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Travel Notes

Cheers 2021-02 Blessed to Bless

23/2/2021

 
It's now 12 months into the pandemic, and we've been fairly protected here in Western Australia. With the first lockdown, Cheers transitioned fairly well into Cell Church mode, using digital tech to relieve the isolated, and our usual small group discussion format to keep Biblically centred.
After lockdown,
- the young adults settled into 4 groups
- our teens re-gathered quickly 
- Church 247 met on alternate weeks in Home Groups, and gathered in the Community Hall as able.

Confidence?
Adults were less confident to lead Home Groups than I'd hoped. It's not so difficult to run a small group, especially when compared with meetings and other responsibilities they conduct at work, and they have all they need in terms of knowledge, skills and tools, yet most still seem bluffed by leading a small group around the Bible. Not sure what to do about that, but press on. However it does show the importance of training young people who seem to be more likely to learn and do the stuff.

Outflow
During the year some of our young adults married and moved to the country, taking their training with them and we're cheering for them, confident that they will find ways to bless and benefit their new part of the world with the Gospel. Others have done this in the past, and more are set to do so in the next year or so. We pray this outflow will result in multiplied mission.
We didn't have family camp in April, but in January many of us were involved as directors, leaders, and campers, in running the first annual Worldview Australia youth leadership camp. We just knew from the outset that God wanted this to happen, so we pressed ahead with preparations despite the spectre of COVID lockdown. And it went very well, with 70 campers, plus 30 leaders, plus the directing & logistics volunteers.
WVA really consolidated a Christian Worldview for the high-schoolers and team members.
We plan to do it all again January 2022, hopefully with observers from other states who might want to replicate it there. Contact me if you're interested.

Great Mystery

17/10/2020

 
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At a wedding recently I used these symbols to illustrate the Great Mystery (Ephesians 5) of marriage. ​

​First the triquetra, an old Celtic symbol for the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also illustrates how Christian marriages invite God into our marriages, he strengthens the relationship like a threefold cord (Ecclesiastes 4)

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But the Mystery of Marriage goes yet deeper:
  1. (Tracing from the top to the lower left section)
    God the Father sent God the Son...
  2. (to the top centre of the heart)
    ...
    to somehow open up the Trinity making room for us in eternity...
  3. (to the bottom)
    ...
    Jesus came to us in human form, took our sin on his body on the cross, died for it in our place, to make us right with God, & rose again to show he defeated sin/death...
  4. (up to the top left of the heart)
    ...
    then he ascended into heaven where he is preparing a place for us even now...
  5. (to the lower right section)
    ...
    He sent his own Holy Spirit, to be within us, whatever we're going through...
  6. (return to the top)​
    ...And one day he will take us to be with Him in Heaven forever!

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This is The Great Mystery and Mission of marriage: 
not just that we invite God into our marriages, 
but that God invites us into HIS!!!

Three Compasses

8/10/2020

 
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True North - Christian
From hiking to ethics, politics, spirituality, psychology, relationships, in all areas of life in which decisions about reality are important, we really need a true reference point. We need the compass needle to point north so we can align ourselves with reality as it is, and not get lost. A reliable reference point. 
For societies to function well together, a primary reference point needs to be agreed so we can all avoid conflict as much as possible. When I visit Indonesia, I know the local reference point is largely Islam, so I know how to get along. Even if I don't agree with Islam personally, I can accomodate wherever possible in good conscience. At Australian Federation we chose a generally agreed reference point in Judaeo-Christianity, the Bible, "under Almighty God." The consensus was that we all go along with this same reference point as a society. Besides, part of that Christianity was that "secular" meant non-sectarian, open to all, regardless of creed. So Christianity provided a good reference point for public ethical decisions and the moral conduct of society. 

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Spinning Compass - Agnostic
​But from mid twentieth century, Australia's general population became less certain of Christianity, and even the idea of objective truth. With growing multiculturalism, the magnets of other ideologies made the public discourse agnostic: "we don't know what our public reference point should be." But instead of really thinking this through, broadcast technology rushed through the shallow, political-correct (ie. wrong in the real world) idea of "each to his own, you do you, I'll do me." Public media and politics mostly ignored the matter of truth, ultimate reality, and an agreed reference point.
This sounded democratic: "let's leave it as a private matter and not have a public reference point as such." And no doubt most Aussies still think that's what we have today... but not so! 

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Self-Aligned Compass - Naturalism
Most of us ​didn't even see it happen and assume we're back at Agnostic. But to the degree that religious / spiritual worldviews are excluded from the public square, one worldview remains as the default reference point. Naturalism asserts there is only the natural, physical world, no super-natural, no other dimensions, no God to answer to, no higher power, so do anything you want - just keep religion private. "Secular" has come to mean, "no religious views." In practice this Naturalism is Australia's public reference point, now unofficially determining all our national, ethical, political decisions. Marriage, gender, religious education, terminating babies, the old and infirm, public narratives about science, climate, races, power/victim status, are all decided squarely on the reduced basis of Naturalism.

