thankfulness, and mutual submission (Eph.5:15-20). Positioning ourselves to be continually filled with the Spirit is crucial to building the kind of loving relationships that God’s desires for us. Without the Spirit’s power and enablement we can easily degenerate into our old habits patterns of relating from a self-centred perspective.

Mutual Submission

Paul begins this section on relationships with a call for all believers to submit to one another (Eph.5:21). We are all called to self-giving love and humility modelled by Jesus himself. We are to consider others better than ourselves and to look to other people’s interests, seeking to serve them in any way we can (Gal.5:13. Phil.2:3-4. Rom.12:10). All believers are to place themselves under others in the spirit of humility. Unfortunately, for many the very word ‘submit’ implies a passive and weak approach to life. However, neither Jesus nor Paul was a weak person but they did choose to treat other people with respect and love. The call to mutual submission is the context for all that Paul says about marriage, parenting, and relationships between masters and slaves.

Marriage in the First Century

Into this environment, where the devaluation of women was the cultural norm, the Christian faith brought amazingly good news for women through the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus allowed women to be his disciples, they were the first witnesses of his resurrection and were sent to proclaim to the men that he had risen, they received the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they were given spiritual gifts to serve the church, and they ministered and led within the church community (it should be noted that any restrictions placed on women ministering in the early church were temporary and they were given within dysfunctional church communities, whereas in healthy environments, ministry was based on gifting and godliness, not gender). In fact, Paul boldly declared that, because of Christ, gender distinctions, though still existing, were no longer grounds for prejudice or discrimination with the community of faith (Gal.3:28).

Can you imagine the potential uproar that this new freedom for women may have caused within society at that time? Paul’s concern was always for the credibility and the advance of the gospel (see Titus 2:5). Interestingly, he didn’t attack or seek to overthrow the structures of how society worked in his time. For instance, he didn’t seek to abolish slavery, overthrow dictatorial Roman government, or overturn a patriarchal approach to relationships. His focus was primarily on how Christians should live out their faith with the context in which they found themselves (see Eph.6:5-9, Rom.13:1-7 and Eph.5:21-33). However, he did give his greatest challenges to the ones with the most power in that culture – husbands, parents, and masters. He pushed them towards love, kindness and consideration because of the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Because Paul wrote at a time when wives were expected to submit to their husbands (in the same way that slaves were expected to obey their masters), he affirmed that arrangement (Eph.5:22-24, 33) but balanced it with a reminder to husbands that they were to always act in love, which would have directly affected the way that they expressed their authority (Eph.5:25-33). He also redefined the man’s leadership as being that of a servant who acts with self-giving love like Christ. Interestingly, Paul’s directions to the wives to submit and to the husbands to love are instructions given to all Christians as to how they should act towards each other.

[Tomorrow - Marriage Today]

Every year, on 11 November at 11 am – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – Australia pauses to remember those men and women who have died or suffered in all wars, conflicts and peace operations since the beginning of the 20th century.

Today is the 91st Anniversary of Armistice Day (Remembrance Day). Click here for further information from the Australian War Memorial.

Can I suggest that all Australians pause this morning at 11 am for a minute of silence in respect of those who have given their lives for our nation and our freedoms.

I must admit, I don't read a lot of fiction (much to to my family's disgust!). Every now and then I do, just for fun ... and to see what other people are reading about.

I've read a few books by best-selling fictional writer Dan Brown. His writings are rapid-paced, page-turners and he can sure spin a yarn. His book The Da Vinci Code raised questions about the historical foundations of the Christian faith (click here for the first of three posts I did a while back where I addressed the claims of this book about Jesus), while Angels and Demons had a poke at the Catholic Church. He is also the author of Deception Point and Digital Fortress.

In his latest novel, The Lost Symbol, Brown attempts to unravel Freemason mythology and puts it in a blender with noetic sciences and a plethora of religious ideas. In typical style, the story is a fast-paced unfolding of diverse story-lines culminating in a climatic moment, with a twist thrown in for good measure. He mixes in plenty of fact and fiction (with plenty of distortions about the Bible), while also unpacking some interesting historical perspectives on the city of Washington DC and the foundation of America.

As a pulse of what people are thinking in our culture, spirituality is sure in (not atheism), but the syncretistic type ... which ultimately leads to a search to try to find god within ourselves. Sounds like an old lie disguised in a new set of clothes.

Click here for a Time magazine review and here for a New York Times review. For an excellent review by a respected biblical scholar, Ben Witherington, click here.

Here's a recent blog article in The Australian. Christopher Monckton, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, has recently spoken out about it. You can watch his address here or listen to an interview conducted by Alan Jones on Sydney radio station 2GB. Herald Sun journalist Andrew Bolt has recently written about this too, as has Bill Muehlenberg. 

I'd be interested if anyone knows any more about this ...

Now that I am a Kindle user (yes, I received one from some good friends for my recent birthday!), I'm starting to learn a bit more about eBooks - or 'electronic books.' True, there is nothing quite like holding a book in your hands and flipping through its pages, but eBooks can open up an entire new world.

Amazon has a corner on the market for books dedicated to the Kindle, their own eBook reader. However, you can download other documents to the Kindle, as well as a variety of eBooks. You can also read eBooks on your computer via the aid of an eReader. A popular eReader is Mobipocket (they were bought out by Amazon a few years back, but don't let that hold you back from checking it out). Mobipocket is free and can be used to read eBooks on your computer or mobile phone. You can even create your own eBooks.

Another good thing about Mobipocket is that it can convert all sorts of file types (PDF, Office, HTML, text, etc) into eBook format (including for the Kindle). You can use it to read books, newspapers, magazines or reference materials. You can even learn another language with it.

Best of all, there a heaps of sites with free eBooks. Here a few for starters ...

1. Manybooks
2. Feedbooks
3. Free Tech Books
4. Google Books
5. Guttenberg
6. Mobipocket free eBooks - in multiple languages
7. A list of 20 web sites for downloading free eBooks
8. Another list of 25 sites

Happy reading!

P.S. For a few thoughts on the art of reading, click here. If you are struggling with 'information overload', click here for a few suggestions.

1. GADGETS. Visit www.productwiki.com for a thorough listing and review of all sorts of gadgets. For local price comparison here in Australia, check out www.staticice.com.au
2. GARDENING. Visit Gardening Australia at www.abc.net.au/gardening if you need help or inspiration for your garden. Also, check out www.thevegetablepatch.com, www.burkesbackyard.com.au and www.weekendgardener.net.
3. EATING OUT. Looking for somewhere to eat out? Visit www.webmenu.com.au for a list of restaurants in all Australian capital cities and then browse menus for most of them. Other details include maps and opening hours.
4. PERFUME. Looking for a special gift? Check out www.perfumeempire.com.au for some great fragrance bargains, with discounts up to 80% off the recommended retail price.
5. BOOKS. Visit www.amazon.com – this is the world's largest online bookshop (they also sell all sorts of other stuff too). Prices are very reasonable and they usually can post internationally. For many of the books you can have a look inside at the table of contents and first chapter, as well as the back cover. It's also a good place to read reviews of various books you may be interested in. In some cases, you can get a good overview of the entire book, without even having to purchase it. A good Australian online book site worth visiting is www.booktopia.com.au and a good UK site with free shipping worldwide is the book depository.

Happy surfing!

Mark

Water is one of the most essential and healthy drinks that there is. Some

Another drink developed recently by scientists at the University of Queensland is a tea called Spearole. Each cup contains the health value (antioxidants) of one glass of red wine, and three cups of tea (spearmint, olive and green). It's very tasty too. I can drink to that!

