This month's most popular posts

  • Sheep and Shepherds Preparing for next Sunday's Video talk, which we're filming later today, I found a great deal of interesting detail from this source, reproduced at www.baptistbiblebelievers.com Manner And Customs of Bible Lands by Fred H. Wight Copyright @ 1953 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Shepherd ... posted on December 10, 2013
  • Why Paul told Timothy he was so FOR women leading, and I want to be too! Why would Paul name two men getting it wrong then apparently write ‘so the answer is don’t let women teach?’ Writing something which for 2000 years since has been used - by men - to clobber women into submission at ... posted on March 19, 2021
  • Curses and Blessings, Balaam & Barak It's not just the strange tale of a talking donkey. Numbers 22 has a lot to tell us about blessings and curses and how words work God's way. posted on February 11, 2023

Oaks of Righteousness. Tim Tucker at Ivy Sharston

Isaiah 61 was Jesus’ manifesto and it is the same for Message South Africa The good news is for those who live in a state of bad news! Poor Lost Jesus has come to you So you can go and be an oak of righteousness An oak can withstand the storms of life The storms still come! But it takes a long time to grow an oak tree We have to be patient If you’re looking at a gang in Cape Town Or a prisoner You have to see differently A city so divided by rich and poor Needs the poor to rise up And be the message In fertile ground To rebuild To restore To renew Because an oak tree reproduces itself. God wants us to be that oak tree But we see ourselves as weeds Disposable and weak Look how Jesus sees us – It’s in Romans 8:14-17 This tells us we are 1) Accepted – sons not slaves Not slaves, not in fear, not even as foster children but as sons. In a Roman household there would […]

Moses Reluctance – Andy Economides at Ivy

Who am I – the first reluctance I will be with you – the answer 2 How am I going to? Tell them I Am has sent you You’d think that would be enough 3 No – What if they don’t believe me? A – what’s in your hand? Through these signs, God will establish the word. It wasn’t enough Jesus signs didn’t persuade everyone. 4 O Lord – I’m not eloquent, never have been! A: who makes you who you are. Now go! God says ‘surely you’ve got enough by now??’ No – not enough ‘Send someone else.’ I can’t do it.

SORTED Mag special World Cup edition now available on special offer

The Sorted May-Jun bumper magazine is now available. This special World Cup edition is just perfect for football related outreach, men’s breakfasts, Fathers Day events – in fact anytime you need a non-cringey Gospel friendly resource for blokes. And at just £50 for a box of 40 copies it won’t break the bank either. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Bear Grylls, Kaka, Falcao, Dan Walker and Carl Beech and me – stocks are limited so order before it’s too late.   

The Ultimate Secret Of Prayer. Brother Luigi #LC14 ‘Fuel For The Fire’

Notes from seminar at HTB Leadership Conference:    Basic law of Christian prayer – It is already there before you start. When you realise this, you are praying It’s like breathing: with you always When 17 his faith has come alive and he’s trying to start to learn to pray Started with 5 mins Added 5 a day About half an hour – it was wonderful But then the house was empty After a while his brothers spoiled it So, he’d sit in a chair Read Get a word Repeat it But then a younger brother bangs on door Now he’s angry And guilty So he gives up By the end of the week – he goes to confession, where he learned the lesson of his life about prayer About a man who was imprisoned for years, yet surrounded by pain and noise, out of that – he learned to pray. The monk then told him: ‘The test that a prayer is authentic is that you learn to turn it into prayer. Any scrap of wood is good fuel for […]

From the CROWD to the CROSS. Kay Warren #LC14 (blog) #bgbg2

  Mark 8:34 Jesus made this statement to get people to move away from the crowd, to be a disciple; It involves three steps: Dangerously Surrendered. Control stops me surrendering fully to God To say not me and mine in the kingdom of meWe want to arrange life to make us comfortable I want to get a car park space And a green light I am more interested in you listening to me than the other way round Shallow? Petty? But if you’re going to move from the crowd to being closer to Jesus that has to change Fear keeps us from saying yes to God If I really lived 100% abandoned to God, won’t he allow something terrible to happen So I put boundaries around my yes. The fears crowd in at bedtime so I pray ‘I will do anything for you – except don’t let me or mine get cancer or… Don’t touch this dream.. Or relationship’ As if we say ‘I need to protect them from him.’ We are afraid our surrender will increase evil – but […]

CREATING BIG PEOPLE – Clare Chapman at #LC14 – Head of HR at Tesco, NHS, now BT.

She became a Christian at the age of 12, holiday club, watching a film about Jonah and the big fish.   6 years ago her husband David suddenly died in her arms. Then a voice came ‘You have what you need.’ You never get over it but you can move on.   When they first married David wouldn’t believe until he saw concrete proof. He eventually did the Alpha course, where he realised he had been asking the wrong question. He died believing in the resurrection.   For many years she had her spiritual life and work life in two separate boxes, but now she sees there’s an ‘here on earth as in heaven’ aspect where the talents you are given, well used, brings great fulfillment.   The Parable of the Talents She struggled with the parable! The servant who buried it suffered wrath. The pursuit of wealth isn’t the problem, it’s when that becomes the reason to be. Values and purpose are at the core of creating abundance rather than addiction.   Purpose To believe in something bigger than […]