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March 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
March 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
LATEST LINKS
10 links to check out over the weekend…
- Is Tim Keller Weak on Wrath?
- My Advice to Students
- “Just a stomach”
- Ian Hamilton on elders
- The Minimum Bible
- Adler’s Three Stages for How to Read a Book Analytically
- Gone Fishin’ – A Forgotten Model of Ministry
- Should Every Pastor Get a Sabbatical?
- In Praise of Long Pastorates
- How Can I Know If I’m Going To Be A Successful Church Planter?
March 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
WHAT GOES ON YOUR DESK?
“The main principle here is to minimise the number of items you keep on your desk.”
“The best way to keep things on your desktop to a minimum is to only give something a permanent place on your desktop if you use it more than once a day.”
The things he lists that you need to have or might find useful to have on your desk, that would apply to me in addition to my MacBook are:
- Pad of paper
- Pen and pencil (lying flat)
- Inbox
- Printer
- Decorations (just don’t overdo it)
Where do these things go?
“Everything goes on the left side [of the desk] and the right side remains open.”
March 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR DESK?
“Don’t make your desk face the wall.
Don’t have your back to the door/entrance.
If possible, make your desk face perpendicular to the door/entrance.”
March 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
March 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
March 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
March 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
March 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
KIDS TALK: JUDE (BIG READ #26)
The Big Read – Jude
Powerpoint Pictures: Lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader; Scones fighting from Harry Hill TV Burp; Hulk Hogan v The Ultimate Warrior from Wrestlemania VI; Historical Re-enactment scene; Two brothers play-fighting
Look at these pictures of some things fighting, and try and guess what they all have in common. [Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader; Scone with cream on top of jam vs Scone with jam on top of cream; Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior; A historical re-enactment; Couple of brothers play fighting].
Can you tell me what each of these fights has in common? They are not real fights. They are just for pretend.
The letter of Jude is all about a fight – a fight that every Christian is to take part in and a fight that is real.
“I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)
The big thing Jude says in his letter is, “You’ve got to fight!”
To fight for the faith – to keep the good news of the gospel being proclaimed and being believed – because there are people who are trying to change it and lead people away from it.
How do we do that?
Not by literally punching someone who teaches wrong things about Jesus, but by reminding ourselves of the good news, by believing that it is true, by praying that God will help us to keep believing it, and by trusting that God will keep us believing it – that He will keep us from falling!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE
March 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
KIDS TALK: 3 JOHN (BIG READ #25)
The Big Read – 3 John
Powerpoint Pictures: People doing exercise; Someone drinking water; Child with a plate full of vegetables; Bottle of Vitamins; Someone asleep
Looking after your body is important. What are some of the things we can do to stay fit and healthy? [Exercise; Drink Water; Eat your Green’s; Vitamins; Get a good night sleep]
3 John is all about keeping healthy. Staying healthy as a Christian.
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 2)
John is writing to a man called Gaius and he’s a healthy Christian. He loves Jesus and is showing that he loves Him by what he does – in particular, giving hospitality to travelling preachers or missionaries.
But John is worried that Gaius will stop doing this and stop being healthy because someone called Diotrephes, who wasn’t a healthy Christian, was kicking out of the church anyone who was doing this.
So John writes to encourage Gaius to stay healthy, and says there are 2 things he can do: 1) Keep serving other Christians because as you do you’ll be like Jesus who served us in the most amazing way by dying on the cross. 2) Keep spending time with people who are like Jesus – other healthy Christians – and follow their example.
These are also two ways that we can stay healthy as Christians too.
More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE
March 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
KIDS TALK: MATTEW 4:1-11 (BIG BIBLE ADVENTURE #63)
The Big Bible Adventure – Matthew 4:1-11
Powerpoint Pictures: Children running in corridors; Plate of cookies; Hands over mouth; Cheating on a test; Pinocchio
What is a temptation? It is wanting to do something, especially something that is wrong or unwise. Are you ever tempted to do any of the following? [Run in school corridors; Steal a cookie; Mutter under breath when someone tells you off; Cheat on a test; Lie to get out of trouble].
One of the most common temptations that God’s people have in the Bible is the temptation to disobey God’s Word. Adam and Eve were tempted to do this in the Garden of Eden and Israel was tempted to do this throughout the Old Testament. Both Adam and Eve and Israel gave into this temptation.
After Jesus was baptised, “[He] was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1)
Jesus was tempted three times by the devil, and each of these temptations was a temptation to disobey God’s Word. The first temptation was to show that He was the Son of God by turning a stone into bread. The next temptation was to show that He was the Son of God by throwing Himself off the highest point of the temple and calling out to angels to save Him. The final temptation was to receive all the kingdoms of the world by bowing down to the devil.
Would Jesus disobey God’s Word like Adam and Eve, and Israel, did?
No, each time Jesus responded to the devil’s temptation with the words: “It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) Instead of disobeying God’s Word, He quoted God’s Word, and by doing this He was showing that He was the promised King who would perfectly obey God and the only one who could save people from their sins.
More talks from The Big Bible Adventure can be found HERE.
March 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
KIDS TALK: MATTHEW 3:13-17 (BIG BIBLE ADVENTURE #62)
The Big Bible Adventure – Matthew 3:13-17
[Powerpoint Pictures: 1966 World Cup winning England football team; Queen Elizabeth II; Crispen Blunt; Barrister in court; Children in school uniform]
Who do the following people represent? [1966 World Cup Winning Team represented England. Queen Elizabeth II represents the UK and the Commonwealth; Crispin Blunt MP for Reigate and Banstead represents all the people living in Reigate and Banstead; Barrister represents the accused in court; Children in their school uniform represent the school they go to].
John the Baptist was getting people ready for Jesus’ arrival by telling people to repent (asking God to forgive them) and by being baptised (as a way of showing that they had). What happens next is a bit of a surprise.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John.” (Matthew 3:13)
Why did Jesus get baptised? The reason He was baptised was to identify with and represent the people who He had come to save (the people who had asked God to forgive them and then baptised). By being baptised Himself, Jesus was saying, “I’m representing you!”
God the Father said Jesus had done a good thing because after Jesus was baptised, a voice from heaven said: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
Jesus was obeying God by representing the people He came to save.
More talks from The Big Bible Adventure can be found HERE.
