The One You Need

Posted on April 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

This song by Shane and Shane expresses the heart of a Christian father towards his daughter: he loves her and wants to protect her, but knows her greatest need is Jesus. To make anyone or anything other than Jesus our greatest love will lead ultimately to enslavement and disillusionment. Only Jesus can perfectly love and fulfill us.

Even the best earthly fathers, as this song says, will let their children down at times, tragically some fathers will selfishly cause their children great pain. The imperfect fatherly love expressed in this song  points us to the perfect Father we all long for. The Father who truly knows us, and is able to perfectly love and protect us. The Father who  wants us to know him, and his Son Jesus.

Hey, hey sweet daughter
I’m so proud to be your father
Each day is like a gift from God
Hey, hey sweet daughter
There’s no music like your laughter
And your smile is like the rising sun
You know I’ve loved you from the start
So come in close, take my hand 
While Daddy shares his heart
 

I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
There’s Someone if you just believe
He’ll be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one you need

No matter what you walk through
He will always love you
Just the way you are
For there’s nothing in this world
That I want for my baby girl
Than to be happy ever after
The story of your life is still untold
I pray the King of all the Universe
Would make your heart His home
 

I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
There’s Someone if you just believe
He’ll be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one

Who will never leave
He’s been there all along
All ready You can find true love

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Posted in Music clips, Parenting, Uncategorized

Christians and Cancer

Posted on April 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Cancer can be difficult to talk about. Yet there are many reasons it is helpful to read and hear the testimonies of Christians who have faced cancer: 1. It prepares us for the reality that we too will face various kinds of suffering 2. It is encouraging to see God’s grace strengthening and helping his people to trust and live for him despite great difficulties. 3. It helps us see the practical hope the gospel of Jesus brings to the present and the future. 4. It helps us consider how we can pray for, help and care for those we know who will face cancer.

Below are some resources and reflections from a variety of Christians – some are facing cancer, others whose cancer is now in remission, and still others who are now with Jesus. If you know of other resources, feel free to let me know in the comments:

Online Resources:
 Don’t_waste_your_cancer – pdf ,   Online article   (John Piper and David Powlison write, having both been diagnosed with prostate cancer).
The Gospel and the oncology waiting room (Mike Pohlman – ‘Through cancer clinics, God brings the significance of the present and the weight of glory to bear on us in ways unlike anything else. Few things, by God’s grace, capture the mind and the heart like an oncology waiting room.
Beyond the darkness (Dave McDonald honestly shares some of the physical, emotional and spiritual realities of facing incurable cancer).
Interview with Matt-Chandler (‘I was caught completely off guard when Dr. Barnett told me that it didn’t look good and that we needed to do surgery immediately… The Holy Spirit was quick to remind me of great passages on God’s sovereignty and goodness in difficulty…  I wasn’t being punished with brain cancer …rather God was at work. He was doing something, and I could be sure that He loved me and in the end I would have increased joy and He would be glorified.’ 
The Terminal  (RC Sproul Jr considers how he should pray as his wife battles Leukemia – ‘Cancer cannot determine when you go home. Only your Father can.’ )
Lessons from the cancer ward  (brief reflections from a wife and mother fighting cancer)
Grief, suffering and hope (Video clips: Zac Smith shares some of the good things he learned in his battle with cancer, and his widow shares some of the hope she has in her grief)
The Watters’ story  (short video of a family considering God’s providence as their son battled with cancer)
 
Related posts:
Trusting God in suffering (Some resources and reflections on suffering)
Songs that bring comfort and hope in suffering (Songs about trusting God in hardship)

Books: 
 My God is true! Lessons learned along cancer’s dark road (Paul Wolfe tells his story of diagnosis, treatment and survival, and points to the glory and grace of God along the way. Above all he speaks of the faithfulness of God whose promises will certainly prove true. )
 
 
Wednesdays were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, And God ”Wednesdays were pretty normal“  writes Michael Kelley, looking for a bright spot amidst the chemotherapy routine brought on by his two-year-old son Joshua’s cancer diagnosis. His personal account of that fight to survive sparks a larger discussion of how Christians must learn to walk in the light of Christ’s promises despite the dark shadows of earthly pain. Indeed, it’s pain that sometimes opens the door to a deeper experience with Jesus, an authentic relationship that holds steady even when life loses the comfort of normalcy.
 
