tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.comments2022-07-26T18:00:36.133+10:00Willow ANZWillowANZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312205318790634160noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-89215345552167256642012-08-13T11:29:32.422+10:002012-08-13T11:29:32.422+10:00Well said Dean.
One of the things I have been stro...Well said Dean.<br />One of the things I have been strongly reminded of over the past few weeks, in both reading and casual discussion with other Ministers and Leaders, is the number of references in Scripture to 'weeping over the lost' and 'crying to the Lord' in regard to the church.<br />Would be most interesting to see an article in relation to this.<br />Rev Craig ScottRev Craig Scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-40166230899607064512012-07-12T22:43:49.730+10:002012-07-12T22:43:49.730+10:00Its an encouraging read as I'm someone who isn...Its an encouraging read as I'm someone who isn't a regular<br />churcher as I feel I should be. I've chosen my home<br />church as my church because the people there are welcoming <br />and my children do want to return. Thank you for keeping me involved as sending me this email.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-87320114259941702392012-07-11T09:52:05.794+10:002012-07-11T09:52:05.794+10:00Thanks for your comments! A big challenge for us a...Thanks for your comments! A big challenge for us all to be on the lookout for new people and welcome them in a way that makes them want to come back to our churches! -MeganWillowANZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03312205318790634160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-22778267479921994802012-07-09T16:03:11.687+10:002012-07-09T16:03:11.687+10:00Just looked for a new church myself and found the ...Just looked for a new church myself and found the same. The church I stayed with was not the one with the best music, the most people or the best preaching but it was the friendliest one - the one that made me and my family feel the most wanted and welcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-76492366215993462972012-07-09T12:47:24.859+10:002012-07-09T12:47:24.859+10:00Christians often forget that Hospitality is one of...Christians often forget that Hospitality is one of the basics of our faith.<br />As we welcome friends, so we should welcome strangers - who are friends we just haven't met yet.<br />Who knows what angels we may entertian in the name of Jesus, who come disguised as strangers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-40305977174174941332012-04-04T12:13:55.674+10:002012-04-04T12:13:55.674+10:00Great post Kate and thanks for the comments guys! ...Great post Kate and thanks for the comments guys! I also take great comfort in knowing that God is with me every step of the way - MeganWillowANZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03312205318790634160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-73029474963732291752012-04-02T15:19:37.953+10:002012-04-02T15:19:37.953+10:00Very timely Kate.
Thanks for your words of encou...Very timely Kate.<br /><br /> Thanks for your words of encouragement.<br /> The theme for our ladies camp this year is... Seasons of Change ! Change happens continually throughout our lives, in all stages, ages and generations- but God is the one constant! G<br />GayleGaylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-33790836861770397392012-04-02T13:56:21.490+10:002012-04-02T13:56:21.490+10:00Isn't it wonderful when God has gone before, p...Isn't it wonderful when God has gone before, prepared the way and just trusts us to be obedient to His call? BobRobert Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-76394761813055243662011-12-13T01:34:57.318+10:002011-12-13T01:34:57.318+10:00Hospitality is the fundamental expression of Chris...Hospitality is the fundamental expression of Christians, in response to God’s hospitality and kindness to mankind in providing his only begotten son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice on Calvary, which compels every believer in the’ body of Christ’ to follow in His footsteps.Christian Hospitalityhttp://holy-food.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-61179921386100389102011-07-23T23:09:13.385+10:002011-07-23T23:09:13.385+10:00Amen to anonymous on July 22. To add to this, our...Amen to anonymous on July 22. To add to this, our compassion which is done in Jesus name and including Gods truth, for Gods purposes, in Gods manner... the compassion we give can not be as a technique which will "bring people over". It has to be done because it is a natural overflow of Gods nature - His love filling our cup and then naturally overflowing to others. When this happens, it is God who creaes the moment by His Holy Spirit when another is "quickened" to realise that God is real and they need to fnd the "way" to him (Jesus). GeoffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-28567435918937544202011-07-22T01:11:27.282+10:002011-07-22T01:11:27.282+10:00What does God's compassion really look like? H...What does God's compassion really look like? How is it different to the world's compassion? <br />I really believe few people will find Jesus thrugh our compassion / social justice if what we do looks no different to the worldly-based compassion and social justice programs of our time. <br /> <br />I'm thinking God's kind of compassion is a combo of Grace and Truth, flowing out of love for mankind and we need to embrace His kind of compassion. <br /><br />The woman at the well was shown GRACE (acceptance even though she was a sinner) but also TRUTH (the woman was bold enough to respond to Jesus truthfully when she could have chosen to lie, and Jesus highlighted her honesty and proceeded to tell her his knowledge of her life) ... truth on the wings of grace.<br /> <br />It is so much easier to just give grace-based compassion and hope people find truth in it and convert, but it seems heart-felt conversions are very rarely found this way. I guess it ought not be surprising really since Jesus didn't model this way to us.<br /><br />Jesus's compassion is not without Truth, but worldly compassion lacks the Good News. It lacks the testimony of God's interactions with His creation and it compromises absolute truth with worldly wisdoms.