We were not asked if we wanted to shift our public reference point, let alone shift it to Naturalism. It just happened by excluding the other options. If we had been asked, "Do you want Naturalism as our new public reference point?" we would have certainly voted against it. Why?
1) Partly because more of us do experience spiritual realities than do not. "Under God" is a real consideration for most of us.
2) Also because with a little thought it soon becomes obvious that Naturalism is a really bad reference point because it inevitably leads to the Law of the Jungle, with everyone pulling for their own interests, with the most ruthless grabbing power to eliminate the competition. That's been the result in all socialist / communist governments, which are always based on, yep, Naturalism. We know where that road leads, and we don't want to go there.

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The question now is, will we become publicly wise enough to thoughtfully choose our reference point before we descend into naturalist chaos?

Can we
choose a better reference point? Which reference point would you choose and why? 

- Which worldview actually produces freedom of conscience? (Not merely allows it for the time being.)
- Which has a proven record of producing moral societies, with humility and civic service? 
- Which encourages separation of powers, and the idea that all of us are accountable under the Creator? (Check Magna Carter.)

Even honest atheists admit that Christianity has yielded the best moral code for societies, and the safest freedoms for others to disagree. A Christian public reference point best serves everyone, including agnostics and naturalists. ​Agnostic Jordan Peterson knows this: as a psychologist helping people to align their lives with reality, he says, “I live as though God exists, and I’m terrified that he might.” ​That’ll work for Australia too.

(PS. After returning to the climate of freedom that Christianity brings, maybe we can also remedy that agnosticism about evidences for the Creator. That’s another story.) ​

The Biblical Feasts

6/9/2020

 
Biblical Feasts summary
Feasts are more than just great times. They bind communities together around shared concepts and experiences in common. Like a wedding feast celebrates around our common support of the union of these people. Likewise the feasts that God instructs his people to observe, bind them together too, around concepts core to their identity. And because these core concepts are fulfilled in Jesus, they are also about our identity too.
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Due to our communion services, many of us already know how Passover relates to our life in Christ (the prophesied Messiah). Likewise, so do the other Feasts of the LORD, instituted in Lev23:1-44. Num29:12-34. Deut14-16.
1) Christ is the spotless Passover lamb, whose blood saved us from death, and from slavery to sin.
2) Christ is the Unleavened Bread, broken, wrapped, and buried to return later. 
3) Christ is the First Fruits of the resurrection. 
4) Christ is given at Pentecost /Feast of Weeks /Second Harvest, to gather Gentile believers as a second harvest. 
5) Trumpets will announce Christ's second coming, the start of the new age to come.
6) On Atonement Day, Christ will cover us when he Judges this mixed up world. 
7) Then Christ Shelters with us, as he has in the wilderness of this life, as he did as God in the flesh,  does now by his Spirit, so he will dwell with us in the Heavenly feasting to come. 
​
Although not all Christians observe these feasts, we can celebrate that Israel's core Scriptural feasts are fulfilled by the Messiah who grafts us in to His Story. Thus these feasts can bind us together very deeply.
​
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New Life Church in Fremantle made these cards about Christ in the Calendar of feasts. I added the 8th.

Israel's Fall Feasts

5/9/2020

 
Christians benefit from a closer look at the Biblical Fall Feasts, because, among other things, they foreshadow Christ's work in days to come. We have hindsight to help us see how Christ fulfilled Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost. We need foresight to see how he will fulfil Trumpets, Atonement, and Shelters. 
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Feast 5) The shofar Trumpets signal an arrival, like a communal alarm clock. The time has come: a new Sabbath, or that a bridegroom is now coming for his bride. 
In this feast the trumpets sound to signal: a new yearly cycle of faith; the anniversary of Creation; God providing a ram in place of Isaac; and God descending to give the Law to his people. 
It is also a reminder to prepare for the Day when this age will end, to ponder, repent, pray. Hence ten 'Days of Awe’ follow the feast of Trumpets leading up to the Day of Atonement when the Trumpet will sound again. 
Christians are further reminded that on that Day the Trumpet will sound and Jesus will physically return. So how will we be ready? We can also remember that Jesus is our ultimate Sabbath, our Bridegroom, The Creator, and the bringer of the New Covenant, the fulfilment of this feast. 

Feast 6) The Day of Atonement is actually a fast. It calls to mind Judgement Day, at the end of which the shofar signals the closing of the Book of Life, in which we want our names written. So Atonement Day focusses on how our sins are to be atoned for, or ‘covered,’ on that Day.
Since the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, the Temple priests can’t make the Levitical sacrifices of atonement, so there is a lot of repenting and prayer for God’s mercy on this day. 
Christians know how our sins will be covered on Judgement day by Christ's sacrificial work at Passover. Plus The Judge on that Day will be none other than Christ himself. So we best trust what he has done, in order to have our names written in His Book of Life. 

