My brother in law

This is not Frodo! This is actually my brother in law. He started a blog.... he is much smarter than me (currently acing his HSC) and much funnier than me. But his blog is floating in cyberspace with no visitors. Visit his blog... enjoy his quirky sense of humour... and make a comment so he will be encouraged to keep blogging.

Click HERE

The ESV and Packer

J.I. Packer on the ESV. From the ESV blog.

I was privileged to act as General Editor of the English Standard Version, and now that I look back on what we did in producing that version, I find myself suspecting very strongly that this was the most important thing that I have ever done for the Kingdom, and that the product of our labors is perhaps the biggest milestone in Bible translation in certainly this last 50 years, and perhaps more. Perhaps I ought to be saying 100 years—I think I should, actually—because it was almost 100 years ago that the paraphrase renderings of the Bible began to present themselves, as they did, as the version that you ought to read if you want to understand the Word of God. I think that, while in the short term it was not false entirely, did set the world of Bible translation and distribution off on what long-term was going to prove a false trail.

Am I missing something? We don't use the ESV. I think it is a good translation but I am still very happy reading my NIV.

REAL

An email from our NCS president...

Dear NCSers...

REAL is almost upon us!! Week 5 is 3 sleeps away, 3 sleeps until the week of the semester!!! (Obviously Wintercon or National Training Event is the week of the year).

3 sleeps till Monday and 6 sleeps till Thursday night – REAL: the authentic Jesus!!

Well, how can I best use my sleeps? I hear you ask.

Here are my 3 top tips:

1. Pray
Jesus said in Luke 11: 9-13
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Prayer is the number one best thing we can do as we prepare for mission week and as we embark on mission week! Trust God to keep his promise, that as our generous heavenly father he will graciously give us good gifts, giving people the Spirit so that they can know and trust in Jesus! So whip out your prayer book mark and start praying!

2. Talk
In Romans 10: 14-15 Paul poses the question,
14“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

People need to HEAR the gospel to be saved so let’s plan to be the ones who tell them and invite them to hear it explained! Hear are 4 great opportunities to do so:

- Walk-up: Monday 1pm-2:30pm and 4pm-5:30pm meeting at Auchmuty library steps
- All Day BBQ: Tuesday 8am-4pm Outside Maths Building
- Chai Café: Wednesday 9am-4pm Hunter hallway outside HB15
- NUSA BBQ: 11:30am-2:30pm NUSA building

3. Invite
The climax of week 5 is Thursday night. This is the main event focused on proclaiming the REAL Jesus.

Paul says somewhere “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (around line 40? – Wintercon joke, if you didn’t get it, go next year and it will all become hilariously familiar… well maybe not hilarious…)

Anywho, this is the big shebang! Thursday night 7pm Nursing theatre the great gospel of Jesus will be proclaimed! Invite your friends, organize to have them over for dinner then go together. Plan to pick them up beforehand and sit with them. Create opportunities for inviting them because “the gospel is the power of salvation for everyone who believes!”

3 sleeps and counting…

Yours in Christ

President Guy!

If you are the praying type please pray for REAL!

Supporters life made easy...

The new AFES website is fantastic. Life is easier for me. Life is easier for the supporter. How much easier is it to send out mass emails online with this new website. I don't know yet but if you sign up I will give it ago. How much easier is it to give money online than send it via snail mail! MUCH!

Hope you like IT!?

best coffee ever

"Suspension" coffee is the best coffee ever! Another local product of Newcastle that will remain distinctly Novacastrian... Sydney can have their Glebe gunk...

willing Son of God...

Luke 9:51 says...

he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

This is a remarkable statement. This is the turning point of the book of Luke. It is here that Jesus’ ministry changes it course. From this point onwards Jesus is very intentionally walking towards the cross.

This statement prevents us from setting God and Jesus against one another as though they were in conflict. Jesus was not an unwillingly recipient of the punishment that we incurred. He was not some kind of reluctant whipping boy. Rather, he willing marches to the cross to atone for the sin of mankind. What a saviour!

Of course we must be equally as cautious not to suggest that God the Father is a 'a pitiless ogre whose wrath has to be assuaged, whose disinclination to act has to be overcome, by the loving self-sacrifice of Christ.' (The Cross of Christ, John Stott)