Helping the poor 25 Oct 09
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Helping the poor
How does one help a beggar? Bartimaeus for example, or Lazarus who lay at the rich man’s gate? Lazarus (Lk16) could have been easy to help – he just wanted some food. And maybe some medicines. Usually beggars want money – to buy food to keep alive.
Those of us who have never been a beggar or had much to do with beggars can have a romantic picture of them. The modern picture is not very nice. Protection rackets, gang organised begging, turf wars, quite apart from the intervention of any authorities, are part of the reality in the developing world.
John Rowell: To Give or not to Give?
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Book Review:
To Give or not to Give? Rethinking dependency, Restoring generosity, & Redefining Sustainability
by John Rowell, published by Authentic Publishing, Atlanta. 2006. 253 pages of text plus Bibliography. ISBN 978 1 932805 86 4
At one level this book challenges the "three-self" paradigm of modern mission practice (self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating). But it does so in a global context in which the author describes the rich western churches deciding not give generously to new churches in poorer countries in case they become dependent. At another level it is about giving and generosity. The discussion is set in a mission context. The author has been working together with Bosnian Christians to see churches planted in that war-torn country.
Look up and Look out 18 Oct 2009
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale
Look up and Look out
18 Oct 2009
Did you know that Church Council has been contributing 10 percent of our giving to seven mission groups? ABM, CMS, BCA, CCE, Indian Inland Mission, Kokstad, and Sonshine FM. Since the beginning of May we have sent more than $3,000 to these groups.
Is it worth while contributing to such groups? They always say they appreciate our donations of course, but is it helpful to us?: Would we be better off using the money here in Willetton? Are we giving just because we ought to?
I suppose one of the reasons for giving to groups like these is because we think they are doing something that the Lord has his hand in – and we want to have a share in it (like the Macedonians mentioned in 2 Cor 8).
Hope for the Church 11 Oct 2009
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale
Hope for the Church?
11 Oct 2009
One of the continuing questions is whether Christianity has a future. Some hope it will die out, but those who predict future trends think that both Islam and Christianity will continue to grow.
An associated question is whether the Anglican church has a future. The answer to this is much less certain given the continuing aging of the membership. But there are signs of hope – at least in some parts of the Anglican world. Unfortunately for us these parts tend to be in Africa, South America and South East Asia.
Is there hope that the Anglican Church in Willetton and Canning Vale will survive and even grow? It depends doesn’t it? On...
Learning to read 4 Oct 2009
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale
Learning to read.
4 Oct 2009
This week the lectionary sets aside one of the days to remember William Tyndale. Tyndale was an Oxford scholar who did more than anyone to lay the foundations not only for modern English translations of the Bible, but for modern English itself. The 1526 edition of the New Testament was published at Worms and smuggled into England and England was never the same again.
It is hard to imagine today why anyone would oppose having the Bible in the first language of the readers but in Tyndale’s time the opposition was led by the highest in the land. Tyndale himself had to flee to the Continent (where he was eventually assassinated by agents of the King and the Bishop of London).
Which way now? 20 Sep 2009
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale
Which way now?
20 Sep 2009
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where – “ said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“ – so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, if you only walk long enough.”
Sometimes church seems a bit like Alice’s adventure. We want to go somewhere but we don’t know where. And the advisors often seem as unhelpful as the Chesire Cat. Or we try this direction and that direction and find ourselves still in Wonderland.
Following Christ 13 Sep 2009
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale
Following Christ
13 Sep 2009
Did you know what you were letting yourself in for? When you ... said you would teach Sunday School, help with a church roster, serve on Church Council, do some other ministry ...?
Most people have a kind of bemused awareness that the job turns out to be bigger than they thought (or were led to believe). But most of us grow with the job and the challenge.
Following Christ is the same, only more so. We do not know what will happen. It is the great life risk – to let someone else take complete charge of our life. Many of us have struggled with this – we want to know what it will be like, we want to negotiate some guarantees in advance.
