Shopping on Sunday

a Biblical thought...
There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. (Phil 1:30)

a Book thought...
Most generational conflict shows up in the worship service. The areas of contention are: pace of the service, brightness of the lighting, loudness of sound, length of service, formality of service, feel of the service, participation in the service, type of music, and quality. (p204 McIntosh)
a Dave thought...
Yesterday I ended up dropping into the shopping centre to pick up a few items with my son. As it was Sunday it was a bit odd for me, not that I am opposed to shopping on a Sunday but generally with church commitments and looking after the children it is not a normal occurrence. I was amazed how busy the shops are and acknowledge the fact that Sunday trading is no longer an optional extra but an essential to survive in the retail world.


As many of us have grown up trained to 'keep the sabbath holy' it ended up as a teenager to me being a boring day of the week that I had to stay at home. I am now working out what I teach my son, and how we still make Sunday special when we can rather than a day when we make bans. But what I think we need to explore more is how someone can be a part of a church when they work on Sunday, because even though culture and working life has changed dramatically in the last 10 years we still have 90% of our services on Sunday morning. It seems it takes the church a long time to adjust to societal trends, or maybe it is all set up to suit the people who already go.

Just a thought.

Nintendo DS

a Biblical thought...
Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master. (Ephesians 6:4)

a Book thought...

Do not expect Bridgers to respond to typical brochures, newsletters, ore sermons. Use art, music, poetry, media, the Internet, drama, video clips, and lots of stories. (p192 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
The Nintendo DS isn't just fun and games anymore for English students at Tokyo's Joshi Gakuen all-girls junior high school. The portable video game console is now being used as a key teaching tool, breaking with traditional Japanese academic methods.
A giggly class of 32 seventh-graders used plastic pens to spell words like "hamburger" and "cola" on the touch panel screen - the key feature of the hit console - following an electronic voice from the machine.
It's a sort of high-tech spelling bee. When the students got the spelling right, the word "good" popped up on the screen, and the student went on to the next exercise. The first five students to complete the drills were awarded colorful stickers.
"It's fun," said Chigusa Matsumoto, 12, who zipped through the drills to get her sticker. "You can study while you have fun."

My son is also a huge fan of his Nintendo DS, and as he has to sit through quite a few meetings it provides him with something quiet to do. What surprises me though is that his favourite game is scrabble. When we bought it for him we thought that it would only be about the games, but now his spelling has improved heaps and he even has taught his prep teacher incredibly useful woods such as 'qi' and 'xu'.

As schools continue to embrace the Gen Y culture to be a part of learning, we who are leaders in the church must somehow do the same. A few songs and straight sermon is not going to get our youth through the doors anymore, so lets think out of the box and engage these young minds creatively with the gospel.

Just a thought.

Children

a Biblical thought...
Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Eph 5:2)

a Book thought...
To reach Bridgers you must develop a setting that enhances social connections and offer multiple interactive activities. (p187 McIntosh)
a Dave thought...
Last night it finally happened, yes that moment when you discover that your 6 year old son, no longer wants to be exactly like you. As I rushed home to pick up Noah for the big game at the MCG he informed me he would not be barracking for the West Coast Eagles tonight, but rather Hawthorn. To rub it in even further he managed to get hold of a Hawthorn scarf and put that on rather than his WCE jumper. Well despite the feeling of failing as a parent, I have managed to survive the evening even though my team was defeated by 57 points. It was hard sitting through the game next to a Hawthorn supporter, but then again as it was my son, and like God does to me, I'll love him regardless.

Just a thought.

Five Lifestyle Pillars

a Biblical thought...
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:31-32)

a Book thought...
The Bridger generation may be the one in which multiethnic churches will become a reality. (p183 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
According to recent figures released by Melbourne-based Lifelounge Urban Market Research (UMR), Generation Y consumption - people born roughly between 1980 and 1995 is focused around what he dubs the "five lifestyle pillars:" entertainment ($151 per week), fashion ($55 p/w), sport ($25 p/w), travel ($24 p/w) and music ($11 p/w)."(Their) focus is on getting things: the big screen colour televisions, the technology and having the experiences all on tap.""When I'm going out I justify spending money by saying that I'm having experiences, and learning, and I'm going to be remembering this forever, and I'm not always going to be able to do this, so I might as well enjoy it while I'm young," he says."My plan is to travel and then come back and start saving for the bigger things."Home, car ... I see it happening later in my life."

You may want to check how much you spend on the five lifestyle pillars. We all have our priorities when it comes to where we spend our money, but it seems this generation are the biggest spenders so far. Throughout history there has always been through a link to high level consumerism and a lack of faith. As Gen Y's are open to spirituality I will be interested to see if the five lifestyle pillars takes this generation away from God or if somehow the they can somehow embrace God and the pillars altogether.

Just a thought.

