In the Christian circles I’m part of in Sydney, there’s a term we use when talking about some of the people in our churches: ‘self-starters’.
Have you ever found yourself wondering whether God really cares about the goings on of this world? Does he care about the violence and pain that so many people suffer? Does he even notice that most people don't even believe he exists, let alone obey his commands? (5 studies)
Like many churches, we got quite a few visitors at our Christmas carols and Christmas Day service. This year we tried something new: we made available some free books for people to take if they were interested. One was a simple Christmas-themed evangelistic book (A Very Different Christmas, published by the Good Book Company), and the second was The Book of Books (from Matthias Media).
I don’t get the privilege of preaching very often, so when I do it tends to be memorable—probably not for the congregation, but definitely for me. Earlier this year I was preaching on Habakkuk 3, and in my introduction I shared a personal experience of having my world shaken 24 years ago by something unexpected and distressing.
Three great resources to try: Gospel Speech, A Very Different Christmas, The Book of Books.
Now that my kids are all grown up, it’s hard to say exactly which ages and stages I enjoyed most as a parent. There were different things to enjoy all the way through. And there still are, of course, now that they are adults.
At a Christmas Day church service I attended some years ago, the service leader started reading what he thought was a pretty humorous debunking of the “Santa delivering toys to every home on Christmas Eve” story.
Confession time. When it comes to church, I’m a poor singer. I don’t mean that I am unenthusiastic. No, I enjoy singing a lot, and (although I haven’t asked around) I suspect my brothers and sisters at Castle Cove Anglican Church would say that my volume is, if nothing else, suggestive of enthusiasm.
You’ve probably heard the old saying “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. When it comes to ministry, it’s a useful adage that helps us review and stay on track with what we are doing.
It’s a word that drives just about any pastor to despair (although not necessarily because he sees it in his own heart and life). The word? Consumerism.