Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May this season be one of great blessing for you and your family as you reflect on the birth of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: 'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, Unto you is born this day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.' Luke 2:11

I'll be taking a break from blogging until early in the New Year so drop by again in January and I'll have some more interesting articles and blogs to share with you!

Blessings,


Joel

Weekly Wrap (16/12)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Where's The Harm in Teaching Our Kids About Christmas? - Dale Stephenson, Pastor of Crossway provides a fantastic article on sharing the reason for the season with our children.

The Invincible, Irrefutable Joy - A wonderful piece on the joy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Should Churches Discourage Belief in Santa? - An interesting article on the jolly fat man and the church.

The God Who Cries When Children Die - Kurt Willems reflects on the recent school shooting tragedy in the USA.

Three Ways Christians Should Respond to the Horror of a Broken World - Ed Stetzer writes a timely piece on what a Christian response should be to tragedy.
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Thought for the day...

"Most people want a genie, not a Lord; an errand boy, not a king; a God to challenge their enemies, not to challenge them."
— Rev. Kevin DeYoung

Husbands, Lead Your Wives!

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Leading our wives is not something that necessarily always comes naturally to us as men. I mean, sure we can enjoy times with our wives, take them out to dinner, buy them nice presents, but lead them? Spiritually? What on earth am I meant to do there!?!

Well fear not men, it is not all that bad - there are simply, practical things that we can do to spiritually lead our wives well. This is a topic that I have been researching lately myself, and I thought that I would share some good websites that I have come across on my personal quest (they are not listed in any particular order).

I hope they are as helpful for you as they were for me!

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Covenant Keepers - How does a husband lead his wife and family?

One Flesh Marriage - Men's Guide to Spiritually Lead Your Wife & Family

Love Your Wife - Husbands, Love Your Wife, Just as Christ Loved the Church

Family Life - Walking With God in Your Marriage

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What about you? Have you got any advice in providing spiritual leadership for your wife and/or family?

Weekly Wrap (09/12)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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The Top Five Reasons Leaders Lose Their Nerve When Leading Change - Carey Nieuwhof provides some food for thought on this issue.

What To Do When Christianity Is Denigrated - David Roach asks: How should followers of Jesus react when our faith is denigrated?

Going to Hell With Ted Haggard - A great piece by Michael Cheshire which provides a fresh and much needed perspective on the saga.

What is Influence? - Charles Specht provides a comprehensive list of characteristics that a person of influence should display.

"This is Egypt": Christians and Muslims Side By Side - Kaley Payne from the Bible Society writes an interesting piece on Christians and Muslims uniting together to ensure freedom for all Egyptians.
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Thought for the day...

“Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”

— Guillaume Apollinaire

Weekly Wrap (02/12)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Let's Get Better at Good News - Eternity Newspaper's John Sandeman interviews Dale Stephenson, pastor of Australia's biggest Baptist Church, Crossway.

Atheism, Evidence, and Pre-Commitments - Bill Muehlenberg provides a fantastic book review of the prominent atheist, Thomas Nagel's new book - Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is  Almost Certainly False.

Replacing Worry with the Right Focus - John MacArthur reminders us that God's Word is clear - we are not to be given over to anxiety.

On Christian Marriage, Submission and Abuse - Amelia Schwarze provides an interesting opinion piece on domestic violence and abuse within Christian marriage.

Chief of Sinners - A poem from John Piper reflecting on 1 Timothy 1:16 and Galatians 1:15.
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Thought for the day...

“Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.”

— Leo Tolstoy

No Time to Pray

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Here is a great poem by Grace L. Naessens that I have been greatly challenged by since the first time I came across it a few years ago. It is a fantastic reminder of what the Bible teaches us about getting our priorities right and in particular, where our seeking or focus should begin (see Matthew 6:33).

Enjoy!

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The Difference (No Time to Pray)

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me and I grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn't God help me, I wondered; He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me - He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

- Grace L. Naessens