Feast 7) The Feast of Shelters (or Tabernacles /Tents) celebrates God-with-us, just as God travelled with the Hebrews when they slept under makeshift tents in the wilderness in Exodus. For a week meals are taken outside under simple shade. This reduces dependancy on consumerism by celebrating his presence. And that’s why we feast on our finest and favourite foods over these 8 days.
Because the feast starts on the first Sabbath after the Day of Atonement, it foreshadows God-with-us forever after the Day of Judgement - Heaven, where God will be with his people, in the ultimate way.
Christians also know that Jesus is ‘God is with us,’ as Emmanuel in the flesh, by his Spirit now, through death, and in Heaven forever. 


This helps us understand why there are two New Years in the Jewish calendar: the religious-year cycle of teaching starts with Trumpets, but the calendar-year starts just before Passover. Some people start their spiritual lives at the beginning with Creation and the Old Testament (Jewish), but some start with Jesus the Passover lamb (Christians). 
The religious annual cycle begins with Creation, the First era:
  • Trumpets recall Creation, God speaks; a ram for Isaac; the Law of Moses.
  • Atonement is made (or foreshadowed) through the sacrifices
  • Shelters thanks God for his presence and provision.
  • Passover, & Unleavened Bread recalls God's action through the Exodus.
  • First Fruits celebrates bringing in the first harvest
  • Pentecost celebrates the second harvest.
And thus people lived... until the New era.
  • Prophets Trumpet the Messiah / Christ
  • Exiles show the need for Atonement, because Judgement Day does come
  • Christ Shelters with us in person (Scriptural clues even suggest Jesus' birth around the time of Shelters: God-with-us in the flesh.)
  • Passover - Christ makes the necessary sacrifice for sin & death to pass over us
  • Unleavened Bread - Christ's sinless body, broken and buried, to return later
  • The First Fruits of the resurrection harvest, is Christ
  • At Pentecost, Christ's Spirit descends for the second harvest - of Gentiles.
And thus people live now… until the Final era!
  • Trumpets will herald Christ's return
  • Christ's Atonement covers us on Judgement Day
  • His people will Tabernacle with Christ in the new heaven & earth
And thus people will live - forever.
​
Whether you start with Creation, or start with Christ, the Feasts commemorate the whole of history, from the very beginning to the very end of the age.​ 

Noel Vose & Community

3/9/2020

 
“What house are you in?” ask students at the school at which I’ve recently begun regularly teaching. I wasn’t officially given a house, but I find myself gravitating to Vose house. Why? Those of us who knew him know why - he had a gravitational pull…

1) Noel loved us, all, in a specific, enthusiastic, enlivening way, that made each of us feel better than we were before the encounter. It’s as though he’d studied you & devised just the right gift for you, every time we met. Sometimes just a word or catching the eye would do it. He became more than my theological principal, he gave me great advice as a single man, and ultimately presided at my wedding. Once over dinner he pulled out a Robert Browning poem for us! Specific. Enthusiastic. Enlivening. Inspiring. Pr27:17 iron sharpens iron
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2) Noel had a way of dignifying normal life. We college boarders saw each others’ bad hair days, and once Noel asked my friend for a razor to shave because he’d left his at home. He was not embarrassed because he was genuinely humble. He knew that his little moments were just as significant as his global work. His gracious attitude was the same in all circumstances, everything was a gift from Christ. From the podium to the kitchen he was Christ's grateful servant. This inspired the community with integrity from top to bottom. Lk16:10 faithful in little things

3) Noel kept Christ at the centre of the community. Without this, communities inevitably drift. But Noel’s communities stayed true. He would often remind us that the college was to teach us to “think theologically,” because through Scripture we get to know Christ. Noel knew both intimately, which is why often you could tell he was led by the Spirit to say just the right thing, to have that gracious humility, to love that enlivening way. If everyone bathed in the Word and the Spirit like that, counselling services would become redundant. Eph5:26 washed with the word

Each house at this school has a theme, Courage, Character, Compassion, and that of Vose house is Community. This might surprise if you only knew Dr GN Vose from his Wiki page, looking at all his academic achievements and the Theological College he started. But that College was a Vose-like - no, Christ-like - community. It pulled people together. And I’ll warrant that same enthusiastic community was a hallmark of Noel's presidency of the Australian Baptist Union, and then of the Baptist World Alliance: he pulled people together. Noel regenerated discussions between Baptists and Mennonites in a way that hadn't happened since 1630! He planted a new church at 70! Community was his legacy. Back then we used to tease him about being "The Pope of the Baptists.” But he kind of was - in the best sense of “papa,” building up all of us who came to orbit around his truly Christian community.

