Tuesday 31st of January 2012 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Questions To Ask Yourself
Before we head into February and completely off the beaten track of ''year start' thoughts, here are some questions for your consideration. Courtesy of Don Whitney, they are designed to help us kick off the year...
I'm a limited guy and so with 30 questions to answer, seriously, that's intense! But by picking a handful, chewing on them and then putting some answers into action... That's a happy new year! Enjoy!
1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
4. In which spiritual disciplines do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from the last year?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
11. What's the most important decision you need to make this year?
12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area?
13. What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?
14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?
15. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?
16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?
17. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?
18. What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?
19. What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?
20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?
21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?
22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?
23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?
24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year?
25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve in this year?
26. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?
27. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?
28. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?
29. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?
30. In what area of your life do you most need to change, and what will you do about it?
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Tuesday 24th of January 2012 | Posted by Brendan Willis
Showstoppers 2012 - Review
Two weeks ago today we opened the doors of our school hall to welcome kids and parents into our first ever holiday club. Now that the balloons are down and the music has faded I thought I’d take a few moments to reflect on what was an amazing week!
For the uninitiated Showstoppers holiday club is all about mission. As a church we want to be a people that not only know and apply the gospel but take it out into our community. Events like Showstoppers help us to do this in two ways: Firstly,through the preaching of the gospel to the kids, and secondly, as a means of building relationships with non-Christian families in our community. The amazing thing about the week was that both of these aims were achieved beyond what any of us expected!!
Take a brief step back in time to only a few weeks before the beginning of Showstoppers and I had a few serious doubts in my mind. Would we have enough volunteers? Would we be able to organise the week in time? With next to no registrations… should we even go ahead with the program?? Or should we call it off? Now that Showstoppers is over and having had nearly 40 kids attend, it’s clear that God was faithful beyond belief! With this in mind,let’s look at a few of the highlights from the week.
Firstly, the kids. Not only did we have nearly 40 kids, but more than half of these were from non-Christian families! And these kids had so much fun!! Parent after parent would come to pick up their children the next day and ask, “What are you doing with them? They can’t stop talking about Showstoppers!” We even had one child on the first day proclaim, “This is more fun than Lunar Park!” and another bring their neighbours along the following day because they’d had such fun! The best bit about all of this is that nearly all of the activities for every day revolved around the gospel. From the crafts, to the videos, games and personal testimonies it all tied into the big idea for the day which was some aspect of the gospel. Likewise, as the week progressed the kids were increasingly showing they understood the message. One boy from an unchurched family after hearing his group leader share about putting faith in Jesus asked, ‘What should I do next?’. I overheard another girl from a non-Christian family explaining to her friend how one of the stories we had just told related to the gospel, ‘It’s just like a mini version of what Jesus did for us!’ she remarked.
Secondly, the parents. I can’t mention enough how much the parents absolutely loved the week! Not only did every parent repeatedly express their thanks but nearly every parent attended our Friday evening finale! On the Friday night we had organised a jumping castle, a magician, balloons and a BBQ with the hope that we might be able to welcome some of these folks into our church and invite them along to our next Reason for God Sunday (5th of February). There was a real buzz around the room with parents chatting away and the kids going wild on the jumping castle! During this time, not only did we have several chats with parents interested in our church but the most repeated comment was, “Thank you so much for this week… we’ll be back next year!
This brings us to my last highlight: The opportunity! The Lord was so faithful in connecting us as a church with many families in our area and allowing us to share the gospel with many kids throughout the week.Next year we’re expecting to have substantially more kids as the kids from this year invite their friends. Would you join with me in praying for both parents and kids, that the Lord would be at work in their hearts, connecting them with our church, leading them to faith in Jesus and through them reaching even more of the lost in our area.
Lord, take this city!
Your brother in Christ
Brendan
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Saturday 14th of January 2012 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Read The Bible 2012
So you want to read the Bible more in 2012? Great!
Perhaps like me, this isn't a new desire. You've started the year before with grand aspirations to read the Bible and they've slowly (or quickly!) fizzled out. Take heart from Noel Piper, who explains how she saw through a year of reading her Bible - all 66 books!
Here are some resources to make 2012 a year of reading the Bible and growing in your love for God. There's something for everyone - reading plans (beginner to advanced!), devotional resources for individuals and families, questions to ask as you read, as well as tips for memorising and journaling.
