Month: October 2010

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Reformation Day – Confidence

Happy Reformation Day! October 31 is a significant day in the history of the Gospel and God’s work in the world. It’s got nothing to do with Halloween, but it does have something to do with people knocking on doors! I liked this quote this morning from my friend on twitter: “31/10 – Kids knock on doors asking for treats. 31/10 – Martin Luther knocks on Church door asking for Reform”. On October 31, 1517, the young monk Martin Luther nailed his ‘95 Theses‘ to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

That document outlined a number of concerns he had with some specific problems within the Roman Catholic church of his time. His goal in the first instance was to reform the church, but in the end it was the spark that lead to the Protestant Reformation.

One of the legacies of Luther and the Reformation for Christians today is confidence.

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Is Halloween Evil?

Halloween doesn’t really get in that much of a look-in in Australia. Though I did notice a display complete with smoke machine and ghoulish goblins around the pumpkin section in my local supermarket. What’s the deal with Halloween? Check out the following:

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According to Twitter: Philippians + Colossians

Here’s the latest according to twitter. Philippians and Colossians are chockers with great memory verses!! It was hard to choose just one verse each day. Are you a Christian? How are you going with spending regular time listening to God in his Word? Not a Christian? Give the bible a shot, it might just change your life! Start here.

Here is the reading plan I use (PDF). Here are some other  Bible reading resources.

See below the jump for the compilation of the Philippians + Colossians verses:

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DMDC Reloading January 2011

I’ve been riding this blog template for almost 3 years. 3 years is a long time in blog template world. It’s time for a change. The template has served me well, I still like it, but some of the coding in the background is now outdated. I have a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like. There’ll defs be some continuity with the current look & feel.

As I head back into full-time work with a church, there will probably be some slight changes to content and direction. But nothing too radical. I’m keen to keep posting about culture, design, life and (most of all) Jesus.

If you’ve got any ideas. I’d love to hear them! Stuff you really like, stuff you really hate. Or what you’d like me to get you for Christmas. Thanks for reading. Peaceout.

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YMC 2010 – Some to be Shepherds

Are you involved in youth ministry? Not too far from Sydney? Yes and yes? Then I reckon you should get your butt along to the Youth Ministry Conference run by Youthworks. I’m really looking forward to giving a couple of talks this year, and think that the content we’ll be looking at will be really valuable. Read more info below and at the YMC website.

SPEAKERS: Mark Sayers, Steve Morrison, Mike Everett and Dave Miers.

DEC 6-8 | Port Hacking, Sydney. Electives & Program

Jesus gives us the perfect example of Shepherd leadership and it is a tough example to follow. He shows humility and at the same time strength and conviction. He shows mercy and grace and yet a willingness to rebuke and call for change.

This year the Youth Ministry Conference is all about how we lead, the culture in which we are leading and practical electives to equip us to serve in a God-honouring way. The conference is for Youth Ministers, Chaplains, SRE teachers and leaders who really want to be pushed to a new level.

For those who are used to our usual conference format you will notice there is something a bit different about YMC this year. We’re going retreat-style which we hope will facilitate a great time of networking, refreshment and mutual encouragement for all participants. There are also options for those who can’t stay the whole time so noone misses out!

Registration is open | Enquiries: (02) 8268 3355

See you there!

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Free Music Friday 11 // The Ember Days

One of the bands I’ve been enjoying from the Come&Live website is The Ember Days. You can pick up  2 of their EP’s and 1 Album. Your Eyes Light Up album (2007), The Ember Days EP (2009), Finger Painting EP (2010) all for FREE!!! They have some fairly catchy pop-rock numbers through to some more haunting (almost, but not quite, Sigur Ros-esque) adventurous ballads. There is also some really cool worship stuff, but I’m not sure how it would go in a church congregation. All-in-all, highly recommended.

Now – having formed in New Zealand, the reality is that if they continue to increase in popularity and success, Australia will claim them as one of our own! If you enjoy The Ember Days (or any of the other bands on Come&Live), make sure you drop them some coin. // Web |  Twitter | Facebook | Album 1 | EP 2 | EP 3