2011 | GOSPEL ON REPEAT

February 11, 2011February 12, 2011

The Face of Tomorrow

Face of Tomorrow is a really cool art project by Mike Mike (cool name, thinking of changing mine to Dave Dave! haha). MM is travelling the globe taking photos of 100 people in different cities and then, with the help of some swanky digital technology, combining them to make one ‘average’ face. Check it out. It would be interesting do the project in your church, and then compare it to the average face in your community.

Here is the composite picture of the average face in Sydney:

They look quite beautiful!!

See below for the separate pics from Sydney University and Bondi Beach:

Continue reading “The Face of Tomorrow”

February 10, 2011February 11, 2011

Persecution Is Not a Social Justice Issue

Here’s the intro of a 5 part series over at the Thirteen Three blog: “Our generation loves social justice, don’t we!? We genuinely believe that we can make an impact by righting some of the wrongs we see in the world today. As Christians, we are called to work for justice, to care for the poor, the oppressed and the needy […] You might assume that persecution falls into the poverty/justice category. But persecution is not a social justice issue. Let me tell you why.”

Check out each post… Why Persecution Is Not a Social Justice Issue:

It’s a really useful series of posts. It helps the Christian to see that persecution is the normal Christian life. Jesus said to expect it (John 15:20). Many Christians around the world experience it. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Comfortable, middle-class and persecution-free is not the normal for the Christian.

The normality of persecution helps you respond rightly when it comes. Check out the apostles response to it in Acts 5:41 – “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” They don’t complain that their rights have been denied, rather they rejoice and then in v42 they go on and keep preaching Jesus!

February 9, 2011

Youth Ministry Papers: I want to be a Super-Model

I’m planning on producing a youth ministry training paper most Wednesday’s throughout the year. These papers will be discussed at our Soulies weekly leaders meeting. Anyone is welcome to interact in the comments. Click here to access archive.

At the end of year 10, during those bludgey months after you’ve finished the school certificate, we participated in a few weeks of “Modelling and Deportment” classes. They were helpful for gaining confidence, learning job-interview skills and gaining tips on how to strut your stuff on a catwalk!! During those weeks I probably gained too much confidence and started thinking that I could be a catwalk model. Aside from abnormally large calf muscles, I really didn’t have the stereotypical traits required for modelling. I was a bit deluded in my self-confidence and vanity!

Often it’s the vain who want to be models: girls who spend a lot of time falling in love with themselves while looking in the mirror; or guys who spend a lot of time at the gym looking in the mirror and repeatedly kissing their biceps!

But, believe it or not, if you put your hand up to be a youth leader you are also raising your hand to say that you are willing to be a model. But this isn’t in a vain type of I-love-myself way. It’s all about modelling to others what it means to follow Jesus. Like it or not if you are already involved in leadership you ARE a model! What model are you asking people to follow? What type of example of a Christian are you?

I read a number of years ago about a Northern Beaches youth leader who dragged a dead possum behind his car. That was a pretty dumb model! But I’ve also witnessed many great youth leaders who have been models worth following.

1 Corinthians gives us a great picture of following an example. Paul says: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (11:1) That’s a big call! He’s calling the church in Corinth to look to the example of his conduct among them, and be like him. But ultimately, it’s not about about following Paul for the sake of following Paul, it’s about following Paul for the sake of following Jesus.

1 Thessalonians has a great example of modelling. Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

How did the church in Thessalonica follow a model?
How did the church in Thessalonica become a model?

Read 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Peter 5:3; Philippians 3:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; Titus 2:7

What is the expectation upon the Christian leader from these passages?

KEEP IT REAL:

What type of model will you be? The teenagers are watching you. One way or another, they’ll copy you. What habits are you modelling to them? Godly or ungodly? Wise or foolish? Measured or accidental? As we follow Jesus we are called to have others follow us. This doesn’t mean we will be the perfect model, only Jesus is the perfect model. But it does mean we will be honest when we make mistakes, confess our sins and keep clinging to Jesus.

In what ways do you need to take more seriously the call to be a model?

February 8, 2011

DMDC version 2.0

Consider this blog officially re-loaded! The plan was to launch in January, but last weekend I got distracted (in a good way) by our campaign for clean water in India. I was originally hoping to coincide with the 200,000th hit on this blog, but that happened over 6000 hits ago now. Then the plan was to have this particular post as my 1500th blog post, but I used that one last weekend to help drum up support for the water project. So…

… welcome to DMDC version 2.0!! (Technically it’s version 4.0 if you count the 2 templates from the old blogspot days.) I liked my old template, but it was time for a change, and I really like this new one. I wanted to keep some consistency with colours and general feel.

The header and sidebar photo is of the Collaroy Cinemas about a kilometre down the road from where I live. It has the old school Art Deco style with a worn sky-blue colour scheme. Rowena was keen for more colour in the actual header on this site, but I like how the black and white feel draws your attention to the colour in the individual blog posts. I still have a few more things to fix/update with the new template. So any feedback would be welcome.

This blog is no longer my primary source of income. So I won’t be doing any more design work, and I’ll be doing much less external speaking.

On my 1000th blog post I shared why I blog. Those reasons are more or less the same.

Finally, while I want to continue sharing stories like my incident with wrestling a lion or being forced to drink instant coffee, my overwhelming desire is to use this blog to point people to Jesus. Do you know him? Keep clinging. No? Check him out he’s the Saviour and King of the world!

January 29, 2011February 3, 2011

Clean Water, Dirty Water and the Dash for Cash

A year ago family, friends and social network buddies all helped DMDC to raise $1741 toward safe drinking water for a community in Rwanda. This year, we are aiming to raise $2000 to help provide clean water for 601 children in India. We’re currently sitting at $1560… sweeeeet! There have been some developments today worth sharing.

Nathan Campbell has offered a 250g bag of fresh coffee beans to anyone who gives $30 or more this weekend. Pretty sweet deal. He’s one of those coffee-coffee coffee-people, he has even recently launched a new coffee blog… all that’s to say, he’s got a sweet rep for sweet beans! He’s extended the offer for the rest of the weekend. MORE INFO.
This evening, when the total was $1400, a generous person offered to match all other donations – up to $600. What this means is that if we make it to $2000 by midnight (Sydney time) on Sunday evening, we will actually raise $2600. Pretty sweet yeah? They wish to remain anonymous. MORE INFO.

Stoked to use the internet and social media to raise money for worthy causes.

To Live is Christ by Trip Lee

Check out the following vid from Trip Lee. It’s based on Philippians. It’s from a Reach Records project/album thirteen letters – each track summarises one of Paul’s thirteen letters from the New Testament of the Bible. Might help as you teach young punks.

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21. Dope.

January 25, 2011July 17, 2013

Thankyou Water

Thankyou Water is brilliant! You’re rich – you can afford to buy bottled water. When you buy Thankyou Water, you can actually help to provide water for some of the 900 million people worldwide who don’t have access to clean water! Click here for more info.

Thankyou Water supplied the water last week (and presumably this week too) on Next Gen conference. Good stuff. Check them on twitter and facebook.

Running events? Own a cafe? In charge of ordering for your school canteen? Got a youth camp coming up? Get yourself hooked up with Thankyou Water.

You can also give toward the DMDC project to raise money to help supply clean water to 601 children in India.