Alan Taylor @alantaylor82 Matt 7 ‘A House Built On’

Jesus says if you want to get what I have for you, this is the most important thing now, so lean in. And the disciples want to learn -so they want to be more like him…. 24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. 26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” 28-29 When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was […]

Have You No Bread? Have You No Fish?

I had a great dream the other night. I was with Zoe (and our son Joel) at a grand house which seemed like some kind of hotel. There was a very kind scottish porter who was showing us our room and asked, ‘Do you now the motto of the house?’ Joel said, ‘It’s written above all the doors!’ I looked at the large patio doors and above them were brass plaques with the following writing; HAVE YOU NO BREAD?  HAVE YOU NO FISH?  The porter laughed, ‘Of course the Master has provided the bread and the fish!’ I looked to the corner of the room where a huge table groaned with all the food you could ever want to eat, including of course lots and lots of bread and fish. Our host, still chuckling, loudly declared, “There will always be enough, and an abundance of leftovers – basketfuls of leftovers!” I looked out of the windows and seemed to be looking from the north at London. Somehow I could see the whole of the city at once, the whole River […]

The Biggest Challenge Of My Life So Far – Please Help Me Out!

I’m WAY excited! Carl Brettle from UCB recently challenged me, “If you wrote an evangelistic resource that will connect to 21st Century people, I think we could make thousands of copies available to give FREE to churches.” Woah. I met him a week or so after to see if he was serious or whether that was just a rush of blood. We discussed an idea I’d had about a year before that I’d been thinking and praying about and following that I’m just about to start writing and producing what will be at least two resources. I can’t give you the titles etc yet but there will be… 1) A short, punchy booklet and DVD resource linked to a website full of amazing testimonies challenging people to follow Jesus Christ 2) Another free resource for those who have done so (or are still on the edges of it) to help disciple them to make disciples. Both resources will have dedicated websites to really help people who engage with the material at every level and we are planning on having tens […]

‘Pack Your Bucket And Spade To Dig A Trench In Egyptian Warzone.’ Thomsons Holidays have a very strange sense of humour.

Thomsons have repeatedly sought to reassure me that they are ‘monitoring’ the situation in their private emails, while churning out emails like this and sending us e-tickets as with no reference at all to what is happening there!
Meanwhile Egypt is described as on the brink of civil war.

No Such Thing As Private Morality.

Tomorrow we finish a series I have loved us going through at Ivy, all about David. We’ve been in his life for months and learned a lot. But as we draw a close on his life, I’m left wishing he finished better – and praying that I will finish well. David was a man after God’s own heart. But as we track through his life we know that David’s heart was often broken. All of our hearts are broken by sin. By wrong things we’ve done and things done to us. Last week we saw how at times, temptation won and sin reigned in David’s heart and controlled him. If you want to check out my video teaching on that fall with Bathsheba it’s available free on ‘Ivy Player’ on www.ivymanchester.org now Now while David was forgiven of that because he turned to God in repentance, consequences came back to bite him. That’s something we often forget ahead of our sin, or even post confession. Consequences. There were consequences with regard to how much God could bless him, because that […]

KPCB Internet Trends 2013

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Roger Parker 2 Sam 9 The Kindness of a King

2 Sam 9 The kindness of a king. Mephibosheth expected the worst But because David loved his father Jonathan, he got the very best. ‘I am just like a stray dog from the streets.’ No, from now on- you are one of mine, and with me you will dine. Like the royal family. This act of kindness is sandwiched between 2 major acts of violence, with about 100,000 dying, Why is this chapter here? In the midst of carnage, his heart melts when he thinks back to Jonathan. Kindness is the OT word for what the NT would call grace. It’s a bit too soft a word for us. How do you score on the kindometer? 5 = wwjd 0 = wwjnd It was standard practice in David’s day for the incoming king to say ‘is there anyone left?’ But that would be to destroy them. Mephibosheth (his name means shameful) has been lame most of his life. In his early twenties he hears this summons. He’s been keeping it on the low many years? Expecting to be slain. Why […]

Debra Green @debrajgreen Work, Rest and Pray. 2 Sam 7 Building The House

David was the second king of Israel his reign – 1010 to 1002 BC A righteous king, but not perfect. 2 Sam 7:1-16 David has built himself a great house, satisfied and at peace at last, with material provided by the King of Tyre. But then he looks at ark in its tent and starts to think, ‘What about God?! His house?’ I think he had a good motive for this, he wanted to bless God. He wanted God to feel at home. Nathan says yes. But then he prays. Prophets have to pray not just say! And God reveals that it’s a good plan, but ‘I am going to build YOU a house, David!’ His vision becomes a REvision. He revises it. Plans are not a bad thing. But we need to Work, Rest and Pray! We need to take our plan and pray it through. Do not go with your plan. It’s good to write down our list. To honour God and reflect something of his glory by building the best. To take inspiration from other people. Study. […]