Napier Baptist

My Last Week

2009-04-21T15:16:00.003+12:00

This week is my last week as Pastor of Napier Baptist Church. It is and will be a hard week - goodbyes to people you love and care about are hard. I'm sure there'll be hugs, laughter, memories, tears and thankfulness to God to what God's done amongst us over these last 4 and a bit years. I'm sure it'd be easier to slip away quietly without having to do all the hard stuff of saying good bye, but we wouldn't have it any other way...

Not long after resigning someone said to me "you'll know you're ready to go when you pack up your books." It's probably saying something that I got to the point of having to pack up my books. Now, it's time to go.

Tough as Nails

2009-04-08T10:25:00.002+12:00

Speaking of being "tough as nails" at Easter (see post below), go and have a read of Stu's story of how for pastors, the show must always go on...

Thank God it's Friday

2009-04-03T16:10:00.003+13:00

The following is a reflection for Good Friday from my favourite preacher William Willimon:

...if you, God Almighty, won't stand up and act like God, well, then we'll have to get organized and do it for you. It'll teach 'em a lesson. So when they attacked us we attacked them. Bomb Baghdad. That'll teach them. Evil for evil; it's all they understand. We'll teach them the joy of democracy, the preciousness of human life, the value of a free market, if we have to obliterate every grain of sand in their desert to do it. It'll teach 'em a lesson. But then, when we had done our worst, you looked down from your bloody cross where we had nailed you and with your last breath worked your justice, saying, "Father forgive 'em. It'll teach them a lesson."

Your lessons are hard as nails.

Amen."

From Willimon's book Thank God it's Friday

Smokin'

2009-03-19T09:53:00.002+13:00

Here's a clip for Mike and our youth...

Hat tip Stu

Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

Sermons Updated

2009-03-13T09:06:00.002+13:00

For anyone who's interested, our online sermons have been updated.

Towards a Kiwi Made Preaching

2009-03-05T15:27:00.003+13:00

Paul Windsor is organising a preaching forum for experienced and emerging preachers. He's got a group of preachers (both old hands and up and comers) to give presentations on topics relating to preaching in the Kiwi context. He's got so short on speakers that he's roped me into this! The details are below (you can click on it to enlarge the image). If you're from Napier Baptist and you're interested in going to this even, please let me know. If we get a group of 5 of us we can get a discount...

Our Christmas Dinner

2009-03-03T09:22:00.015+13:00

I'm now catching up on 2 months of posting! So, here's some photos of the Christmas Dinner we held at Napier Baptist on Christmas Day. We put it on so that we could share Christmas with people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day. This was the 2nd year we've done this and it was nice to see some familiar faces return. It was also nice to share meals with people who pop in and out of our church throughout the year for various reasons. We put a real emphasis on removing any sense of "us" and "them" so that the focus was on all of us sharing a meal and time together. This year we had people from other churches and organisations who thought it was a great idea and wanted to join us and help and any who wanted to help were welcome to (from doctors to mental health patients). It was great for about 80-90 of us to share a Christmas meal and time together.

Community Gardens

2009-02-26T10:58:00.011+13:00

Last year we agreed as a church to make some raised bed gardens out the back of our church in an area that was a dead space. We intend to grow seedlings and vegetables to give away to those in need or wanting to grow their own vegetables at home. I was amazed at the response of our people. Someon donated wood to build the gardens, another donated as much soil as we needed, another had sold a car and donated $500 towards costs, another donated polythene to line the beds, and others donated their time and energy in creating the gardens:

The Building:

The Soil:

Things Coming Together:

The Finished Product - including irrigation:

When I first posted the idea of a Community Garden, Sheree posted a comment about having grown up in Maraenui and recently becoming a Christian. She saw on the Harry Findlay on the news highlighting the gardening initiative in Maraenui and was moved. Sheree got in touch with me via e-mail and we talked about what we were up to. She then spoke at her church (Windsor Community Church in Invercargill) about the initiative and our Community Garden. She left a box at the back of her church and encouraged people to put seeds and other things that might help our project. When I got back from my holiday at the end of January this parcel awaited me:

When I opened it up, its contents of seeds, trough and food vouchers spilled out along with the desire to keep up to date with being involved! What an amazing gift from some amazing people! Thank you very much Sheree and thank you Windsor Community Church for your gracious gifts and for wanting to partner with us. I am amazed at Jesus' ability to unite people in Napier and Invercargill together to make God's Kingdom Visible. I never expected this would happen via a simple blog. Since then, I've had a local councillor who encouraged us in our Community Garden project pop in to see how things are going. She was touched by the story and she is going to print it in the local community newspaper. I got her to contact Sheree and she agreed to allowing the story to print. Today I had another news reporter contact me and she wants to print the story in her newspaper too! It's great for the church to be getting some good press...

