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!

-------

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.
-------

Thought for the day...

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

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.

-------

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.
-------

Thought for the day...

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

Weekly Wrap (31/03)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I came across this video from 2008 of Tim Keller, John Piper & DA Carson talking about what they look for in appointing someone to the position of elder or deacon in their churches. Well worth checking out!

-------

Why "Insiders Are Killing Your Church" - "Almost everybody who follows Christ, and almost every gathering of those Christ followers constituting a church, says the same thing: "We want to reach the world for Christ." Yet, most don’t." James Emery White writes a great piece on why "long-term insiders" in churches, hamper efforts to truly reach the lost.

Sex in the Sermon - "Over the past few years, my now 12-year-old daughter has been exposed to some rather uncomfortable subjects. Prostitution, homosexuality, whoring, menstrual cycles, bodily emissions, and rape have all been discussed in her presence... We take her to church." Melissa Kruger writes a fantastic article exploring the importance of addressing such issues with children in the safety of the Church environment.

The Revival of a Rebel Jew - Tim Challies invites guest blogger Rick Pearcey to share his incredibly powerful testimony of redemption and coming to faith in Christ. This is a must read.

How Christians Prepare for Suffering - Yet another great article from Jonathan Parnell - content strategist at Desiring God - discussing the issue of suffering. Well worth checking out.

Ten Ways to Know Someone is Leaving Your Church - "Does it bother you when someone leaves your church? The reality is that every church has a “back door.” The key leadership question that must be asked is not, “Are we going to lose people?” The reality is that you are." Brian Dodd - churchleaders.com - provides 10 warning signs for leaders to look out for.
-------

Thought for the day...

"Christ's resurrection is the breaking in of God's future kingdom on earth. The Risen Christ invites us to live in this coming kingdom now."

— Mike Glenn

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.)

-------

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.
-------

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