A heartwarming message from 15 people with Down syndrome to a future mum.
#DEARFUTUREMOM // 21 MARCH – WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO AT UNI
What’s the best thing you can do while you are at University? Possible contenders: make new friends; wear tracky-dacks every day; party; learn new skills; party; join an obscure club or society; acquire fresh taste in music; maybe even embrace your education!
The best thing you can do while at University is to… THINK. Think about life, the universe and everything. The best thing to think about while at Uni is… Jesus.
You may not be overly religious or churchy. But that’s okay. Uni is a good place to consider, as an adult, what you think about the big questions of life.
Over the last few years I’ve been able to speak at the AFES groups at UTS, USYD, UWS and Macquarie. I started the AFES group on the Central Coast Campus of Newcastle 15 years ago. My sister and her husband are currently involved in the excellent AFES group on the main Campus of Newcastle Uni. AFES groups are fantastic!
What’s an AFES group? It stands for the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Which basically means it’s a group of students who take time each week on Campus to seriously consider what the Bible has to say about Jesus.
Just starting Uni? If you’re a Christian, it’s a no-brainer… sign yourself up! But even if you’re not into him, take some time while at uni to consider Jesus.
Likewise, if you’re coming back for another year of uni – take time to consider Jesus.
Find an AFES group on your campus. Check out the video below:
FIGHT 4 PURITY IN A PORN-SOAKED WORLD
Gentlemen… Do you struggle with porn? Then you should join in Tim Challies’ 31 Days of Purity. I know many young Christian guys who know that this behaviour is destructive and yet feel like they are losing the battle to fight against it.
Have you overcome a prior addiction to porn? You should still consider joining Tim Challies’ 31 Days of Purity. I have some software on my computer called Covenant Eyes. When I was studying at Moore College, the lovingly College paid for all students to have this accountability software. When I finished college I decided that, even though porn wasn’t a present struggle, it was worth keeping the software to help remain pure.
Just this last week I thought it might be time to get rid of Covenant Eyes as it sometimes takes a little bit to log on. But I’m convicted of the wisdom in leaving it on my computer. Tim Challies recent article When you’re at your best plan for your worst was a great word to not let my guard down:
There is a kind of weakness, a kind of vulnerability, that may come when we are convinced of our strength. It is when we are not being tempted, it is when we are standing strong in the Lord’s grace, that we ought to consider the times we will be weak and tempted and eager to sin. We need to assume such times will come and we need to use the moments of strength to put measures in place that will protect us when we are weak.
Sounds wise, right?
31 Days of Purity will be taking place throughout March 2014. Here is Day 1. My tip for Australian readers is to stay a day behind because of the posting time.
Here’s the invite from Challies:
Men, I want to offer you a challenge. You too, women, but allow me speak to the men first. Beginning on March 1, I am going to begin a program I’m calling 31 Days of Purity. This is for all of us—for those who are young and those who are old, for those who are married and those who are single, for those who struggle mightily in the area of sexual sin and for those who may barely struggle at all. I would love it if you would commit with me to 31 Days of Purity—thirty-one days of considering what God’s Word says about sexual purity and thirty-one days of praying that God would help us fight sin and pursue holiness in this area.
As well as following along at challies.com you can join a Facebook group with (at the moment) almost 2000 other dudes wanting to fight to be holy.
END IT // SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY #ENDITMOVEMENT
Did you notice any RED X’s on your friend’s hands on social media today? It’s part of a campaign to raise awareness and tell the world that slavery still exists. See below for 12 facts about slavery and a video with more info about the END IT MOVEMENT…
Continue reading “END IT // SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY #ENDITMOVEMENT”
#SNIPPETY // #ASYLUMSEEKER #JESUS + PERSECUTION + STUDENTS PROTEST EX-LESBIAN + FREE @MATTCHANDLER74 BOOK + MORE!
Welcome to a bumper issue of #SNIPPETY! A variety of links to check out including: a prayer for our growing children; a Free Book from Matt Chandler; how to plan for a productive day tomorrow; and if you don’t speak Italia, a soccer goal scored from 70 metres!
The article on Wheaton students protesting Rossaria Butterfield is interesting. Basically students at Wheaton – an evangelical college in Illinois – protested a guest speaker who had turned from a lesbian lifestyle when she started following Jesus. Denny Burk points out the generational shift taking place with young people connected to evangelical churches being influenced by culture in their understanding of homosexuality being a valid story for Christians. I think Christians need to be equipped to lovingly hold firm to what the Bible teaches on sex and relationships.
See below for the snippets:
#SNIPPETY // AUSSIES BEST (OR WORST) AT GAMBLING + RUSSELL BRAND ON DRUG ADDICTION + PREACHING ADVICE + MORE!
It’s been a while since the last #SNIPPETY post! But we’re back and I’m hoping to post some snippets of other online content at least once a week. But not making any promises!
Who gambles the most? (see the info graphic)
Australians gamble (and lose) more than anyone else on a per-person basis, according to H2 Gambling Capital (H2GC), a British consultancy. The biggest chunk of this is spent on video poker machines…
Jesus At The Bottom of The Ocean
This statue reminds me that Jesus came down into the pressurized abyss of our lives, that he moved towards the deepest, darkest, neediest places. I don’t know the unique make up of your story, sin, and mess, but whatever is down there know that Jesus’ passion is to deal with your abyss. He came to know you and love you in the deep dark sea of your struggle.
Russell Brand: my life without drugs
Without these fellowships I would take drugs. Because, even now, the condition persists. Drugs and alcohol are not my problem, reality is my problem, drugs and alcohol are my solution.
Sermons over 30 minutes? Rookie preacher, you’d better have a good reason!
Either way, you don’t know as much as you think you know. Therefore to preach long sermons will tend to take your sermon into the land of the ‘hobby-horse’. When we’re drawing on a limited pool of knowledge (whether exegetical or practical), we tend to default into speaking about the things that we feel most familiar with and passionate about. Now that’s all fine and good for us, but it may have nothing to do with the text or with the people you’re preaching to! That’s called a ‘hobby-horse’.
A gay person and me
Let’s be friends so we can talk about this stuff.
BREAD & CIRCUSES // #ESCAPETOREALITY
Movies, entertainment, celebrity culture, video games, digital media and social networks are often used to escape from reality. The goal of this 4-part series is to consider how to escape to the reality that comes in knowing Jesus.
Part 2 of #EscapeToReality
PANEM ET CIRCENSES
That’s Latin. I’m not pretending to know Latin, but I do know Wikipedia. And according to wiki Panem et circenses is a phrase that means ‘Bread and Circuses’.
It comes from Juvenal, a Roman satirist and poet writing around A.D. 100.
“Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses” (Juvenal)
Juvenal is lamenting the decline of what Roman citizens found valuable. People were no longer concerned about politics and civil service and doing good things. The Empire was in decline as citizens would willingly forego their rights as citizens. All they cared about were bread and circuses.
The free wheat and the impressive entertainment distracted them from reality. They were happy enough, even though they were more or less were living as slaves!
THE HUNGER GAMES
What’s the name of the nation in Suzanne Collins’ best selling trilogy The Hunger Games? Panem. Yep, derived from Panem et circenses.
Hunger Games is all about Bread and Circuses.