03.14Nine + Nine
Today was Samuel’s 18 month birthday. Nine months in the womb, nine months out of the womb. Here’s a photo of Sam having too much fun while eating dinner:
Another pic below… He’s just done the smackdown on his father (me):
Welcome to the the first ever Free Music Friday! Featured this week are Folk Rock duo Ryanhood. You can download their album The World Awaits for free from Noisetrade.com. If you like Jason Mraz, Simon and Garfunkel, Jack Johnson or Playjerise you might like to check them out (see a long list of influences/sounds likes on their MySpace page).
FULL ALBUM DOWNLOAD | Band website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter
Got an idea for Free (+ legal) Music Friday? Leave it in the comments. Are you a band? Think I might like your music? If you send me your album and let me give away at least one mp3 for free, no promises, it might be featured! Contact deets.
Whether you’re thinking of studying at Moore College, or just want to be encouraged by the work God is doing in the world through Moore College grads, all are welcome to attend the Moore College Graduation on Monday 15 March. Come and celebrate with the largest group of people graduating from the College in its 154 year history.
Time | 7:30PM Monday, March 15th AD2010.
Location | City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney (this is a pimpin’ sweet venue!)
…70 turns Chuck Norris. It’s his birthday today (Wednesday). While the round-house kicks are pretty impressive, the coolest thing about him is that he’s a Christian.
What’s your favourite Chuck Norris joke? Bonus points for original Chuck Haikus (5-7-5)…
OK Go took YouTube by storm in 2006 with that treadmill film clip receiving over 50million views. They’ve just realeased a new vid that might get even more! It’s brilliant. Check it:
The original film clip they made of this song is pretty good too.
The Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) is “passionate about recruiting and training workers for the vital task of Gospel ministry.” God has done and is doing great things through the ministry of MTS. They’ve recently launched a killer new website. Check it out.
They’ve also generously made available 64 of their training resources. THAT sounds like a good deal! I’m running a workshop on one-to-one discipleship this Saturday and have found Col Marshall’s training paper very handy. Find the resources here. Thanks MTS.
If this post makes no sense. Here’s a website you might find life changing…
I had a great weekend with Roseville Anglican 18+ crew. Lots of encouraging conversations and good times. We looked at Titus (read it here). My summary of the book: knowing the truth of the gospel, leads to godly living, while we wait for Jesus. I spend most of my time speaking to teenagers, so I always enjoy getting to speak to a slightly older congregation! Here are 3 blog posts from my prep: one; two; three.
Download the MP3s:
Peaceout.
Titus is all about knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. It’s important then to understand what “the truth” is in Titus. The truth in Titus is made very clear in a number of purple passages about the nature of the gospel. Here’s one of them:
3:3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7)
Jesus saves. We don’t save ourselves. Jesus deals with sin. Jesus brings Salvation.
Titus has been given the job of setting up leaders in the church in Crete. In Titus 1:5-9, Paul gives Titus the criteria for how to appoint those pastors. The striking thing as you read through the list is that character matters much more than competence. Does that mean you should look for incompetent people to be pastors in churches? No, it means you look for men with godly character before you look for men with gifts.
Titus 1:10-16 shows why it’s important for Titus to set up godly leaders. There are ungodly leaders around. “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him” (verse 16). And so, godly leaders “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that [they] can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (verse 10).
I think sometimes we jump too quickly from the requirements for elders, overseers and deacons in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus and apply them to youth group leaders or Sunday school teachers. I think they are, indirectly, applicable to all people in God’s church. But first and foremost as you read these lists you need to be careful who you follow. Does their life & character match their doctrine? And if you aspire to leadership within the church, are you developing your own character?
From the makers of Hotel, Hotel comes the latest rap video from the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Jake Rutenbar is the rapper and Josh Griffin is his sidekick.
Here are the rules:
- Don’t be so messy
- Don’t be competitive at sports
- Spend a little less time playing video games
- Spend a little less time trying to be cool
- You must avoid irresponsibility
#1 – guilty, #2 – guilty, #3 – I hate video games, #4 – I know I’m lame, no pretense here, #5 – I think I’m pretty responsible
Can you think of any other rules to help fight the youth ministry stereotype??
03.02Waiting for Jesus
Much of life is taken up with waiting. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for a friend. Waiting to see what the future holds. Waiting sometimes sucks. I think that’s because we’re impatient and want everything now. The Christians life could even be characterised by ‘waiting’. For the Christian, it matters what you do while you wait.
