Hebrews 12:1(b) ….let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Here are some very practical sermons on christian living:


This is the family series you absolutely have got to listen to: Al Martin was highly influential in training me in the scriptures some 22 years ago in the area of child training - before I even had children! This I think is a repeat of this series as far as I can figure out.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=48091027102 

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=48091031174

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=48091033206

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=48091035508

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=480910384610

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=48091042391


1st in long series on parenting:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=22310758550 I have not listened to this particular series but to the shorter one above. I have no doubts that this series will be  as good as his earlier sermons, and a real blessing to all who listen to it.


Another on child rearing:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=914081328140

1st in a series on woman's role...
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=4190394117

1st in a series on woman's role...
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=4190394117


Suffering for Christ's sake:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=84100362510

What is a Biblical Christian?

Many people think they know what a christian is, especially those who go to church regularly...but do these thoughts line up with what the Bible actually teaches on this matter? 

What Is a Biblical Christian?
 http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=62602132823

What Is a Biblical Christian? The Only Issue Where Ignorance Is Tragic and Fatal

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=22811120120

The Demons Also Believe (How Can I, A Sinner, Find Pardon & Acceptance With God?) 
James 2:14-19; 1 Corinthians 1:9
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=323111144413



Work Out Your Own Salvation (Phil 2:12-13)
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=826101220466

Eternity: Where? What? Why?

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8910131783

Fervent Intercessory Prayer for the Unconverted (Not Merely the Motions of Our Lips)
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=92911115411

Good preaching:

Here are some links, I will try and develop some more links as I have done in the past...nothing though beats the good fellowship and growth that comes from being in a local church!

http://bbcq.org/
http://www.tbcnj.org/sermons/Sermons1.html

Blessings

I thought I would share some things I have been blessed by recently ...
(1) I love Christmas time ... it helps me to take extra time to meditate on God's tremendous love for His people! I try to write a blog on our Christmas focus on Christ - if you want to take a peek, but do find myself always running out of time for blogging. http://chritmaswithchrist.blogspot.com/ 
(2) Feel as if you are in a rut? Looking inward too much? Need to have your eyes lifted heavenward? Then I am sure this will bless you as much as it did me! Recently we have seen Giglio's DVD Indescribable, you can see it free on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewKtSKbWZUI ( Not crazy about the background screamers but definitely well worth getting beyond that to be blessed by what Giglio has to say about how big and awesome our God is! And then along similar lines the DVD God of Wonders See http://www.thebereancall.org/node/7254 , if you scroll down this page you will see a link to You Tube too!

(3) Are you interested in Christian counselling? We all should be..we all have family, friends who need our encouragement (and who need to encourage us too!) I was so blessed by this excellent article! http://www.metropolitantabernacle.org/Sword-And-Trowel/Sword-and-Trowel-Articles/The-Seven-Pillars-of-Counselling

(4) Do you also grow weary of doing good and being strong? What beautiful words are found to encourage us in scriptures; what a wonderful example our Saviour is to us... it is only as Christians that we can find a supernatural strength and courage to keep going well!





I  have been so encouraged by a sermon on Romans 15! See
https://cid-ab3e9013fc969cbb.office.live.com/browse.aspx/Sermon%20for%20Sunday%2051210?Bsrc=Docmail&Bpub=SDX.Docs

Just look at these wonderful verses (ESV) Romans 15: 1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.


(5) Last but not least I have been blessed by our many recent cool weather outings in God's beautiful creation and occassions to be with friends and family. This is our seventh summer here in Brisbane and it is usually sweltering hot by this time of the year, air conditioners are usually necessary  for our family to cope. But this year God has chosen to bless with months 'of out of the ordinary' cool weather and lots of rain, this is a welcome break for us from the strain of coping with the heat and humidity of Brisbane. All these pictures were taken in friend's garden on a lovely rainy day! What a blessing rain is after years of drought! What a joy to see my friend's garden mature over the last 6 years and see her young boy grow up and become a talented choek (chicken) minder and choek house builder! Indeed friends are blessings untold too! What a treasure to have family and friends surround us making our lives beautiful and rich!

