God

The Answer is Not 42

If you know anything about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you’ll know that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42. Not surprisingly, it’s not an answer that really satisfies anyone at a deeper level.

We all want to know why we’re here and if there’s something more to life than the daily routine. Is there really something bigger than us or is God simply a concept that humans have created?

What started as a course for the church members of Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, to explain the basics of the Christian faith has become a worldwide opportunity for people to discover what Christians really believe. Over 16 million people have now experienced the Alpha Course. The course is designed to let people discover faith and the meaning of life in a very non-threatening atmosphere. Participants discuss issues over a meal and a coffee and develop great friendships in the process. No one is pushed to ‘sign up’ to anything or join a church.

If a faith is worth embracing it won’t be afraid of the tough questions and a big part of the course is allowing people to discuss their own thoughts and beliefs. No questions are too simple or too hostile.

A name synonymous with the course is Nicky Gumbel. I had the pleasure of catching up with Nicky during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM today. You can listen to our chat by clicking the play button at the bottom of this post.

Have you been through the Alpha Course? Did it help answer any of your questions about the meaning of life and your place in this world? What were your experiences?

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Is Christmas Still Relevant?

Dec 3rd, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

2 comments

Why do we still celebrate Christmas? Is it still relevant in the 21st century? Does Christmas hold any real significance for people today?

While you look forward to unwrapping your gifts this Christmas I wanted to take a few moments to unwrap the real Christmas story and ask what it’s really all about.

We all enjoy giving and receiving gifts on Christmas Day but it’s important that we take time to remember what Christmas really signifies.

It’s more than just the gifts and the jolly man in the red suit. It’s more than a ‘feeling’ or ‘spirit’ that makes us feel warm inside. It’s more than time with family enjoying good food and good times.

December 25th

While it’s generally accepted that the 25th of December isn’t the actual date that Jesus was born, it’s the day that has been chosen for celebrating Jesus’ birthday. That means Christmas is really a big birthday party.

So why should we be invited to the birthday party? Jesus was born around 2000 years ago. Why do we still celebrate his birth?

Who Was Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, and this is where it gets tricky, according to the Bible, Jesus is actually God in human form so this is no ordinary birthday.

Here’s a little bit of the Christmas story from the Bible. This account is from a book of the Bible written by a guy named Luke.

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no vacancy for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Aha! So that’s where the manger and the shepherds come in.

God With Us

That’s pretty much the story of Christmas. God living among the people he created. It’s an amazing thought but it’s even more amazing when you thread the whole story of Jesus’ life together. After all, usually when we celebrate someone’s birthday we don’t just remember the day they were born, we celebrate who that person has become and what they’ve brought to the world.

If we’re still celebrating the life of someone born around 2000 years ago, we’ve got to assume that they lived a remarkable life. If you want to find out more about the remarkable life of Jesus, I’d encourage you to grab a Bible in an easy to read translation and then read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) to find out about Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.

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On This Day in Christian History

Nov 27th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

1 comment

If we don’t know our own history, we will simply have to endure all the same mistakes, sacrifices and absurdities all over again. – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

As part of the BookSneeze program I recently received a copy of Robert J Morgan’s book On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes in the mail.

I’m going to admit right now that I haven’t read the entire book and that’s for a very good reason. I don’t want to spoil the effect of reading the book as it’s intended, one page a day for a year.

Having said that, I have read quite a number of the stories the book contains to get an overall feel for what it contains and I’ve been thrilled by what I’ve read so far. The book isn’t a daily devotional as such, but a wonderful addition to a daily reading and study plan. Morgan has researched the lives of Christians throughout the ages to tell the ongoing story of God’s involvement in the world he created. There are many stories of hardships overcome and each one gives great testimony of God’s faithfulness when his people give their lives to him.

Each day the book gives the reader an opportunity to read about an event in Christian history that happened on that day. There is also a verse or two from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible to complete the day’s reading. While I haven’t found that the scriptures chosen always speak directly to the story shared on the page above it, knowing that all scripture is helpful in teaching and building up those who follow Jesus, the verses are still a delightful way to reflect on God’s goodness.

My favourite aspect of the book is the connection it brings between biblical history and the modern day. When we read the Bible we encounter stories of men and women of God encouraging and directing us. When we read Christian history we’re reminded that God has continued to work throughout the last two thousand years. There’s a certainty that it can bring to us. We know that God is continuing to unfold his plans for this world; we understand that the same Jesus who saved those first century believers has continued seeking and saving the lost over hundreds of years. His work has continued wherever men and women have been faithful to his call upon their lives.

The encouragement I take from this book is that if God has been working in the hearts and lives of his people throughout history, he can work through me. When I read of the failures and setbacks that have ultimately resulted in triumph for the kingdom, I know that God can still work through someone as unworthy as me.

This is a book that is full of encouragement for all believers as well as providing excellent sermon illustrations and resource material for those in ministry. If you’re looking for a gift that will last all year round, Robert J Morgan’s book On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes is an excellent choice to put in the hands of any Christian to be ready to start reading on the first of January.