Psalm 23

a Biblical thought...
When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. (Eph 3:12)

a Book thought...
Discipling postmodern Bridgers (1984-2002) is not about debate, proposition, and linear thought; postmodern discipling is about connection, holism, and dialogue. (p181 McIntosh)
a Dave thought...
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This was the scripture we reflected on last night in cell group. I believe it is the most common chapter in the bible that is used in churches, at funerals, and is continually used outside of Christian settings all over the world today. Having the assurance that God is our protector and provider is something that connects with all of us. We all go through hard times and have challenges we face in life and these words give us the confidence that God is with us, whatever we are facing. We all seem to relate to a different line in this Psalm depending on our circumstances, for me it is 'I lack nothing'. Although I often want things in my life I realise that God does provide everything I need and often it is best to travel lightly.

Just a thought.

What is missional?

a Biblical thought...
God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. (Eph 2:10)

a Book thought...
Busters learn best experientially. As they participate in activities and get involved emotionally, they receive the most benefit from the teaching.
a Dave thought...
Let us be very clear about what it is not first. It is NOT a method, model, style, agenda, program, or even an exhaustive theology. Missional is a stance, a way of thinking, a lifestyle.
I’ve often said that missional is a way of life where “the way of Jesus*” informs and radically transforms our existence to one wholly focused on sacrificially living for him and others and where we adopt a missionary stance in relation to our culture. It speaks of the very nature of the Jesus follower.

Ask yourself, are we merely devotees, who, as a mark of our faith, attend church weekly, participate in a bible study and often invite a friends or neighbors to join us? Or are we disciples of Jesus whose life is consumed 24/7/365 with, as Hirsch stated it, “the practical outworking of the mission of God (the missio dei) and of the incarnation”? Most operate in the former when God calls us to the latter. Missional is about the latter. So why does the average Jesus followers labor to understand Gods call and to live it out?

I am one who wants to be consumed with the mission of God 24/7, but my default setting is certainly based around attending certain Christian gatherings. It is a constant challenge to live out the gospel in our everyday lives. Our movement certainly was set up to be missional through various means such as soldiership which was a 24/7 sold out commitment not just a turn up on Sunday approach to the call of Jesus.

Just a thought.

Is Google making us stupid?

a Biblical thought...
Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:4)

a Book thought...
Busters lose interest very quickly, and churches that hope to reach them must consider this seriously or there will be fewer Busters in the seats next Sunday. (p138 McIntosh)

a Dave thought... from the Atlantic Monthly
Carr's basic point is that the Internet might be rewiring our brains, cutting off our attention spans and leaving us easily distracted by whatever is playing, or some conversation in the background. Or even suddenly jumping up and remembering that we had to do something earlier.
"Over the past few years I've had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory," Carr writes. "My mind isn't going--so far as I can tell--but it's changing. I'm not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I'm reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I'd spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That's rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I'm always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle ... I'm not the only one. When I mention my troubles with reading to friends and acquaintances--literary types, most of them--many say they're having similar experiences. The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing. Some of the bloggers I follow have also begun mentioning the phenomenon. Scott Karp, who writes a blog about online media, recently confessed that he has stopped reading books altogether."

I must confess to reading less books in the last 5 years and spending more time online. It seems with the world at our fingertips maybe we know more but have lost some depth along the way.

Just a thought.

Resi

a Biblical thought...
So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. (Gal 6:9-10)

a Book thought...
Busters (1965-83) are not motivated by loftier job titles and more pay. The feeling that they have an impact on the productivity of the business or ministry is what matters to them. (p133 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
Yesterday Kylie and I took part in the Sunday morning service at Reservoir. It was a great time with 5 more Junior Soldiers enrolled and some great testimonies from both the parents and the kids. Resi only received corps status a few months ago, but when go there I have no doubt that God is moving through this place with everyday Aussies working out how the bible, life and faith all fit together.

It is interesting how we measure the success of a corps by how many attend on Sunday, as opposed to how many people are touched by God through the ministry of the corps during the week. There are corps that seem to have several hundred attending every Sunday but are expending all their energy and effort just trying to keep the believers happy, while others like Resi who had 44 present yesterday are focused on reaching out into the community 24/7. Its ironic really, but it seems the smaller the corps we are leading, the easier it is to stay focused on what we are there to do.

Just a thought.

