Sick FISH

I’m not feeling so hot right now.   I’ve had a bit of a sore throat since Friday morning, and it’s not going away.

Normally a few days of rest and drugs vitamins would be all I needed, but there are a few complications.

1. I am preaching tonight.  So I spent most of yesterday writing my sermon, instead of lying in bed.
2. Instead of sleeping in this morning, and resting my voice, I had to take the teenage youth group at Church this morning.  Because the youth pastor, my good friend Samwise, is away on mission until Wednesday. (Samwise took over the job when her sister – Stanleigh - got married and moved to another city.  Try to keep up here.)
3. In addition to all the above, I have been preparing my lessons for my bible study group on Wednesday…
4. And my lesson for our Men’s Prayer group on Friday morning…
5. And my lesson for my writing group on Thursday….

I hope my voice holds out for my sermon tonight, because trying to speak over the noise of a dozen teens this morning has already worn it out.

If you get a chance, pop off a quick prayer for my throat.  It can collapse after 7PM.

Thanks.

Biblios Hokku – 3 John

If 1 John and 2 John were works of doctrine, then 3 John is a pastoral care letter.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. – 3 John 1: 4

John is concerned that some church leaders had lost their humility and charity.  He praises some, but has harsh words for others.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. – 3 John 1:11

Again, a short book (only one verse longer than 2 John), but a powerful one.

3 JOHN
Walk in truth, children.
Imitate good, not evil.
For this is of God.

Read the rest of the Bible in Haiku by going here. 

Biblios Hokku – 2 John

We saw recently how 1 John was written in an effort to combat the Gnostic doctrines that Jesus only appeared to suffer and die.  Well, it was so much a problem, that John had to write a second letter on the issue.

2 John is the shortest book in the New Testament, only 13 verses.  But what verses they are!

Before addressing the heresy – again, John sends a message of love to the readers.

It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 4-6

That’s four “commands”, and three “loves”, in three verses.

2 JOHN
The secret of love?
Walk after His commandments,
and you shall know Him!

More Biblios Hokku here.

Hope - One word at a time.

I know I have posted it before.  Twice.


But when I saw that the topic at One Word at a Time Carnival for today was Hope, I had to repost again.

Hope comes in the morning,

But faith gets you through the night.

(Sharkbait)

Sorry, that's all I got for you today. If you want something a little more profound...

Biblios Hokku – 1 John

In the later part of the First Century, around 90-100AD, a strange heresy was creeping into the Christian Church.  The Gnostics, believing that the material world ( and consequently all flesh ) was inherently evil, decided that Jesus was not a real man – that he had been on Earth in spirit only, and not in the flesh. This belief, called Docetism, had it that his earthly appearance was only an illusion, as was his crucifixion.

The disciple John was not amused.

“…but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, …” 1 John 4:3

He wrote this letter in an effort to try and convince the readers of the truth of who Jesus was, one who “..we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched…” 1 John 1:1

As the last living disciple, he was in a unique position to testify to the reality of the earthly Christ.

Two famous, and oft quoted passages are :

Beloved let us love, for love comes from God – 1 John 4:7

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

For John, these two verses would be meaningless, unless you accepted that the Earthly Jesus was also the Heavenly Christ.

1 JOHN
The real Word of life,
gives us a command of love,
and frees us from sin.

To see more Biblios Hokku, follow the link.

Book Review - 1 & 2 Timothy / Titus

No, I am not reviewing the letters of Paul.  I am reviewing this book, which contains Bible Studies of the above mentioned books.  I received the book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for a review, however I am not obliged to be favourable.

That being said, I was suitably impressed.  The book is divided into two halves.  The first half contains 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus.  The books are reproduced in the New Living Translation, which is not my favourite, but is quite poetic.  It also includes Life Application Study Bible notes on these three books, the same as you would find in your Life Application Study Bible.  Since I am a fan of the Life Application Study Bible, I have nothing to add except to say "Good job as always."

The second half was what I was expecting when I ordered the book; 13 Bible Studies on leadership arising out of the Scriptures.  These Bible Studies are suited to either private study, or group work, and give suggested time limits, meaning you can make them fir for a 60 minute or 90 minute session.  Good for use in small groups.

I will probably be using the book for Group study at some point in the future, but in the meantime, it makes a good addition to my resource shelf.

Time flies, part 2

So the other day I was talking about my watch.  And the flat battery.

Well, it reminded me of an analogy I used once when doing a sermon about the Holy Spirit.

A lady goes to the jeweller, because her watch has stopped.  He takes it, has a look, fiddles around with it, and gives it back.  She asks him, “What did you do?”

“I just changed the battery.” He replies.

“Battery?” she says,  “I didn’t know it had a battery, I’ve been winding it up every day.”

Are we trying to wind ourselves up every day?  Are we trying to do things in our own strength?  God has a battery pack for us.  Are we using it?

Think about it.

Review : Free Refill – Mark Atteberry

If you feel empty and your faith has run dry, don't panic...you're not alone! Some of the greatest heroes of the Bible had the same experience. They saw their faith dwindle down to almost nothing. They found themselves questioning beliefs that once seemed unshakeable.

The great news is that God gives free refills.

Thus promises the back cover of Free Refill – coming back for more of Jesus.  This book was given to me a few years back for a birthday present.  The givers knew how much I liked coffee, so they bought this, thinking I would like the theme.

They were right.  It is awesome.

The book is divided into 8 chapters, each one focused on realising how Jesus refills our faith in Him: through his understanding of us; his presence in our lives; his love for us; and much more.

It is really a wonderful book, and I can honestly say that each chapter touched me.  There is nothing new in this book, nothing groundbreaking – Just some honest truths that really make you stop and think.

I have read it about 5 times, and am currently adapting it for use in my Bible Study group.  So if you can get your hands on a copy, I can highly recommend it.

It might not change your life.  But it might just change how you feel about it.

Click below for an excerpt from the introduction, and judge for yourself.

Celebrations

Today is the 1st of September.

You probably already knew that, right?

Well, while it may not mean a great deal to you, in the Southern Hemisphere, that means something very exciting……………………….

 

SPRING DAY!!!!

The first day of Spring, the birds are singing in the trees, the flowers are blooming on the trees.

Lovely!

Also, on a slightly different note.  This is my 200th post.  Not a big deal I suppose, but it is about 199 more than I ever expected to do.