The Bloggest Loser
I just trimmed the fat off my blog:
- 3 Posts per page
- 15 Categories
- 1 Archive list
- and a Twitter feed
Hope the lean version still works for ya.
Happy Atheist’s Day!
Psalm 14:1
“The FOOL says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
Hope you have a great April 1st!
Jesus Before Pilate: A Preaching Experiment
Last Sunday morning I experimented with a sermon style that I’ve never tried before. Normally I preach from a few dot-points on post-it notes stuck to my Bible.
But on this occasion I decided to retell the story of Jesus before Pilate, using the 4 Gospel accounts and adding in background historical information as I went.
There was a technical hitch, and the sermon wasn’t recorded, but here’s an excerpt, if you’re interested:
Pilate looks at Jesus’ battered face and asks: Are you the King of the Jews?’
King of the Jews!
Perhaps Jesus, the God-man, looks into the near future and sees that same inscription nailed to the Cross above his bloodied, broken, crucified body…
He looks further and sees a billion Christians, just like you and me, trusting in Him as the promised Messiah – The King of the Jews!
Perhaps there is a moment of silence.
If Jesus says nothing then he will be condemned to die – (in the Roman system) the outcome of a trial depended heavily on the prisoners’ defense…
But Jesus, with lips fattened with bloody bruises, answers: ‘You say so.’
The ball is thrown back in Pilate’s court!
The Jews begin to hurl evidence and accusations.
The trap has snapped shut! They will not let the miracle working teacher go now.
Pilate implores Jesus to refute the myriad charges!
But now Jesus is silent.
His hour has come.
700 years before this fateful morning, a man of God named Isaiah prophesied:
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Jesus says nothing because the time of slaughter has come…
Any thoughts on using story telling / narrative to preach God’s word?
Where The Wild Things Are
When I was a kid my favourite book was Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.
I can still remember, vividly, sitting on my Mum’s knee as she read me the book for the umpteenth time.
Therefore, I really, really, really hope that this is a good movie:
RefTag Your Blog
RefTagger is a great initiative from Logos Bible Software.
Go here to get the code for your blog, follow the instructions, and then watch as all your Bible references get transformed into “a tooltip window that pops up instantly when [you] hover over the reference.”
For example: Romans 8:28-32
Great stuff.
Pride & Prejudice… & Zombies!
Now this is a Jane Austen book that I could actually get into!
“Features the text of Austen’s novel, “Pride and Prejudice” with scenes of bone crunching zombie action.”
H/T: Abraham Piper
The Meat Factory
Take that! You heartless hunters!!
Revolutionary wisdom on solving animal cruelty.
H/T: Mikey Lynch
Be Consistent! (Advice to Planters)
Aussie church planter Will Henderson interviews pastor Rory Dyer at this year’s Acts 29 Bootcamp in Seattle…
Dyer is lead pastor of Glenridge Church International, Durban, South Africa.
H/T: Will Henderson
Die Well
A new study recently released shows that in America, Christians are actually the people most likely to use aggressive, human forms of life prolonging (e.g. breathing machines) to extend their life here on earth by minutes or hours or a few days.
Why? Read more over at Chris Bowditch’s Blog.
Hey, Dad, sorry about the Ferrari
I always knew there was something wrong with Geelong Grammar boys….
See this eye-watering article from The Age.
Driscoll Loses It! (In a good way)
If you’re a man and you haven’t watched Mark Driscoll’s recent sermon on 1 Peter 3:7 – You need to click here and watch it right now…
I’ve watched it 3 times, once with my wife. Humbling.
Good on ‘im for having a decent crack at men for disrespecting the ladies. Sometimes a pastor just needs to step up to the pulpit and verbally punch the men of the church in the jaw. Well done MD.
Calvinism vs Arminianism
Funny cartoon… I’ve been the guy on the left a couple o’ times!
But I’m with Simeon and Spurgeon: There’s no need to draw daggers over which team you’re on – its a ‘family fight’ among friends – nothing to get too worked up about.
Books: Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Needless to say, I LOVE this book!
It helped me so much when I was working hard to figure out my theological position on gender, church leadership, marriage, family etc etc.
I managed to find a bargain second-hand copy a few years ago at the Ridley Melbourne Bookshop, but you don’t need to!
Just jump over here to read it online for free!
(Or if you’re like me and you hate reading from a screen… you can buy the real thing here).
Pitfalls in Planting
Barry Keldie has started a great series of articles on the pitfalls (and there are many!) of church planting over at Resurgence.
Read Part 1 on “Leadership” here.
