Koffee @ Kings Beach

Did another AM walk to Kings Beach (Caloundra) and had a Rolling Surf Resort coffee - nice

It was a perfect morning and a perfect cappucino!!
I also spent time re-reading Alcorn’s "Heaven" book – awesome!!

I love holidays - and devotional walks at the beach (with mandatory koffee stop)!

Get the Word in a Ya - Daily!!!

Here is a great lead from someone in our network Tracy Skellern-Smith.

She recently did this top post called Neglecting to Read Your Bible.

Here is a sample from her "snapshot"


On the Reading of Scripture (Or the Lack Thereof) There is no question that the church of Jesus Christ in Australia (and in much of the Western world) is not exactly in great shape. The church is very far way from where it is supposed to be. And it is certainly not having the impact that it should be having.

There are of course many reasons for this. But one clear reason has to do with our lack of devotion to the word of God. This fact was even picked up in the secular press not long ago. It involved a large study of Australian Christians and their Bible reading habits. It turns out there is not much of a habit at all. Regular reading of God’s word seems to be on the decline. Here is how one press account explains the situation.......

Well worth checking out the rest of the snapshot here.

The bloglink refers to a news article. It is called "Confession: fewer know their Bible" from the Sydney Morning Herald. Here is the link. Great research!

And also weighs in from a Bill Muehlenberg blog post called"On the Reading of Scripture (or the Lack Thereof).

Here is a snippet from Bill:

Much more can be said about what Scripture itself says concerning the importance of the daily study of, and meditation on, the word of God. There is no way a believer can grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ without regular, disciplined reading and study of Scripture.

Here's the rub - have you read today yet?

I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt. Psalms 119:11 (MSG)

2008 Australian Happiness Index

Check out the 2008 Australian Happiness Index summary results. Some surprises... and then some "not so surprises."

The Contemplative Pastor

On holidays I started to read Eugene Peterson's, The Contemplative Pastor – Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction. It was interesting how the book seemd to just fall off the bookcase several days before my holidays..........

Here are some summary notes of one of the sections - very challenging.

Ships sail East, and ships sail West
While the selfsame breezes blow
It’s the set of the sail and not the gale
That determines the way they go.

The question at the heart of the intersection of God’s will and human wills is apparently at the heart of everything. The relation of God’s will and my will is not a specialised religious question; it is the question. The way we answer it shapes our humanity in every dimension (p 99).

1. work – negative capability
2. language – the middle voice
3. love – willed passivity

negative capability
“the suppression of self so that the work can take place on it’s own” (p101)…. a kind of submission of will to the conditions at hand, a cultivation of humility. It is a noticeable feature in all skilled workers – woodworkers, potters, poets, and prayers.
…..respectfully and reverently entering into the reality of the material or situation. Kenosis – Jesus emptying Himself – is prelude to filling. A bucket, no matter what wonderful things it contains, is of no use for the next task at hand until it is empted - negative capability.

the middle voice

When I speak in the active voice, I initiate an action that goes someplace else: “I counsel my friend.” When I speak in the passive voice, I receive the action that another initiates: “I am counselled by my friend.” When I speak in the middle voice, I actively participate in the results of an action that another initiates: “I take counsel.” ……two wills operate, neither to the exclusion of the other, neither cancelling out the other, each respecting the other.
(p 103) My grammar book said, “the middle voice is that use of the verb which describes the subjects as participating in the result of the action.” It reads like a description of Christian prayer – “the subject as participating in the result of the action.” I do not control the action; that is a pagan concept of prayer, putting the gods to work by my incantations or rituals. I am not controlled by the action; that is a Hindu concept of prayer in which I slump passively into the impersonal and fated will of gods and goddesses. I enter into the action begun by another, my creating and saving Lord, and find myself participating in the results of the action. I neither do it, not have it done to me; I will to participate in what is willed. … prayer takes place in the middle voice.

willed passivity

There are different ways of being passive: there is an indolent, inattentive passivity that approximates the existence of a slug; and there is a willed and attentive passivity that is something more like worship.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)
Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Ephesians 5:21 (MSG)
Reverence is the operative word (p 107) – en phobo Christou – awed, worshipful attentiveness, ready to respond in love and adoration.

Love is defined by a willingness to give up my will, a voluntary crucifixion.
In marriage we learn that love does not develop when we impose our will on the other, but only when we enter into sensitive responsiveness to the will of the other… willed passivity. If the operation is mutual, which it sometimes is, a great love is a consequence (p 108).

Beach Cricket

I love beach cricket. We try and get some in every holiday - and we play in such a way that "everyone is a winner!" My boy is trying a new bowling style - under his dad's instruction - and he got 4 beach cricket wickets! Legend!!

Holiday Reading

Holidays can be a great time to catch up on some reading. We have this great balcony with a fantastic view - the wind blows gently, the stool is the right height, the coffee machine is handy.... all the right ingredients for a great read!!! I am finalising a commentary scan of Ezra-Nehemiah - powerful stuff. You might think it boring, but there is always "gold" in the Word when you take the time and make room to go looking for it!!

Chillaxin!!!

Here is a view from our holiday balcony. Richard has got the idea!!!

iiiHome is Here - You're Invited to Come and See the Future

The future in audio visual integration is here!! The 'Intelligent', 'Innovative' and 'Interactive' Home (iiiHome) has now been opened within Videopro's flagship Fortitude Valley store, and you are personally invited to come and see all that audio visual integration have to offer.

