Luke's inner workings...

Cheerio

2011-02-01T13:22:00.002+11:00

Hi all,

Just saw how long ago I last posted!

Since then, life got busy and blogging was the first thing to go.

In that time, I have finished at my old job, moved churches and am doing MTS at UNSW. Looks to be a very exciting couple of years, but it was also be busy.

This is one of the reasons why I will be stopping my blogging. I will continue to read blogs, but writing one didn't work for me. I felt too guilty when I didn't blog (i.e. all the time!) and the idea of blogging became more of a ego thing for me - seeking people to listen to me (especially when I have nothing really to say!). Therefore, I have decided that for me, blogging is not the best thing I can do with my time and so I will be closing down the blog. Thanks for reading.

Luke

New laptop

2010-06-26T13:50:00.003+10:00

It was recently my birthday and so I got a new laptop. It was a birthday/Christmas present from my parents and my wife, because they all agreed that my old laptop was nearing its use by date.

I am terrible at making decisions, so as part of my present, Gem made the decision on my behalf.

The result of this is that I am typing this blog post on my new Macbook. I think its a pretty awesome piece of kit and am so far quite impressed with it. It meets the main qualities that I was looking for - light, reasonably powerful (the operative word being reasonably - I didn't want a gaming laptop) and has a good battery life.

I had also asked people what they thought on twitter and facebook and the overwhelming majority were people suggesting macs. Whether this is because mac people are more vocal and pc people don't care, I don't know.

The other upshot of this is that I now use all apple products - an iPhone and an iPod. But don't worry, I won't become an apple fan boy (well, not yet).

On my mind

2010-06-26T13:42:00.004+10:00

So what's been on my mind? Well a couple of things.

1. I'm in the process of making the decision to do an MTS apprenticeship at UNSW, which will mean that I will be blogging more next year, and thinking through how I and Gem can serve God best with the gifts and opportunities we have been given (something incidentally that everyone should spend time doing, whether thinking about full-time paid ministry or not).

2. Where do I sit denominationally? Or more accurately, where do I sit in my thinking in regards to my understanding of the church and the bible?

3. How can I lead my youth team well and train them.

4. How can I lead my youth small group well and train them.

5. Who should I put time into and how can I reach out to non-Christians?

6. What are my gifts and how has God made me?

Just some random thoughts that are going through my head at the moment.

An explanation

2010-06-26T13:32:00.003+10:00

So I've been slack in writing up posts. I know that this is nothing to feel bad about and that I owe no-one an explanation. After all there are plenty of other good blogs to read and they all post much more regularly and much more interesting stuff than me. But I feel as though I do owe you all an explanation. So here it goes.

At the start of the year I starting in a new position at work - acting as the manager of the small team I was part of due to my manager getting a promotion, within the larger team, but still a promotion. As the months have gone on, I've been inheriting more and more responsibility, mainly because as and when things come up, I'm asked to do them. The team has also grown by two in the time that I've been managing and the amount of work that is coming in has increased. This means that, basically, things have been all over the place for me as I got used to the increased and very different nature of my work. And, with any role of responsibility, there was the additional emotional toll it took. I also had my other roles to balance as well - youth group coordinator and husband to a wife you just started working as a primary school teacher (which is a super hard job by the way - please thank your children's teachers if they are in school , they deserve it. Especially if they are in year 5 at St Caths in Waverley!) In short, I've been super busy and things have fallen by the wayside.

Having said all that, I will continue to try and blog (and will probably end up feeling a little guilty if I don't), so please be patient with me. There is plenty that is on my mind and I hope to empty some of that onto the blog in the future. Sorry if you've missed my rambling posts about nothing in general.

Humbled

2010-06-01T08:54:00.000+10:00

Ever feel that you're too cocky? Too arrogant a person? I've
discovered a way to get humbled and it costs nothing (except your
pride).

Go running around centennial park*. Being overtaken by every and
anybody does make it impossible to remain cocky. Especially when some
of those people are walkers.

*this will only work if you are not super duper ' I run marathons
before breakfast' fit.

More blogging

2010-05-30T22:24:00.001+10:00

I've set up the email function on the blog so I can post from email. Now I can blog on the go (and from my iphone).

Blogging has been slack because I got more responsibility at work so don't have time to blog in my breaks. Hopefully this will help me be more consistent and (lucky for you) brief.

Here goes nothing!!

If I was asked "Do people of other faiths have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven?" on Larry King Live...

2010-04-28T13:06:00.001+10:00

...I'd repeat word for word what Kevin DeYoung would say.

Wish I was still there

2010-04-18T15:43:00.002+10:00

Got back from holidays last week. Gem and I had a great time away on the North Coast of NSW and then in the gold coast. The drive up and back was pretty brutal - got caught in Easter weekend traffic on the way up and then all manner of road work that was being carried out on our way home, but the time in between was good.

We spent Easter weekend with Gem's Dad's family in Ballina and saw the farm where her Dad grew up. Heard a pathetic Easter message on Easter Sunday in a "church" which mentioned Jesus' resurrection not once, but not at all. The preacher had a dog collar, a cross necklace and then three-quarter length cargo shorts and no shoes. A nice warm welcome to liberal high church of northern NSW.

But it was not all frustrating. We went to the cinema a couple times. (Date night (awesome, Tina Fey + Steve Carrell = hilarity) and Kick-ass (intense, Tarintino-esque but good)). Checked out beaches in QLD and NSW, played putt-putt (Gem beat me) and watched a bunch of Friends and Fraiser.

Good times, but now its back to work and real life. I want more holidays.

Zero 7 rule

2010-03-15T16:31:00.002+11:00

I like Zero 7. Actually, thats not strong enough. I love Zero 7 and would consider their music amongst my favourite music ever*. They are an incredible band/group (not sure how to describe them). They are also English, but have an Aussie singer sometimes. So doubly good!!

If you haven't listened to them, I heartily encourage you to give them a listen! Here is an acoustic version of one of their songs - Home, sung by Tina Dico. Enjoy.

Bring on anonymous posts

2010-03-11T20:22:00.004+11:00

Dear reader,

You may notice that in the previous post I did not sign off "Luke". Feels a little redundant and as the blog has my name at the top, I suppose you know I wrote it. I just realised that it also says that "Luke posted"as well. Doubly redundant!

Sorry if you've been seeing that name at the bottom and have been annoyed by it. I've now realised and have fixed it and if it really bothered you that much, you should get over yourself.

Enjoy the new (semi, or not really at all) anonymous posts.

In honour of this, I will sign this note in the following way.

Warm regards,

Task orientated people

2010-03-11T20:11:00.002+11:00

While speaking with my manager the other day, she mentioned an idea which really made me think. Discussing something else, I mentioned how men tend to be more task orientated than women and so when they deal with people men can be short and to the point, not always caring for the other person. Basically treating others for what they can do for you, rather than another person. Quite an issue for Christians as they try to treat people as they should be treated - people made in the image of God.

Anyway, onto the interesting bit. My manager noted this and suggested that it is the work environment itself that creates (or at least encourages) this attitude. She had noticed within herself that being a woman in the workplace meant becoming more 'task focused' and less people focused.

Is that the case? Does the workplace create less caring people? Do we become more selfish because of the workplace? It certainly can be an arena that feeds off greed and results. Or is there some aspect of gender that impacts this? Thoughts?

Presenting

2010-03-10T21:40:00.000+11:00

I was away last week in Brisbane presenting for a course that my work run. It went over three days and it was my first time presenting for work (as I said here). It rained for most of the time I was there, so it was an interesting first visit to the sunshine state. Highlights from the trip include eating a massive steak and watching Shutter Island (its really good).

I gave another presentation on tuesday morning (had to be there at 7:30!) and all I could think of before was that I was giving a talk to a room of maybe 45 people and it was about something that does not matter. I daydreamed about what would have happened if I had just talked about the gospel or ran through two ways to live.

Don't get me wrong, I do like talking about the scheme that I work for and educating people about it. The part of my job that I enjoy is explaining how the scheme works and helping people to understand the intentions behind the scheme (its a technical rating system, so that understanding is the purpose of the rating system). But I couldn't help but feel like it was a wasted pulpit.

I enjoy talking (some would say too much) and am, I think, passionate about the gospel and the things of God. I had no passion for this presentation and there was a point in the talk where I would talk about the successes of the scheme - how it helps save GHG and water - and I mustered up some passion for this, but it was faked. That made me a little depressed - that there is something that is important to talk about, there is something that I feel passionate about, there are people who need to be moved by that message and instead I was there talking about something that no-one will care about in the light of eternity.

I think this may be God stirring my heart for the people who need to hear the message who do gather around currently wasted pulpits in churches all over the world - where the message is not taught, or there are no people to hear it. I pray that I will be used by God to further His good news and that more people will hear this message than all the other pointless messages we hear in our lives.

Luke

If you are reading this and don't know the good news, please read this.

Pressure to perform

2010-03-10T18:21:00.002+11:00

Just been mentioned in Nathan's blog (thanks for the mention mate!!).

While he did say that I do not blog that often (guilty as charged), he did recommend my google shared items. A glowing endorsement for you all to sign up to it!!

Luke

Google chrome

2010-02-25T18:29:00.001+11:00

I formatted my laptop recently (was tooo slow with all the accumulated rubbish on it) and decided to give Google chrome a try. I'm liking it so far, but think that the 'incognito' setting is a bit sketchy. What are other peoples thoughts?

Luke

Sidebar

2010-02-25T18:25:00.002+11:00

One thing that I have started to do is share a bunch of the stuff I read on google reader. Its in the side column of this blog and if it looks interesting to you (basically movie stuff, theology stuff and random cool stuff posted by Nathan), sign on up.

Luke

I'm lazy, please forgive me

2010-02-25T18:17:00.003+11:00

Ok, I've been crap recently with posting. I apologise for the complete lack of posts. I know that all those "how to make a good blog" guides say post regularly, but I've been busy. Work kicked up a notch (I'll fill you all in later in this post) and well, I've been lazy.

I have been thinking through a bunch of random things and I hope to bore you all with them in the coming week or so.

Work has been busy because we've been preparing training material for the round of training that is going on this year. I've also inherited some of my managers responsibilities (mainly answering calls from the public) as she got a promotion within the team. Until they find a replacement for her, I think (and hope) that I'll be getting a pay increase while I deal with that extra work. Also, it means that I will be doing some of the training and I have my first session in Brisbane next week (monday night till thursday night). This is exciting for me because:

1. I've never been to Brisbane (any tips on things to see/do?)

2. I've not presented in front of people for work before.

3. I've never been on a work trip.

I'm not too scared about talking in front of people, but am worried that I'll make a hash of the material! It should go ok, and I'll let you all know how I fared after next week.

Luke

Underbelly - give me more violence and less sex please

2010-02-09T22:12:00.003+11:00

Been bad at blogging recently - work has been busy and my laptop at home is playing up (was on permanent capslock a while ago - got to get this post in while its fixed!!).

The wife and I have started watching Underbelly season 1. Mainly because there was a lot of raving about the season last year and there is a new season coming up. The new season has some people in it that I've read about in the news, which makes it even more interesting.

The first season has so far been really good (we're half way through), great drama and we're really feeling for the characters. But, there is sooo much unnecessary nudity and sex scenes that aren't helpful at all. We've reverted to staring at one another and trying not to laugh at each other until they are over.

I guess that's what we get for renting the "uncut" version (there wasn't a cut version around - I looked!!). Seems strange that neither of us would have minded if the uncut was a bit more violent, gory or had more swearing, but we both find all the extra (and completely gratuitous) sex too much. Can't decide whether that's a good or bad thing!

Anyone seen the cut version? Or the second series?

Luke

Letters of note

2010-01-27T12:03:00.004+11:00

I like receiving letters in the post. Regardless of the cost and speed of them compared to email, there is something warm and fuzzy about getting a letter in the post that email just can’t replicate. So, I’m currently enjoying this site – Letters of Note. It has a bunch of really interesting letters that were sent with pictures of the originals. Here are a few I like:

I will not sign this letter (JFK)

You're boring (Harvey Weinstein)

Bravo on your difficult troubling work (Tarintino)And some other cool ones:

Your pal, John K

I cannot swagger out in these shirts

The birth of Roger Thornhill

Enjoy.

Luke

Back in Sydney

2010-01-25T22:13:00.004+11:00

So, I'm back. Back at home, in Sydney, in my flat, at work and at church. The few weeks that we were away feel like they were no time at all. It was a really good time. A busy time, but really good.

It was great to see family and friends. Even though I had been gone over a year since my last visit, and while there were some changes, it was reassuring to feel right at home again almost straight away. So at home that I'm pretty sure I left behind a bunch of socks in the black hole that is the laundry system in my parents house.
Seems strange to call it that, the house that I spent my teenage years, but that is what it is. I have my own home in Kenso Sydney (see how Aussie I'm becoming on the eve of Australia Day?? They gave me a day off work, so I guess I have to show some sort of appreciation) where I live with my wife. All our stuff is here, including a puppet theatre thing that Gem will potentially use at school with her class (whom she meets for the first time on Thursday!)
Anyway, I'm now back to blogging and will hopefully post some more interesting stuff soon.

But in the meantime, here is a picture of the snow in London my parents house (the first time it snowed, it got more intense the second time!)
And a pic of Gem and I in Rome (in front of the Trevi Fountain).Luke

Christmas times

2009-12-24T03:38:00.003+11:00

I'm aware I haven't blogged for a while, but things have been busy! If you are wondering what has been happening, let me enlighten you.