With the National Human Rights Consultation Panel having reported to Government in favour of a Charter of Rights, we have serious concerns that this might become a reality, and that while doing little if anything to improve human rights for the most vulnerable, it would create a serious threat to religious freedom. Paradoxically it would inhibit the Church in maintaining the Christian character and purpose of its own welfare and outreach to the poor and disadvantaged.

As we have seen in the Victorian churches and Christian Schools fight to retain their right to discriminate in favour of Christians in employment during the last year, a Charter will almost certainly be used by activists to attack the church and religious freedom. Cardinal George Pell’s article in the Australian clearly articulates the real and present danger a Federal charter of rights poses to religious freedom.

We need as many people as possible emailing, writing and visiting their local members and Senators and voicing their concerns about a charter ... A short brief is attached of points to emphasise ... More information is on the Make a Stand web site.

We also need as many people as possible to sign the electronic petition available on the Make a Stand web site. We are currently sitting at about 15,000 signatures but will need over 30,000! We will have the petition tabled in Parliament during the November sitting weeks (November 16-26th), so we need to sign people up quickly.

The Christian constituency is one of the largest and potentially most influential in the country, but only if it shows commitment. This is a critical issue of religious freedom on which commitment is required ...

Jim Wallace AM

As of this weekend our church is moving all of our weekend messages online and making them available free of charge. We no longer sell CDs or DVDs. Right now there is a library of about 100 messages available. Click here to visit the library.

Messages can be downloaded for listening to either on your computer or your favourite mp3 player. You can also convert them to an audio CD using a program like iTunes.

We also have a weekly podcast, which is a single selected message from the above library. This is available directly from our web site or via iTunes. Click here for more details.

If you use iTunes, we also provide an RSS feed that you can subscribe to in iTunes so that you can download the messages directly into iTunes and, if you choose, to automatically get new messages as they are added.

P.S. We're still thinking through how best to make a visual of each message available now that we no longer sell DVDs. We may consider a video podcast in the near future.

For those living in the USA, check out City Christian Publishing or Anchor Distributors. Sower's Seed distributes many of my dad's resources in the Asian area.

Happy reading :)

I recommend that we continue to be unapologetic about our Pentecostal roots and its distinctive values, while clearly communicating the strengths and weaknesses we see in this movement and our response to them.

Referring to ourselves as “Pentecostal” can be helpful for those Christians who are seeking a tribe to identify us with. However, we should all take steps to clarify our uniqueness. In fact, why don't we all make efforts to seek to model what potentially could be a more balanced and biblical brand of Pentecostalism without some of the baggage this movement has accumulated over recent decades.

However, let's not get overly caught up with the label "Pentecostal" (it literally means "50" and I'm not that old yet!). It is interesting to note that most denominations are named after a single issue: Baptists (baptism), Presbyterians (eldership rule), Methodists (Wesley’s method), Salvation Army (evangelism), and Pentecostals (the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Maybe it's time we all modeled a broader and more balanced approach rather than be labeled by a single doctrine.

Finally, let's continue to seek to pattern our beliefs and practices after the teaching of Jesus and the apostles as recorded in the New Testament. May we all experience a fresh Pentecost as the Spirit empowers us once again for kingdom purpose!

1. Extreme Prosperity Teaching. Many Pentecostal churches have embraced the prosperity gospel which promises riches for those who love and obey God. One of the main problems with this teaching is the ‘give to get’ mentality which is so opposite to the nature of God. He loves and he gives unconditionally - with no strings attached. If we choose to give to God or to the poor in order to gain our own personal prosperity, something is wrong with our motives.

If you define ‘prosperity’ as ‘having your own needs (not ‘greeds’) met and enough extra to give away,’ then I believe that it is God's will for everyone. We should all work towards that. However, there are much more important things than money and possessions. The kingdom of God has a different value system. It is made up of love, peace, and joy ... and these things are found in the Holy Spirit, not in material possessions. In fact, Paul tells us that the love of money is at the root of all evil (not money itself, but the love of it). The issue isn't whether we have stuff but whether our stuff has a hold on us. Of course, poverty is not better or more spiritual than prosperity. There is nothing pretty or desirable about poverty. That's why so many people are working around the globe today to make poverty history.

2. Autocratic Leadership Style. Some Pentecostal pastors, due to the honor and the freedom given to them, can develop an authoritarian and hierarchical leadership style. Although it is without doubt that strong leadership ability is a key factor in the growth and effectiveness of many Pentecostal congregations, sometimes this can also lead to a lack of appropriate accountability. Governance structures tend to be more relational than formal, and boards and teams of elders are usually led by senior ministers who see the board or eldership as their team and as working for them. Some even have staff and family members as board members, potentially blurring the accountability lines and not providing adequate separation between proposal creation and proposal review. In addition, if Pentecostal pastors see themselves as above criticism and see people who question various matters as rebellious, then dysfunction usually develops and there is an eventual drift out of the church of hurt and disillusioned people. When authority is abused, much damage can be done.

3. Shallow Bible Teaching. In the early days of Pentecostalism, academic or theological training often was frowned upon. Seminaries were seen as “cemeteries” due to their lack of emphasis on the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Even today, many Pentecostal pastors do not have more than a basic theological training. Unfortunately, this can lead to sermons that are high on inspiration but low on biblical content. Teaching can tend to be somewhat shallow and at times allegorical. Also, 'proof texting' is a common occurrence.

I believe that there needs to be a good balance between the Spirit and the Word. We need both the passion and energy of the Spirit and the safety and security of the Scriptures. We also should be committed to ensuring that teaching team members are well-trained in interpreting the original meaning of the Scriptures and then applying them appropriately to our contemporary context.

4. Elevation of Personal Experience. Some Pentecostal churches and preachers rely heavily on personal revelation (“God told me ...”). Personally, I believe that no personal experience or revelation is to be taken as more important or authoritative than the inspired Scriptures. All of these subjective matters need to be tested by the Word of God and considered in the light of how God has moved in and among his people throughout church history.

5. Elevation of Charisma over Character. Some Pentecostal churches are overly enamoured with charismatic personalities and spectacular spiritual gifts. I believe that all gifts are given for the purpose of serving for the benefit of the wider church and that the foundation of all ministry is to be a person’s character. Jesus said that we should test ministry by the fruit of their life not by the gifts or talents they exhibit.

6. An Unhealthy Elevation of Speaking in Tongues (or spiritual language). Some Pentecostal churches elevate speaking in tongues to such a level that those who have not experienced this gift are made to feel like second-class Christians. Other groups go to an even further extreme by saying that a person is not saved unless they speak in tongues. I believe that all Christians receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at conversion. Subsequent to this, I think that we should encourage all believers to ask for the baptism or infilling of the Spirit accompanied by a spiritual language, as I see this as an important aspect of the Christian life. However, we should not seek to pressure people nor look down on those who have not had this experience. I also believe that in church gatherings where unbelievers are present, appropriate discretion needs to be used in the public exercise of speaking in tongues (see 1 Cor.14:22-25).

7. An Instantaneous ‘Zap’ Mentality. Many Pentecostal churches place a strong emphasis on church meetings and on receiving a special touch from the Holy Spirit. I too believe in the importance of church gatherings and the special things God can do when we gather together. However, I believe that God’s presence is with us all the time and that we shouldn't buy into a separation of the sacred and secular. God is interested in all of our lives. I also believe in the change that can occur when a person encounters God in a powerful way (an ‘encounter’) but I acknowledge that even this is part of a continual process of change and growth that occurs throughout all of life.

