The Old Testament contains tons of examples of boldness in the face of authority that makes us look week, today I want to look at the example of Nehemiah who is in a position of relationship with the King and uses that to make a request.
The king genuinely cares about Nehemiah so is perceptive:
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” (Nehemiah 2:1-4 NIV)
The King in this case is not some harsh ruler, but one that has inherited the Israelites as captives, Nehemiah serves the King as his cupbearer and so they have gotten to know each other and so the king knows when things don't look right with Nehemiah, so he asks him what is wrong. For Nehemiah it is that the city is in ruins, it is the city of God and as such it is his God being disgraced, but it was done by the king's ancestors, he is bold in telling the king about this, yet the king cares and asks him what he wants, the king is a man of means and he can make this happen.
And so Nehemiah continues to be bold:
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. (Nehemiah 2:4b-9 NIV)
Notice the first thing that Nehemiah does is to pray, he asks God for boldness that he may tell the king what he wants, and so God gives him that boldness, and Nehemiah goes for it. Not only that but the King agrees, and with this new sense of boldness Nehemiah makes more requests to enable him to do his job fully, and these are some big requests, but again the king agrees and allows Nehemiah to go, not only so but he protects him on his mission, making sure he will return safely.
Why aren't we as bold as Nehemiah? Perhaps we don't pray enough, God tells us that if we pray for it we will be given it, so maybe that's it, Nehemiah prays and straight away makes his request. Perhaps we fear failure too much? Nehemiah didn't he would have been perfectly fine if the King said no but God wasn't going to let that be an option, the possibility of not getting the right answer didn't bother Nehemiah, why? Because he left that up to God, it was his job to pose the question it was up to God and the king as to whether things would happen for him. Let us be more bold in 2012, not worrying about failure but leaving things up to God as we live boldly for him.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Even the Gentiles!
The book of Acts is a crucial part of God's word, it gives us the back ground to how Christianity took it's roots and for believers a long way from Jerusalem it gives them the basis to have an equal footing with all other believers as the Gospel goes out.
Yesterday we saw Peter speak at the house of a Gentile, today we see the reaction to that:
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:15-17 NIV)
Peter recalls the events that happened, that he spoke to the crowd and he saw the Holy Spirit come on them, remembering that this was what Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit would come upon his people, and so it made no sense to Peter that they couldn't be baptized and be Christians as well.
The rest of the believers respond:
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18 NIV)
It is because of God's giving of the Holy Spirit that we see their objections being taken away. Of course, this means that they missed the point for thousands of years, although this is not really their fault, Jewish society created a religion that was tied with nationalism, which was never God's intent. The Jewish nation was to be a light to the world and lead to people coming to God, instead they made it a nationalistic religion and hence God's giving of the Holy Spirit even to Gentiles is mind blowing for this group.
As a result the word of God goes out:
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21 NIV)
What's interesting is that those who are acting as missionaries from Jerusalem are still only speaking to the Jews, it is the believers who come from Cyprus that speak to Gentiles, in other words only Gentiles spoke to Gentiles at this stage, while they believed it, it took some time for them to actually put that belief in to practice, even though Antioch is a crucial part of our history, it is here where believers are first called Christians and it is where Paul starts his ministry perhaps kicking off some serious ministry to the Gentiles.
Let us not just believe things in theory but let us put the things we believe in to practice living out our faith.
Yesterday we saw Peter speak at the house of a Gentile, today we see the reaction to that:
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:15-17 NIV)
Peter recalls the events that happened, that he spoke to the crowd and he saw the Holy Spirit come on them, remembering that this was what Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit would come upon his people, and so it made no sense to Peter that they couldn't be baptized and be Christians as well.
The rest of the believers respond:
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18 NIV)
It is because of God's giving of the Holy Spirit that we see their objections being taken away. Of course, this means that they missed the point for thousands of years, although this is not really their fault, Jewish society created a religion that was tied with nationalism, which was never God's intent. The Jewish nation was to be a light to the world and lead to people coming to God, instead they made it a nationalistic religion and hence God's giving of the Holy Spirit even to Gentiles is mind blowing for this group.