On My Way to Heaven
 On My Way To Heaven – Facing Death with Christ  
Mark Ashton describes his own experience of imminent death from inoperable cancer. Real confidence, he explains, is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ an event which, even though it happened 2,000 years ago, has profound implications for us today. 
 
 
DVDs:  
Life Matters: A Conversation About Cancer
Life Matters: A Conversation about cancer  Alistair Begg interviews Mike Fox, who shares how God has used him through his battle with Cancer.

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Posted in Cancer, suffering

Tim Keller on evangelism in the 21st century

Posted on February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment
Some excerpts (slightly paraphrased):
What is the relationship between word ministry and deed ministry?
Word ministry and deed ministry go hand in hand… integrating the two is very necessary but is not that easy to do.
How can we bring word and deed ministries together?
Word and deed ministry integrate best at the one-on-one level. If you are reaching out to a neighbour and trying  to talk to them about Christ… yet they have any kind of personal needs… just to be involved with those folks as a Christian friend means you’re going to be bringing word and deed ministries together.
How can evangelism through word ministry be approached?
Word ministry for lay people:
1. Let other people know you go to church. It’s a pretty simple thing, but it’s important, sometimes you say ‘I’m going to church’ to four people, and one of them later on asks you about it.
2. Let people know that you are a Christian and that it means something to you. It may be a passing comment, sharing something and saying “My Christian faith has really helped me here”. Just a passing comment…if your friend picks it up and says “Really, how?”, good. If she doesn’t,  fine, there are a lot of simple behaviours that lead in an organic way to more extensive, in-depth discussions. You should do the simplest behaviours first: loving people, caring for people, being a person of integrity, letting people know your Christian faith is there, and it will just bubble up naturally. Most of us feel if I’m going to do word ministry, then I need to find a way to get the whole gospel out in one conversation or get into a debate. That’s not the way to go, be simple.
How can we share the gospel with people living in cities?
 Cities are so diverse which means there is no one way to share the gospel. You have to learn how to share the gospel differently with different people. It’s the same gospel, there’s still the same gospel kernel: God, sin, Christ, your need to repent and believe. In cities you have to be more culturally sensitive, spend more time talking with people to understand their culture.
How do you approach contextualising the gospel?
Contextualising largely means different ordering of gospel truths. For example in Acts, with Greeks Paul starts with the doctrine of God, but with the Jews he goes to the Scriptures first and gets to Jesus more quickly. Eventually he has to get the whole counsel of God to a person, but the order and emphasis is the key to contextualisation.
(H/T:  L-T Hopper   )

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Posted in Evangelism, Tim Keller

Christmas Myths

Posted on December 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Attempts to discredit the Biblical narratives of Jesus’ birth often appear around Christmas. This year is no exception with an article by Fenella Souter in which she claims elements of the Biblical accounts are “highly questionable as history” (“Divine Intervention”, Good Weekend  - Sydney Morning Herald, December 3, 2011, 25-30). The article is not available online, but some helpful responses are, including from:

Paul Barnett, here (pdf) and here (blog)

Sandy Grant, The Briefing, (Matthias Media), here.

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Posted in Christmas

Do you know any good books for ….?

Posted on December 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

To make it easier to answer this question, I have listed some books I’ve found helpful or hope to read soon under various topics in this Amazon store:  GraceTransforms  a-store . If you’re interested, you can view the store or click the link below for a particular category.