Reset Opportunity

27/3/2020

 
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Don't Squander Your Chance
For many this forced layoff is a chance to reset our priorities and activities. The decks have been cleared for us. So what shall we do with this time? First thought: have a rest! Yessss!!! Watch some movies, read some books, sleep longer…. Maybe get some jobs done, clean up, sort out… But after you’ve caught up, then what? 

Well, what do you consider most important after all? 
Now is a great chance to start doing what you really deep down want to do. 

How about these top five practices for life:
5) Be generous with toilet rolls. If we don't share when we have, who can we ask when we need?
4) Spend quality time with the people in your household. Don't be isolated in your screens, make time to reconnect. Have dinner around the table; ask "what do you thank God for today?"; play a board game; do some craft; a jigsaw… google family fun ideas. 
3) Reconnect with extended family and friends via calls or videolink. 
2) Re-introduce yourself to God. Actually pray. Get to know him better. Day by day. (We can help with Core Stuff, and the Bookmark of HPOWER). 
1) Meet for prayer, care and sharing around the Bible, in groups of 3-6, via videolinks if necessary, to actively grow in the Spirit, and share the love with others. (Cheers can help with this, and get you BOPping!) 

​
This virus, now, is an opportunity for humanity to turn back to God. Let’s take it. 

As Ferris Beuler famously said, Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it. 


Revealing The Big Story

26/3/2020

 
Apocalypse. It actually means uncovering, revealing, as in the Biblical book of Revelation. But ironically we have smothered the word with such fearful connotations that we covered over the very thing that was meant to be uncovered! We fear the dangers so much we miss the main point. 

Since we apparently live in such apocalyptic times... it’s well worth asking: what was meant to be uncovered? Answer: the Ending to The Big Story.  

What Big Story? 
The overall narrative from the beginning of time to end. The Biblical Story. The Story within which all our life stories are contained! Which begs the further question, what part will you play in it? Using the Olympic Rings, here’s a graphic summary of that Story: 
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Just like all great stories, there's an Author, Evil, Salvation, Freedom & Community. 

Author - Blue reminds us of Creation and thus its Creator. God creates, creation is good, humans are made in God’s image, very good. But then...
Evil - Black, darkness, selfishness, the sin that damages creation. We try to take over from God, to run our own lives but only ruin our own lives. This sinful fallenness is shown from Adam and Eve to every story in the Bible... 
Saviour - Red, blood, the Saviour’s mortal battle to make things right. 
The Law and the Prophets (>>) foreshadow and predict the Salvation to come. The Old Testament repeats stories of sin and salvation: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israelites, Judges, Kings, Writings and Prophets: we ruin life, God saves it, repeat. There are always warnings, and then judgement for the stubborn and salvation for the faithful. The cycles repeat through history even to the present day. But then comes The Saviour...
(X) Christmas reveals the Christ, the Messiah. 'Jesus' means Saviour. He is none other than the Creator become human, Immanuel, God-with-us. 
Love summarises his message and his actions, love God first, and people as yourself. 
On the cross, Jesus has DONE what we can’t DO for ourselves: he himself bore all our collective sin, guilt, shame, griefs, sorrows etc. for us, on our behalf. Separated from God, he then dies for all of it - in our stead. This means that sin is no longer held against us, we are made right with God! Amazing gift of mercy! 
His resurrection overcomes death with life. This proves he has overcome our sin with his purity.
For 40 days he appears, explaining all Scripture to eyewitnesses, offering His salvation to all. Then… 
Freedom - Gold, the Spirit of resurrection, in us to set us free from the law of sin & death. Jesus ascends, then 10 days later sends His own Spirit into His people, whoever trusts him, helping us to live like Him. Amazing gift of grace! And this gift is still being given and received today… 
Community - Green, Grow in these relationships now and forever. Go share this Big Story. Loving God and people goes on now and forever (>>), in fact The Big Story ends with a divine marriage, Christ receiving his Bride - us! The Big Story turns out to be a Divine Romance.
​So for now we are supposed to Grow in those relationships: turn from our sin, trust the Creator-Saviour-Spirit, and live life his way. This trust is what determines our part in the revealed ending: will we receive His amazing gifts and be in the marriage for the faithful? Or will we refuse, ru(i)n our own lives, and face the judgement for the stubborn? Go share this Big Story to anyone who will listen. 

So I’m now sharing this Big Story with you. May God give you ears to hear it and pass it on. 
I'm convinced this Big Story is actually a True Story, for good reason: it is uniquely coherent, uniquely comprehensive from the beginning of time to the end, and it uniquely accords with all the data we have available to us - including scientific, historical, experiential, relational and spiritual. Therefore it is reasonable to expect that the revealed ending will also come true. 

Yes, the Apocalypse (the Revelation) contains frightening warnings and judgements, alarming events to come - wars, calamities, plagues, martyrdoms at the hands of evil economic and political ideologies. The warnings and judgements will cycle some more - exactly what we see in our day - little re-tellings of the Big Story of evil, salvation, freedom and community to come. But then The Big Story will end as revealed, with a final judgement for the stubborn, and a wedding for the Bride and Bridegroom who is the Creator-Saviour-Spirit. 

