Simon says...
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| Are you giving your best? |
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Written by Jarrod Risson
Sunday, 05 September 2010 00:00
| Most of life is not lived in crisis. This is a good thing. Not many of us would be able to sustain a life of perpetual pain or loss or elation or challenge. Yet crisis has this to say for it: In time of crisis everything is important and significant. Life itself is on the line. No word is casual, no action is trivial. And almost always, God—and our relationship with God—is on the front page.
But during humdrum times, when things are ‘normal,’ our interest in God is crowded to the margins of our lives and we become preoccupied with ourselves. ‘Religion’ during such times is trivialised into asking ‘God-questions’: calling God into question or complaining about him; treating the worship of God as a mere hobby or something to do for a while; managing our personal affairs for our own convenience and disregarding what God has to say; going about our usual activities as if God were not involved in such mundane things as the lives of his creation.
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Written by Peter Meyer
Sunday, 29 August 2010 00:00
| See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25
Three and a half thousand years ago Joshua and the Israelites stood on the boundaries of the promised land. It had been promised hundreds of years before they stood at this position, but here they are ready to take the land. Ready to receive their promised gift. It would be hard work and they would have to take the land and clean it out of its residents. But it was theirs. It was their destiny to be in Canaan.
As Christians we too have a destiny. As we have read in the passage above, if the word of God remains in us then we will remain in the Son and the Father and the reward of this is eternal life. Jesus promises us eternal life if we follow Him. So therefore it is our destiny to be with God for eternity, it is the fulfilment of the promise if we follow Him.
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Written by Simon Risson
Sunday, 22 August 2010 00:00
| I have started meeting with a couple of guys each week to be held accountable in my reading of Scripture, to unpack its meaning for our lives and to encourage each another through questions, struggles and moments of celebration. To be honest, it’s a little scary, but I am also grateful for the opportunity to be sharpened in my relationship with God and with others. It’s part of the decision I have made to be authentic.
It’s pretty easy to drift through life waiting for those God moments to come and bless us or fill us, fix us (or them!). However, I can’t get past the idea that moments of filling, changing and blessing are a response to God. Perhaps life comes when we shift our thinking, and our perspective...
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Written by Simon Risson
Sunday, 15 August 2010 00:00
| I am not deeply into politics. Believe me I have tried over the last few elections. I have tried to listen to, and understand the policies of each party. I try and read articles, but somewhere it just gets lost. Maybe it’s me, and I will keep trying, but honestly I find elections tiring, uncomfortable, and even sad. Nevertheless, I have become increasingly convinced that I/we must take an interest and there are plenty of opportunities to gain information.
This recent perspective from Dick Gross, who is a columnist with The Age helps to fuel my interest and desire to take an interest in our nations policies:
"...outright claims that God was on one side or other have never, to my knowledge, really persuaded voters. Sure there are the marginal nutcases who run and some pro-God candidates have got up in the Senate. But generally, the major parties have eschewed fighting the fight with crucifixes bared. I love this about Oz. The separation of church and state diminishes the potential for corrosive religious bigotry (and perhaps atheistic bigotry) to poison our polity. So God is a largely invisible force in elections.”
God is a largely invisible force in elections?! This is in direct opposition to the word of God in Romans 13:1:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God.
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Written by Mark Sayers (Used by Permission)
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This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
wrote:
Dear Jesus,
I have been praying that you are sensing God’s presence during this difficult week for us all.
Last night the Church board and I held an emergency meeting and I am writing to inform you that we have come to a difficult decision.
Writing this email is one of the hardest things that I have had to do at my time here at Belmont Community Church. Before I tell you of our decision, I felt that it was only fair to explain how we as a Church leadership came to our decision and for me to share with you how I have been affected by your behaviour. In order to maintain clarity I will address the various issues regarding your employment as a pastor at our Church.
Before I start I really want to say how difficult this has been for me and Alison, I am not above stating that I cried before I wrote this email. Things started so well when you came on staff, it was a joy to have you around the place and the congregation loved having you. I am still struggling to comprehend what went wrong. But here goes;
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