Sunday, 3 May 2009

2 - 3 May 2009 (Steven)

This past weekend I've been reading some cool stuff, and some "not-so-cool" stuff...

Bible
My focus was on 2 Kings 5: 1 - 14 (dealing with Naaman being healed of leprosy), and Luke 10: 1 - 20 (dealing with Jesus sending out the seventy-two), for my services this morning. I'm a couple of days behind with my "One-Year Bible" (naughty!), but will catch up this evening and tomorrow.

Internet
Found an interesting post on the website Journey with Jesus which deals with the question of Jesus as being "the only way to the only God". While this is something we as Christians regard as fundamental to our faith, the article provides interesting information and food for thought, particularly in discussing two extreme positions of atheism (all religions are false) and pluralism (all religions are true). The article doesn't provide all the answers, nor does it claim to. What it does, however, is help us think once again of the basis of our faith in Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour.

DVD
Watched a talk by J John, a Brummie (person living in Birmingham, England) of Greek birth (presumably he has one of those impossibly long Greek surnames, hence "J John". His ancestry did little for that nasal Birmingham accent (which sticks out on me like a sore thumb as well when I speak to my parents), but the content of his message was brilliant. He describes himself as a spokesman for an international organisation that has branches worldwide and is involved in schools, hospitals, old-age homes. In addition, the organisation provides spiritual well-being that is absolutely out of this world! Actually, he is a canon in the Church of England, but this description has (apparently) opened a lot more doors, especially among people who wouldn't ordinarily enter a church building. His insights on everyday ministry, where he describes situations in locations as varied as his local coffee shop and the London Underground, are brilliant, and prove that with a discerning ear and a small step of faith, countless opportunities exist to share the Gospel with someone. I particularly enjoyed his "doughnut thief" story as well, which is probably the most enlightening illustration of Biblical giving I have heard in years!

Books
Had a squizz through three books this weekend.

The first is "The Gift of Giving: A Biblical Approach to Money, Finance and Stewardship" by George Trimble, previous Lay General Treasurer of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. One of my responsibilities this year is to plan and implement a stewardship campaign in a congregation that hasn't had too much success in understanding the Biblical principles of giving, and this book has been a HUGE help in assisting me to draw up the programme.

The second is one that I've been wading through for the past couple of weeks, entitled "John Wesley: His Life and Theology" by Robert G Tuttle. It is written from a first-person perspective, and as one reads one can imagine actually being told the life story of John Wesley by John Wesley himself. So far I've got to the part in Wesley's ministry where he went to America with his brother Charles. At this stage, although both Wesleys were ordained Anglican priests, neither of them had got to the point of having their "heart strangely warmed" by Jesus. Great stuff lies ahead!

The third is the "not-so-cool" one - I had to look up something in "The Laws and Discipline of The Methodist Church of Southern Africa, 11th Edition". Wretched book - Yes, I know that we have to have law and order, but sometimes I get the feeling that this book is used to bind people, rather than to set them free. Needless to say, I didn't absorb too much of what I read, but I know where the topic is if I need to look it up again...

Magazines
Indulged in some light reading; not too spiritual, the latest SA Cricket magazine (although some do not regard cricket as a matter of life and death; it's far more important than that!). Still, it's interesting to read how the experts were predicting a 3-0 home series whitewash after our historic series victory in Australia. Hindsight is, of course, an exact science, but we've opened our mouths to change feet before...

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