WYD is coming

a Biblical thought...
15It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. (Gal 5:13)

a Book thought...
Boomers top concerns for the twenty-first century are ethics, environmentalism, and meaningful experiences, all of which can best be accomplished together. (p108 McIntosh)
a Dave thought...
TWELVE years ago, the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary opened in Denver, Colorado. Shortly after, a second training college for priests, the St John Vianney Theological Seminary, opened its doors.
Between them, the colleges taught 108 students last year and there are now about 40 trainee priests studying at the Redemptoris Mater. Since 1996, 10 seminarians from Redemptoris Mater have gone on to become priests in the Denver archdiocese.
According to Denver's Archbishop, Charles Chaput, both schools sprang up as a result of Denver hosting World Youth Day back in 1993.
They were not the only results. "I'm sure that the World Youth Day in Denver led to thousands of conversions and reconversions (within Denver and elsewhere)," says Chaput, adding that Denver World Youth Day is still "considered a great blessing for the whole church in the US".
The man responsible for organising this year's World Youth Day in Sydney, Bishop Anthony Fisher, gets excited when he talks about Denver. Or Cologne or Paris, other Youth Day cities, which Fisher says have also enjoyed significant spiritual benefits as a result of hosting the massive youth festival.

World Youth Day is coming to Sydney in a few weeks, & I'm really looking forward to being a part of it. As all denominations have discovered it is often through these large youth gatherings that many young people commit to a lifetime of dedicated service to God and the church. So with 225,000 Catholic Youth expected to attend in Sydney in 23 days time I'm sure the Sydney seminaries will be inundated over the next few years. Perhaps we should look at holding a big Salvo youth event in Melbourne, actually we are - inSAne is coming Jan 11-18 and I'm sure God will call young people to officership there too.

Just a thought.

Mistakes

a Biblical thought...
Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important. (Gal 4:17)

a Book thought...
Boomers are looking for spiritual renewal in their lives, they are not always returning to the denominations they attended as children. (p95 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
Here are the top 3 mistakes most leaders make which I have adapted from a Leadership magazine...

1. Managing instead of leading. "Managing has more to do with directing day-to-day tasks, whereas leading has more to do with casting a vision, goal setting, and motivation," When a leader spends more time managing than leading, morale suffers among the troops. Most people would prefer a goal to shoot for and some freedom to figure out how to reach that goal. "We all crave at least a partial sense of control,"

2. Mistaking individual loyalty for team building. We shouldn't neglect the individual relationships with those who work closely with us. We also can't miss the important steps necessary to putting those people together in team situations where they learn what it means to work together.

3. Failing to apply what motivates us. A leader may know what motivates him, but he forgets that the same things motivate those who work for him. We want our people to be competent so that everything always runs smoothly. But when we lock people into the routine of sameness, we wind up killing their motivation. When we stretch people into new areas of challenges, we know they are going to make mistakes. But when we keep them "safe," we take the motivational wind out of their sails.

Just a thought.

Personal Devotions

a Biblical thought...
So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. (Gal 3:9)

a Book thought...
Baby Boomers (1946-64)are members of the lead generation, which is the generation that sets the agenda for the entire nation. (p89 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
Personal devotions are often stressed as an essential part of our spiritual development, and something I certainly find helpful myself. However I have discovered that many Christians are made to feel guilty because they don’t get up early to pray everyday or they don’t have a regulated devotional time.
In cell this week we looked at the passage in 1 Timothy 4:7 where Paul says, ‘train yourself to be godly.’ We each shared what we did in our own lives to communicate with God and it looked very different amidst our group. It was great to hear diverse ideas from listening to Light FM to prayer jogging and that many would prefer to share regular times with one or two others rather than just solo.
It seems through our eagerness to encourage believers to spend time reading their bibles and praying by themselves everyday it ends up like a ritual for many who just end up going through the motions, but when they stop they feel guilty. So maybe rather than going through the motions or feeling guilty it is time to be creative and find new ways to spend time with God. Surely making the time personal is not as essential as making it purposeful.

Just a thought.

Choir of Hard Knocks

a Biblical thought...
Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good. (Gal 2:16)

a Book thought...
Many Builders have faithfully served God in their churches, but it is often true that their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are not serving God and are not comfortable in the churches that Builders enjoy. (p52 McIntosh)

a Dave thought...
Yesterday I was fortunate to be involved alongside Jonathon Welch at the launch of the Winter Blanket Appeal at the ABC studios. Jonathon is the man who had a vision to gather the disadvantaged and marginalised homeless people of Melbourne together to form the Choir of Hard Knocks. http://www.choirofhardknocks.com.au/
The choir was formed in September 2006 but it was not until many of us weeped through a six week ABC documentary that we realised this was far more than another reality TV show. They have since gone on to produce two albums of which have sold over 110,000 copies. Earlier this year, the ABC documentary, The Choir of Hard Knocks won the Logie Award for Best Factual TV Series.

Jonathon says, “the formation of the Choir of Hard Knocks has given me the opportunity to use the musical gifts I have been blessed with and wonderful experiences I have had as a professional singer and conductor, to bring pleasure and a sense of belonging and self esteem to those who've joined this exciting new project.
“Choir of Hard Knocks also gives the audience and public at large an opportunity to see the other side of those who are disadvantaged and discover the powerful and moving stories of those who will be given a voice, in more ways than one. To be recognised, appreciated and applauded for what we do in life has to be the essence of any human being's sense of self respect and self worth.”