I'm Back... But Not For Long

2009-02-19T10:42:00.004+13:00

I'm back after a long break in blogging. Part of that has been due to a long holiday and part of that is due to change. The change part is that after 4 years at Napier Baptist I announced my resignation as Senior Pastor to the church 2 Sundays ago to take up the role of Director of Community Life at Laidlaw College (formerly Bible College of New Zealand). It is heart-breaking to be leaving Napier Baptist. We love the church and they love us and things are going very well. But, we feel that God has opened an exciting door of opportunity at Laidlaw College for us to walk through. It's come earlier than we expected and if we could write our own script we would have liked longer at Napier Baptist as there's more that we'd like to be part of. We will carry with us the sense of loss of not sharing further in the life of this brilliant church. However, Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of the church and not me and I reckon he's got things in hand...

I'm excited about the role at Laidlaw with its focus upon shaping the commuity life of the College to be congruent with its vision of equipping men and women to renew their communities
with a faith that is as intelligent as it is courageous. They have a brave 'whole of life' vision at the College and want to form intelligent, articulate, discerning and mature graduates who have integrated their learning and can make a renewing difference in ministry, mission or marketplace. The role brings together my 2 great passions of theological study and pastoral ministry. In saying all that I have to be honest and say I'm more than a little freaked out by it all but I guess Jesus has that in hand too...

Calling....

2008-12-24T17:52:00.001+13:00

What does God's call feel like? Look like, sound like, taste like, smell like?

Does it sometimes feel like a weightless certainty, and at others as urgent as two labrador puppies on a leash - busting to get going but not 100% sure which direction, just away, just acting, not standing still!

Is it sometimes a burden,and other times a joy? Sometimes almost clear, other times a mystery? Sometimes close and other times all-enveloping?

I have a call, an insistent, not always pleasant call.

'Feed my sheep, travel if you have you, but feed them! I don't need another pew-warmer. Time is short. GET MOVING!'

'But how, Lord? Alone? Do I need innoculations, a passport, a degree, a church to sponsor me? Could you tell me a bit more? Perhaps make some aspects clearer? Should I stay here, work in the community, feed the lambs whose language I speak and know?'

'You will know when you're doing it right, just DO IT. Time is short, the flock is hungry. Move!'

Or do I imagine it? Is this insistent urge just a fantasy, a hope that God finds me useful enough to speak to and encourage and whip into shape?

Meantime I squirm in the pew, pray for guidance, look at all the options, feel like I'm not doing enough. And the call, the insistent, urgent, GET OFF THE TRACKS call... help me to decipher it.... please.

Please help me in praying for guidance, and for clarity. I would have said patience too, but I feel the impatience does not come from me...

Community Garden

2008-12-16T11:37:00.001+13:00

As a church we have agreed to go ahead with the community garden project. We are going to build the gardens this Saturday morning. We have already had many kind offers of help. Someone donated $500, others are donating compost, untreated wood, seedlings, others soil and still others their skill and labour.

We decided in the end that we will split the plots - we will predominantly grow veges to give away as food but we will also grow seedlings to give away to encourage others to grow their own gardens. We figured the old saying of "give someone a fish you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish and you'll feed them for a lifetime" must also apply to veges. However, the reality is also that some of the people who come to or through our church do not have the land space or the physical, mental or emotional capacity to maintain a garden and therefore we will also need give away produce as well as seedlings. Our local area has a market that runs on a Tuesday morning and could be an ideal place to give away seedlings to encourage gardening. It is also possible that we could supply seedlings and food to some of the local networks who are part of the gardening initiative. We'll figure that stuff out as we go, but at the moment all eyes (and hopefully hands) are on building the plots.