Gem and I are currently in London, visiting my family and will be spending Christmas over here. Outside, there is currently a layer of snow on the ground and we're hoping that it stays till Friday so we can have a white Christmas. We shall see.

The other main reason that we came back was to have another church service and reception to celebrate our marriage with all the people who couldn't make it to Sydney last year (read: everyone). The service turned into a thanksgiving service as it fell on the day before our one year anniversary, so we were able to have a sermon preached and we got up in front of people and reaffirmed our vows (because it had been soooo long since we last did them). The service was great and loads of friends and family came along, so it was wonderful to see them all. The reception in the evening was good fun too, which we had at Alexandra Palace in London (in a room with enormous paintings of semi-naked greco-romanesque men on the walls - very fancy!). We did all the cliche things - a conga line, silly dancing, first dance (to a song that neither of us knew!!). All in all a great night.

Then we went to Italy for a 'second honeymoon'. We flew into Pisa and saw the leaning tower. It really leans. How sad, to be remembered for a piece of really bad architecture! Then disaster struck. On the way to Florence (I was driving - note to those reading - NEVER drive in Italy. They are maniacs.), I started to feel ill and upon arriving in Florence, I had to pull over outside a random hotel where I passed out in the car. Not all that fun. We managed to get to our hotel and I was ill for a day and a half. So we lost a day in Florence. We did manage to get out and see most of Florence and found we had allowed too much time - we took half a day and had allowed 1 and a half days! We then trained to Rome and the day after we arrived Gem started feeling ill and spent a day in bed too - she had caught some sort of 24hr virus, so we lost another day! We managed to salvage the remaining day and a half in Rome and saw all the sights. It really is a remarkable city - so ancient and grandiose. We had one last upset on the way home - our flight got delayed for 4.5 hours! When we finally got back to the UK, we found out that it was because of intense snow storms. People have been trapped in the Eurostar for over a day, so we counted ourselves lucky. All in all a good/memorable trip.

We are now back at home, resting and recovering after a really busy couple of weeks. Looking forward to Christmas. Presents are bought (but not yert wrapped) and mince pies (not meat) are being eaten. Good times.

I'll try to post some pics of the snow and of Rome soon and if I don't post before Friday - Happy Christmas!!

Luke

Family Guy + Empire Strikes Back = Hilarity

2009-11-25T14:38:00.004+11:00

I'm looking forward to this movie - Something Something Something Darkside. I really enjoyed the 'Blue Harvest' movie, Family Guy is a favourite of mine. Hope that this movie is just as good.

From the looks of the trailer, seems as though it will be!

Luke

Awesome reason for a detention

2009-11-25T13:28:00.002+11:00

This is an awesome note. Definitely worth getting a detention over.

Luke

Blogging blackout

2009-11-19T18:42:00.002+11:00

Hello all. Sorry for the complete lack of posts. I have not fallen off the blogging wagon, but have been waiting for a new laptop power supply. The cable gave out over a week ago and I ordered a new one which (after being advertised as 'overnight' delivery) took a week to come. Apparently the payment processing took ages.

Also, I didn't really have time at work to post anything and I haven't had much to say.

Anyway, I will be bombarding with some fairly uninteresting thoughts in the next few days.

Enjoy/mark as read.

Luke

Why are people converted in their younger years?

2009-11-05T16:52:00.002+11:00

Some great reflections over here by Pastor Ying on why people get converted in their younger years. He says:

So why such an emphasis on the young? Why so much energy and resources directed to this group? One explanation is the commonly held perception that most people are converted in their teenage years. This was the message that was certainly conveyed to me at one conference I attended a few years ago and repeated again at another conference. So if this is true, it’s not surprising that we should be strategically throwing on we can to reach them. However I wonder just how true this is? In a lecture Dr Don A Carson gave at St Barnarbas Broadway in Sydney, some years ago, he was challenging this commonly held perception. His argument was that, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the high conversion amongst young people can be reasonably and easily explained as a function of the shear amount of resources we direct to reaching this group.

Such a great insight! It's a shame that there is so much attention focused on the equipping of younger people at the expense of the older generations (not that I'm against the equipping of younger people, just think it should be fair).

One problem I can see with such abundant provision of training to younger people with the exclusion of older people is that younger people will begin to think (and it's really not a big jump) that we have all the answers and will become arrogant. Older generations have some things that we (younger people) desperately need that cannot be taught at conferences or in courses - experience and Godly wisdom.

This is something I have been humbled by as I've listened to older Christians talking about their lives and struggles (for example in the 9marks and other interviews) - they have so much to teach us as the younger generation.

Tonight I am heading to a night where young men and women will be able to ask questions of older Godly men and women about full-time ministry. There has been such a positive reception for this night from the younger people that I am sure there is a hunger from younger people for the wisdom and counsel of their elders. I pray that this will build up an increasing desire for more young people looking to the wisdom of their Christian elders.

Luke

New atheists - some thoughts

2009-10-29T18:57:00.000+11:00

I previously blogged (briefly) about my interactions with some atheists on Hayley's blog after the release of the "Jesus all about life" campaign. I mentioned I would post some thoughts and here they are!

I found it quite frustrating trying to reason and provide some answers to the questions posed by these bloggers. My honest attempts to explain the Christian view on such things as the innerancy of Scripture and evidence for a creator were (in my opinion) beaten down with trite comments and reams of unrelated opinion about how Jesus isn't real and Christianity is just stolen from ancient Egyptian mythology (really??).

I've since been reflecting on the nature of the exchanges and have been listening to how better debaters and apologists than I deal with atheists and other critics of Christianity (this upcoming movie - Collision, looks interesting). I also, in God's providence, read and listened to some helpful things (a talk by Paul Grimmond and Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by Packer) which have shaped my thinking.

It seems that when it comes to debating with people who are against Christianity, there is little hope in changing their opinion. No one will be 'argued' into the Kingdom. People will only understand the gospel if they have 'ears to hear' ( Deut 29:4, Ezek 12:2, Rom 11:7-8). Thus the purpose of debating with atheists and others about the gospel is to convince those in the crowd who are unsure, those who God is at work in.

This is a hard thing to accept in our age because of the high importance we put on the reasoning of man. We are so impressed with our own understanding and intelligence that we cannot fathom how the way in which God works in peoples lives and hearts has nothing to do with our reason and argument. Sometimes, God can and does use argument and reason to bring people into the Kingdom, but we must remember that it is God who does the work, not us. A humbling mindset, but a true mindset.

In all my encounters with unbelievers where I must stand for the gospel and use my God-given intellect to answer their questions, there must be a solid dependence on God. I must be as fervent in prayer as I am in argument and must remember my frustrations in the light of the fact that I am not sovereign, God is.

Luke

Ryan Ferguson recites scripture

2009-10-28T16:38:00.006+11:00

If you've never seen these, take the time to have a listen. Ryan is incredible. Bob Kauflin provides a bit of background on him at his blog and also gives a link to a method proposed by Dr. Andy Davis on scripture memorisation. Worth a read (beware, it is quite detailed).

Ryan recites Hebrews 9 and 10:

Ryan recites Psalm 25:

Ryan recites Psalm 22:

From these I think its clear to see the importance of scripture memorisation, something I am very bad at. The bible becomes less of a text book and more of a living book - the very thing it is!

Luke

Zombie fun for Monday

2009-10-26T11:50:00.004+11:00

Sorry guys, haven't blogged for a while. It's been busy.

Some light entertainment for you all on a Monday courtesy of Nathan - zombie stuff.

I especially liked this:And this book:

Now all I have to do is convince Gem to let me buy the zombie climbing out of the ground for our first house....

Luke

Danger of the praise of man

2009-10-16T18:32:00.001+11:00

Great quote from Spurgeon:

That same spirit which makes us love the praise of men makes us dread the threats of men. You cannot be pleased with the adulation of mankind without becoming fearful of tour censure. It is a perilous thing to taste of human honor: if it makes you sick, it is the best thing it can do for you. If you despise it utterly, it is the only way of bearing it without being injured by it; for I say again, delight in the praises of others saps the foundations of a man's manhood: delight in the praise of men takes a man off from following after the glory of God, and makes him afraid of following the truth if it cost him ridicule.

Luke

Can't have two masters...

2009-10-15T10:13:00.008+11:00

This is an incredibly sobering article about Jack Whittaker, a man who won the largest single lottery win in history (US$314m). What is especially sad is that I genuinely believe that he originally had good intentions for his win.

In response I prayed that if I were to ever come into such wealth, God would give me the strength to give it all away and cling to the treasure of Christ. In fact, that is not strong enough. I pray that God would continually shape me and change me so that I might treasure Christ above all things, so that I can say that even when I lose all things in my life (money, possessions, car, home, iPhone, friends, wife, life itself), that I would consider it gain; as I would have Christ.

Over at his blog, Z reminds about what the bible says of such wealth in 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

1 Timothy 6:6-10:
6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Luke

Update: Clinging to Christ as a treasure really ties to a great video of John Piper where he talks about how to live a life that shows Christ is your treasure. He says this about money:

Money is given to you so that you might use money in a such a way that is shows that money is not your treasure; CHRIST is.

Leadership lessons

2009-10-13T14:51:00.004+11:00

Justin gives an interesting list of lessons learnt in leadership by Chuck Swindoll:

It’s lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.
It’s dangerous to succeed. I’m most concerned for those who aren’t even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually he uses leaders who have been crushed.
It’s hardest at home. No one ever told me this in Seminary.
It’s essential to be real. If there’s one realm where phoniness is common, it’s among leaders. Stay real.
It’s painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won’t be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.
Brokenness and failure are necessary.
Attitude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.
Integrity eclipses image. Today we highlight image. But it’s what you’re doing behind the scenes.
God’s way is better than my way.
Christlikeness begins and ends with humility.

Scary to see how painful and hard many of these lessons look, such as 6 and 5, especially for those (such as myself) who are thinking about leadership in the future.

Luke

Unnecessary adoption

2009-10-08T14:39:00.004+11:00

C.J. Mahaney has a great series on adoption at his blog:

Adopted! (1)
Adopted! (2): One Couple’s Story
Adopted! (3): Enchanting Legalism
Adopted! (4): The Basis of Adoption
Adopted! (5): Justified or Adopted? Which Is Greater?
Adopted! (6): Clashing Voices
Adopted! (7): Unnecessary
Adopted! (8): The Greatest Sorrow
Adopted! (9): Certainty

He talks through our adoption as sons (and daughters) of God and its implications. For example, God's grace is magnified if we see we are more than justified (we are also adopted and glorified) and it highlights the fact that we are chosen, not that we choose God.

I was particularly moved and struck afresh by God's mercy to me (a sinner) by the seventh post, where C.J. writes:

In the ancient world a father's inheritance was passed along to his son. If a father had no son, he had no heir. Necessitated by this dilemma, a son-less father would search for a suitable son to adopt. This adopted son would become the father's heir.

Now think about this: God had a Son. And not only did the Father have an heir, He had a perfect Heir, a beloved and well-pleasing Heir (see Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22, 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17).Reflect on this: God had a Son—a perfect Heir.

Which means that under the shadow of the ancient custom:
Your adoption was unnecessary.
My adoption was unnecessary.

As C.J. recommends, a truth worth meditating on.

Luke

Update: The series actually had 9 posts, not 7 - the list has been updated.

SPUR conference

2009-10-08T09:54:00.002+11:00

I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been busy.

Housesat (is that even a verb?) for the in-laws last week and then spent the weekend at SPUR conference, thinking about full-time ministry.

Was a great (although exhausting!) weekend. Got to spend time thinking through how ministry would work for us. Heard some great talks from Gree Lee (from Hunter Bible Church) and Phillip Jensen, had an interesting break out group and interview with Keith Condie and met Gordo and Izaac (and his wife).

Now back to normal life.

Luke

Interview with Voddie Baucham

2009-09-30T12:55:00.004+10:00

Some great short interviews (four segments under the heading "September 19, 2009 Broadcast: To Marry My Daughter") with Gary Chapman and Voddie Baucham on What He Must Be…if He Wants to Marry my Daughter (Voddie's book).

Really helpful and well thought-out advice and wisdom on who men are to be as fathers, fathers-in-law, husbands and potential husbands. Have a listen!

Luke

(h/t Vitamin Z)

Book stuff

2009-09-30T11:18:00.004+10:00

As those who read this blog are aware, I am part of a book club and we are reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I'm reading it mainly on my iPhone (as an experiment) and sometimes sneakily through my wife's copy.

It's a really interesting book, especially the advice that Lord Henry Wotton gives to Dorian throughout the book. He throws out short snappy observations, but they are very thought provoking and insightful. I particularly like these:

You are a wonderful creation. You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know. (Chp 2)
Punctuality is the thief of time. (Chp 4)
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. (Chp 4)

On a slightly different, but related note, I found this awesome web tool - a literature map. You plug in an author and it creates a map of other authors you might like. It also groups the names of authors that you are most likely to enjoy together. Very interesting and useful for the book club! (h/t Amy and Tim via Craig). Enjoy!

Luke

Recent movements and thoughts

2009-09-30T11:05:00.002+10:00

Haven't been doing much blogging recently ("Obviously!" I hear you all cry). Have been minding the in-law's place and helping get teenagers to school, fed and washed, etc. Lots of fun - no, that's a lie - lots of work, but I'm happy to do it. Mainly because I love my in-laws and my brothers-and-sisters-in-law and so hanging out is fun.