The play Waiting for Godot (by Samuel Beckett) is all about 2 dudes, Vladimir and Estragon, waiting for another dude named Godot. While they wait – they do nothing of any real value, they just keep cycling through the same stuff.
In Titus, the Christian is in between two significant events: the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. During this period, it matters how the Christian is to wait. Christians aren’t to just cycle through the same monotony, but rather are to live godly lives, focussed on Jesus. In Titus, it speaks of salvation in the past and to come in the future, but the emphasis is really on the present and what it will mean to wait for Jesus.
An understanding and knowledge of the truth should, naturally, lead to godliness. Leaders in God’s church and the people in God’s church are to devote themselves to doing good, while they wait. In Titus, it repeatedly says that Christians are to give themselves to good works. Is this opposed to the gospel of Salvation by Grace not Works? No, not at all. The basis and motivation for godliness is firmly rooted in the gospel. See here and here. We’re saved by grace, then we continue to live by grace.
Welcome to an exciting new monthly blog series at dmdc: Pinch + Punch! It may look like a re-branding of a previous lamely named series – but it’s oh so much more! // March isn’t too hectic at college, but I’ve got quite a few speaking opportunities. So hoping I can preach well AND work hard at college even though there isn’t much due.
I planned on trying to design a desktop wallpaper each month. Let’s be real. That’s not going to happen. So above is my favourite from the March selection at Smashing Magazine. It’s called: Haiku on Hanami. I’m not very good at poetry. But I want to be. So I’m hoping it will inspire me to greater poetic poetry poetiness. Or not.
Here’s the best of February (according to clicks) and some other stats:
- Most popular Jesus post: What we know about God shapes thinking & living
- Most popular Life post: 40 Days of Water
- Most popular Culture post: Who has the most street cred with teenagers?
- Most popular Design post: RU involved in Church design/tech/web or other media?
- 20% more hits than the same month last year
- 5% less hits than the previous month
If you’ve read this far – you have to leave a comment in the form of a Haiku poem. 5-7-5. Thanks.
In Mark 15, as Jesus dies upon the cross, he cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It’s a quote from Psalm 22. What’s going on? John Dickson reckons:
“This is not a cry of self-doubt from Christ’s lips, as if he is here questioning his identity and mission. It is his deliberate and agonising identification with the suffering poet of Psalm 22 and therefore, with all those who have cried out to God ‘Why?’. There on the cross, so the Bible insists, God intentionally enters our pain and misery, getting his hands dirty and even bloody. This is God at his most vulnerable and yet at his most glorious.”
KYCK 2010. It’s coming soon. KYCK 1997 changed my life. I’m praying that many young lives would be changed this year. There are 3 big weekends (9-11 April; 16-18 April; 23-25 April). Insiders reckon this will be the biggest one yet… maybe 6000 teenagers? Ed Springer, Matt Rowson, Dave Miers (that’s me) and George Statheos will be speaking on Life Under the Sun from Ecclesiastes. I can’t wait to be part of the action!
SEE BELOW TO WATCH THE PROMO VID:
Justin Buzzard has just posted a really useful booklet outlining his sermon prep process. John Chapman, Australian evangelist, has a really simple method for sermon prep. Justin’s process is very similar to Chappo’s. That’s a good thing! If you’re new(ish) to preaching, or always looking to learn from others, DOWNLOAD the booklet now. You might also be interested in seeing the preaching notes of some well known preachers.
Here’s a snippet about Justin’s process:
This process is what works well for me. I’ve found that I work best approaching sermon prep in 4 “Parts” which I refer to as Till, Seed, Germinate, Reap (the gardening metaphor helps me approach sermon prep as a creation process where God is the primary Creator/Preacher). I’ve also found that, for me, 15 hours is a sufficient and sustainable amount of time for weekly message prep.
Scott Petty and Nicky Baker are my favourite Youth Pastors. They’re doing great work with Christ Church Youth in St Ives, Sydney. The current series they are teaching is from 1 Corinthians, Don’t Want to be a Corinthian Idiot. Check out the intro video below:
Check out the podcast. Subscribe in iTunes. Check out their archives. These are some of the best youth sermons that you will find online.
Interested in podcasting your own youth group sermons? 4 tips:
- Record them. Use an mp3 player or an iPhone or a laptop or a sound desk.
- Set up a free podcasting account at podomatic.com – it’s simple to use.
- Tell your youth group to check out the website and subscribe to new talks.
- Be consistent. Put a new talk up every week.
