Category: life

Megan has been living with us for the last couple of weeks. It’s been lots of fun. Today she is leaving for Cairns and then will be going back to New Zealand. You can hear more about her on this week’s episode of On the Poddy (or here for mp3). We will miss her… but she says that she is going to start blogging when she gets back… so watch this space!

Praise
>For the encouragement that Megan has been to us and we (particularly Row) have been to her
>Row. She’s a delight.

Prayer
>For Megan as she settles back into NZ that she would find a good church and keep growing to be more like Jesus
>CCECYOUTH this term

Around the web:
>Mal has a blog
>Funniest thing I’ve seen this week
>Heardy is preaching at Men’s Convention

In Kurt Johnston’s post What not to do, he talks about some principles for guiding the activities they do in their youth ministry. Here they are:

1) Is it age-appropriate? Is it over their head? Will they ‘get it?’ etc.
2) Does it dishonor anybody? I don’t want to dishonor scripture, Christ, nerdy kids, jocks, tall kids, heavy kids etc.
3) Can we defend it? When a parent, church elder or senior pastor asks us why we played that game, watched that movie etc. do we have a defense that will satisfy?

He talks about how often it’s the impromptu activities that can be the worst. They haven’t been thought through and may have significant consequences. For me it means we want to be well-prepared and also have older-wiser leaders on hand to bring wisdom in the spur-of-the-moment activites.

What do you think of his list? Would you add anything? Change anything?

Not! See here. Can I remind Noel Gallagher that the last time Australia played England in the football (soccer) Australia won 3-1.

In today’s new episode of On the Poddy we talk with our Kiwi friend (Megan) about preaching in church. She spoke of the fluffy topical preaching she grew up with compared to the practise at our church. I love the diet we get at church. Typically we work through a book of the Bible during the school term and during the holidays we will have topical/different sermons. I personally think that that is the best diet for a healthy church. What’s your church like??

In youth ministry I think we need to think in a similar way. The temptation is to give too much weight to ‘topics’. However, in the last 2 years, I’ve spoken 5or6 times on sex stuff as it has occurred in the series’ we’ve been doing.

What does a typical year look like for your youth ministry? (re: what you preach through etc…)

Some idiot broke into Row’s parents’ car today during their day off while enjoying a picnic with some friends from England. Row’s handbag was in there – so her wallet is gone (and all the junk in there!) as well as her phone and Bible. This arvo we have been ringing banks and telephone companies to cancel stuff and so forth. I left one of the lunchtime groups today early to go make phone calls etc… upon driving home I was secretly hoping someone would be there so that I could bash them up!!

Thankfully for them (and me) they weren’t!

I pray that they would read Row’s Bible.

I pray that I would take Jesus’ words seriously.

Row is introducing me to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. We are watching the BBC miniseries together. I have fought it off for many years and now I have finally succumbed. Row has for a long time been in love with Mr. Darcy – I am now falling in love with the delightful Elizabeth Bennet!

Elizabeth Bennet is “[t]he 20-year-old second sister, and the protagonist of the story. She is her father’s favourite and inherits his intelligence and wit. She is generally regarded as one of the most endearing and popular female protagonists in English literature.” (From here)

Endearing. She is a dish!!

What do you think???

Girls are more than welcome to comment too… but not too much from the P and P fans who got here based on their daily google search for new content on their cult movie!