Love to see you at either or both of our services…..
Easter at Inglewood
All posts by Mark Edwards
Quaffable Quote
Time
Some recent news of a very sick relative has reminded me again of the preciousness of time.
None of us know how long we have.
The plans we make are merely plans.
‘If time allows it’ is the caveat on everything we plan.
I have sensed lately that my time with my son has not been precious as it has been in the past. He is growing up so fast. And so much is going through his mind that I have no idea about.
If I fail with him, I have failed. Nothing else will matter much.
Monday morning blues
Many pastors talk about the Monday morning blues.
Where do we find Elijah after the incredible high of dealing with the prophets of Baal, seeing God work in incredible ways? We find him depressed and complaining that there is no one to support him, and he may as well die.
It is common to find yourself in a ‘blue’ state after a spiritual high.
It can also be a dangerous place as you might find temptation a lovely distraction.
What can you do?
Some Pastors like to work on Mondays, do office and administration tasks, this helps.
Others like to have Monday off to recover.
For me, I like to give myself a break on Monday. To consciously decide to not think about ministry or the church. That is a lot harder than it sounds. In this age of social and electronic media, people often want to talk about some issue in their life, an administrative issue or something else. And even in my own head space, a lot of things go whirling around.
Setting boundaries on Monday is important. I generally don’t answer the phone. But I find it hard to shut myself off completely. It is something I am working on. I even find it hard to relax!
For the long haul, making a conscious decision to rest will mean I will be more effective and ‘level’ in the long run.
One Better?
Let us hope so.
Still stings.
Generational….
As I have preached through the series of Values we aspire to as a church I am constantly urged by the passion I have to have a church that my children love, and want to be a part of.
This message I preached on Sunday touches on some of Mark Sayers work, and my own thoughts on this generation coming up. What will it take to reach them….to have a church that truly is relevant to them? We need to understand their values. They are different…they are unique. As Paul said, we must be all things to all people in order to reach them.
“Psalm 78
O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
2 for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
3 stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders”
Listen Here
Judging Leaders
Speaking on this passage at our Uni Congregation on Sunday night.
So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.
5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”
Who are we to judge leaders of other churches? We should not, we cant even judge ourselves!.
Ravi Zacharias has some good things to say.