Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood have launched a new website. This is an important subject in the Bible that we need to think clearly about since it does affect what we do together in our fellowship at church. There is a wealth of material on this website, but a good place to start would be the "Answers to Key Questions" page.

great website

www.christianity.net.au is a great website to share with people who want to find out about Christianity.

Bitterness

It is easy to get upset and angry about things in life. That's OK. But to keep dwelling on a situation and allowing anger to build day after day is a terrible thing. It leads to bitterness. Pauls says this in his letter to the Ephesian church:

"And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Ephesians 4:26-27

There must be a time limit to your anger. By the end of the day you need to sort it out. Don't go to bed with it hanging over you.

Sleep - are you getting enough?

I know that the Rugby Union is on, but are you getting enough sleep? It is important to be on top of life so you can lead a godly life during the day. Check out this site to get some more info on sleep.

Archdeacon Deryck Howell preaching 30th Sept

It has been planned for a while for Deryck to visit us, but things almost changed! Last Saturday Deryck broke three bones in his foot but that isn't going to stop him. We really look forward to his visit and him sharing from Psalm 49.

Photos of Lamb Spit Lunch

It was great to share lunch together after church on Sunday. A great reminder of the fellowship we have together in Christ. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Archbishop on child abuse

Sydney Morning Herald article here.

Lost and found!

I was pretty excited tonight. Having lost my mobile phone earlier in the day I found it again. Nothing surprising I hear you say (particularly for me!). The difference was that I lost it while I was wiring up our church office with gigabit ethernet.

I had crawled through the roof space above the offices, stretching right out to the eaves and had navigated the maze of under floor brick walls under the rectory to get to where the router was. I now had to retrace my steps.

After getting back from Synod (more on that later) I got another set of old clothes on and armed with Beth's phone and a torch went in search of the lost phone. I started in the roof. I wasn't sure if the phone was on silent so as I rang it, looking out to see if there was the faint glow of the LCD screen. There was no sound and no dim glow.

By this time I was already dirty and had time to hit under the house. The maze of walls under the house almost needs mapping and a GPS to know where you are. About half way under I rang the phone and 'Eureka!' I could here the ringtone coming from the dirt under my study. Around the corner was my phone - it must have just slipped out of my pocket as I dragged myself along the dirt with only about a foot clearence to the floor above. Was I happy to see it!

It reminded me of Luke 15:8-10 (NLT)

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Thank you Trinity boys

Thanks to the boys from Trinity Grammar who helped out on the property last week. They were able to trim the hedge, pruned some bushes, install termite baits, clear junk from under the Rectory and spread out the mulch on the gardens. Thanks!

gaming? gambling? greed?

When I left uni and had interviews for computer engineering jobs, one of them had gaming as part of the project options. It was for the Keno network around clubs in NSW. If I remember correctly there was considerable effort put into delivering a good experience of the game while still trying to maximise the return to the owners within the legal limits. There were considerable technical issues in computer networking and the coding required to achieve these results. But wait a minute. Did I say gaming?

In my naivety I thought when they starting talking about gaming it was for computer gaming - developing the likes of HALO etc. But no, gaming was the new word for gambling. It was a euphemism to try and take away the reality of the fact of gambling. People might say they don't gamble because of the possibility of winning (greed), but nobody would put their money in if they knew for a fact they wouldn't win. Therefore, at the heart of all gambling is greed. Whether they admit it or not, they are in it to win it. You can't get away from that hard fact.

Sure greed can come in other forms, but in essence all gambling is greed just wrapped up in different forms. Not only is gambling morally wrong but it also produces outcomes that are hugely destructive to individuals. If you have ever met a family with someone who has a gambling problem you will know what I mean.

I was staggered to hear that we have more poker machines than any other nation on this planet (and there are plenty of nations bigger than ours!) Where does it all end? I know that we value freedom of choice in our country, but the reality is gambling is just a bondage to sin.

• Sydney Morning Herald Article about gambling
• facts about gambling in Australia
  
• Sydney Problem Gambling Centre
  

Lamb spit after church - 23 Sept

After church this Sunday we will be sharing lunch together as Suli organises a wonderful lamb spit. Join us at 9.30am for church and then for lunch afterwards.

The most mobile missionaries.

You know those scales of the most feared things in life:

1. public speaking
2. death
3. asking someone out
4. etc
   

I have a suspicion that changing churches is for most people is like a near 'death' experience. Even if there are good reasons to leave your church, and even greater reasons to join another, it is always very, very hard. It is just easier to live with whatever difficulties that exit.

What happens if there are good reasons to stay and changing would be difficult and frustrating? What then? That's what I need a handful of people to do for our church.

I know that we need serious help. With the 38 kids we had at church last week we just don't have the resources to do the things we need to do now, let alone the things we need to do be doing. The kind of help we need is the kind given by those who join us, not just float in and out.

I made up a video thinking about some of this stuff and how ordinary Christians are the ones that make the best missionaries.

new couches

During the week we received a very generous gift of three couches for inside the church building. I think they are going to be great, particularly during morning tea. Click on the photo for a larger version.

38 kids and we need help!

Almost half our congregation are kids and we need help. If you are able to teach Sunday School or help out with creche I would love to talk to you. We particularly need people who have been Christian for a while and experienced in ministry to children to join our church to help in this vital ministry. Please be in contact with me.

Archbishop's Presidential Address

I was at Synod* today with David Loane and Thelma Thoms (and hundreds of others!). The Archibishop pointed us to the goodness of God in the gospel and the great need our city has to hear it.