Got involved in the Christian/atheist (new-atheists? - they certainly were as aggressive as new atheism is - watch this space for some reflections) debate here. I tried to answer what I thought were honest questions. As it developed however, I believe that my good intentions were just fuel for an anti-religion rant. But, it was not as full on as the debate here and here (the host server crashed due to comments!), and Gordo had some interesting things to say too. Quite frustrating, because there is only so much that can be said on a blog. Also, although we 'theists' are claimed to have a 'faith' get out clause I feel that the atheists have a 'I don't actually believe in anything so what you're saying doesn't apply to me' get out clause. Grr. Anyway, I will blog more about this later once I've had a chance to do some more thinking.

Luke

Mike Baird : member of the NSW Parliament

2009-09-25T15:44:00.002+10:00

He gave this speech a couple of days ago. Would have taken a lot of guts. A call he made to the room is one that I think is really important for everyone:

A few months ago I saw my grandmother when she was in the last couple of hours
of her life. I had a strong reflection as I looked at her and thought, "When I
get to that stage I want to be in a position that I have addressed and wrestled
with the real issues of life, the issues that matter, and not have regrets".I am anything but perfect, and without Jesus my life does not make sense. In this I join with my local churches and this campaign to challenge all members of this House to take time away from electorate work, portfolio work, parliamentary work, media work and community work, and to sit and ask about the questions that matter in life.

If you haven't taken time to truly reflect on who Jesus is, please do - read a gospel, have a look at a simple explanation of what Christians believe or email me.

Luke

(h/t Justin)

Cross centred leadership

2009-09-22T12:22:00.000+10:00

I've been challenged recently about how I lead and how I do the ministries I am part of (youth leader, husband, member of a bible study, friend, etc), especially with how I view the way these 'ministries' are set up. A series of posts from the solapanel.org on what ministry is about (based on the upcoming book - 'The Trellis and the Vine") have been forcing me to think about how I view these structures.

I have discovered that I tend to look at the ministry structure and focus my energies on how to tweak them to get results. For example, planning youth group meetings to the nth degree because otherwise they will fall flat on their face (or so I think). Therefore, it was great to be reminded to think outside the structures that are set in place and to view the ministry in terms of growing people in their maturity in Christ through the prayerful reading of the Word. Remembering that it is the Cross of Christ that we preach, not some fancy and well thought out method is critical for our ministries.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we shouldn't plan and strive to have good, well thought out structures in place, but we must remember to prioritise them accordingly. I think the following quote says this better than I can (h/t Dave Miers).

Don Carson:
Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements – but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning. Again, I insist, my position is not a thinly veiled plea for obscurantism, for seat-of-the-pants ministry that plans nothing. Rather, I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.

It is so important to cherish the Cross and be Cross centred people. This won't always seem like the best way to reach people, after all the Cross is foolishness to those who don't believe, but it will be the right way to reach them.

Luke

Isn't Christianity a crutch?

2009-09-17T10:42:00.003+10:00

Great quote from Michael Kelley (emphasis mine):

No, Christianity isn’t a crutch for the weak, but it’s not for a different reason than the one stated above. It’s not a crutch because a crutch gives us far too much credit and robs the gospel of its full implications and power. Christianity isn’t a crutch for the weak; it’s a stretcher for the dead. The gospel doesn’t claim to help the weak; it claims to make the dead live again. We reject the notion of the crutch of Christianity because we don’t need something to help us walk along; we need something to make us truly alive.

Great reminder of the power of the true gospel! If you don't know the gospel, or think that it is a crutch (and so are a little perplexed with this post), please take the time to read this.

Luke

(h/t Vitamin Z)

Reading e-books

2009-09-16T09:45:00.002+10:00

As previously mentioned, my wife and I have started a book club (which so far is a major success - over 20 people and we haven't even had our first meeting!).

The first book is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, which I have read before (and recommend highly). But, this time, I am carrying out an experiment. I will read this book on my iphone as an e-book. I have never read an entire book in 'e' format (although I do read a lot of online content - blogs, news and the like) and am curious to see what it is like.

If I find it bearable (I still prefer the feel of a book in my hand), then I may consider reading other books this way. With resources like Project Gutenberg Australia and iphones (with apps like Stanza) this would be a great way for me to read more widely (less cost and I can read wherever I am as long as I have my phone).

What is your experience of reading e-books?

Luke

To twitter or not to twitter...

2009-09-16T09:24:00.001+10:00

That is currently the question I have been asking myself. I have been thinking of joining the latest fad that is twitter and have been holding off because I'm not one for bandwagons. Having said that, I do see the appeal in 'microblogging'.

What so you all think? Time sink or useful tool? If you use it, what do you use it for?

Luke

Book club

2009-09-15T15:35:00.001+10:00

After much deliberation and stalling, it is my pleasure to announce that the book club idea Gem and I had is now a reality. The club (yet to be formally named) will be reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde (mainly because there is a movie coming out soon!).

We will meet up on the 17th of October at 3pm at a yet unnamed location on the Eastern Suburbs. Watch this space (or email me if you want to be added to the facebook group) for details!

Luke

Slightly new look

2009-09-15T14:11:00.003+10:00

Those who are particularly eagle-eyed and visit this blog directly rather than reading through a reader will have noticed that I have changed some things around. I've added a search engine, a welcome note and way to subscribe to the blog via rss.

If you don't read through rss and want to, please subscribe using (surprise surprise) the subscribe button. You can then continue not reading my boring (I promise they'll get better!!) posts from the safety of a reader like this one. If you already read via rss, come on down and have a search through the random archives.

Any other suggestions for change?

Luke

Ordinary pastors

2009-09-15T10:42:00.004+10:00

Tim Challies compares movie celebrities and their influence on how we look at one another and the way extraordinarily gifted preachers influence the way we view our local pastors. An interesting topic which I've pondered before. Its worth reading the whole article (even though I quote so much of it!). He writes:

But where my wife remains content with her husband, I see so many Christians who struggle to be content with their pastors. And why is this? Because all week long, these people are drinking from another cistern, to borrow a phrase from Proverbs (5:15). They are doing the equivalent of a wife who spends her week plastering her home with posters of movie stars and staring at them greedily. How can her husband hope to compete with those ridiculously good-looking guys? And many Christians today listen to their pastor on Sunday and then listen to fourteen sermons by fourteen pastors before the next Sunday comes around. And, more often than not, their own pastors’ sermon pales in comparison...

...The fact is, God has put us in churches with less-than-perfect and often less-than-brilliant pastors. The fact that there are extraordinary preachers tells us that there must be vast numbers of perfectly ordinary pastors. This means that most of us have been blessed by God with a very ordinary kind of pastor, just as most of our wives have been blessed by very ordinary-looking husbands. These men, these ordinary pastors, are the ones to whom we owe our loyalty. They are the ones to whom Paul refers when he tells the church at Thessalonica “to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” These are the men God has given to serve you and to labor as pastors before you. It is through these men that God means to specially bless you in that unique body called the local church.

A great observation, I would however, disagree with one thing - these men are not ordinary. They have been placed in a position of authority over a particular flock by God. It is their responsibility to bring the good news, to mature and to look after their flock - how beautiful are their feet!

I know that I have been critical of those who are over me due to listening/reading other 'great' teachers. I no longer take those who are over me for granted - I have been truly blessed by God to have been put into the care of wise, faithful, passionate, inspiring and Godly men who I thank God for. Let Tim's last words be ones we take and put into practice:

...we must guard our hearts. You would not want your child to be parented by
another mother and father, paying lip service to you but giving his heart to
others. You would not want to see that look in your wife’s eye, that
disappointed, disgruntled look, after she has spent her day staring at posters
of movie stars. And you need to guard your heart that you do not inadvertently
turn it over to a pastor who is not your own, a pastor who in any measure you
care to see, is superior to your own.

Guard your hearts and thank God for those who He has placed over you!

Luke

Jesus in the news

2009-09-11T14:14:00.003+10:00

In the last few days, there has been some interesting reactions about Jesus in the media. These stories were a response to the 'Jesus is all about life' campaign. It was mentioned on the 7pm Project (view section here) and in the SMH here.

While I don't think that the advertising campaign is particularly grabbing (I think the subtlety is lost on people), it has been great to hear and see the name of Jesus on the TV without it being a swearword. What has been interesting about the campaign has been the way that people interact with Jesus I've been able to have a real insight into what people think about Jesus (granted some of it is what the media thinks).

From what I can see, there seems to be a real lack of information about who Jesus is and what Christianity is. People seem to make their opinions to this advertisement campaign from an extremely basic understanding of Christianity, general stereotypes and other popular (sometimes fictitious) sources such as the Da Vinci Code and media headlines.

Previously I hadn't thought this was the case, and assumed that there was a basic rejection of the ideas rather than the complete misunderstanding/ignorance. So, it has come as a bit of a shock to realise that people really don't get it and if we are to share the gospel with people, we must start by breaking the stereotypes and ideas that they have, before telling them about the life of Jesus.

A few things struck me about the 7pm Project segment:
1. They mentioned that a 'fear' campaign would work and that this has already been done. I would suggest that the fear needs to be directed appropriately: read this.
2. They can't see the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion = rules. Christianity = freedom from rules and a freedom to be a servant for others.
3. Shouldn't God take responsibility for the bad things too? If God was responsible for all the bad things in this world too, is that a God that any sane person would worship? Even though God is not responsible, He still comes in to fix things.
4. The last little bit irked me: "...something bigger than Jesus; the Beatles...".

Even after these thoughts, it was interesting to see these people really discussing things. I only wish that there was someone there to answer their questions properly.

I think that this letter written to the SMH highlights this lack of knowledge (h/t Gordo):

Christians have to do something to make their message known, if your article is anything to go by. It says the advertisements ''do not make explicit mention of God''. Yet the examples given are, ''Hey, thanks for the beach, Jesus'', ''Thank you, Jesus, for birds that look like they're wearing pants'' and ''Thank you, Jesus, for looking after my mum now that I can't.'' There are three explicit mentions of God right there.

Sandy McMillan, Wagga Wagga

If you want to know who this Jesus character is, please get in contact with me and also have a look here at better posters.

Luke

Post postmodernism

2009-09-08T16:03:00.004+10:00

Talking with my lovely wife about postmodernism and the added complexity on talking about God within that context (i.e. no absolute truth, etc), she raised an interesting point:

"Aren't we past postmodernism?"

Upon discussing further about how deeply the idea of postmodernism is in our culture - to the point that people all bow to the 'religion of tolerance', she added:

"But people don't actually believe that everyone has their own belief that is true for them. They listen to others beliefs, think these people are stupid for believing them and are indifferent to them."

An extremely insightful comment (I'm beaming with pride as I type) - are we actually past 'tolerance'?

(Note: Tolerance has been altered from what it is supposed to be, instead of accepting all views, people are only tolerant of the 'accepted' viewpoint). No longer do we listen to others and accept that they have their own value system (did this even ever happen?), people now listen and simply do not care about other opinions, particularly to do with faith.

While I agree that there is a need to explain the 'absoluteness' of God in this postmodern culture of subjective thoughts, there is a real truth to the fact that people just don't care about other people's opinions.

Do others agree? If not, why not?

Luke

I guess I'm an Anglican...

2009-09-08T10:10:00.004+10:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently on the different denominations present in the protestant church and their differences. I suppose I'm the type of person who likes to be sure about what they believe and not follow blindly (yes, I'm that guy!). I'm merely following advice given to me by my Nanaji (Mum's Dad). So at least he is proud of this thinking!

I ended up looking at the key aspects of Anglicans, Presbyterians and Baptists. As far as I can see, the main points (very crudely) of each are as follows:

Anglican

Follow the 39 articles and prayer book.
Have an organisation which consists of bishops and archbishops who 'look after' dioceses (areas).
In the church, there is a rector/vicar, who is the leader of the church and is supported by a parish council who mainly deal with the practical aspects of the church.
Believe in paedobaptism.
The church body (including the parish council) cannot remove the vicar/rector, but can only appeal to a bishop (who can apply pressure) or apply pressure themselves.

Presbyterian

Follow the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Have an organisation which consists of a 'session' of elders within a church (including a teaching elder), a 'presbyter' of elders who represent an area and a higher level called the general assembly.
Believe in paedobaptism.
Teaching elder is invited into the church by the congregation and confirmed by the presbytery.
Have deacons who are involved in the practical aspects of the church.

Baptist

Are fully congregationalist, so each church is autonomous, therefore chooses to follow particular confessions of faith (such as the The Baptist Faith and Message).
Have an organisation within a church where there are elders, pastors and deacons.
The pastor is an elder and has a responsibility to teach. He is called by the congregation (the elders of the church).
Believe in full immersion believers baptism - this defines whether you are a member of the church.
The members of the church are required to vote on certain aspects of the church and can remove the pastor if all agreed.

These are fairly basic overviews of the differences as I've seen so far (if I've got something wrong, please let me know). There will always be issues within each of them, for example, if the congregation in a baptist church is heretical, a faithful pastor can be kicked out and the adults who were baptised as babies, may not have a faith of their own, and so may not be saved, but this can be aid for those who receive a believers baptism too.

After having had some time to think on them all, I can happily say that I am an Anglican. (This doesn't mean that I would never attend or become a member of another denomination - the important parts are obviously that the church worshipped Jesus as Lord and followed the bible, believing it all to be true).