Promises, not answers

2008-12-12T09:03:00.002+13:00

Please go and read Ruth Gouldbourne's wonderful Advent post about a very difficult funeral within the Bloomsbury Baptist Church community. Having had to lead similarly difficult funerals, I especially loved her reminder that the promises of the Christian hope are promises and not answers.

Movember at NBC

2008-12-10T08:58:00.012+13:00

Okay, so a few of us at NBC grew mos for Movember to raise money for our Relay for Life team. We are looking for the most stylish mo - not necessarily the bushiest but the most stylish. So, I'm wanting readers of this blog to tell me which mo they think is the most stylish. Write the number of the mo you think is the best into comments and feel free to suggest a name - e.g. I've called 5, 6, 12 "The Chopper" 13 "The Raurimu Spiral" 3 "The Coffee Stain":

4.
5.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.
15.

Just a season...

2008-12-08T16:07:00.000+13:00

In the drought we long for mist; in the cool months, long-past summers fuel our dreams.

We live in a world in-between: forgetting to delight in the now. Forgetting to be present to the beauty that exists today.

This day.

Every day.

It's so hot and dry: the hills baked to the colour of ginger-crunch, the lake a desert oasis, the strange mist of a few mornings-ago a cool blessing.

The mist rose early, so deep that the world disappeared in its moist white embrace.

It pressed its damp cheeks to the house, repelling the sun that would disperse it.
We were all alone, marooned on an island of cloud.

Gone was the lavender outside the bathroom window; gone the burned grass bank behind it. Gone the rabbits, the pukekos, the hunting cat. The lake and ponds gone - erased from the canvas while we slept.

The mist pressed a cool compress to the baked earth. It smothered the sighs of the wilting olive trees, it caressed the dried arrangements that once bore fruit. It whispered to the land that one day the drought would end.

The quiet, shrouded earth rested, recovered a little.

The bell-bird who sips each morning from the flax flowers stayed in its nest. The tui in the gum, no more, no more.

No magpies gargled. No frogs creaked. No plants tap-tapped against the side of the house.

The morepork slept, his head pillowed on his chest, dreaming of the hunt just finished.

The clock ticked, time shuffled its weary feet, light imperceptibly slipped through the muffling mist.

The lavender - usually bee-buzzed by now - ghosted silently, empty against the window.
The trees tiptoed back into place, trailing cottony shrouds behind them.

Soft glints of sky peeled off the lake, the parched world was reviving.

The birds ran quiet sound checks before one by one rediscovering their voice, and they hailed the bright, hard sky as it returned.

Drought, broken for a brief time, is so much easier to bear. A promise glimpsed eases our pain, allowing us to appreciate anew the beauty here and now.

It's just a season: its time is limited.

The world will return to rights.

Relax, wait, enjoy.

This time too, will pass.

Possible Community Garden

2008-11-26T10:17:00.004+13:00

We are floating the following proposal at our AGM on Sunday:

PROPOSAL OF NAPIER BAPTIST COMMUNITY GARDEN:

PROPOSAL:

“That the church make use of the secure space behind the church by turning some of it into a garden to provide food for people in need within the church and the wider community.”

INTRODUCTION:

Our church is looking for ways in which we can “Make God’s Kingdom Visible” in our local community. The location of the church is in a very deprived area of Napier. Maraenui is rated 10 on the NZ Deprivation Index (the scale is 1-10). Our current financial climate is difficult and many think it will get worse before it gets better. This situation impacts the entire country but is especially difficult for low income families. They are the most vulnerable in situations of financial stress as costs and unemployment spiral upward and income spirals downward. To highlight this we can note the dramatic increase in the number of people making use of our church’s foodbank. As a result we are running low on stock and we are struggling to receive more stock from our suppliers. At the moment, supply is exceeding demand with our small foodbank. This year, the Maraenui Urban Renewal Trust has begun a project to encourage residents to plant gardens. This is sponsored by people like JJs Organics and Napier City Council and was highlight on a TV3 News Bulletin (you can also watch the clip at this link). We can therefore link into an already existing community project that is donig good things. In response to these realities, we thought of ways we could support the foodbank and serve our local community. We noticed that the large area out the back of the church (approx. 183 m2 excluding the area behind the auditorium where the trucks come for the paper recycling) was something of a “dead space”. The idea was floated of turning some of this area into raised gardens where we could plant and grow vegetables to give away to those in need of healthy and nutritious food. It is also possible that we could use some of the produce to make pickles, cutneys and other produce to give away.

