Hope Beyond Cure

I read two books while I was on holidays last week. One was ‘The Tournament’ by Matthew Reilly, which like most of his other books was literary fast-food. The other was ‘Hope Beyond Cure’, by Dave McDonald, which is a terrific short book that I found very helpful.

Dave was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer a number of years ago and this book is all about the hope beyond cure that Jesus can offer.

Many of our lives have been touched by cancer (my mother died of cancer, my father had it twice), and what this book does is speak about what it’s like to be a Christian and be diagnosed with cancer and the difference that Jesus makes in thinking about illness and death.

While nothing Dave says is new, it’s striking in its honesty and clarity, and it’s one of those rare Christian books that could be easily given to a person dealing with cancer or a serious illness.

It’s also helpful for those of us who have been Christian for a while and I’d like to leave you with an excerpt that i found really encouraging. Speaking about Psalm 62 he says…

In these verses are two things in particular about God that have strengthened my hope time and time again. First, God is powerful; second, his love is unfailing. If God were powerful but not loving, I could never approach him. If God were loving but weak, I’d have no guarantee that he could help me. Yet because God is both powerful and loving, he offers genuine hope to all who come to him for help.

These words have warmed my heart and restored my confidence in God. When my hope falters I know that God isn’t the problem – I am. If i feel that God is remote and uninterested, it’s only because I have forgotten God. He is calling me to come to him, to find refuge in him, to find rest and hope in him. And God has made this possible through his Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Divine intervention

In the light of recent events let me recommend the following article by Sandy Grant from St Michael’s Cathedral in Wollongong.

You can find it here.

It’s very helpful.

Masterplan CD

Outside of Colin, it’s hard to find great Christian music for kids.

Masterplan is a great CD.

It’s been produced by Ben Pakula who is both a gifted musician and 4th year Moore College student and it basically covers the story of the bible from Genesis to Revelation and shows how Jesus is the fulfilment of all of God’s promises.

My kids love it and I love it as well.

Hearing biblical theology laid out on a backdrop of 80’s metal riffs warms the heart!

It’s currently 20% off as well at this link

Chris Edwards – Bishop of Nth Sydney

I’m supposed to be taking a few days off but I’m really thrilled by the announcement that our own Chris Edwards from 9am church has been chosen to be the next Bishop of Nth Sydney!

Chris is a terrific choice. He’s got great experience both locally and abroad. He’s also a church planter. And if you ask anyone at 9am church they’ll tell you that he’s an excellent preacher and a wonderful Christian brother.

Could you please be praying for Chris, Belinda and  family as the news gets out?

Please also pray that the Lord will help them with another transition and guide their next steps.

And that the two of them will be a tremendous blessing to the people in the North Sydney region, and that through them the gospel will continue to go out.

For more on the announcement follow this link: Chris Edwards

How to vote?

Here’s something I came across which I thought would be helpful –

Mixing Religion and Politics

The Best Place for Theological Training?

Given that we’ve just celebrated Moore College Sunday, here is a very useful article from Phillip Jensen that points us beyond Moore College to a couple of even more important theological institutions.

The Best Place for Theological Training

The blessing of children

We gave thanks for Benjamin and Ethan Rogers at 9am church on Sunday and I was struck by the things that were said in the service on their behalf.

In the prelude, from ‘Common Prayer’ (the new prayer book) it says:

God is the source of everything that is good. Children are his gift and he entrusts parents with the privilege and responsibility of nurturing them in his way. God wants our children to experience a loving home, to gain wisdom, to live generously for the good of all, to grow in faith, and to come at last to share in his eternal kingdom.

And then we prayed:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Benjamin and Ethan and for the loving care of their family and friends. Enable them to grow in wisdom and stature and in favour with all people and with you. Be their protector and guide and by your Holy Spirit lead them to know your Son Jesus Christ and gain eternal life. Amen

You might want to pray this prayer for a child you know this week and it’d be good to pray for their parents as well.

Thinking about money

I’ve been thinking about our finances at Crossway this week.

Here is a talk from our Nexus conference last year by Phil Colgan, the rector of St George North Anglican Church, that was turned into an article for the Briefing which I found very helpful.

You’ll find it here.

One to one bible reading

Hi all,

Was clearing my inbox and came across something brilliant.

Matthias Media have come up with an online course to help people read the bible one to one with another person.

You’ll find it here.

I think that reading the bible one to one with another person is one of the best ways to engage a person with God’s word in the bible and to encourage that person and oneself to grow as a disciple of Christ.

As a result, if we at Crossway are trying to Gather and Grow disciples of Christ, then this will be one of the ways that we’ll do that.

Have a look. It’s well worth the effort.

Why Kids Stop Going to Church

A very useful post by the CEO of Youthworks, Zac Veron.

Why Kids Stop Going to Church