8. End Time Hysteria. Some sections of the Pentecostal church go to extremes when it comes to end time teaching, emphasising the imminent return of Christ and getting ready for the rapture. I believe that all followers of Christ should live in such a way that they are always ready for his return but also with the wisdom and foresight that Jesus may not come back in our generation. We are to occupy, or be busy, until Jesus returns. This includes being about the work of the kingdom, which includes matters such as creation care and social justice.

9. Faith Healing. Some Pentecostal churches teach that all people should be healed and when healing does not take place it is an indication of sin or lack of faith in the life of the sick person. This heretical teaching can cause great damage in people’s lives. I believe that God does heal today and we pray for people to be healed. However, we recognise that sometimes people aren’t healed. This does not mean that a person lacks faith or has sin in their life. We live in a fallen world and we are caught between the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’ of the kingdom of God. Sin, sickness, and death were conquered by Christ but not yet do we see them eradicated from the world. We all await his return when the kingdom will come in its fullness and there will be no more crying, pain or death. Until then, we live in faith but we also recognise the reality of suffering in this present world, knowing that God’s grace and comfort are more than enough for us.

10. Extreme Focus on the Demonic. Some sectors of the Pentecostal church have a strong emphasis on the devil, demons, deliverance, and spiritual warfare. Without wanting to neglect an appropriate awareness of the spiritual battle that we are in, I think churches should seek to adopt a more balanced approach where the major focus is on glorifying God, living in the Spirit, doing good, and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

These observations about the strengths and weakness of Pentecostalism are generalizations. However, they do have a common occurrence within the broader Pentecostal movements of churches. I think that more and more Pentecostal church should more intentionally maximizing the strengths while seeking to avoid the weaknesses of this movement. More about this tomorrow ...

1. The Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal expression of the Christian faith presents God as someone who is not only known by faith and through the Scriptures but who wants to interact with each believer on a daily basis. Pentecostals teach that God wants a personal and intimate relationship with each believer and that this occurs through prayer (including the use of spiritual language or ‘speaking in tongues’), hearing God’s voice, and ministry to and from other believers. Ministry in Pentecostal churches focuses not on just attending a church service or on hearing a sermon but on allowing the Holy Spirit to move in a person’s life to bring about change and growth.

2. Passionate Worship. Pentecostals enjoy expressing themselves at church gatherings through joyful praise and intimate worship. Voices are raised, hands are lifted up, and there is a sense of celebration and vibrancy to singing times.

3. Evangelistic Fervour. Pentecostals believe that the Spirit has filled and empowered them to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8) and to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). They are passionate about personal and corporate evangelism as well as church planting and foreign mission work. Compassion for the poor and the needy is also a growing characteristic of Pentecostal churches.

4. Prophecy. Pentecostals believe that God still speaks today – to individuals and churches. This is not at the authoritative level of Scripture but all prophecy is to be taken seriously, tested, then responded to appropriately (1 Thess.5:19-22).

5. Faith for the Miraculous. Pentecostals believe that God still does miracles today, including healing the sick and setting people free from things that hold them back from their full potential in Christ. They pray for God to intervene into human situations bringing about positive change.

6. Cultural Relevance. Most Pentecostals understand that although the message of Christianity and the gospel never changes, the methods and means of communication must change with each new generation in order to remain culturally relevant. Examples of cultural relevance include choice of musical style, focus on youth and children, a more contemporary communication style, contemporary facilities, and the use of technology.

7. Compassion for the Poor and Marginalised. Modern-day Pentecostalism began among people from the lower socio-economic strata of society, including uneducated people and marginalised races. Although, this has changed somewhat in the West, with other church movements and denominations being stronger in this area, it is encouraging to see the more recent emphasis on God’s heart for the poor and needy amongst Pentecostals.

8. Visionary Leadership. Many Pentecostal churches are led by leaders with strong sense of vision and an ability to communicate that vision to motivate people to action. They are willing to take risks to advance the cause of Christ in the world. Many Pentecostal churches are in a pioneering and expansion mode (a focus on “let’s create the future”) rather than a maintenance mode (a focus on “let’s preserve the past”). In Pentecostal churches, authority tends to be vested in specific individuals, such as the senior pastor or leadership team, rather than in formal structures or bureaucratic policies. The pastor is seen as the leader of the church rather than merely an employee. In fact, congregational trust often is placed more in the senior leader than in a specific board of directors, elders or committee.

Tomorrow ... some concerns I have about Pentecostalism.

The Pentecostals are a relatively new section of the Christian Church. For many years they have been considered to be outside mainstream Christianity; but, more recently, due to their phenomenal growth, they have begun to be noticed and heard. Here in Australia, they are the fastest growing of all the churches and their wider influence in society is increasing.

In the past century, Pentecostal Christianity evolved from a small group of believers to a worldwide movement with an estimated 588 million adherents. This incredible growth is unprecedented in the historical development of Christianity. Although the participants in this movement at the time of its inception at the turn of the twentieth century were on the margins of society, the expansion of charismatic experiences has now pervaded all parts of world Christianity. In the last 5 percent of Christian history, Pentecostals have become a major global force in Christendom, second only to the billion Roman Catholics in the world. Pentecostalism has also influenced various sectors of mainstream Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox faith and has prompted the birth of a neo-Pentecostal movement, a Charismatic Renewal movement, and a Third Wave movement, forming somewhat of a global culture and in the words of researcher, Harvey Cox, “a religion made to travel.”

There are a large number of different Pentecostal groups in Australia. The largest Pentecostal denomination is the Assemblies of God. Other significant Pentecostal denominations include the Apostolic Churches, the Christian City Churches, the Christian Outreach Centers, the Christian Revival Crusade, and a number of large independent Pentecostal “mega-churches”such as Riverview Church in Perth and CityLife in Melbourne. Numerous other smaller Pentecostal denominations and independent churches also exist.

The Pentecostal churches are very diverse and autonomous. They vary in some of their theology and philosophy of ministry. They also have no singular voice to the community. In addition, they still are not considered mainstream Christianity by some people, despite their amazing growth and size.

Tomorrow ... things I like about Pentecostalism.

We were privileged to have Ash Barker with us on the weekend, as part of our community outreach focus. Ash and his family live in a slum in Bangkok where they have been reaching out to people with the love of Christ for the last eight years.

Ash is the founder of UNOH - Urban Neighbours of Hope. He is also the author of a number of books, including Surrender All and Making Poverty Personal. Click here and scroll down the page to see the full range of UNOH publications.

Ash is currently doing a PhD on "What is a Christian response to the rise of urban slum and squatter neighbourhoods?" Last year, for the first time in history, saw over 50% of the world's population now living in cities. Increasing urbanisation is leading to the increase of 'urban slums', with 1 billion people now living in this type of environment. Within 20 years, it could be 3 billion. This presents a great challenge to the Christian Church as we seek to love our neighbour and share the goods news of Jesus with our global village.

May each of us be stirred afresh with the love of Christ to engage more effectively with the people in our world, wherever he has placed us. As someone once said, "Maybe more Christians need to quit watching Neighbours and start being neighbours!"

The Bible Society has recently released a

This new Bible, in the Contemporary English Version (CEV), includes a unique 32-page study guide, written by best-selling authors Nick and Claire Page. Each of 50 in-depth studies is based on Scripture and challenges us to take practical and passionate action in the battle against poverty and injustice.

You can view additional studies online.

A number of Australian politicians were part of the launch of this unique edition of the Bible (click here for more details).

Visit your local bookstore to get your copy today or order it online.

Lowry encourages a new image for the sermon - see it as a sacred story, a homiletical plot, and a narrative art form. The best preaching feels like you are listening to a story in that you are guided along with interest and a sense of movement.