So it was a pleasure to be associated with Jonathon yesterday, as his example of using his passion and skills as a muso alongside his desire to see the homelessness valued has literally touched millions of lives around the country, but most of all the 50 members of The Choir of Hard Knocks.

Just a thought.

CEO Leadership

a Biblical thought...
Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn't bother being Christ's slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn't receive it through the traditions, and I wasn't taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:10-12)

a Book thought...
Builders (people born prior to 1946) have a strong sense of obligation to serve the church, they are the most churchgoing generation. (p44 McIntosh)
a Dave thought... from Alan Hirsch
The problem with such forms of CEO-type leadership is that it tends to be disempowering to others, and when, for various reasons, that leader should leave the group; it tends to leave the organization weak and under-developed. This is the very thing that apostolic influence is at pains not to do—rather apostolic ministry calls forth and develops the gifts and callings of all of God’s people. It does not create reliance, but develops the capacities of the whole people of God based on the dynamics of the gospel. In a word it involves empowerment. Jim Collins, in his study of outstanding organizations actually says that dominant charismatic leaders are one of the greatest hindrances to an organization moving from being good to becoming great.

Although our movement is always on the lookout for quality leaders we need to remember some of our best are not charismatic at all. I often think we choose or define our best leaders by an hour performance on Sunday when the fifty plus hours during the week often gets unnoticed. But for me the definition of a great leader is a person who is taking others somewhere new that God is asking them to go.

Just a thought.

International Students

a Biblical thought...
You who have been demanding proof that Christ speaks through me will get more than you bargained for. You'll get the full force of Christ, don't think you won't. He was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he's alive now—in the mighty power of God! (2 Cor 13:3)

a Book thought...
The fact remains that many churches and denominations continue to lack understanding of the changing generational waves and are suffering decline due to an inability to reach the younger generations. (p22 McIntosh)
a Dave thought... from the Herald Sun
INTERNATIONAL education is Australia's third-largest export earner. Last year it generated $12.6 billion and grew 19 per cent, as the number of international students reached 370,000.
To sustain this industry, Australia's education exporters and state and federal governments have marketed the claim that foreign students who come to Australia will be provided a "safe and welcoming" environment.
Since January, however, this assertion has been challenged by a number of events, which include the death of three foreign students in a house fire in Footscray, the drowning of two others at Phillip Island, the stabbing of a Korean student, and the broad daylight gassing and mugging of a student at a bus stop in St Kilda.
Across Australia there have been more than 40 international student deaths since June last year. These fatalities are a disaster but they are the tip of a welfare deficiency iceberg being uncovered by Monash and Melbourne University researchers.
Any threat to the safety and wellbeing of international students is a real threat to the sustainability of this important export industry.
Critical issues that have gone largely unexamined, and for which policies have yet to be developed, include severe health problems that stem from loneliness and depression and housing that council inspectors have repeatedly described as "death traps".
The latter problem was highlighted recently when the Herald Sun reported that at one property, 30 students were living in the house and another 18 in garages at the rear.
Research has also revealed international students, frantic for a place to live, are being subjected to sexual exploitation by rapacious landlords.
Many international students have an income less than half of that accepted as marking the poverty line.
Misled by marketers as to the true cost of living in Australia, many are forced to accept jobs that pay far less than the legal minimum and are dangerous and not covered by workers' compensation insurance.

I have recently been to Swinburne University in Hawthorn to see how we can engage young adult students with the mission of The Salvation Army. It has resulted in some fascinating conversations with the university, as the staff there are showing great interest in us having a presence. The real immediate needs are around 5,500 international students, many who are living on campus. As this is 20% of the student population at Hawthorn, there are a lot of isolated and marginalised people here who are struggling to cope with the demands of student life and just living in a totally new culture. The needs in Hawthorn are real and although we left this suburb 20 years ago to move out to Waverley, maybe it is time our organisation moves back into the neighbourhood.

Just a thought.

July 11

a Biblical thought...
At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. (2 Cor 12:8)

a Book thought... from One Church Four Generations by Gary L. McIntosh
I have noticed that most churches target one generation exclusively, but in most of our churches all generations are present, and we must build a ministry that includes them all. (p14)

a Dave thought... from an IT blog
Does this morning feel like Christmas morning to anybody else? Did anyone else have trouble falling asleep last night waiting for Jobs to announce the second coming of the Jesus phone?
The ever-slimming Apple CEO Steve announced that the new iPhone will be available in a bunch of countries including Australia on July 11.
iPhone combines three products a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching into one small and lightweight handheld device.
The biggest surprise, and the most welcomed for some, is Apple's new iPhone pricing. In fact, the only part of this announcement which rings of "Jesus phone version 2" is the loaves-and-fishes price point of US$199 for the 8GB model, and US$299 for the 16GB heavyweight which also comes in white.

