Dale Appleby

Set free to serve 10 Mar 13

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: Weekly Reflections; Created: 06 March 2013

Set free to serve

Burn-out is a common experience in some long-term missionaries. The reasons for it are fairly obvious. The cure is sometimes less obvious. Burn-out affects Christians at home as well. Not only burn-out caused by work but also burn-out caused by church work.

There are other casualties in the church, not just the burnt-out. Many of us suffer the present effects of a variety of difficult experiences which happened in the past. It may be the distant past or it could be the recent past. Some of these are things we brought upon ourselves. Many are the results of other people’s actions, lack of action, words, expectations, domination, or manipulation.

All of them have made an impact on us. Most of us have coped. But the coping can add to the difficulty. Our coping method may have been the best we could do at the time, but often it continues as an ongoing pattern of life. And results in a way of life that is not really helpful any more.

4. The Cross reconciles Sinners 2 Corinthians 5.14-21

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: The Cross: Gracious Power of the Cross; Created: 05 March 2013

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The Cross Reconciles Sinners 2 Corinthians 5.14-21

Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 3 March 2013

For those who are a new creation in Christ they have a message and a ministry of reconciliation.

Afraid? 3 Mar 13

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: Weekly Reflections; Created: 25 February 2013

Afraid?

Last Sunday at the 10am service we were asked what stops people in our congregation inviting their friends to church. A variety of answers was given, but the most frequent reply was fear.

Fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of losing friendships and so on. These are good answers. Some fear comes from experience. Some comes from imagination. But fear is not necessarily bad. It may indicate that we are in the right place.

Michael Harvey said that fear is the boundary edge of the kingdom of God. It goes with God’s presence (and forms a nice tension with the comfort of God). Avoiding things that make us afraid is a natural (and often wise) human strategy.

Not everything can be avoided.

3. The Cross Saves Believers 1 Corinthians 1.18 - 2.5

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: The Cross: Gracious Power of the Cross; Created: 24 February 2013

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The Cross Saves Believers 1 Corinthians 1.18 - 2.5

Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 24 February 2013

Why God ignores our suggestions and demands for improving Christianity and saves people through Christ's death.

Would you like to Upsize that? 24 Feb 13

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: Weekly Reflections; Created: 20 February 2013

Would you like to Upsize that?

What will heaven be like? Part of the answer is that we will be with Christ. If that is the case what else would one want. Someone said, whoever has God and everything else has no more than the one who has God only.

That may be a way of thinking about heaven. What about life on earth. Does the same apply? God only, or God and everything else?

Actually it can appear sometimes the other way around when we talk to people who have everything already. Or if not everything, quite a lot. Enough to make them feel comfortable, and not really in need (except, of course, for those niggly things they wish they could afford).

Do they need God? How can we talk to them about God? One of the ways we are tempted to speak is to offer God as an Upsize. Would you like to Upsize your life by adding God to it? Sounds harmless, and even attractive.

Except that God doesn’t do Upsizes.

2. The cross brings Peace Isaiah 53.5-6, 1 Peter 2.24-25

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: The Cross: Gracious Power of the Cross; Created: 17 February 2013

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The cross brings Peace Isaiah 53.5-6, 1 Peter 2.24-25

Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 17 Feb 2013

Bible readings: Isaiah 52.13 - 53.12; 1 Peter 2.24-25

How does it work and what does it mean that Christ bore our sins on the cross so that we could return to the Shepherd?

A bet both ways? 17 Feb 13

Details: Written by: Dale; Category: Weekly Reflections; Created: 11 February 2013

A bet both ways?

The recent discussion of drugs in sport has produced a few surprises. Not least that we were surprised. Well not all of us were surprised. Drugs must have bulked up muscle in some codes of football. How else could men get to look like that – and indeed protect themselves from serious damage?

But another controversy has developed along with performance drugs. That is the rise of gambling advertising. The two issues are not entirely separate. If the players can make so much money out of sport why shouldn’t the spectators. Of course it is not the punter that makes the money out of gambling, it is the bookmakers.

Watching sports events on TV we no longer see the boundary ads telling us which cigarettes to kill ourselves with. Now we are told the websites of corporate gambling dens where we can bet online – even while the match is on.

And at least one News Channel (in prime time family viewing) before the sports report shows a regular ad for one of the big bookies.

So? Is this a bad thing?