Great stories begin with tension and then gradually move towards resolution. In the same way, great sermons begin with an issue or a problem (the 'itch') and then move towards a solution (the 'scratch'), which is the 'good news'.

I experimented with this a little in a recent message I gave from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught about the discipline of secrecy (Matt.6:1-18). Rather than start with this teaching or solution (the 'scratch') I thought about what issue this teaching was helping us with (the 'itch'). I realised that Jesus was giving some advice to disciples who struggled with what we could call 'approval addition' - a need and desire to be seen. I began with this reality - our deep need for approval - then looked at the different ways we seek to meet that need, all of which are dead ends. I then moved to reminding everyone that in Christ, we have the approval we long for from our heavenly Father. However, even as disciples, we often fall back into approval-seeking behaviours and impression management. Jesus taught his disciples the discipline of secrecy as a spiritual practice to free us from the need to be seen or applauded by people.

It was an enjoyable way to present a message and felt more like taking people on a journey of discovery rather than presenting a neatly packaged lecture with a subject announced up front and three points before a conclusion. Maybe there is more to learn from Jesus and his Hebrew culture than from our Greek-influenced Western thinking patterns. Maybe that's why novels, stories, and movies are so popular. People love a story and when it addresses a real human need and offers hope - it inspires us all. Maybe sermons should be more like that.

The more you learn the more you realise how little you know ...

The World Wide Web is an amazing source of information and communication. However, it's becoming so huge and complex that you can easily get lost in it or miss out on some of spots well worth visiting. Here are a variety of sites that may be if interest to you.

1. BIBLE. Visit www.biblegateway.com for an excellent site with multiple Bible translations, all for free.

2. ENCYCLOPEDIA. Visit www.wikipedia.com – the world's largest online encyclopedia with a wealth of information on just about anything.

3. FREE IMAGES. Visit http://commons.wikimedia.org – a massive collection of more than 5 million free-to-use images. Also check out: http://freerangestock.com/index.php and http://images.google.com.au 

4. ONLINE AUCTION. Visit www.graysonline.com.au – this is an online auction group based in Melbourne. They sell all sorts of items, usually being liquidated. You can get some excellent deals here. They add a 15% charge to most items as well as shipping costs, so be sure to keep that in mind. Of course, there is always www.ebay.com.au, the biggest online trading spot for just about everything. Why not take some time to clear out your garage and turn some unused items into some handy cash? Remember, one person's trash is another's treasure!

5. PERSONALISED HOMEPAGE. Create a Google account at https://www.google.com/accounts/newaccount then go to www.google.com/ig, sign in and get started setting up your own iGoogle page, which can include all sorts of things such as gadgets, themes, calendar, to dos, email, a clock, and Google Reader (for reading RSS feeds).

Happy surfing!

Mark

For recent research on the state of the church in Melbourne, click here and here. The vast majority of Melbourians are unchurched. We desperately need all existing churches to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ with greater effectiveness and we need more churches to be planted to reach the wide variety of people who inhabit our city. As we see stronger local churches established, Melbourne has the potential to be a launching pad of mission and outreach activity to our state, our nation, and the world.

For Cats fans, it was a day to remember as Geelong has now won 2 of the last 3 Grand Finals. They've been the dominant team over the last 3 years and two consecutive Grand Finals losses would have been too much to bear. Fortunately, they finished strong and are enjoying the celebrations now.

It was also great to see Gary Ablett Jnr get up and win the Brownlow last Monday night after a number of excellent seasons.

Go Cats!!

Looking for some fresh motivation in your life?

Wanting to catch God's heartbeat for the poor and needy?

... then don't miss the upcoming Surrender Conference at Belgrave Heights Convention on the weekend of March 5-8th, 2010.

Since it first ran it in 2004, the mission of SURRENDER has been to invite, inspire and inform an emerging generation to respond to the radical call of Jesus. The name SURRENDER is an identity that invites a joining with the Jesus who pours out his life in loving the lost and least. As followers of this Jesus today we must be his hands and feet in a hurting world, giving a voice to God’s call to be good news to the poor.

For full conference details, click here. Click here to watch the conference promo video.

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to really understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those who sometimes get flustered by computers, please read on ... If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.  
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's  Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office .
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on START'...

Those who study change tell us that it is not the changes that kill us but the transitions. It was one thing for Moses to get Israel out of Egypt with God's help. It was a totally different thing to get Israel throughthe wilderness and into the Promised Land. In fact, many of them didn't make it.

The most insightful contemporary thinker and writer on this vital subject is William Bridges. His book Managing Transitions contains a wealth of wisdom for anyone leading or experiencing change. Click here for an extended summary I did of this excellent book many years ago.  

Experiencing change is like letting go of one trapeze and you still haven't taken hold of the next one. That's a scary feeling! it requires trust in God that he will not let us fall and that there is a new trapeze for us to lay hold of.

To change the metaphor, there is a new season and a new chapter after the close of this season and chapter. God is a God of movement. May he give us grace to keep in step with him. We don't know what tomorrow holds but we do know who holds tomorrow in his hands. He is the ALPHA (the beginning) and the OMEGA (the end). He has begun a good work in each one of us and he will complete it (Phil.1:6). We can sleep at night because of that assurance.

Everyone is aware of and affected in some way by the recent economic downturn. Many analysts believe things have 'bottomed out' and we're on the way up, but only time will tell. Churches aren't immune from the stress and strain that emerges in times of pressure such as this. Tough times affect giving.

In a recent report about the state of the church in America, it was revealed that 19% of churches have recently laid off staff, with many other churches freezing salary levels or reducing ministry costs. This is due to a decrease in church giving. Many non-profit entities have also been hit hard.

Australia has been affected less than America by the current global financial situation. However, there are many churches whose income is down and who have had to lay off staff or downsize ministry activities.

At CityLife, we have been blessed by the continued generosity of our people. However, our giving is considerably lower than we anticipated for this year, though still slightly above last year's giving levels. Over the last month we conducted an entire review of all of our ministries. In addition to our lower than budgeted for income, we discovered that we had an imbalance of resource allocation (staff and budget). Some ministries were being significantly over-resourced in proportion to others who had gradually become significantly under-resourced. As a result, we decided to reduce and realign our staffing budget. This means that there are a number of staff roles that have recently been made redundant, as well as some reduction in hours for other staff, while a number of staff members have taken voluntary redundancy packages. These changes are organisational not personal, although obviously they do affect individuals who we love and appreciate very much. This has not been an easy thing to do. There is nothing worse that having to inform a faithful staff member that their job has been made redundant.

For those staff whose positions have been made redundant, we have given what we consider a generous financial package and the offer of human resources support (such as career counselling, resume creation and interviewing training). Most staff are finishing up fairly soon so as to not prolong this process unnecessarily. One of the reasons we have done this now rather than at the end of the year is to give people ample time to transition into new jobs or situations well before the Christmas and January period where it is much more difficult to look for work. 

In addition to this, we are looking at a number of other cost-saving initiatives including closing our bookshop (underway), moving our audio-visual resources online (free weekly audio messages), closing our CONNECT television program (to be replaced by a possible video podcast), and moving towards more web-based communications (we will shortly cease printing of the bi-monthly glossy coloured magazine and replace it with an interactive e-newsletter with hyperlinks to web, as well as a simple black and white bulletin each month for those without internet access).

This has been a period of uncertainty for all of us as a staff team. Pruning is an unpleasant but necessary activity at certain seasons in all of our lives. I would like to commend all of our staff for their excellent attitude during this time. It is very important that churches and ministries pull together during times like these and move forward with a strong sense of unity. This requires continued prayer and support so that transitions such as these are carefully navigated. We trust that God will work everything out for each person's ultimate good.