Yes the iPhone comes on July 11 and has there ever been a more wanted device that Australian young people are so looking forward to owning? They are counting down the days and pre-ordering so they don’t have to wait any longer to get their hands on one. It is hard to see how this amazing new gadget will ever be outsold again, but then again didn’t we say that about the Commodore 64 in 1982?

Just a thought.

This time it's personal

a Biblical thought...
And I'm not changing my position on this. I'd die before taking your money. I'm giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing "preachers," vaunting themselves as something special. They're a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ's agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! (2 Cor 11:12-14)

a Book thought...
Jesus' resurrection is the beginning of God's new project, not to snatch people away from earth to heaven, but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about. (p305 Wright)
a Dave thought... from St. Vinnies
It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to the Winter Appeal campaign 2008 – ‘This time it’s personal’. This year we have taken an innovative approach to the appeal. It is a very raw and honest campaign.
In seeking to understand what it must be like to feed your children or nurse an unemployed partner through depression, this year we sent out over 100 disposable cameras to some of the people that are helped in our work. We asked them to give us a snapshot of their lives. Instead of the Society appealing for your help, this year, through the use of powerful and real life images, it will be the people the Society assists that will be making the appeal.

http://www.vinnies.org.au/gallery/index.html

Homelessness continues to be a growing problem in our country. I currently have a friend who is squatting and visit him on occasions, so I can assure you the images contained in the gallery are a very real look of what is happening in Australia today.

Just a thought.

Relevant Magazine

a Biblical thought...
The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. (2 Cor 10:3-4)

a Book thought...
For Paul, holiness is never a matter of simply finding out the way you seem to be made and trusting that that's the way God intends you to remain. Nor is it a matter of blind obedience to arbitrary and out-of-date rules. It's a matter of transformation, starting with the mind. (p297 Wright)
a Dave thought...

WHO WE ARE: We get a lot of emails asking who we are, so here it is: We're twentysomething Christians. We want to break stereotypes, challenge status-quo and enact change through the media. We're seeking God, living life and striving to impact the world around us. It's pretty simple, really. Oh yeah, and we're a self-contained, for-profit business not affiliated with any other companies, denominations or organizations.
OUR PURPOSE: Relevant Media Group is a multimedia company whose purpose is to impact culture and show that a relationship with God is relevant and essential to a fulfilled life.

I have recently come across http://www.relevantmagazine.com/. This website receives hundreds of thousands of visitors and more than 4 million page views each month, and the print magazine has now surpassed more than 75,000 in circulation. If you are yet to read their articles on God, life and progressive culture they are definitely worth a look.

Just a thought.

Handcuffs

a Biblical thought...
Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. (2 Cor 9:6-7)

a Book thought...
Far too much 'traditional church' has been too much tradition and not enough church. (p282 Wright)
a Dave thought... from The Age
Working in middle management is getting harder and harder. Middle managers say the job now feels more and more like a set of handcuffs for little reward. Various human resources directors have told me that a onetime career goal is now being shunned by the newer generation of workers now entering workplaces. And that's a problem for companies with the impending retirement of baby boomers.

According to the experts, one of the top reasons for dissatisfaction among middle managers includes micromanagement by senior managers and lack of respect. Then you have the problem where middle managers have no authority but all of the accountability.

Our organisation is one of thousands that struggle with middle management. As we have various layers of leadership and a strong hierarchical structure many in the middle layers continue to get frustrated. There is no doubt in the last 10 years there has been many developments in technology, the introduction of HR, and a lot of policy has been put in place, all with good intention to help protect our movement and make the organisation more efficient. However we have ended up creating an environment that mangers thrive in but visionary leaders will continue to find stifling. The environments we create will determine the type of people we attract to work in our movement. So the choice is ours to either free up and attract some free thinkers that I believe can create a new Salvation Army or keep us in chains and watch our visionaries walk out in handcuffs.

Just a thought.

Kylie's Birthday

a Biblical thought...
You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. (2 Cor 8:9)

a Book thought...
There are good things going on in the wider world, and we must join in, while always remaining on the lookout for the point where we will be asked to do something which goes against the grain of the gospel. (p281 Wright)

a Dave thought...
Last night we celebrated Kylie's 35th birthday. It struck me that I have now known this wonderful woman for nearly twenty years and we have shared most of our lives together. As we sat around and talked about the past and different things that we remember over the years it was a reminder of how little time we take just to stop and reflect amidst our busy schedules.

I heard Tony Campolo once talk around a sociological study (Campolo is a sociologist by training) conducted with people over the age of 95. The survey asked them, 'if you could do life over again what would you do differently?' Most responses fell into three categories: 1. Reflect more 2. Risk more 3. Do more that will live on after I’m gone.