Although I believe in a believer's baptism (I saw fully immersed when I was an adult) and see the biblical need for elders, I also think that the teaching pastor (or rector) has a specific God given responsibility for that congregation and is therefore needed to lead the congregation (something that can be hard to do if they are able to 'fire' you). It is the flexibility in non-salvation issues in the Anglican denomination that I feel is its strength. Michael Jensen explains this most clearly in his recent post:

...Anglicanism has a great sense of what is of primary and what is of secondary importance. Other Protestant denominations have a tendency to make secondary issues – like the manner of baptism or church discipline or church government – primary. And they endlessly divide because of it. The Anglican formularies commit us to important things – and allow us freedom under Scripture on the secondaries. The great evangelical bishop JC Ryle called this a 'studied moderation about things non-essential to salvation'. What a blessing!

Agreed - what a blessing!

Luke

Humility and humour

2009-09-03T10:07:00.002+10:00

Going on from my previous posts on humility, I've also been challenged to think how humility and humour relate. I enjoy humour immensely, it's one of the reasons I married my wife - she is very funny. I also think I am a humourous man, although I am keenly aware that it doesn't come across in my blog writing (sorry). I'm sure I'll get better...

Firstly, a talk by CJ Mahaney (Don't Waste Your Humour) made me think of humour as a 'gift' and how I should be using it in my life - to build others up and keep my own feet on the ground. Those who are able to make fun of themselves and laugh at their own expense are actually proving their humility. Conversely, proud people take themselves too seriously to ever laugh at themselves.

This was backed up by a quote I read from a John Piper sermon on Humility:

Gospel humility frees you from the need to posture and pose and calculate what others think, so that you are free to laugh at what is really funny with the biggest belly laugh. Proud people don’t really let themselves go in laughter. They don’t get red in the face and fall off chairs and twist their faces into the contortions of real free laughter. Proud people need to keep their dignity. The humble are free to howl with laughter.

Interesting how two different starting points have similar conclusions concerning the other. I think my quest for humility expanded to include a quest for self-depreciating humour! Sorry world, you will all now be subject to my lame attempts at comedy.

Luke

Solitude and fellowship

2009-09-02T13:43:00.007+10:00

This was an interesting post, with a thought-provoking quote:

We need fellowship with others to be alone safely.
We need solitude to be with others meaningfully.

I believe that we all need some 'alone-time' now and again, if only to help us to appreciate the time together with people and refresh us from the emotional energy spent with spending time with others.

I tend to exercise alone (does that count?). Also, in alone time, should we sometimes be spending the time with no interactions, such as listening to music, reading, etc?

How do you spend time alone? (Excluding sleeping and bathroom!)

Luke

(h/t JT)

Tensions in church life

2009-09-01T14:13:00.003+10:00

A thoughtful list of things that we want from churches, criticisms that we throw to the church and the way in which they compromise each other.

I was particularly struck by these:

They bemoan the over-programmed church, but then think of a hundred complex, resource-hungry things the church should be doing.

They chide the church for not doing more to address social problems, but then complain when the church gets too political.

They want a church where the people really know each other and care for each
other, but then they complain the church today is an isolated country club, only
interested in catering to its own members.

There are so many tensions that exist in a church and the way it is run. One I've noticed and struggle with is (which may be more to do with individual sin):

People complain about how there is no attitude of honestly and transparency within a church, but then construct facades behind which they hide when others question them.

Are there more that you can think of?

Luke

A typical winters day...

2009-08-31T08:35:00.001+10:00

Another typical winters day in Sydney. Temp is 19°, with a max of 21° and there's not a
cloud in the sky.

To all the Londoners reading this post - hope you enjoyed your 'summer'.......haha!

Luke

Interviews

2009-08-28T11:43:00.003+10:00

I recently discovered a great resource. I'm a bit of a geek in that I'm interested in theology and biblical things and I love talking to people about it (as I like talking too!).

So it was with great joy that I discovered this audio library of interviews from 9Marks. The rest of the site is awesome as well. Mark Dever interviews many church leaders and authors about all sorts of topics. It is aimed at helping pastors, but I find them interesting (as mentioned before, I'm a bit of a geek).

There are also a great number of interview 'chats' with Phillip Jensen on his site - http://phillipjensen.com/ (there are a couple of interviews with Phillip and Mark Dever on his site and the 9Marks site).

In addition to these, C.J. Mahaney has also carried out a number of interviews with church leaders (well known and local leaders) which are available here.

Hope that you're as encouraged and intellectually stimulated as I have been by these interviews.

Luke

Having no merit

2009-08-27T12:35:00.004+10:00

Further to my post on humility, I read this piece about having no merit by John Piper (who surprisingly doesn't consider himself humble either).

Remembering that all the things in my life are through no merit of my own, but are all due to the grace God helped me to strip away my pride. I must remember to do this and so stop boasting in myself. As Pastor Piper finishes:

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God's
mighty grace.
Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Luke

Trivial focus

2009-08-22T17:29:00.001+10:00

Just read this post about how we distract ourselves from death by focusing on the trivial (like iPhones, reality TV shows, etc) while listening to my iPod. D'oh.

I found this quote interesting:

. . . The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy told the story of a peasant who worked furiously to acquire more and more land—all for good and worthy reasons—until he finally dropped dead in the process. Tolstoy called the story “How much land does a man need?” and he answered his own question at the end: “Six feet from his head to his heels.”

Sounds very familiar...

Luke

(h/t Vitamin Z)

A great conversation on adoption

2009-08-22T12:02:00.004+10:00

Russell Moore, Randy Stinson and David Prince have a discussion about adoption in this video. Russell Moore recently wrote Adopted for Life, which has been added to my ever growing book wishlist.

A couple of great points from the conversation that struck me were:

If we are to be pro life, we need to be pro adoption.
Adoption is a past tense, finished action. From the moment that a child is adopted, they are no longer 'adopted children' (adjective), they were adopted, but have the same standing as any other child in the family. The adoption does not define who they are as children.
This is exactly the same as the adoption of a Christian into God's family - we are sons, no different from any other children His family.
If an adopted child is not ever a 'real child' of the parents, then Christianity is in trouble. Jesus was adopted by Joseph and if we consider that this means that Jesus is not Joseph's child, then Jesus is not a descendant of David and so not the Messiah.
All Christians should be involved with adoption. It is not a question about whether we are involved with adoption - we are mandated to do this by scripture. It is more a question of how we are involved with adoption - either adopting or helping others to adopt.

I hope you're as challenged by this as I am.

Luke

(h/t JT)

Humility

2009-08-21T19:00:00.001+10:00

I, along with most people (if they’re honest), struggle with humility. I am so proud, so self obsessed, so impressed by my achievements. Look at how I started the post – I!!

Pride is huge issue of sin in my life in all sorts of different ways. It is a response to how I think that I am in ‘in charge’ and thus my circumstances are due to my efforts. It makes me feel self righteous when looking at others. It is a constant prayer of mine that God would remove my pride and make me humble. Even when I think I have removed a layer of pride I stop and feel, yep, you've guessed it, proud of my achievement! John Piper reflects on humility through thoughts from CS Lewis and Jonathan Edwards on self admiration and I think CS Lewis articulates it really well:

And then when you force yourself to stop it, you admire yourself for doing that. It is like fighting the hydra... There seems to be no end to it. Depth under depths of self-love and self-admiration. (quoted in The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, 133)

It is such a relentless sin in that it constantly sets upon you and I sometimes feel helpless against it. From the same article, John Piper mentions what I think is key in the fight against pride and self admiration:

Humility, it turns out isn’t the kind of thing that can be spotted in oneself and prized.
Humility senses that humility is a gift beyond our reach. If humility is the product of reaching, then we will instinctively feel proud about our successful reach. Humility is the gift that receives all things as gift. It is the fruit not of our achievement but of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is the fruit of the gospel—knowing and feeling that we are desperate sinners and that Christ is a great and undeserved Savior.

Humility is the one grace in all our graces that, if we gaze on it, becomes something else. It flourishes when the gaze is elsewhere—on the greatness of the grace of God in Christ.

Humility cannot be the object that is sought, as upon finding it, you immediately lose it. The fight against pride is therefore not to seek to be humble, but to remember exactly who I am and remove this pride. I hope that I can keep exposing this pride in my life and would not look for humility, but focus constantly on God and to this end I ask God to do whatever He has to do to remove this pride from my life. Amen!!

Luke

Self righteousness

2009-08-13T19:59:00.002+10:00

I was doing some thinking on the word "righteous" after reading some very helpful posts on understanding the word in its context in the bible. With the meaning of righteousness as being in line with a standard and ultimately this means God's standards, I starting to think about the meaning and repercussions of the term 'self righteous'.

If one is described as self righteous, the normal view is of someone who has an attitude of superiority, as described from dictionary.com:

confident of one's own righteousness, esp. when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

But it seems more than this, not only is the person confident of their righteousness, they have declared themselves righteous. They have declared themselves to be in line with a standard and the only true and absolute standard is God's standard.

When we are self righteous, not only are we obnoxious to those around us, but we have declared ourselves righteous and so defined the standards of righteousness. Genesis 3 anyone? The first and most elemental sin - putting ourselves in God's place.

This realisation shocked me and I was even more convicted of the evil that is self righteousness, which saddened me as I find myself with that attitude so often. It also made me thankful that there is one who is righteous, and through his sacrifice I am declared righteous by God.

Luke

Adoption

2009-08-10T21:57:00.001+10:00

One of the things that my wife and I have discussed ever since we were thinking about getting married is whether we will adopt. I have two cousins who were adopted and I've seen the great thing that adoption is – putting children who may have had difficult lives in loving homes with loving parents. I have therefore always been keen to adopt, even if we can have our own children.

After watching Hotel Rwanda with Gem and seeing the thousands of children who were made orphans, the adoption conversation started up again. We are both compassionate and caring people and so seeing these children abandoned and thinking on how there are millions of other children who are abandoned in this world touched our hearts. We thought through what it means for us, a Christian couple who both desire the blessing of children, to adopt other children. If we are planning to have 3 or 4 children, what does it matter if 2 of them are adopted? They will still be our children.

It got us thinking about adoption in the Christian world, how we should care for (or 'visit') orphans. While the desire to have children is a good one, is the desire to have only your ‘own’ children selfish one? This is an incredibly personal issue and I don’t assume to tell people what to do, but I still feel that the case for adoption needs to be pushed in our churches. Surely to live a Christ centred life would involve adoption for some of us as that is the logical outworking when understanding that we were adopted by God.

Gem and I both felt that we can model the love God has shown to us and provide a loving home for otherwise unwanted children by adopting children into our family. We plan to adopt children as well as have our own (if God wills for us to be able to do both) when we're ready to have children. I know that children are a blessing from God, so I pray that God would provide us with children, both adopted and biological. (But not for a few years!!)

Luke

Book marking

2009-08-05T13:16:00.003+10:00

I'm quite against marking up of books (unless they are empty notebooks). I even dislike it when people fold the page of a book. There are things called bookmarks, they don't even need to be purpose made things.

I use a trusty Batman sticker that I have had for years (I think since my 18th birthday) and bus tickets. So I have a new bookmark every week. I have so many that I'm throwing them out!! (If you need some, just ask, I'll send you some).

Having said that, it will be fairly big news that after reading this article on why this guy marks up his (Christian) books, I see some benefit of it. I may just start marking up some things in pencil, or at least make some notes and leave these on a piece of paper in the book. I also like his idea of moving quotes to excel (the excel geek in me comes out now) so that you can search for them and use them elsewhere.

What are your thoughts on marking books? Any suggestions?

Luke

Evangelism and Social Justice

2009-08-03T13:20:00.004+10:00

An interesting thought on the balance between evangelism and social justice:

Biola Magazine: “I think [a] criticism that has been raised [about the missional movement] is just this balance that missional tries to strike between social justice and “living out” the gospel on one hand and the proclaiming or preaching of the gospel on the other . . . How do we balance these things?

Ed Stetzer: I think, ultimately, if I push on two fronts — A and B — and I only get resistance on B, then I’ve got to push harder on B. Now, from my perspective I might think they are equally important, but we have to remember this: When you speak of justice, people will praise you, but when you speak of Jesus, they’ll condemn you. But we can’t speak of Jesus without speaking of justice and we can’t biblically speak of justice without understanding Jesus [emphasis mine], so ultimately we will have to overcompensate in the area of evangelism because that’s where there is resistance.

(h/t Vitamin Z)

Luke

Sparrows

2009-08-02T12:24:00.002+10:00

Gem and I both received money from the government this week as they gave us some of our tax back. I wasn't expecting all that much money, so was surprised when we both got quite a bit of money back.

While people reading this may this think that this is ordinary, getting this amount of money back was a first for me. In the past, as a student, I wouldn't get taxed all that much anyway and I was only working in the holidays so I didn't miss the money that I was owed. Now, as I'm no longer under my parents roof and am supporting both me and my wife (not that our parents won't help us if we ask), money back from the government, is a big deal.

This is made a bigger deal because Gem and I are heading to the UK in December for 5 weeks. We're having another ceremony to celebrate our wedding for all the family and friends who couldn't make it to Sydney last year. This kind of big holiday comes with a big bill as well. Gem and I were freaking out a little about where the money would come from to pay our rent, the costs of being on holidays and everything else.

