Weekly Wrap (12/08)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Thought it was about time to share a lighter-hearted video on my blog... check out this video all about Terrorist Toothpaste... yep, Terrorist Toothpaste. This is well worth a listen and will make you laugh!

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Hybels: How To Stay Replenished - "Bill Hybels shares his painfully-learned lessons about staying replenished in the midst of stormy circumstances. Ask yourself: Am I going to be able to keep this up?" A great video and a must view for anyone in any kind of leadership position anywhere - fantastic insights and self-care ideas from a much respected leader.

Church Signs of The Week - Okay, so the article is a little old but this is a great post by Ed Stetzer. I have long appreciated his classic church signs posts and this one is terrible (in a good way...) Enjoy!

Counselling Cohabiting Couples - "Cohabitation is increasing and becoming more widely accepted as an alternative to marriage, with the result that marriage is being delayed or disregarded altogether. Cohabitation is here to stay. How do we counsel those for whom cohabitation is the expected norm?" A very good question indeed - Phil Smidt provides some insightful ideas.

Parenting For Dummies - Yes, this is another post that will make you laugh. Enjoy Eugene Cho's post on how to best parent your children. This is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!

6 Ways Small Churches Can Love Their Communities - "What if you are the pastor of a small church but would like to do something to serve your community? What if you love the idea of adopting a school, but barely have enough resources to cover your nursery on Sunday? Is it possible to do acts of mercy in your local Jerusalem with a tiny band of volunteers?" Daniel Darling provides 6 key ideas to empower churches to better love their communities.
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Thought for the day...

"As long as we remember who God is, we will serve him radically and joyfully."
— Tim Keller

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 (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

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 (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