Mark Conner's Space

eBooks

Now that I am a Kindle user (yes, I received one from some good friends for my recent birthday!), I'm starting to learn a bit more about eBooks - or 'electronic books.' True, there is nothing quite like holding a book in your hands and flipping through its pages, but eBooks can open up an entire new world.

Amazon has a corner on the market for books dedicated to the Kindle, their own eBook reader. However, you can download other documents to the Kindle, as well as a variety of eBooks. You can also read eBooks on your computer via the aid of an eReader. A popular eReader is Mobipocket (they were bought out by Amazon a few years back, but don't let that hold you back from checking it out). Mobipocket is free and can be used to read eBooks on your computer or mobile phone. You can even create your own eBooks.

Another good thing about Mobipocket is that it can convert all sorts of file types (PDF, Office, HTML, text, etc) into eBook format (including for the Kindle). You can use it to read books, newspapers, magazines or reference materials. You can even learn another language with it.

Best of all, there a heaps of sites with free eBooks. Here a few for starters ...

1. Manybooks
2. Feedbooks
3. Free Tech Books
4. Google Books
5. Guttenberg
6. Mobipocket free eBooks - in multiple languages
7. A list of 20 web sites for downloading free eBooks
8. Another list of 25 sites

Happy reading!

P.S. For a few thoughts on the art of reading, click here. If you are struggling with 'information overload', click here for a few suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Wonders – November 2009

The World Wide Web is an amazing source of information and communication. However, it's becoming so huge and complex that you can easily get lost in it or miss out on some of spots well worth visiting. Last month I shared a variety of sites that may be if interest to you. Here are some more:

1. GADGETS. Visit www.productwiki.com for a thorough listing and review of all sorts of gadgets. For local price comparison here in Australia, check out www.staticice.com.au
2. GARDENING. Visit Gardening Australia at www.abc.net.au/gardening if you need help or inspiration for your garden. Also, check out www.thevegetablepatch.com, www.burkesbackyard.com.au and www.weekendgardener.net.
3. EATING OUT. Looking for somewhere to eat out? Visit www.webmenu.com.au for a list of restaurants in all Australian capital cities and then browse menus for most of them. Other details include maps and opening hours.
4. PERFUME. Looking for a special gift? Check out www.perfumeempire.com.au for some great fragrance bargains, with discounts up to 80% off the recommended retail price.
5. BOOKS. Visit www.amazon.com – this is the world's largest online bookshop (they also sell all sorts of other stuff too). Prices are very reasonable and they usually can post internationally. For many of the books you can have a look inside at the table of contents and first chapter, as well as the back cover. It's also a good place to read reviews of various books you may be interested in. In some cases, you can get a good overview of the entire book, without even having to purchase it. A good Australian online book site worth visiting is www.booktopia.com.au and a good UK site with free shipping worldwide is the book depository.

Happy surfing!

Mark

A Healthy Drink ...

Water is one of the most essential and healthy drinks that there is. Some nutritionists believe that it's good to drink around 8 glasses of water each day. Other people are into herbal teas of all sorts - green, peppermint, chamomile, to name a few. Still others say that a glass of red wine a day is good for your health, especially for your heart (though caution needs to be taken due to the potential damage caused by excessive alcohol).

Another drink developed recently by scientists at the University of Queensland is a tea called Spearole. Each cup contains the health value (antioxidants) of one glass of red wine, and three cups of tea (spearmint, olive and green). It's very tasty too. I can drink to that!

Charter of Rights

Today's post includes excerpts from a recent letter to Australian church leaders from Jim Wallace, Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby. I encourage you to read it, take appropriate action, and ask others to do the same ...

With the National Human Rights Consultation Panel having reported to Government in favour of a Charter of Rights, we have serious concerns that this might become a reality, and that while doing little if anything to improve human rights for the most vulnerable, it would create a serious threat to religious freedom. Paradoxically it would inhibit the Church in maintaining the Christian character and purpose of its own welfare and outreach to the poor and disadvantaged.

As we have seen in the Victorian churches and Christian Schools fight to retain their right to discriminate in favour of Christians in employment during the last year, a Charter will almost certainly be used by activists to attack the church and religious freedom. Cardinal George Pell’s article in the Australian clearly articulates the real and present danger a Federal charter of rights poses to religious freedom.

This situation has come about because Christians at the grass roots level have largely been absent from the debate, and particularly the public consultation process, allowing proponents of the Charter to claim they have a strong groundswell of popular support.  It is now necessary to reverse this by Church congregations becoming active.

We need as many people as possible emailing, writing and visiting their local members and Senators and voicing their concerns about a charter ... A short brief is attached of points to emphasise ... More information is on the Make a Stand web site.

We also need as many people as possible to sign the electronic petition available on the Make a Stand web site. We are currently sitting at about 15,000 signatures but will need over 30,000! We will have the petition tabled in Parliament during the November sitting weeks (November 16-26th), so we need to sign people up quickly.

The Christian constituency is one of the largest and potentially most influential in the country, but only if it shows commitment. This is a critical issue of religious freedom on which commitment is required ...

Thanks for your help.

Jim Wallace AM

Free Audio Sermons

As of this weekend our church is moving all of our weekend messages online and making them available free of charge. We no longer sell CDs or DVDs. Right now there is a library of about 100 messages available. Click here to visit the library.

Messages can be downloaded for listening to either on your computer or your favourite mp3 player. You can also convert them to an audio CD using a program like iTunes.

New messages from this weekend onwards should be up on the web site by about Tuesday noon each week.

We also have a weekly podcast, which is a single selected message from the above library. This is available directly from our web site or via iTunes. Click here for more details.

If you use iTunes, we also provide an RSS feed that you can subscribe to in iTunes so that you can download the messages directly into iTunes and, if you choose, to automatically get new messages as they are added.

Happy listening!

P.S. We're still thinking through how best to make a visual of each message available now that we no longer sell DVDs. We may consider a video podcast in the near future.

Conner Publications

With the recent closing our of church bookshop, WORD Australia is now the official distributor of books by Kevin, Mark and Nicole Conner. WORD currently has nineteen locations throughout Australia as well as an excellent online shop. Of course, you should be able to find these books in most other Christian bookstores throughout Australia and New Zealand, including Koorong.

For those living in the USA, check out City Christian Publishing or Anchor Distributors. Sower's Seed distributes many of my dad's resources in the Asian area.

Happy reading :)

Pentecostalism (Pt.4)

A few final thoughts for my Pentecostal friends ...

I recommend that we continue to be unapologetic about our Pentecostal roots and its distinctive values, while clearly communicating the strengths and weaknesses we see in this movement and our response to them.

Referring to ourselves as “Pentecostal” can be helpful for those Christians who are seeking a tribe to identify us with. However, we should all take steps to clarify our uniqueness. In fact, why don't we all make efforts to seek to model what potentially could be a more balanced and biblical brand of Pentecostalism without some of the baggage this movement has accumulated over recent decades.

However, let's not get overly caught up with the label "Pentecostal" (it literally means "50" and I'm not that old yet!). It is interesting to note that most denominations are named after a single issue: Baptists (baptism), Presbyterians (eldership rule), Methodists (Wesley’s method), Salvation Army (evangelism), and Pentecostals (the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Maybe it's time we all modeled a broader and more balanced approach rather than be labeled by a single doctrine.

Finally, let's continue to seek to pattern our beliefs and practices after the teaching of Jesus and the apostles as recorded in the New Testament. May we all experience a fresh Pentecost as the Spirit empowers us once again for kingdom purpose!

P.S. For a copy of these posts on 'Pentecostalism' in WORD format, including references in footnotes, click here. Please feel free to pass this around as I hope it generates some good healthy dialogue and discussion.

Pentecostalism (Pt.3)

I also see a number of weaknesses in some of the Pentecostal movement. Obviously, these not all of these weaknesses are limited to Pentecostals nor do all Pentecostal churches necessarily exhibit them.

1. Extreme Prosperity Teaching. Many Pentecostal churches have embraced the prosperity gospel which promises riches for those who love and obey God. One of the main problems with this teaching is the ‘give to get’ mentality which is so opposite to the nature of God. He loves and he gives unconditionally - with no strings attached. If we choose to give to God or to the poor in order to gain our own personal prosperity, something is wrong with our motives.

I believe that we should live generous lives, giving to the work of God and to those in need - simply because we love God and we love people. We should not give in order to get back for ourselves. Yes, there is often a by-product of personal blessing that comes with generosity but that should not be our motive or our goal.

If you define ‘prosperity’ as ‘having your own needs (not ‘greeds’) met and enough extra to give away,’ then I believe that it is God's will for everyone. We should all work towards that. However, there are much more important things than money and possessions. The kingdom of God has a different value system. It is made up of love, peace, and joy ... and these things are found in the Holy Spirit, not in material possessions. In fact, Paul tells us that the love of money is at the root of all evil (not money itself, but the love of it). The issue isn't whether we have stuff but whether our stuff has a hold on us. Of course, poverty is not better or more spiritual than prosperity. There is nothing pretty or desirable about poverty. That's why so many people are working around the globe today to make poverty history.