Happy New Year!
30+ Resources to help you read the Bible in 2012.
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Thursday 22nd of December 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
10,000 Reasons To Praise
As 2011 comes to a close one thing is for sure - As a local Church, we really do have 10,000 reasons to praise!
If you'd like to see just some of why, then here's two videos that will take you down memory lane. Hope you like them...
Sovereign Grace Church 2011
Sovereign Grace Teens 2011
How good is the Lord... Merry Christmas folks!!
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Saturday 3rd of December 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Christmas In The Community
Christmas is such a good time to get out and into the community. There's so much going on and so for 2011, we've decided as a Church to run a stall at the Wahroonga Village Fair on Sunday 4th December (9.00am-4.00pm)...
...And the Hornsby Christmas Spectacular on Saturday 10th December (5.00pm-10.00pm).
We'll be providing free balloons and face painting for the children, and giving out copious amounts of candy canes and leaflets to any adults who walks past. If you're in the area then please drop by, we'd love to meet you!!
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Monday 28th of November 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Best Album Yet!
Recorded live at WorshipGod11, 'The Gathering' contains 15 songs that progressively tell the story of the gospel and our appropriate response to it. It's a story God's people have been celebrating together for thousands of years. Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come back one day to live forever with those he redeemed. These songs help us to remember and rejoice in this good news over and over again and accordingly, I love this CD. In my opinion, this is the best album that Sovereign Grace have ever produced!!
The MP3 album is available at Bandcamp ($9.00), iTunes ($9.99), and Sovereign Grace Ministries Store ($8.40)... Worth every cent, enjoy!!
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Thursday 24th of November 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Visitor Sundays - Starting December 2011
With 85 folk now signed up for the Gingerbread House making night on December 2nd, here's the next event that is starting to come into view on our Church radar...
Please see this as a great opportunity to invite folk along. Let's spread the rumour folks!!
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Wednesday 26th of October 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
Mark Driscoll Interviews
One guy that has had a very big impact on me in all things mission, is Mark Driscoll. It was when I was reading his book 'Radical Reformission' in 2006 that God opened my eyes to importance and priority of local mission, and since then God has used Mark to challenge, provoke and encourage me in this area on numerous occassions.
In preparing for our current 'In it 2 win it' series I returned to some interviews that Mark did at the 2006 Desiring God National Conference. They provoked and sharpened me afresh, I couldn't help therefore but want to share them here on our blog. As we continue to move forward with our 'In it 2 win it' series, may these short interviews provoke, encourage and sharpen us all. Enjoy!
1. THE NEED FOR CULTURAL IMMERSION
2. BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES & CULTURAL METHODS
3. RELATING TO SINNERS
4. WORLDLINESS AND CULTURE
5. THE MESSINESS OF THE CHURCH
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Tuesday 18th of October 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
The Radical Reformission... Here We Go!
This week marks the beginning of our new 'INVEST' series. Having concluded 'The Enemy Within', we're now going to be studying Mark Driscoll's book 'The Radical Reformission', a book I highly recommend and which had a profound affect on my life when I first read it back in 2006.
'Today's mission field starts just outside our door', Driscoll writes. 'Since the mid-1990s, the conversation among young pastors has evolved from reaching Generation X, to ministering in a post-modern culture, to a more mature and profitable investigation of what a movement of missionaries would look like, missionaries sent not from America to another nation, but from America to America. This "reformission" is a radical call to reform the church's traditionally flawed view of missions as something carried out only in foreign lands and to focus instead on the urgent need in our own neighbourhoods, which are filled with diverse cultures who desperately need the gospel of Jesus and life in his church. Most significantly, they need a gospel and a church that are faithful both to the scriptural texts and to the cultural contexts of America. The timing of this reformission is critical.'
Today's mission field really does start just outside out door. If you believe that, and are keen to make a difference in our sin-sick world then I really do want to encourage you to grab this book, start reading it, and come along to INVEST. We'll be kicking things off this Wednesday and Thursday night at our place, think-tanking around the question of 'Effective Local Mission'.
Hope you can come!!
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Wednesday 12th of October 2011 | Posted by Dave Taylor
When The Music Fades...
How good was it to have Bob Kauflin in town! Big thank you to all those who prayed for Bob over the past ten days. His visit has proven to be everything I had hoped for... It seems that Bob's visit has not only been encouraging and strategic for our own local Church, but for a whole load of other brothers and sisters in our city too.