As a result the word of God goes out:
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21 NIV)
What's interesting is that those who are acting as missionaries from Jerusalem are still only speaking to the Jews, it is the believers who come from Cyprus that speak to Gentiles, in other words only Gentiles spoke to Gentiles at this stage, while they believed it, it took some time for them to actually put that belief in to practice, even though Antioch is a crucial part of our history, it is here where believers are first called Christians and it is where Paul starts his ministry perhaps kicking off some serious ministry to the Gentiles.
Let us not just believe things in theory but let us put the things we believe in to practice living out our faith.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Showing favoritism
We all know the story well, Cornelius, a Roman centurion calls for Peter to come visit him. Peter has a vision as the men are on their way where 'unclean' animals are brought down on a sheet and God encourages Peter to eat them but he refuses. It is a crucial moment in Peter's ministry as he realizes that God doesn't show favoritism.
And so he goes to Cornelius' house:
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” (Acts 10:27-29 NIV)
Peter heads inside and sees an impressive crowd, and he reminds them that what he is doing would be completely against Jewish law, yet he's not Jewish but a Christian now and God has now made it very clear to him that he is allowed to do this, so he went, not raising any objection, indeed Peter doesn't even know why he was asked for he went because God told him to go.
Cornelius tells Peter his side of the story:
Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” (Acts 10:30-33 NIV)
And so we hear about Cornelius' prayer, he is clearly very devout even though he is not ethnically Jewish which must push Peter even further, here is a Roman who is not at all ethnically Jewish but he talks about how he lives a devout life for God, Peter is fast having to adjust.
So Peter does adjust:
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:34-38 NIV)
Peter finally realizes that it is not where your from but what your relationship with God is and as such he sees that Cornelius is acceptable to God and he feels free to preach the Gospel to the audience even though we don't see anyone there as ethnically Jewish, the church is starting to spread to the Gentiles!
So while this might not be a huge issue for us, the Jews and Gentiles divide we still have divides. Whether they be political, cultural, based on socio-economic status, they are all wrong. We are all acceptable to God, and he doesn't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat or an ALP man or a Liberal man, that's all irrelevant to him and so it should be to us. The election season has kicked off in the US and we must not let this define us but rather our relationship with God.
And so he goes to Cornelius' house:
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” (Acts 10:27-29 NIV)
Peter heads inside and sees an impressive crowd, and he reminds them that what he is doing would be completely against Jewish law, yet he's not Jewish but a Christian now and God has now made it very clear to him that he is allowed to do this, so he went, not raising any objection, indeed Peter doesn't even know why he was asked for he went because God told him to go.
Cornelius tells Peter his side of the story:
Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” (Acts 10:30-33 NIV)
And so we hear about Cornelius' prayer, he is clearly very devout even though he is not ethnically Jewish which must push Peter even further, here is a Roman who is not at all ethnically Jewish but he talks about how he lives a devout life for God, Peter is fast having to adjust.
So Peter does adjust:
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:34-38 NIV)
Peter finally realizes that it is not where your from but what your relationship with God is and as such he sees that Cornelius is acceptable to God and he feels free to preach the Gospel to the audience even though we don't see anyone there as ethnically Jewish, the church is starting to spread to the Gentiles!
So while this might not be a huge issue for us, the Jews and Gentiles divide we still have divides. Whether they be political, cultural, based on socio-economic status, they are all wrong. We are all acceptable to God, and he doesn't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat or an ALP man or a Liberal man, that's all irrelevant to him and so it should be to us. The election season has kicked off in the US and we must not let this define us but rather our relationship with God.
