I've not been happy with the Bartie Blog for some time, it's lost it's way a bit.
When I first started the blog, I hoped that it would be an encouragement to any readers. I figured that if I could find stuff that was encouraging to Christians, then it was worth sharing, and that's what I have been doing.
However, over time I have become aware of just how negative many of my postings have become - positively jaundiced in some cases, and that's not good.
So I have recast the Bartie Blog template, and deleted loads of the old entries to help in relaunching the beast.
The strap line has also changed.
"What Bartie did next" refers to my rather changed circumstances.
After nearly 30 years with my old employer, I was offered and have taken a redundancy package. As a result, I am newly unemployed, something I have never experienced before. It's proving interesting.
I'm going to blog what ever I feel like blogging.
Some will be Christian based, some not. Some will be passing on stuff I have found and seen elsewhere, some will be purely personal observation. My hope is that overall, the content will be positive.....if I can manage it.
I hope you find it interesting.
Simes
22 June 2009
Proverbs 30: 7-9
It seems to me that someone is always rewriting the Bible, as I am forever coming across passages I have not seen before.
This one came from our home group studies last week, and I think it a corker. It says so much about the world we live in, and the attitude we have to our lives, simply by the writer seeking to stay close to God.
Just so good....SB
Proverbs 30: 7-9
This one came from our home group studies last week, and I think it a corker. It says so much about the world we live in, and the attitude we have to our lives, simply by the writer seeking to stay close to God.
Just so good....SB
Proverbs 30: 7-9
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
1 June 2009
Wisdom
General William Booth, Salvation Army
10 May 2009
What if His people prayed?
So what if God's people took prayer seriously?
The Casting Crowns get the Alley Church treatment.
What if... from theAlley Church on Vimeo.
The Casting Crowns get the Alley Church treatment.
20 January 2009
Christians as they should be
I like Tony Campolo.
I like him a lot.
He does things, then talks about them, not the other way round.
Churches could learn from that model.
Have a look at this You Tube extract.
This is direct action - it's what Christ called us to do.
I like Tony Campolo!
I like him a lot.
He does things, then talks about them, not the other way round.
Churches could learn from that model.
Have a look at this You Tube extract.
This is direct action - it's what Christ called us to do.
I like Tony Campolo!
26 March 2008
So what would Jesus do?
Taken from the excellent Porpoise Diving Life site. An entry by Carmen C. DeCello.
So what do you think Jesus would do? SB
For a number of years, it’s been common to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Actually, it is an important question and one we would all do well to consider. Of course it is proper to think through these matters, for he is the one we are supposed to be following. But, if he were here in the flesh, where would we be following him?
All this is good and fine, but I’m not entirely sure that some evangelicals would be happy with the answer.
If Jesus were walking our streets . . .
He would be more critical of those who are theologically on target than those who are not.
He would attend celebrations and drinking parties.
He would possibly provide the beer.
He would drink with the rest of us.
He would spent a good chunk of time with those whom the religiously “pure” had no time for.
He would interrupt some of our religious services by making unplanned announcements and controversial statements.
He would tell stories that were relevant and attractive but not always immediately clear.
He would spend a lot more time encouraging others to follow him than he would simply providing religious facts about himself.
He would live courageously yet humbling.
He would serve those who crossed his path.
He would rub shoulders with the outcasts of society.
He would demonstrate that theology is intended to be done in public and on the streets.
He would go places deemed objectionable by the moral standard-bearers of society.
He would make people feel both comfortable and uneasy.
He would violate some of the rules of the religious establishment.
He would desire to heal and not to hurt.
He would be compassionate every day.
He would be challenged (and in some cases hated) by the experts of our day.
He would probably cause a lot of us to wonder if he is truly the one he claimed to be.
He would keep his promises.
He would most likely be criticized by a good percentage of the media.
He would . . .
Carmen C. DiCello has served as an associate and senior pastor, and he is currently both a public school teacher and an adjunct professor at Columbia Evangelical Seminary. He is the author of Why? Reflections on the Problem of Evil (2007) and Dangerous Blessing: The Emergence of a Postmodern Faith (2005). You can catch some of Carmen’s more recent thoughts at Notions (http://ollecid.blogspot.com/).
So what do you think Jesus would do? SB
For a number of years, it’s been common to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Actually, it is an important question and one we would all do well to consider. Of course it is proper to think through these matters, for he is the one we are supposed to be following. But, if he were here in the flesh, where would we be following him?
All this is good and fine, but I’m not entirely sure that some evangelicals would be happy with the answer.
If Jesus were walking our streets . . .
He would be more critical of those who are theologically on target than those who are not.
He would attend celebrations and drinking parties.
He would possibly provide the beer.
He would drink with the rest of us.
He would spent a good chunk of time with those whom the religiously “pure” had no time for.
He would interrupt some of our religious services by making unplanned announcements and controversial statements.
He would tell stories that were relevant and attractive but not always immediately clear.
He would spend a lot more time encouraging others to follow him than he would simply providing religious facts about himself.
He would live courageously yet humbling.
He would serve those who crossed his path.
He would rub shoulders with the outcasts of society.
He would demonstrate that theology is intended to be done in public and on the streets.
He would go places deemed objectionable by the moral standard-bearers of society.
He would make people feel both comfortable and uneasy.
He would violate some of the rules of the religious establishment.
He would desire to heal and not to hurt.
He would be compassionate every day.
He would be challenged (and in some cases hated) by the experts of our day.
He would probably cause a lot of us to wonder if he is truly the one he claimed to be.
He would keep his promises.
He would most likely be criticized by a good percentage of the media.
He would . . .
Carmen C. DiCello has served as an associate and senior pastor, and he is currently both a public school teacher and an adjunct professor at Columbia Evangelical Seminary. He is the author of Why? Reflections on the Problem of Evil (2007) and Dangerous Blessing: The Emergence of a Postmodern Faith (2005). You can catch some of Carmen’s more recent thoughts at Notions (http://ollecid.blogspot.com/).
5 March 2008
Time
Once again, an entry from the pen of the excellent Craig Groeschel
At my own church we have discussed this issue. We have agreed that we should be stopping things, particularly those that are not fully alighned to our values. However, we have not stopped anything. Not one thing. We simply have not had the courage.
Strikes me that we could well be preventing the Lord doing what He wants to do with us, by not stopping the things He no longer wants.
Many people say, “I don’t have time for ______________.”
This statement isn’t true. The truth is, we have time for what we
choose to have time for.
Too many people today allow the expectations of society to consume most
of our time margin.
When God sends us an opportunity to make a difference, we often think
we don’t have time.
This is a huge problem for churches. In my opinion, most churches do
WAY TOO MUCH! We get busy managing ministries of the past and miss divine
opportunities in the present.
The way we create margin in our schedules is simply by doing
less.What do you need to stop doing to create margin for God to use?
At my own church we have discussed this issue. We have agreed that we should be stopping things, particularly those that are not fully alighned to our values. However, we have not stopped anything. Not one thing. We simply have not had the courage.
Strikes me that we could well be preventing the Lord doing what He wants to do with us, by not stopping the things He no longer wants.
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