But if we only focus on the calamities, we cover over the main revelation to be uncovered: 
the Ending to The Big Story. Don’t miss the main point... What part will you play in The Divine Romance? 
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Cheers 2020-03 Empowering Cells

25/3/2020

 
What is Cheers doing during the CV19 lockdown? Meeting in cells of 3-6 in homes, (digital attendance is also ok as long as it is person to person interaction, not anonymous viewing.) In some ways we’ve been doing groups of 3-6 for years whenever we gather around the word. Now we just have to do it at home. You’re welcome to look through our crash course summary on how we provide a balanced diet in the groups with a simple bookmark. We call it the Bookmark Of Power (BOP). 
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We see the CV19 lock-in as being in solidarity with Christians in China who can’t meet in groups bigger than 5, so when they hit 6 it is time to split, and by then both triplets need to have someone who can lead. Thus it empowers and multiplies - it disciples. I can see why God might want to equip us all in such a way. So let's make the most of this time. Perhaps our BOPs will work for you in your own circles. Here's youtube's Cheers Playlist for the CV19 lock-in. 

Naturalism and panic

6/3/2020

 
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I'm not panicking because my worldview is not limited to Naturalism. COVID-19, bushfires, climate change, etc. merely remind me of our mortality, and the bigger view of life. But Naturalism, which dominates Western public discourse - news and entertainment media, social media, politics, law - across Australia, NZ, USA, UK and Western Europe, has no bigger perspective. As such it's a worldview that generates the very fear, depression, and hostility we see with every reminder of how fragile we are. 

Naturalism in a nutshell: 
  • God is sidelined as an invalid reference point 
  • Humans will progress by ourselves 
  • (Naturalistic) 'Science’ will save us. 
  • Nothing outside the physical world is relevant. 
​No wonder they panic when death comes near! 

Naturalism is both shallow and brittle.
It's shallow because it rules out other dimensions, and disregards all non-physical phenomena observed. 
  • All the following are ignored: angels, demons, being Spirit-filled, The Presence, dreams, guidance, Illuminated Word, After Death Experiences, healings, resurrections, answers to prayer, transformed lives, fruits of the Spirit. 
  • Sometimes an attempt is made to explain spiritual phenomena in naturalistic terms, but these attempts generally lack proof in a manner worse than other dimensional explanations. (I'm not referring to times when physical phenomena are mistaken for spiritual, but when the phenomena are actually spiritual.) 
  • It is closed-minded to rule out other-dimensional options before examining whether the evidence actually points there. "First rule of investigating: do not have a presupposition that keeps you from finding the truth."  
  • To justify this reductionism naturalists invoke 'the scientific method’ (ie. that non-physical explanations should not be invoked to explain physical processes) as an article of faith implying all life is only physical. But the scientific method is by definition limited to the physical. So applying ’scientific method' to non-physical subjects will always prevent finding truth about spirituality, because it a priori demands that "non-physical explanations should not be invoked to explain even the non-physical”! Well what should?! Examining phenomena outside the scope of naturalism is outside the scope of this 'scientific method.'
  • It is less scientific (in the broader sense of ‘knowledge’) to consider only one hypothesis. Naturalism prevents us from considering explanations beyond the physical. That's shallow. 
It is brittle because when disaster strikes, as it inevitably does, the meta-narrative quickly escalates to dread fear and panic. Consider HIV, SARS, COVID-19, 911, ISIS, droughts, bushfires, floods, earthquakes, climate change. Even merely the death of celebrities in their prime, from Elvis, to Princess Diana, Steve Irwin, Kobe Bryant. When confronted with mortality, the public discourse is inconsolably shocked, as if our whole existence is in danger of collapse. Because it is:
  • When all you have is this natural life, to be reminded of death is to be reminded of oblivion. The naturalistic narrative has no higher perspective from which to evaluate mortality. No afterlife, no hope - except for the species in general which is little consolation for the individual. No individual escapes death, and then all is lost (so they believe.) 
  • Fear of death spikes the flight or fight instinct. 
  • Flight causes irrational stock-piling of toilet-paper, and economic collapse.
    Or perhaps denial: "She'll be right, I wont take any precautions..."
  • Fight blames scapegoats - those gays, those Christians, those migrants, those terrorists, those [insert-race-here] 
  • Further, with no higher reference point for moral conduct outside each individual’s own self-centred view, we splinter into tribes (of people who agree with us), and the law of the jungle ensues, as Darwinism approves according to the naturalistic worldview. 
  • Living without hope in such a fragile and dangerous world wears one down - no wonder anxiety and depression are epidemic! 