The money from the government is just an incredible example of God's provision for us, which I'm still in awe of. God has been so good to us in our first year, constantly providing for us and its a real insult to Him when we constantly worry about how we will get by. I'm always reminded of Matthew 6:25-34 and our code word to remember that God will provide for us is 'Sparrow'. Thanks to God for the way that we are worth much more than sparrows and how He looks after us!

Luke

Blogger meet up

2009-07-28T15:59:00.001+10:00

I was there and I got named and shamed to prove it! It was really good fun. Looking forward to the next one!

Luke

Atheism

2009-07-28T13:30:00.002+10:00

I discovered an excellent (if a little daggy) video. It's called a 'sermon jam', where a preacher is talking with music accompanying them. It makes the short talk have a greater impact, although for what reason I couldn't say (the music makes the talk seem more dramatic, like a movie perhaps?).

This one is by Ravi Zacharias about atheism. I think its worth listening to. I especially like his reasoning:

"There is no God. That's what the word 'atheism' really means...It is affirming the non-existence of God. It affirms a negative...

How can you affirm a negative in the absolute? It would be like me saying to you, there is no such thing as a white stone with black dots anywhere
in all of the galaxies of this universe. The only way I can affirm that is if I
have unlimited knowledge of this universe.

So, to affirm an absolute negative is self defeating, because what
you are saying is 'I have infinite knowledge in order to say to you that there
is nobody with infinite knowledge'."

Quite an interesting argument.

Another great 'sermon jam' is one by John Piper about not wasting your life (based on the book 'Don't Waste Your Life'). A really encouraging and inspiring video. Go and have a watch!

Luke

Tekoa Leaders

2009-07-23T16:55:00.000+10:00

Last night we had a leaders meeting for Tekoa - the youth group that I lead in and co-ordinate (read:help organise). Its for years 9-10 and we have about 20 regulars (split down the middle into girls and boys). It was a great night where we planned the term for youth group.

The leaders came over to our place and we managed to bust out a whole term of planning, each some nachos, laugh, chat and catch up all in an hour and a half. Efficient.

I'm very grateful to have such a good group of people who are co-leading with me. Their enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, love, creativity and Godliness is awesome and inspiring (I'm a bit of a fuddy-duddy). I'm actually quite excited about the things we have planned this term and how we hope to really get involved in the lives of the youth and care for them.

It's my prayer that these leaders would be great role models for the youth they lead and that through their work, God would grow these kids in their love, understanding and obedience of Him.

Luke

Mars Hill global and other church 'plants'

2009-07-23T16:40:00.000+10:00

Church planting seems to be the hot topic of the moment - everyone is talking about them. There are some methodologies for this that seem a little suspect and leave me feeling uneasy. It got me thinking that I should probably weigh in with my 2 cents (I can say 'cents' because my visa came through!!), although admittedly its not much.

Churches like the Village church and Mars Hill seem to merge with other struggling churches - creating other congregations or as they call them, 'campuses'. Basically, in reality this means that the preaching from the 'main' church is broadcast to the campuses and a 'campus pastor' is there to talk to people and look after them pastorally. The Village has merged with two churches in and around Dallas, but Mars Hill seems more ambitious. Mars Hill in Seattle has many 'campuses', spread out all over Seattle and now one in a completely different state - in Albuquerque (which is in New Mexico, here's a map for those who don't know about these locations). I believe that the reason is to support these struggling churches and I'm sure that there are some logistical/financial/organisational reasons for these smaller churches to be engulfed by the mega churches.

The joining together of bigger churches with small ones is not a weird thing to do at all. In fact, my church was recently involved in 2 church plants. Some people from our church left to start a new congregation in partnership with a church in Clovelly and our rector became the rector for another church in Bondi, linking the three churches.

I suppose what I find strange is the method by which these church 'plants' are made. When a struggling church is turned into a campus of another church, this doesn't seem to be a sustainable or healthy way to grow that church. Sure, the financial/organisational/etc reasons are important to keep that church afloat, but is it necessary to make it an extension of the church that is supporting it, and broadcast the preacher from the main church? I know I'm not the first one to question this thinking, Nathan and Izaac have done so and Peter questioned whether virtual conferences were the way forward (note: read the comments in these posts too).
I have a few thoughts, which will echo those mentioned above, but I shall share them all the same:

How can the broadcasted pastor (or iPastor as described by Izaac) really prepare the talk for his congregation, if he doesn't know who his congregation are?
Surely the trust that the congregation put in the Pastor/Minister is based on them seeing how they live their lives, deal with their family, look after those in the church, etc. How is this done if you've never even met your iPastor (let alone never seen him in real life)?
What happens to these campuses when the main preacher retires? The reason that Mars Hill and the Village work so well is that Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler are incredibly talented men. What is the likelihood that there are clones of them sitting in the shadows ready to swoop in and take over? There isn't so the reality is that when they retire, these campus pastors will suddenly have to stand up and take charge. Because they are not Mark Driscoll or Matt Chandler, and have not been given the opportunity to learn how to look after all aspects of 'their church', they and the church will struggle.
Some say that it is better to have one good preacher broadcast over ten campuses then ten mediocre preachers. I would ask, how are these mediocre preachers expected to get any better if they are not allowed to practice and hone their preaching week in and week out?
If the campus pastor does not teach his 'flock', is he really pastoring them? Isn't this part of what it is to be a pastor?

It seems a little ridiculous looking at the bigger picture. Don't misunderstand me, I think it's great that more people are hearing good, solid bible teaching, but setting up churches where the teaching is relied on from another minister seems to be cutting the legs out from under the guy who is actually in charge of the church. Isn't the recent wave of church planting based on the fact that more men want to step up and get the gospel out there? How can they if the other churches don't step back and let them? (I refer to only leadership and teaching areas, not admin and money).

Finally, isn't it a little ironic that the man who is calling men to be men and is passionate about planting churches seems to be destroying the chances of men to step up in his local area (and beyond!) by being broadcast to their 'church plants'?

I know this seems like a harsh post. Please bear in mind that I have the highest regard for these preachers, they've both helped me in my Christian walk immeasurably. I just feel a little worried that the long term visions for these campuses is not being considered and I feel for the men who should be leading these churches (including teaching them) and are sidelined because of the nature of the 'campus' ministry.

Luke

One to One ministry

2009-07-22T13:25:00.003+10:00

We had a guest leader for bible study yesterday. My father in law came and was telling our group (which is made up of youth group leaders) about the importance of one-to-one ministry.

We looked at 1 Thessalonians 1-3 and how the Word and relationships mark the work done by Paul amongst the Thessalonians. Tony then spoke about the importance of one-to-one relationships and more personal ministry. These are relationships where there is some sort of 'Christian content' as part of the meeting (like reading the bible for a bit or praying), not just 'hanging out' and not just bible study. We discussed what this looks like - how we can't only meet with those who are 'struggling' and how we can't meet up with everybody. Then we talked through what we should look to achieve through these relationships - the growth of people's maturity in their relationship with Christ through the working of the Word and Holy Spirit in their lives. Tony also gave tips no how to do this - 'chat-bible-pray-bible', bible reading tips and sharing life tips.

I found it tremendously helpful, especially as this is something that I believe to be important and am wanting to put into practice in my own life. I was reflecting on the challenge that was set up for us in trying to meet with people one-to-one and see them grow (and believe me I caught hold of the 'vision'!) and realised that in my previous thoughts on discipleship, I had been far to narrow in my application. I had been focusing on a very 'vertical' structure for this, where I meet with someone older and someone younger. I realised after yesterday that I should be applying this to the whole range of relationships that I have in my life - the youth group boys under me, my peers (christian and non-christian), the youth leaders under me, older men, single men, younger men in my life (like my brothers-in-law), new friends...the list is never ending!!

I know that I cannot possibly hope to meet up will all these people, but have decided to expand my previous goal of meeting with just a youth group kid and older man. this doesn't mean that I won't meet one on one with other people and just hang out, but I will intentionally meet with certain people to grow them and myself in our Christian maturity.

The people I will plan to meet with (and their connection to me) are:
Alan - a good friend who encourages me
Marcelo - a friend who is also a youth coordinator

Mike - a friend who is my youth co-leader (is also slightly younger than me)

Tom - a youth group kid (someone to 'disciple')
Bill - a youth group kid (someone to 'disciple')

Please pray that God would work through our relationships and would grow us all to be Godly men who live for His glory.

Luke

Hotel Rwanda

2009-07-17T16:43:00.002+10:00

Gem and I saw this a few nights ago. Its an excellent film and if you haven’t watched it, I would highly recommend it.

After watching, we both did some research into the genocide in Rwanda. I would have been 9, and Gem was 6 so its no wonder that we don’t remember it. An interesting quote I saw in my reading was that the genocide happened 15 years ago and the release of the movie has sparked renewed interest into a country that is no longer like that.

The movie made me really sad and angry for a number of reasons:

1. The sheer savagery of people when they put their minds to getting something they want.
2. The complete lack of education amongst most involved in the genocide.
3. The pure wickedness of those who organised and orchestrated the genocide and the way that they manipulated people to do such awful things.
4. The way that the West just looked on and did nothing for so long.
5. The way that the West has used and abused Africa and left parts of the country in ruins with its people fighting amongst one another based on ridiculous distinctions that they invented.
6. The depravity of people.

The movie really moved me to realise just how wicked (and not in a good sense) this world is. While I realise that Don Cheadle’s character was as beacon of humanity’s ‘goodness’, it was the exception rather than the rule. How people can say that humanity is intrinsically good when we seem to constantly wade through so much evil is beyond me.

But, the movie is excellent. Go and watch it!

Luke

Holidays and other news

2009-07-17T15:12:00.003+10:00

Gem and I got back from a week away last weekend. We had a really relaxing time in Katoomba and enjoyed just having some time to unwind and take a breath.

We rugged up and watched movies (3 in a day at one point), read books, ate, did some sight seeing (Jenolan caves, scenic railway and some viewpoints) and slept. Good times. We were also joined by Gem's family for the last day which was great. We all enjoyed a rather loud and excitable game of pictionary with shouts of "Uptown girl!!!!" and "Funnel!".

In other news, I finally received my visa!!! I am now a holder of a temporary spouse visa, which will become a permanent visa (allowing me to travel and work in Australia permanently) in 2 years! For those who aren't in the know (and why would you want to be???), while the visa is temporary, I have all the rights of the permanent (just not permanently if that makes sense), so I can work and travel in and out of the country with no worries. This is great news, because it means that I don't have the threat of having to change job again. And it only took 5 months!

Also, I got leave approved from work for time in December. So all those reading this in the UK can expect Gemma and I in London on the of 8th of December, staying until the of 6th of January! Email me if you want to book in 'L&G time' (as it shall now be known!). Looking forward to seeing you all!

Luke

Funny or die

2009-07-17T13:30:00.003+10:00

Been meaning to post this for a while. As those who know me know, I like pretty silly humor.

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (who brought us the HILARIOUS Step Brothers and Anchorman) have a website of uploaded comedy videos called funnyordie. You can rate the movies you watch as funny or not and they are then voted 'funny' or 'die'.

There are also some with famous people in them, like the Paris Hilton election ads, Adam West having a garage sale, Will Ferrell in a bunch of sketches and more.

Here are a couple of my favourites.

The Landlord

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Dear Sister

dear sister(original) - watch more funny videos

Enjoy!

Luke

Holidays

2009-07-05T14:13:00.003+10:00

Gem and I are currently on holidays in Katoomba. We're taking a week to just relax and chill out - it's been a reasonably busy few months.

It's a bit chilly up here, but due to the extreme kindness of some friends, we're enjoying the warmth and comfort of a lovely house up here. We've got books and DVDs galore and may even make trips out to the local attractions!

Yay for holidays!

Luke

Youth discipleship

2009-07-05T14:09:00.005+10:00

A quick thanks to all who prayed - Wednesday night went really well. I met up with a guy from my small group and we hung out and ate sushi together.

As it was sushi, we finshed up pretty quickly and so the night was cut a little short. But, we agreed to meet up on a regular basis! I also suggested the same meeting up to another of the guys in my small group and he also seemed keen.

Looks like a good couple of relationships for me to develop. Hopefully we will eventually get to discussing what it is to be a Christian man. Continued prayers would be really appreciated - that God would work powerfully in our lives, and that we would bring Him glory through them.

Luke

Discipleship

2009-07-01T10:16:00.004+10:00

I can see the value of discipleship. I dislike the term 'mentoring' and feel 'buddying' is a bit of a childish name, but I do see the value of them. I especially see the importance of it in the Christian aspect of my life and want to set up a relationship like that.

When I was in the UK last year, finishing off my degree, I used to meet fortnightly with one of the ministers at my church. Will (the minister) and I would meet in the afternoon in the week and chat and pray together. We read through a book of the bible together, albeit slowly (it did took us a year to get through 1 Thessalonians!), probably due to my ability to talk and meander off topic - sorry Will!

These meetings were great. I used to really look forward to catching up with Will and talking through things. He was at the next stage of life from me (at the time) - married with no children, so could give advice and wisdom for my situation. A good gap in that he had gone through what I was going through, but wasn't too far from it to have forgotten it and wasn't the same age as my parents (which would have just made things weird!).

I've been looking to set up a similar thing since I got back to Sydney, but so far to no avail! Life's busyness has just kicked up several thousand notches (bam!) and the people around me are just as busy. Being able to talk to someone with wisdom about marriage, work, ministry and all the other things going through my head would not only give me a really good idea of what it is to be a Godly christian man, but also how to live like this. In my circles, there are not many men who I know who fit this description (they're all my parent's age) and if they are in church, it seems to be something that the younger man has to initiate (which seems a little unfair to me...). In any case, it's something I'm praying for.