Two random things about teardrops: 1) I’ve noticed teardrop tattoos underneath the eyes of some rough nuts while doing street work. They signify the loss of a friend or a loved one. Check out wikipedia for more specific info. Interesting. 2) One of my favourite songs from 1998 is Teardrop by Massive Attack. Watch the vid. Newtown Faulkner has a very cool cover of Teardrop. Watch it below. Here are 4 vignettes of ‘tears’ in the Bible:
- Tears of the Oppressed – in Ecclesiastes 4, the Teacher looks and sees the “tears of the oppressed – and they have no comforter”. There are a number of examples in the Old Testament of tears. Often they are in the context of sin, despair and brokenness. (Revive have a song from this passage)
- Jesus anointed by the tears of a sinful woman – from Luke 7. We don’t know her name, but this ’sinful woman’ breaks down in front of Jesus, anointing his feet with her tears. Jesus declares her sins forgiven.
- Jesus’ soul is overwhelmed with sorrow – in Mark 14 Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane. It doesn’t use the word ‘tears’ but I presume that Jesus shed many tears as he was ‘overwhelmed with sorrow’. Jesus knows the real pain of the cross he is about to endure. His body was broken, so that broken people – like the ’sinful woman’ above and like me – can have their sin dealt with.
- Jesus wipes every tear from their eyes – the final vignette in this ensemble is breathtaking. In Revelation 21, Jesus wipes away every tear from the eyes of his people. No more death. No more crying. No more pain. With God. Brilliant.
Are you one of his people? Do you long for that day?
——–
Newton Faulkner Teardrop vid below:
02.2340 Days of Water
I just drank my first cup of coffee in 40 days. Yum. I’ve been part of a group of people involved in 40 Days of Water. How did it work? You only drink tap-water for the 40 days. You keep a tally of how much money you saved by eliminating other drinks. You give that money toward providing clean drinking water in Africa.
It’s been a hard time to do it. It’s the middle of summer. I’ve hung out for a week in Clovelly with all its trendy cafes, no coffee allowed. I’ve hung out for a week in Bellingen with all its hippie cafes, no coffee allowed. I’ve been down to Terrigal a stack of times, no coffee allowed. And I’ve been offered countless coffees from friends and family, no coffee allowed.
It was a very useful exercise. I don’t really need coffee, but I did miss drinking it. Three things happened regularly for me when saying no to non-water drinks:
- I realised how rich I am. I have access to whatever I want to drink, whenever I want to drink it. I have so much money that I can spend $4 on a coffee without it making too much of a financial impact!
- I am so rich, such that, even when I don’t buy drinks, I have beautiful, clean, tasty water flowing like a teeming river form 6 taps in my house. What privilege.
- It’s not that hard to be generous with even a few dollars to make a big difference in the lives of those in need.
John Woodhouse kicked off the Moore College (make sure you check out the sexy new resource rich website) academic year with a solid exposition of John 15:1-17 on Monday afternoon chapel. I’ve recently reflected on this passage about Jesus as the True Vine.
On Monday I was particularly struck by verse 9, it’s breathtaking:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
Woodhouse skilfully brought our attention to the wonder of God the Son loving us with the same love that God the Father has loved Him. Jesus is the one who is “Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father” (Nicene Creed). This Jesus, who for all eternity has been loved by the Father, is the one who demonstrates his love for us in his death on the cross. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (verse 13).
What a friend we have in Jesus.
I was introduced to So You Think You Can Dance (Australia) on a recent holiday. Up until that point, I thought I could dance. It’s not the first time I’ve deluded myself claiming sporting ability: when I was 11, I thought I was in the top 1000 tennis players in the world. My world came crashing down when I lost 6-0 in my first tournament. I was probably lucky to scrape into the top 1000 in my suburb!
My world, likewise, came crashing down when watching this exciting TV show. I now realise that the shopping trolley, sprinkler and big-fish-little-fish-cardboard-box don’t really cut it as dance moves. I’m a lame dancer. BUT it’s not all bad news! After watching So You Think You Can Dance, dancing has now gone up a notch in my books. It’s now on notch 1. Visually spectacular!
Although we don’t have a TV, I’ve recently discovered you can watch full episodes on the channel ten website. Check out the vid below. It’s incredible. Issi (my favourite) and Robbie dance a haunting number to Regina Spektor’s Samson:
- Longer version – Watch WITH all the commentary
- Shorter Version – Watch WITHOUT all the commentary
ps – they film this sucker at my favourite cafe - The Carriageworks in Eveleigh