Month: January 2011

Posted on

25 years is a long time to wait!

I’ve been reading Genesis as part of my OT bible reading plan for 2011 (you got a plan yet???). In Genesis 11 we’re introduced to Abraham, and by Gen 12 God has made some massive promises to him. It was interesting to note the different ages of Abraham throughout the unfolding of God’s promises. Here are the references I noticed:

  • Gen 12:4 – 75 years old when he leaves Haran to set out for Canaan
  • Gen 16:3 – 85 years old as he’d been in Canaan for 10 years
  • Gen 16:16 – 86 years old when he tried to speed up God’s promises by having Ishmael with Hagar
  • Gen 17:1, 17, 24 – 99 years old when he was circumcised
  • Gen 21:5 – 100 years old when Isaac is born to Sarah

God makes promises to Abraham that through his family all peoples on earth will be blessed. This was at age 75. He didn’t yet have any children. After 10 years, he got itchy feet and with an old barren wife, figured he had to make it happen. God says that he has it under control and that Sarah will be the one who will bear the child through whom God’s promises will continue to unfold. It’s then another 14 years before baby Isaac rocks up on the scene!!

Even though they tried to speed things up, I think you see something of Abraham and Sarah’s trust in God while they wait for 25 years before his promised is fulfilled through them. However the biggest thing is that God shows himself to be a promise keeper, and he will do things in his time.

Pretty handy to know when we think we’re in control!

Posted on

Rerun: Beached Whale

I’m currently preaching at a youth conference in New Zealand with a lovely bunch of young punks.  The talks and the vibe of the camp are going really well. A bit of a giggle has been had on account of my Aussie accent, but I’m equally having a giggle at their Kiwi accent. Except I’m clearly in the minority, so they win! Beached As Whale has been linked before, but I thought I’d give it a rerun! (Warning: the seagull uses the ‘S’ bomb)

The dudes that made the above viral video have made millions! They keep selling a stack of merch and hooked up a deal to make more animations for ABC TV. I haven’t seen any of the other episodes, but there’s a stack of them on youtube.

Posted on

Worth Losing Everything

My favourite book of 2010 was Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream by David Platt from Brook Hills. I tweeted about it during 2010 (“Just finished @RADICALbook by @PlattDavid. Maybe best book on discipleship since Bonhoeffer’s ‘Discipleship’? Check it: http://bit.ly/cX9xNC“), but don’t think I’ve blogged on it. At it’s heart, it’s a challenge to take Jesus seriously! I’ll return to it again in 2011, look out for some blog posts. In the meantime, here’s a solid quote that Of First Importance blogged today:

“This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something — someone — worth losing everything for. And if we walk away from the Jesus of the gospel, we walk away from eternal riches. The cost of nondiscipleship is profoundly greater for us than the cost of discipleship. For when we abandon the trinkets of this world and respond to the radical invitation of Jesus, we discover the infinite treasure of knowing and experiencing him.”

From here

Posted on

Lecrae’s New Album – REHAB: THE OVERDOSE

REHAB from Lecrae is my favourite album from 2010. Brilliant. Each track is packed full of encouragement to live a counter-cultural life. He has a follow up album coming out on 11 Jan 11. Can’t wait! Here’s the press release from Reach Records:

Around every corner is the lure to consume. A desire to be satisfied. Unfortunately no human being has found anything under the sun that brings satisfaction. So we consume more, and more, and more.  Eventually, we overdose. However, there is hope–if Christianity is our Rehab. In Jesus, satisfaction can be found. Grace, love, peace and hope can be found…and there is always more. Consume more of Jesus. Overdose.

Rehab: The Overdose officially hits stores and online outlets 11.1.11. Promo video:

Continue reading “Lecrae’s New Album – REHAB: THE OVERDOSE”

Posted on

Pinch + Punch // January 2011

I forgot to do this 1st of the month blog post. It’s now the 4th of the month. But I will backdate it and pretend I wrote it on the 2nd. Does that all make sense? (If not, re-read it slowly) Haha. With the start of the new year, comes a change in employment status. I’m no longer a full-time student, but rather I’m working full-time with St Faith’s Anglican Church Narrabeen. Boom! It’s a wonderful family to be part of, and we’ve really valued being at church here since August. Now it’s time to get my game face on.

This Pinch + Punch doesn’t have all the other fluff it normally has, just the smashing magazine desktop calendar for Jan 2011. What’s your desktop rocking this month?

Posted on

Resolved: Read the Word

Happy New Year! The number 1 Christian New Year’s Resolution is to read the Bible more. Here are 4 reasons from 2 Timothy 3:14-17 why it’s a good resolution: 1) v14 Christianity is all about remembering and continuing; 2) v15 The Word is God’s Power for Saving People; 3) v16 All Scripture is breathed out by God; 4) vv16-17 The Bible is useful for all of life. Below are some resources to help you read it, remember it and pray it.

Read It

Remember It

Pray It