It challenged me to think about what sacrifices I need to make in service of our Lord. It was also a particular challenge to our church as one that is trying to reach people in their 20s and people from many different ethnic backgrounds. Check out the address here.

Listen or download the MP3 here.

*Synod is the yearly meeting of representatives from Anglican churches in Sydney.

Rector's Spot 16th September

Light of the world

Last Sunday Peter Blowes from CMS gave a great talk on being light of the world from Act 13. Listen to the talk below or download it here.

Thanks for the monitor

We have received the very generous gift of a 21" Sony monitor to use for the words for our singers. Thanks.

throwing yourself on the mercy of God

King David knew that before the judgment seat of God he didn't have any hope trusting in his own righteousness. What he needed was to experience the mercy of God in forgiveness:

"O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness
and righteousness come to my relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you."
Psalm 143:1-2

The same has been true for everyone for all time. The only hope each one of us has on the day of judgment is to have received forgiveness from God. The great news is that God does hear our cry for mercy, he is willing to forgive. As the Apostle Peter says,

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39.

ministry to Muslims

Check out this great little article about sharing the good news of Jesus with our Muslim friends.

Wanted - a monitor for singers

I'm looking for a monitor that can be used for our singers so they can see the words for our songs. What would be ideal is an old CRT 21" monitor. If it was black that would be even better. Let me know if you something like this that you could send our way.

A paper about 'a name for mission'

Here is an electronic version of the paper I gave out at church today. It looks at some of the issues we face as we think about a name for our congregation that will be useful for us in our mission.

The Bible for everyone

It's amazing that so many people have written-off Jesus without reading the original documents. There are plans brewing to put the Bible in the hands of every person in Sydney in 2009. Check out an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about our archbishop's goal.

Reaching the next generation

Check out here what a group of churches in Brisbane is doing to reach the next generation for Christ. The local newspaper wrote it up here.

New song at church

Over the next few weeks we are learning a new song called "Let your kingdom come". Check it out here to listen to the song and here to check out the words.

drunk no more?

What would Sydney be like if nobody got drunk. A much better place! That is to be us as Christians. Getting drunk is not to be part of the life of a Christian. As someone who has been rescued from sin we are not to be part of it again. As the apostle Paul says,

"Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

We particularly need to help young men and women take responsibility for their lives. Alcohol is a culprit in this because in our culture it flies 'below the radar' even though it is the drug which causes the most devastation.

Some interesting statistics are:

1. Each year, around 3,000 people die and 65,000 people are hospitalised as a result of alcohol abuse.
2. Researchers have estimated that 47% of all those who commit violent crimes, and 43% of all victims of these crimes, were drunk prior to the event.
3. 2,500 Australians are treated for alcohol related brain damage every year.
4. The annual cost of alcohol-related social problems to the Australian community was estimated in 1998-99 to total $7.6 billion.

For more information about binge drinking, it's affects and the details of the statistics check out this pdf from the Salvos.

Peter Blowes from CMS to preach on Sunday 9th

Peter Blowes, a former Church Missionary Society missionary to Argentina will be preaching this Sunday in church. He will be continuing our series 'My life caught up in God's mission" with teaching from Acts 13.

Peter is currently on the staff of CMS Australia as a Mission Personnel Secretary taking care of the placement, training and ongoing pastoring of missionaries in the field.

Church - multigenerational and multiethnic

The good news of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus is for all people. It means that the people he is bringing together come from many different backgrounds and ages. At a local level this is also often true. A local church will reflect the demographics of the local area.

For example, a church in an area popular with retirees will often have many retirees in it. My brother David and his family went to a great church in an area like this in Bournemouth in the UK, Christchurch Westbourne. Other churches are in much more mixed areas. A church like Evergreen Baptist church in Los Angeles welcomes people from many different backgrounds, both racial and generational.

Our church is in an area more like Los Angeles than Bournemouth. It means that as Christ saves and transforms people in our area we can expect people (and want people!) to join us from a huge variety of backgrounds.

Pigeons gone from bell tower

We had a great time on Saturday putting up the last of the pigeon spikes stopping the pigeons getting into the bell tower. We also got the grass mowed and started to get the mulch onto the gardens. Thanks Doug, Michael, Neale, Marian, Thelma and Neville.

What is your mission?

In church today I spoke about Jesus' mission to bring salvation to people from all nations. The message of Jesus is one that continues to come to challenge people to turn to God and receive the forgiveness of their sins. Each one of us needs to do just that.

The picture of the Christian life is now of someone who has been caught up in the mission of God.

At the end of church I got everyone to write down in a couple of sentences their personal 'mission statement' as a Christian. What's yours?

Recipes for hospitality

Jesus was always sharing meals with people. It was a demonstration of his acceptance of people. The key thing for being hospitable is having a heart for others. If you want to share a meal, food then becomes pretty important!

I thought it would be great if people could share their recipes and ideas for hospitality on this blog. Here is one of my favourites for when we have people over for coffee:

Beth's Brownies
5 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
0.75 cup self-raising flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
125g margarine
1 cup sugar
0.5 cup sultanas
1 tablespoon icing sugar

1. Combine cocoa, melted butter, egg, sugar, add rest of dry ingredients and mix.
2. Add sultanas and combine.
3. Bake in slice tin at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. After cooling sprinkle icing sugar over brownies.

Let me know how they turn out!