Assembly Week

This week I'm trying to juggle being in bed with the FLU and going to the Annual State Assembly for the Presbyterian Church of Queensland. Needless to say, it has not been my best week. However it is great to catch up with mates from Bible College. It has also been great to be able to stay at my parents place in Toowoomba in between meetings etc. There's nothing better than a warm fire on a freezing cold night to make you feel better.

The Birds and the Bees

Driving in the car the other day we were talking about how my sister who lives in the US is having another baby. The discussion was going fine until our 2 year old boy Archie blurted out, "Mum, where I come from?" To which our eldest Will who is 7 immediately interjected, "Nevermind Archie, you won't understand."
Nerida and I immediately stared at each other and after a couple of seconds, I plucked up the courage and asked, "So Will, what do you know about where you come from?"
Will rolled his eyes and replied, "Dad it's too hard for Archie."
I was starting to get a little frightened now, and I blurted out, "Seriously Will what do you know about where you come from?"
"Oh Dad," Will moaned, "Why do I have to go over it? Archie comes from Australia, Fergus comes from Australia, I come from Australia, we all come from Australia."
Nerida and I looked at each other as I continued driving and just cracked up... Pheew, that was a close one!! I reckon I can put the 'birds and the bees' talk off for a little while yet.

Sunday 22 June - Announcement

Today was a difficult day.
On Wednesday past I started coming down with the flu and when the alarm rang at 6.13 this morning I felt like death warmed up.
Today I announced that I will be stepping out as the Pastor of Newlife on Sunday the 13th of July to undertake a 12 month internship at Mountain Lake Church.
It was hard. We love the people that make up this church. But Nerida and I believe God has laid a burden for a reason, this coupled with the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced church planters around has made us step out trusting Jesus to lead us forward as a family.

Breaking the Dicipleship Code

One of the books that I've really really appreciated in the last while has been David Putmans book "Breaking the Missional Code." David and Ed Stetzer have clearly communicated the reason and need for Jesus' Church to return to His mission.
Here's a couple of clips where David shares the Big Idea behind his new book, "Breaking the Discipleship Code."

Newlife Easter 2008

Title : “Easter Outreach Touches 1,500!”

“There’s more to Easter than chocolate eggs.” That was the message Newlife Presbyterian Church shared with their community at Springfield Lakes this last Easter Saturday. With around twenty Newlife volunteers serving and well over 1,500 adults and children filling the park for the annual outreach event, Newlife has been overwhelmed with the impact that sharing the gospel combined with genuine service can have on people who are far from God.

Though the aim was simply to serve the community with God’s love and raise awareness that the church does care for the people in it’s community, Newlife has been blessed with visitors since and two new unchurched families have since started calling Newlife “home.” Melanie, a member of one of these new families said, “I haven’t been in a church for over eight years, but when I saw the people of this church sincerely love and serve their community, we said to ourselves, ‘That’s a church we could go to, THEY SEEM SO NORMAL.’”

The morning began with a delicious free pancake breakfast. After the crowd’s hunger was satisfied the families gathered around in the grassed amphitheater beside the lake to listen to a short evangelistic talk on the real reason for Easter by Rev Will Henderson. Following the talk the children were invited to join in an exciting Easter Egg Hunt.

“It’s humbling to see the sort of influence that a small, but Jesus centered church like Newlife can have on it’s community,” Rev. Henderson said. “This is the third year we’ve gifted our community with this free outreach event, and it’s now at the stage where the community feels it owns this gospel event as theirs. The local council wants us to do it, Delfin advertises it as the ‘Springfield Easter Event’ and most importantly the community comes to participate and listen because they know it’s genuine. It’s fantastic to see God at work as we serve and share about Jesus. Lives are being touched and changed by Him.”

Why do Christians fail to reach out?

This is a great question to consider.
I've been thinking about it alot.
Here in this clip Tim Keller (Lead Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian) gives a really good description of why Christians can easily end up introverted and insular to the people God has placed around them.
Groups of Christians do this when they separate themselves from and actively oppress not only nonChristians but also OTHER Christians who aren't "just like us."
Step One - Superiority. "I/We have the truth and they don't."
Step Two - Separation. "I no longer spend time with them, they aren't up to the mark or even impure.
Step Three - Caricature. "Because I don't actually spend time with them to know them, I caricature them. Result, they now become one dimensional."
Step Four - Passive & Active Oppression. "Now Caricatured they become the type of people I can push away and ignore. Passively at first, then over time, actively."
Check out Keller's new book "The Reason For God" here!

Keep it Simple Stupid

Reverend Ole and Pastor Sven

Here's a great story that follows on from my last post...

Reverend Ole was the pastor of the local Norwegian Lutheran Church, and Pastor Sven was the minister of the Swedish Covenant Church across the road. I saw them yesterday standing by the road, pounding a sign into the ground, that reads:

‘Da End iss Near!
Turn Yourself Aroundt Now!
Bvefore It’s Too Late!’

As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, ‘Leave us alone, you religious nuts!’
From the curve we heard screeching tires, screams and a big splash…

Reverend Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, ‘Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say ‘Bvridge Out’?