   "There is no growth without change ...

    There is no change without loss ...

    There is no loss without pain."

[From the book Deliberate Simplicity by Dave Browning, p.12]

Basketball is my favourite sport. I started playing it when our family lived in America during my teenage years and I still play today (though I'm a lot slower now!). As a kid I used to love to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls on TV. They won 6 NBA championships in the 1990s.

Click here and here to watch some highlights from Michael's career. Recently, Michael was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with other players such as the 7' 1" David Robinson, an athlete with a strong Christian faith (watch his speech here). You can watch Michael's speech here (it's 23 minutes long). Notice that anything we achieve in life is always with the help and support of our family, our mentors, our friends, our team, and even our failures ... and God.

Will anyone ever be a better basketball player than Michael? Some say current players such as Kobe Bryant or Lebron James have the potential. Only time will tell ...

At CityLife Church, we are commited to releasing every person into ministry. We truly believe that every Christ-follower is 'saved' (not just to go to heaven!) AND 'called' (to a special purpose here on earth - see 2 Tim.1:9). We believe that all ministry should be based on 'godliness and giftedness, not gender'.

Unfortunately, many churches restrict or limit women from ministry, and especially from leadership. I believe this is because of a misunderstanding of what the Bible says about women. As with any issue, we need to go back to the beginning - to God's original intentions. Before the Fall, men and women were both created in the image of God and they were both given the dominion and the reproduction mandate. They were called as 'partners' in life and ministry (see Gen.1:26-31). Only after sin entered was there hierarchy and a loss of the partnership model between men and women (see Gen.3:16).

Jesus came to bring us back to God's original intention - partnership. Paul tells us that in Christ there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ' (Gal.3:28). He is not saying that these distinctions cease to exist (racial, socio-economic and gender differences) but that they should now no longer be a cause for prejudice or discrimination.

Jesus and Paul valued women and released them into ministry. The Holy Spirit was poured out on men and women, and both prophesied (Acts 2). Spiritual gifts are given to men and women, and both will be held accountable for their use (1 Cor.12,14).

Yes, there are a number of places in the New Testament writings that seem to limit the activity of women in the church, but these are always in dysfunctional environments (e.g. at Corinth and in Ephesus, where there was false teaching spreading amongst the women). In healthy environments, women were encouraged to minister and were also involved in significant leadership roles, including leading entire house churches.

It has been terrific to see the focus on racial reconciliation in the broader church world of late. People today would never think of withholding ministry from someone based on their race. I believe we also need to see reconciliation and release of women into the full rights and opportunities of ministry and leadership within the church. It is part of God's plan and I believe it is a key to the church being all that God has called it to be in our generation. Men, I believe it's up to us to create an environment where women feel valued, appreciated and empowered.

CityLife Church benefits greatly from the many women who faithfully contribute to our church's ministries, who speak regularly as part of our teaching team, and who lead in various ministries within the church, including our Board of Elders. CityLife women, we appreciate you!

Go girls!

Mark Conner

P.S. For a more detailed statement outlining our beliefs about women in leadership, along with some recommended reading, click here - Women in Leadership.

P.S.S. For an interesting article on the increase in women as senior pastors, click here.

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Father God does not leave us to figure out life by ourselves. He gives us clear instructions about every area of life and explains why his way is full of wisdom (Gen.2:15-17. Deut 30:11-20). God's words are contained in the Scriptures and they present his will and best wishes for our life. They are for our good – our ultimate benefit – not because he wants to take the fun or enjoyment out of life (2 Tim.3:16-17).

As parents, we are to instruct our children in God's way of living (Eph.6:4). We are to make our expectations clear as well as the consequences. Then we need to be consistent in following through. Instruction may be a regular structured family devotion time or it may simply be impromptu conversations as a family does life together. Often that's more powerful, as teaching takes place in the context of life's experiences (Deut.6:1-9).

Children do not respond to rules alone. They respond to relationships. You can get your children to behave by enforcing the rules but that doesn't mean you're getting their loving and obedient response. They may obey on the surface but beneath their may be anger, fear or frustration. Josh McDowell says, "Rules without relationships lead to rebellion."

One of the most powerful forms of instruction is our example – our modelling of the things we expect from our children. Kids tend to do what they see, not just what we tell them they should do. Are our lives worth imitating?

4. Discipline Lovingly

Great dads take responsibility to lovingly discipline their children. Types of discipline change as children grow and vary for each situation. Discipline should be for defiance (intentional direct disobedience) but not for childishness. Always follow through promptly. Empty threats teach children that they can ignore warnings. Communicate the reason for the discipline. Discipline in love, not in anger. Control your emotions. There is a distinction between crushing the spirit (abuse) and shaping the will (discipline). Don't favour one child over another. Most importantly, apologise when you get it wrong.

5. Empower Fully

God the Father is not a controlling father. He is a releasing Father who wants his children to grow up and take responsibility for their lives. He desires to empower us to full maturity and to join him in his work on planet earth. We see this with Adam and Eve. He gave them a mandate to take dominion over the earth and to be responsible to populate it with their offspring.

As children grow and become teenagers and then young adults we as parents must empower them more and more - to make their own decisions and to be responsible for their lives. The degree of empowerment is determined by the maturity of the son or daughter. You're not going to let a two year old mow the lawns alone and of course, you hopefully aren't going to be still brushing the teeth of your thirteen year old daughter.

As parents, we are responsible to raise our children and teach them God's ways but as they grow and come of age they are responsible for their own choices and we have to release them to that responsibility. This doesn't mean that we don't care, or pray or seek to influence, but we have to gradually let them go (not too soon or not too late). This also means that we should not take inappropriate guilt upon ourselves as parents if our children make unwise choices. There are a lot of parents who feel that they are failures because their children are not serving God or have made unwise choices in their lives. If that's true then God the Father is a failure because his first kids blew it badly. As parents we must empower our children fully – then pray, trust God and believe that the seeds we have planted will bear good fruit in due time.

A final thought ... "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove ... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

Dads, you're important!

The God of the Bible has revealed himself as one God existing in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have the opportunity to be "born again" spiritually into God's family. God wants to be our Father and we can be his children (John 1:12-13. Rom.8:13-17. Gal.4:4-7. 1 John 3:1-2). With the breakdown of marriages and family relationships today, we often develop a marred concept of fatherhood. All natural fathers often fail in accurately presenting the character and nature of God. But no matter what our natural family situation may have been God wants to be a perfect spiritual Father to each of us as his children.

What do great fathers do? There are many things but here are 5 important habits of every father.

1. Love Unconditionally

Our Father God is a God of love. Genuine love is not merely an emotion but a choice to act in the best interests of another person. God's love toward us is his desire for our ultimate good. What's amazing about God's love for us is that it is not based on our performance or any specific conditions we have to meet. In fact, he chooses to love us despite of our sin and our weakness (Rom.5:8-11). He is quick to forgive us when we humbly confess our sins. He is patient, long-suffering and slow to anger.

As dads we need to take a loving stance towards our children no matter what they do. Our love for them is based on the fact that they are ours. We must beware of creating a "performance based" environment that causes our children to be uncertain of our love and as a result always seeking our approval.

2. Affirm Frequently

God the Father expresses his love in a variety of ways, once of which is affirmation or encouragement (Matt.3:16-17; 17:5). On a daily basis, Jesus knew and experienced his Father's love and affirmation. He was always speaking about his Father and was able to stand against strong opposition and criticism because he knew he was doing his Father's will.

