Next event coming up from our church: The Alpha Course
I have learned so much about Christianity through this course and I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore everything you want to want to know about it.. hee!
Do send me an email if you wish to attend!
What is Alpha?
The Alpha Course is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith, and it consists of a series of talks addressing key issues relating to the Christian faith.
It’s relaxed, low-key, friendly and fun.
Meal: There is a meal together at the beginning of each session which gives people a chance to get to know each other.
Talk: There will be a talk by Rev Nicky Gumbel on video, or done live by a speaker on topics of interest. See below for topics.
Coffee & Small groups: Listen, learn, discuss and discover. And ask anything. Alpha is a place where no question is too simple or too hostile.
Talk Topics
1) Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant? [11-Sep-08]
2) Who is Jesus? [18-Sep-08]
3) Why did Jesus die? [25-Sep-08]
4) How can I be sure of my faith? [02-Oct-08]
5) Why and how should I read the Bible? [09-Oct-08]
6) Why and how should I pray? [16-Oct-08]
7) How does God guide us? [23-Oct-08]
8) Who is the Holy Spirit? [01-No-08] Saturday
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
9) How can I resist evil? [06-Nov-08]
10) Does God heal today? [13-Nov-08]
11) How can I make the most of the rest of my life? [20-Nov-08]
Who is it for?
Anyone can join a Alpha Course and it is free!
(You may be asked to pay a contribution towards the cost of the dinner and the weekend)
Alpha is for everyone, especially:
- Those wanting to investigate Christianity
- New Christians
- Newcomers to the church
- Those who want to brush up on the basics
Alpha runs in every type of church, including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Salvation Army, Free Church, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God and Independent Churches. All the churches provide the same material, making alterations only to suit local culture
Alpha is also run in homes, offices, prisons and halfway houses. There are also special courses catering to youths, students, different languages e.g. Mandarin, Japanese, Tamil, Burmese, etc.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Good Things Versus God-Things by Os Hillman
Romans 8:14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between "good things" and "God-things." When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, they were led by the cloud by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God's presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God's presence.
Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many things in which you and I can be involved, and the more successful you become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called you. Entrepreneurs are especially prone to see all the opportunities.
I recall one time when I entered into a project that I thought was a great idea. It would help many people. After two years, the project had to be discontinued. It was a great lesson on understanding what projects have God's blessing on them. There are some projects you and I might get involved in that result in little fruit compared to the investment put into them. That is because they may never have been birthed by the Holy Spirit.
As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God's Spirit tells us to move. Businesspeople are "action" people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.
Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a "good thing" or a "God-thing."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The Great Shift by Tom Ziglar
Several major things in the marketplace are changing right before our eyes. This has been going on for some time, but the cost of oil, the sub-prime housing crisis, inflation, and the growing national and personal debt are accelerating this change. Add in a media frenzy that lives on bad news amplified by an election year, and suddenly the landscape looks remarkably different, and scary.
Three questions:
What is the “real” great shift?
Where are the opportunities?
Why should I remain positive?
The “real” great shift. One of the benefits of what I do is the ability to communicate with thousands of individuals from thousands of different companies and industries. Ninety-eight percent of these people are fixated on their particular problem. On the surface these challenges seem unique, but when pulled together they explain the great shift.
Summed up, employees, the self-employed and corporate leadership are saying the same thing:
Technology + Globalization + Changing Workplace Values = The Great Shift
Technology (the Internet and the ability to do business differently), globalization (new competition made possible by technology), and changing workplace values (older workers retiring being replaced by under 30 workers) are creating a great shift in the marketplace.
The opportunity. The old guard (those that are 60 plus and are the current leadership in business today) have lived though many economic cycles and technological advances in the past, and for the most part they are under the false assumption that they can live through this one as well without having to change the way they operate.
The problem is technology is taking away their ace in the hole - their exclusive access to essential knowledge - to get a deal done. This fact, combined with the reality of hundreds of very knowledgeable competitors from all over the world instead of just a few they used to know by name, is making their contribution to the organization much more uncertain. Add to the equation that the younger workers in their organization have different value priorities and at the same time see the shortfalls in their leadership, and it makes it very difficult for the old guard to be effective.
The opportunity is pretty straightforward and complex. Organizations and people that are winning in the great shift are focusing on leveraging the wisdom of the old guard with technology and building a bridge based on common values to the younger workforce. It’s complex because the foundation of success is based on relationship building around values that make the organization successful, and something the old guard has never really had to deal with before.
The old guard entered the workforce and did what their boss told them to do just because they were told to do it. Their number one priority was their work, and they pretty much worked as much as they had to in order to climb the company ladder. Now the old guard is leading younger workers whose number one priority is not to work, and who want to know why they have to do something! “Because I said so” just doesn’t cut it anymore.
It is ironic to me that the old guard have wisdom and great values like honesty, work ethic, and discipline, but have misplaced their priorities and don’t understand how to build relationships. It’s ironic to me that younger workers understand technology and globalization, have more balance in their lives and their priorities make sense, but their values are too often driven by entitlement and selfishness, and their lack of experience shows up in their short-sighted decision making process.
Summed up, the opportunity is to build the bridge between the old guard and the younger workers.
Why should you be positive? You have an awesome opportunity! You can either be that bridge or help build that bridge! In fact, why not do both?
Three questions:
What is the “real” great shift?
Where are the opportunities?
Why should I remain positive?
The “real” great shift. One of the benefits of what I do is the ability to communicate with thousands of individuals from thousands of different companies and industries. Ninety-eight percent of these people are fixated on their particular problem. On the surface these challenges seem unique, but when pulled together they explain the great shift.
Summed up, employees, the self-employed and corporate leadership are saying the same thing:
Technology + Globalization + Changing Workplace Values = The Great Shift
Technology (the Internet and the ability to do business differently), globalization (new competition made possible by technology), and changing workplace values (older workers retiring being replaced by under 30 workers) are creating a great shift in the marketplace.
The opportunity. The old guard (those that are 60 plus and are the current leadership in business today) have lived though many economic cycles and technological advances in the past, and for the most part they are under the false assumption that they can live through this one as well without having to change the way they operate.
The problem is technology is taking away their ace in the hole - their exclusive access to essential knowledge - to get a deal done. This fact, combined with the reality of hundreds of very knowledgeable competitors from all over the world instead of just a few they used to know by name, is making their contribution to the organization much more uncertain. Add to the equation that the younger workers in their organization have different value priorities and at the same time see the shortfalls in their leadership, and it makes it very difficult for the old guard to be effective.
The opportunity is pretty straightforward and complex. Organizations and people that are winning in the great shift are focusing on leveraging the wisdom of the old guard with technology and building a bridge based on common values to the younger workforce. It’s complex because the foundation of success is based on relationship building around values that make the organization successful, and something the old guard has never really had to deal with before.
The old guard entered the workforce and did what their boss told them to do just because they were told to do it. Their number one priority was their work, and they pretty much worked as much as they had to in order to climb the company ladder. Now the old guard is leading younger workers whose number one priority is not to work, and who want to know why they have to do something! “Because I said so” just doesn’t cut it anymore.
It is ironic to me that the old guard have wisdom and great values like honesty, work ethic, and discipline, but have misplaced their priorities and don’t understand how to build relationships. It’s ironic to me that younger workers understand technology and globalization, have more balance in their lives and their priorities make sense, but their values are too often driven by entitlement and selfishness, and their lack of experience shows up in their short-sighted decision making process.
Summed up, the opportunity is to build the bridge between the old guard and the younger workers.
Why should you be positive? You have an awesome opportunity! You can either be that bridge or help build that bridge! In fact, why not do both?
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