2. Autocratic Leadership Style. Some Pentecostal pastors, due to the honor and the freedom given to them, can develop an authoritarian and hierarchical leadership style. Although it is without doubt that strong leadership ability is a key factor in the growth and effectiveness of many Pentecostal congregations, sometimes this can also lead to a lack of appropriate accountability. Governance structures tend to be more relational than formal, and boards and teams of elders are usually led by senior ministers who see the board or eldership as their team and as working for them. Some even have staff and family members as board members, potentially blurring the accountability lines and not providing adequate separation between proposal creation and proposal review. In addition, if Pentecostal pastors see themselves as above criticism and see people who question various matters as rebellious, then dysfunction usually develops and there is an eventual drift out of the church of hurt and disillusioned people. When authority is abused, much damage can be done.

I believe that it is essential to embrace a servant and empowering leadership style. Appropriate accountability at all levels of leadership is also very important and should influence the way leadership and governance policies and practices are shaped. There needs to be a culture of openness to feedback and constructive criticism in church communities. Also, team ministry should be taught and practiced.

3. Shallow Bible Teaching. In the early days of Pentecostalism, academic or theological training often was frowned upon. Seminaries were seen as “cemeteries” due to their lack of emphasis on the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Even today, many Pentecostal pastors do not have more than a basic theological training. Unfortunately, this can lead to sermons that are high on inspiration but low on biblical content. Teaching can tend to be somewhat shallow and at times allegorical. Also, 'proof texting' is a common occurrence.

I believe that there needs to be a good balance between the Spirit and the Word. We need both the passion and energy of the Spirit and the safety and security of the Scriptures. We also should be committed to ensuring that teaching team members are well-trained in interpreting the original meaning of the Scriptures and then applying them appropriately to our contemporary context.

4. Elevation of Personal Experience. Some Pentecostal churches and preachers rely heavily on personal revelation (“God told me ...”). Personally, I believe that no personal experience or revelation is to be taken as more important or authoritative than the inspired Scriptures. All of these subjective matters need to be tested by the Word of God and considered in the light of how God has moved in and among his people throughout church history.

5. Elevation of Charisma over Character. Some Pentecostal churches are overly enamoured with charismatic personalities and spectacular spiritual gifts. I believe that all gifts are given for the purpose of serving for the benefit of the wider church and that the foundation of all ministry is to be a person’s character. Jesus said that we should test ministry by the fruit of their life not by the gifts or talents they exhibit.

6. An Unhealthy Elevation of Speaking in Tongues (or spiritual language). Some Pentecostal churches elevate speaking in tongues to such a level that those who have not experienced this gift are made to feel like second-class Christians. Other groups go to an even further extreme by saying that a person is not saved unless they speak in tongues. I believe that all Christians receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at conversion. Subsequent to this, I think that we should encourage all believers to ask for the baptism or infilling of the Spirit accompanied by a spiritual language, as I see this as an important aspect of the Christian life. However, we should not seek to pressure people nor look down on those who have not had this experience. I also believe that in church gatherings where unbelievers are present, appropriate discretion needs to be used in the public exercise of speaking in tongues (see 1 Cor.14:22-25).

7. An Instantaneous ‘Zap’ Mentality. Many Pentecostal churches place a strong emphasis on church meetings and on receiving a special touch from the Holy Spirit. I too believe in the importance of church gatherings and the special things God can do when we gather together. However, I believe that God’s presence is with us all the time and that we shouldn't buy into a separation of the sacred and secular. God is interested in all of our lives. I also believe in the change that can occur when a person encounters God in a powerful way (an ‘encounter’) but I acknowledge that even this is part of a continual process of change and growth that occurs throughout all of life.

8. End Time Hysteria. Some sections of the Pentecostal church go to extremes when it comes to end time teaching, emphasising the imminent return of Christ and getting ready for the rapture. I believe that all followers of Christ should live in such a way that they are always ready for his return but also with the wisdom and foresight that Jesus may not come back in our generation. We are to occupy, or be busy, until Jesus returns. This includes being about the work of the kingdom, which includes matters such as creation care and social justice.

9. Faith Healing. Some Pentecostal churches teach that all people should be healed and when healing does not take place it is an indication of sin or lack of faith in the life of the sick person. This heretical teaching can cause great damage in people’s lives. I believe that God does heal today and we pray for people to be healed. However, we recognise that sometimes people aren’t healed. This does not mean that a person lacks faith or has sin in their life. We live in a fallen world and we are caught between the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’ of the kingdom of God. Sin, sickness, and death were conquered by Christ but not yet do we see them eradicated from the world. We all await his return when the kingdom will come in its fullness and there will be no more crying, pain or death. Until then, we live in faith but we also recognise the reality of suffering in this present world, knowing that God’s grace and comfort are more than enough for us.

10. Extreme Focus on the Demonic. Some sectors of the Pentecostal church have a strong emphasis on the devil, demons, deliverance, and spiritual warfare. Without wanting to neglect an appropriate awareness of the spiritual battle that we are in, I think churches should seek to adopt a more balanced approach where the major focus is on glorifying God, living in the Spirit, doing good, and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

These observations about the strengths and weakness of Pentecostalism are generalizations. However, they do have a common occurrence within the broader Pentecostal movements of churches. I think that more and more Pentecostal church should more intentionally maximizing the strengths while seeking to avoid the weaknesses of this movement. More about this tomorrow ...

Pentecostalism (Pt.2)

I see a number of strengths in the Pentecostal faith tradition. Here are a few of the main ones. Obviously, these strengths aren't limited to Pentecostals nor do all Pentecostal churches necessarily exhibit them.

1. The Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal expression of the Christian faith presents God as someone who is not only known by faith and through the Scriptures but who wants to interact with each believer on a daily basis. Pentecostals teach that God wants a personal and intimate relationship with each believer and that this occurs through prayer (including the use of spiritual language or ‘speaking in tongues’), hearing God’s voice, and ministry to and from other believers. Ministry in Pentecostal churches focuses not on just attending a church service or on hearing a sermon but on allowing the Holy Spirit to move in a person’s life to bring about change and growth.

2. Passionate Worship. Pentecostals enjoy expressing themselves at church gatherings through joyful praise and intimate worship. Voices are raised, hands are lifted up, and there is a sense of celebration and vibrancy to singing times.

3. Evangelistic Fervour. Pentecostals believe that the Spirit has filled and empowered them to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8) and to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). They are passionate about personal and corporate evangelism as well as church planting and foreign mission work. Compassion for the poor and the needy is also a growing characteristic of Pentecostal churches.

4. Prophecy. Pentecostals believe that God still speaks today – to individuals and churches. This is not at the authoritative level of Scripture but all prophecy is to be taken seriously, tested, then responded to appropriately (1 Thess.5:19-22).

5. Faith for the Miraculous. Pentecostals believe that God still does miracles today, including healing the sick and setting people free from things that hold them back from their full potential in Christ. They pray for God to intervene into human situations bringing about positive change.

6. Cultural Relevance. Most Pentecostals understand that although the message of Christianity and the gospel never changes, the methods and means of communication must change with each new generation in order to remain culturally relevant. Examples of cultural relevance include choice of musical style, focus on youth and children, a more contemporary communication style, contemporary facilities, and the use of technology.

7. Compassion for the Poor and Marginalised. Modern-day Pentecostalism began among people from the lower socio-economic strata of society, including uneducated people and marginalised races. Although, this has changed somewhat in the West, with other church movements and denominations being stronger in this area, it is encouraging to see the more recent emphasis on God’s heart for the poor and needy amongst Pentecostals.

8. Visionary Leadership. Many Pentecostal churches are led by leaders with strong sense of vision and an ability to communicate that vision to motivate people to action. They are willing to take risks to advance the cause of Christ in the world. Many Pentecostal churches are in a pioneering and expansion mode (a focus on “let’s create the future”) rather than a maintenance mode (a focus on “let’s preserve the past”). In Pentecostal churches, authority tends to be vested in specific individuals, such as the senior pastor or leadership team, rather than in formal structures or bureaucratic policies. The pastor is seen as the leader of the church rather than merely an employee. In fact, congregational trust often is placed more in the senior leader than in a specific board of directors, elders or committee.

Tomorrow ... some concerns I have about Pentecostalism.

Pentecostalism (Pt.1)

CityLife Church, formerly known as Waverley Christian Fellowship, began in 1967 under the leadership of Richard Holland. CityLife has Pentecostal roots and continues to value and practice many of the distinctive aspects of Pentecostalism.

The Pentecostals are a relatively new section of the Christian Church. For many years they have been considered to be outside mainstream Christianity; but, more recently, due to their phenomenal growth, they have begun to be noticed and heard. Here in Australia, they are the fastest growing of all the churches and their wider influence in society is increasing.