I thank God for Kylie and pray as we continue to do life together that we take enough time to just stop and reflect and value all our years together.

Just a thought.

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a Biblical thought...
With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. (1 Cor 7:1)

a Book thought...
The implication that older styles of worship are somehow less spiritual and that modern electronic worship is somehow more worthy is sheer cultural prejudice and should be happily laughed at whenever it emerges. (p275 Wright)

a Dave thought...
Many of us were blown away in the mid 1990’s when we logged on to the internet for the first time. All of a sudden we could access all this amazing information and data that people had paid to place on the world wide web. This was web 1.0 and today it is still what we are most comfortable with as an organization, where we control what is placed on our websites and no-one can alter or comment.

In 2004 along came Web 2.0 and this introduced interactive sites, that allowed for comments, and anyone could add or alter certain pages for free. We can now blog or set up a Facebook or Myspace however we want and express our own opinions. We can also upload videos on sites such as YouTube without having them approved. The Salvos along with many other organizations are struggling to come to terms with this as people are finding out information before it has been officially handed down or comments are being made about leaders or the Army that are not helpful to the general public.

So rather than steer way from this because it is often messy and uncomfortable, we need to get involved and make it a positive space to share what is happening and an opportunity to hear what people are thinking. Those who continue to try and control Web 2.0 or shut it down are up against it and will never win. So let’s be proactive and embrace technology and look out as Web 3.0 is fast approaching.

Just a thought.

Drinking themselves sick

a Biblical thought...
Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! (2 Cor 6:12)

a Book thought...
Is it any wonder the world doesn't take much notice if Easter is celebrated as simply the one-day happy ending tacked on to forty days of fasting and gloom? (p268 Wright)
a Dave thought... from The Age
The emergency room data showed that between 1999-2000 and 2005-06, there were "rapid increases in alcohol presentation rates" in people aged between 16 and 24. Their symptoms included alcohol dependence, mental and behavioural disorder due to alcohol, alcohol poisoning, alcoholic gastritis and alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
The most alarming increases occurred among women aged 18 to 24, with admissions more than doubling to 14.6 per 10,000 people, from about six per 10,000.
Mr Livingston said that it was clear that numbers of bottle shops and rates of violence and binge drinking were linked. "As you have more outlets of both on-premise drinking and takeaway liquor in a suburb, you'll get more problems around violence," Mr Livingston said.
"There's also a study… that looks at youth drinking at very high levels and shows that in suburbs where there are more liquor outlets, the rates of very high binge drinking are higher."

The excess drinking of alcohol continues to mess up lives, now in particular the lives of teenage Australians. As a movement that asks its members to abstain from the consumption of alcoholic beverages, maybe it is time we get involved in this phenomena some more. Surely we should not just sign up to the non-drinking thing personally, but like the 1800's take on the problems that are messing up our communities. It may mean attempting to close some liquor outlets or encouraging others to join us who can't handle responsible drinking, but lets try and truly reform society.

Just a thought.

Self-harm

a Biblical thought...
We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. (1 Cor 5:20)

a Book thought...
Christian holiness consists not of trying to live as hard as we can to be good, but of learning to live in the new world created by Easter. (p266 Wright)
a Dave thought... from The Age
Figures released last week from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that the number of young people presenting to hospitals with self-harm injuries - predominantly intentional poisoning and cutting - has grown 43% in the past 10 years.
According to the report, it is young women aged 15 to 17 who are mostly commonly admitted to hospitals with selfharm injuries. Indeed, the incidence of girls aged 12 to 24 ending up in hospital for selfharming has risen 51% in the past decade. In young men the increase has been 27%.

Research conducted by Professor George Patton at the Royal Children's Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health found that it was young people on a "fast track" to adulthood who were at greater risk of self-harm. This could mean young people who left school early, who were sexually active at an early age or who used drugs and alcohol.
"The early adopters of the adult lifestyle, those are the kids at the greatest risk," he says. "One perspective is that kids these days … have many more opportunities to grow up more quickly and they are growing up in a less protected way. It may be something to do with these changes with young people who are just … not well equipped to take on opportunities and challenges emotionally." Early intervention is crucial to treating self-harming behaviours, which may relate to deeper problems of anxiety, depression and trauma. Patton says the way youth mental illness is now treated in Australia has led to significant progress, although Coventry says services such as the Austin's are struggling to meet demand.

I have come across a few youth in recent days who are sadly apart of this growing trend. Our young people are under more stress than ever before and this is another sign that many are not coping and are crying out for help. Lets do our best to listen and help, as many are looking for another parent figure in their lives.

Just a thought.