<br /><br />When we act with the world's form of compassion we are likely to cheapen God's grace and extend our grace from the sinner to the sin also, compromising God's truth and thus lead precious few to Christ.<br /><br /><br />If Christ-centred compassion is going to change our nation, it had better be Christ Centred: It had better contain the Good News. It had better not sacrifice biblical truth and it had better not cheapen God's grace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-5642905258464912602011-07-20T22:44:57.170+10:002011-07-20T22:44:57.170+10:00I believe there are many people who have or would ...I believe there are many people who have or would like to engage with Jesus but feel disengaged with the body. I believe it's time to rethink what BEING church means rather than focussing on how we DO church. Jesus told us to make disciples not churchgoers. If the motivation and heart of our corporate gatherings is right; people will come. If ALL members of the body exercise our gifts by ministering to all we come into contact with; we will be living the Gospel. Christine SchreiberRamblings of a Royal Priesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07218260370361981383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-15581124764624002312011-07-20T19:16:36.438+10:002011-07-20T19:16:36.438+10:00The harvest is in the pain, but there's the ca...The harvest is in the pain, but there's the catch. Our churches are full of broken hurting people, so we are better at breaking and hurting people, than healing them in Christ. Church people have a bad name well earned. Before getting more through the doors of our churches, it is very important to gently bind up and love the hurting Christians we already have, so that when they have spiritual health, they can bring compassion and healing to others, both inside and outside our churches. Then churches will become known for God's Grace and love. Many people like Jesus because they like love. If our churches are filled with Jesus love, our churches will fill.David Dellitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-49911451929897128112011-07-20T09:59:00.284+10:002011-07-20T09:59:00.284+10:00Thanks so much for your thoughts and suggested lin...Thanks so much for your thoughts and suggested links! We are big fans of Chaplains and CRE Teachers. We can all look for moments everyday to share God with others, the challenge for me is to take those moments!Megan, Willow Creeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-26495702443128695872011-07-20T02:08:11.692+10:002011-07-20T02:08:11.692+10:00Too much focus on social gospel & not enough e...Too much focus on social gospel & not enough evangelism. Non Christians can't see the relevance. Try this instead<br />http://www.shednight.com/events<br />Very culturally relevant, & no "church" to put up with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-26729636585967299932011-07-19T21:41:52.734+10:002011-07-19T21:41:52.734+10:00Thanks Concerned Mum I sooo agree with you. I'...Thanks Concerned Mum I sooo agree with you. I'm a huge advocate of CRE in schools (Australia) and yet we seem to find that we can't get enough Christians to go into the schools to teach the kids of Gods Love & Forgiveness , What an indictment on us as Christians , while we're preoccupied in our churches praying for people to come to faith, we don't seem to have time or see the value in teaching our kids in our local schools of Faith in a Loving God. I'm sure we could do it if we could see the huge potential it has when it comes to salvation, even as adults in later life. God have mercy & Grace is amazing to us. I hope we too be filled with His compassion for souls, Young & Old.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-53469607601595109282011-07-19T11:33:38.974+10:002011-07-19T11:33:38.974+10:00The stats show that most people receive Christ as ...The stats show that most people receive Christ as children. I believe we are now reaping the consequences in adult evangelism where children have not even heard the basics of the gospel as children. <br /><br />I have found much greater response from adults becoming christians where they have had some Christian exposure as kids (eg through Catholic school). I fully agree that pain is one of the causes that gives people an openness to Jesus, as they actually realise their need in life. Compassion and love motivate us to care as Jesus would to those in pain.<br /><br />However, I have helped several people of find Christ as adults, some through times of pain (eg divorce). However, several others are quite together without any pain, but also realise their need! However, these have almost without exception had some exposure to Christ as a child, even if not a very alive one.<br /><br />Can we empower Access ministries to provide more CRE teachers into all those schools that are legislatively open to the Christian message being taught to the children, but where there are inadequate volunteers? It is my belief that this is where we have lost sight of the big picture as a Church in our outreach to Australia. But it is still not too late!concerned mumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-89293342058024926752011-07-19T10:28:56.669+10:002011-07-19T10:28:56.669+10:00That is so true. Spontaneous care given to even t...That is so true. Spontaneous care given to even to strangers can have a powerful impact, and can lead a person to know and trust the Source of that compassion.<br /><br />The wider Church, inspired by Jesus' compassion, is the largest provider of care in our society: in community support and personal care by churches and individuals at a local level, and a vast array of welfare across the whole of society by Christian agencies. So much so it is likely our society would collapse without it. (See link below).<br /><br />However, with all the people the Church contacts through its caring, research indicates very few of these come to faith and are welcomed into the life of the Church.