But in all my whining about it, I lost sight of the fact that I should also be discipling a younger man. I lead a youth group of teenage boys and they require the discipleship as much as I do. How selfish am I! To this end, I decided that I will try to meet with a couple of the boys regularly and invest more in the relationship. I've gone to a couple of their rugby games and plan to go to more and tonight will be taking one of the boys out for a bite to eat. Please pray for us as I attempt to pass on some (limited!) advice and wisdom to them and that God would grow the relationship between us for His glory.

Luke

My brothers; a tribute to

2009-07-01T09:55:00.004+10:00

My younger brother Josh turned 22 last Friday. I wasn't sure if this was the sort of thing you blog about so I didn't on Friday. I've since changed my mind (obviously). What better place is there than the internet to public recognise one's brother?

Happy birthday Josh! Thanks for all the fun! Thanks for the movie quotes, the midday cinema trips (the best time to see a movie), the SFs, the thought provoking talks, the best man speech and everything else I've forgotten to mention.

My brother is a fairly impressive fellow - even my friends have been known to remark "He's obviously much smarter than you." Thanks guys (sarcasm). As I write this he is just about to go to Spain for a month to learn to teach English as a foreign language and then go back to Egypt (he went last year) to complete an Arabic course. A rolling stone eh?

I'd also like to congratulate him on graduating with 1st class honours and earning his place studying a masters at Oxford next year. (Way to prove all my friends right.) Well done Josh!

I must also recognise my other brother Dan in this post, or I'll get in trouble. Having just finished a round the world trip by himself (something I could never do), he is quick becoming quite the man. Shame about not being able to grow a moustache - "grow a goddamn mustache already!". Also a congratulations must be said on his acceptance to study at the illustrious UCL (or as it is better known Euston Polytechnic)! Well done Dan!

(A very proud) Luke

Prayer and the voice of God pt2

2009-06-29T21:03:00.003+10:00

Another thing that I was struck by from this helpful book on prayer, was the reason we should pray with thanksgiving. Not only are told to do so in the bible (for example by Paul in Philippians 4:6) but if we start to do this it will transform us.

Firstly, to come to God with thanksgiving helps us to remember what a great God we have. We remember and acknowledge the abundant provision that He has given to us and give Him glory for it. This stops us just bringing the God of the universe our complaints about the things that He has provided.

Secondly, so often at times when things aren't going our way, we tend to forget all the things that God has provided. By remembering these things in our prayer, we see God's grace and provision for us and this will change our outlook on the way we are praying and turn our prayer into a prayer of thanksgiving.

Things for me to think and pray on for sure. So often I come to God with my issues and problems and forget to stop and thank Him for all the amazing and wonderful things He has given me and all the ways in which He has answered my prayers. I can be so self-centred even in my prayer life. I pray that I would be praying with supplication and thanksgiving, making all my requests be known to God. Amen!

Luke

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

2009-06-26T22:47:00.002+10:00

Michael Jackson is dead. While I am not like one of the many many fans I have seen on the TV, hysterically wailing in grief, I do feel a strange loss and other mixed feelings hearing of his passing.

Many of his songs bring vivid happy memories of times in my life. For example, I can remember singing Billy Jean with friends in secondary school and sitting on a hill in Costa Rica looking over an incredible vista while listening to Rock With Me. Without a doubt he was a monumental force in pop music in the 80's and 90's and is responsible for many of the things we see today (music videos as a serious medium, dance, etc).

But at the same time, I can't help but feel sad for him. Along with the fame came the problems - the allegations (which all obituaries will dwell on), the loneliness, the obvious psychological problems. This man was a deeply damaged individual. He was lost and it became so apparent as his life progressed. I heard in an interview that he chose (or was forced?) to live his life in the 'Neverland' ranch because his fame did not allow him a normal life. In a way, the press and us, the fans made him what he became. We worshipped him and the because of our infatuation, the press hounded him. He gave us everything we wanted - the songs, the music, the drama and the scandal and in turn we destroyed him. I read some thoughts on this here.

Its times like these that I remember what a truly fallen and awful place this world can be. May God bring the new one soon.

Luke

Update: I've been doing some more thinking on his life and feel its a real cold look at sin in our world and its consequences. Michael Jackson's father was ruthlessly ambitious for his own glory and used and damaged his own son's life (selfishness), we put Michael up on a pedestal and worshipped him (idolatry), Michael liked this worship and elevated himself as well (pride). Some more reflections on his life in this context make for rather somber reading.

Stupid newsagents

2009-06-24T18:39:00.005+10:00

Just tried to buy a bus ticket from a newsagent. Unfortunately they were out of tickets. This wasn't a big drama, but it did bring to mind a pet hate of mine.

My dear reader, if I keep writing this blog for long enough and you keep reading it for long enough, you will discover that I have a few pet hates. For example I truly dislike chuggers (or 'charity muggers') and will no doubt blog about them in due course.

Anyway, back to the main story. I really hate it when I go into newsagents and try to buy bus tickets with my bank card. Time and time again, I get refused. "You can only buy tickets with cash" they mutter. Why do so many newsagents refuse to let me pay by card?? If the ticket were a fraction of a dollar, or even under $10 I might understand, but for all bus tickets?

But that's not the worst part. After refusing the card, and so often with some sort of smirk (or maybe that's what I see through my barely veiled 'disgust' goggles), they kindly point me over to the atm sitting in the corner of the store. You know the one - the one that charges you some ridiculous amount of money for the sheer honour of taking it out of that machine.So I head over to the atm, pay my extra $2 for the pleasure of taking my money from the shop's atm and then trudge back to the counter, downcast, and buy the ticket.

Now I'm not a some sort of scrooge. I honestly don't mind that I sometimes have to pay a couple of extra dollars for my bus ticket. The thing that bothers me is that I feel as I've been duped. As if I'm being filmed for some 'hilarious' hidden camera show that will point fun at my complete unflinching obedience to the whims of the shopkeeper. Is there some kind of inside joke going on here at my expense? Because it sure feels like it. Grrrr.

Luke

Update : Georgina kindly provided the reason for the 'anti-card use' rules - bus tickets have too small a margin to justify the credit card charge that goes with each card transaction (in the comments). Thanks Georgina! I guess they're not laughing at me! There's no big scheme going on here, or is there......lol!!

A chance encounter

2009-06-24T16:00:00.003+10:00

When leaving for work in the morning, I sometimes see someone I know from both the blog world and the real world walking down the street - Mr Paul Grimmond from Sola Panel fame (or should I say infamy!). As the window of time that I am on the same street as him is so short (maybe a few seconds), the chance of me 'bumping' into him is very slim.

But, I do walk out of my place every morning and I assume that he walks past most mornings, so one day, I assured myself, I will be able to have a conversation with him. And today was that day!! I bumped into him on my way to the bus stop and had a really good chat with him, punctuated with a lot of laughing on both sides (I think he was just being polite though; kind, funny man that he is). He is a great guy, with a lot of really great challenging thoughts.

If you haven't already, go and check some of them out. And if you like something you read, say so in the comments (as I will start doing). Its nice to be appreciated (hint hint).

Luke

Resources

2009-06-22T10:17:00.007+10:00

I stumbled upon some awesome resources, thought I'd share:

A huge world religion overview chart (h/t craig)
Free John Piper books (h/t dave)
Free theological lectures and resources from iTunes (h/t dave)

Enjoy!

Luke

Tips for writing a better blog

2009-06-19T10:37:00.004+10:00

Justin recently his readers for tips on blogging. You'll all be glad to know that I was over there taking notes!

I also put a couple of other links on the same subject, both from Abraham Piper. His blog twenty two words is an excellent blog where each post is 22 words long - like a micro twitter. Its an really pithy blog, and one I've decided to start following.

His tips on blogging can be found as a guest post here and on his own website here. Enjoy!

Luke

Ps. If you are thinking of starting a blog, but are unsure, here are some reasons to start (these are aimed at Pastors, but I think some of the reasons apply to all of us).

Prayer and the Voice of God

2009-06-17T14:22:00.004+10:00

I'm currently reading through a book about prayer and thought that I'd share some of the things I've been learning from it.

In the chapter entitled "The Desires of God", the book talks about how we should frame our requests to God.

It first looks at the how we should delight ourselves in God. We should delight in His plans, His promises, His commands and the prayers of Scripture. In this final section, the Lord's prayer is worked through and this is where I was most challenged and rebuked. It the prayer into the six requests and showed that they all focused on the plans and desires of God's kingdom which is coming in Christ.

Now, I could see that the "hallowed be your name", "your kingdom come" and "your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" requests were based on God's kingdom but had always looked at the other requests as personal requests. Reading how these requests are still based on God's coming kingdom caused be to see how selfishly I had been praying! I had thought that all these requests were based around me!

In requesting that we are given "our daily bread", this was not a prayer for God given provision, but a request that God would bring His kingdom where we will be supplied for in abundance. While we do get some 'bread' today, we are really asking for the bread of the coming age!

In the request for the "forgiveness for our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us", while this is a personal cry for forgiveness, it is also a cry for the forgiveness that will come in God's kingdom. A kingdom where all deeds (good and bad) will be seen and forgiven because they are atoned for by Jesus' blood.

Finally, although on the surface the request to be "delivered from temptations" seems to be a personal request for moral living, at its heart it is a request for help. We who wait for the kingdom will need God's help as things will only get harder as the kingdom approaches.

To see how the Lord's prayer was not only a prayer that was written by Jesus, but was also a prayer which focused on His kingdom made me really see how I should pray in that mindset - for God's kingdom, not my own. Challenged as I was, little did I know how rebuked I would get in the next chapter...but more on that later!

Luke

iPhone!!

2009-06-11T09:42:00.005+10:00

I have been dreaming about getting a better phone for a while now. Mainly because I can't check my email at work and youth group things would get out of control during the day and I couldn't do anything until the evening.

I had been looking at the iPhone and new 'smart phones' with a hungry eye for their mail capacity and organiser capabilities. But I just couldn't justify increasing my monthly spend on my phone for such a vanity item. After all, my phone worked fine.

Regardless of this (and potentially also to stop me talking about it) my lovely wife displayed some super sneakiness and kindness and presented me with my very own iPhone for my birthday! That's how awesome my wife is - I'm one lucky guy! (And now having seen what it does, I think she wants one too!)

So now I am the proud owner (or sheep!) of a black iPhone. I can now wear socks and sandals and still be cool!

Thanks Gemmy, I love you!!!

Luke

Lunch with bloggers

2009-06-10T22:33:00.005+10:00

I had lunch today with a few guys who also have blogs. As one of the bloggers noted, it was strangely like normal people meeting up for a coffee - not a laptop in sight (although one of the bloggers did have his iPhone out a couple of times!!).

It was great to meet some of these guys whom I've seen on the blogosphere from time to time and have a face to face chat with them. I think I'll definitely be going to the next bloggers meet up. Anyone reading this who might be interested should come along! I'll buy you a drink!

Luke

Something to be thankful for...

2009-06-10T12:40:00.002+10:00

Posts like this. Have a read of this - such a wonderful piece on unanswered prayer and why its something to be thankful for.

This hit a chord because recently, I've been talking with a dear friend about how he has been praying for God to help improve his prayer life and how God has been slowly answering that prayer. It has taken a while for him to begin to see his prayer life improve and may have at times seemed as though his prayer was unanswered. I so often get frustrated when my prayers are unanswered, but was stopped short after reading this article. To my shame, I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with her when she says;

I conveniently forget all the prayers God has answered over the years. I forget that God doesn't exist for my convenience.

Unanswered prayer can be a reminder from God to check our motives for those prayers. What an incredible thought - God uses unanswered prayer for our sanctification! Join me and the author in thanking God for the gift of unanswered prayer!

Luke

As an aside I find it remarkable how our sinful nature manages to seep its way into all areas of our lives - even our prayer lives! Oh how deceptive and generally sneaky sin is!! Join me in praying right now for God's help in fighting against this (and thank Him that He has taken care of it forever!).

June Update!

2009-06-10T10:23:00.000+10:00

Time for an update all about me and life down under!

Married life is going well. Although, its sooo busy! I don't think anyone told me that life would get much busier once we got married. My working theory is that the combination of two lives and so social live, just doubles the amount going on. We're both still having loads of fun living together and are getting into routine (she cooks, I clean up).

Gem is currently in prac - where she basically teaches in a primary school (she is assigned a class and works with the teacher). She has a class of very energetic year 3 kids in a school in North Sydney. She is enjoying herself, although the extra uni work and emotionally tiring nature of teaching knackers her out! I think she will make and excellent primary school teacher. Please pray for her as she does prac and starts to look for a job.

I'm still at DECC, getting more responsibility which is good. There will be some rounds of training soon, which will help me immeasurably as I'll have actually had some in depth training into the work I do! We're still waiting on the visa and after talking with my case officer, am looking at July time for the approval. A bit frustrating, but as our application is genuine, its just a waiting game.

For all those reading this in sunny ol' England (which is funny because I hear you're having a proper British summer at the moment - cold and wet!!), you'll be happy to hear that Gem and I are cementing our plans to come back to the UK at the end of the year. We're planning to arrive in the first week of December and then stay until after New Years, so we can attend all the parties in the crazy season! We will let you all know about details as and when they come about.