In the past century, Pentecostal Christianity evolved from a small group of believers to a worldwide movement with an estimated 588 million adherents. This incredible growth is unprecedented in the historical development of Christianity. Although the participants in this movement at the time of its inception at the turn of the twentieth century were on the margins of society, the expansion of charismatic experiences has now pervaded all parts of world Christianity. In the last 5 percent of Christian history, Pentecostals have become a major global force in Christendom, second only to the billion Roman Catholics in the world. Pentecostalism has also influenced various sectors of mainstream Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox faith and has prompted the birth of a neo-Pentecostal movement, a Charismatic Renewal movement, and a Third Wave movement, forming somewhat of a global culture and in the words of researcher, Harvey Cox, “a religion made to travel.”

Pentecostalism in Australia began in the early 1900s. Though influenced by people from overseas, it was not founded by them and has not depended on them. Over the last century, the Pentecostal churches in Australia have emerged as one of the fastest growing religious communities in Australia. In his landmark study on the Pentecostals in Australia back in 1996, Philip J. Hughes declared that nationwide the Pentecostals outnumbered almost every other religious group in actual church attendance.

There are a large number of different Pentecostal groups in Australia. The largest Pentecostal denomination is the Assemblies of God. Other significant Pentecostal denominations include the Apostolic Churches, the Christian City Churches, the Christian Outreach Centers, the Christian Revival Crusade, and a number of large independent Pentecostal “mega-churches”such as Riverview Church in Perth and CityLife in Melbourne. Numerous other smaller Pentecostal denominations and independent churches also exist.

The Pentecostal churches are very diverse and autonomous. They vary in some of their theology and philosophy of ministry. They also have no singular voice to the community. In addition, they still are not considered mainstream Christianity by some people, despite their amazing growth and size.

Tomorrow ... things I like about Pentecostalism.

Urban Neighbours of Hope - Ash Barker

We were privileged to have Ash Barker with us on the weekend, as part of our community outreach focus. Ash and his family live in a slum in Bangkok where they have been reaching out to people with the love of Christ for the last eight years.

Ash is the founder of UNOH - Urban Neighbours of Hope. He is also the author of a number of books, including Surrender All and Making Poverty Personal. Click here and scroll down the page to see the full range of UNOH publications.

Ash is currently doing a PhD on "What is a Christian response to the rise of urban slum and squatter neighbourhoods?" Last year, for the first time in history, saw over 50% of the world's population now living in cities. Increasing urbanisation is leading to the increase of 'urban slums', with 1 billion people now living in this type of environment. Within 20 years, it could be 3 billion. This presents a great challenge to the Christian Church as we seek to love our neighbour and share the goods news of Jesus with our global village.

May each of us be stirred afresh with the love of Christ to engage more effectively with the people in our world, wherever he has placed us. As someone once said, "Maybe more Christians need to quit watching Neighbours and start being neighbours!"

Poverty and Justice Bible

The Bible Society has recently released a 'Poverty and Justice Bible' which highlights what God's Word has to say about these two important current issues. Almost every page of the Bible speaks of God's heart for the poor, his concern for the marginalised, his compassion for the oppressed, and his call for justice. There are over 2000 verses that address these important topics, yet so often they are over-looked or neglected.

This new Bible, in the Contemporary English Version (CEV), includes a unique 32-page study guide, written by best-selling authors Nick and Claire Page. Each of 50 in-depth studies is based on Scripture and challenges us to take practical and passionate action in the battle against poverty and injustice.

You can view additional studies online.

A number of Australian politicians were part of the launch of this unique edition of the Bible (click here for more details).

Visit your local bookstore to get your copy today or order it online.

The Sermon as Story

Recently, I read a book by Eugene Lowry called The Homiletical Plot: the Sermon as Narrative Art Form. It was a paradigm-shifting book as it suggests that sermons or messages should be more like stories than like a lecture presenting material in a structured and outlined manner. When Jesus was asked about who a 'neighbour' is, he didn't launch into a three point sermon with an introduction and conclusion. He told a story - a powerful one with the punch line right at the end. Jesus was a brilliant story-teller. In fact, he never spoke without using a story (often called 'parables'). Maybe there is more to learn from Jesus than just the 'content' of our message. He can teach us a lot about best the 'form' for effective communication.

Lowry encourages a new image for the sermon - see it as a sacred story, a homiletical plot, and a narrative art form. The best preaching feels like you are listening to a story in that you are guided along with interest and a sense of movement.

Great stories begin with tension and then gradually move towards resolution. In the same way, great sermons begin with an issue or a problem (the 'itch') and then move towards a solution (the 'scratch'), which is the 'good news'.

I experimented with this a little in a recent message I gave from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught about the discipline of secrecy (Matt.6:1-18). Rather than start with this teaching or solution (the 'scratch') I thought about what issue this teaching was helping us with (the 'itch'). I realised that Jesus was giving some advice to disciples who struggled with what we could call 'approval addition' - a need and desire to be seen. I began with this reality - our deep need for approval - then looked at the different ways we seek to meet that need, all of which are dead ends. I then moved to reminding everyone that in Christ, we have the approval we long for from our heavenly Father. However, even as disciples, we often fall back into approval-seeking behaviours and impression management. Jesus taught his disciples the discipline of secrecy as a spiritual practice to free us from the need to be seen or applauded by people.

It was an enjoyable way to present a message and felt more like taking people on a journey of discovery rather than presenting a neatly packaged lecture with a subject announced up front and three points before a conclusion. Maybe there is more to learn from Jesus and his Hebrew culture than from our Greek-influenced Western thinking patterns. Maybe that's why novels, stories, and movies are so popular. People love a story and when it addresses a real human need and offers hope - it inspires us all. Maybe sermons should be more like that.

The more you learn the more you realise how little you know ...

Web Wonders – October 2009

The World Wide Web is an amazing source of information and communication. However, it's becoming so huge and complex that you can easily get lost in it or miss out on some of spots well worth visiting. Here are a variety of sites that may be if interest to you.

1. BIBLE. Visit www.biblegateway.com for an excellent site with multiple Bible translations, all for free.

2. ENCYCLOPEDIA. Visit www.wikipedia.com – the world's largest online encyclopedia with a wealth of information on just about anything.

3. FREE IMAGES. Visit http://commons.wikimedia.org – a massive collection of more than 5 million free-to-use images. Also check out: http://freerangestock.com/index.php and http://images.google.com.au 

4. ONLINE AUCTION. Visit www.graysonline.com.au – this is an online auction group based in Melbourne. They sell all sorts of items, usually being liquidated. You can get some excellent deals here. They add a 15% charge to most items as well as shipping costs, so be sure to keep that in mind. Of course, there is always www.ebay.com.au, the biggest online trading spot for just about everything. Why not take some time to clear out your garage and turn some unused items into some handy cash? Remember, one person's trash is another's treasure!

5. PERSONALISED HOMEPAGE. Create a Google account at https://www.google.com/accounts/newaccount then go to www.google.com/ig, sign in and get started setting up your own iGoogle page, which can include all sorts of things such as gadgets, themes, calendar, to dos, email, a clock, and Google Reader (for reading RSS feeds).

Happy surfing!

Mark

Melbourne, Australia

I love living in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2002, it has been consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. This year, the Economist ranked it third, behind Vancouver and Vienna. Just this last week, the population of Melbourne surpassed 4 million people, while Australia surges towards 22 million.

For recent research on the state of the church in Melbourne, click here and here. The vast majority of Melbourians are unchurched. We desperately need all existing churches to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ with greater effectiveness and we need more churches to be planted to reach the wide variety of people who inhabit our city. As we see stronger local churches established, Melbourne has the potential to be a launching pad of mission and outreach activity to our state, our nation, and the world.

Geelong Cats - AFL Premiers 2009

What an incredible AFL Grand Final it was yesterday as the Geelong Cats fought back to defeat the St.Kilda Saints by 12 points in front of just under 99,251 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was an absolute arm-wrestle in freezing conditions with neither team leading by more than 2 goals throughout the entire game. St.Kilda dominated the inside 50s but didn't take advantage of a number of opportunities (much like the Cats in last year's losing Grand Final against the Hawks). The last quarter was a ripper, with the Cats just lifting enough to get over the line, possibly fueled by the agony of last year's unexpected defeat.

For the Saints fans, it was a disappointing day. They had a superb season, having lost only 2 games all year. They will feel like this was the one that got away. Unfortunately, there are no prizes for 2nd place. Someone had to lose and the Saints were unlucky.

For Cats fans, it was a day to remember as Geelong has now won 2 of the last 3 Grand Finals. They've been the dominant team over the last 3 years and two consecutive Grand Finals losses would have been too much to bear. Fortunately, they finished strong and are enjoying the celebrations now.

It was also great to see Gary Ablett Jnr get up and win the Brownlow last Monday night after a number of excellent seasons.

Go Cats!!

Surrender Conference 2010

Thinking about next year already?

Looking for some fresh motivation in your life?

Wanting to catch God's heartbeat for the poor and needy?

... then don't miss the upcoming Surrender Conference at Belgrave Heights Convention on the weekend of March 5-8th, 2010.

