Weekly Wrap (04/08)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Would we have been friends with C.S. Lewis? John Piper and Tim Keller discuss and reflect on the life, beliefs and generosity of C.S. Lewis.

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Simon Prevette - "You aren’t incredibly gifted? Well, welcome to the club of the “average.” Most of us dwell there. As an encouragement, let me introduce you to Simon Prevette. He is a man you have never heard of, but he is a man you should know." A great article written by Jason Helopoulos, guest blogger on Kevin DeYoung's blog.

Teaching Children The Bible - "These children think they have to keep the rules or God won’t love them. They think if they mess up God will stop loving them. These children are in Sunday schools. They know all their Bible stories. And they have missed what the Bible is all about. They are children like I once was." A thought-provoking article from Sally Lloyd-Jones of the Resurgence challenging teachers to consider how they read and teach the Bible to children.

How Much Time Do Pastors Spend Preparing A Sermon? - Thom Rainer writes another great article sharing many pastor's perspectives, on the amount of time that is required to write the weekly sermon.

Ordinary Christians And A Great Commission - I love Tim Challies writing. Tim writes a great post encouraging all of us to continue faithfully as we go about the day to day, being ordinary Christians participating in a Great Commission.

The Boldness of Knowing Jesus - "The people of Jesus should know Jesus. That is the inescapable impression we get from reading the Book of Acts. We see it in the church’s boldness — that is, the church’s outspoken clarity about the identity and significance of Jesus." Jonathan Parnell provides some interesting insights into how we as Christians can lead life with boldness.
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Thought for the day...

"Don't dilute God in order to make him more marketable."
— Dan DeWitt

Weekly Wrap (09/06)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

"We live in a day where is means almost nothing to be a Christian. According to research almost 4 out of every 5 Americans identify themselves as Christians...But in this group of self proclaimed Christians, less than half of them are involved in church on a weekly basis. Less than half of them believe the Bible is true." David Platt discusses what it looks like to be a Christian today in this thought-provoking video.

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Bono On Jesus - "Bono’s career is unlike any other in rock history. As the lead singer of U2, Bono has sold 130 million albums, won fourteen Grammys, and played numerous sold-out world tours, but he has also lobbied and worked with world leaders from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to Nelson Mandela on debt relief, AIDS, and other critical global issues." Frank Viola posts an interview with Bono where he shares his Christian faith.

The Church is God's Demonstrated Community - "The church exists to share the gospel, and a large part of how we demonstrate the gospel is through local outreach. As we preach the announcement of Jesus’ finished work on the cross verbally, we have to tangibly display the love of the gospel through the work of our hands." J.D. Greear provides some good thoughts in this very short blog post.

Was Bonhoeffer Right?: Is There A Cost To Discipleship? - "In his book The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer insisted, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Was he right?" Dr Gary Thompson writes a great article here - well worth a read.

The Bible As One Story - "How does the Bible hold together into a single, cohesive story? It’s an important (and intimidating) question reserved for the discipline of biblical theology, an angle of scholarship that focuses on sections of Scripture, sometimes the whole of the Bible, to show how the texts fits together within the unfolding drama of redemption and consummation in Jesus Christ." This well written book review is for those of you who appreciate theology as much as me.

7 Sexual Lines No Pastor Should Cross - John McKeever writes an interesting article outlining 7 things that people new to ministry want to steer clear of. What do you think? Should point 1 & 2 be included or is he right in listing them?
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Thought for the day...

"Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer."
— Andrew Bonar

Weekly Wrap (28/04)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

How can the church respond to the tragic Boston Marathon bombing? Ed Stetzer and Adam Mabry provide some great ideas and shares what the local church did and are continuing to do, to support the people of Boston post the attack.

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Confessions of a Pastor Who Used to be More Reformed Than Jesus - Ed Stetzer writes an interesting article about a pastor who used to be more reformed than Jesus, called Danny Slavich.

We Should Shine Bright In The Darkness - "Churches are not peddlers of Christian goods and services; we are cells of subversion and transformation. We're not just opening our doors and hoping for a good turnout; we're opening our lives to show off the glory of our Savior by the way we live together, by the way we serve together, by the way we reach out in Jesus' name together." Another great article from Ed Stetzer.

Should We Always Expect God to Heal? - "My answer is somewhat simple, but then again, maybe not so. Here’s how I answer the question: We should expect God to do what will bring God the most glory." Aaron Armstrong writes a thoughtful take on the hot topic of God and physical healing.

Autopsy of a Deceased Church - "I worked with the church for three weeks. The problems were obvious; the solutions were difficult." Thom Rainer writes a reflective piece on his time working with a church that was slowly on the decline.

Can a Dying Church Find Life? - A follow-up blog post to Autopsy of a Deceased Church from Thom Rainer. This is well worth checking out!
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Thought for the day...

""How can we expect to live with God in heaven if we love not to live with him on earth?"

— John Mason

Weekly Wrap (10/03)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Greg Laurie - a Pastor and well-known Christian Author - talks with Colleen Swindoll-Thompson about a topic that does not get a lot of airplay in mainstream Christian circles: how to deal with grief and loss in life. This is quite a long video but is worth checking out.

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Shot of Glory: Tear-jerking Story of Honour - Okay. So when I saw this I cried like a baby. Just warning you. This is simply a beautiful video that is well worth a look. Have the tissues ready!

