Author Archives: Jon

the reunion

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Last night was my high school reunion. It has been ten years now since i left high school and so in many respects could have been quite daunting. Nevertheless, it wasn’t. In fact, it was a great night where everyone pretty much looked the same, perhaps adding 5-10kgs.

Nicole and Jess had no doubt put a massive effort into organising the night, so thanks must go to them first. It was good to see a couple of old teachers at the event, one particularly made the night eventful. What was possibly a highlight of the night was the fact that i scored a pair of BHS boxer shorts, which will now save me from buying a new pair in the next couple of months.

The primary questions asked throughout the night was, “How have you been?”, and the typical answer was, “I am well.” Trying to put 10 years worth of life into about 30-60sec is quite a hard thing to do without feeling as if you are trying to make yourself look good.

It is interesting to see what people are doing and how things have turned out. I’m not sure anyone would have picked me to be a youth and young adults pastor at a church, it seemed to floor a number of people. In any case, it was good to catch up with old school friends, find time or reminisce, and have a drink too. While in some ways you look back and either wonder where the last ten years have gone, or, ponder why you didn’t keep up friendships that seemed to be so good so long ago. Either way, however, it was just a night of catching up with old friends and trying to remember people’s names.

For those that were there – it was good to see you. For those that weren’t – you were missed.

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ministry ideas

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Where do you get ministry ideas from? Do you get them at all?

Last Sunday we had a bit of a brain-storming session regarding our evening service for 2011 and perhaps beyond. I have only very briefly had a look through them but there are some great ideas there.

When 25-odd people come together there is a chance of having more ideas and better ideas to work with. Ideas need time to fester, space and time in people’s heads is required so that ideas will flow. There seems to be a bit of a zone as to when ideas start popping up all over the place. While i’m not really up with any scientific thoughts on ‘ideas’ for me there are a number of things that help me to get into this ‘idea zone’. Examples of these would be reading a blog post about ideas others have thought about, reflecting specifically about a certain work that needs to be done or problem that needs to be sorted through, simply writing out my thoughts, using a mind-map to see where my thoughts lead etc. All of these things help in giving me the space to start to think of different ideas.

Quite often ministry workers, whether that’s in churches, missions, or para-church organisations don’t really have the time to think of ideas. Ministry ideas are sometimes few and far between when there are plenty of other things taking up ones time. In between service and sermon preparations, pastoral care, organising weekly events, bible studies, and generally dealing with the week where is the time to think of ideas? They are cramped out due to other things.

Lately i have been encouraged by reading a book, Linchpin, by Seth Godin. In it he talks about trying to be the person within your company to solve those problems, think of new ideas, and drive the company forward. In many respects it is rather business orientated, but i thought that there were some good things for churches and ministers to employ too. Ideas don’t have to be big, they don’t have to be perfect, but they need to be tested – ‘thrown out into the marketplace’ so to to speak. What better place to test out ministry ideas than in a church where you are the minister? What ideas for ministry have you thought of lately?

afraid to belong

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I think you’re afraid of belonging.

Belonging to something goes against the grain of our culture. We’re meant to be individuals. We’re meant to be concerned purely with the self. We’re meant to do what we like in this day and age. Life is for our own pleasure, our own enjoyment, and our own fun. Why then would we belong to anything?

Despite our individualistic culture there is something about us that wants to belong. Look around, football clubs have members, Facebook has friends, Twitter has followers, wars have armies, politics have parties, institutions have chapters, and beer drinkers (or parma eaters) have locals. With belonging comes a sense of being part of something bigger. There is a feeling of commitment and mutual appreciation. There is a knowledge that other people are like us, they are centred on the same things we are. There is a togetherness, a mate-ship, a team bond.

This might all be well and good but there is also something within us that makes us afraid to belong. Belonging means we have to be investors, investors of time, energy, and emotion. Belonging means we are exposed, vulnerable, and out in the open. Belonging means disappointment, hurt, and heartache. Belonging isn’t easy and that’s why we’re afraid.

When the footy team never makes the eight, when the political party is stuck in opposition, when the family is in turmoil, when colleagues aren’t pulling their weight – situations like these make belonging hard. The same goes for the church, to belong to a local congregation is going to be hard. When 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people, when the offering decreases, when the rosters aren’t being filled, when the people won’t turn up, continuing to belong to a church is tough.

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about the church being like a body. And in v14-16 he says,

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And, if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body.” that would not make it any less part of the body”.

Paul is telling us, whether we like it or not, that there is no excuse for not belonging to the body. While the church may be made up of people with a number of different gifts there is still a responsibility to belong. Not everyone is going to be the preacher or the Sunday school teacher or the offering steward but that doesn’t mean we are excused from belonging.

We like to belong to something but we don’t like to commit. We like to belong in quiet ways. After all, it’s nice to sit up the back and hear pleasant music and words wash over us for an hour. But hey, getting involved in the constitution committee, having people around for lunch, building a relationship with a teenager, helping out with crèche, playing the guitar, or (dare I say it) beginning a new ministry, well, that’s not nice – that’s messy! That actually means it’s time to get our hands dirty, invest time and money, invest emotional energy.

So, whether you’re part of the 20% that does most of the work or the person who wafts in and out of church buildings each Sunday perhaps it’s time to evaluate where you’re at. Perhaps it’s time to commit to belong, truly belong, or are you too afraid?

my dose of The Don

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Over the past 10 days i have an an extraordinary privilege and dose of D.A. Carson (“The Don”). He’s been out here in Melbourne as part of Ridley College’s centenary celebrations and i have been lucky enough to attend a couple of things that he has been at.

I attended the Ridley Preaching Conference last week where he gave 5 expositions on various Psalms (Ps 1; 2; 40; 48; 110) as weel as running 3 workshops for “seasoned preachers”. Some of the most beneficial times were the Q & A after each address and quite simply exposed how smart the guy is.

This week Carson is giving evangelistic talks at Storey Hall, RMIT. There are two nights left and so far the place has pretty much been packed to the rafters (so i hear, i only went last night). There have been a number of decisions made for Christ and a number of people indicating that they are wanting to know more about Christianity – this is very encouraging. If you haven’t gone yet, then i’d encourage you to go, check out the Ridley blog for details.

Yesterday morning The Don also gave a couple of talks to a few evangelical Baptist pastors and students in Carlton. Murray organised it and it was great to here an exposition on Luke 16:19-31 and then an address on ‘Evangelicalism’. Both were very enlightening.

The question begs though, what did i get out of all this time w/ The Don?

1. I learnt more about God and how he uses us to spread his name throughout the world.

2. I learnt, once again, that the preaching of the Word of God is central to bringing people into the Kingdom.

3. I learnt that there are a number of like-minded guys and gals in this city wanting to see people come to know Jesus.

4. I learnt that i need to be patient and faithful in my learning, growing and development as a Christian, preacher, pastor, missionary.

5. I learnt more about the Psalms in this past week than i have ever before.

6. I learnt how historical and practical theology work and ways in which they can be helpful as a preacher and pastor.

7. I learnt, once again, of the importance of Scripture and the Gospel.

8. I learnt how important it is to have theologically like minded people around you that can encourage you.

9. I learnt that Anglicans like a drop, even at “church camp” type settings

10. I learnt that The Don only bought one set of clothes with him (well, that’s what it looks like anyway!).