Honour your mother and father?

Bible Studies for Blokes

Bible Studies for Blokes:

For a chance to share issues relevant to men’s lives as we study the Bible and pray together join us:

Every second Tuesday night (Kevin Kendell 0419 099 958),

Every Wednesday night (Khim Harris/Don McSkimming 0433 033 174)

Every Thursday night (Jeff Claughton/Ian Jeffery 0421 367 112).

Did you miss a talk?

Did you miss a talk ?
Do you want to listen to one of our talks again?
Do you want to send a talk to someone you know?
You can download our talks via the website....
Our Current Series is:
Growing God's Church: Acts 6-8 below to our audio download section.....
http://stmattsshentonpark.org.au/o/content/blogsection/6/83/
or order through the office 9381 2640
GP

Sunday Sport and the Fourth Command

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy...." Ex 20:8-11 The fourth commandment is a reminder to God's people that we are made for relationship with God as our Creator and Redeemer, and we are made for relationship with each other. Our bodies are wired for a work/rest cycle.

If Jesus fulils the law for us then we are free, not to live for ourselves, but free to love and serve. This is how we express the relationship we are made for. We are called to use our freedom in Christ for love and service of God and his people.

In our family we want to teach our children that meeting with God and his people is the first priority of our family. It is loving for us to be regular at the local gathering of God's People. We meet together not because we have to but because we want to, in love and service. 10am on Sunday is the time of our local gathering of God and his people. So we have made a decision that our kids ought not to have any time commitments that clash with this gathering. We say 'no' to parties, sport, and socials. Sometimes this is painful but it reinforces our priorities.

On the issue of sport we therefore sought for our children to play sports on Saturday rugby, basketball, netball (we tried a bit of T-ball and hockey too..) Sam changed to rugby not because we were originally from over east but because Soccer his first sport, clashed with the gathering of God and his people at 10am church. It is a benefit to our children in the long run to teach them that gathering with God and his people is the best thing we can do. We have kids church leaders and youth group leaders that want to make meeting with God and his people a fun age appropriate thing.

The new dillema occured for us when Youth Group restructured. Sam's commitment to meeting with God and his people shifted from 10am Sunday and midweek Bible study to Friday night Youth Group and Sunday night small group, and potentially onto 7pm unichurch.

Sam committed himself to making Youth Group and church his first priority. But now his Sunday mornings are free so he asked the question "Can I play AFL on Sunday mornings?"

What do you think we decided?

Having emphasised that meeting with God and his people was still to be his first priority, and negotiating another training session midweek. We said yes !

What do you think?

GP

News from the Willerts

Hello Friends,

We are now settling back into life in Manchester, subzero temps every morning for the past week and snow last weekend has been a big shock to the system! I started my new job 2 weeks ago and am finding my feet slowly and both Ben & Hannah are settling into school whilst Emma is planning to start work part time next month. We already miss the sun/beach/good coffee and great friends we made from St matts but we don't miss the cockroaches/redbacks and vegemite!!

Our church had a welcome back lunch for us and everyone in our village has now heard of St Matts! Our church is very similar (website is http://www.stmarysaom.org/index.php if you want a look) and we are getting involved in running a youth cell group soon - exciting but daunting - prayers please. Let me know how you are all doing.

Take care and god bless you all.

Rob

Postcards from Paris

Our mission focus is on the work of CMS in Paris, France. The Anglican Church Missionary Society has a small team of missionaries seeking to reach students on the very secular campuses of universities in Paris. Our link missionary, Libby Leach, is one of the CMS team. She is an Australian from Sydney and many of us had the pleasure of getting to know her better when she came here to St Matthew's for a week last year when she was on home assignment. She is a thoroughly delightfrul and vibrant young woman who is passionate about telling French students about Jesus Christ. She has recently written and asked us to pray for her ministry in three different areas.

