Moving On…

Visit our new site now!

Not a reader?

Hi everyone!

Wanted to share a great resource with you all. I’ve heard numerous times this year from people that they are not ‘readers’ yet so many of us spend hours online ‘reading’ things. I guess it’s our generation wanting to have everything provided to us on computer screens these days rather than spending the time to pick up a book to read.

I’ve discovered this year that there’s a website where you can BUY christian books online, and wait for it…they are READ to you. Yes, there are audio books online that you can purchase, download and listen to.  For the lazy man (or woman but usually man), these books are usually cheaper than the hard copy, and you can listen to it on the go on your ipod or in the car. There are so many great resources there and full of rich content.  PLUS every month they give out FREE audiobook downloads. I’ve already downloaded Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller (which i bought for about $15 in store – and now downloaded free! – i also reviewed this in a previous blog i think?), Love is a Verb by Gary Chapman, Spiritual Leadership by J Oswald Sanders as well as an interesting satirical book by Jonathan Acuff called “Stuff Christians Like” (Visit the website http://stuffchristianslike.net/).

Anyway, now all of you don’t really have an excuse why you’re not reading christian books to expand your learning! Even if you choose not to purchase any books, at least check in once a month to get the free book download and then you can say – “Yes, I have been going through one christian book a month – audiobook that is.”  As Rev. Ying Yee always says: “A good leader is a good reader”.

So let’s put our Bruno Mars, Neyo, and Taylor Swift songs aside for a moment and chuck on some audiobooks to listen to!

The website is www.christianaudio.com – Remember to bookmark it!

world issues night

thanks to everyone who came tonight to our world issues night.  we hope it was eye-opening!

if you have any questions or comments, please post them here.

* * * * *

for those who missed it, we had three talks about three current world issues: sustainability; poverty, drugs and prostitution; and abortion.

sustainability

creation care is a massively complex subject and it’s impossible to sum it up in 7 minutes. nevertheless, we got into small groups to talk about how we could help ensure that the way we live honours and cares for the visual revelation of God. recycling and carpooling seem to be some pretty common ideas between groups.  pingaling threw up an interesting comment about our consumerist lifestyle – why do we hoard so much gadgetry and materialistic things?!

if you guys want to, the Uniting Church has a Green Church Site – check it out if you want to find out more!

poverty, prostitution and drugs

we were confronted with the reality that poverty, prostitution and drugs are REAL issues, happening even in our own backyard in brissie.  we watched the video testimony of the founder of Hope Foundation, a ministry reaching out to the hurting people of this nation.  it was a REALLY powerful story of God’s grace and redemption.

abortion

in our final talk, we were confronted with the reality of abortion.  we addressed arguments that are frequently presented by pro-choice groups.

Abort73 is an excellent resource on this topic.  Check it out if you want some further reading!

called to make a difference

it’s been a confronting night.

the easiest (and worst) thing would be to feel bad… and do nothing about it.

we have been entrusted with this knowledge and insight for a reason.  it’s not about knowing more religion and rules (don’t do this.. don’t do that…) … but may all that we do bring honour and glory of God.

i pray that we won’t be apathetic … but that we’ll seek to help bring about change in this world.

letter in a box

YF Camp ’10 Reflection

 

Clare

Clare has been with us for about a year now in YF and she has been such a huge encouragement to the YF Crew. She’s a first year uni student studying law and business? at QUT and she’s passionate about making Jesus king in her life.  She was recently baptised and she joined her first YF Camp this year in July.  She’s so keen to serve and share Jesus with people and I’ve been so encouraged by her growth and desire to learn more and grow more in the love and grace of Christ.  She is a very valuable and servant-hearted member of YF and CCCB taking up ministries in singing and ushering respectively.  Here’s what she had to say about YF Camp this year: 

“I loved YF camp because it was both a fun and a learning experience. The people who went were all really easy to talk to and get along with, and best of all were all keen to learn more about God. The main thing I took away from the camp sermons was about values, and where I value Jesus, and how that equates to how much I am prepared to give up to serve Him. It was very confronting when ‘Spoz’ (the speaker) pretty much said that if you truly valued Jesus as number one, it should be easy to give up anything to serve Him, or follow Him. It shouldn’t be hard to give offering to God’s kingdom or any other ministries God has called you to do. I’d have to say the most encouraging thing wasn’t anything that anyone said to me, but more the fact that Spoz, someone with such great knowledge about what we are to do as Christians, is just like the rest of us. He hung out with us and even played Big Two with us, but could speak to us with such wisdom from God. It’s so encouraging to see God’s work through people, especially because he is just like one of us. Of course I loved skit night, but that’s a given. I loved being a part of the camp committee and I’m a hundred percent certain I’ll be back for next year’s YF camp.”

