The Necessary Encounter (Writing on the Wall)
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Most encounters we have with God are a source of delight and inspiration, but there is a type of encounter that can be very scary. These encounters are a response to those parts of our life that we would rather remain hidden, the known but denied. Nevertheless, the necessary encounter is the act of a loving God to confront us about those things that will, if left unaddressed, lead us toward destruction.
What is God writing on your wall?
(Daniel 5:11-31)
Imitation Provides Traction (Paul and Timothy)
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There can be a frustration that arises around sharing the gospel, sometimes it just doesn’t feel like we get traction in people’s lives – the story doesn’t stick. When we look at the relationship between Paul and Timothy we recognise that good information and permission for innovation aren’t enough, because it is imitation that gives traction to multiplication. Otherwise we may just end up doing burnouts in front of police stations.
(1 Timothy 4:12-16)
Made to Multiply (The Mustard Seed)
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God has hard-wired his creation for multiplication – but how do we embrace this? Sometimes we fail to multiply effectively because we don’t know what we have to offer, and other times it’s because we fail to plant what we have anywhere. Yet God invites us to take the little we have and participate in the ongoing creation of his “good” world because you are made to multiply.
(Genesis 1, Mark 4:30-32)
The New Song
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head that you just can’t shake? They call them earworms. There you are minding your own business, cooking a burrito then suddenly “Friday, Friday, getting down on Friday…”
The most frustrating thing for me is that I can often only remember part of a lyric that then just plays on repeat in my head. “Hey brother…” Sometimes I try to extend the track by mumbling lyrics that might be accurate. “Hey brother, there’s an endless code to read this summer…” But they clearly aren’t.
My latest earworm, the song that is literally pumping through my head right now? “Cos’ the players gonna play play play. And the haters gonna hate hate hate. Baby I’m just gonna shake shake shake. Shake it off. Shake it off!”
I would argue that there are two things that can make a song compelling. Read More…
Free Radical Gav 