SYG

a Biblical thought...
We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. (2 Cor 4:7)

a Book thought...
This is the good news - of justice, beauty and above all Jesus - that the church is called upon to live and to speak, to bring into reality, in each place and each generation. (p244 Wright)

a Dave thought...
State Youth Games is an awesome youth event held in Warragul on the long weekend in June every year. Even though it is mostly cold and wet, the few thousand who participate annually represent up to 100 church youth groups from around Victoria have heaps of fun. The weekend consists of sleeping in tents on a massive livestock park, night rallies in a huge shed, and playing mainly team sports including pool volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and mixed netball.

The picture above is the Box Hill ultimate Frisbee team wearing their freshly designed t-shirts. If you look closely it says Jesus is my team captain above a picture of Buddy Jesus with a small Red Shield on his heart. It was great to see other corps represented as well including Waverley, Ringwood, Preston, Resi, 614, and Bendigo. I rank this event so highly because we often don't cater well for teenage boys at church, so to have an event that is based outdoors around sport and Jesus is a great mix and works tremendously.

Just a thought.

Compelled by Love

a Biblical thought...
Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times. Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. (1 Cor 3:`8-`9)

a Book thought...
Your praying and your preaching should be of the same length. God works as a result of prayer and faithfulness, not technique and cleverness. (p238 Wright)

a Dave thought...
Understand what it means to be compelled by love. Trusted missiologist Ed Stetzer, along with pastor and coauthor Philip Nation, in Compelled by Love will challenge you to look at love within the context of God, the church, and the lives of individual believers. Selected as the 2008–2009 emphasis book for WMU®, a million-member missions nonprofit organization, Compelled by Love will give you a basic theological understanding and a platform for personal application to understand what missional living is all about—that is, understanding your calling to love others.
Look at the love of God; begin to truly understand what is at the center of the church’s foundation, Commission, and direction; but most importantly, understand your role within the mission of God as you integrate love into all aspects of your missional calling.

Just a thought.

Making the world a better place

a Biblical thought...
In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. (1 Cor 2:14-15)

a Book thought...
People who believe in the resurrection, in God making a whole new world in which everything will be set right at last, are unstoppably motivated to work for that new world in the present. (p226 Wright)
a Dave thought...
A few weeks ago I was playing golf, and as per normal I often play with a couple of guys I have never met before until I arrive at the first tee. As I don't spend a lot of time with people outside of the Salvo world I always enjoy just meeting and chatting with random guys. Because golf is a four hour game it is a great chance to get to know people quite well by the end of a round, even though it might end up being around twenty two minute conversations throughout the afternoon.

During this particular conversation we were enquiring about each others occupations and per normal this man was fascinated with my job as a Salvation Army Officer. When I asked him further what he thought of the work I was involved in and why he admired the Salvos, he simply said "you guys are cool", I asked why and he responded, "because you are making the world a better place."

I thought this was a classic response that sums up what we are about from an average non-religious Australian. So maybe next time we want to do a bit of PR we should use the slogan...

The Salvation Army - Making the world a better place.

Just a thought.

Relevant yet Counter-Cultural?

a Biblical thought...
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. (2 Cor 1:3-4)

a Book thought...
Heaven's rule, God's rule, is to be put into practice in the world, resulting in salvation in both the present and the future, a salvation which is both for humans and, through saved humans, for the wider world. This is the solid basis for the mission of the church. (p217 Wright)

a Dave thought...
Since its inception, youth culture has looked to media culture, says Lynn Schofield Clark. "It enables young people to shock their parents and be distinctive - hence rock music and horror movies. Young people see it as making a faith tradition relevant, and that's how they experience it. They don't say, 'it's the commercialisation of my culture', they say 'finally I've found a group that speaks my language'." Religious lifestyle branding looks hip and very distinct from parents.
In Melbourne, Clark gave an example. The fashion Bible for adolescent Christian girls. Market research showed they didn't read the Bible because they found it intimidating, so the publisher Thomas Nelson released Revolve, a glossy magazine format that combined the New Testament with tips on plucking eyebrows and dating. Here's an example: "Time with God: As you put on your sunscreen talk to God and it may become as familiar as shrinking your pores." It outsold the conventional Bible 12 to one.

Lately I have been in conversations on how we communicate the bible and kingdom values to young people. Sure we want all we do to be relevant so youth can grasp the gospel, but at the same time our message must be counter-cultural as we are here to tell an alternate story. The mag (bible) above has received a lot of criticism from 'The Church' but teenage girls love it. Where the balance lies often sparks debate, but if young people don't find our communication relevant the counter-cultural message may never reach them.

Just a thought.