In contrast the Biblical meta-narrative is deep and robust. 
Don’t be put off by the shallow dismissals on public broadcast. Examine the Bible properly without prejudice against spirituality, and you’ll see why it stands the test of time as uniquely reliable revelation from The Creator to us. Unique because no other volume or corpus of texts has anything close to the following qualities:
- Reliable because the archeological and manuscript historical evidence is peerless concerning the Bible's preserved transmission from eye-witnesses to us. 
- Revelation from God, because miraculously the over-arching Saviour-centred story is uniquely coherent and comprehensive, despite the diversity of 40 contributing authors across at least a 1600 year period.
.Plus it contains hundreds, even thousands of specific prophecies, many of which were fulfilled in later parts of the Bible, some of which are yet to be fulfilled in the yet-to-be-completed parts of the Story. Plus it claims to contain, and be, God’s word around 3000 times.
.Plus the meta-narrative combines with the readers’ realities to change lives for the better, right up to the present day. (I mean people can relate with the God of the Bible in the present!)

The Biblical meta-narrative is deep in that it accepts other-dimensional realities and interacts meaningfully and substantially with them.
  • The spiritual and relational phenomena in the Bible accord with phenomena experienced in the present. It matches the fullness of reality as we know it by including other dimensions. 
  • God-fearers can and do use 'the scientific method’ just as effectively as naturalists. They just use it within its limits. That's why operational sciences (which came from Christian presuppositions that creation would be orderly) continue to be done well by Christians today. 
  • ’Science’ (in the broader sense of ‘knowledge’) is better served by 1) clarity about the limits of naturalism, and 2) by also considering non-physical explanations for the non-physical, and even for the physical too! 
It's robust because when disaster strikes, the Biblical meta-narrative has a bigger perspective from which to assess reality. 
  • There are reasonable explanations for disaster, pain and suffering. Loss doesn't take us by surprise. Both gloomy and hopeful prospects for the future are reasonably expected. There are firm foundations for hope in the face of personal death. Far from oblivion, death is a doorway. 
  • That's why we don't panic. We don’t react to death with abject fear, but with faith, hope, and love (for God and for our fellow humans). We appreciate the reminder of mortality, we come closer to God (through Christ). We can face the harsh realities head on. 
  • Then as part of our mandate to care for the planet, we can work calmly for sensible solutions.
  • Our Creator provides the higher reference point for our moral code and conduct. And this true north for our compass has worked reliably throughout history: when we do life God's way, it works better. When we abandon God's way, life goes to custard. So it has been generation after generation. 
  • This Creator God is truly multi-cultural. This brings us together as one race under God, albeit with many cultural varieties. This makes us work for each other’s good. So yes we also try to help everyone see that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself - 2Corinthians 5. 
  • We live with perspective and positivity even under personal mortal threat, because we have a well-founded hope; a steady, positive reference-point; a good relationship with the Creator through Christ's cross and risen Spirit in us. 

Naturalism is a shallow and brittle worldview that discords with reality, and fragments society. 
The Bible gives a deep and robust worldview that accords with reality, and unifies humanity under God. 

Our public discourse needs to break out of its shallow, brittle naturalistic worldview. Otherwise it will keep covering up the BIG Story that these apocalyptic events are meant to uncover for us:
- that we are mortal, sin/self/satanic forces are bad, we need a Saviour. Leaving God was not progress.
- turn back, trust & tune in to the Creator, accept his salvation now and forever. In this true, deep and robust worldview, fear subsides, and we can live in courage & faith. 

​​
That’s why with all these fires, viruses, climate change... I'm neither panicking nor in denial. I know what to think when reminded of my mortality. Not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For we were saved with this hope in mind - Romans 8. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom - Proverbs 9. 