Since it first ran it in 2004, the mission of SURRENDER has been to invite, inspire and inform an emerging generation to respond to the radical call of Jesus. The name SURRENDER is an identity that invites a joining with the Jesus who pours out his life in loving the lost and least. As followers of this Jesus today we must be his hands and feet in a hurting world, giving a voice to God’s call to be good news to the poor.

For full conference details, click here. Click here to watch the conference promo video.

Computers

Here's a funny one about computers.

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to really understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those who sometimes get flustered by computers, please read on ... If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

Managing Transitions

Leading change is one of the most difficult and important tasks of leadership. Yet it is something God calls each of his leaders to do. God came to Moses and told him they he and Israel had been going around the same mountain long enough and that it was time to "break camp and advance" into their future (see Deut.1:6-7). God wants us to be his "change agents." So often we settle far from where God wants us to be so he comes down to shake us out of our complacency and into a fresh vision for a better future.

Leading change is not easy and we need lots of faith, courage, and wisdom to do it well - in an effective and God-honouring manner. [Click here to read an article I wrote early last year on Leading Your Church through Change, which contains an excellent model for leading change from Nehemiah]

Those who study change tell us that it is not the changes that kill us but the transitions. It was one thing for Moses to get Israel out of Egypt with God's help. It was a totally different thing to get Israel throughthe wilderness and into the Promised Land. In fact, many of them didn't make it.

The most insightful contemporary thinker and writer on this vital subject is William Bridges. His book Managing Transitions contains a wealth of wisdom for anyone leading or experiencing change. Click here for an extended summary I did of this excellent book many years ago.  

Experiencing change is like letting go of one trapeze and you still haven't taken hold of the next one. That's a scary feeling! it requires trust in God that he will not let us fall and that there is a new trapeze for us to lay hold of.

To change the metaphor, there is a new season and a new chapter after the close of this season and chapter. God is a God of movement. May he give us grace to keep in step with him. We don't know what tomorrow holds but we do know who holds tomorrow in his hands. He is the ALPHA (the beginning) and the OMEGA (the end). He has begun a good work in each one of us and he will complete it (Phil.1:6). We can sleep at night because of that assurance.

The Economic Downturn's Affect on Churches

Everyone is aware of and affected in some way by the recent economic downturn. Many analysts believe things have 'bottomed out' and we're on the way up, but only time will tell. Churches aren't immune from the stress and strain that emerges in times of pressure such as this. Tough times affect giving.

In a recent report about the state of the church in America, it was revealed that 19% of churches have recently laid off staff, with many other churches freezing salary levels or reducing ministry costs. This is due to a decrease in church giving. Many non-profit entities have also been hit hard.

Australia has been affected less than America by the current global financial situation. However, there are many churches whose income is down and who have had to lay off staff or downsize ministry activities.

At CityLife, we have been blessed by the continued generosity of our people. However, our giving is considerably lower than we anticipated for this year, though still slightly above last year's giving levels. Over the last month we conducted an entire review of all of our ministries. In addition to our lower than budgeted for income, we discovered that we had an imbalance of resource allocation (staff and budget). Some ministries were being significantly over-resourced in proportion to others who had gradually become significantly under-resourced. As a result, we decided to reduce and realign our staffing budget. This means that there are a number of staff roles that have recently been made redundant, as well as some reduction in hours for other staff, while a number of staff members have taken voluntary redundancy packages. These changes are organisational not personal, although obviously they do affect individuals who we love and appreciate very much. This has not been an easy thing to do. There is nothing worse that having to inform a faithful staff member that their job has been made redundant.

For those staff whose positions have been made redundant, we have given what we consider a generous financial package and the offer of human resources support (such as career counselling, resume creation and interviewing training). Most staff are finishing up fairly soon so as to not prolong this process unnecessarily. One of the reasons we have done this now rather than at the end of the year is to give people ample time to transition into new jobs or situations well before the Christmas and January period where it is much more difficult to look for work. 

In addition to this, we are looking at a number of other cost-saving initiatives including closing our bookshop (underway), moving our audio-visual resources online (free weekly audio messages), closing our CONNECT television program (to be replaced by a possible video podcast), and moving towards more web-based communications (we will shortly cease printing of the bi-monthly glossy coloured magazine and replace it with an interactive e-newsletter with hyperlinks to web, as well as a simple black and white bulletin each month for those without internet access).

This has been a period of uncertainty for all of us as a staff team. Pruning is an unpleasant but necessary activity at certain seasons in all of our lives. I would like to commend all of our staff for their excellent attitude during this time. It is very important that churches and ministries pull together during times like these and move forward with a strong sense of unity. This requires continued prayer and support so that transitions such as these are carefully navigated. We trust that God will work everything out for each person's ultimate good.

Growth

Here is an insightful quote I read recently ...

   "There is no growth without change ...

    There is no change without loss ...

    There is no loss without pain."

[From the book Deliberate Simplicity by Dave Browning, p.12]

Michael Jordan - the Greatest Baskeball Player of all Time?

Basketball is my favourite sport. I started playing it when our family lived in America during my teenage years and I still play today (though I'm a lot slower now!). As a kid I used to love to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls on TV. They won 6 NBA championships in the 1990s.

Click here and here to watch some highlights from Michael's career. Recently, Michael was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with other players such as the 7' 1" David Robinson, an athlete with a strong Christian faith (watch his speech here). You can watch Michael's speech here (it's 23 minutes long). Notice that anything we achieve in life is always with the help and support of our family, our mentors, our friends, our team, and even our failures ... and God.

Will anyone ever be a better basketball player than Michael? Some say current players such as Kobe Bryant or Lebron James have the potential. Only time will tell ...

 

 

Women in Ministry

Thank you to everyone for their comments on my recent post regarding Women in the Church. I thought it would be worth re-posting another article I wrote on this topic back in 2007. Here it is ...

At CityLife Church, we are commited to releasing every person into ministry. We truly believe that every Christ-follower is 'saved' (not just to go to heaven!) AND 'called' (to a special purpose here on earth - see 2 Tim.1:9). We believe that all ministry should be based on 'godliness and giftedness, not gender'.

Unfortunately, many churches restrict or limit women from ministry, and especially from leadership. I believe this is because of a misunderstanding of what the Bible says about women. As with any issue, we need to go back to the beginning - to God's original intentions. Before the Fall, men and women were both created in the image of God and they were both given the dominion and the reproduction mandate. They were called as 'partners' in life and ministry (see Gen.1:26-31). Only after sin entered was there hierarchy and a loss of the partnership model between men and women (see Gen.3:16).

Jesus came to bring us back to God's original intention - partnership. Paul tells us that in Christ there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ' (Gal.3:28). He is not saying that these distinctions cease to exist (racial, socio-economic and gender differences) but that they should now no longer be a cause for prejudice or discrimination.

Jesus and Paul valued women and released them into ministry. The Holy Spirit was poured out on men and women, and both prophesied (Acts 2). Spiritual gifts are given to men and women, and both will be held accountable for their use (1 Cor.12,14).

Yes, there are a number of places in the New Testament writings that seem to limit the activity of women in the church, but these are always in dysfunctional environments (e.g. at Corinth and in Ephesus, where there was false teaching spreading amongst the women). In healthy environments, women were encouraged to minister and were also involved in significant leadership roles, including leading entire house churches.

It has been terrific to see the focus on racial reconciliation in the broader church world of late. People today would never think of withholding ministry from someone based on their race. I believe we also need to see reconciliation and release of women into the full rights and opportunities of ministry and leadership within the church. It is part of God's plan and I believe it is a key to the church being all that God has called it to be in our generation. Men, I believe it's up to us to create an environment where women feel valued, appreciated and empowered.

CityLife Church benefits greatly from the many women who faithfully contribute to our church's ministries, who speak regularly as part of our teaching team, and who lead in various ministries within the church, including our Board of Elders. CityLife women, we appreciate you!

Go girls!

Mark Conner

P.S. For a more detailed statement outlining our beliefs about women in leadership, along with some recommended reading, click here - Women in Leadership.

P.S.S. For an interesting article on the increase in women as senior pastors, click here.

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Lessons from the World’s Greatest Dad (Pt.2)

3. Instruct Clearly

Father God does not leave us to figure out life by ourselves. He gives us clear instructions about every area of life and explains why his way is full of wisdom (Gen.2:15-17. Deut 30:11-20). God's words are contained in the Scriptures and they present his will and best wishes for our life. They are for our good – our ultimate benefit – not because he wants to take the fun or enjoyment out of life (2 Tim.3:16-17).

As parents, we are to instruct our children in God's way of living (Eph.6:4). We are to make our expectations clear as well as the consequences. Then we need to be consistent in following through. Instruction may be a regular structured family devotion time or it may simply be impromptu conversations as a family does life together. Often that's more powerful, as teaching takes place in the context of life's experiences (Deut.6:1-9).

Children do not respond to rules alone. They respond to relationships. You can get your children to behave by enforcing the rules but that doesn't mean you're getting their loving and obedient response. They may obey on the surface but beneath their may be anger, fear or frustration. Josh McDowell says, "Rules without relationships lead to rebellion."

