Habitat for humanity house build

Our team finished the habitat house on Friday - they built, from the ground up, a house in just 3 days - well done to Francois, Shaun and all the volunteers who helped make this home a reality! This is one of the best things we do each year and next year my vision is that we build two houses - all for Jesus fame!
Everyone who I spoke to on the team enjoyed the time they spent in Mfuleni. It's given them a deeper perspective of life in South Africa, and I speak for myslef that it makes me grateful that I have as much as I have.

Good to great

I am at the global leadership summit. It is a great oppourtunity for leaders to grow.

Jim Collins lists these characteristics of teams on the way up:
1 acknowledge the sometimes unpleasant facts
2 bring data, evidence and facts to the discussion
3 leaders have a high questions to statements ratio, pushing and challenging others
4 each member credits others and enjoys respect and admiration of peers
5 teams conduct autopsies without blame gaining wisdom from experiences
6 team members unify behind decisions even if they did not agree with the decision

Poor teams - teams on the way down:
1 hide the facts
2 opinions are voiced without data and facts
3 leaders make more statements than questions avoiding critical input
4 team members seek their own credit and are not respected by others
5 teams seek to blame seeking culprits rather than wisdom
6 team members acquiesce to a decision but undermine it afterwards

Food for thought...how are we doing?...make some comments in the blog page

Roundup and some book recommendations

John Piper has written a new book called Think about engaging our minds for Jesus glory. Piper is one of the most humble Godly men I have heard and he writes profoundly well. He is also in Cape Town next week.

Scott McKnight is a great writer, blogger and author, his new book One.Life will be out shortly and if it is like any of his other stuff like Blue Parakeet which is in our library it will be worth getting.

Frederick Gaiser has a very good book out about Healing in the Bible. This is always a contentious issue and the book aims to expose what the scriptures actually say...it has some great reviews from respected authors.

Jonathan Parnell has a great post about 7 questions we should ask before we teach the scriptures as preachers, teachers and leaders.

For those who engage the science faith debate (as we all should in some ways) will know that there is a lot of rhetoric and not much grace (even from those who claim to follow Jesus the King of grace) BioLogos is a forum to discuss these things and there are some great video resources to provoke some thought and to get you reflecting on the majesty of God and his awesome creation and of course the $64 000 question: was it six literal days or not?

Evening service

Our experimental evening service kicked off this week with about 40 people and we started our study of the book of Romans and we got a whopping 7 verses in! There is so much of value in Romans that it is worth unpacking as Paul explains the richness of Christ Jesus and the gospel message to save us for Jesus glory.

I really want to strongly encourage all the leaders to make an effort to come to these services, it will help you grow in your faith and lead those under your care with greater effectiveness. This is especially important for those who are ministering at KidsChurch as you miss out on teaching on Sunday mornings. Please remember that all my sermons are available on the website for download.

Please remember all these communications are on my blog and I am more than happy that you send the link to others who may be interested. I’d prefer it if you subscribed to the blog and I have added the means to do that. Many of you have already done this, if you have not please do this here: you can subscribe directly by clicking here You will get the same postings via email, but they will come directly from my blog and it makes things simpler, easier to manage and I will be stopping the direct mails shortly. I can see who has subscribed and I really need to you to do this so that all the church leadership is up to speed with information moving around.

Habitat for Humanity

Our team on site has been doing some great work as we build a house over three weekends...actually two because they have worked so fast not much is going to be left to do on the 23rd. The house we're building is in Mfuleni and here is how far our team got on day 1.

Awesome stuff!! - working up a sweat for Jesus fame!

Psalm 8

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Spiral galaxy M104 the sombrero galaxy taken by the Hubble space telescope. It is about 30 million light years away from us and contains several billion stars. In many ways it is not that different from our Milky Way galaxy. (click on the image to view full size)

And on a mote of dust orbiting an insignificant star called the Sun the savior Jesus died for us...

Youth ministry?

After spending many years leading teenagers in the church I found this article at The Resurgence really interesting. Whilst I think good has come out of all the programming and youth groups that I have been part of I am not convinced that much real long term faith growth has been accomplished in many of the teenagers.

In our current setup we have a teenagers bible study for the dozen or so teenagers we have at our church. I reckon we do more meaty work there in a month than would be achieved in a year of other programming. We hit the scriptures and some deep theological issues hard. They ask tough questions we debate the answers and in it I believe, Jesus is glorified and little by little these awesome young teenagers are growing in maturity of faith!

The challenge is to get leaders in churches out of the ‘that is the way it is done’ mentality. That’s tough to do. I know. I was one of them and it has taken me a long time to fully realize that many of the models that worked (or didn’t) in previous generations need to be rethought.

My hope is that we’d be immensely creative, Spirit led and Jesus honouring so that we’d produce fully devoted followers of Jesus. That means getting out the box, rubbing a few stuck-in-the-mud folks up the wrong way – but ultimately it will mean doing what Jesus wants us to do: to glorify him in all that we do by living our faith out daily and helping others to do the same!

