Ageing....

Seing as I turned 25 on Friday I thought that this was only relevant...

Coffee Dominion

As Nathan has already posted I went to coffee school last night.. Here are some of the photos from my AWESOME camera..

I used what is called a B&W focal point. It keeps colour for a specific area and outside that is black and white. (not sure that the full affect is seen)

This one make me feel soooo WARM..

Atlantis - Has Google found it?

Google Earth has found Atlantis.

Is Extremely Glad

In our life we see God at work sometimes in small way and sometimes in big ways. 

I am really excited to see the start of the establishment of an Australian Church Plant Network. (photos)

To me this is the most exciting thing of my year so far. Seeing Aussie men stepping up and being missional in our society. 

Church - for the age group?

Was listening to the video in the previous post and realised again that Mark Driscoll talks about targeting young men in their twenties. 

Now I not that some people (Nathan and Tim) think that I have rose coloured glasses on when it comes to Mark Driscoll. So guys prepare to be surprised.

Though I really like the fact that he is reaching men and not running a chickified church. I am concerned that they are not experiencing the blessing of having older men and women within the congregation. 

The church in the Bible is described as a family old and young, male and female. I would be interested to find the demographics of Mars Hill but I wonder how they are going with reaching everyone in their community rather then just young people. Old people need Jesus too.

I suppose a good measure for a church is that the demographics of the church match the demographics of the city, town or community that they are within.

 

WARNING: Mark Dirscoll

To be honest I like the matter of factness of Mark Driscoll.

Check out this CNN post of him I really like the last question by the host.

Separate post to follow.

More Than Just a Happy Family

 

In light of Carly’s comment on my previous blog I wanted to discuss relationships in Church.

 

Carly really summed it up when she said that that if our relationship a solely nice then we are in a bit of trouble.

 

When I became a Christian I hated the word nice. Now that is not because nice is a bad or evil word but that for as long as I could remember I had been called nice. My problem with this word is because that word was an accurate reflection of me. I was good and kind; polite and respectful; obedient and chivalrous – all of these a good things but what people couldn’t see was my dishonesty and manipulation; thoughts and heart. See to me nice is an easy front to put up when want the people around us to think that we are ‘goody two-shoes’.

 

In relationships we need to connect to people as Carly said “Love runs deeper than this”. Sometimes I fear the two following things.

1. The Christian friendships are fake – this is the isn’t it a beautiful day, how are you going…

2. Our relationships with non-Christians are politically correct – there is no depth, honest or connection.

 

Not that every Christian relationship that you have should be soul crunching honesty but where are the conversations about sermons after church, the sin we are struggling with, what we read in our Bibles, problems we are having at home or work- the heart things.

 

Do we talk to non-Christians about the weather and work but not Jesus? What about their needs and struggles? What about when people turn up to Church? Do we find out where they are at? Or only ask them what they do? Do we talk about Jesus? Or only about family?

 

I think Carly’s comment was both clearer and shorter. Good work Carly.

Love - more than a word, more than fixing

I have just read the following blog, Gospel Community and the Poor, by Tim Chester from Resurgence. Much of it is a plug for his new book called Total Church, which looks great and has definitely put it on my to buy/ to read list. The first two sentences are as follows:

“I know people do a lot to help me, but I just want someone to be my friend.” So said a single mother in my congregation.

Tim goes on to talk about how sometimes we can serve people and try to meet their needs but do not actually connect relationally with them. We try to fix their problems without loving them. Maybe in our western culture we try so often to fix the ills that we see around us that we forget that the thing that others need is to be loved. It reminds me much of 1 Corinthians 13 particularly verse 3:

"If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

There is a part of me that wants to blame the English language for only having one word to describe love. The issue though is more one of the human heart.
In our culture and society we no longer really know what love is and the word ‘love’ has become in most cases sexual. Sex is an expression of love and intimacy between a husband and a wife but love is not exclusively defined by a sexual relationship. This is a misrepresentation of the word. I love my housemates, I love my soccer team mates (Go Gumbies!!), I love the youth group kids I lead, I love both my brothers and sisters in Christ, I love my family. Guys need to say to other guys that they love each other without freaking out. So what is love:

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

This is what is important more than fixing their problems. 

As I finish off here I know that the most important thing is not saying it but actually living it in our lives. I need to be more patient and kind with my housemates, I need to be less irritable when I play badly,  I need to rejoice more in the growth in my Youth Group guys, I need to not be arrogant or envious with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I need to not insist my own way with my parents.

Let’s reclaim the word love.

Resurgence is

“Resurgence is a movement that resources multiple generations to live for Jesus so that they can effectively reach their cities with the gospel by staying culturally accessible and Biblically faithful.”

THE FRAY

They are coming to Australia and I am going to go. THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!