Friday, January 6, 2012
If it is from God
Often the Sanhedrin, the judicial branch of the Jewish people, made statements that were more prophetic than they realize, I've spoken before about the statement that it would be better for one man to die for the good of the people but today comes to the apostles. Peter & John have been preaching in the Temple Courts, which you can imagine didn't go over very well with the Jewish leadership who haul them before the Sanhedrin and then put them in jail. But that's not where it ends, they get out after the divine intervention from God and then preach again.
And so the process begins again:
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” (Acts 5:27-28 NIV)
Hauled in before the Sanhedrin they again reiterate that they'd told the disciples not to preach yet they continued to preach. They feel threatened by the Apostle's preaching which has now filled Jerusalem, they believe the apostles are making them guilty of killing Jesus, yet what the apostles make us realize is that we are ALL guilty of killing Jesus, we all sin and fall short of God's glory and have committed the sins that caused Jesus to be sacrificed for our sins.
But Peter also responds in much the same way:
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:29-32 NIV)
The Apostles are consistent again as they again say that they must obey God, it was the same way they responded when they first brought in, they are just speaking about what they have seen and heard, God is a higher authority than even the Sanhedrin and so they must obey him instead. Beyond that they now claim to have the Holy Spirit which until Acts had only been on individuals for set times, now has come on anyone who puts their faith in Christ.
And that is the final straw for the Sanhedrin:
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:33-39 NIV)
They are so angered by that assertion that they decide they'd like to put the apostles to death for claiming something like that. But then Gamaliel does something unexpected, he suggests letting them preach and his wisdom is very Godly. While he disagrees with the apostles he leaves open the possibility that they may be right because God has worked in unexpected ways in the past, so he allows that this could be it. Gamaliel knows his history he has seen people come and go and as such he knows that if this is along those lines it will fail but if it is from God they should not fight against it because they'd be fighting against God.
I think too often we try to fight against God, we hear things that we don't like instead of trying to examine them we just yell against it. What we should do when we hear things we don't like, examine them against the Bible and what God actually says.
And so the process begins again:
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” (Acts 5:27-28 NIV)
Hauled in before the Sanhedrin they again reiterate that they'd told the disciples not to preach yet they continued to preach. They feel threatened by the Apostle's preaching which has now filled Jerusalem, they believe the apostles are making them guilty of killing Jesus, yet what the apostles make us realize is that we are ALL guilty of killing Jesus, we all sin and fall short of God's glory and have committed the sins that caused Jesus to be sacrificed for our sins.
But Peter also responds in much the same way:
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:29-32 NIV)
The Apostles are consistent again as they again say that they must obey God, it was the same way they responded when they first brought in, they are just speaking about what they have seen and heard, God is a higher authority than even the Sanhedrin and so they must obey him instead. Beyond that they now claim to have the Holy Spirit which until Acts had only been on individuals for set times, now has come on anyone who puts their faith in Christ.
And that is the final straw for the Sanhedrin:
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:33-39 NIV)
They are so angered by that assertion that they decide they'd like to put the apostles to death for claiming something like that. But then Gamaliel does something unexpected, he suggests letting them preach and his wisdom is very Godly. While he disagrees with the apostles he leaves open the possibility that they may be right because God has worked in unexpected ways in the past, so he allows that this could be it. Gamaliel knows his history he has seen people come and go and as such he knows that if this is along those lines it will fail but if it is from God they should not fight against it because they'd be fighting against God.
I think too often we try to fight against God, we hear things that we don't like instead of trying to examine them we just yell against it. What we should do when we hear things we don't like, examine them against the Bible and what God actually says.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Devil and the word
The story of the temptation of Jesus is a great one to us, Jesus was tempted and felt the pain of that but he didn't give in to that and the way he deals with things is a significant example to us. Also revealing to us is the way the devil behaves in this incident as it shows us how the Devil really works.