Israel 2019

21/12/2019

 
Took a group of 30 to Israel to see the Core Sites of the Core Stuff. We saw that the locations match the eyewitness accounts. You can click on the links to see the locations' webpages for yourself. There were some extra sights that I had not seen before. 
  1. God Creates 
    - Neot Kedumim shows how local plants were meant to grow, and their significance in Bible times. Everything needed for food & medicines was provided. God knows what he's doing. 
  2. Humans sin
    - Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, soldiers, checkpoints, crime, and disparate worldviews remind us that we all need a Saviour! 
  3. The Law & Prophets are given as a reliable revelation from God, recording God's work in history and foreshadowing God's work in the Messiah to come and in the future. 
    - Qumran is where Bible texts were so accurately scribed and preserved, we even stood in the Scriptorium itself where the action took place. 
    - Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, we saw parts of those actual texts from before the time of Christ with our own eyes! The Great Isaiah scroll from the second century BC, does contain all the prophecies fulfilled by the Messiah centuries later. 
    - Jerome's cells are where Jerome translated the original languages into Latin, the language of the day, or The Vulgate. It took him 30 years in Bethlehem. 
    - City of David excavations revealing the place of coronation, walls and foundations of Davids old city, Hezekiah's tunnel, the seals of King Hezekiah, Gemarayahu, and most probably Isaiah the prophet. We took the Temple steps from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Gates in the Davidson Centre, where I also stood on the Herodian streets and saw the replica of the trumpeting place of the Temple where it had fallen in the first century. All is as mentioned in the Bible. 
  4. God becomes flesh. Messiah is born. Son of God, Creator incarnate! 
    - grotto under the Church of the Nativity is where he was born. Nothing much remains of the building, but the place of both the birth and the manger are uncontested by the three churches at this site (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian). 
    - Nazareth Village, on the site of a first century vineyard, shows us life growing up for Jesus. (Here I learned that Nazereth was an offshoot of Bethlehem for David's descendants to live in the Galilee area. Nazer means shoot - Mt2:23 / Isa53:1-2.) 
    - Sepphoris, this Roman town being built using Nazarene labour in Jesus' day would likely have utilised the building skills of Joseph and his sons. 
  5. Jesus' Life demonstrates Love for both God and People
    - Capernaum was Jesus hometown during his ministry years. One of these houses was his, one was Matthew's, and one is actually identified as Peter's. 
    - Baptism site over Jordan, and the Judean Desert where Jesus was led by the Spirit to fast before battling Satan. 
    - Mt of Beatitudes, Kursi, Magdala, Tabgha, Tiberias where Jesus taught and did miracles as he criss-crossed the lake on mission to the differrent countries circling Galilee. And a high place overlooking these countries like where he gave the Great Commission. 
    - Bethesda where we can see how deep the sands of time were over the last 2000 years, and peer down to where Jesus healed that cripple. Also the aforementioned districts from Siloam to the Temple. 
  6. Jesus' Passion and Death saves us from sin
    - Mt of Olives where Jesus taught and wept over Jerusalem. 
    - Palm Sunday Road, Upper Room, Gethsemane, Caiaphas's House & dungeons, Pavement stones from the Roman Fort Antonia. 
    - Gordon's Garden Tomb site matches Biblical descriptions of where Jesus died to take the sin and death from us all, and where he was buried... 
  7. Jesus' Resurrection turns death into a door
    ...and the Garden Tomb has a tomb carved into a wall, in a garden, with a winepress... The location matches eyewitness accounts of where Jesus rose again on the third day.
    - Church of Holy Sepulchre is the traditional site for these events, but has been so overbuilt that it is hard to get a sense of whether it matched the Biblical descriptions. Having more than one site that does match only strengthens the veracity of the eyewitness accounts. 
    - The Garden, Emmaeus, Upper room, a Galilean mountain top, Tabgha Beach are all places where Jesus appeared over the next 40 days, and fit the accounts well. 
    - Mt of Olives Chapel of the Ascension from where Jesus ascended to heaven...
  8. Jesus' Spirit descends to lead us through life and death...
    - Upper Room the location where The Spirit of Christ descended in to his disciples at Pentecost. 
  9. Grow in Community with God and people now and forever. Go share this
    - Jaffa, where Jonah ran from, has St Peter's Church and Simon the Tanner's house, where Peter received the vision to include the Gentiles, just before Roman Cornelius knocks at the door. 
    - A Mountain overlooking Galilee's many nations is where Jesus gives the Great Commission to go into all nations... 
    - Departure, as we depart Israel for locations all over the world, we follow the steps of the disciples, and the Spirit of our Lord, going to all nations, making disciples, so they too might grow in love for God and people, both now and forever. Eventually, Israel always points us back to the redemption of the whole world. 

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The Core Stuff
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Olive Tree shoots
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Isaiah manuscript circa 100BC
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Bulla seals from Hezekiah's reign
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Shofar stone unearthed where it had fallen to street level in 70AD.
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Jesus born here
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Jesus lived in one of these houses in Capernaum
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Magdala synagogue where Jesus taught
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Polluted bus depot at Place of the Skull. Symbolic.
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Place of the Upper Room
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Jaffa out the back of the Tanner's

Worldview Academy

23/8/2019

 
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Pippa and my nephew Justin were student participants. My sister-in-law Jenny and I were adult observers. Worldview Academy was a camp for teens at Cedarville Ohio comprised of 25 hours of lectures with small groups and activities.
Topics developed from "what do we mean" by worldviews, words, and the West, to "how do we know" a worldview is reliable (apologetics), to "what difference does it make" (ethics, and sharing with others from different worldviews.) 
​We'd like to see something similar in WA.
If you know of such a thing already here... or if you'd like to help build it, please ​let me know.

