Teapot Theology

Single-minded and unhappy? Duke discusses…

Bible Fresh; 6XT’s and the 30th March at the LICC

Ipod fast, not chocolate this Lent?

Tim Kellers Church-planting London lectures all in pdf format

Reasons we’re slack in our bible reading: An EA resource

Consumerism gets us all, but with these testamints you get a whole other league of option!!

A perennial question:- Do pets go to hell!?

Is Twitter, really, a leadership tool?

….. and this genius summary from Dallas Willard:- ” The hope of the world is for Christian people to become disciples of Jesus!”

I was trying to make sense of difference and similarity….

This struck me…..

A young (and very gifted) sporting son gets £50k a week & comes home with a broken leg. A willing and able son who serves in Afghanistan for £18k a year, could come home in a body-bag!

You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.”

Arthur Plotnik

“Church is the textured context in which we grow up in Christ to maturity.” Genius!! What a compelling (and complicated) invitation!!

“So, why church? The short answer is because the Holy Spirit formed it to be a colony of heaven in the country of death” (p11-12).

The church, Peterson says, is those people who practice the resurrection of Christ in the country of death.

Sure, he admits, the church isn’t all it seems it should be but he makes this observation: “Maybe God knows what he is doing, giving us church, this church” (14). Peterson thinks Ephesians gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what church is.

“Sometimes we hear our friends talk in moony, romantic terms of the early church. ‘We need to get back to being just like the early church.’ Heaven help us. These churches were a mess, and Paul wrote his letters to them to try to clean up the mess” (p16).

“And what comes clear,” in this letter to the Ephesians, “is that church is not what we do; it is what God does, although we participate in it” (p17).

But “we don’t read Ephesians as a picture of a ‘perfect church’ to which we compare our congregations and try to copy what we see. Rather, we read Ephesians as the revelation of all the operations of the Triune God that are foundational beneath what is visible among us and at work throughout each congregation. This is what makes us what we are, however imperfectly or neurotically we happen to be living it out” (p17-18).

from Petersons, Practice the Resurrection

“And the winner for the grayest, grimmest, most violent post-apocalyptic thriller of 2010 involving the Bible goes to…..The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington.” This dark movie is not for the light-hearted or weak-stomached. It paints a very dark picture of humanity in all it’s unfettered barbarism, celebrating the survival of the fittest in all it’s glory and gory.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Eli walks west, carrying with him a book that can save the world. The evil Carnegie also wants to get his hands on Eli’s book, though not at all for the same purposes. Both men know the power of the words contained in the book, but one intends it to heal the nations, while the other wants to twist them to serve is own desires. While this movie is certainly not for everybody, it is a must for those who like examining the themes of the human depravity, sin and evil, the power of faith and particularly the influence the Bible over human history and civilizations.

In this we find poignantly played out truths such as:-

The Bible is truly a “two-edged sword”!

We owe infinite gratitude to God and his human agents who, like Eli laboured to preserve, protect and pass down Scriptures faithfully, fearlessly and accurately throughout the centuries. The main storyline reminded me of Thomas Cahill’s bestselling book How The Irish Saved Civilization.

This movie paints a painful and ugly picture of the potential of human beings for ill.

Eli is a shining example of bold, faithful obedience to God’s unique calling and assignment for his life. He trusts God’s promises to protect and carry him through all forms of opposition that comes his way. I love the admission;- “In all these years I’ve been carrying it and reading it every day, I got so caught up in keeping it safe that I forgot to live by what I learned from it.”

Eli remains faithful to the end as does the One who called Him to this task. Here’s Washingtons’ inspiring closing prayer:- ” Dear Lord, Thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path. And for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost. Thank you for your protection and your many signs along the way. Thank you for any good that I may have done, I’m so sorry about the bad. Thank you for the friend I made. Please watch over her as you watched over me. Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I’m so very tired, but I go now to my rest at peace. I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.” Stunning and challenging viewing.

Rote & Pettigrew author, A 40-Day Spiritual Gameplan for Men which hits all the main themes for men today:- Living Life in the Zone contains many of the basic elements we have come to expect from 40 day devotionals books, like short easy to read chapters, real life examples, though provoking questions, and daily homework. While it could get lost in among other devotional books I believe the strong content directed towards men make this book a must read. Living In the Zone deals with all of the stressful things in a man’s life and puts them in perspective by seeing how all of these issue relate to our personal walk with God.

My favourite parts of the book were Day 30 “Living Up to Your Potential” and Day 36 “Fighting the Battle.” They were real encouragements to me. Another aspect of the book is that not only does it talk about what a godly man looks like, but also what it takes to become that man. Hopefully, you find this devotional as thought provoking and inspiring as I did, despite the across-the-pond translations needed at times! Great for all men!

God says, I want you to realize that I never underestimated how thoroughly you’d mess up your life or how painfully you would struggle and suffer and I don’t want you to underestimate your failures or struggles either. They’re all part of the story I’m telling.

But neither have I underestimated My determination or ability to enter the mess you’ve made and the pain you feel and turn everything around.

I can, and I will, make everything good again. (More than just pass-ably good, but exceedingly great!) Never, never underestimate Me. I have a plan, a very good one, and it will move ahead to completion. Guaranteed! …. so continue to Trust Me!

Why? Because I love you even when you’re messing up badly. I love you in the middle of your pain even though I don’t relieve it as quickly as you wish. I am worthy of your trust, no matter what happens in your life. I have a good plan, and nothing will stop Me from carrying it to completion.

You must live now in the tension between anguish and hope. This is trust: this is Lent.

Here’s the words and wisdom of Henri Nouwen in a prayer:-
“The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.

I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.

Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me. Amen.

We can so downplay certain days in the calender….. we pass them by, we believe that we’re too liberated to be bound or connected and yet in them is meaning, richness and purpose….

One of things I love about NOT giving up things this Lent is using the forty-ish days till Easter as a journey. A time of increased personal examination.

During this Lenten Season, I’m asking myself……

1. Where is there forgiveness and grace needed? (like extra dollups!!)
2. Where is a (soul) blockage that would keep the Holy Spirit from moving freely?
3. Where are the places where there isn’t resurrection life right now? (stale, stuck or stagnating places!!)

All of it (even already) has sharpened my hunger and desire for greater intimacy with Jesus! The preparation for Easter could and should be a time to improve and renew your relationship with the Risen Christ! So let Easter result in daily resurrection (now!!)

“… So that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” 1 Corinthians 2:5

The season of preparation has begun.

‘Great leaders create movements by empowering the tribe to communicate.’ Seth Godin