Military Leadership vs Jesus leadership

I am currently reading a great book by Jon Krakauer on Pat Tillman it is a moving and sad read as one follows the cover up that the US government perpetrated in friendly fire deaths.

But what got me thinking was how tough, narrow minded and abusive military leadership often is. Orders are given and there is an expectation of blind following. This often lead to mistakes being made and lives being lost. Sadly this kind of leadership is rampant in the church too.

Jesus on the other hand lead with a servant attitude, strongly, firmly and truthfully but He did so by lifting others up with him rather than ordering them to get his will done. He did not expect subservience, but even calls us his fellow workers! What an awesome leader and example to us. Jesus encouraged the guys around him to get on track with him and to seek God’s glory without forcing or coercing them – man I hope we as leaders get to live out that kind of leadership in His church!

Kindle

OK so I have had an Amazon Kindle for some weeks now and I thought it would be helpful to post a review for those who might be interested. I have one word to describe it:

AWESOMENESS!!!

I love the device. The screen using e-ink technology is very readable in broad daylight and is much softer on the eyes than a normal LCD screen as found on other devices like the iPad. Buying books is phenomenally easy and the device I have is the entry level one with wifi only connectivity. The upgrade has 3G (cellphone network) as well which is better if you travel lots. Purchasing is directly from Amazon and delivery is within a week directly to your door.

Books are much cheaper too. Recently I purchased Wayne Grudem’s Systematic theology – around R460 locally in paperback and only $30 on the Kindle which is about 50% less, the device will pay for itself in a year at the rate I read books (3 – 4 per month). There are around 650000 books available and a purchase takes about 30 seconds before it is readable on the Kindle. The device can hold around 3000 books and keeps your place in each book. I have already purchased about 20 books and read 5 of them J

Whilst I still love paper books I think this is the way of the future and I have found the transition very easy and I will probably use the device more and more. Marisa is so convinced she just bought one too!

Son Power

So the family were coming back from Hermanus after a much needed weekend off, ministry is amazing, but it is hard work!

As we crested Sir Lowry's pass this flat white bullet came flying up from Somerset West with a lead and tail car as well as a support vehicle. It was amazing how it shot along at 80km uphill in overcast conditions...It's called the Tokai challenger and is in South Africa from Japan for the SA Solar challenge

All powered by the sun...simply amazing!

The church is a community that also operates by Son power and we are reminded in Malachi 4 of the Son of Righteousness who rises with healing in His wings. My prayer is that all those who follow Jesus would truly be Son powered that we can be the church Jesus calls us to be, that we can influence the world for him and His glory. The church fails to be the church when we operate by our own strength and not by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let Jesus be all your strength and power.

The Son never stops shining and those who love him and serve him will keep running forever...for His fame!

From our denomination: Keeping in Touch 3

23 September 2010

Dear Colleagues

KEEPING IN TOUCH 3/2010

From the desk of the General Secretary

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I trust that you are well in the grace and love of God, Almighty.

The General Assembly starts on the 25^th September 2010 and concludes on 1^st October 2010. It would be great to see those of you who are attending as commissioners or may be visiting at certain times. We are looking forward to a wonderful time of worship, celebration, fellowship and discernment as we decide on various matters. There are some exciting things coming to the General Assembly and also some challenging issues which I will write to you about after the Assembly. Also, there will be a daily posting on the UPCSA website (upcsa.org.za) of key events, discussions and decisions. Please take some time to search the web so that you can stay in touch and in tune. It would be greatly appreciated if you could also share this information with your congregation. In the meantime, please keep the Assembly in your regular prayers. Some of the things you could pray for are:

1. The safe travelling of commissioners.

2. Give thanks for the work of the out- going Moderator, Christopher Mkandawire.

3. The in-coming Moderator, George Marchinkowski.

4. Those responsible for the running of the General Assembly.

5. The Presbytery Arrangements Committee and all those who would serve us through the week.

6. The various items of business, for prayerful discernment and decisions in accordance with God's will for the denomination.

7. For the continued use of the Consensus Model.

8. For the Fraternal Delegates who would join us on Wednesday.

9. Give thanks for the ten ministers who would be retiring at this Assembly.

10. A smooth Assembly filled with a spirit of peace, joy, love and celebration as we strengthen the UPCSA community.

So, if you are not attending the Assembly you can still be one with us in spirit, thought, and prayer. It is about time that we get excited and more deeply connected with the wider UPCSA family, if we are not currently doing so. Ministry is more than just the local congregation, it is about the wider church and, most significantly, it is about the kingdom (reign) of God. Let's get excited about what God wants to do in us, to us and through us!

Thank you so much for your faithful ministry and service to both God and God's people. May you be blessed with all grace, peace, wisdom and strength from above.

Blessings!

Jerry

Exodus

Washington - Moses might not have parted the Red Sea, but a strong east wind that blew through the night could have pushed the waters back in the way described in biblical writings and the Qur'an, US researchers reported on Tuesday. Computer simulations, part of a larger study on how winds affect water, show wind could push water back at a point where a river bent to merge with a coastal lagoon, the team at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado at Boulder said.

