Category: culture

Posted on

GLOSSOLALIA // NEW EP FROM JAKE BERRY

glossolalia-jake-berry

My friend Jake Berry has just released his debut EP, Glossolalia. It’s excellent! Jake is a massively talented singer-songwriter and I think his voice is as good as Jeff Buckley’s.

I’m giving away 5 FREE downloads to the first 5 people to comment on this blog post. (I’m currently getting spammed, so if this is your first comment, I will have to approve it before it goes live.)

You can listen to the EP at the bottom of this post.

I asked Jake a few questions to find out a bit more about his heart behind the release.
Continue reading “GLOSSOLALIA // NEW EP FROM JAKE BERRY”

Posted on

IS ISLAM THE GREATEST ENEMY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH?

is-islam-the-greatest-enemy

We desperately want our western brothers and sisters in Christ to realise that the greatest enemy of our faith today is not communism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, or even Islam. Our greatest enemy is lostness. Lostness is the terrible enemy that Jesus commissioned His followers to vanquish with the battle strategy He spelled out for them in Matthew 28:18-20. He was addressing this same enemy when He plainly clarified His purpose in coming: “I have come to seek and to save those who are lost.”

Our hope is that believers around the world will get close enough to the heart of God that the first images that come to mind when we hear the word “Muslim” are not Somali pirates or suicide bombers of violent jihadists or even terrorists. When we hear the word “Muslim,” we need to see and think of each and every Muslim as a lost person who is loved by God. We nee to see each Muslim as a person in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. We need to see each Muslim as someone for whom Christ died.

Nik Ripken, The Insanity of God, p. 302-303

Find out more about Jesus: who He is; why He came; what it means to follow Him.

Posted on

THE PERFECT FATHER’S DAY GIFT

perfect-fathers-day-gift

As Father’s Day approaches, Compassion Australia is helping children choose the perfect gift for their dads while supporting people living in poverty at the same time.

With spending on Father’s Day gifts tipped to top $754 million in Australia this year, ‘Gifts of Compassion’ provide an opportunity to buy a gift such as a goat or veggie seeds on behalf of dads, which then go to a family living in poverty.

According to Compassion Australia CEO Tim Hanna, Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to say “I love you” with a goat.

“No-one really needs to find space for another tie, pair of socks or the latest BBQ gadget,” says Tim.

“Putting a goat on your Father’s Day wish list does more than solve storage problems. It really can help a family break the cycle of poverty.”

Aussie dads given the gift of a goat, or another Gift of Compassion, will receive a card with the knowledge that it can help change the future for a family on the other side of the world.

Father-of-three Peter Munyao from Ngaamba, Kenya, is one person whose life was changed through the gift of goats from Compassion.

“It [the goat business] is very good for my family,” says Peter.

“Now we have more nutritious food and the children are happy. The Church gave me hope with these goats. I was depressed but now I’m doing well. When you have hope that everything is all right, it is all right.”

You can order your dad’s Gift of Compassion at www.compassion.com.au/giftsofcompassion

—-

Compassion Australia Press Release Used with Permission.

Posted on

DON’T TO TRY TO CONFORM TO ‘BEAUTY’

‘TRY’ is a great film clip by Colbie Caillat about not needing to conform to photoshopped images of beauty. It’s gone viral the last few days, but in case you haven’t seen it, it’s a message that all people – male and female, young and old – need to keep hearing.

It’s easy to compare ourselves horizontally to those around us. What we need to do is look up and define ourselves vertically.

I don’t know much about Colbie Caillat and her music, but Jazon Mraz is popular in our house and so his duet with Caillat ‘Lucky’ is a favourite.