One of the most powerful forms of instruction is our example – our modelling of the things we expect from our children. Kids tend to do what they see, not just what we tell them they should do. Are our lives worth imitating?

4. Discipline Lovingly

Father God is not just a loving forgiving God who is so soft that never deals with our disobedience. Because he loves us he also disciplines us when we need it (Heb.12:4-12). The Bible is filled with stories of God's children and how they were blessed when they obeyed their Father and the consequences they faced when they disobeyed God's commands.

Great dads take responsibility to lovingly discipline their children. Types of discipline change as children grow and vary for each situation. Discipline should be for defiance (intentional direct disobedience) but not for childishness. Always follow through promptly. Empty threats teach children that they can ignore warnings. Communicate the reason for the discipline. Discipline in love, not in anger. Control your emotions. There is a distinction between crushing the spirit (abuse) and shaping the will (discipline). Don't favour one child over another. Most importantly, apologise when you get it wrong.

5. Empower Fully

God the Father is not a controlling father. He is a releasing Father who wants his children to grow up and take responsibility for their lives. He desires to empower us to full maturity and to join him in his work on planet earth. We see this with Adam and Eve. He gave them a mandate to take dominion over the earth and to be responsible to populate it with their offspring.

As children grow and become teenagers and then young adults we as parents must empower them more and more - to make their own decisions and to be responsible for their lives. The degree of empowerment is determined by the maturity of the son or daughter. You're not going to let a two year old mow the lawns alone and of course, you hopefully aren't going to be still brushing the teeth of your thirteen year old daughter.

As parents, we are responsible to raise our children and teach them God's ways but as they grow and come of age they are responsible for their own choices and we have to release them to that responsibility. This doesn't mean that we don't care, or pray or seek to influence, but we have to gradually let them go (not too soon or not too late). This also means that we should not take inappropriate guilt upon ourselves as parents if our children make unwise choices. There are a lot of parents who feel that they are failures because their children are not serving God or have made unwise choices in their lives. If that's true then God the Father is a failure because his first kids blew it badly. As parents we must empower our children fully – then pray, trust God and believe that the seeds we have planted will bear good fruit in due time.

A final thought ... "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove ... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

Dads, you're important!

Lessons from the World’s Greatest Dad (Pt.1)

It's that time of year when we honour all the dads – Father's Day. Let's talk about fathering and who better to learn from that the greatest father of all time. No, not me – Father God.

The God of the Bible has revealed himself as one God existing in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have the opportunity to be "born again" spiritually into God's family. God wants to be our Father and we can be his children (John 1:12-13. Rom.8:13-17. Gal.4:4-7. 1 John 3:1-2). With the breakdown of marriages and family relationships today, we often develop a marred concept of fatherhood. All natural fathers often fail in accurately presenting the character and nature of God. But no matter what our natural family situation may have been God wants to be a perfect spiritual Father to each of us as his children.

What do great fathers do? There are many things but here are 5 important habits of every father.

1. Love Unconditionally

Our Father God is a God of love. Genuine love is not merely an emotion but a choice to act in the best interests of another person. God's love toward us is his desire for our ultimate good. What's amazing about God's love for us is that it is not based on our performance or any specific conditions we have to meet. In fact, he chooses to love us despite of our sin and our weakness (Rom.5:8-11). He is quick to forgive us when we humbly confess our sins. He is patient, long-suffering and slow to anger.

As dads we need to take a loving stance towards our children no matter what they do. Our love for them is based on the fact that they are ours. We must beware of creating a "performance based" environment that causes our children to be uncertain of our love and as a result always seeking our approval.

2. Affirm Frequently

God the Father expresses his love in a variety of ways, once of which is affirmation or encouragement (Matt.3:16-17; 17:5). On a daily basis, Jesus knew and experienced his Father's love and affirmation. He was always speaking about his Father and was able to stand against strong opposition and criticism because he knew he was doing his Father's will.

Great dads affirm and encourage your children as people – not just for what they can or can't do. Our words are very powerful (Prov.18:21. Eph.4:29-32). Don't approach parenting with the goal of correcting, disciplining and keeping your children in line. Look for where you can sincerely praise, compliment and encourage your kids. Notice and approve of what they do right. Then you can correct mistakes in a positive climate rather than continually pointing out what they're doing wrong. We all thrive under encouragement. Praise is a motivator for proper behaviour.

[Cont'd tomorrow ...]

Women and the Church

After sixty years of involvement in the Southern Baptist Church, former American President Jimmy Carter has left. Over what? Over his disagreement with their stance over the ordination of women. Read the article here. The SBC articles forbid the appointment of a woman as a pastor, as they see this as a male-only role.

The role of women in the church is such an important issue. It's sad to see some people ignoring the issue while others continuing with man-made traditions and spurious interpretations of the Scriptures.

As world renown biblical scholar N.T. Wright profoundly says, the best place to start when considering the role of the women in the church is John 20 and Romans 16. In John 20 we see women as the first witnesses of the resurrection and as being personally commissioned by Jesus to go tell others that he is risen. In Romans 16, Paul thanks and commends many women who were active in the church, both in leading house churches and even one who was an apostle - Junia (vs.7).

Other texts that seem to silence women need to be taken in their local context, which is always a dysfunctional environment and not to be seen as the 'norm'.

God's original design was for men and women to partner together in life and ministry. Jesus and Paul seek to get us back to that intention. Let's do the same in our generation.

P.S. For further thoughts on women in leadership and our approach at CityLife Church, click here.

P.S.S. For those who want to do some more scholarly work, this issue, like all issues, should take us back to our understanding of God as Trinity. Our God has revealed himself as one God existing in three persons. The Trinity is the model for all human relationships, including marriage. Is their equality in the Trinity or is their subordination? In the incarnation, the Son humbled himself and became man but does this equate to the eternal subordination of the Son? Kevin Giles has written an influential book on this topic called The Trinity and Subordinationism: The Doctrine of God and the Contemporary Gender Debate. Click here for reviews of this book and ongoing discussion.

The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small is the New Big for Today's Church

Imagine you take two elephants. For our purposes, they are a male and a female. You put them in your garage (hopefully, it's big enough!). You give them plenty to eat and drink and you shut the door on them. Three years later, you come back and open the door. What comes out?

Three elephants, that's right! Mum and Dad elephant and one baby!

Now instead of two elephants, let's pretend you put two rabbits in the garage. At the end of three years, when you open the door, you had better run for your life, because millions of rabbits will explode out of that door.

The point? Something that is large and complex is hard to reproduce. Something that is small and simple multiplies easily. Elephants take a long time to reach maturity and have long gestation period. It takes time to produce a single elephant. Rabbits, on the other hand, are extremely fertile all the time. They reach maturity in four to six months, and their gestation period is a mere thirty days. Hence the expression "breed like rabbits."

So begins a new book The Rabbit and the Elephant by Tony and Felicity Dale and George Barna on why small is the new big for today's church.

God's original mandate to us was to "be fruitful and multiply (Gen.1:26)." Reproduction is God's will for all of us. Disciples need to reproduce more disciples, leaders need to reproduce more leaders, ministries need to reproduce more ministries, and churches need to reproduce more churches. No doubt, smaller (more simple and less complex) things reproduce far easier. That's why large mega-churches sometimes don't grow (proportionally) as fast as smaller churches. That's why small groups are an essential part of any church, and especially as a church gets larger, because they enable unlimited reproduction. The first church at Jerusalem was a large church with over 3000 people from the first day but they multiplied rapidly through a network of smaller groups meeting in homes throughout the city (see Acts 2). Maybe God is wanting to so something similar in our generation ... in every town and city across the face of the earth.  

Let's go forth and multiply ...

DARE Women's Conference 2009

This weekend CityLife Church hosts the 10th and final DARE Women's Conference. The conference has ministered to 1000s of women over the last decade. Something fresh will launch in 2010.

This year's main guest speaker is Sally Morgenthaler. Sally is a gifted author, speaker, and musician. To read more of her personal story, click here. Sally's fiance, Joe Myers, is also an experienced speaker and author. Check out his web site here. 

The DARE conference theme this year is JOURNEY. Life really is a journey with highs and lows, ups and downs, twists and turns ... yet along the way God is always with us ... calling us, guiding us, encouraging us, strengthening us ... as we move forward.

God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." [Exodus 33:14. the Message Bible]

"Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." [1 Peter 1:17-18. The Message Bible]

Sharpen the Saw

Ecclesiastes 10:10 states: "Using a dull axe requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed (NLT)." There a lot of wisdom here . . . if we'll stop and think about it.

Imagine finding someone in the woods working hard sawing down a tree. “What are you doing?”, you ask. “Can't you see?” comes the impatient reply. “I'm sawing down this tree.” “You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been at it?” “Over five hours,” he replies, “and I'm dead tired! This is hard work.” “Well, why don't you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen the saw?” you inquire. “I'm sure it would go a lot faster.” “I don't have time to sharpen the saw”, the man says emphatically. “I'm too busy sawing.” It sounds funny but how true it can be in our own busy lives.