Christianity – Common questions 
Bible reading and prayer
Marriage , Single Life 
Parenting
Children’s Bibles 
Family devotion aids
Christian books Ages 0-4 ,  Ages 4-8 ,  Ages 8-12 , Ages 13+
Teaching your children about sex 
Counselling / Issues Christians face
Fear and Anxiety
Grief and Suffering
Small Groups / One-to-one
Christian Biographies
 Fiction – Christian
Humour / Just for fun
Free Kindle  books – Christian , Classics , Children 

Although Amazon is not always the cheapest store, you can easily browse there and purchase elsewhere. I have added links to Kindle versions where possible, as it enables you to download a free preview of the book to your pc, mac, phone etc using the  free Kindle reading app .

I have set up this store to help others, not to make money. If anyone purchases a book through the store I receive a small percentage, which I would use towards costs related to running this website. However, feel free to buy any books you might like from a cheaper site or local store. Australian and UK readers may find better prices at  www.bookdepository.co.uk .

I hope to add more to these book lists as I have time. I’d love to hear any books you’ve found especially helpful. For other book recommendations on a wide variety of Christian issues, see this list from The Gospel Coalition .

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Posted in Book Recommendations, Book Reviews

Christmas Advent Family Devotionals

Posted on December 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Christmas can be a great opportunity for parents to help our children (and ourselves) grow in amazement at the wonder of Jesus’ incarnation. Yet with so much activity in the lead up to Christmas it’s important to be intentional or the opportunity can be missed. Here are some simple ideas to help your family focus on Jesus during Advent:

1. Advent calendar packs. The Good book co. has produced three different packs which each contain a calendar and an accompanying book of short Bible readings. Our family has enjoyed and been helped by these. Links to calendar packs in their online stores here: UK store ,  US store  ,  Australian store .

Christmas Opened Up   The Coming of the King   The Real Christmas Tree

2. Jotham’s Journey / Tabitha’s Travels / Bartholomew’s Passage. Each of these books contain daily advent readings of a historical fiction adventure set in Palestine in the lead up to Jesus birth. Each reading also considers and applies a Bible passage. Our family have enjoyed using two of the books in this series over the last couple of Christmases, and look forward to trying the third. The stories are well told, and provide helpful background and sense of expectation and wonder at the birth of the Messiah.

Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent

Tabitha's Travels: A Family Story for AdventBartholomew's Passage: A Family Story for Advent

3. Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative. Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative
Russ Ramsey takes his readers on a walk through God’s story of redemption. Dan Doriani says: “Ideal for personal or family devotions, the stories are told with imagination, verve, and Gospel-driven joy.”
4. Free Advent Guide.  The Village church have produced  this free guide  “to walk you and your family through the season.”
I’d love to hear of other Advent devotional guides or ideas you’ve found helpful in focussing your attention on Jesus during this season.  If you think it’s too late to order any of these for this year, you can still open your Bible in the coming weeks and read some of the passages that point to the amazing truth of Jesus’ incarnation. You may also consider ordering one of these devotionals now to help you be prepared for next year.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links with The Good Book Co and Amazon. If you click on the link, and purchase a product, I would receive a small percentage of the total. This would go back into the small cost of running this site. I do not run this site to make money, so feel free to buy from elsewhere.

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Posted in Australians and Christmas, Book Reviews, Christmas

Hallelujah Chorus – Handel’s Messiah

Posted on December 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Composed in 1741 by Georg Friedrich Handel, the Messiah remains popular, particularly the well-known Hallelujah Chorus  which featured in these surprise shopping centre performances from last Christmas:

While many find the music inspiring, the words are a profound recognition of God’s reign. Hallelujah literally means ‘Praise Yah’ – a shortened form of God’s name ‘Yahweh’. It is an invitation for us to join in praising God/the LORD. The lyrics are below, followed by the Bible verses they are drawn from.

Lyrics:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
For ever and ever, forever and ever,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, forever and ever,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
 
Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. [KJV: Lord God Omnipotent reigneth] (Revelation 19:6)
                                                                                   
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, 
King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:16)
 
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
 
 

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Posted in Christmas, Music clips