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The new atheists may be grabbing the headlines, and materialism making the running in everyday life. But people will still turn out for carols by candlelight and an opportunity to hear the old old story!
That means that Christmas is still the greatest opportunity we have for bringing the good news of the gospel before family, friends and neighbours. But we have some serious work to do to rescue the real message of Christmas from the fairy-tale version that most people think is the real thing. Salvation has a habit of being pushed out by Santa.
Given the size of the gospel opportunity, it's not too soon to start thinking about it - no matter how much we hate the start of the Christmas music in shops and on the radio. On the blog in the next few weeks we'll be offering you some intriguing insight to the Christmas story, and some extremely practical ideas on ways you can get ready to use the Christmas season for godly gospelling. We'll be encouraging you to:... continue reading
Ed Drew, the childrenâs worker at Dundonald Church in south-west London, has written the following very helpful piece about how we can respond to Halloween.
Halloween is on the way, on 31st October. In all likelihood, all of us will either have children coming to our doors or have our own children invited to Halloween parties.
Firstly, letâs not overreact.
I would guess that very, very few of those we know think itâs much more than a bit of harmless fun. We can appreciate that most of those who dress up, go to parties or go knocking on doors, are children who donât know better. We can be gentle in how we approach those who are celebrating Halloween.... continue reading
This is an extract from the end of Vaughan Roberts' book Battles Christians Face. In it, Vaughan very helpfully outlines the challenge we face to change as churches to support those who struggle with same-sex attraction.
1. Renounce prejudice
Christians are right to object when anyone who argues that homosexual sex is wrong is dismissed as "homophobic". Many of those who believe the Bible forbids homosexual practice are warmly affirming and supportive of those who have homosexual feelings. Nonetheless, we should recognise that sinful homophobic attitudes do exist in our churches. Our conversation and the tone of our public comments sometimes reveals a dislike, not just of homosexual sin, but of homosexual people.
Edited by Vaughan Roberts and Tim Thornborough, this excellent book describes the nature of full-time Christian ministry. For anyone thinking about whether ministry is for them this is a must read.
If you, or someone you know, is seriously thinking about ministry you can get this eBook at an amazing 50% off! Simply use the code worker at checkout to redeem this offer. The offer is available in the UK and the US.
Offer expires 05/10/12.
Special launch offer!
You can buy The Hard Corps on our UK website or our US website. Use the code hardcorps at checkout and get 25% off!! This offer is available until the 30th of September.
The public launch is at the Acts29 event in Manchester, UK this Saturday. Chart topping rapper Lecrae is speaking and doing a gig in the evening. Purchase your tickets here.
We'd like to say a massive thank you to 2V design for making the video. It was a pleasure to work with a brother in Christ who made into reality the vision we had for the trailer. It's been a pleasure to work with you throughout this process.
Later this week we're launching a great new book for men, The Hard Corps. Here's a little taster to whet your appetite. Pre-order with a great launch offer.
Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day. 2 Samuel 23 v 9-10.
Question: What happens to the kid whose dad was named after a soon-to-be-extinct giant bird and whose granddad had a name that only donkeys could pronounce?
Answer: He grows up to become an Old Testament Samurai legend with a razor-sharp blade and a freakishly strong grip!... continue reading
Ever counted how many times you look in the mirror each day - and why? Maybe it's to check your hair or whether you have spinach in your teeth. Maybe it's to make sure your clothes look "right". Maybe it's a glance that fills you with despair as you spot an unwanted bulge, a new grey hair or a pimple.
Our relationship with ourselves is under the microscope as a fashionable trend has developed in the US for women to go on a mirror fast (The Guardian and BBC). The idea is to go a whole month, or even a year without looking in the mirror. The offending objects are covered over with towels or banished from the bedroom and hall. The result, say enthusiasts, is that, remarkably, your self image improves! Mirror fasters report that constantly checking out your own image actually leads you to become far more critical of yourself than others. And although there are inconveniences the overall results are a greater freedom and confidence in yourself. Mirrors effectively give you greater control over your appearance, while at the same time robbing you of your confidence about how you look!... continue reading
Teaching children to pray can be a challenging task. They're often quite keen to open their mouths and be honest with the Lord about what they want - a refreshing and, at times, amusing trait. But encouraging them to pray biblically can be a little harder.
That's where thumb prayers can come in. A simple technique to help children remember some key areas of prayer. And all you need is, well, your thumbs!
Thumbs up!
Thank you God for being great... Colossians 4:2
With thumbs in the air, encourage the children to thank God for who he is and the many good gifts he has given us.
Thumbs down!
Sorry for the times I've messed up ... 1 John 1:9
With thumbs pointing to the ground, encourage the children to say sorry to God for the times they have thought, said or done things that are not what he would want.
Thumbs out!
Please help other people to get to know you ... Matthew 6:10
With thumbs pointing out towards the outside world, encourage the children to think about their friends at school who don't know Jesus and ask God to help them get to know him better.
Thumbs in!
Please help me to become more like you ... Ephesians 3:16-19
And finally, with thumbs pointing in to their hearts, encourage the children to ask God to help them become more like Jesus ... and set them free to ask for all those other things that matter dearly to them!
Holidays are God's gift for us to relax, and to enjoy a change of pace and lifestyle.
But don't make the mistake of giving up on feeding daily on God's Word! In fact, resting should be about taking the opportunity to rest MORE in God's word - not less!
To save the space in your suitcase, why not download the Explore App to your Android or Apple device (phone or pad). It comes as a small self-contained app with 30 days of Bible reading built in, and the opportunity to download daily readings. We will soon be offering some new special readings for the autumn. Use the QR code on this page to link to the Android Marketplace, or search for Explore Bible Devotional on Marketplace or on the Apple App store.
MAJOR POINTS FROM THE MINOR PROPHETS
By John Blanchard
Evangelical Press. 286 pages.
ÂŁ9.99 ISBN: 978-0-852347829
âPlease open your Bibles and turn with me to the clean pagesâ, a friend of the authorâs once said when beginning a sermon! Pick up your Bible and look at the page edges. Are there maybe some âdirtyâ ones at the beginning (Genesis), in the middle (Psalms) and later on (the Gospels), but are they âcleanâ when it comes to the last twelve books of the Old Testament â the Minor Prophets?! I wonderâŚ... continue reading