First of all the devil targets need:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4 NIV)
This is an interesting one because surely it would have been OK for Jesus to eat, the devil offers him something that seems to be fine, if you're hungry why not eat, what's the problem? The problem is priorities as Jesus puts it by quoting from the Bible, he says that bread is one thing but without God it's pointless. Jesus makes God his priority above even food, and he uses the Bible to combat the devil. Jesus' example shows us that it is through studying God's word that we can combat the devil's attacks, knowledge of God will help us overcome.
From there the devil targets piety:
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:5-7 NIV)
The devil sees that Jesus uses the word of God to combat him and thinks that he can use the word of God to trap Jesus. We should never fool ourselves into thinking that the devil is not smart, he is incredibly intelligent and will meet us head on and adapt as we adapt. This also means that we shouldn't take people using the Bible to back themselves up at facevalue but rather examine the word of God and make sure it matches up. Again Jesus goes back to the Bible, he doesn't need to show off his holiness to bring glory to God because he shouldn't be testing God, the devil loses out again.
And so the devil continues, looking to entice with power:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:8-10 NIV)
Power is a very tempting thing but the old saying is true "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" Jesus is offered control of the world by the devil if he worships him. Of course Jesus already has the world so it's a silly offer but he tries none the less and of course Jesus doesn't buy it again going back to the Bible.
Jesus is the model for us, he always goes back to the Bible and he maintains a good relationship with The Father that helps him to combat the Devil's threats. Even in not responding to the promise of ruling the earth does Jesus provide an example, because that is something that we also will inherit through Christ and as such that is no real promise to us. Let us remember the example of Christ as we undergo temptation.
First of all the devil targets need:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4 NIV)
This is an interesting one because surely it would have been OK for Jesus to eat, the devil offers him something that seems to be fine, if you're hungry why not eat, what's the problem? The problem is priorities as Jesus puts it by quoting from the Bible, he says that bread is one thing but without God it's pointless. Jesus makes God his priority above even food, and he uses the Bible to combat the devil. Jesus' example shows us that it is through studying God's word that we can combat the devil's attacks, knowledge of God will help us overcome.
From there the devil targets piety:
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:5-7 NIV)
The devil sees that Jesus uses the word of God to combat him and thinks that he can use the word of God to trap Jesus. We should never fool ourselves into thinking that the devil is not smart, he is incredibly intelligent and will meet us head on and adapt as we adapt. This also means that we shouldn't take people using the Bible to back themselves up at facevalue but rather examine the word of God and make sure it matches up. Again Jesus goes back to the Bible, he doesn't need to show off his holiness to bring glory to God because he shouldn't be testing God, the devil loses out again.
And so the devil continues, looking to entice with power:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:8-10 NIV)
Power is a very tempting thing but the old saying is true "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" Jesus is offered control of the world by the devil if he worships him. Of course Jesus already has the world so it's a silly offer but he tries none the less and of course Jesus doesn't buy it again going back to the Bible.
Jesus is the model for us, he always goes back to the Bible and he maintains a good relationship with The Father that helps him to combat the Devil's threats. Even in not responding to the promise of ruling the earth does Jesus provide an example, because that is something that we also will inherit through Christ and as such that is no real promise to us. Let us remember the example of Christ as we undergo temptation.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Quarterly Update - Q4 2011
Hi all,
It's been another busy quarter for us but we're loving life and are looking forward to 2012, 2011 has been a great year on the whole!
Ministry
It's hard to believe I've already been at Bracken for six months! There's been so much in this last quarter, the Pumpkin Patch and the Fall Festival were both very successful events that were well attended by the community and I enjoyed getting to speak to lots of people. There have been some communication issues in my ministry that came to light this quarter but after some prayer, thinking and some help from a fellow member of staff who pitched in some ideas they came round well, it was painful for a while and looking back on my mistakes still hurts but it's good to have learned from them. I find that I'm enjoying the Children's Ministry side of the job more than I think I thought I would, even if some days I'm not feeling up to it the kids just give me the energy to kick on and do a good job, and I feed off that energy all day. Things are going well, the youth group on Sunday evening has gotten too big to run as a Bible Study so we're switching to a talk format as 2012 begins and the Midweek Children's Ministry has been successful, they're now going to meet every week instead of every second week, they've been learning the ten commandments and they're doing a great job.