If you missed out on hearing Bob at Sovereign Grace Church then you can download his messages here. If you haven't heard them then please do take a listen. So much to consider, be encouraged and challenged about, and apply:
Living Before The King Of Glory - Psalm 24
Worshiping God With Heart, Mind And Body
Pursuing God's Presence - 1 Corinthians 12
Likewise, if you'd like to read some of the talk that's going on in Sydney regarding things that Bob shared at Moore College, TWIST, RICE, and so forth, then here's a few links for you to follow:
Bob Kauflin At Moore College - By Garage Hymnal
Anglicans With Hands In The Air?? - By Garage Hymnal
An Unexpected TWIST - By Tony Payne, The Briefing
TWIST Reaction Two - By Tony Payne, The Briefing
This has been such an encouraging time for all those involved over the last few weeks. Thanks for praying folks. How kind of the Lord to answer!!
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February, 2012
January, 2012
31-01-2012 | Questions To Ask Yourself | posted by Dave Taylor
24-01-2012 | Showstoppers 2012 - Review | posted by Brendan Willis
14-01-2012 | Read The Bible 2012 | posted by Dave Taylor
December, 2011
22-12-2011 | 10,000 Reasons To Praise | posted by Dave Taylor
03-12-2011 | Christmas In The Community | posted by Dave Taylor
November, 2011
28-11-2011 | Best Album Yet! | posted by Dave Taylor
24-11-2011 | Visitor Sundays - Starting December 2011 | posted by Dave Taylor
October, 2011
26-10-2011 | Mark Driscoll Interviews | posted by Dave Taylor
18-10-2011 | The Radical Reformission... Here We Go! | posted by Dave Taylor
12-10-2011 | When The Music Fades... | posted by Dave Taylor
September, 2011
28-09-2011 | Pray For Bob Kauflin's Time In Australia | posted by Dave Taylor
20-09-2011 | Pray For Other Churches In Sydney | posted by Dave Taylor
17-09-2011 | Pray For Our Core Team | posted by Dave Taylor
15-09-2011 | Speaking New Zillund | posted by Dave Taylor
13-09-2011 | Pray Together | posted by Dave Taylor
03-09-2011 | Pray For Our New Members | posted by Dave Taylor
August, 2011
31-08-2011 | Pray For 2011-2012 Pastors College Class | posted by Dave Taylor
27-08-2011 | Pray For Eddy | posted by Dave Taylor
23-08-2011 | Pray Without Ceasing | posted by Dave Taylor
16-08-2011 | "ONE" - You Coming? John Piper is! | posted by Dave Taylor
04-08-2011 | Application, Application, Application | posted by Dave Taylor
July, 2011
05-07-2011 | Manhood & Womanhood: Different By Design | posted by Dave Taylor
June, 2011
17-06-2011 | Ethiopian Church Evangelism - Love it! | posted by Dave Taylor
11-06-2011 | Next 2011 Conference Audio | posted by Dave Taylor
06-06-2011 | Latest Sovereign Grace Plant - North Africa | posted by Dave Taylor
May, 2011
31-05-2011 | God's Strategy For Making Disciples | posted by Dave Taylor
24-05-2011 | The Great Commission And Church Planting | posted by Dave Taylor
04-05-2011 | Cries From The Cross | posted by Dave Taylor
April, 2011
27-04-2011 | M28: Open Mic Night | posted by Dave Taylor
25-04-2011 | A Crucifixion Narrative | posted by Dave Taylor
22-04-2011 | Easter Sunday - All Welcome! | posted by Dave Taylor
14-04-2011 | Easter Egg Hunt | posted by Dave Taylor
12-04-2011 | Young, Restless, Reformed | posted by Dave Taylor
04-04-2011 | Sovereign Grace Latest Album - Out Now! | posted by Dave Taylor
March, 2011
28-03-2011 | Why Pray For Your Pastor? | posted by Dave Taylor
22-03-2011 | Missing Messages... Oops! | posted by Dave Taylor
14-03-2011 | Man Up! | posted by Dave Taylor
11-03-2011 | How NOT To Listen To Sermons | posted by Dave Taylor