Hopefully others too can echo Clare in being a hundred percent certain that they’ll be back again for YF Camp ’11. 

Soli Deo Gloria

(Sorry Clare that was the only photo I could find )

Proverbs Studies!

Hi YF!

We will be starting our first YF bible studies for Semester 2 on Saturday the 31st of July!!! We’ll be meeting at our usual meeting place at CCCB Coopers Plains at a new time of 6.30pm~!

What we aim to do at YF is to train you as Christians who can learn how to read and understand the Bible in a way that’s applicable to our lives today. Not only this, but to make Jesus RELEVANT to your lives. Furthermore, we meet together around the Word to fellowship through an environment of love and grace as well as encouragement and edification as we have been saved into this family and community of believers.

As you can see from the image above, the Bible studies we have chosen are published by Matthias Media and are so appropriately named “The Art of Living”.  Through these studies we’ll be taking a look at what God is speaking to us through “Wisdom Literature” in the book of Proverbs giving us the wisdom we need in living our lives.  Where else to start but by looking to God’s wisdom? The best part is we’ll be studying how true wisdom is found in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I’m excited!

Hope to see you Saturday!!!!

PS. If you’d liked to prepare for the study before you come this Saturday you can download the first study at this website address:
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/Samples/sm_grps/aol_sample.pdf

BC3

Hi everyone!

Just want to point you to a really great and helpful website. It’s the Brisbane Chinese Church Connection website. At this site there are announcements of events coming up hosted by particular Chinese Churches and even helpful resources to download to use for bible studies and personal growth.

Go take a look and bookmark the site to keep an eye on what’s on!

www.thebc3.net

Hands

YFers – here’s a bulletin article which appeared at church last Sunday.  Just thought I’d repost it here for those who missed out.

Take a moment and have a look at your own hands. Whether rough or gentle, calloused or delicate, our hands – just as the rest of our bodies – were created to bring God glory. They are instruments of worship.

You may wonder why some people choose to lift their hands while singing to God.  Throughout the Bible, many references call on God’s people to outwardly express their praise, repentance, humility and dependance through lifting their hands. It is never rebuked by God, but is instead commended as an action. Here’s just a few:

» Psalm 28:2 – Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.

» Psalm 63:4 - So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

» Psalm 119:48 – I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

» Psalm 134:2 – Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!

» Psalm 141:2 – Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

» Lamentations 3:41 – Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven…

Clapping is another outward expression by which we can praise God:

» Psalm 47:1 – Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

» Psalm 98:8 – Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together

This is definitely not a requirement for you to lift your hands or clap while you sing. Rather, it’s an encouragement for you to freely express your love for God in any way the Spirit compels you to. Our body language allows us to express praise and exhortation. If you feel the call or desire to do so, then go for it – whether it means standing, sitting, clapping, closing your eyes, lifting your hands, getting on your knees, even dancing.

At the end of the day, worship is ultimately to God and for God. As you focus on Him, dignity and pride pale into insignificance – just have a look at how King David let go of his dignity and danced before God with all his might in the joyous scenes in 2 Samuel 6!

It also gives cause for us to carefully consider what we do with our hands, for though it was made for worship, in rebellion we have often used it for sin. We need to plead with God and ask that He’ll grant us renewal and forgiveness.

May we freely worship Him from the very cores of our being.

Repost: Pebbles

It’s been a year since we’ve had time to make Pebbles, the YF magazine.  I thought that some of you new YF guys/girls may want to check it out!

PEBBLES

Access the full PDF here … but be patient – it’s a big PDF (maybe 3MB) so takes a while to load.  While it’s loading sometimes your screen looks frozen – wait for it!

What do you need to live?

Recently i’ve been doing my quiet times on the prophetic book of Amos in the Old Testament.  Today I came across a verse that really struck me and is something I’d like to share with you all..

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land– not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. – Amos 8:11-12

These verses are talking about the coming “day of the Lord” for the nation of Israel – a time of judgement for their sins, punishment for their rebellion against God.  There will be a great famine, but not of the fleshly necessities of food and water – but of something even more vital for life.  There will be a famine for the word of God.

If we were asked the question “what do you need to live?” – what would our answer be?  The basic answers would be food, water and air.  Perhaps others would answer friends, family, relationships.  The rest of world seems to be telling us  it should be sex, money and power.  Are these the things we thirst for?  Are they the things that give eternal life?

A true famine would be a world without the word of God.  A world that had no way of knowing the gospel.  A world that didn’t know the saving grace that was shown to us in Jesus Christ on the Cross.  A world with no hope…

So how much do you value the word of God?   we should be giving thanks to our God constantly because we have it. No amount of food and water can ever nourish our souls like the gospel.  So let’s soldier on in our faith, knowing that it is the only thing we need to truly live.

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain – Phil 2:14-16