WHAT WOULD IT INVOLVE?

Gathering a group of passionate people who are able and willing to look after and maintain the gardens. My idea at the moment is to float this idea past some of our many passionate gardeners and gauge their interest. I would like to form a group of 10 or so familes/people who are willing to look after the gardens for one week out of 10.
Finding people who are able and willing to build the raised garden beds. This will involve getting the materials at the cheapest possible price. It has also been suggested that some people would be willing to pay for the cost of the materials.
Some top soil.
A plan of where to place the gardens so that people are still able to access the different entrances and exits and have appropriate walkways. We will have to allow trucks to get to the paper bins etc.
Seeds to plant. Some of these will be available through some of our many gardeners and we may also have to buy some.
Possibly partnering with Napier Family Centre or local social services to ensure the produce gets to people in need.

BENEFITS:

Converting a dead space in our church into a fantastic ministry opportunity whilst maintaining access and walkways.
Provide healthy and nutritious food for families in need.
Ease the burden of supply for our foodbank.
The joy of children being involved in the building, sowing, growing process of the gardens.
The joy of serving people who are vulnerable and extending our vision of “Making God’s Kingdom Visible” in Napier.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:

Security. The area is very well fenced all around with fences ranging from 5 foot to 8-10 foot (see pictures below). However we cannot guarantee that people will not jump over the fences and raid or ruin the gardens. In saying that, there are easier gardens to raid than these! We would address this if needed.
Loss of momentum and people willing to be involved and the gardens turning to ruin. There would need to be clear leadership, vision for the church to see this as a genuine way of serving the community and a group of passionate people maintained. I believe that with the right leadership and the gathering of many people to be involved (once every 10 weeks is doable), this is a sustainable project. It would be great to involve the children and the youth in this.
Loss of access. It would be very important to ensure that access and walkways are maintained – especially in terms of fire exit routes. This is simply a planning issue and making sure that the beds are placed in a way that takes this into account. The reality is that this areas is almost never used.

THE AREA WE HAVE IN MIND:

Life Together

2008-11-19T11:21:00.003+13:00

The significance of what God's doing in a local church can often fly under the radar - I think God quite likes it that way. It's not until it's brought front and centre that you realise the significance of what's going on under your nose in a local church. Last Sunday we welcomed 14 people into membership at Napier Baptist and dedicated 7 children to God.

In membership we covenanted together:

As Baptist Christians we covenant together as a community of the disciples of Jesus Christ. Baptised into his name, we share the joys and responsibilities of fellowship: we gather for worship and to discern the mind of Christ; together we seek the kingdom of God through prayer, witness and service; and in the power of the Holy Spirit we seek to build one another up in love. Will you share with us in this common life and service, and will you walk together with us before God, in ways that are known and yet to be made known?

And importantly in our church we covenanted to "walk in the ways of the Lord, together, no matter what and to watch over one another in love."

It was great to see publicly what God has been doing under the radar for a long time.

My Bibliography on Revelation

2008-11-11T10:47:00.006+13:00

Simon Jones is an English Baptist Minister who's contemplating a series on the book of Revelation. He asked for people's recommendations in terms of books on Revelation. That sparked me to think that I'd put up a bibliography of the major resources I've used in this series on Revelation. All of the books are books I own and the majority of the journal articles are available online if you google them. I didn't read every page of every book but these were the major sources I used. There are some notable omissions - Aune, Fiorenza and Collin's commentaries. Very simply, in weekly preaching there's only so much reading you can do!!

MY BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR REVELATION:

Bandy, Alan S. “Word and Witness: An Analysis of the Lawsuit Motif In Revelation based on the Witness Terminology.” Essay Presented at the Annual Meeting of the ETS 2005. Valley Forge, PA.

Barr, David L. Tales of the End: A Narrative Commentary on the Book of Revelation (California: Polebridge Press, 1998).

___________. ed. Reading the Book of Revelation: A Resource for Students (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003).

___________. ed. The Reality of Apocalypse: Rhetoric and Politics in the Book of Revelation (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006).

Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

DeSilva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods and Ministry Formation. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

______________. “A Sociorhetorical Interpretation of Revelation 14:6-13: A Call to Act Justly toward the Just and Judging God.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 9 (1999): 65-117.

