AMAZING GRACE

Preparing some material for bible class today, continuing our study of James, looking at it's teaching and relevance in our lives today. Were now into chapter 2, looking at the section dealing with faith and works, where James challenges the church of his day that faith without works is dead.

Thought it appropriate to look at the life of William Wilberforce, with the upcoming release of Amazing Grace in the cinema's, and the associated The Amazing Change and Stop The Traffik campaigns. Check out the links, some important food for thought as Christians living in the world today, seeking to be a Christian voice in society, standing up for the values of Christ and seeking to follow his example.



Is our faith expressed by our works? Food for thought indeed...........

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Browser change

I'm now trying Firefox as my internet browser, blogging this using the performancing addon. Fully customisable, quicker to load than IE and pretty impressive thus far. Will post further comments in weeks to come

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Have just been listening to the funeral service of Michael Summer, Director of Agape Puppet Ministry who left this earth a year past in October. Mike was a great man, an ambassador of the faith, and someone whose godly example changelled me to faith in Christ, and showed me how to be a true man of God. The thanksgiving service for his life was a fitting tribute to the inpact of his life on many, and the vision he bore to reach children worldwide with the gospel of Christ through Agape puppet ministry.

Its got me thinking abit I guess about a couple of things :

• what it is to be a real "man" of God, something that is in stark contrast to the worlds view of "manliness"?
  

• what legacy I am leaving during my time here on earth, am I concerned with pleasing men, pleasing self, or pleasing God both here and in eternity?
  

How you live in this life matters, impacts others, and is of eternal consequence. Something for me to ponder as I consider my future, my relationships, my attitudes, my concerns, my passion.

Can I echo the words of the apostle Paul who in Phillipians 1 vs. 21 exclaims " 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

May that be my motto for living also, to live a fearless and passionate Christ centered life


 

First post of 2007

Well this blog has been a barren land of late, have become totally snowed under with work, finding I have little time for anything like writing the odd blog post. 

Working weeks have been more like 50+ hours instead of the 37 1/2 hour week I'm contracted to work recently, and hence the posts haven't happened.  But I'm off today on flexi and thought I'd get caught up on some stuff which I haven't got the time to do much.

This week was the first week of housegroups starting in our church fellowship, something which has met a fair bit of opposition from the older members who are less comfortable with this format, but I feel is necessary to develop genuine fellowship and community within the body. 

Our youth events have been carrying on as normal, becomes abit of a routine which I'm not totally happy with, but with a lack of time and other pressures it's the only way at present.  Bible class has been encouraging as we have been working our way through a study of James, just breaking into the 2nd chapter now as the 1st chapter took us from September to complete.  It has been abit of a struggle again for myself as I am preparing the material from scratch each week, trying to make it as relevant and interactive as possible.  Would be alot easier to just follow some pre-prepared material, but I don't feel it would be as beneficial for our young people, or for my personal development either.  So I'll keep struggling away at it, and try to manage my time abit better.  I know God will equip me to cope with every challenge placed in my way, guess I've just gotta learn how to trust in Him more and more, and rely on Him and not my own short-comings.

Lack of posting

Well the posts on the old blog have been somewhat non-existent in the past month or so, due largely to the busyness of work and life.  Work has taken a more 8-6 look in the past month, lots of stress and many times wondering why I bother putting myself through it for the poor payslip at the end of the month.  Have been feeling sorry for myself on a number of occasions, abit disillusioned and wondering what the future holds.  Then I catch myself on and think how selfish I can be, and how thankful I should be for what I have - health, job, car, family, girlfriend....................  It's easy to complain, but as I've been studying James with bible class, looking at how God uses trials and difficult times in life to mature us in our faith.  I can really relate to this in my own experiences and coming to faith, and the challenge to "consider it pure joy" rings true still today. 

With that in mind worries, complaints and the like all pail into insignificance.  The assurance God gave Jeremiah is a promise that I cling to today;

Jeremiah 29 vs.11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."