Prayer:
Pray for me that I would faithfully teach the word of God, that I would make spiritual growth my priority.
Pray for my relationships with parents, kids and youth that they would continue to grow.
Pray for all the members of our groups that they would grow in knowledge and understanding of God.
Family
Channing and I have moved in to the Parsonage, so we now live on the church property which has greatly shortened my commute, it's much bigger than we need but it allows us to have guests which is neat, we've already had Channing's Mother stay with us. We also have an addition to the family, we got a puppy a rat terrier that we have named d'Artagnan. He follows me on my interval runs (the church property is big enough to run intervals around) and he's good fun even if we're still trying to train him.
Pray:
That I would show Channing that I love her and be a good and loving husband.
Football/Soccer
This quarter saw two college tournaments come to town which kept me busy, I was able to pick up $200 covering the NCAA Division III tournament for two North East newspapers which was a nice boost. Things are picking up, media wise, I've become the soccer correspondent for the local Sports Magazine (which may be getting a TV Show) and I'm also going to get accreditation for both Texas MLS teams as a Texas correspondent for a Pacific North West website, that won't involve a whole lot of actual writing it's more a good way to get a season pass to both clubs.
Pray:
That I would put sport in the right place, not ahead of God & Wife
That the time I spend on this would be refreshing not a chore
It's been another busy quarter for us but we're loving life and are looking forward to 2012, 2011 has been a great year on the whole!
Ministry
It's hard to believe I've already been at Bracken for six months! There's been so much in this last quarter, the Pumpkin Patch and the Fall Festival were both very successful events that were well attended by the community and I enjoyed getting to speak to lots of people. There have been some communication issues in my ministry that came to light this quarter but after some prayer, thinking and some help from a fellow member of staff who pitched in some ideas they came round well, it was painful for a while and looking back on my mistakes still hurts but it's good to have learned from them. I find that I'm enjoying the Children's Ministry side of the job more than I think I thought I would, even if some days I'm not feeling up to it the kids just give me the energy to kick on and do a good job, and I feed off that energy all day. Things are going well, the youth group on Sunday evening has gotten too big to run as a Bible Study so we're switching to a talk format as 2012 begins and the Midweek Children's Ministry has been successful, they're now going to meet every week instead of every second week, they've been learning the ten commandments and they're doing a great job.
Prayer:
Pray for me that I would faithfully teach the word of God, that I would make spiritual growth my priority.
Pray for my relationships with parents, kids and youth that they would continue to grow.
Pray for all the members of our groups that they would grow in knowledge and understanding of God.
Family
Channing and I have moved in to the Parsonage, so we now live on the church property which has greatly shortened my commute, it's much bigger than we need but it allows us to have guests which is neat, we've already had Channing's Mother stay with us. We also have an addition to the family, we got a puppy a rat terrier that we have named d'Artagnan. He follows me on my interval runs (the church property is big enough to run intervals around) and he's good fun even if we're still trying to train him.
Pray:
That I would show Channing that I love her and be a good and loving husband.
Football/Soccer
This quarter saw two college tournaments come to town which kept me busy, I was able to pick up $200 covering the NCAA Division III tournament for two North East newspapers which was a nice boost. Things are picking up, media wise, I've become the soccer correspondent for the local Sports Magazine (which may be getting a TV Show) and I'm also going to get accreditation for both Texas MLS teams as a Texas correspondent for a Pacific North West website, that won't involve a whole lot of actual writing it's more a good way to get a season pass to both clubs.
Pray:
That I would put sport in the right place, not ahead of God & Wife
That the time I spend on this would be refreshing not a chore
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