______________. “The Social Setting of the Revelation to John: Conflicts Within, Fears Without.” Westminster Theological Journal 54 (1992): 273-302.

______________. “The Strategic Arousal of Emotions in the Apocalypse of John: A Rhetorical-Critical Investigation of the Seven Oracles to the Seven Churches.” New Testament Studies 54 (2008): 90-114.

Koester, Craig R. Revelation and the End of All Things. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Friesen, Steven J. Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John: Reading Revelation in the Ruins. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

_____________. “Satan's Throne, Imperial Cults and the Social Settings of Revelation.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 27.3 (2005): 351-73.

______________. “Myth and Symbolic Resistance in Revelation 13.” Journal of Biblical Literature 123.2 (2004): 281-313.

Guy, Laurie. The Book of Revelation. Class Notes from MB 638/738. Carey Baptist College, 2004. (Laurie was my lecturer at college on Revelation. He has a book on Revelation awaiting publication in the Regent's Study Guides Series.)

Keener, Craig S. Revelation. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

Maier, Harry O. Apocalypse Recalled: The Book of Revelation after Christendom. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.

Neufeld, Dietmar. “Under the Cover of Clothing: Scripted Clothing Performances in the Apocalypse of John.” Biblical Theology Bulletin 35 (2005): 67-76.

Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

Peterson, Eugene H. Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination. New York: HarperCollins, 1988.

Rossing, Barbara R. The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation. Colorado: Westview Press, 2004.

_______________. “Prophecy, End-Times, and American Apocalypse: Reclaiming Hope for Our World.” Anglican Theological Review 89.4 (2007): 549-63.

Rowland, Christopher C. “The Book of Revelation.” Pages 501-743 in vol. XII of The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998.

Spilsbury, Paul. The Throne, The Lamb and The Dragon: A Reader’s Guide to the Book of Revelation. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Witherington III, Ben, Revelation. The New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Some useful online websites:

Bernard Bell's Series on Revelation.

Online non-canonical literature.

Revelation Resources.

Craig Koester's Cities of Revelation.

Dr. Loren L. Johns website.

Mark Bilby's website.

Phillip Harland's website.

Baptist Assembly

2008-11-11T10:47:00.003+13:00

I was away on Sunday for NZ Baptist Assembly. In terms of my enjoyment, it was a bit of a mixed bag. The highlight for me was hearing from our great friends Paul and Barby Windsor as they reflected on their years serving NZ Baptists (Paul is finishing as Principal of Carey Baptist College early next year). It was very moving to hear from people you love and admire and to hear the tributes of some of those that they have impacted over their many years serving NZ Baptists. It struck me on the weekend how much I am going to miss them firstly when Paul finishes at Carey and then especially when they (likely) move overseas in a few years for Paul's new role at Langham Partnership.

If you want to listen to any of the speaking sessions from Baptist Assembly (I'd hugely recommend listening to Paul and Barby's reflection), then go here.

Supersizing the doorway

2008-11-04T11:30:00.004+13:00

My mate Alistair has been downloading the sermon series we have been doing at Napier Baptist on Revelation (you can access our sermons here) and listening to them. This had been freaking me out a bit because Alistair and I went to Bible College together and he was a very smart cookie who loved to exercise his mind in service of God. Then I read this that he wrote on his blog:

When it comes to the book of Revelations…
…this is the best series on the book I’ve heard. And yes, I’ve listened to DA Carson’s Revelations messages.
Andrew Picard is the Pastor of Napier Baptist (see my links to NZ Blogs). He and I went to Bible College together and I’ve always liked his commitment to intellectual rigor in all things Christian while at the same time not coming off (to me) as an egghead. He approaches Revelation by trying to understand what the original readers heard through the genre of apocolyptic writings, and then applies that message of that highly symbolic writing to today - and he does so without watering down the truth that God’s word is God’s word.

Wow! It's not always easy approaching Revelation from a very different perspective than what is often espoused in popular Christian circles and it's great to get encouraging feedback. Thanks for the high praise Alistair - and he's not even on the payroll. We will now have to make some alterations at home so that my head can fit through the door!

UPDATE: If anyone's interested in reading an excellent article that I drew on a lot for Revelation 13 then go here to read the article by Steven Friesen. It's not an easy read but persevere because it does an excellent job of putting Revelation 13 into its context.