Are You Making This Mistake in Your Prayer Life? - "Many times we feel so overwhelmed with our life’s circumstances that we become paralyzed... At that point we become so fixated on our problem and on ourselves, that it becomes super hard to be thankful or to have a Biblical perspective on life." Check out this great article from Not Ashamed of the Gospel.

Forgiveness - "If you want to see God change your family, it has to start here: Word #1 is Forgiveness." James McDonald writes a fantastic devotional on the importance of practising the value of forgiveness.

How Will They Know Jesus? - A very challenging video excerpt from one of Steve Furtick's messages. Well worth a look.

What Kind of Leader Was Jesus? - Dan Guy provides some great insights into the type of leader that Jesus Christ was during His earthly ministry. Another fantastic article from Churchleaders.com.

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Thought for the day...

"The most loving thing we can do is tell the truth so people can be reconciled to God."

— Mark Driscoll

Weekly Wrap (17/02)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I have decided to include a video or a picture that I've come across during the week on my Weekly Wrap posts starting from today. I pray that you enjoy this video about a pastor with a hidden narcotics addiction as much as I did. It's an amazing story of God's grace, forgiveness and redemption and is well worth 15 minutes of your time!

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When My Love Grows Cold - "When it comes to Valentine’s Day there is really just one thing I want—to spend time with my wife." This is a great reflection piece on Valentine's Day from Tim Challies.

Church Leader Counters 'Pastor Tip Gate' - An article about one pastor's (Ed Stetzer) response to the recent stereotyping of Christians as being poor when it comes to leaving tips in restaurants.

Why Doesn't Your Church "Get With The Program?" - Trevin Wax writes a great article reminding people that we as the Church already have a program; the Great Commission.

Faithmapping: An Interview With Mike Cosper - Ed Stetzer interviews Mike Cosper about his new book Faithmapping.

What Would Jesus Do With Christmas Island? - Part 2 of Robert Martin's piece from the Bible Society of Australia, that attempts to tackle this emotive and political issue from a biblical perspective.
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Thought for the day...

"The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying."
— John Flavel

Weekly Wrap (10/02)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Bringing Jesus to the Superbowl - This column from the USA Today website by Ed Stetzer is a fantastic insight into what is deemed to be offensive or off limits, when it comes to media advertising. To quote Ed: "A scantily clad Kardashian or Danica tottering around in stilettos? No problem. Taking Jesus' name not in vain, however, was going too far."

The Value of a Tired Soul - Dave Dunham writes for the Gospel Coalition about the value of sorrow and weariness for people in Ministry.

The Danger of Being a Woman - Eugene Cho reflects on the poor treatment of women in society today, focussing particularly on the role that the media has in shaping identity and value for women in society. A fantastic article that I wrote some reflections on earlier this week myself.

Atheist 'Churchgoers' - An interesting article from the Guardian Newspaper about an atheist 'church' in London.

What Would Jesus Do With Christmas Island? - Robert Martin from the Bible Society of Australia attempts to tackle this emotive and political issue from a biblical perspective.
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Thought for the day...

"If Jesus were to come today people would not crucify him. They would ask him to dinner, hear what he had to say and make fun of it."
— T Carlyle

Weekly Wrap (06/01)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Santa Claus is Coming to Town... But Can Your Kids Find Jesus? - Yes, it's a little late since it is no longer Christmas time, but this article is a good, thought provoking read courtesy of the Bible Society that is worth checking out.

Jesus or Prosperity? - Bill Muehlenberg writes a fantastic article on the contrast between what some sections of the church preach and what Jesus affirmed, particularly in relation to hardship, deprivation and suffering.

Every Moment in 2013 God Will Be Doing 10,000 Things in Your Life - An encouraging article from John Piper to consider as we begin the new year.

The Top 15 Most-Read CT Articles in 2012 - Pretty self-explanatory and well worth a read.

A New Year's Plea: Plan! - A great article written by John Piper back in 1984 exhorting us to plan, plan, plan towards what we want to achieve in the new year.
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Thought for the day...

"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."
— John Powell

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 (18/11)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

One of my aims on Alive in Christ is to promote thought and discussion about relevant Christian theology, political issues and events that are currently occurring in society or in the broader church. One of the ways that I intend to do this is to provide a weekly link to interesting articles that I have come across from elsewhere in the blogosphere - after all, there is a plethora of good, thought provoking content out there that is well worth reading that I do not necessarily have time to write a response to on this blog. Note that not all the articles that I include in my Weekly Wraps necessarily reflect my personal opinions and beliefs - the articles offered here are intended to challenge and encourage you as you engage on a deeper level with the Christian faith.

I hope that you enjoy the first - of hopefully many - Alive in Christ Weekly Wraps. Enjoy!

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A Possible Compromise on the Gay Marriage Controversy - This older article by Tony Campolo is an interesting take on the whole Gay Marriage issue and is well worth a read.

What makes Jesus Angry? - Yes, Jesus did get angry on a number of occasions. Yet He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This article by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola unpacks the surprising things that made Jesus tick.

Loving the Loners - One Apartment at a Time - In order to love one's neighbours one must first know who they are. This is a great article highlighting the great opportunity we have to develop real and influential relationships with our neighbours.

Smilingly Leading You to Hell - Tim Challies takes a very frank look at the niceness of Joel Osteen. Seriously.

Monergism Free eBooks - Looking for some classic Christian literature? Best of all, the books are free...
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Thought for the day...

“God wants us to make Jesus Christ the central figure in our church - not just say that we do, but actually do it.”
—  A.W. Tozer