Great dads affirm and encourage your children as people – not just for what they can or can't do. Our words are very powerful (Prov.18:21. Eph.4:29-32). Don't approach parenting with the goal of correcting, disciplining and keeping your children in line. Look for where you can sincerely praise, compliment and encourage your kids. Notice and approve of what they do right. Then you can correct mistakes in a positive climate rather than continually pointing out what they're doing wrong. We all thrive under encouragement. Praise is a motivator for proper behaviour.

[Cont'd tomorrow ...]

After sixty years of involvement in the Southern Baptist Church, former American President Jimmy Carter has left. Over what? Over his disagreement with their stance over the ordination of women. Read the article

The role of women in the church is such an important issue. It's sad to see some people ignoring the issue while others continuing with man-made traditions and spurious interpretations of the Scriptures.

As world renown biblical scholar N.T. Wright profoundly says, the best place to start when considering the role of the women in the church is John 20 and Romans 16. In John 20 we see women as the first witnesses of the resurrection and as being personally commissioned by Jesus to go tell others that he is risen. In Romans 16, Paul thanks and commends many women who were active in the church, both in leading house churches and even one who was an apostle - Junia (vs.7).

Other texts that seem to silence women need to be taken in their local context, which is always a dysfunctional environment and not to be seen as the 'norm'.

God's original design was for men and women to partner together in life and ministry. Jesus and Paul seek to get us back to that intention. Let's do the same in our generation.

Imagine you take two elephants. For our purposes, they are a male and a female. You put them in your garage (hopefully, it's big enough!). You give them plenty to eat and drink and you shut the door on them. Three years later, you come back and open the door. What comes out?

Three elephants, that's right! Mum and Dad elephant and one baby!

Now instead of two elephants, let's pretend you put two rabbits in the garage. At the end of three years, when you open the door, you had better run for your life, because millions of rabbits will explode out of that door.

The point? Something that is large and complex is hard to reproduce. Something that is small and simple multiplies easily. Elephants take a long time to reach maturity and have long gestation period. It takes time to produce a single elephant. Rabbits, on the other hand, are extremely fertile all the time. They reach maturity in four to six months, and their gestation period is a mere thirty days. Hence the expression "breed like rabbits."

So begins a new book The Rabbit and the Elephant by Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna on why small is the new big for today's church.

God's original mandate to us was to "be fruitful and multiply (Gen.1:26)." Reproduction is God's will for all of us. Disciples need to reproduce more disciples, leaders need to reproduce more leaders, ministries need to reproduce more ministries, and churches need to reproduce more churches. No doubt, smaller (more simple and less complex) things reproduce far easier. That's why large mega-churches sometimes don't grow (proportionally) as fast as smaller churches. That's why small groups are an essential part of any church, and especially as a church gets larger, because they enable unlimited reproduction. The first church at Jerusalem was a large church with over 3000 people from the first day but they multiplied rapidly through a network of smaller groups meeting in homes throughout the city (see Acts 2). Maybe God is wanting to so something similar in our generation ... in every town and city across the face of the earth.  

Let's go forth and multiply ...

This year's main guest speaker is Sally Morgenthaler. Sally is a gifted author, speaker, and musician. To read more of her personal story, click here. Sally's fiance, Joe Myers, is also an experienced speaker and author. Check out his web site here. 

The DARE conference theme this year is JOURNEY. Life really is a journey with highs and lows, ups and downs, twists and turns ... yet along the way God is always with us ... calling us, guiding us, encouraging us, strengthening us ... as we move forward.

"Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." [1 Peter 1:17-18. The Message Bible]

Ecclesiastes 10:10 states: "Using a dull axe requires great strength, so sharpen the blad

Stephen Covey in his best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People refers to this as Habit 7, which is taking time to "Sharpen the Saw." It's all about preserving and enhancing one of the greatest assets you have - you.

1. The Spiritual Dimension. Spend time in conversation with God and meditation on the Scriptures, which represent your value system. Investing time in your spiritual life should not be a mechanical duty but a source of power in releasing and multiplying your energies. Finding peace with God and walking with Him on a daily basis is the key to all other aspects of our life (see Psalm 27:14. Isaiah 40:28-31).

2. The Physical Dimension. Care for your physical body by eating the right foods, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis for endurance, flexibility and strength (see 1 Timothy 4:8).

3. The Mental Dimension. Many people cease from any form of continued learning after they finish formal education. We tend to stop reading and exploring new subjects. We don't write or think analytically any more. Give time to reading, writing, thinking and planning on a regular basis (see Proverbs 4:5,7).

Balance

We need to exercise all four dimensions of our nature, regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways. Any dimension that is neglected will have a negative affect on our overall life.

When it comes to personal renewal, no one else can do it for us. We must do it for ourselves. It is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life. These things are not urgent but they are extremely important to our lives.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Make a list of renewing activities in your spiritual and mental dimensions and then set daily or weekly goals for each one.

2. Make a list of relationships you would like to improve or develop and set a goal to do so.

3. Make a list of activities that would help you keep in good physical shape, that would fit your lifestyle and that you could enjoy over time.

4. Commit to write down specific “sharpen the saw” activities in all four dimensions every week, to do them, and to evaluate the benefits.

5. Develop a daily habit of giving one hour to “sharpen the saw” activities.

Is it time to stop and sharpen the saw?

Hey Aussies ... we need to lift our game. A recent study revealed that Australia is one of the dirtiest countries in the developing world when it comes to hygiene. In fact, our kitchens have a higher level of bacteria than our bathrooms!

The Hygiene in the Home Study 2009 covered Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Britain and America. Virology expert Prof John Oxford from the Hygiene Council says Australia has high levels of contamination in the kitchen. Kitchen cleaning cloths are the dirtiest item in the home, followed by the kitchen tap. The study found that toilet areas were relatively clean because they were considered important places to keep hygienic.

Prof Oxford says Australia is at the top of the league in regard to kitchens because 95 percent of cloths and 80 percent of taps contained high levels of bacteria. The study showed that only India and Malaysia were worse than Australia when it came to contamination.

What's up with this?

Life naturally tends to get busier as time goes on. There is so much to DO. Leading a life, a family, a ministry or whatever, tends towards a preoccupation with tasks. Like Martha, we can be so busy serving God that we don't take time to love God and just sit at his feet like Mary did, listening to his word (see Luke 10:38-42).

If only we could learn that the best productivity always flows out of a depth of geunine spirituality. As we are continually connected to Jesus, he will flow his life through us and help us to be truly fruitful (John 15).

Here are a few challenging thoughts about prayer from Henri Nouwen ...

"Prayer requires that we stand in God's presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing ... (unfortunately) we have turned prayer into a last resort to be used only when all our own resources are depleted." 

"Discipline means that something very specific and concrete needs to be done to create a context in which a life of uninterrupted prayer can develop. Unceasing prayer requires the discipline of prayer exercises. Those who do not set aide a certain place and time each day to do nothing else but pray can never expect their unceasing thought to become unceasing prayer."

"We simply need quiet time in the presence of God. Although we want to make all of our time, time for God, we will never succeed if we do not reserve a minute, an hour, a morning ... or whatever period of time for God and God alone. This asks for much discipline and risk-taking because we always seem, to have something more urgent to do and 'just sitting there' and 'doing nothing' often disturbs us more than it helps. But there is no way around this. Being useless and silent in the presence of our God belongs to the core of all prayer."

"Silent time makes as quiet and deepens our awareness of ourselves and God."

[From The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, p.92-95]

When I was growing up as a kid, I loved cats and I never really took to dogs.

