Weekly Wrap (12/05)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Here's a contentious one... Shai Linne a Christian American Rapper slams False Teachers in his song which names many popular Christian leaders in it. What do you think?

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John Piper Praises Rapper of Controversial 'Fal$E Teacher$' Song - Here's what John Piper thinks of Shai Linne's song. An interesting read.

How Dallas Willard Changed American Christianity - "Dallas Willard’s legacy and influence will continue, despite his death. His writings will endure and the many institutions that looked to him for guidance will continue to practice the life of the kingdom in the ways he commended." Matthew Lee Anderson writes a fantastic tribute piece to the much loved and respected Dallas Willard.

Preach Better Sermons 2013 Highlights - "If you missed the free online Preach Better Sermons conference put on by the good people at the Rocket Company, don’t worry. I took a ton of notes. Here are a few of the nuggets I got from each speaker." ProPreacher does indeed share some nuggets from the many well known Christian communicators who participated in the Preach Better Sermons Conference this year.

Suffering Servants - Sarah Pulliam Bailey interviews Joni Eareckson and Ken Tada and discusses in detail their deep struggle to make their marriage work.

Not Only To Profess, But Also To Practice - Trevin Wax shares a short, yet powerful poem by Thomas Becon.
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Thought for the day...

"The first responsibility of leadership is to make time to humbly listen to God. Without that, you're on your own."

— Rick Warren

Weekly Wrap (05/05)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

John Piper and Kevin DeYoung discuss in this video, the process of working hard towards holiness and the effort that is involved in developing a life that reflects Christ.

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4 Reasons Not To Homeschool Your Kids - This is an interesting article that is sure to stir up some conversation amongst many Christians who choose to home school their children. What do you think?

Love Your Neighbour: Even the Muslim Ones - "For many Americans, their knowledge of Muslims is what they see on television news rather than what they know from experience. Yet, forming a view of any group based solely on what one sees on the news is a bad idea.
When the Boston Marathon bombing occurred, many Americans were quick to assume it was the work of Muslim extremists, even before it was confirmed... Yet, far too many take it further, leading me to ask, why do some people assume that all, most, or even many Muslims must be terrorists?" Another brilliant article from Ed Stetzer that is worth reading more than once.

Are you Telling Lies When You Preach? - This is an interesting article by Ryan Hobbs which suggests the need for preachers to check the authenticity of stories that they use as sermon illustrations week to week. An interesting read.

A Father's Love - "When I was 16, my parents kicked me out of the house. They had tried everything. Nothing worked. And it got to the point where my lifestyle had become so disruptive to the rest of the household, that they were left with no choice but to painfully say, “We love you but you can’t continue to live this way and live under our roof." Tullian Tchividjian from the Gospel Coalition shares the story of his own father's love for him in this great post.

Antidote to Poison - "I was haunted by failure to the edge of suicide—and then came life." Ravi Zacharias shares his personal testimony in this blog piece. A very powerful and challenging read!
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Thought for the day...

"The power you need is not found In faith, but in WHOM you place that faith. Tiny faith in a big God gets big results."

— Rick Warren

Weekly Wrap (14/04)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I came across this video recently where N.T Wright - renowned author and Christian speaker - speaks about his views around Atheism. It is worth listening to if you have time!

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Rick Warren, Critics, And The Hope of God's Son - I'm sure you are well aware by now of the terrible tragedy that happened just this week: the suicide of Rick Warren's son Matthew. You might also be aware of the horrible judgement and criticism that Rick Warren has received as a result, both within some areas of the church and in secular media. Mark Driscoll - Pastor of Mars Hill Church - writes a fantastic post on the three different types of Rick Warren critics. This is well worth a read.

Get A Mentor in 2013 - This is from early on this year, but it is a helpful article still nonetheless. Tyler Braun exhorts all of us as believers to take the time to meet regularly with a mentor stating: "It could change your life. I know it changed mine."

Three Surprising Reasons Churches Don't Grow - Aaron Armstrong writes a thoughtful post about why it is that some churches just don't grow. A great article that is well worth checking out!

Learning To Resist Cutting Edge & Sexy - "The longer I work with students, the more convinced I am that there is nothing sexy or cutting edge about effective youth ministry." Cameron Cole writes a great post on Churchleaders.com, exploring the need for Youth Ministries to remain grounded in what is important: "...pursuing relationships, teaching scripture, proclaiming the Gospel, worshipping and praying fervently."

Are Some People Disqualified From Ministry? - "Not everyone is qualified to serve and lead in the Lord’s church. Don’t miss that — "to serve and to lead." In the Lord’s work, serving and leading often consist of the same activities, performed by the same people. The Lord’s best servants are the congregation’s best leaders. Those who lead best are humble servants willing to stoop and wash the feet or rise and lead the charge, whatever the situation requires." Joe McKeever writes a great article on leadership qualities that churches should be looking for in appointing people to positions of leadership.
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Thought for the day...

"Jesus Christ is not a problem, He is the solution to every problem for life, for death, and for eternity."

— H.A. Ironside