Anyways, that's enough for you all for now (there is a surprising amount of time which passes without anything interesting happening!). Hope you are all well. Drop me an email if you get the chance (and thanks to all those who already have - you know who you are!!).

Luke

Beauty

2009-06-08T17:10:00.003+10:00

A friend linked to this awesome collection of some of the best pics from the Hubble telescope. Incredible to see these pictures, the beauty of God's creation.

I was once quite into astronomy (note astronomy not astrology!!) and contemplated getting a telescope, but it wouldn't really have worked seeing as I lived in London. Australia seems to have a better view of the stars than back in the UK. These pictures have got me thinking that maybe I should be getting back into it...

Luke

Huxley was right...

2009-06-01T19:04:00.003+10:00

Found this short cartoon on "Huxley vs. Orwell" on another blog (h/t David). Its the basis for a longer discussion on 'Amusing ourselves to death'.

Quite an interesting, and I would say true, thought about how people are more likely to be brought down by their lack of attention and huge interest in the inane. Huxley was indeed right...

Luke

I used to present a radio show

2009-05-29T13:20:00.002+10:00

So I used to present a radio show. I did it while at uni and had some fun doing it. I often had co presenters on (my mates) and we would basically have a beer (from the uni bar above) and play music that we liked. At the end there, we were also getting calls in from my other friends who were at their homes.

Why do I tell all this? Well, I also used to present a small segment on another (much better) radio show on the uni station. I would basically buy a timeout magazine, select the best bits and share them with the radio audience (give people tips about what to do with their spare time). This radio show was hosted by this guy. He is now a proper radio presenter (although with a frankly awful radio time slot) on a pretty major radio station in the UK.

Wow. I kinda feel famous.

Luke

James

2009-05-28T22:19:00.003+10:00

I just finished going through James in my quiet times.

I have to say that I was really rebuked about how I think about other people. I was challenged to really, truly care for those around me. Also, I was really saddened at the way that I so often judge and think badly of those around me and how tragic this is when put into the context that some of these people are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

So all in all, lots to be repenting of and lots to be praying for change in my life.

I will have to read it again soon.

Luke

Thoughts on Matthew Johns

2009-05-17T14:03:00.003+10:00

Recently in the media over here (in Australia) there has been an enormous uproar over the conduct of some rugby players while they were on tour in New Zealand 7 years ago. There was also a program which talked about the scores of occasions other than this one where rugby players (or more specifically rugby league players) have been involved in drunken fights, sexual assaults and other unacceptable behaviour.

The man at the centre of the storm is Matthew Johns, a rugby league player who (along with other players) had sex with a 19yr old girl in NZ during their tour in 2002. At the time, the police cleared up the investigation, but it has resurfaced after the woman involved has said that the sex was forced. This fact is still to be determined - he says it was consensual, but even so, the media has pounced on him and other NRL players. His career has effectively been destroyed - he was a popular face of a TV show (the footy show) and a rugby coach, both jobs he has now stood down from.

All this has made me think, and I thought that I'd share a couple of thoughts.

The media will sacrifice people for the sake of ratings.
People want their 15 minutes of fame and will circle the carcass of the person who is being sacrificed like vultures.
Our morbid interest and fascination with 'celebrity' causes us to buy the papers and watch the TV shows (and even blog about it!!).
People live with the religion of tolerance and its subjective morals (whats right for you may not be right for me), but magically seem to agree on their morals when judging someone.
People are shocked when the people they lift up onto pedestals and worship as idols (which in Australia tends to be sports stars) show that they are imperfect sinners like the rest of us.

It all just screams that these people need the gospel. There is an objective right and wrong. This has been set up by God, and if we compare ourselves to His law we will find that we all fall short. Therefore we should not be surprised when the thing that we put in God's place (in this case sports stars) and worship, let us down by falling short of God's laws. We need to put God in His rightful place in our lives and realise that we will never meet His standards and will all therefore stand in His judgement (the only judgement that matters). How are we ever able to be 'on right terms with God' then? Have a read here.

Worth a read

2009-05-11T12:36:00.003+10:00

This article is worth a read. It begins as a thought on 'cyber bullying', and ends on how a lot of the internet is used for similar uses, for example the huge increase in gossip websites, the instant 'buzz' on the internet surrounding the mistake of a poor celebrity or the comments made to website authors by anonymous readers.

The internet is an incredible resource - all manner of information is literally at our fingertips. The increased usage of the internet has expanded its use from only a resource to a source of opinion, conversation and interaction.

While some 'online community' is good and helpful, does this increase in 'anonymous relationship' just provide an outlet for all the hurtful, cruel, nasty, thoughtless and vile attitudes present in us? Does the lack of accountability allow (and encourage?) us to be the people we really want to be, without the social constraints of polite society?

Looking at some of the comments and opinions online, I would have to say that this place, if unchecked, will foster the growth of many of these 'evil' thoughts. The complete freedom of the internet (as long as it's not terrorism or child abuse) allows people to be completely free in their sin. And people think that we are intrinsically good...

Luke

Is inefficiency better?

2009-05-08T11:33:00.011+10:00

In today's world, we all try to do as much as we possible can in as quick a time as possible. Shops are flooded with books on how to 'get the most out of life' or 'maximise your efficiency', courses on how to be more productive are always filled and more and more gadgets are released to help us fill those lazy moments with things to do (e.g. the bajillions of apps for the iPhone!).

I read this nice little piece from Archie Poulos (a man I hold in high regard) thinking about this and offering a different viewpoint that is needed in the case of relationships. While I'm not against productivity and efficiency, I also value time that isn't filled with tasks; time spent 'getting to know someone'; time spent pondering about things; time spent 'doing nothing in particular'.

I feel that in the busy world of today, these moments of time are deemed less and less important. The 'getting things done' attitude can often hinder the simple, time-heavy act of growing deep relationships with people. While there is good in the increased productivity of our lives, will the removal of 'inefficient time' from them leave us all a little poorer for it?

Luke

KYCK

2009-05-08T11:31:00.002+10:00

A couple of weekends ago I was away in the Blue Mountains at KYCK – the christian youth convention that is held every year in that giant shed in Katoomba. It was my first time attending the conference and I’d never attended as a kid (obviously!), so I was interested to see what it was like, after I’d heard so much about it. It was a great (but tiring!) weekend with plenty to think about, be encouraged about and to thank God for. The only downside was that on the way home one of the cars in our convoy had an accident! Thankfully no-one was hurt, and everyone walked away with only some bruises and shock to show for it (thank you God!).

The weekend worked thus: four other leaders and I took 18 kids from Tekoa (out year 9-10 youth group) to the convention and we stayed in a house together in Blackheath. The leaders were responsible for ferrying the kids to and from the convention and generally looking after them. Good times were had by all including a massive game of sardines in which one kid hid so well, we started to get worried that we’d actually lost him!

The topic for the weekend was ‘Victory’ and the book of Revelation was preached on. The talks were excellent and many of the kids I talked to found them really helpful and challenging. I learnt loads as well and was scribbling away during the talks (goes to show we can all learn more about the Bible – all we need is to be humble and willing to learn!). I thought I’d share the main things that really made me sit up and listen:

1. Jesus, who is the Lion and the Lamb, will come to judge all and all will bow to him. People who look down on Christians today will wish they were Christians on that day.

2. In these last days, although we are victorious with Christ, we are still at war. We need to be living lives that reflect this - not relaxing and 'coasting' along. We need to be prayerful, full of the Word, steadfast and enduring.

3. The problem with our world is the world. In the new creation this will all be replaced - all problems removed.

4. In light of eternity, the only thing that matters is following Jesus Christ.

5. Jesus is coming soon. When he returns, what will he find you doing?

The other really encouraging thing was seeing the change in the kids over the weekend as they were challenged by the talks. It was clear that God was teaching these kids through the talks and seeing some of our kids go to pray with someone about things they had been challenged by was a real blessing. On the last morning, they got some of the kids who had given their lives to Christ the previous night to stand up. The big line standing at the front showed that miracles still happen today! God worked in all those hearts of stone and made them hearts of flesh. It was incredible to hear one girl talk of how she was going to go back home and be a role model amongst her friends and live for Christ. God is so good. It is my hope and prayer that these kids will grow more and more in the coming weeks and months and will continue to love and live for Christ in the years to come. Amen!

Luke

Am I charitable?

2009-05-04T10:34:00.004+10:00

I've been reading through James as part of my daily bible reading (with the helpful Vital Signs) and got rebuked this morning with my reading, so I thought I'd share.

I was reading James 2:14-19, and it was talking about how the works talked about are directly linked to the poor mentioned earlier in the letter. A question was asked in the book about how much do we really do for the poor - we spend so much money on ourselves, and barely think of those in need.

Recently I was talking with someone about a ministry that a church started which does work with the homeless and with others in need. He talked about how this group was providing food and shelter and was actively involved with serving and looking after the 'poor'. It struck him how where we are, we hardly see this side of life and so do very little about it, which saddened him. It made me think as well - how we so often think about those in need, in some abstract, removed, intellectual way - "What is the best way to get them off the street?" or "Is giving them money the best way to look after them?" without doing anything for them? All we do is that - think! How different are we to the rich men who see the poor and bless them and leave them hungry?

So, reading this passage this morning, really made me realise how little I do for the poor of this world. Just yesterday, my wife and I were talking about how she needs to earn a little money on the side to make sure we can afford to make ends meet (including all the extras like gym membership). I felt (and still feel) ashamed at how selfish I was being. We are called to look after those in need and here we are trying to earn more so that we can look after ourselves better!

I think its time to make some changes and not just think about the problems. I plan to suggest to my wife that we should look at this extra money that she can earn as a way to support the poor first and ourselves second. We should aim to earn this extra money so that we can give more to the poor, not earn it so we can provide more for ourselves and if some is left over, give it to others like some happy byproduct.

Please pray that we would follow through with this and be cheerful givers, and that God would give us both a love for those in need and a passion to serve them. Now all I need to do is talk to the wife......

Luke

A moving example of the state of this world

2009-04-30T13:13:00.004+10:00

Today I read about this poor new born baby, Nicholas, who died after being dumped at a rubbish tip. Many people, moved by the story attended his funeral, while others donated money to help.

This story could lead to thoughts on the hundreds of thousands of other babies, none of whom are given names, who are 'left on a rubbish tip' after they are aborted. But, I found myself pondering on the duality of this world. The state of this world and the way that there are such extremes of goodness and evil present in everyday life.

The mother who abandoned this poor, defenceless baby to die, whatever her motives, carried out an absolutely heinous murder of her own child. We can all agree that such evil is always present in this world. To deny it is to be naive about this world. But then the compassion and care shown by those who did not even know Nicholas shows an incredible example of the goodness that humanity is capable of.

It is times like these that I can see the goodness of God and the sinfulness of man. We were made in His image, but have marred that image through our disobedience. As such we are still capable of some goodness, and if we try to hold ourselves to God's standards, quickly realise that this is the exception rather than the rule.

How amazing it is then, that through the atoning death of Jesus, our sinfulness has been forgiven and one day we will no longer see God's goodness 'in a mirror dimly but then face to face', and are able to be in a place where there will be no more death, suffering or mourning.

Please spend a few seconds just praying with me that God would have mercy on Nicholas and welcome him into His arms and that Nicholas' mother would know the holy and good God who loves us enough to send his Son to die for sinners who didn't deserve it. Amen.

Luke

Who to listen to part 2

2009-04-24T16:20:00.006+10:00

Now for the second part of the post that you’ve all be waiting so patiently for! In the first post, I discussed the nature of blog posts and things I discovered that I should be considering when reading them. In this post I aim to discuss the considerations that need to be taken when listening to talks and podcasts.

Only a couple of years ago, I started to listen to Christian talks from the internet that were given by people that I had nothing to do with (other than the obvious fact that I had downloaded their talk). This completely blew my mind - I no longer had to go to conferences or move church to listen to 'world famous' preachers. They were all there on my iPod! I had John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Peter Jensen, Don Carson and more, all in my pocket! The talks I listened to (and continue to listen to) really encouraged and taught me, but I began to question their place in my daily life.

First off, I was becoming a bit of an obsessed fan, listening to sermons all the time and talking about the newest preacher I had been listening to with anyone who would listen (mainly my poor wife and brother) as if they were bands or movie stars. This attitude is bad for a couple of reasons - I was putting these people up on a pedestal and I wasn't appreciating the people that God had put over me.

Just because your local minister doesn’t blog or have a podcast, doesn’t mean that they are not as important as those gushing ideas on the internet. In fact, they have been put in a position of leadership over you and so need to be respected and listened to as such.

The message preached from the pulpit far far away (and maybe long long ago!), while it may be excellent bible teaching, has not been directed at you and so is not as important for you as the sermon preached to you on a Sunday by your local pastor. An example: Matt Chandler (who is an excellent bible teacher) often deals with the issue of ‘church as a hobby’. In his local context there is a problem of nominalism – people go to church because it’s the done thing. This is not a problem in Sydney. People will simply not go to church. So to apply some of the things raised by Matt Chandler in Sydney is silly.

Now, I still do listen to talks by preachers from other countries, and do still find them inspiring and encouraging. But I have learnt that I must put them in their proper context. I believe that the most important thing to remember when listening to preachers from other countries, cities or even other churches is that they are not preaching to you. They have created a sermon made for the people they are going to deliver it to, taking into account the issues they face and the situations they are in.