My wife, Nicole, has always loved dogs and she never really took to cats.

We got married and we bought an adorable little kitten that we fell in love with while window-shopping at a pet store (bad idea!). Unfortunately, Nicole got hay fever from it, so we gave it away to some friends.

Since then, we've had a variety of dogs (German Shepherds, Terrier crosses, and others I couldn't name) - usually two at a time. I must admit, I've learned to like dogs. It's nice to know that they're ALWAYS glad to see you - even if their perpetual barking drives you crazy some times.

We have two little dogs at the moment and one of them sleeps on our bed down by our feet. Her name is Tash and she thinks she runs the house. If I move my feet into her space, she growls. But life could be worse. I am a happy man.

I saw a video clip the other day with all sorts of dogs in it doing funny things. It was worth posting - so click here to watch and have a good laugh (or download the file here). It's called 'Psycho Dogs'!

Dogs - a man's best friend?

This weekend (August 15-16th) we are privileged to have Erwin McManus speaking at our church. Erwin is the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles and God is using him as an influential thinker, speaker, author, and leader in our generation.

Erwin will share some thoughts from his new book, Wide Awake. If you live in or near Melbourne, you're more than welcome to be our guest at any of our weekend meetings on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Check out our church web site for times and locations.

A recent study conducted by Oxford University revealed that Australian men are the least desirable husbands when it comes to housework and helping with the children. With Aussie men, it seems that their passion for beer and sport takes precedence over doing the washing up. Aussie men are still perceived as being Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee types for whom a kitchen is largely unexplored and dangerous terrain. For single women, this only reinforces the old joke - ‘You start off sinking into his arms, then you end up with your arms in his sink.’

My fellow Aussie mates, we have work to do! This is an appalling result. We can do much better than this.

The report reveals that Swedish men make ideal husbands – not because of their Viking good looks, but because they are most likely to help with the housework.

The study, led by economist Dr Almudena Sevilla Sanz, set out to find the countries with the highest proportion of egalitarian men – those who have no problem strapping on an apron and doing their fair share of the housework.

Click here to read an article about this in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Okay, confession time ... I have had a few clangers - or bloopers, as most people call them - in my life as a public speaker. These are embarrassing moments when you get your words mixed up or say something that has a different meaning than you intended.

Here are my Top 3 Bloopers - for your enjoyment:

1. "The church is a living orgasm ..." [instead of "... a living organism ..."]
2. "There were lots of people following Jebus, I mean Jesus ..." [no comment necessary]
3. "A man came and did some staff training for us a few years back. He had three balls. He took them out and started juggling them ..." [no additional comment necessary]

Yes, these were very embarrassing moments!

Here are a few other bloopers that I have heard, made by other people (whose name I will protect):

1. "... the diery farts of the wicked one ..." [instead of "... the fiery darts of the wicked one ..."]
2. "... I was so tired and puffed out that I was grasping for breasts ..." [instead of ... "gasping for breath"]
3. "... Lot was pinching his tits ..." [Instead of "... pitching his tents." Click here to view the evidence]

How about you?

Have you heard any others?

I'd love to hear your comments ... :)

P.S. For some church bulletin bloopers, click here.

P.S.S. For some 'prophetic bloopers', click here.

Every year, Outreach Magazine publishes a list of the 100 largest churches in America along with the 100 fastest growing churches.

Missiologist Ed Stetzer makes some insightful observations about this research in his article Behind the Numbers, including what growing churches have in common and why they have grown so rapidly.

Here are a few excerpts:

1. Behind the numbers are stories of changed lives, renewed churches, and transformed communities.

2. If current trends continue, the number of medium-sized churches will continue to decrease and the bulk of churches will tend to be large or small.

3. New sites, as well as new buildings and regional population increases - even new leadership - served as growth catalysts. 

4. Many churches are exploring the virtual world by making use of online technology for things such as internet campuses.

5. Multi-site continues to be one of the best-known strategies for church growth and expansion.

6. Interest in multi-generational churches for all ages is growing. So also is a focus on the 20-somethings, many of whom embrace megahurches who are intentional about reaching them.

7. Other common aspects of growing churches include: an outward focus, a climate of creativity, leader teams, clear vision, and the danger of leadership burnout.

Ed concludes by saying, "Regardless of your church's size or shape, Christ calls each f us to seek out fresh ways to contextualize the Gospel for a dying world. I pray that we never lose sight of that call or the people waiting to meet their Savior in or through our churches." Amen to that!

P.S. You can view a Power Point presentation of Ed's insights here.

Ministry Today Magazine recently publishing an excellent article by Rob Rienow called

A few excerpts:

1. Evangelism and discipleship are in crisis in Western countries such as the USA - and it's a generational crisis. Although more than ever is being done to equip adults to share Christ with their friends at work and in their neighborhoods, we're losing the souls of millions of our own children. For the last 100 years, we have been losing more of our own children to the world than we have been winning adult converts to faith in Christ. Europe was the greatest Christian continent 100 years ago. Now, out of 728 million people, only 2-4% know Jesus. How could this happen? Christianity literally died off as generation after generation failed to win the souls of their children. The same is happen in the West.

2. The natural instinct is to look to the church and try to find another program to solve the problem. But first of all it is a crisis of the Christian family. Christian parents have stopped discipling their own children and adopted a model of 'delegation parenting' - hoping someone else will do it for them (possibly the Christian school, the church, or the local youth group).

3. Family discipleship is taught throughout the Bible. Parents are to take the primary responsibility for the evangelism and spiritual formation of their own children. Parents are to pass on their faith to their children through their life and their words (see Deuteronomy 6:5-6). Children are to be brought up by parents "in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)."

4. The family is the most powerful discipleship small group ever devised, where spiritual growth happens in th context of relationships, where people 'do life together,' and where true authenticity can potentially be found every minute of the day.

6. Churches need to inspire and equip these family disciplehip centres to fulfill their mission. God's promises are for us and ur children (Acts 2:28-29).

Thought-provoking stuff ...

How can the church do a better job of equipping parents in their important ministry to their own children?

Recently Leadership Network conducted an extensive survey seeking to gain insights into the ministry roles of Senior Pastors of larger churches and of Executive Ministers.

Click here to read the Senior Pastor report and here for the Executive Minister report.

Any questions, feel free to post them in the Comments section.

One of my favorite quotes from the Bible is Paul’s statement in Romans 8:28 where he says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

A few observations:

• It doesn’t say “God causes all things.” He doesn’t. We make choices, as do other people, and those choices have consequences.
• It doesn’t say, “All things are good.” They aren’t. War, rape, sickness and accidents aren’t good.
• It doesn’t say, “All things work out the way we want them to” or “All things have a happy ending.” They don’t. Not every person is healed, not every student gets an ‘A’, not every married couple lives ‘happily ever-after’, and not every business person makes a million dollars. That’s the reality of life.
• What is does say, is that “God causes all things” – the good, the bad, and the ugly – to work together for our ultimate good, because we love him and are called according to his purpose.

God is the master planner and the grand designer of everything – even using our pain, our mistakes and our failures to contribute to his ultimate purpose. As Joseph said when he was re-united with his brothers who betrayed him – “You meant it for evil (it was wrong and it hurt!) BUT God used it for good (I believe in providence!).” And this is something we know – we can be assured of if – not something we merely hope for.

This means that nothing is wasted with God – absolutely nothing. Take a moment to think back through your life – even at things that were painful and annoying at the time- and try to see God’s hand in redeeming those things for his purpose. Even the small things matter to God.

