Want to know what I think of what I’ve been reading lately? Click here for my latest book reviews [...]
Crazy I know, but I don’t actually think Twitter is a waste of time or stupid. Rather I think it’s a powerful tool for ministry and for connecting, networking and just knowing what’s going on in the world [...]
Being a Youth Minister on the ground in a local church means from time to time I write my own studies or think up a really cool game. When I do I post them on this page. So if you need some inspiration or an resource, this is for you [...]
You can’t hang around teenagers for long without realising that having a boyfriend or girlfriend or not having one is a big deal. So how do we respond as youth workers? I’ve collected my extensive notes and a link to my talk on the topic of dating here [...]
I wrote this post in late 2008 when the Victorian Parliament was debating our current abortion laws. I thought I would feature this post in order to keep the topic on the agenda (and because it took me ages to write…) [...]
I didn't really like this. I actually thought Driscoll at times sounded like the complaining boy he was absolutely destroying on stage. He took about 15mins to make one point.
I'm just not sure belittling is the way forward for a pastor to encourage his flock to grow in Godliness...
Having said that, he got better in the last 5-7mins.
I read this post over on Mikey's blog that said there will be no new "Oz29" version of Mark Driscoll's Acts29 for now. Rather than have a legal entity organisation, they have decided to keep it on the more informal, organic networking level.
I'm giving a talk tomorrow (Thursday) night on how Jesus' life and death on the cross are an example for us. This is the third talk in a series called the "Crystal Cross". The first week looked at how Jesus is our Substitution, the second at how Jesus is our Victory. It's fair to say I found the first weeks good reinforcement of stuff I'd thought about before. This third topic however (maybe given to me to preach through divine providence) is proving to be opening up a whole new part of the cross I am now realising I haven't thought about enough. This idea that Jesus is our example has been used in the past to deny that Jesus is our Saviour. But I think to neglect it actually sells short our understanding of who Jesus is and the life He calls us to live...
Anyway, part of my preparation has been reading Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears book Death by Love. This is proving to be a very excellent book (I will review it in the coming month). In the book, one of the things Driscoll argues is that Jesus was fully God but that he lived a perfect Spirit-filled/Spirit-led human life. This is why he is our great example. Because he lived a Spirit-filled life, which is the same sort of life we are called to live. I honestly have never thought of Jesus as being Spirit-filled before. I think unintentionally I've tended to see the Holy Spirit and Jesus as different parts of the God-head with different jobs and that that Jesus didn't need the Holy Spirit because he was Jesus, and we do need the Holy Spirit because we are not Jesus. But actually Jesus and the Holy-Spirit worked together in Jesus' life on earth just as the Holy Spirit works with us.
Some quotes:
A Spirit-filled perspective of Jesus allows us to remain Jesus-centred in our thinking, Spirit-led in our practice and humble in our hardships. This is made possible when we realise that because being Spirit-filled means being like Jesus, such things as poverty, sickness, and hardship are not incompatible with living a Spirit-filled life. Indeed, the most perfectly Spirit-filled person who has ever lived, Jesus Christ, worked a simple job, lived a simple life, and died a painful death as a flat-broke, homeless man by the power of the Holy Spirit and in so doing perfectly and fully glorified God the Father and tasted pure joy.I need to find the time to seriously check the bible out on this, but I'm going to have to work something out in the next 24hrs ready for my talk and study. I don't want to get up confused and therefore confuse everyone. I need to work out things clearly in my head. Perhaps some questions will need to be postponed until a later date. Questions like these:Jesus lived as a perfectly Spirit-filled human being to show us how to live. When Jesus was tempted by the Devil, he didn't respond as God. In fact, that was the very thing the Devil tempted him to do but he refused. Jesus countered the Devil's temptations just as we do: he quoted well-interpreted Scripture and commanded the Devil to get away from him. Hebrews reminds us that Jesus can sympathise with our weaknesses because he was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15)
An interesting video...
One of my Ridley Lecturers sent me a link to this article today. You should read it!
I really appreciate John Piper and his teaching. I'm pretty sure I could listen to him preach for a good 3 or 4hrs without tuning out!
Anyhow, Mark Driscoll tells us why he loves John Piper. Which is probably a better insight into the man than I will ever have because he has met him and I am unlikely to ever meet him. Although if you can meet people in heaven, I'll try and track him down and say thanks!
There are 4 reasons given in the above post and here, Driscoll gives a 5th reason.
This is a great video. John Piper opens up with Mark Driscoll and talks about his life with his wife, having children, being a preacher, being a husband, having marriage counseling, writing books, meeting people who cry when they meet him and his own childhood amongst other things.
It goes for about 50mins, but it is definitely worth the watch, especially if you are a Piper fan.
Mark Driscoll has been in Australia. Recently he outlined what he thought was stopping effective evangelism in Australia. Pretty interesting!
Read it here
Mark Driscoll's new project... See more info here