May you all know  quiet closeness to God this Christmas, love and may God bless, Joy

 

An absolutely, totally and competely must listen to....

We had a wonderful weekend away at Mapleton Camp site, joining up with a number of Reformed Churches (both Reformed Baptists  and Presby Reformed Churches in greater Brisbane with people from as far afield as Towmsville, Auckland, Tasmainia and Sydney.) It was so good to catch up with old friends whom we have not seen for a long time! when we first came to AUstralia 6 years ago we went to this camp within days of arriving, just before Timothy was born. This time we especially enjoyed going there and coming home, we also enjoyed the Glass House Mountains.  Malany Cheese factory, Landsborough Art Gallery and the Montville craft shops, the clock shop (with it's grandfather clocks and cuckoo clocks and weather clocks!)

and the chocolate shop and the African shop being the most interesting.)  We also stopped at Kings beach and Shelly Beach, in Coulaoundra to delay home coming in order to miss the crazy traffic jams from Sunshine Coast to Brisbane on Sunday afternoons. 

I have come home feeling refreshed and inspired, by far the most invigorating aspect of our few days away was the spiritual food! 

How absolutely brilliant good preaching is....it inspires, encourages and moves the soul, it changes, moulds, and restores. And the good thing is you can listen to the same sermons online even though you weren't there! So take a look at 'Enduring Faith' and PLEASE do have a listen to some very good sermons - you take time to get fit, feed your face to nourish your body, relax with a cuppa coffee - take time to feed your soul - it's worth it!  You will come away refreshed and invigorated and inspired. See http://www.bbcq.org/

Please pray that as a family we would be practically affected by these sermons in our daily lifestyle. 

Flies on the wall and flies in the ointment:

As most of you have gathered we have been involved with the start up of a brand new church...Emmanuel Bible Church, QLD. And how immensely blessed we have been as we have participated in this new work...the fellowship has been sweet (how good to talk comfortably and excitedly about God and our service to Him each time we are together!), the prayer has been humbling and challenging as we stand in awe of who God is and pray for our own little church and the wider church. And what a blessing good preaching is!

I have a funny feeling sometimes that our church elders must be a flies on our wall each week and that they are preaching to us exactly as we have need to hear God challenge us as a family! (or perhaps one of the kids phones up and tells them what our problems have been each week! Giggle!)

Seriously though, the Lord does know our needs and the Lord is gracious to keep us challenged. The Lord is good to bless us with excellent teaching each week, and wow isn't consistent good preaching through the word of God a blessing as we allow the Holy Spirit to challenge us. We are going through Philippians at present and I am never left unchallenged! It is so good to 'be still' before God and to be well saturated by going in depth into this word together as a congregation, to sing rich words of praise together (ever noticed how good hymns can be a mini sermon?), to read his word often and pray savouring God's character. How blessed we are indeed!

This morning I woke up feeling as if I was giving, giving and giving and getting nothing back in return and said as much with many grumbles to Douglas... and then exhausted and discouraged we had preaching from the following passage. How could I be left unchallenged or unfed? How greatly revived I felt to be blessed in this way...

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Sometimes parents see children as 'a fly in the ointment' in church, particularly when children are discouraged from sitting through a service so that their parents can 'concentrate on a sermon'!

Another aspect of good preaching I have enjoyed is to see my little children learn to sit through church again and get something out of good preaching. I never cease to be amazed at how much a little child can take in. We have come from a church which had many children's programs going on and my children had been used to an element of excitement and entertainment....sitting through a good sermon has none of that, they learn again to be satisfied with 'just' the word of God. I am not anti teaching children at their level, but it is beautiful to worship as a family and learn about God together again.