08-03-2011 | A Swing And A Miss... | posted by Dave Taylor
01-03-2011 | Humility - Our Greatest Friend | posted by Dave Taylor
February, 2011
22-02-2011 | Students - BIG Welcome!! | posted by Dave Taylor
16-02-2011 | Sovereign Grace Music - Our Top Ten | posted by Dave Taylor
13-02-2011 | Psalms Series - Recap | posted by Dave Taylor
05-02-2011 | Why Church Membership? | posted by Dave Taylor
02-02-2011 | New Family Devotional | posted by Dave Taylor
January, 2011
24-01-2011 | NEXT 11 - This Is Looking Great! | posted by Dave Taylor
21-01-2011 | Brisbane Floods - How Can We Help? | posted by Dave Taylor
12-01-2011 | 2010 Review - Young Adults | posted by Dave Taylor
09-01-2011 | Please Pray For Our Songwriters | posted by Dave Taylor
05-01-2011 | Psalms - Our Summer Series | posted by Dave Taylor
December, 2010
21-12-2010 | Nativity - Reducing To The Ridiculous | posted by Dave Taylor
13-12-2010 | Christmas Book Gift Ideas | posted by Dave Taylor
09-12-2010 | Hope Has Come | posted by Dave Taylor
November, 2010
22-11-2010 | Books For The Lane | posted by Dave Taylor
14-11-2010 | Heidelberg Catechism Rap - Check it! | posted by Dave Taylor
09-11-2010 | Reflections On The Pastors Conference | posted by Dave Taylor
01-11-2010 | Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference | posted by Dave Taylor
October, 2010
24-10-2010 | Baptisms - Iris' Story | posted by Dave Taylor
22-10-2010 | Baptisms - Bennet's Story | posted by Dave Taylor
20-10-2010 | Baptisms - Stella's Story | posted by Dave Taylor
18-10-2010 | First Baptisms - What A Day! | posted by Dave Taylor
12-10-2010 | Starting Point - You Coming? | posted by Dave Taylor
10-10-2010 | The Mystery Of Sovereign Grace | posted by Dave Taylor
08-10-2010 | PLANT! A Church Planting Conference | posted by Dave Taylor
04-10-2010 | The Sadness Of Spiritual Dehydration | posted by Dave Taylor
September, 2010
28-09-2010 | Ephesians: Here We Go... | posted by Dave Taylor
22-09-2010 | Family Picnic - This Sunday - You're Invited! | posted by Dave Taylor
20-09-2010 | New Kids CD | posted by Dave Taylor
15-09-2010 | Planting A Church With Sovereign Grace | posted by Dave Taylor
14-09-2010 | Weekly Podcasts Now Online | posted by Dave Taylor
08-09-2010 | Sovereign Grace - We Have Lift Off! | posted by Dave Taylor
August, 2010
31-08-2010 | This Sunday We Open Our Doors! | posted by Dave Taylor
27-08-2010 | Launching Songs For Sovereign Grace Church | posted by Dave Taylor
23-08-2010 | The One To Whom I Will Look | posted by Dave Taylor
16-08-2010 | 18 Lessons From 18 Years | posted by Dave Taylor
12-08-2010 | Habits of Highly Evangelistic Christians | posted by Dave Taylor
08-08-2010 | Together For The Gospel | posted by Dave Taylor
03-08-2010 | Having A Passion For The Church | posted by Dave Taylor
July, 2010
23-07-2010 | Location, Location, Location | posted by Dave Taylor
20-07-2010 | Reflections On The Death Of Phil Harris | posted by Dave Taylor
15-07-2010 | Reading With Your Ears | posted by Dave Taylor
10-07-2010 | A Plea For Reading | posted by Dave Taylor
06-07-2010 | Patience, Pace, and Church Planting (Part 4) | posted by Dave Taylor
June, 2010
30-06-2010 | "The Room" | posted by Dave Taylor
22-06-2010 | A Memorable Weekend | posted by Dave Taylor
16-06-2010 | We've Arrived! | posted by Dave Taylor
13-06-2010 | We're On Our Way | posted by Dave Taylor
08-06-2010 | Sovereign Grace in South Korea | posted by Dave Taylor
May, 2010
29-05-2010 | Patience, Pace, and Church Planting (Part 3) | posted by Dave Taylor
