I made some really hard decisions in 2013.

The hardest decisions of my ministry life.

Thankfully some great confirmations have come from those decisions.

Not easy for anyone involved. But out of that came opportunities and exciting possibilities for everyone concerned.

Now God is bringing some new vision and strategy to my heart. To do with reaching beyond the walls of Inglewood and taking a more city wide approach to church. He is also bringing opportunity to me. God I am listening.

We had a great Christmas at Inglewood Church.

We decorated our new factory building and had our services there. The building is in no way ready, but it was fun to have a taste of what it will be like to have our own building.

One of the wonderfully creative ladies at the church designed and made these great letters spelling out HOPE to go with our December theme and the focus of our Christmas.

Our focus was to raise some funds for the Baptist World Aid project in partnership with Freeset. They raise funds for women caught in the sex trade. You can watch a video on it HERE

We were so blessed to raise over $2000 for this on the one day! So exciting.

The music and signing was really good, contemporary but with a nod to traditional carols, which people like. We had really good crowds in for both services and it was great to celebrate ‘Immanuel’ together.

Washington: In the minutes before Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, one of the three pilots in the cockpit called out three times that the plane was descending too fast. But none of the pilots noticed that they were flying the plane too slowly until shortly before it hit the sea wall at the end of runway 28 Left.

Inexperience and Korean culture played a role in the way the pilots handled the landing, according to documents released on Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The captain, Lee Kang Kuk, who was flying the plane, told investigators that any of the three pilots could have decided to break off the approach, but for “the low-level people”, including himself because he was being supervised by an instructor pilot, “it’s very hard,” he said.
Miraculously, only three people died when the Boeing 777 hit a sea wall at San Francisco airport.

Miraculously, only three people died when the Boeing 777 hit a sea wall at San Francisco airport. Photo: AP

He also said that as the plane approached he was momentarily blinded by a bright light on the runway, possibly a reflection of the sun, but that he would not wear sunglasses because among Koreans that would be impolite. (Source)

Imagine being imprisoned in a culture or way of thinking that would lead to the death of people. Imagine being so afraid of what people think, that you would not confront someone, or do something as simple as put on a pair of sunglasses. Please don’t take this as a slight on a particular culture. Every culture has its blindness.

Here is another thought, mine I suppose, on another way to look and think about preaching, particularly in the local church context.

We should preach a message as though we are group counseling people.

Dealing with felt needs and real needs

Thinking while we are preparing about the hurts and pains people are going through.

We know these hurts and pains, because we pastorally care for people, pray for them and love them.

As an aside from my message this morning at Inglewood Church, here is a few thoughts on Anna from Luke 2.

She has spent her life worshiping day and night, fasting and praying.
What an amazing woman.
We know a bit about the temple in those days
Hypocrites
Money sellers
Pharisees
religious nuts

A whole heap of dysfunction around the temple, but still there is this faithful woman. We all know of churches where they have been ripped apart by conflict, where there is really dysfunctional leadership, immorality…but in the midst of that community…there is nearly always someone who is faithful and good and serving God.

It is amazing. There are always faithful people not matter how dark it is. No matter how the church at times tries to rip itself apart, you can nearly always find one or two that are spiritual people, serving God, worshiping Him.
Did this woman take Gods word to the natives in deepest darkest africa? No
Did she built a magnificent church, a mega church? No
Did she lead thousands to Jesus at a massive rally? No
Yet she is talked of in glowing terms. She has spent her life worshiping and praying to God day and night…waiting for the Messiah to come.
What an amazing woman. There is room in the church of God for all types, and for all types of worshippers and folk who will serve God in ways that we are not called to, nor do we necessarily understand.

Our Church has a new website!

Quite happy with the way it turned out. Fresh look, easy to get to what we think people want.

There are two types of lookers I think.

As I traveled, which is the closest I get to looking for a church, I thought about what I wanted from a church website. I wanted to know how to get there, first and foremost, and what times the service was. If I found the church, I already knew I wanted to go, I did not need to be convinced. Just give me quickly, and in a mobile friendly format, the information I need.

Then we thought about what people want to know if they are looking for a church to potentially become a part of. The information they might be looking for like values, sermons and the staff. Programs that might suit their needs and spiritual desires. So info for those type of people is there as well.

Four big buttons down the bottom are generally the most clicked information people are looking for.

Check it out www.inglewoodchurch.org.au

How does the concept of Jesus and eternity make any difference to the life and problems I have right now?

“I think one of the most powerful statements in the Bible is written in the Old Testament, the book of Ecclesiastes. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” (John Ortberg)

This profound statement. of all the creatures on earth, we find ourselves as conscious, spiritual beings, aware that we are made for something beyond what we just see. We are actually made for more than being a human being trapped in time. This may actually help us live our lives with hope today, knowing that we are made for more. ”

Speaking about this Sunday…..