Which Bank?

a Biblical thought...
If anyone won't love the Master, throw him out. Make room for the Master! Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you. (1 Cor 16:22-23)

a Book thought...
Salvation is not going to heaven, but being raised to life in God's new heaven and earth. (p210 Wright)
a Dave thought...
Attending church today for many is like banking. If someone asks you which bank you go to the answer is no longer simple. You may deposit cheques at a certain branch, withdraw cash wherever convenient, but probably do most of your transactions online. Things have changed from 20 years ago where one branch would be constantly visited every week, as that place alone could meet your banking needs.
Today many younger people see church in much the same way. They may attend a certain church service on a Sunday morning occasionally to catch up with a friendship group, drop into a Sunday night service because they like the worship, go to cell group somewhere else because it is meaningful, and then chat, debate and discover new theological thoughts online. It is no longer a one church approach for many like years gone by. We live in an era of many choices and people will go where they need to when it comes to their faith, to get what they want.

Just a thought.

Characteristics of a Movement

a Biblical thought...
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Cor 15:58)

a Book thought...
As long as we see 'salvation' in terms of 'going to heaven when we die', the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of savings souls for that future. (p209 Wright)


a Dave thought... by Paul Pierson

• They always begin on the periphery of the institutional church


• They are motivated by a transforming experience (grace) of God by an individual or group.


• The result is the desire for a more authentic Christian life that often leads to concern for the church and world.


• Face to face groups for prayer, Bible study, mutual encouragement are important.


• New methods of selecting and training leaders become important. These are less institutional, more grass roots and lay oriented.


• There are theological breakthroughs, that is, rediscovery of aspects of the Biblical message that have been forgotten or overlooked by the Church, usually they involve a focus on the gifts of every believer.


• There is a leveling effect, distance decreases between clergy and laity, social classes, races, men and women, and denominations.


• The movement is countercultural in some ways, often because it reaches out to those who have not been valued by their society.


• Consequently there will be opposition by many in the dominant culture and church. - There will often be manifestations of spiritual warfare. such movements sense the reality of evil and the need to recognize the victory of Christ in the cross and resurrection.


• At times there will be unusual manifestations of the power of the Holy Spirit; healings, visions, glossalalia, miracles. etc.


• More flexible structures of church and mission will be needed and often emerge, different from traditional structures.


• The movement will be led to significant recontextualization of the Christian message, which will be communicated more widely by lay persons to those outside the church.


• New music is often a characteristic.


• Biblical concepts ignored by the traditional church but relevant to the hearers are often discovered.


• There will be a growing concern for the marginalized, often expressed in ministries of compassion.


• At a later stage this often leads to concern for broader social transformation.


• As the movement matures there will be concern for the renewal of the broader church.


• As the movement continues to mature many will see themselves not only as part of the particular movement but as citizens of the Kingdom of God, transcending their own movement.


• Finally, every movement is less than perfect and often messy at the edges and sometimes, at the center. This is inevitable as long as sinful humans are involved.
  

Out of these 19 characteristics there is not a lot we are still reflecting, it has obviously been a great 143 years for the Salvos but maybe it is time to get this organisation operating like a movement once again.

Just a thought.

Family Values

a Biblical thought...
Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth. (1 Cor 14:1)

a Book thought...
The whole point of what Jesus was up to was that he was doing, close up, in the present, what he was promising long-term, in the future. It was not about saving souls for a disembodied eternity, but rescuing people from the corruption and decay of the way the world presently is. (p204 Wright)
a Dave thought...
Yesterday I preached at Box Hill on the topic 'valuing our past' and looked at Joshua 4. As I explored the question about which values do we take from our upbringing that are worth passing on to the next generation, I noticed it created a fair bit of discussion.

I shared my own story of growing up in a home with mum and dad & us four siblings and every meal time we were asked to sit at the table and turn the TV off. I am now doing the same with my family and encourage meal time conversation rather than all sitting on the couch watching the box. We have had various people come and live with us over our time and some were quite shocked and letting us know they hadn't had a meal at home sitting around a table with no TV in years!

For the 30 minutes or so every night we eat together, I believe we either teach and influence our own children through stories and conversations or we let it happen by chance with the media and let others decide what values you want your children to learn.

Just a thought.

Candidates Weekend

a Biblical thought...
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Cor 13:13)

a Book thought...
The New Testament regularly speaks, not of our going to be where Jesus is, but of his coming to where we are. (p202 Wright)
a Dave thought...
It was inspiring to drop down to Geelong yesterday and have lunch with over 70 prospective candidates from our territory. All of these people are currently praying and exploring the call to officership in The Salvation Army. Some will be in our training college in 2009, others may be called to ministry in another setting, and there will be another group that sadly may never have the courage to take the final step into full time ministry.

As I travel around and have conversations with older Salvationists it is amazing how many talk about when they were candidates or considering becoming officers and still regret to this day the fact that they never took the plunge even though God spoke to them clearly. So if you know God is calling you to become an officer, take the plunge or else you maybe another that will reflect and look back on an opportunity lost in years to come.

Just a thought.