Many hundreds of thousands of crosses, but we only remember this one. Those who were dying usually shouted and swore and cursed those who put them there. Here’s what Jesus said: in Luke 23 – ‘Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”
Author: Anthony Delaney
I speak, I write, I lead.
Why I Believe – Part 2 (Does Jesus qualify as God?)
…he expected not just to be respected as a rabbi, a prophet, a holy man, but to be worshipped and adored by all creation, all people and even the angels as the Lord, the only God.
Why I believe – Part 1.
I heard the Marxist phrase about religion being ‘the opiate of the people,’ which made me sound clever in the pub and came to regard Jesus as a mythical figure, or if he did ever exist he was either a irrelevant prophet or a religious nutcase out to stop people from having fun.
Ecclesiastes 5: Motor Mouth.
Kris Tucker at Ivy Mcr. This forms our grow group notes for this week: ‘I will let my words be few…’ Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Some of us love silence. Others can’t wait to fill it with something. which are you?! Kris shared a time when he went to the beach to get really quiet, but there was no way he could get quiet inside. Even when we are in silence- do we wait ‘long enough to hear the silence itself.’ Mother Teresa: ‘God is the friend of silence.’ Are you? How do you get on with silence? Do you see it as a friend? Have a time of silence… Then discuss! God said to Kris: ‘Your worship is one style – you come to me with lots of words.’ This passage tells us, there is a time for silence. How do we make time for silence in busy lives? Kris then showed us a video clip from The Blue Planet- about a Blue Whale. Watch something like that, (link below) then put your hand over your mouth, and silently stand […]
Alan Taylor at Ivy MCR on Ecclesiastes 2
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Haagan Daas ice cream advert – says it gives you the desires of your heart in a way that lasts and lasts. Yeah, right. Advertisers know we are wired for pleasure What’s that got to do with God? It has everything to do with him because you were made to be a worshipper Where are your desires? Do you enjoy God? If you do, you can have everything else! Solomon’s wealth has been estimated at $126 Billion! We live in a hedonistic world. Check out the student lifestyle- sex and drugs and party to truly be ALIVE. It promises life. The bible warns of the evil desires of youth. Some never grow up! Pleasure in anything else but God will not satisfy, neither will performance. How do we know? Solomon tested it. Other are testing it now and being broken in the tests. Wine and folly: 33,000 deaths in UK every year through alcohol. Look at any casualty dept to see this incredible brokenness. 40% in casualty there through alcohol. Do not be drunk with wine, be filled […]
Debra Green’s Talk today on Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
I’ve put this together as notes for Ivy CR Grow Groups from Debra Green’s talk this morning in our new series. Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Compare the passage in various translations, including the Message. Ecclesiastes is the Questers journal on life. Its good to do that if it helps you. Discuss in the group- who among you keeps a journal? Is it helpful? What experiences do you have of journalling? These seem like strange sayings don’t they? The words are meant to disillusion of our illusions: life is more significant than what can be measured by short term gains can give. Rather than pursue various things (list them as a group), pursue God! Does your life at the moment reflect that you are pursuing God first & foremost? How might someone objectively viewing your life judge that? Consider the phrase ‘under the sun.’ it means ‘all I can see, touch, hear & feel here.’ We need to look at what’s above the Sun. How much of what the media, government, science etc loses any heavenly or eternal perspective and encourages us to […]
New Wine and Old Wineskins
If we look through the history of the church, God has continually been creating new wineskin after new wineskin so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he does it in our lifetimes.
BILL HYBELS Leaders Q & A – afternoon session
Draw a line of a bell curve in with your mind, I’ve not got time!
BILL HYBELS at Stafford. Leadership Q & A
My notes from the morning session with this amazing leadership hero! Where are you? Dangerously Over-challenged Appropriately challenged Under Challenged You’re BEST, just North of appropriately challenged. Just beginning to be over-challenged. People who are sharp, leadership oriented – you’ll LOSE unless you over-challenge them. You have some people who are RETAIN & DEVELOP at ANY COST people. Distinguished from good staff & great staff. These are people who it would rip the heart of the organisation if they went. They are rewarded differently and TOLD them who they are. ‘You have character, competence, fit our culture. We want you to be here serving till the Lord returns.” Identify these people! Exercise: Here are all the people in your dept. If there was a 50% reduction – who would you lose? If someone HAD to go – who’s your end of the line person. Why is this person always at the end of your line? When/Why someone has to go… It probably didn’t start as a dismissal issue. It starts with a problem. What do you call ‘the problem with […]
Last night’s Prezi – at a fantastic baptism service
Wow what a day yesterday was!