Year: 2010

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We interrupt this program…

Hello blog dogs. The last month has been hectic. Not bad hectic. Good hectic. For the last 4 years I’ve been fairly consistent in one blog post per day. The last month? Epic. Fail. That’s ok. Life isn’t about blogging, it’s about Jesus (check this out for more info: christianity.net.au)

I’m on holidays for the next week. I might get a chance to blog, or I might not!

Here’s some posts coming soon:
– final “Never be destroyed” post
– mp3s from preaching in QLD
– a letter from some Afghan Christians
– mp3s from preaching in Katoomba
– book review of “What is the gospel?”
– FIFA World Cup wrap
– a 10-part series on “Techno Youth Ministry”
– finishing of Vanuatu 09 series (long overdue!)

Hope you’re well.

Catch yo on da shizzle

(if formatting/spelling is bad, I wrote this on my mobile phone)

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Pinch + Punch // July 2010

This is another example of a back-dated post because the end of June has been fairly hectic. It included: exams; Sam’s 1st birthday; preaching; camps; and a ridiculous number of World Cup football matches!! I’m sad that there’s only 4 games left, but very glad that I can have a bit more sleep again! If you’re planning on watching any of the final 4 games, make sure you pray at half-time for the 2 countries playing.

July is good. I’m enjoying the crisp winter weather, another camp, and looking forward to time off. Above is my choice of the July Smashing Mag Desktop Wallpapers.

Here’s the best of June (according to clicks) and some other stats:

Germany for the win!!

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Never Be Destroyed Part 5 – Know Your King (Daniel 4 & 5)

There’s been lots of gear going down lately regarding good leadership and bad leadership. The Australian Labour Party figured that Kevin Rudd didn’t have the goods to take the party to win the next federal election. So they chucked him out hoping that Julia Gillard will do a better job. What makes a good leader good, and a bad leader bad? What we think about good/bad leadership is insignificant compared to what God thinks about good/bad leadership. What does God think? Daniel 4 and 5 will help answer.

In chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar has another hectic dream (4:1-18). It’s about a massive tree that gets cut down. The stump from the tree (which really sound like a man), is then forced to live among the wild animals. Daniel is then called into action to interpret the dream (4:19-27). Neb is the tree, and he will live among the animals until he acknowledges “that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (4:25). This is exactly what happened (4:28-37). Neb repents of his arrogance and acknowledges God’s rule over all the kingdoms of the world.

What’s the point? All leaders (and in fact all people) must humbly acknowledge that God is the true king. Any human rule and leadership is to be exercised under the dominion of our Sovereign God.

Continue reading “Never Be Destroyed Part 5 – Know Your King (Daniel 4 & 5)”

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Local Missionaries – RICE Leaders Day Out

The crazy RICE season is fast approaching. (Pray for it!) I gave an evangelism seminar on Saturday at Leaders Day Out. It’s called “Local Missionaries”. Download below.

I kicked off in the Great Commission, encouraged the group to think like local missionaries and then gave a strategy for evangelism in youth ministry that doesn’t depend on big events. It was a bit rushed in the 2nd half, but I think it was useful. If you were there and want any of the stuff I spoke about, let me know.

Dave Miers “LOCAL MISSIONARIES” MP3 (right click to download)

Find out more about RICE Youth Sydney and the RICE Movement.

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Maradona is not God

Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, they’ve now been dominating each of their games. During qualification, the impression I got about Maradona (their coach and one of the greatest players, like ever!) was one of a has-been-crack-pot incapable of doing much with the team! But, so far so good. One of the fascinating things to observe is how much the people and players of Argentina treat him like god. Literally. Here’s a crazy throng of photographers snapping him singing the national anthem!

Check out a whole bunch of brilliant photos from boston.com.

If you don’t know the true and living God… check this out.

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Never Be Destroyed Part 4 – Know The Cost (Daniel 3 & 6)

It’s easy to compromise. Sex. Parties. Alcohol. Popularity. These are just some of the areas where it is tempting to think and behave like the rest of the world rather than how God would have us think and behave. Sport. Career. Possessions. These are good things that, like the rest of the world, we are tempted to turn into god-things. What will help you to not compromise in your life as a Christian?

In both Daniel 3 and Daniel 6, God’s people are called to compromise their faith in God by giving their total allegiance to Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are told that every time they have hear certain music they are to bow down and worship this massive gold statue set up by Nebuchadnezzar; if they don’t they will be thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1-15). Likewise for Daniel, during the reign of King Darius, it was decreed that anyway who prayed to a god other than Darius would be thrown into the Lion’s den (Daniel 6:1-9).

What would you do in the circumstances? Maybe you could bow down to the statue, but on the inside say that you are worshipping the God of Israel? Or if you were Daniel, you could still pray to the God of Israel, but just do it in secret?

Continue reading “Never Be Destroyed Part 4 – Know The Cost (Daniel 3 & 6)”