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

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. […]

Dave Challis at Ivy MCR leaders day

Encouraged by ‘In search of Timothy’ by Tony Cooke. The idea of supportive leaders. The need for great ‘followership’ 4 commitments: devoted to God, church, your calling & the leader of the church The church is God’s plan A There is no plan B! Be loyal, have a good attitude, growth oriented. How well do I back up the leadership? Beware of ‘staff infection’ – spreading the negative. Know who you work for. Moses’ brother Aaron was supposed to be a representative spokesman for Moses. But when the pressure came on, Ex 32:1 – Aaron could have spoken up for Moses but instead he tried to please the people. He knew exactly what Moses was doing & could have said it. Instead he was weak, and 3000 died because of that. There are consequences – Keep your Aaron! 2 Tim 1:1-2 Dave has been at Ivy 36 years! He’s totally up for the next stage of growth. We need to be ready for the growth God is going to build here next. Generations need to mix up in discipleship too.

Don’t Tell Me What Your Idea Is

Reading a great book ‘Anything You Want,’ by the founder of CD Baby, Derek Sivas. He talks about how while we place great value on ideas, even the greatest idea is pretty worthless without DOING something about them. Execution trumps ideas every time. Here’s his explanation of that: AWFUL IDEA = -1 WEAK IDEA = 1 SO-SO IDEA = 5 GOOD IDEA = 10 GREAT IDEA = 15 BRILLIANT IDEA = 20 ——– ——— NO EXECUTION = £1 WEAK EXECUTION = £1000 SO-SO EXECUTION = £10,000 GOOD EXECUTION = £100,000 GREAT EXECUTION = £1,000,000 BRILLIANT EXECUTION = £10,000,000 To make a difference, you need to multiply the two. Execution is the great multiplier.  He finishes by saying, “That’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas. I’m not interested until I see their execution.”

Want to be more persuasive?

95% of the other books on Persuasion rip off this seminal work by Cialdini. Save yourself the time by watching the video and if you like it, get the book. It’s phenomenal. P.S. If you’re a waiter – you have to watch this one!