For instance, I remember taking an accounting course as part of a Diploma in Business Management that I completed many years ago. At the time, the pages and pages of detailed, lengthy hand-written double-entry accounting work I had to do was annoying and tedious (any accountant will understand). But now, because of that experience ... I am able to understand a financial statement at a ministry board meeting and I can take good care in managing our personal finances because I know what happens when I hit ‘enter’ on a transaction in my Quicken personal finance software program. Believe me ... nothing is wasted in God. Even the seemingly trivial.

Take a moment to appreciate the providence of God in your life ... and as you do, place your trust afresh in him ... whatever you may be going through.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6. NLT

Steve Addison is a lifelong student of movements that renew and expand the Christian faith. Thankfully, he has now published his many years of reflection and research into an inspiring new book, Movements that Change the World.  It should help to fuel church planting movements everywhere.

Steve notes that movements that change the world are characterised by five things:

1. White-hot faith. Missionary movements begin with men and women who encounter the living God and surrender in loving obedience to His call.

2. Commitment to a cause. Nothing is more important that their faith in Christ and his cause.

3. Contagious relationships. When movements spread rapidly, they do so through pre-existing networks of relationships.

4. Rapid mobilisation. New converts are won and fresh workers are recruited so that there is a constant supply of workers for the mission.

5. Adaptive methods. Ministry methods of movements are supremely adaptable, flexible, and transferable in contrast to the static, rigid, and anchored nature of the institutional form of church. The heart of the Gospel remains the same but the forms are changed to fit the context and to serve the needs of an expanding movement.

For further information, you can also visit Steve's blog and web site or click here. To whet your appetite, click here for a free PDF of the Introduction from Steve's book.

This book is important reading for church leaders and disciples everywhere. After all, Jesus didn't found a religion. He started a people movement! As Steve states, "movements change people and changed people change the world."

P.S. Interestingly, Ben Wong, Director of the Cell Church Mission Network based in Hong Kong, notes these five dynamics of all rapidly reproducing church movements:

1. They have 'fire' - passion, zeal, and international motivation.

2. They write their own songs that carry the movement 'ethos.'

3. They train their own leaders.

4. They publish their own material (books and other media) to pass on the truth and movement story to the next generation.

5. They are relevant - they reach out and meet the needs of the society they are within.

Insightful observations ...

42. There is more bacteria in your mouth than the human population of the United States and Canada combined.

43. Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.

44. A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months

45. You sit on the biggest muscle in your body, the gluteus maximus a.k.a. the butt. Each of the two cheeky muscles tips the scales at about two pounds (not including the overlying fat layer).

46. The tiniest muscle, the stapedius of the middle ear, is just one-fifth of an inch long.

47. The average human head weighs about 10 pounds.

48. The average human brain weighs three pounds.

49. The DNA helix measures 80 billionths of an inch wide.

50. Your eyeballs are three and a half percent salt.

51. Head lice actually prefer to live on clean heads, not on dirty ones.

52. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck.

53. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

54. An average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime.

55. Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.

56. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

57. It only takes 7 lbs of pressure to rip your ear off.

58. When you sneeze, all your bodily functions stop - even your heart.

59. Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks.

60. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching T.V.

61. Our eyes never grow, and our nose and ears never stop growing.

62. The thumbnail grows the slowest; the middle nail grows the fastest.

63. Children grow faster in the Spring time.

64. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

65. You can only smell 1/20th as well as a dog.

66. People are the only creatures in the world who cry tears.

67. Every month you grow a brand new outer layer of skin ... "a new you!"

68. In your very own lifetime, you'll produce enough spit to fill two swimming pools.

69. You breathe in about 7 quarts of air every minute.

70. Your dad sweats enough each day to fill up a 6 pack of soda cans ... and then some.

71. Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

72. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

73. If you toot consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

74. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps blood, that it could squirt blood 30 feet.

75. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

76. On average people fear spiders more than they do death.

77. Americans on the average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.

78. Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?

79. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.

80. If you blink one eye you move over 200 muscles.

82. In 24 hours, the blood in the body travels a total of 12,000 miles - that's four times the width of North America. 

A few closing thoughts from David in Psalm 139 ...

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." [Psalm 139:17-18, 23-24. NLT]

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." [Psalms 139:13-16. NLT]

A friend of mine sent me these interesting facts about the human body ...

1. The average red blood cell lives for 120 days.

2. There are 2.5 trillion (give or take) of red blood cells in your body at any moment. To maintain this number, about two and a half million new ones need to be produced every second by your bone marrow. That's like a new population of the city of Toronto every second.

3. Considering all the tissues and cells in your body, 25 million new cells are being produced each second. That's a little more than the population of Australia - every second !

4. A red blood cell can circumnavigate your body in under 20 seconds.

5. Nerve Impulses travel at over 400 km/hr (25 miles/hr).

6. A sneeze generates a wind of 166 km/hr (100 miles/hr), and a cough moves out at 100 km/hr (60 miles/hr).

7. Our heart beats around 100,00 times every day.

8. Our blood is on a 60,000-mile journey.

9. Our eyes can distinguish up to one million colour surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.

10. Our lungs inhale over two million litres of air every day, without even thinking.

11. We give birth to 100 billion red cells every day.

12. When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 124 mph.

13. We exercise at least 30 muscles when we smile.

14. We are about 70 percent water.

15. We make one litre of saliva a day.

16. Our nose is our personal air-conditioning system: it warms cold air, cools hot air and filters impurities.

17. In one square inch of our hand we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors and 75 pressure sensors.

18. We have copper, zinc, cobalt, calcium, manganese, phosphates, nickel and silicon in our bodies.

19. It is believed that the main purpose of eyebrows is to keep sweat out of the eyes.

20. A person can expect to breathe in about 40 pounds of dust over his/her lifetime.

21. There are more living organisms on the skin of a single human being than there are human beings on the surface of the earth.

22. From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size.

23. Your body contains enough iron to make a spike strong enough to hold your weight.

24. The surface area of a human lung is equal to that of a tennis court.

25. Most people have lost fifty per cent of their taste buds by the time they reach the age of sixty.

26. The amount of carbon in the human body is enough to fill about 9,000 'lead' pencils.

27. One square inch of human skin contains 625 sweat glands.

28. When you blush, your stomach lining also reddens.

29. The human body has less muscles in it than a caterpillar.

30. If you could save all the times your eyes blink in one life time and use them all at once you would see blackness for 1.2 years!

31. The life span of a taste bud is ten days.

32. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

33. Give a tennis ball a good, hard squeeze. You're using about the same amount of force your heart uses to pump blood out to the body.

34. The aorta, the largest artery in the body, is almost the diameter of a garden hose.

35. Capillaries, on the other hand, are so small that it takes ten of them to equal the thickness of a human hair.

36. Your body has about 5.6 liters (6 quarts) of blood. This 5.6 liters of blood circulates through the body three times every minute.

37. The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime - that's enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.

38. Babies start dreaming even before they're born.

39. The human body can function without a brain.

40. Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands.

41. 10% of human dry weight comes from bacteria.

More tomorrow ...

Our church community has recently launched a new initiative called Everyday Justice, Everyday Choices.It's purpose is to encourage people to participate in social action through everyday living. By providing information and resources to the CityLife congregation about ethical and fair trade practices, people will be empowered to make informed and ethical decisions; thus advocating for justice through their everyday choices.

For further details, including a brief video profile, click here.

An information evening will be held on Tuesday, July 21st at 7.30 pm at CityLife Church - Knox in the Visitor's Lounge. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP to EverydayJustice@CityLifeChurch.com to ensure we have enough space and fair trade coffee for all.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. [Proverbs 31:8-9. NLT]-