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Few of us would admit it. But most of us have them. Doubts are a normal part of the Christian life.
But what are doubts? Are they helpful or harmful? And how should we respond when they hit?
If you've ever asked yourself any of these questions, why not check out the great seminar that Trevor Archer gave at the recent Bible-centred youthworker conference? Click here for the audio and here for the handout.
Tim Challies has posted a helpful PDF listing some of God's attributes, including:
Would make a great basis for prayer.
Get the Hi Res version or the PDF
If your youth and children's worker has gone missing this week, there's a good chance they may be in Hertfordshire. No - they're not on holiday. Nor have they been kidnapped. They've probably joined the 162 leaders who work with under 18s meeting together at High Leigh for the 2012 Bible-centred youthworker conference. A great chance for them to get inspired and equipped for the ministry that lies ahead of them this year!
Throughout this week we'll be blogging on what's going on at High Leigh. But first, a quick reminder of what went on last year:
If you’re a smartphone person, have you got the Explore app yet?
It’s been encouraging to see the reviews for the app, launched this week, from users. We were hoping that delivering Bible-study notes straight to people’s phones would make reading God’s word easier, quicker and more flexible—and it’s looking like it has:
“What your iPhone has been waiting for: This is a GREAT development—the iPhone is an ideal medium for getting hold of Bible-reading notes, and these are great notes. What’s not to like?”
“Explore was always great but to now have it at all times is great! No internet connection needed once downloaded and Bible passage included. Thanks team.”
It’s dead easy to get—just go here to start accessing Explore wherever you are, whenever you want!
A couple of people have asked us why, in the UK, the monthly rate for Explore on the app (ÂŁ1.49) is a bit more than it is when you buy the paper version (ÂŁ1.33). Which is a great question! Essentially, there are three reasons:
And as ever, any profit we do make on the app, as with the paper version, will be ploughed straight back in to developing resources for the future; with getting to you Bible-centered products which make a loss but which are vital for ministry, such as children’s Bible-study notes; and with providing virtually-free resources for to Bible teachers in the developing world who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
Your £1.49 goes quite a long way—and it’s only half the cost of a large Starbucks coffee!
If you’ve got the app already, as many of you have, do let us know what you think of it on Apple’s app store or Android’s Market.
If you would like to be inspired and encouraged to think through how to use your meals and your home for the glory of God, why not get your own copy of A Meal With Jesus?
We know you love a bargain, so we're offering an extra 10% off our special offer price on this book - just for our blog readers. That's just ÂŁ5.85 a copy!
Order online by clicking here. When you get to the checkout simply enter the code: blogmeal
Enjoy!
Welcome to a new Good Book Blog competition. Every quarter there'll be a winner, and the prize will be a year's free subscription to Explore, our daily Bible-reading notes.
How do you win? Just send us a picture of you with Explore in a wonderfully exotic or hilariously imaginative situation. The most farflung or funny entry will be announced on the blog as the winner, with the first victor being unveiled a couple of weeks before Christmas.
So, if you're heading somewhere on holiday soon, take a snap of yourself doing your Explore study and email it to: explorecompetition@thegoodbook.co.uk
And if you're going no further than your workplace or the school gate in the next couple of months, don't despair! Get your creative juices flowing and send in a picture of yourself reading Explore in a place no one has ever thought of reading it before…
And if you're not an Explore reader, but fancy taking part (and getting stuck into God's word each day to be encouraged and equipped to love and live for Him), you can grab the latest issue here.
PS By the way, if you use Engage Bible study notes, then you can take part in this comp in just the same way, using Engage instead of Explore.
I have a terrible confession to make:
I find it hard to pray.
Actually, I don't find it hard to pray. As soon as I get going, there's loads of stuff I want to talk to my heavenly father about - things that concern me - people I love - expressions of thanks and praise for all he's done for me. Once I get started, I'm often like a ball rolling downhill. (Ask any of my daughters who regularly complain that my 'grace' prayers before dinner tend to ramble on a bit, and not always be just about the food!)
But there has now entered into my digitally-ordered world a new iPhone app called 'PrayerMate' that has done something really significant to make me more of a prayer warrior than I was:
1. It reminds me to get praying
The app is really very simple. It's basically a prayer diary that allows me to set up lists of people and situations to pray for. But the terrific feature is that, at the time I set every day, it pops up a message whatever I am doing saying: "Time to Pray?"
In and of itself that has been a massive help. My family and working life is ever-so-slightly chaotic, and finding a set time for daily Bible reading remains difficult - often being squeezed between getting up, school lunch making, making tea to take milady in bed, and leaving the house. Easy to forget or to get squeezed. The daily reminder is, quite literally, a God-send (via Apple).
2. It gives me a good structure
On opening, it presents me with a prayer from the Bible, which is often stimulating for the content and character of my prayers. Today was Matthew 9:38 The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest."
What follows on the sliding screens is a selection of people and issues from a number of lists I have set up: for family, my housegroup; my sunday school class and co-leaders; my work colleagues; friends, church etc. The nice thing here is that I can set the frequency of when they get prayed for. I talk to the Lord about each member of my immediate family every day, whereas only one of my work mates, homegroup and sunday school class pop up each day. Other things may be less frequent.
Importing the names as a dream from my address book, and there is room to add notes and issues to each person as time goes on.
This is the first version of this terrific little app - no doubt it will grow in sophistication with revision releases - but I hope the developers don't lose the practical simplicity of how it works at the moment. Technology has a habit of getting in the way of something that should be intimate and personal - and PrayerMate elegantly achieves being a helpful aid that does not intrude, but genuinely equips and encourages. Well done lads.
Stephen Witmer, author of our latest Good Book Guide on Jonah, has written an article for The Gospel Coalition website.
Jonah’s almost-death was intended by God to win his obedience. But Jesus’ death was his act of obedience.
This is the gospel according to Jonah.
If you’re looking for a new job, an apprenticeship, some training or a chance to get involved more on the mission-field then The Good Book Company website has a new community section that might be right up your street.
In addition to The Good Book blog and our ever-popular events-booking facility, it’s now possible to see all the adverts that appear in The UK Briefing online.
So whether you’re looking for a one day event or a 3-year degree; a gap-year position or a pastorate in an inner-city church; a chance to link up with a great mission organisation or an opportunity to get involved with a small church plant, do check out our online ads.
And if you would like to consider placing an ad – in the Briefing and online – you can find out more details on our website.
We are delighted to have been invited to exhibit at the Together for Adoption conference on 21-22 October 2011 in Phoenix, AZ.
In the build up to the conference we are partnering with Together for Adoption to do three book-giveaways over the coming weeks. If you enjoy reading and are always on the lookout for gospel-saturated books, this is a giveaway in which you’ll want to participate. Details of how to enter this first giveaway are at the end of this post.
The first giveaway contest is for the book Gospel-Centered Life by Tim Chester (a T4A keynote speaker) and Steve Timmis. You can read the first two chapters of the book online. Gospel-Centered Life will help you discover how, in the gospel, everyday problems and experiences can be transformed. There are 15 copies of this book to giveaway.
Here’s how to have a chance to get one of the 15 copies.
You have through midnight Saturday (September 10) to enter. T4A will announce the 15 winners next Monday.