Do Men Hate Going to Church?

2008-11-04T09:57:00.004+13:00

I was given an article this week to read from the Challenge Weekly on why men hate going to church. It argues that the world's largest unreached people group are men - apparently a young single man between 18 and 35 is the person least likely to show up in church! David Murrow, who also authored the book Why Men Hate Going to Church blames (among other things) the feminisation of the church and gender neutral bible translations. I don't agree with a lot of what he says (which seems to be to design the church to be alpha male) but it raises an important point. I did appreciate his thoughts on developing a band of brothers who mentor and support each other in discipleship but it's got to be more than chest beating, alpha male, tarzan talk. What are your thoughts? What could we do differently without making the church baptise a white alpha male culture? Go here and check out his website and let me know your thoughts, because I'd love to hear them whether you agree or disagree...

Policy Comparison

2008-10-31T13:53:00.001+13:00

The Decison 08 website has a helpful page where you can compare and contrast the different policies of the different parties. Go here.

Bailout for Wall St – What about the Poorest?

2008-10-31T10:44:00.002+13:00

With elections looming in NZ and around the world I'd encourage you to consider what it means to live and vote as global Christians (i.e. not Christians narrowly focussed on what you're going to get out of this election). The Tearfund website has some very helpful material about voting as global Christians available online here. So too does the Micah Challenge website here. I especially enjoy Jim Wallis' article on Faith Priorities for this Election.

The following comes from the Tearfund website and raises critical issues for the world's economy and focus at the moment.

WITH the meltdown of international banking and credit filling investors with dread, developed nations are using the crisis to legitimise backing away from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said TEAR Fund Executive Director Stephen Tollestrup.
The MDGs signed by 189 nations promised to halve poverty for the poorest of our planet’s people by 2015 and increase aid to 0.7 per cent of their countries GDPs.
“The truth is”, says, Mr Tollestrup, “the MDGs go well beyond a handout. If we dare to think outside of the square we will find that we need to see productive and growing economies in the developing world to help us move out of this current mess and bring long term economic stability.
“Rather than simply throw a trillion dollars at failed Wall Street financers, perhaps it’s time to think clearly about an economic shot in the arm for the two-thirds world. This will strengthen the global economy and counter the poverty where over a billion fellow human beings languish and die, and fundamentalism and terror incubate.”
Micah Challenge advocates for governments to honour their commitment to the MDGs, TEAR Fund, as a member of this international Christian campaign, is urging New Zealand voters to make honouring the MDG promise an election issue.

Sermons Updated

2008-10-28T14:55:00.003+13:00

I've had a couple of e-mails asking me when the sermons are going to be updated - they have just been updated here. We have someone who's a very busy professional who takes it upon himself to record the sermons, convert them into mp3s and host them on his webstie - and all he does all of this in what little spare time he has as a global executive! So, please be gracious and patient.

Rees, if you read this, thanks so much for all that you do for our church...

An Update

2008-10-23T15:03:00.004+13:00

I'm back from Auckland and back into things at Napier. The book of the trip was a bit of surprise because I didn't go there planning on reading it. I picked it up off the shelf and browsed through it briefly and I was hooked. The book of the trip was From Midterms to Ministry: Practical Theologians on Pastoral Beginnings and I'd recommend that anyone who has or is or is going to make the transition from Bible College/Seminary to local church ministry read it. It was one of the highlights (especially the article by Thomas G Long) of my reading spree.

I also notice that Real Live Preacher has posted his second video on his series on hell here.

I know that with elections looming many pastors get cornered about who people should vote for, or even worse, you get cornered asking about who you're voting for (with the less than subtle subtext that it should be the same party as the person who's asking you!)? Another useful website to have a careful snoop around is the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services. It represents 6 denominational Social Services networks, one of which is NZ Baptist Action. They work on the front line of social service and their vision is to work for a just and compassionate society in Aotearoa New Zeland. They provide some excellent information and articles on some of the pressing social issues that I think one should consider before deciding who to vote for.

RLP and Hell 1

2008-10-16T16:18:00.002+13:00

Sorry for the low output of the blog from my end, I'm up in Auckland with some study leave - geeking out in the library. Will do a proper post soon but in the mean time BAndy has given me a heads up that Real Live Preacher has issued the first of three videos on his series on hell (which I mentioned here). You can go here to watch the video.