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

Rib Ticklers…

Just been preparing for next year’s series January to March at Ivy, where we’ll be beginning 2014 at the Beginnings looking through the book of Genesis.  As I am known for my ‘Dad jokes’ – here are a few terrible Old Testament rib ticklers (sorry Adam) that if I get out of the way now I have no excuse for using then… Q. Who was the greatest male financier in the Bible? A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A. Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.   Q. Who was the first smoker in the Bible?  A. Rebekah lighted off her Camel   Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?A. Ruthless   Q. Who was the tennis champ of the Bible?  A. David served in the courts of King Saul.    Q. What kinds of motor vehicles are in the Bible? A. God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in […]

Infinity – Nick Duffy at Ivy Didsbury

Small is big if God is in it It only takes a mustard seed of faith but God can do miracles from that Mk 8:22-end Are we living with eternity in view? Today is Remembrance Day How would you feel to go into conflict like that People’s determination has determined our destiny ‘Our actions today echo in eternity’ (Gladiator) Society dismisses heaven – until someone dies then we say ‘there must be more to life than this.’ We talk about trivial things and say YOLO – you only live once; So if this is all there is, live fast & die young But then there are glimpses of the eternal where we sense ‘this is transcendent’ Moments God uses as a glimpse of someone saying ‘You think this is beautiful, you should see me’ Lives lived apart from Jesus are just moment to moment ‘The fact that our hearts yearn for something earth cannot supply is proof that heaven is our home’ CS Lewis Jesus says ‘lose your life – gain your soul!’ We have that imprint of God in […]

Infinity – Sid Williams at Ivy Sharston

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘infinity’? Toy story Space Forever Bt broadband Eternity Galaxies Nhs waiting lists How long coronation street has been on tv We find it hard to get our heads round because we all have a birthday God didn’t have a birthday Apart from Christmas God doesn’t have a start and an end He just IS the Alpha and Omega What else has no end? No such thing as an everlasting gobs topper! We like the beginnings But then there’s an end How do we cope with that? 1) connect to the infinite God 2) let that impact us now God is the only uncreated thing Many scientists acknowledge ‘a creative power’ kicked it off Who’s that then?! If we have a relationship with God he offers us not only his presence with him now – but forever And then we won’t be worrying about council tax We will have a different viewpoint God says ‘you’re like a blade of grass’ Is there any reason anyone will remember you in 100 years? If […]

Ideas on Getting the job done from Nehemiah 3

Nehemiah 3 He splits God’s people up according to; Where you are from Who are you with What can you do He provides; Inspiration Delegation Organisation Who have I got here that I can use? Labourers next to mayors This is theology in action. He motivated the whole community, unifies them by methodical organisation And he publicly shames those who are not involved in the work. Why? Because Mission is the job of the whole church!! It’s not just for the evangelists. Leadership = Discover people’s gifts, recruit them and use them! Everyone has a job; it’s leaders who mobilise and equip them for it.

Subtract & Divide. Oli May at Ivy Manchester

Matt 10:7-9 The first mission Preach Don’t take lots of equipment Expect miracles and persecution When you hear mission – what do you think of Going to poor countries? Arguing with colleagues? But Is mission an activity Or a duty Or something others do Why is it important to understand You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it – Einstein Q: are things in the world getting better Well if you look at the developing world you would answer, no. Most people in the world are poor and terrified. Children in the west will live to 100 In Afghanistan – 10. We spend £9.3bn on giving The same amount as the sum on scratch cards, greeting cards and pet food and losing it down the sofa combined And we spend £41bn on beer We are swapping our old problems for new. We are ants that can’t lift this boulder There has to be a higher power to help us. Jesus says prioritise others not yourselves – that’s the only hope. Mission is about connecting to God’s […]

Love Takes Action

Love Takes Action – Bob Goff @bobgoff (This guy is a force of nature, I’m buying his book!) We all want to lead strong, but we get our signals wrong.   We can memorise the Bible and learn more and more stuff. We stalk Jesus. Find out all kinds of facts about him. It creeps him out. Stop stalking Jesus. Learn from him.   1 John 3:16-18 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. Do the stuff so you will know. What? Who you are, what you’re here for. Love your enemies so you can be perfect. Next time someone asks how you’re doing, Tell YOURSELF ‘I;m trying to be perfect like my awesome dad.’ Love God Love People and DO […]

Multipliers or Diminishers?

MULTIPLIERS – Liz Wiseman @Lizwiseman Willow Creek GLS 2013   Why do some leaders DRAIN intelligence and others AMPLIFY it?   Multipliers act as Talent managers.   There is more intelligence in your organization and teams than you can see and are putting to work.   Being a multiplier is a simple idea – you use your knowledge and skills to amplify and magnify the capability of people around you. Then they do their best work, They get more capable working for you.   This is not multiplying YOURSELF so everyone is like you. Or your IDEAS. You grow THEM.  Their ideas and intelligence.   The leaders model can be ‘If you all get what I want done, done…’ that’s not multiplying.   Who’s been a multipler to you? Who’s been a diminisher?   How much of your intelligence did each use?   Diminishers on average get 43% of your capability out of you. (micromanage, self-absorbed)   Multipliers on average get 91% out of you. (How do I use all the brains in the room)   Larry Gelwix. High School […]

Reversing The Death Spiral

Reversing the Death Spiral of a Leader. Dr Henry Cloud. @Drhenrycloud Willow Creek GLS   Leaders take charge. They do stuff. They don’t blame. They exert energy and take charge of people and problems. They do hard things.   But the hardest thing you have to be in charge of, is yourself.   Leaders always see a vision, get a team, and a plan, and tweak along the way and move from here toward there.   But sometimes along the way, they stop being in charge of themselves and fall off in a downward spiral.  This happens in very accomplished leaders.   What happens in a downward spiral? Leaders who last think, feel and behave differently from the ones who spiral out.   A study looked at two groups of people; 1)   High performers on the entry test. 2)   Dummies who failed the entry test.   In the field the second group outperformed the first by 53%! Wow!   Oh, but there was one other difference,   They did another test. The first group were also pessimists.  The second were […]

Finding and Developing Leaders

Oscar Muriu (Nairobi Chapel) at Willow Creek GLS How do we find and develop leaders?  1.    The size of the harvest depends on how many leaders you have.  The harvest is plentiful. The more harvesters we commission, the greater the harvest will be. Jesus FIRST found leaders and invested into their lives. He didn’t throw himself in the work but into the workers. If we don’t do that, we burn out. Don’t limit your influence to your own personal capacity. How many are you raising up to continue the work after you? The more havetsers you have, the more harvesters you can bring in. 2.    Don’t Limit Yourself By Living To Your Own Generation. Psalm 71:18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Acts 13:36 says David served the purpose in his generation. But David says he didn’t just live for his own generation! The only way for your vision to outlive you is to instill it in others. […]

The Courage Leadership Requires. Bill Hybels at Willow Creek GLS

    The Courage Leadership Requires. Bill Hybels at Willow Creek GLS Dt 31:7-8 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”   The charge to the younger leader. But why would it need such courage?   Later God himself speaks to that younger leader in Joshua 1. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous.   Why do I need to know that? He soon learned! Leadership demands a non stop flow of fortitude from day one, to the end.   Courage correlates to every component of leadership; You need courage for…   […]