Last years womens conference was really valuable. My wife is helping organise it this year. It is contemporary, energetic, refreshing and a great time.
It is important to place yourself in positions where God can speak.
I would encourage you to get along to this years conference, or if like me, you fail the basic entry requirement…get your wife or significant other to go!
The line between speaking the truth…and speaking in love. What a difficult line this is. Being loving, speaking the truth.
The average Christian does not want to offend anyone, but God uses us to refine each other…and we let each other down when we do not tell the truth.
Perhaps one of the most unloving thing we can do is either….not tell the truth…or perhaps worse than that…speak to truth about someone when they are not in the room!! What I mean is that Jesus’ process of speaking the truth in love, as found in Matthew 18…is pretty clear, and fantastic as it gives the best practical solution to how to speak the truth in love.
Well…..Clem and I had a great time after the game kicking the footy around.
We also enjoyed the hot chocolate and screaming at umpire 17…….who obviously decided to pay kicks only when he felt like it…which was not often when it was clearly a blatant free to Freo….
But the Dockers looked flat. Even during the first half, when we were in the game.
The Saints looked like a team desperate to get into the finals.
If Nick could kick straight, to go with his exceptional marks (truly exceptional)…the Saints might do something….
Lots of stuff changing.
Its interesting being in a church where you just dont get to see the same amount of people you used to…nor the ones you always chatted to.
I have as my first priority to meet those who are visiting. These Sundays I am struggling to even get around to them.
Changes needed in some areas.
I was told the other week by one of my associates that the key reason Hillsong retains people is not because of the music…but their hospitality. That is challenging and important.
Church is family, the Body of Christ. How am I seeking to lead this to happen?
Also some other incredible opportunities opening up in regard to the Performing Arts Theatre. A site might be available…which would be better than I could ever dream of.
The West Coast Eagles are the worst team in the AFL.
After a promising start against the 16th placed team on the ladder…the Eagles were nothing short of poor….little effort, and probably could be accused of not really showing any intensity.
After Worsfold and Sumich both came out promising a good effort, you might question if in fact the coaches have lost their effect on the players.
With Melbourne sitting on 16 and West Coast sitting on 20 points, and with the Demons facing winnable games agains Port Adelaide and Richmond and West Coast probably facing two defeats against Geelong and Hawthorn it appears the West Coast are on track to pick up their first wooden spoon…..and Worsfold to guide his team to their worst season ever.
Dealing with Zechariah 4 and service this week…
here are two of the main quotes from my message….
“Who actually is more important…who do we treat first?
Well I want to be honest and realistic here…because I know in my life, when I am relaxed and sitting down with a good coffee…on Sunday afternoon kicking back….I am primarily concerned about myself…I am not thinking about others 24 hours a day. In fact you could mount an argument that if you don’t look after yourself you wont be able to look after others. To spend all your time worried about others is not actually healthy…in fact I would surmise that you have issues with boundaries if you do that. If you cannot find time for yourself…then you will suffer burnout.
But having said that…lets talk about service…lets talk about what is healthy service…what is balanced service…and maybe there are some adjustments that you need to make at some end of the scale. “
“You know in the 70’s and 80’s of Christendom there was a great emphasis on personal salvation…people need to make the decision to follow Christ themselves. I think although there is truth in that…we know for instance that each of our children are not Christians by birth…we know that each of us have a decision to make…will I follow Jesus or not…we have lost something of the truth of this passage. (John 15) God has formed us for family. We are designed to be part of the body of Christ. People say I can be a Christian and not go to church. As though church is something you go to! Church is not something you go to…it is something you are part of…The church is the body of Christ…either you are part of the body of Christ…or you are journeying towards becoming part of the body of Christ…the church…or you are not. We get annoyed with someone in the body of Christ…and suddenly we say…I am not being part of the church anymore…well actually you are saying you are not part of Christ then! “