Stephen Covey in his best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People refers to this as Habit 7, which is taking time to "Sharpen the Saw." It's all about preserving and enhancing one of the greatest assets you have - you.

Let's briefly look at for dimensions of your life that need regular renewal:

1. The Spiritual Dimension. Spend time in conversation with God and meditation on the Scriptures, which represent your value system. Investing time in your spiritual life should not be a mechanical duty but a source of power in releasing and multiplying your energies. Finding peace with God and walking with Him on a daily basis is the key to all other aspects of our life (see Psalm 27:14. Isaiah 40:28-31).

2. The Physical Dimension. Care for your physical body by eating the right foods, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis for endurance, flexibility and strength (see 1 Timothy 4:8).

3. The Mental Dimension. Many people cease from any form of continued learning after they finish formal education. We tend to stop reading and exploring new subjects. We don't write or think analytically any more. Give time to reading, writing, thinking and planning on a regular basis (see Proverbs 4:5,7).

4. The Social/Emotional Dimension. Give time to strengthen your personal relationships on a regular basis. Spend time with people who are emotionally replenishing.

Balance

We need to exercise all four dimensions of our nature, regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways. Any dimension that is neglected will have a negative affect on our overall life.

When it comes to personal renewal, no one else can do it for us. We must do it for ourselves. It is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life. These things are not urgent but they are extremely important to our lives.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Make a list of renewing activities in your spiritual and mental dimensions and then set daily or weekly goals for each one.

2. Make a list of relationships you would like to improve or develop and set a goal to do so.

3. Make a list of activities that would help you keep in good physical shape, that would fit your lifestyle and that you could enjoy over time.

4. Commit to write down specific “sharpen the saw” activities in all four dimensions every week, to do them, and to evaluate the benefits.

5. Develop a daily habit of giving one hour to “sharpen the saw” activities.

Is it time to stop and sharpen the saw?

Dirty Kitchens ..

Hey Aussies ... we need to lift our game. A recent study revealed that Australia is one of the dirtiest countries in the developing world when it comes to hygiene. In fact, our kitchens have a higher level of bacteria than our bathrooms!

The Hygiene in the Home Study 2009 covered Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Britain and America. Virology expert Prof John Oxford from the Hygiene Council says Australia has high levels of contamination in the kitchen. Kitchen cleaning cloths are the dirtiest item in the home, followed by the kitchen tap. The study found that toilet areas were relatively clean because they were considered important places to keep hygienic.

Prof Oxford says Australia is at the top of the league in regard to kitchens because 95 percent of cloths and 80 percent of taps contained high levels of bacteria. The study showed that only India and Malaysia were worse than Australia when it came to contamination.

What's up with this?

Living a Prayerful Life ...

Life naturally tends to get busier as time goes on. There is so much to DO. Leading a life, a family, a ministry or whatever, tends towards a preoccupation with tasks. Like Martha, we can be so busy serving God that we don't take time to love God and just sit at his feet like Mary did, listening to his word (see Luke 10:38-42).

If only we could learn that the best productivity always flows out of a depth of geunine spirituality. As we are continually connected to Jesus, he will flow his life through us and help us to be truly fruitful (John 15).

Here are a few challenging thoughts about prayer from Henri Nouwen ...

"In a society that seems to be filled with urgencies and emergencies, prayer appears to be an unnatural form of behavior. Without fully realizing it, we have accepted the idea that 'doing things' is more important than prayer and have come to think of prayer as something for times when there is nothing urgent to do ... Left to our own impulses, we will always want to do something else before we pray ..."

"Prayer requires that we stand in God's presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing ... (unfortunately) we have turned prayer into a last resort to be used only when all our own resources are depleted." 

"Discipline means that something very specific and concrete needs to be done to create a context in which a life of uninterrupted prayer can develop. Unceasing prayer requires the discipline of prayer exercises. Those who do not set aide a certain place and time each day to do nothing else but pray can never expect their unceasing thought to become unceasing prayer."

"We simply need quiet time in the presence of God. Although we want to make all of our time, time for God, we will never succeed if we do not reserve a minute, an hour, a morning ... or whatever period of time for God and God alone. This asks for much discipline and risk-taking because we always seem, to have something more urgent to do and 'just sitting there' and 'doing nothing' often disturbs us more than it helps. But there is no way around this. Being useless and silent in the presence of our God belongs to the core of all prayer."

"Silent time makes as quiet and deepens our awareness of ourselves and God."

"Prayer must be our first concern."

[From The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, p.92-95]

 

Dogs - a Man's Best Friend?

When I was growing up as a kid, I loved cats and I never really took to dogs.

My wife, Nicole, has always loved dogs and she never really took to cats.

We got married and we bought an adorable little kitten that we fell in love with while window-shopping at a pet store (bad idea!). Unfortunately, Nicole got hay fever from it, so we gave it away to some friends.

Since then, we've had a variety of dogs (German Shepherds, Terrier crosses, and others I couldn't name) - usually two at a time. I must admit, I've learned to like dogs. It's nice to know that they're ALWAYS glad to see you - even if their perpetual barking drives you crazy some times.

We have two little dogs at the moment and one of them sleeps on our bed down by our feet. Her name is Tash and she thinks she runs the house. If I move my feet into her space, she growls. But life could be worse. I am a happy man.

I saw a video clip the other day with all sorts of dogs in it doing funny things. It was worth posting - so click here to watch and have a good laugh (or download the file here). It's called 'Psycho Dogs'!

Dogs - a man's best friend?

Erwin McManus

This weekend (August 15-16th) we are privileged to have Erwin McManus speaking at our church. Erwin is the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles and God is using him as an influential thinker, speaker, author, and leader in our generation.

Erwin will share some thoughts from his new book, Wide Awake. If you live in or near Melbourne, you're more than welcome to be our guest at any of our weekend meetings on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Check out our church web site for times and locations.

Aussie Men are the Least Desirable Husbands!

A recent study conducted by Oxford University revealed that Australian men are the least desirable husbands when it comes to housework and helping with the children. With Aussie men, it seems that their passion for beer and sport takes precedence over doing the washing up. Aussie men are still perceived as being Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee types for whom a kitchen is largely unexplored and dangerous terrain. For single women, this only reinforces the old joke - ‘You start off sinking into his arms, then you end up with your arms in his sink.’

My fellow Aussie mates, we have work to do! This is an appalling result. We can do much better than this.

The report reveals that Swedish men make ideal husbands – not because of their Viking good looks, but because they are most likely to help with the housework.

The study, led by economist Dr Almudena Sevilla Sanz, set out to find the countries with the highest proportion of egalitarian men – those who have no problem strapping on an apron and doing their fair share of the housework.

Click here to read an article about this in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Preaching Bloopers

Okay, confession time ... I have had a few clangers - or bloopers, as most people call them - in my life as a public speaker. These are embarrassing moments when you get your words mixed up or say something that has a different meaning than you intended.

Here are my Top 3 Bloopers - for your enjoyment:

1. "The church is a living orgasm ..." [instead of "... a living organism ..."]
2. "There were lots of people following Jebus, I mean Jesus ..." [no comment necessary]
3. "A man came and did some staff training for us a few years back. He had three balls. He took them out and started juggling them ..." [no additional comment necessary]

Yes, these were very embarrassing moments!

Here are a few other bloopers that I have heard, made by other people (whose name I will protect):

1. "... the diery farts of the wicked one ..." [instead of "... the fiery darts of the wicked one ..."]
2. "... I was so tired and puffed out that I was grasping for breasts ..." [instead of ... "gasping for breath"]
3. "... Lot was pinching his tits ..." [Instead of "... pitching his tents." Click here to view the evidence]

How about you?

Have you heard any others?

I'd love to hear your comments ... :)

 

P.S. For some church bulletin bloopers, click here.

P.S.S. For some 'prophetic bloopers', click here.

Growing Churches

Every year, Outreach Magazine publishes a list of the 100 largest churches in America along with the 100 fastest growing churches. The 2008 research about the top 100 largest churches can be seen here or purchased here. The list of fastest growing churches can be viewed here.

Missiologist Ed Stetzer makes some insightful observations about this research in his article Behind the Numbers, including what growing churches have in common and why they have grown so rapidly.

Here are a few excerpts:

1. Behind the numbers are stories of changed lives, renewed churches, and transformed communities.

2. If current trends continue, the number of medium-sized churches will continue to decrease and the bulk of churches will tend to be large or small.

3. New sites, as well as new buildings and regional population increases - even new leadership - served as growth catalysts. 

4. Many churches are exploring the virtual world by making use of online technology for things such as internet campuses.

5. Multi-site continues to be one of the best-known strategies for church growth and expansion.

6. Interest in multi-generational churches for all ages is growing. So also is a focus on the 20-somethings, many of whom embrace megahurches who are intentional about reaching them.

7. Other common aspects of growing churches include: an outward focus, a climate of creativity, leader teams, clear vision, and the danger of leadership burnout.