In January Libby was involved in a Conference specially geared for women who were open to consider full-time ministry. That is a tough call in France when opportunities for women to have official ministry positions are rare. Pray for those who went to that Conference that they would be open to God's call to ministry, and have the courage to move ahead in that direction.

The second prayer request is for a Cinema Camp she is arranging for the end of Feb/beginning of March. The idea is that those who go spend most of their time looking at films!! The films are carefully chosen because they raise interesting life questions and could open the way for Christian input. The Christians are right now inviting their friends to sign up for the Camp. Pray that there will be a good response and good opportunities for talking about Jesus.

The third prayer request is for a very interesting programme being planned for the beginning of April. In Paris, this month, students are being given questionnaires with just one question on it. What is the question? "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" The five most asked questions will be publicly answered over three nights. Pray that many will respond to the questionnaire and that many will gather to hear key questions answered. The Christians will need to work hard to distribute the questionnaires and collate the answers.

Let us pray for them and for Libby as she seeks to inspire them to involvement.

Blodwyn Timms

Should little Johnny see that movie?

As parents we regularly find ourselves being the moral arbiters of what movies our children and their friends see. We have noticed how from YR 3-4, community parents don't seem to mind what their children watch (that is probably an exaggeration but we seem to say "no" more than most) From a Christian point of view however, we want to help our children see and hear what honours Jesus. We often find ourselves saying "no" to movies with more adult content (violence, sex, swearing, adult themes etc...)

We have even had community parents thanking us for saying "no" because they couldn't bring themselves to do it. (?) We have noticed that the "nos" help our children to learn to choose what is right rather than what is popular. The "no" is not a "no that's it ..." it is a "No for these reasons..."

On the issue of movies there are a number of good websites that give parents info on the content of new movies. I like:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies

It reviews the movie but also gives a description of moral issues raised by the movie from the viewpoint of Christian parents and provides discussion questions to stir up godly conversation about issues raised in any particular movie.

As our children mature so does the type of movies they can cope with seeing. The censorship ratings are a community guide at least to warn the unwary parent.

Don't get me wrong, we love movies in our house it is good fun and it can be a good teaching moment to discuss a moral dilemma raised by a movie. Rather than the kids watching what they like it is much better for parents to watch the movie with them, (they like being with their family too)

Are there things you have found helpful in teaching your children to be discerning movie goers?

GP

PS I can't wait to watch The Lord of the Rings with them when they are ready ...

A Prayer for 'Sorry Day'

Dear God our Father,
You gave your only Son, Jesus,
who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.
We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land,
language, lore . . . culture and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced. We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths
of despair and hopelessness. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
have endured the pain and loss of loved ones,
through the separation of children from their families.
We are sorry and ask God's forgiveness.
Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted
and heal their spirits.
In your mercy and compassion
walk with us as we continue our journey
of healing to create a future that is just and equitable.
Lord, you are our hope. Amen.

A Parliamentary Apology

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations -- this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation. For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written. We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians. A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again. A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity. A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed. A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility. A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

Kevin Rudd

Come and join us to pray

This is an invitiation to join us at the all congregations prayer meeting.

We will pray for our world and our church.

No need to pray out loud if you are not comfortable

but come and add your amen to our prayers

19th February 7:45pm -9:00ish at the Church

This is the most important thing we will do together all term !

See you there

Gavin

Training opportunities

Hi Folks, We have a couple of training opportunities coming up:

1. Work, God, and You

3 sessions starting Thursday 14th Feb. 7:30pm at Church with Nigel Gordon
This is a workshop to help you think about what it means to be a Christian in the workplace.

2. Total Church Workshop

9:15am-12:00 noon Sat 23rd Feb this is training to help people involved or want to be involved in Sunday meetings Reading the Bible, corporate prayer, serving in the Public meeting, Welcoming etc.....

We want to help each other serve to the best of our abilities. Please come along !
GP

Consider Cornerstone

Cornerstone is a weekend on the best Bible teaching - relevant, incisive, challenging, inspiring and gutsy. It is for young adults (from 18-39) in Perth and WA. It has a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of time to meet people from a variety of churches and backgrounds centred around Bible talks, complimented by electives and small group discussions, singing and praying.

