Friday 31 January 2014

Monthly Wrap - January 2014

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting


It's time! Time for my first Monthly Wrap on this blog. These posts showcase some of the best articles that I have come across over the course of the month. I hope you find them to be helpful for you in your relationship with God.

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Digital Overload: Claim Back Your Life - "...Figures show that on average, Australians spend almost one day every week using the internet." One day a week? This article from the ABC highlights the worrying trend of people becoming increasingly digitally overloaded and provides some ideas to get your online time back in control. An article that rings true for anyone living, working and ministering in our modern world.

5 Ways To Teach Your Children To Hate The Ministry - "Pastors' kids are prone to hate the ministry. Why? How can it be avoided?" Another great article by Ed Stetzer encouraging anyone in a pastoral position to firstly be a parent, and then be a pastor. This is well worth a read.

Don’t Hate, Pray for Pro-Choice Champions - "...As Christians, we must not give in to the cultural tendency to denigrate and demonise people on the other side of the political aisle." Trevin Wax writes a great article exhorting Christians who campaign against abortion to pray and not hate people whose opinion differs from theirs.

Cynicism Doesn't Reach A Lost World - "It's worth remembering that your (and my) cynicism about certain evangelism methods is not actually evangelising a lost world. In that regard, cheesy does indeed trump unengaged cynicism. Yes, there might be better ways to share Christ, but too many cynics complain about how others evangelise while not sharing Christ themselves." Another fantastic article by Ed Stetzer who shares his reflections on evangelism in the sky.

The Effect of Your Life in 1400 Years - "...What we do in obedience to Christ in this life is never wasted. Our acts are like pebbles dropped in the pond of history. No matter how small our pebble, God rules the ripples. And he causes the design on the face of the waters to be exactly what he wills." John Piper writes an encouraging article about the sovereignty of God and His hand on every single thing we do with our lives.
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January's video...

Each month along with my list of articles, I will also be sharing a video that I've come across during the month. This month's video is from David Platt and Francis Chan who recently collaborated to create an eight-minute video about the dangers of diluting discipleship and how the art of "making" disciples is intricately tied to the identity of "being" a disciple.


Thought for the month...

"When all your favourite preachers are gone, and all their books forgotten, you will have your Bible. Master it."
— John Piper

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