Therefore, the message they preach, while it may be an excellent one, may not specifically apply to you. Take what you can from it, but always remember that God has placed leaders over you and you should listen and learn from them first.

Luke

Who to listen to?

2009-04-24T16:19:00.005+10:00

Over the last little while, I’ve been getting used to the world of blogs (or blogosphere as some call it) and the internet community. The majority have been Christian blogs where people discuss theology, encourage other Christians, meditate on observations of the world and so on. My question is this - who does one listen to? How can we discern who we should and shouldn’t be putting our stock in?

In this shrinking internet driven world, the access to information is incredible. I can read about the personal issues of someone on the other side of the world (which is what some may be doing at this moment if they are reading from the UK!) and listen to talks given by speakers who are separated from me by entire seas and continents! If anyone can (and do) write blogs, where is the moderation that would normally accompany a magazine article or opinion piece? If talks are given to people in the states, would they want people in other countries listening in?

I aim to think through this in two posts (shock – my first two part post!!), firstly thinking about blogs in particular and then about talks and international information more generally.

While I appreciate that most blogs are just the ramblings and opinions of the author and so are to be taken as such - opinionated and personal, some blogs express information that is more than this. These blogs seek not only to present an opinion or idea, but to teach and even convince the reader about the particular topic written on. I think that my question matters most when directed at the Christian/theological blogs available on the web. Ethical and political blogs are always allowed to voice an opinion, and obviously comedy blogs are good as long as they get a laugh!

There are many people out there who will voice their opinion about what they think is right and will criticise what they believe to be wrong. And in a blog this can be done very flippantly. The amount of time thinking and revising what goes into a book is what helps the writer to develop their idea. They must be totally sure of what they are posting. In an article or opinion piece, the time needed is shorter, and in a blog, this time is shorter still. Some thoughts may be posted half formed. There is no editor to moderate the thoughts or even help shape them fully. This all leads to the posting of both helpful and unhelpful opinions. How do we sort through these ideas?

There is an importance in this when the issues matter. People should stand up for beliefs when they are ‘salvation issues’. False teachers should be called out as such, just as Paul does in Galatians. This may mean speaking politically incorrectly (just as poor ol’ Miss California did) and so losing popularity with those around you. But, the loss of popularity is nothing compared to the wrath of God given to those who shun Him.

So, what to do with issues that don’t matter? Many of these are based on personal opinions and a persons interpretation on a particular issue. For example – paedobaptism. I don’t completely agree with it (I would be happier with child dedication than baptism), but have no problem with those who agree with it (my wife believes in it – which will mean some interesting conversations when we have children!). As long as my belief does not cause them to stumble (for example drinking in front of someone who struggles with alcohol), I am entitled to my opinion. Reading widely (including blogs) can help you come to your own stance on the issue.

With this second thought, who do we listen to? People with ‘training’? Others who have thought through these things? Random people who have strong opinions? I would submit the former two. I had some valuable conversations and did some reading when thinking about baptism, both with those who had some theological education and those without. But these conversations were with people I knew, whose lives I could see. I therefore knew that their advice and counsel was more helpful than the rants of the local ‘crazy’ (who knows, they could also have a blog!!) Blogs do not always have this accountability - anyone can write a blog. How can you tell the difference between a blog that is the ‘helpful conversation with a trusted friend’ and the one that is the ‘local crackpot shouting their rants from their blog-soap-box’?

With these ‘non-essential’ issues, those who present their ideas may be right or wrong. To take what you read online as ‘gospel’ is dangerous and should never be done without further exploration into the issue - comparing these thoughts with other research (using books and people rather than just the internet!). This extra exploration is vital as with blogs, you may not always know the person writing the blog.

Does this mean I will stop reading blogs? No. But it does mean that I will read them with a discerning eye. I will also make sure that I am reading, listening and talking to others, through whose lives I can see that they not only have strong opinions, but also live these out to the glory of God.

All this for His glory!

Luke

A couple things

2009-04-23T23:11:00.005+10:00

I've got some posts in the pipeline, but thought I'd share a couple things in the meantime.

1. Good on her!
I'm sure some will have seen the footage of Miss California answering Perez Hilton and his question on gay marriage. What guts it took to stand there in front of a crowd and the millions at home watching (and now watching on youtube!) and say what would be seen as the unpopular thing to say. Some have said that it cost her the first place and it definitely opened her up to some criticism from Hilton (the video reply he gave is quite rude). But, she said the truth and was steadfast. And to that I say "Well done!".

2. This is moving.
I stumbled upon this blog about a family who decided to adopt a child who they knew was only going to live for a few months (due to a rare brain disease) after the husband helped deliver him. Matt passed away a few days ago, and reading the entries in this blog moved me to the core. The love shown and the lessons learnt by the adoptive parents caused me to stop, think, repent and then pray. Especially this post. What a great God we have.

Luke

Three little words...

2009-04-14T13:40:00.007+10:00

During my quiet time this morning, I was thinking on 3 little words that we use soooo often and probably don't appreciate the meaning of (and no, they are not "I love you" although the same could be said for those words). The three words were Lord Jesus Christ.

How often do we say these three words in prayer, song, and conversation or read them in the bible, commentaries, and articles? At a guess, I would say lots. Paul ends most of his letters with this title for Jesus and mentions it in the letters too, James (where I was reading) starts his letter with it, Peter uses it, so in reading the new testament, you'd have to have stumbled on this title a few times.

Now due to the way we address each other, the phrase can be easily interpreted as Lord (title), Jesus (first name - I was tempted to say Christian name, but that would just confuse things) and Christ (surname). So relegating 'Lord Jesus Christ' to something like "Mr Luke Bird'. And with this understanding the words become the full name for Jesus, nothing else. So many times I had read these words and merely thought of Jesus in a personal way. While this is not wrong, I feel that I sometimes fall into the similar trap of seeing Jesus as a teacher, or healer, or other single description. Reflecting on these words this morning made me see the true, awe-inspiring, powerful meaning that they are meant to have. There are two sections to this, which I will describe below.

Firstly, the Lord Jesus part. Now this is not some title as if Jesus has an honorary title, land somewhere in the UK, a signet ring with the family crest, the Queen’s mobile number (I wonder if she has her own mobile, and if she is able to use it?) and a really posh voice. This used in the context is the word for a master or someone you show respect to. Furthermore, in the Jewish context, Lord it is the word that the Jews would replace for YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah, the name of God as given in the Old Testament). Wherever the name (Yhwh) is used, the word LORD (in capitals) replaces it and in the New Testament the Greek word for 'lord' is used. This was done as a sign of respect or to stop them from using God’s name in vain. This is probably most funnily remembered in the Monty Python sketch from the ‘Life of Brian’ (“STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! STOP IT! All right, no one is to stone anyone until I blow this whistle. Even... and I want to make this absolutely clear... even if they do say, Jehovah.”). So by calling Jesus Lord, they are calling him God, but more specifically (and to the anger of others) relating Jesus to the one God – YHWH!

Secondly the Jesus Christ part. This is not a surname, but a description - as in 'Jesus the Christ'. This is the Greek translation of the title "the anointed one", which in the Hebrew is "Messiah", the one who would come and save us from God's wrath and would rule this world. He is the one alluded to throughout the Old Testament, who was (and still is) hoped for by the Jewish people. So, by calling Jesus Christ, they are calling him the Messiah, the one who has come to save people from God's wrath and rule over all!

These three words mean so much more than a 'Jesus's full name'. In these three small words, these fifteen letters, we declare the amazing fact that Jesus is divine and is our Saviour and Lord. What powerful and precious words!

May we always remember through whom we are saved and are given all things and to whom we offer praise. Glory and honour and power to him who is worthy of all praise - Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke

Professional secular skills in church

2009-04-09T16:21:00.009+10:00

We all wish our churches were super organised – doing all sorts of ministries and doing them well, but is this due to the overspill of our ‘professional lives’ and the values and expectations in them into our churches or is it a real complaint against unorganised ministries?

I’ve been thinking on this topic recently – it’s been brought up in conversation and a backlash to the the typical route to full time ministry seems to be in the air. Some suggested that bible college students should be taught management skills as well as theological skills. While this is an inviting thought – wouldn’t it be great if all ministries ran like clockwork – I disagree and I hope to explain why.

1) Bible colleges churn out bible teachers and theologians, not managers.
The above thought, I must confess is not my own, but it is a truth nonetheless. The purpose of going to a theological college is to be taught how to think theologically and gain a deeper understanding of the Bible and God. While managerial skills may be useful skills for pastors to have, not all graduates will become pastors! There are a whole host of occupations that use the theological grounding a bible college graduate has, and not all of them require specific ‘professional development’ training.

2) Managerial skills teach people to think in the way of the world.
Please hear me out – I’m not against organisational and good management skills in general. I think that people who are in charge of leading others need to be organised, good at managing and leading those under them, good at prioritising tasks and issues, responsible and a whole host of other useful skills. But, the ideologies of managerial skills taught in the workplace are geared to the workplace, which by its nature is focused on the goals and aspirations of people, not God. Many tools from the workplace place an inflated importance of man, and try to cater to his needs (for example sales techniques). A stark contrast to the gospel, which places God as central and teaches us what we need - namely salvation from our sin. (Further reading here).

3) Pastors should be trained to ‘manage’ biblically.
Finally, I feel that the first point of contact for teaching people how to lead and organise God's flock should be from God's word. People who minister to us should be basing the way that they lead those in their churches on the bible, where they are taught to love sacrificially for people, not use people as resources. How would the management person deal with the annoying member of the flock, or the person who just 'doesn't get it'? Not always with the patience and kindness as taught in the bible (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18) I would guess. People who don't 'cut it' in the workplace would be pushed aside or relegated, is that the attitude we want in church? Surely those shepherding people should base their leadership skills on the chief shepherd - Jesus. Not the latest management or self help guru, who as imperfect people can only ever offer imperfect advice.

In all this, I'm not pushing for highly unorganised churches, places where the ineptitude of the staff continually irritates the congregation. I'm merely saying that managerial practices of the secular world do not translate to the church and the sooner we realise this, the sooner we can start working in our churches and looking for advice on how to do this successfully from the bible.

Luke

Evening Church Weekend Away

2009-04-02T22:17:00.004+11:00

Hi all. This last weekend Gem and I went up to the northern beaches of Sydney to a conference centre (a small conference centre) for the evening church weekend away.

We all gathered at this centre on Friday night and had talks from the new evening church minister on the Saturday and Sunday and left on Sunday afternoon. I was a great weekend getting to know some members of church I didn't know and strengthening friendships with people I already knew.

The talks were excellent. Josh (our minister) talked about the tower of Babel and the reasons for its destruction (not only pride!) and then linked this to Acts and the day of Pentecost, finishing at Revelation and the new creation. A whirlwind tour through the bible looking at God's plan through the use of words. A different way to look at things to be sure, but very informative. Made me think about how I use my words - remembering the power that they have (God made the world through them, people are saved through them, God speaks to us through them, Jesus is the Word, etc). Especially fitting as I had been battling recently with the use of words in blogs (see posts below).

There was also a dress up party on Saturday with the theme 'Outrageous in Vegas' (wild I know). I went as one of the Blue Man Group, so had black clothes and blue face paint on. We thought we looked good, shame very few people knew who the Blue Man Group are. Regardless, the night was still fun.

All in all, a good weekend. Very glad that I went.

Luke

Take that fan with you

2009-03-31T16:48:00.002+11:00

I thought I'd relate one of the little funny stories about my married life so far. It requires some background about our bedroom (nothing racy!). Our flat is either hot or cold. There is not normally a nice middle ground. As such, the bedroom is sometimes quite muggy, due to its proximity to the bathroom and our damp towels.

Further to this, as I have not lived in the amazon jungle, I find it hard to get to sleep when the humidity in the room is similar to that of the bottom of the ocean. So I turn on the fan by our bed in order to cool the room down to a temperature and humidity that is more suitable to sleeping. My wife does not always like this and shortly after the fan is turned on, she asks me to turn it off. I normally oblige, unless I feel that if it is not left on to cool me, we will both drown in the gallons of sweat that will pour off me during the night.

Another aspect is our running joke about "sleeping on the couch". Its used as an OTT, playful joke/threat in our home, for example; "I'll be waiting for your apology from the bed while you can think about what you've said from the couch", "I suppose I can just prepare the couch for you tonight then?" or "If you're going to be like that, then I guess I'll just sleep on the couch". This is not really a bad thing because we have a couch which can be opened up to a really rather comfortable bed. (Note: At this point, I should clarify that this has never been said in an argument, and (by the grace of God) we rarely argue!)

On one night, I was sitting in bed with my wife. Me reading, her on the laptop. She was composing an email, and more out of boredom than anything else, I peered across to have a look. I spotted a spelling mistake and being the helpful husband, informed her. She was not amused and thanked me most sarcastically for helping her out and asked whether or not the rest of the email was up to my 'oh so lofty' standards. I then made the joke that I was going to sleep on the couch as obviously she didn't want me there (all in jest you must understand).
It was at this point that my wife said something that made me realise why I married her and why I love her so.

In reply to my dramatics, she told me to "take that bloody fan with you". I have not laughed so hard in a long time. I do not think she meant this as a joke, but soon saw the funny side and was laughing hard with me.

I love her for this. She was able to look at the situation from the outside and just laugh (even though at first it was at herself). I love that her sense of humour is so similar to mine and she has such an ability to make me laugh. Here's to many more laughs my dear!

Luke