Designing Church
What should church look like?

We've all done it. It's usually halfway through a church service when we start daydreaming about what church would be like if we were in charge. But what should church look like? Contemporary? What's the role of tradition? Can you be reflective and rejoice at the same time? What sort of music should we ave? In fact, why do we sing anyway? Is it better to be more spontaneous or more organized? And come to think of it, what is church?! At Cornerstone 2008 we'll be investigating the big questions facing you and your church today.

Cornerstone 2008 will be held on February 29 - March 3.

Friday evening to Monday morningFebruary 29 - March 3, 2008
Program
Friday 8:00pm Sam Chan The Church and Power - 1 Corinthians 1
Saturday 9:00am Marty Foord The Mega-Church for the Mini-God - Romans 1:18-32
11:00am Sam ChanThe Church and Sex - 1 Corinthians 6
2:00pm Recreation
5:00pm Electives
7:15pm Marty FoordA Consumer's Guide to Church - Ephesians 4:11-16
8:15pm Phil DavidsonConcert

Sunday 9:00am
Sam Chan The Church and Love - 1 Corinthians 13
11:00am Electives
5:00pm Question & Answer
7:15pm Marty FoordThe Church on Private Property - Matthew 28:18-20

Monday Church/Group Time (optional)

Our speakers come from a variety of places and churches, but they share the conviction that God speaks to us through his Word, the Bible. And what God says is relevant, important and life-changing.

Cornerstone is also now part of the Christian Conventions of WA.

Apply Online or Download camp brochure and application form

Enquiries:

Ashley Horton (registrar) ph 0417 980293

Matt Waldron (camp director) ph 08 9356 8548

Lessons from road trip no.1: Life is a roller coaster

Lesson from road trip 1: life is a roller coaster

Does your life feel like this, Press Play!

(Don't try this at home...)

GP

PS Sam and Tom are on the ride

Postcard from Natal SA

Several weeks ago, Dr Dan Claughton came to this service telling us that he was about to leave for South Africa where he would work in a rural hospital in Natal province as an Associate with CMS. He expects to be there for six months.

This week he has sent the first batch of photos and some news of what life is like for him there. Just in case you have forgotten what he looks like, or perhaps was not at the service on that day, here is Dan at his desk with his African colleague alongside. He writes of dealing with some horrific medical cases, some as a result of drunken fights with bush knives. Other cases involve dealing with sexual assaults. Some of these are resulting from the false belief that having sex with a minor, even a little child, can cure HIV-Aids. We need to pray for Dan for strength to care and love those who are so much in need of it.

He is living in a small demountable alongside other medical colleagues. His visits to the fresh markets has yielded a plentiful supply of cabbage (!) which he does not exactly love, and lots of tomatoes. Coffee is pretty well impossible to come by, and the milk he manages to get is often 'off' anyway. Food that he is used to is not easy to get, but there is a lot of security surrounding the procuring of it anyway! Food queues are long and then the security guards check all the dockets before you leave the market.

He doesn't speak the Zulu language but he wants to mix with the local people as much as he can so he was pretty thrilled to be invited to a local Zulu gig. There were lots of big bowls of cooked meat and damper made with ground corn - and lots of Zulus dancing to the beat. He was the only white guy there and he felt pretty cool being part of the local scene. He did not send us pictures of that but he did send us one of his African colleagues in her ceremonial dress.

Let us pray for Dan that he will keep well, that the Holy Spirit will fill Dan with his love for the people in Natal, and that in the midst of all these challenging changes, Dan with sense God's strength to be God's servant and example of the life of Jesus there.

BT

We're Back! Stay tuned

To see a few more Parsons holiday snaps
click on...

http://picasaweb.google.com/theparsonis/Nullabor

Cheers

The Parsons