<br /><br />It would seem the future of the Church will depend on finding ways to encourage Christians to be spontaneous in both caring and sharing their faith. And for churches and Christian agencies to become intentional about inviting those they care for to find their hope and help in Jesus and in a caring Christian community. <br /><br />see: "The Vital Place of Church to the City" at www.transformingmelbourne.org (based on the "All Melbourne Matters" research report also available on that site)Rob Isaachsenhttp://www.transformingmelbourne.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-2509121131341223212011-07-11T11:08:23.682+10:002011-07-11T11:08:23.682+10:00As with setting core values, mission and purpose s...As with setting core values, mission and purpose statements, and codes of conduct for any organization, the key challenge is corporate alignment. Unless the changes are agreed to by the organization or church, and modeled in a gracious manner from the top down, they will never become part of the culture. <br /><br />A helpful insight into how this is done is found in the text Leading Change by John P. Kotter (Harvard Business School Press 1996). Kotter and a team researched many organizations to discover why change in organizations was difficult, and from their research proposed an eight step process to anchor a new culture into an organization. The eight stage process is as follows.<br />The Eight-Stage Process<br />1. Establish a sense of urgency<br />2. Creating a guiding coalitio<br />3. Developing a vision and strategy<br />4. Communicating the change vision<br />5. Empowering staff for broad-based action<br />6. Generating short-term wins<br />7. Consolidating gains and producing more change<br />8. Anchoring new approaches in the culture<br /> <br />In our own church with some 30 staff, it is a challenge to seriously implement such a culture of honour. One only has to silently observe the language and behaviour used by our staff (self included) toward each other which would be seen my most Australians as "healthy", to appreciate the frequent transgressions of the culture of honour. Adopting such a culture will be slow, and will need a heart commitment of leadership, then staff, and then ministries and finally congregation to establish such a culture. There will need to be a commitment to openly raise matters of concern, thus constantly keeping this matter on the agenda. Another helpful insight into developing a culture of accountability is found in ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ by Patrick Lencioni. <br /> <br />It should be noted that this paper on a "Culture of Honour" is all about developing kingdom relationships. It is not a paper on core values for a church. It may be a descriptor of a core value that expresses commitment to developing kingdom relationships. Concerning Danny Silk's text on "A Culture of Honour", this text has some valuable insights into practice, which I included in a longer paper on this topic. Essentially, however, Danny's direction concerning a culture of honour has much more to do with the recognition and operation of a church and its leadership within the five fold apostolic ministries of Ephesians 4. I discussed Danny's propostion at length with him following his speaking at our church, and found that for many churches his proposal at this level was problematic and could even be somewhat divisive. For the church at Redding it seems as if in their particular and unique culture, such a culture works well.RicBenson, Kenmore Baptist Churchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-21835624464409540452011-07-10T02:42:24.974+10:002011-07-10T02:42:24.974+10:00Great post!! I really resonate with the message o...Great post!! I really resonate with the message of this Blog post. All too often we, as Christians, get lost in the glitz and highly tuned productions we put on in the place we call 'church'. But the focus should always point to Christ and what we are becoming.Karen Frisellahttp://www.joyalongthejourney.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-24210751111800414802011-06-28T13:51:56.430+10:002011-06-28T13:51:56.430+10:00Thanks Meg.Thanks Meg.Russnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-59438886352064832692011-06-21T09:15:44.314+10:002011-06-21T09:15:44.314+10:00Thanks for your comments everyone. Russ - I've...Thanks for your comments everyone. Russ - I've let Ric know you have a follow up question so hopefully we'll hear a bit more of the 'ice-berg' soon!Megan, Willow Creeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-51221256043515335522011-06-20T15:07:02.429+10:002011-06-20T15:07:02.429+10:00Great list Ric. I know this is most likely the tip...Great list Ric. I know this is most likely the tip of your ice-berg, so I have a question:<br /><br />How do you practically implement a 'Culture of Honour' and maintain the above as 'principles of love' rather than them becoming a list of rules as a 'Code of Conduct' or 'Statement of Commitment' implies? <br /><br />I have found difference and outcomes are huge which is all about attitude.<br /><br />With a 'non-control' attitude, I have learnt to set up a simple 'Code of Honour'(No Rules)even with anti-social young people, creating positive changes very quickly.<br /> <br />The group feels emotionally safe to give and receive non-judgmental feedback and thus it becomes a powerful discipleship tool. The natural outcome is integration of the above Christ-like Values while working together.Russ Wright Qldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-35683371156085922032011-06-20T12:20:55.597+10:002011-06-20T12:20:55.597+10:00Thanks for the statement of commitment, Ric. We...Thanks for the statement of commitment, Ric. We're looking at core values and the honouring of one another is important to us. Danny Silk's book, "A culture of honour" gives the understanding of this with some excellent examples of how it works in complex issues in church life.<br />Di, MelbourneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252788193153371538.post-85563964475787157362011-06-20T11:25:52.796+10:002011-06-20T11:25:52.796+10:00This is a really good culture to develop in any ch...This is a really good culture to develop in any church or mission organisation/organism. David, Chinese Church Support Ministries SydneyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com