Shore Vineyards Blog

MAKING THE BEST FROM THE WORST - Harbour # 10

Thu, 27 May 2010 10:06:46 +1200

BY VIC FRANCIS |
A look at the 10 questions in which Harbour Vineyard fared lowest in our recent Natural Church Development survey:
Number 10 (10th worst): I enjoy reading the Bible on my own.
Many Christians, maybe even most Christians, struggle with reading the Bible. We believe it’s God’s Word and value it highly, and yet we can find it hard to understand and we often neglect it – and live with some guilt as a result.
How can we make our Bible reading profitable and enjoyable? Here are some ideas:
Buy a new Bible in a modern translation.
Pray before you read.
Use a journal and write down anything that strikes you as significant.
Read short passages rather than big chunks – and look for what you are drawn to. That’s likely to be the leading of God.
Read the same book more than once and look for different things to jump out (such as I’m doing this year with Luke and Acts).
Agree with a friend or family member to read the same passage and then compare thoughts and ideas.
Buy a simple commentary for a particular book of the Bible (Tom Wright is one of my favourites for this) and read this alongside the Bible.
The options are endless. And fruitful. And, dare I say it, even enjoyable.

MAKING THE BEST FROM THE WORST - North City # 10

Thu, 27 May 2010 10:06:15 +1200

BY VIC FRANCIS |
A look at the 10 questions in which North City Vineyard fared lowest in our recent Natural Church Development survey:
Number 10 (10th worst): I always look forward to the worship service.
I’m convinced that the more you put into a church service the more you get out of it.
When I think of church (and God) before the service (or the day before the service), when I’ve been reading my Bible and am prayerful, when I’ve kept short accounts with people, when I’ve submitted myself to listen, respond and be used by God . . . church becomes a place of wonder and discovery.
It helps if the music is great, there’s a bit of a crowd and the preaching is inspired, of course. But when I’m prepared those other things actually become less important.
I outlined some ideas on preparing for church in my third blog (our third worst question was “I prepare myself to participate in the worship service”). So it may be worth having another look at that if you want some more ideas.
Other than that, see you at church on Sunday – prayed up, expectant and ready to participate. I’m sure then you’ll leave keen for more the following week.

MONEY ADVICE FROM SOLOMON 5

Fri, 21 May 2010 09:28:54 +1200

BY DAN SHEED |
A WEEK-LONG SERIES, LEARNING MONEY HANDLING SKILLS FROM SOLOMON
Day five - Proverbs 11:24 “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (The Message)

MONEY ADVICE FROM SOLOMON 4

Thu, 20 May 2010 11:45:13 +1200

BY DAN SHEED |
A WEEK-LONG SERIES, LEARNING MONEY HANDLING SKILLS FROM SOLOMON
Day four - Proverbs 15:16 “A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better that a rich life with a ton of headaches” (The Message)

MAKING THE BEST FROM THE WORST - Harbour # 9

Thu, 20 May 2010 11:43:11 +1200

BY VIC FRANCIS |
A look at the 10 questions in which Harbour Vineyard fared lowest in our recent Natural Church Development survey:
Number 9 (ninth worst): I pray for my friends, colleagues and relatives who do not yet know Jesus Christ, that they will come to faith.
I’ve thought long and hard about this question – because it has helped expose a glaring gap in our thinking regarding evangelism.
Both our Sunday congregations (North City and Harbour) score this in the bottom 10 (both at number 9 actually). And yet both congregations score this question – “I try to deepen my relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus Christ” – in the top 10.
Translation: we are deliberately building relationships with non-believers, but forgetting to ask God to be in them.
It’s worth celebrating this intentional developing of relationships with non-believers. I think a lot of churches would score lowly on that point as their people’s relationships become increasingly among Christians. But it’s a challenge to remember that discovering relationship with God is primarily a spiritual process, not a relational one.
We need to continue to love, hang out and enjoy life with our unchurched friends – whether or not they ever become Christians. But by adding a good dollop of prayer, maybe our relationships will discover a new depth – shared faith in Christ.
Let’s do it.
Next week: I enjoy reading the Bible on my own.