26-05-2010 | Patience, Pace, and Church Planting (Part 2) | posted by Dave Taylor
24-05-2010 | Patience, Pace, and Church Planting (Part 1) | posted by Dave Taylor
10-05-2010 | On Holiday | posted by Dave Taylor
07-05-2010 | Follow The Story... | posted by Dave Taylor
05-05-2010 | VISAS GRANTED! | posted by Dave Taylor
02-05-2010 | Meet David Powlison - Part 3 | posted by Dave Taylor
April, 2010
30-04-2010 | Meet David Powlison - Part 2 | posted by Dave Taylor
28-04-2010 | Meet David Powlison | posted by Dave Taylor
25-04-2010 | Meet Jerry Bridges | posted by Dave Taylor
22-04-2010 | Sovereign Grace in Burma | posted by Dave Taylor
19-04-2010 | Meet John Piper | posted by Dave Taylor
15-04-2010 | Meet Wayne Grudem - Part Two | posted by Dave Taylor
12-04-2010 | Meet Wayne Grudem | posted by Dave Taylor
08-04-2010 | Uncomfortable Grace | posted by Dave Taylor
01-04-2010 | Gospel Momentum | posted by Dave Taylor
March, 2010
29-03-2010 | Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross | posted by Dave Taylor
22-03-2010 | Bob Kauflin Interview | posted by Dave Taylor
16-03-2010 | Reaching The Unreached World | posted by Dave Taylor
10-03-2010 | Review: Living The Cross Centered Life | posted by Dave Taylor
February, 2010
26-02-2010 | Cross-Centered Books | posted by Dave Taylor
15-02-2010 | Future Sovereign Grace Albums | posted by Dave Taylor
12-02-2010 | Where Do Sov Grace Songs Come From? | posted by Dave Taylor
09-02-2010 | NEXT - You're invited! | posted by Dave Taylor
04-02-2010 | February Sale + 50% Off Shipping | posted by Dave Taylor
January, 2010
31-01-2010 | Haiti Fund Update | posted by Dave Taylor
28-01-2010 | New Book From Joshua Harris | posted by Dave Taylor
19-01-2010 | Haiti - How Can I Help? | posted by Dave Taylor
17-01-2010 | Al Mohler on God's Message to Haiti | posted by Dave Taylor
01-01-2010 | New Year... New Video | posted by Dave Taylor
December, 2009
21-12-2009 | Bruce & Mick - The Aussie Elves | posted by Dave Taylor
16-12-2009 | An Australian Perspective: Dave Elsing | posted by Dave Taylor
14-12-2009 | C.J.Mahaney on Hunting Tiger Woods | posted by Dave Taylor
10-12-2009 | The Great Commission | posted by Dave Taylor
09-12-2009 | Matt's hospital stay extended | posted by Dave Taylor
05-12-2009 | What's Happening in Sovereign Grace? | posted by Dave Taylor
04-12-2009 | Praying for Matt Chandler | posted by Dave Taylor
November, 2009
24-11-2009 | Preaching vs. Worship? | posted by Dave Taylor
19-11-2009 | From the UK to OZ | posted by Dave Taylor
13-11-2009 | Psalms CD on Sale | posted by Dave Taylor
11-11-2009 | Why Plant Churches? | posted by Dave Taylor
09-11-2009 | Keeping Up To Speed | posted by Dave Taylor
05-11-2009 | Location, Location, Location... | posted by Dave Taylor
October, 2009
30-10-2009 | Intro Night | posted by Dave Taylor
16-10-2009 | In My Place, Condemned He Stood | posted by Dave Taylor
15-10-2009 | Joshua Taylor - Update... | posted by Dave Taylor
03-10-2009 | Gospel-Centered Resources in 40 Languages | posted by Dave Taylor
September, 2009
17-09-2009 | Video Bloopers | posted by Dave Taylor
15-09-2009 | New C.J. Mahaney Videos Online | posted by Dave Taylor
04-09-2009 | Sept '09 - Things To Pray For... | posted by Dave Taylor
August, 2009
27-08-2009 | New Album Celebrates Adopting Grace | posted by Dave Taylor
19-08-2009 | Worship God '09 - Free Downloads | posted by Dave Taylor
July, 2009
29-07-2009 | Facebook Group Reaches 600 Members | posted by Dave Taylor
23-07-2009 | July 2009 Update | posted by Dave Taylor
15-07-2009 | We Have a Pastor! | posted by Dave Taylor