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Christian Carnival at Beyond Belief

Sep 19th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

1 comment

Would you like the opportunity to have your blog promoted? Have you published a post that you’d like read by a wider audience?

I’m having some friends drop in to my faith blog, Beyond Belief, this week for the next Christian Carnival. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify. You may wish to consider that the readership of the Christian Carnival will be more varied than your usual readership, and you might do better contributing a post with broad appeal.

I’ve already received a number of contributions and I’m looking forward to offering readers of Beyond Belief some great links when the carnival is published.

If you’re a Christian and you’ve never contributed before, or if it’s been a while since you have, how about having a look through your posts for this week and choosing something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.

I’ll let you now when the carnival is published at Beyond Belief.

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Christian Carnival 334

Jul 1st, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

8 comments

Welcome to the 334th edition of the Christian Carnival. There is some great reading here and I’m sure you’ll enjoy working your way through the list of posts.

As always it’s a real honour to be able to present such a diverse range of great posts.

Please take the time to read through each post … it’s worth it. You might also like to link to this week’s carnival so that your blog readers can enjoy the variety of styles and thought. Another way to spread the word about the Christian Carnival is to click any of the buttons below this post to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

Let’s get started!

Have any major figures in business or the media gone to a Christian College? Phil Lopez answers that question with his post Famous Christian College Alumni at Christian Colleges and Universities.

Meghan Macy has a lovely devotional post titled He rejected spiritual wisdom. It’s well worth heading over to 1:41 Ministries to read what she’s written.

Robert Fenn writes that while it may sound strange, a Christian entrepreneur needs wisdom first and not money. Read the post A Christian Entrepreneur Should Pray For Wisdom and Not Money at Christian Entrepreneur.

It’s sad but true that many people feel most alone when they go to church. Quite a few are made more aware of their singleness at church and feel so alone there. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they feel unloved but it’s something that we all need to understand. Susan L. Prince tells her story with the post Acutely Aware of My Singleness…at Church? over at Sisters’ Weblog: It Bloggles the Mind!.

The title that Henry (Honzo) Imler chose for his post had me intrigued from the start. Guilty fabergé eggs is a great read at The PoMo Xian.

Those of us who choose Christian schooling for our children know that the extra cost can sometimes be a strain.Jim Huinink has written the post Deciding If You Can Afford Christian School Tuition for Christian Personal Finance. His conlusions may surprise you.

“The framed envelope hanging on our kitchen wall is nondescript reminder of God’s goodness.” What’s the story behind the envelope? Joe Plemon explains in the post The Envelope Story: A Reminder of Hope posted at Personal Finance By The Book.

Should we take out insurance? Does rellying on insurance send the message that we’re not rellying on God? Does the Bible advocate having insurance? FMF presents The Seven Pillars of Financial Success, Pillar 6: Get Insured at Free Money Finance.

Have you ever wondered what people really mean when they talk about ‘fellowship’? That’s what Crystal Rodli has written about in We Only Need To Have One Thing In Common posted at In A Clay Pot.

Paul Manata presents a very detailed review of Michael Sudduth’s recent book, The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology. The book has been recommended by Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, and Paul Helm. Read the post The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology at Triablogue.

John Fraiser presents Which Would You Rather Do Without: Science or Theology? posted at Chaos & Old Night.

It’s a question that just won’t go away and one with which we all need to wrestle. Anthony Delgado asks Did Creation Take Place in 7 Literal Days? at eInquisitive.

Kids can ask some pretty tough questions. How do we answer? Annette presents Question asked tonight posted at Fish and Cans.

In the US the Supreme Court has allowed public colleges and universities to ban religious groups from campus if they require a statement of faith for membership and leadership. How should we respond? Jeremy Pierce presents Free to Ban Religious Groups at Parableman.

Sarah has written a thought provoking post about being a writer and expressing values that may not match your own. I encourage you to read From Head to Hand: Being a Christian Writer at This is what Sed said.

Sadly, there are people who believe that a life of faith doesn’t stand up to intellectual investigation. Russ White believes that the Christian life begins with thinking. Taking Every Thought Captive at Thinking in Christ draws out that theme.

Somebody once said that you are what people think of you, that perceptions are reality. Ridge Burns thinks that is true, but he also thinks that perceptions can get us in trouble. Find out more by reading Perspectives posted at Ridge’s Blog.

A biologist says that science proves human free will is an illusion. Really? Where is the real illusion?Tom Gilson presents the post Free Will: Where’s the Real Illusion? at Thinking Christian.

Andrew has been thinking about Our Needs. He’s posted his thoughts at Rely on God in Your Personal Development.

We need to be so careful in the way we handle the scriptures and today Barry Wallace presents what he thinks is a helpful word of caution in the post Arguments from Silence at who am i?.

Chad Parker brings the carnival to a fitting close as he presents a great reminder of the benefits of the spiritual discipline of Fasting at Catholic Quarter.

If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to spread the word. Feel free to click any of the buttons below to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.