Cheers 2019-04 Keep Moving Closer

24/1/2019

 
Keep Moving Forward is morphing to Keep Moving Closer.
During the year we continued working to empower our people to follow Jesus in helping others follow Jesus too. The teenagers and young adults seem most able to adapt, develop, and try new things. In third term two pilot groups started.
- A pilot youth group in Ellenbrook proved too difficult to sustain... 
- The new "Rookies" group for upper primary schoolers is kicking on into the new year led by three young people. 
- A new 18+ group looks ready to commence this term as well, led by a handful of young people. [Update: The Shed has established itself well this year. ]
In both instances they will continue to use simple tools featured in BOOST training.
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At Camp in April 2019, Cheers focussed all the more on not just moving forward in mission, but moving closer in relationship. Using games, objects, and clips from the movie Epic, Geoff illustrated the book of Philippians during all-age “Family Times” after breakfast. Teens+adults dug deeper after younger ones’ bedtime. The Way is a Person, His death and resurrection, His Way of discipling, His Spirit, and His Body. 
The Pathway is a Person! Human nature makes it too easy to turn love into a task, mission into a method. We want to have our love with Jesus motivating and overflowing into spirit-led action. We want to be led by his Spirit, not merely our conscience. 
So Cheers 247 continues to focus on the books of the Bible (using thebibleproject.com), where they fit in the big picture, and what the Spirit is saying to us through them. The repeating themes include the Gospel which is that we are given righteousness, the Goal of which is growing relationships. And our young people are putting themselves in lead situations where they have to rely on God more - they keep moving closer. 
​And so we remain hopeful that we will eventually (pray soon) multiply outwards to bless and benefit Banksia Grove and beyond.  ​
​

Reasonable Faith in 21 Pilots

17/7/2018

 
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Reasonable Faith

My daughter is a 21-Pilots fan. Proof: today she bought pre-sales tickets to their December show, where they will play music she hasn’t even heard yet because their album isn’t due out until next month. What if their new album is a terrible disappointment? She might have to sit through a whole concert of terrible music... 

But her purchase is an act of faith. The good kind: reasonable, not blind. The kind that makes for good relationships. There's not an iron-clad guarantee but there are enough reasons to make it worthy of trust. 

Her faith is based on good reasons: their prior performances, the music she has already heard, the interactions she has already enjoyed in the fandom, their demonstrated trustworthiness as people to date. So she has good reasons to trust that the boys will deliver a concert worth the price of entry. So she bought in. 

My faith is based on good reasons: God’s prior performances (in demonstrably reliable histories, writings and prophecies), the ‘music’ I have heard already in this life (the good, true, beautiful, life-giving ways that really work), the interactions with God I have already enjoyed alone and together with other believers, the demonstrated trustworthiness and wisdom of God’s character. I have plenty of good reasons to trust that God will deliver a Life worth whatever price he asks of me. So I bought in. 

Some disparage “faith” per se as if it is blind, based on nothing. Some people seem to blindly believe cliches and assumptions, but these days I’d say that's far more likely among the agnostics of main-stream culture than among the Christians who go against the flow. Most Christians I know have had to challenge the mainstream cliches and assumptions, and have come to my daughter’s kind of faith, a reasonable and well-founded relationship.

When people actually examine the reasons for this kind of faith, they often become ready to buy in. 


Deeper reflections: 
The Limits of Proof
The Phenomenal and the Noumenal - Noumenal realities are important and life-directing. Yet the more noumenal a reality is, the greater the need for good and sufficient reasons. Good reasons are there. Go get 'em. 

For the Love of God - CPX

3/7/2018

 
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Is the church better or worse than most people think?
The Centre for Public Christianity has produced a massive resource on that topic. It's hours of good stuff, more than enough. 
  • Here is the point in a 2 minute nutshell: it's not religion but humans that cause the wars, cruelty, etc. They - we - distort good things into bad by our selfishness, greed, fear, laziness, shame, brokenness, incapacity - all of which are aspects of what the Bible calls, "sin." 
You could spend a year going through the details CPX has provided - movies, documentaries, clips, group discussion sheets, school resources. So if you're wondering about it - get into it! You'll have your questions more than answered on this topic. 
But don't miss all the other material CPX has on other topics too. There's a search bar for libraries of articles, videos and podcasts on:
  • Topics people ask about Christianity
  • Training for Christians to handle ourselves better in public
  • Foundations of the Christian faith. 

In my work I focus mostly on the Foundations. How we know that the basics of Christianity are true - that God exists, that the Bible is reliable, and that Jesus rose from the dead. And how these truths fit together to make a really solid and positive foundation for your life. Core Stuff and Boost. The bare minimum info, skills, and relationship that teens really need before they leave home. 
I believe if you keep this Core Stuff central to your life, you'll be far less likely to distort good things into bad. 

But then what comes next?
  • CPX is there with such a wealth of answers to many perplexing questions (like "doesn't religion cause wars.") Besides sometimes people's faith doesn't start with the foundations, but with a curiosity about a topic, and CPX's good answers on those topics can then connect people to the core stuff. 
  • I'd also add creation.com for a balance of answers around science & creation. 
  • And of course churches are the real people who will share life with you as you live out the faith.

​Good answers are there. Go get 'em! 

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