Weekly Wrap (02/06)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Rob Bell, Rob Bell... the slippery slope continues... check out this video of Rob Bell and Andrew Wilson discussing the issue of Homosexuality and the Bible. We need to be praying for this man and all the people who follow him... he has made it clear where he stands on his view of scripture.

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Why Every Pastor Should Read About Melissa's Suicide - "Many of us in vocational ministry want to try to fool our churches and the world. We want to act like our home has no problems. We never fight with our spouses. Our children are the embodiment of angelic beings. We are never tempted. We have no sin issues in our lives. And we certainly don’t have family members who are depressed, and perhaps, suicidal." A fantastic article by Thom Rainer - a must read!

Should I Start a Grassroots Movement to Change My Church? - Kevin DeYoung provides 7 keys to consider when you don't agree with where your church is headed.

Legalism or Love? Religious or Radical? - "If you’re struggling with legalism, don’t fight it by quitting your quiet times. That’s the good advice I remember once hearing from a pastor. In other words, there’s a temptation to presumably fight legalism by running away from good things, whether Bible reading or acts of love, because we mistake them to be part of the problem." Another great article from Desiring God.

Quit Calling Your Wife Hot - I completely agree with this article from Barnabas Piper (just not the plate throwing bit!)

We Get The Help, He Gets The Glory - "One of the unique things about God is that he displays his glory by helping rather than demanding help... This changes the way we pray. When we ask him for help, we know that he will give it for his name’s sake, not because we deserve it. His helping us highlights his riches." Yet another fantastic article from John Piper.
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Thought for the day...

"All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His Son among all the peoples of the earth."
— John Piper

Weekly Wrap (24/03)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Tim Keller talks in this video about how Christians should treat Homosexual people. This has caused a bit of controversy so have a look and see what you think! (Apologies for the poor quality of the video.)

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Why Serving The Common Good Isn't Good Enough - "Serving the common good isn't enough by itself. But when Christians illumine the motivations for neighbor love with the gospel story, actions become rich symbols of the reign of God in the world." Jeff Haanen writes a thoughtful piece for the Gospel Coalition on why serving alone just is not good enough.

Islam & Christianity: Major Differences - "Those who argue that Islam and Christianity are quite similar really know very little about either religion... To believe in one means you cannot believe in the other. Each one rules out the other." Bill Muehlenberg writes a fantastic article outlining the major differences between Islam and Christianity which is well worth a read.

The Reason Darwin Left The Faith - C Michael Patton from the Parchment & Pen Blog writes an interesting piece exploring Charles Darwin and his experience with suffering, pain and the Christian faith.

9 Reasons You Can Face Anything - Yet another great article from Jonathan Parnell, content strategist at Desiring God.

The Jesus Way vs. The American Way - "We can’t gather a God-fearing, God-worshipping congregation by cultivating a consumer-pleasing, commodity-oriented congregation. When we do, the wheels start falling off the wagon... We can’t suppress the Jesus way in order to sell the Jesus truth. The Jesus way and the Jesus truth must be congruent." Eugene Peterson - author of the Message translation - provides an excerpt from his new book The Jesus Way.
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Thought for the day...

"Don't be so quick to jump to the celebration of His resurrection. Take time. Pray. Reflect. Walk with Christ over the last week of his life."

— Eugene Cho