The video presentation which describes what technology the iiiHome has to offer is found by clicking here. For the in depth media release, please click here.

Caption Please - Not for the Weak Stomachs

Add your comment here to Los Whit's blog question today!!

Must Have for all Men

Big thanks to Peter G for this lead!! Aprox $1800.

Hurricane Ike

Image of Hurricane Ike on September 10, 2008, taken by the crew of the International Space Station, flying 220 miles above Earth. Ike barreled into the densely populated Texas coast near Houston early September 13, 2008, bringing with it a wall of water and ferocious winds and rain that flooded large areas along the Gulf of Mexico and paralyzed the fourth-largest U.S. city. (REUTERS/NASA/Handout)
Check out some more great images here

Learning to Preach Like Jesus

Thanks to Rick Warren for shaping these thoughts!

Jesus’ preaching attracted enormous crowds, and the Bible often records the positive reactions of those crowds to his teaching.
Matthew 7:28 tells us, “…the crowds were amazed at his teaching.”
Matthew 22:33 (TLB) says, "…the crowds were profoundly impressed.”
Mark 11:18 (TLB) says, “…the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus' teaching.”
Mark 12:37 (NASB) says, “The great crowd enjoyed listening to Him.”

These crowds had never heard anyone speak to them the way Jesus did. They were spellbound by his delivery.
1. Jesus began with people’s needs, hurts, and interests.
Jesus usually taught in response to a question or a pressing problem from someone in the Crowd. He scratched where people itched. His preaching had immediacy about it. He was always relevant and always on target for that moment.

2. Jesus related truth to life.
I love the practicality and simplicity of Jesus’ teaching. It was clear, relevant, and applicable. He aimed for application because his goal was to transform people, not merely inform them.

3. Jesus spoke to the crowd with an interesting style.
The crowd loved to listen to Jesus. Mark 12:37 (NCV) says, “The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.” The New International Version says they “listened with delight.” Do people “delight” in your messages? Jesus never tried to convert anyone with anger.

I don't think He did it like this!

DadFest 08 on Channel 9 News

Beggars in India

Here I am recently in New Delhi and Chandighar with some beggars.

I have travelled extensively around the world and have seen this alot. I train workers not to give them money. It makes sense not to give beggars money.
But this time I did - I had to! There was just something inside that made me do it. God was challenging my heart to be generous. It was my "time" to do this - and no one else around me was asked to do it.

I love this verse -
Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' Matthew 25:40 (MSG)

Here is what Wayne Mansfield wrote recently in his
regular Maverick email about his experiences with beggars in India - some good thoughts here Wayne! I like this one...
"I can tell you it was a very difficult 15 minutes, until our car arrived, ignoring very skilled emotional sales techniques waged against me. As I closed the door of the car, a woman with her baby in her arms pressed against the glass imploring me to give her money for food. Whilst all the advice is to ignore what had just happened it seemed to me to be amazingly heartless to do so."

Celebration and Ministry Night - Yes!!

Tomorrow night is the night!!

I love our quarterly Celebration and Ministry Nights. It is were we hang out heaps longer with God - and when He turns up to touch lives.

Hope you can make it - Wed 6.44pm - USQ Main Auditorium - Springfield Central.
Honour the Lord with me! Celebrate his great name - Psalms 34:3 (CEV)
.... And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick - Luke 5:17 (NIV)

Are you coming?

My Best Travel Buddy

Check out the sealed cap - beautiful!
Look at the clear consistency! No colours! No green tinge. No aomebas. No bacteria!
Sheer basic life pleasure.
Pure drinkable water! Love it!
And my best travel buddy when going to developing nations.

PS - Travel overseas makes you just love your local council - they focus on roads, rubbish and water - the simple pleasures of life!!

PS - speaking of sealed water... when I worked in Switzerland in 2000 I just had to laugh. When you went to a restaurant the waiter would ask whether you wanted the water "still" or "with gas." Ha ha!!

Ed Stetzer and "Evangelical Gullibility"

I did a post recently called "Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion."

Ed Stetzer - pastor, reseacher, church planter and author - did a great article reflecting on the current state of affairs at Lakelands - it is called "Evangelical Gullibility."

I really like this bit:
True revival is generally a messy affair. On the one hand abuses often accompany genuine works of God, and on the other hand much of what is called revival is nothing more than fanaticism. Courage is required to ask tough questions and do so with with grace and kindness, patience is necessary to wait and see if what is called revival bears lasting fruit, and theological discernment is critical for the church when it comes to awakenings and revival.

You can check out Ed's bio "here."

Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He wrote this insightful but sad article about the current spiritual revival at Lakelands in USA.

He writes:
"I still believe that God desires to visit our nation in supernatural power. I know He wants to heal multitudes, and I will continue praying for a healing revival to sweep across the United States. But we must contend for the genuine, not an imitation. True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility, reverence and repentance...."

I am still processing all this.

I spoke on Sunday AM in one of my message points about God's need of us to pray to seize God-opportunities. It is God's desire to move powerfully in our world and "worlds"... but He needs us to partner with Him.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

What do you think?

Beijing Olympics - 080808 - "Let the Games Begin!"

What an opening ceremony!!!!

I love what ninemsn wrote -
"One-fifth of humanity issued a heartfelt message on Friday night to the other four-fifths - we are ready to join you."

India Reflections and Photos - Coming Soon!!

Just got back from 8 days in India - had a blast - but had limited access to the internet to keep you updated with India reflections and photos.
So watch this space real soon!!