Ed concludes by saying, "Regardless of your church's size or shape, Christ calls each f us to seek out fresh ways to contextualize the Gospel for a dying world. I pray that we never lose sight of that call or the people waiting to meet their Savior in or through our churches." Amen to that!

P.S. You can view a Power Point presentation of Ed's insights here.

A Family Plan

Ministry Today Magazine recently publishing an excellent article by Rob Rienow called 'The Family Plan.' Ron is the family pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Ill., and the co-founder of Visionary Parenting, which equips churches to build biblical family ministries.

A few excerpts:

1. Evangelism and discipleship are in crisis in Western countries such as the USA - and it's a generational crisis. Although more than ever is being done to equip adults to share Christ with their friends at work and in their neighborhoods, we're losing the souls of millions of our own children. For the last 100 years, we have been losing more of our own children to the world than we have been winning adult converts to faith in Christ. Europe was the greatest Christian continent 100 years ago. Now, out of 728 million people, only 2-4% know Jesus. How could this happen? Christianity literally died off as generation after generation failed to win the souls of their children. The same is happen in the West.

2. The natural instinct is to look to the church and try to find another program to solve the problem. But first of all it is a crisis of the Christian family. Christian parents have stopped discipling their own children and adopted a model of 'delegation parenting' - hoping someone else will do it for them (possibly the Christian school, the church, or the local youth group).

3. Family discipleship is taught throughout the Bible. Parents are to take the primary responsibility for the evangelism and spiritual formation of their own children. Parents are to pass on their faith to their children through their life and their words (see Deuteronomy 6:5-6). Children are to be brought up by parents "in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)."

4. The family is the most powerful discipleship small group ever devised, where spiritual growth happens in th context of relationships, where people 'do life together,' and where true authenticity can potentially be found every minute of the day.

6. Churches need to inspire and equip these family disciplehip centres to fulfill their mission. God's promises are for us and ur children (Acts 2:28-29).

Thought-provoking stuff ...

How can the church do a better job of equipping parents in their important ministry to their own children?

Leadership Network Survey Results

Leadership Network is an excellent ministry established by Bob Buford. It's mission is to: identify, connect and help high-capacity Christian leaders multiply their impact. They provide a wealth of resources for churches and leaders through their web site, publications, blogs and e-newsletters.

Recently Leadership Network conducted an extensive survey seeking to gain insights into the ministry roles of Senior Pastors of larger churches and of Executive Ministers.

Click here to read the Senior Pastor report and here for the Executive Minister report.

Any questions, feel free to post them in the Comments section.

Providence

Providence – I love the word and the truth that it conveys. Our lives are not subject to luck, fate or chance. We are in the hands of a sovereign loving God.

One of my favorite quotes from the Bible is Paul’s statement in Romans 8:28 where he says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

A few observations:

• It doesn’t say “God causes all things.” He doesn’t. We make choices, as do other people, and those choices have consequences.
• It doesn’t say, “All things are good.” They aren’t. War, rape, sickness and accidents aren’t good.
• It doesn’t say, “All things work out the way we want them to” or “All things have a happy ending.” They don’t. Not every person is healed, not every student gets an ‘A’, not every married couple lives ‘happily ever-after’, and not every business person makes a million dollars. That’s the reality of life.
• What is does say, is that “God causes all things” – the good, the bad, and the ugly – to work together for our ultimate good, because we love him and are called according to his purpose.

God is the master planner and the grand designer of everything – even using our pain, our mistakes and our failures to contribute to his ultimate purpose. As Joseph said when he was re-united with his brothers who betrayed him – “You meant it for evil (it was wrong and it hurt!) BUT God used it for good (I believe in providence!).” And this is something we know – we can be assured of if – not something we merely hope for.

This means that nothing is wasted with God – absolutely nothing. Take a moment to think back through your life – even at things that were painful and annoying at the time- and try to see God’s hand in redeeming those things for his purpose. Even the small things matter to God.

For instance, I remember taking an accounting course as part of a Diploma in Business Management that I completed many years ago. At the time, the pages and pages of detailed, lengthy hand-written double-entry accounting work I had to do was annoying and tedious (any accountant will understand). But now, because of that experience ... I am able to understand a financial statement at a ministry board meeting and I can take good care in managing our personal finances because I know what happens when I hit ‘enter’ on a transaction in my Quicken personal finance software program. Believe me ... nothing is wasted in God. Even the seemingly trivial.

Take a moment to appreciate the providence of God in your life ... and as you do, place your trust afresh in him ... whatever you may be going through.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6. NLT

Movements that Change the World

Steve Addison is a lifelong student of movements that renew and expand the Christian faith. Thankfully, he has now published his many years of reflection and research into an inspiring new book, Movements that Change the World.  It should help to fuel church planting movements everywhere.

Steve notes that movements that change the world are characterised by five things:

1. White-hot faith. Missionary movements begin with men and women who encounter the living God and surrender in loving obedience to His call.

2. Commitment to a cause. Nothing is more important that their faith in Christ and his cause.

3. Contagious relationships. When movements spread rapidly, they do so through pre-existing networks of relationships.

4. Rapid mobilisation. New converts are won and fresh workers are recruited so that there is a constant supply of workers for the mission.

5. Adaptive methods. Ministry methods of movements are supremely adaptable, flexible, and transferable in contrast to the static, rigid, and anchored nature of the institutional form of church. The heart of the Gospel remains the same but the forms are changed to fit the context and to serve the needs of an expanding movement.

For further information, you can also visit Steve's blog and web site or click here. To whet your appetite, click here for a free PDF of the Introduction from Steve's book.

This book is important reading for church leaders and disciples everywhere. After all, Jesus didn't found a religion. He started a people movement! As Steve states, "movements change people and changed people change the world."

P.S. Interestingly, Ben Wong, Director of the Cell Church Mission Network based in Hong Kong, notes these five dynamics of all rapidly reproducing church movements:

1. They have 'fire' - passion, zeal, and international motivation.

2. They write their own songs that carry the movement 'ethos.'

3. They train their own leaders.

4. They publish their own material (books and other media) to pass on the truth and movement story to the next generation.

5. They are relevant - they reach out and meet the needs of the society they are within.

Insightful observations ...

Creation Care

The subject of Creation Care is becoming an important one within the Christian church. "Creation Care", rather than "environmentalism", is the term used by many evangelicals to refer to the responsibility that followers of Christ have to take care of God's earth. 

Influential Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer once said, "... nature: it is not our own. It belongs to God, and we are to exercise our dominion over these things not as though entitled to exploit them, but as things borrowed or held in trust. We are to use them realising they are not ours intrinsically. Man's dominion is under God's dominion." [From his book Pollution and the Death of Man]

Issues such as the environment, ecology, pollution, and global warming should interest Christians, as we are called to be good stewards of God's earth. 

For a good introduction to a biblical theology of Creation Care, click here for a free PDF of a chapter by Bret Stephenson and Stephen Bouma-Prediger from their book Living the Good Life on God's Earth.

Another very good book on this topic is: For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. The Evangelical Environment Network also has an informative web site. Click here to access a website on Creation Care for pastors.

For Dummies and Idiots ...

One of the things I really enjoy is learning new things or learning to do things I already know even better. The book of Proverbs tells us that an openness to new things and a passion for learning is a key to gaining wisdom for life. Today, there really is no excuse for not learning because there are so many ways to learn and grow. Personal growth can come from experience, mentors, or training. Another way is through reading. Through the minimal cost of a book, you gain the opportunity to glean on what is often a lifetime of learning from an expert in their field.

There are two series of books that are fun and educational to read. They have books on a wide variety of topics and they're very comprehensive. 

1. First, there is the DUMMIES range of books. Check out their web site for a full list of topics that they have books on. I just finished reading 'Quickbooks for Dummies.' I use the Quickbooks software program to help my dad manage his book business. I've been using it for years but I learned heaps of new thingsand time-saving tips through this book.

2. Then there are the IDIOTS guides. Their web site has a huge list of topics that have been written about. 

Come on ... you might feel like a dummy or an idiot in a particular area of knowledge but you don't have to stay that way :)  

  

The Amazing Human Body (Pt.2)

Here are a some more interesting facts about the human body ...

42. There is more bacteria in your mouth than the human population of the United States and Canada combined.

43. Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.

44. A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months

45. You sit on the biggest muscle in your body, the gluteus maximus a.k.a. the butt. Each of the two cheeky muscles tips the scales at about two pounds (not including the overlying fat layer).

46. The tiniest muscle, the stapedius of the middle ear, is just one-fifth of an inch long.

47. The average human head weighs about 10 pounds.

48. The average human brain weighs three pounds.

49. The DNA helix measures 80 billionths of an inch wide.

50. Your eyeballs are three and a half percent salt.

51. Head lice actually prefer to live on clean heads, not on dirty ones.

52. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck.

53. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

54. An average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime.

55. Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.

56. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

57. It only takes 7 lbs of pressure to rip your ear off.

58. When you sneeze, all your bodily functions stop - even your heart.

59. Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks.

60. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching T.V.

The Amazing Human Body (Pt.1)

In one of my favourite Psalms, David says this to God:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." [Psalms 139:13-16. NLT]

A friend of mine sent me these interesting facts about the human body ...

1. The average red blood cell lives for 120 days.

2. There are 2.5 trillion (give or take) of red blood cells in your body at any moment. To maintain this number, about two and a half million new ones need to be produced every second by your bone marrow. That's like a new population of the city of Toronto every second.

3. Considering all the tissues and cells in your body, 25 million new cells are being produced each second. That's a little more than the population of Australia - every second !

4. A red blood cell can circumnavigate your body in under 20 seconds.

5. Nerve Impulses travel at over 400 km/hr (25 miles/hr).

6. A sneeze generates a wind of 166 km/hr (100 miles/hr), and a cough moves out at 100 km/hr (60 miles/hr).

7. Our heart beats around 100,00 times every day.

8. Our blood is on a 60,000-mile journey.

9. Our eyes can distinguish up to one million colour surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.

10. Our lungs inhale over two million litres of air every day, without even thinking.

11. We give birth to 100 billion red cells every day.

12. When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 124 mph.

13. We exercise at least 30 muscles when we smile.

14. We are about 70 percent water.

15. We make one litre of saliva a day.

16. Our nose is our personal air-conditioning system: it warms cold air, cools hot air and filters impurities.

17. In one square inch of our hand we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors and 75 pressure sensors.

18. We have copper, zinc, cobalt, calcium, manganese, phosphates, nickel and silicon in our bodies.

19. It is believed that the main purpose of eyebrows is to keep sweat out of the eyes.

20. A person can expect to breathe in about 40 pounds of dust over his/her lifetime.

To Jack - A Tribute to C.S. Lewis by Nicole Conner

How do you do a SHORT blog post (instructions of him who must be obeyed) on C.S. Lewis? There are few writers who have so profoundly affected my spiritual formation as the writings of C.S. Lewis. For a detailed bio of his life visit this web site or this one.

“Jack”, as he was known by his family and friends, was a prolific writer (he also used pseudonyms like Clive Hamilton, N. W. Clerk, and Nat Whilk), delighting children and adults alike with his Chronicles of Narnia series and totally undoing a stoic adult in books like, A Grief Observed or The Problem of Pain. For the Lewis beginner a good book to start would be Mere Christianity, which begins with a discussion of some reasons for believing that God exists, and why it matters that He does, and then continues with an account of the redeeming work of God in Christ. In this book, Lewis tries to confine himself to the core beliefs of Christianity and steers clear of disagreements between denominations – resulting in the word “Mere” in the title.

Lewis was a reluctant convert to Christianity confessing in his book Surprised by Joy (1955): "I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England." He was never short of critics, some who went as far as calling him a dangerous heretic and infidel, while others sought to debunk his arguments, such as John Beversluis (C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion).

Jack’s friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien is legendary. Tolkien played a key role in Lewis’s conversion and Lewis helped expand his fictional writing. Both of them taught at Oxford, both were interested in literature, and both wrote fictional books with strong Christian themes and principles. Like any good friendship there were strong disagreements such as Tolkien’s dislike for the first Narnia book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which he thought was too strong on Christian themes and messages and he didn’t approve of the way Lewis seemed to beat the reader over the head with such obvious symbols. The two of them were members of an informal Oxford group of writers and teachers known as 'The Inklings.' After Lewis met and married Joy Gresham, he grew apart from his old friends and Tolkien took it personally.

I have read several biographies of Lewis and would recommend Jack – A Life of C.S. Lewis by George Sayer. George was a long standing friend of Jack’s and also a member of the Inklings.

There is no one quite as quotable as Lewis (I am not including the Bible or Jesus in that statement). Below are some samples. You can gather more from a great collection called The Quotable Lewis, edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root.

• "A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."

• "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there. There is no such thing."

• "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'

• "Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about him. The conclusion I dread is not 'So there’s no God after all,' but 'So this is what God is really like. Deceive yourself no longer.'" [after Joy’s death]

• "It is hard to have patience with people who say, 'There is no death' or 'Death doesn't matter.' There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn't matter." [From A Grief Observed]

• "A rejection, or in Scripture’s strong language, a crucifixion of the natural self, is the passport to everlasting life. Nothing that has not died will be resurrected."

• "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art . . . It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

To finish, here is an excerpt from The Last Battle, the last book of the Narnia series, the last page, and the last paragraph:

" . . .. and as he spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was on the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before."

Nicole Conner

Everyday Justice, Everyday Choices

Our church community has recently launched a new initiative called Everyday Justice, Everyday Choices.It's purpose is to encourage people to participate in social action through everyday living. By providing information and resources to the CityLife congregation about ethical and fair trade practices, people will be empowered to make informed and ethical decisions; thus advocating for justice through their everyday choices.

For further details, including a brief video profile, click here.

An information evening will be held on Tuesday, July 21st at 7.30 pm at CityLife Church - Knox in the Visitor's Lounge. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP to EverydayJustice@CityLifeChurch.com to ensure we have enough space and fair trade coffee for all.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. [Proverbs 31:8-9. NLT]-

One thing to change your world ...

What one thing could you change right now that would have the biggest impact on your life?

Is it starting to do something that you're not doing?

Is it stopping doing something?

Is it doing more of something ... or less of something?

Have a think about it ... then why not go ahead and make the change. Remember, what you tolerate, you will never change.

I pray that you have the courage and strength to do so.

P.S. For me, it's trying to consistently grab one full hour each morning to invest in my personal well-being - through prayer, Bible reading, exercise, and a healthy breakfast. If I could do this consistently, it would have the biggest impact in my life.

New Blog Commenting Guidelines

When I began my blog just under two years ago (August 17th, 2007), I had a number of experienced bloggers advise me to not allow any comments. They had chosen to close off their blogs from any comments or to only allow approved comments to be published. Why? Because in each case, their blog had been somewhat hijacked by a few individuals who tended to dominate the conversations and/or who bullied other people.

I heard their advice but decided to go with open comments on my blog. So far, it's gone pretty well with just under 2,864 comments on the 514 posts I have made. To this point I have only had to delete a few comments due to their profanity. Overall, the dialogue and interaction has been helpful and informative. None of us have the full perspective on any topic and I believe that we learn best by interacting respectfully and in a spirit of humility with those who have different points of view.

Unfortunately, with the recent blog post on the topic of 'Homosexuality', the commenting section degenerated to a point where it became un-constructive. This really disappointed me. 

As a result I have created some new guidelines for commenting on this blog. Here they are:

All visitors are welcome to post their own personal comments on the majority of my blog posts. However, there are a few basic guidelines (these are also now displayed on the upper left hand side of the blog):

1. I reserve the right refuse comments that are inappropriate, that use offensive language, or that are a personal attack on myself or other people.

2. Comments should be brief (preferably under 100 words), polite, constructive, and relative to the topic.

3. You must state your real full name to have your comments posted.

4. I will continue to read all comments posted but, as previously, will not be able to respond to each one of them.

If you are happy to abide by these simple guidelines, then I welcome your comments.

Mark Conner

P.S. You can now Search this entire blog for any content. Simply type a word or topic in the upper right hand corner search box and hit Enter or click Search. I also hope you like the new graphics design. Enjoy!

 

Jesus is Watching You!

A burglar broke into a house, shining his torch around and looking for valuables.  He had just picked up a CD player when a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying: "Jesus is watching you."

 

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked off his torch and froze.

When he heard nothing more he continued. Just as he pulled  the stereo out, he heard: "Jesus is watching you."  Freaked out, he flashed his light around frantically. Finally, in the corner of the room his light beam came to rest on a parrot. 

 

"Did you say that?" he hissed at the parrot.  "Yep," the parrot confessed, "I'm just trying to warn you that he's watching you." The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?" 

 

"Moses," replied the bird.  "Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird Moses?" ... and the bird said ... "The same kind that would name their Rottweiler 'Jesus'!"

How to Write a Book (Pt 2)

Here are a variety of resources that I have found helpful in the whole process of writing a book:

1. Self-Publishing:

Check out Self Publishing, which is an excellent web site dedicated to helping people publish their own material. Click here, here and here for some similar web sites. There are also many publishers who will take manuscript submissions.

2. Book-Writing:

Go to any bookshop or visit amazon.com online and purchase a book on book-writing. There's so much you can learn from reading about book-writing. Aother idea to type 'book writing' in a Google search engine. You'll find lots of free advice online.

3. Writing Guides:

Obtain a writing style guide that deals with spelling, grammar and lots of interesting things like that. It will help you become a better writer and it's always good to have a reference book like this nearby.

Happy writing!

P.S. A few final thoughts on 'books':

"But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." [Solomon - Ecclesiastes 12:12. NLT]

"When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers." [Paul to Timothy - 2 Timothy 4:13. NLT]

"Write down what you have seen — both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen." [The angel to John - Revelation 1:19, NLT]

"Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." [John - John 21:25. NLT]