"The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," Carl Drews of NCAR, who led the study, said in a statement. "The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in."

Religious texts differ a little in the tale, but all describe Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt ahead of a pharaoh's armies around 3 000 years ago. The Red Sea parts to let Moses and his followers pass safely, then crashes back onto the pursuers, drowning them. Drews and colleagues are studying how Pacific Ocean typhoons can drive storm surges and other effects of strong and sustained winds on deep water.

His team pinpointed a possible site south of the Mediterranean Sea for the legendary crossing, and modelled different land formations that could have existed then and perhaps led to the accounts of the sea appearing to part. The model requires a U-shaped formation of the Nile River and a shallow lagoon along the shoreline. It shows that a wind of 63 miles per hour, blowing steadily for 12 hours, could have pushed back waters 6 feet (2 metres) deep.

"This land bridge is 3-4 km (2 to 2.5 miles) long and 5 km (3 miles) wide, and it remains open for 4 hours," they wrote in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE. "People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts," Drews said. "What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws." - Reuters

The web for newbies:

OK so after seeing on Sunday that many people are not so clued on the web, let me explain some of the technologies PVFC is using on our website!

 

Blog:

All this stuff (and some other things) that I send to you is on my blog an online web log where you can comment on the postings I make. If you have a google account you can follow the blog and every posting I make will give you a mail to tell you. Check the blog out here

 

Twitter:

Twitter is a micro blogging site that is used to give links to interesting or important information. Our twitter site is here. With my Kindle that the elders where gracious enough to buy for me as I do a LOT of reading (And the books are MUCH cheaper than hard copies AND they save the trees on God's creation!) much of what I post on twitter will be links to good quotes or comments from whatever book I am reading. Click here to see an example of a quote here...it will also give you a link to the book I am reading on Amazon.com

 

RSS feed:

An RSS feed is a system whereby you have one application on your computer that presents you with updates of the websites you usually look at on a regular basis. So instead of opening each site to see if anything new is there, you can use a feed reader to show you the changes made to all of the websites that you are following. Here is a list of free feed reading apps. And you can read more about RSS feeds here and here.

 

The RSS feed for our website is here. And there is an RSS feed that will tell you when a new sermon has been uploaded.

 

Podcast:

A podcast is used to automatically download regular media (video and audio files) from the internet. Read about it here. You can use iTunes or some other free podcast software to keep up to date with the latest media. PVFC sermons are in podcast format and if you subscribe using iTunes you will have the latest sermon automatically downloaded to you computer and then it will be synced to your iPod. It's and easy way to keep the latest stuff on your personal music player....

 

That should give you the basics J and if you need help you can contact me or Joe on joe@dewet.mobi

 

Quote on preaching, but relevant to us all

Bryan Chapelle in his book Christ-Centred preaching says this:

 

"A message that merely advocates morality and compassion remains sub-Christian even if the preacher can prove that the Bible demands such behaviours. By ignoring the sinfulness of man that makes even our best works tainted before God and by neglecting the grace of God that make obedience possible and acceptable, such messages necessarily subvert the Christian message. Christian preachers often do not recognize this impact of their words because they are simply recounting a behaviour clearly specified in the text in front of them. But a message that even inadvertently teaches others that their works win God's acceptance inevitably leads people away from the gospel.

Moral maxims and advocacy of ethical conduct fall short of the requirements of biblical preaching…

A textually accurate discussion of biblical commands does not guarantee Christian orthodoxy. Exhortations for moral behaviour apart from the work of the Saviour degenerate into mere pharisaism even if preachers advocate the actions with biblical evidence and good intent."

I believe that this is important for all of us who lead. Whether you are overseeing a homegroup, are an elder, worship leader or a KidsChurch teacher this affects how you lead those under your care. The Old Testament predicts and promises a person and the New Testament presents that person – Jesus the hero of God's story who comes to rescue us from sin and to redeem all things whether things in heaven or on earth.

 

Everything is about Jesus. I've written before on moralistic therapeutic deism a common theme in the modern church. Our aim as leaders is not motivational feel good moralism or some sort of behaviour modification. Our aim is to get the people under our care to meet Jesus – that's the deal! He is the one who transforms hearts, he is the one who restores broken relationships, he is the one who give life and life to the full!!

 

Let's always keep it about Jesus!

Good one

Donuts for the Class

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. 
"How many push-ups can you do "
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
"200 That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300 "

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."
"Do you think you could " again asked Dr. Christianson.
"Well, I can try," said Steve.
"Can you do 300 in sets of 10 I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson' s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts "

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut "

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut "
Joe said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut " Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Dr. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut " Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups "
Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 
"Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want " 
With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut "
Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more Push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want " Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one "

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him "

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut "

Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut "
Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was profusely dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut "

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want " Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut "

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him "

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut " As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on the desk "

Author Unknown