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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?.
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.
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.
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Christian Carnival 334? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
Welcome to the 327th 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.
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.
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.
Starting things off this week is FMF presenting Channeled Tithing at Free Money Finance, a post about being surprised by God when we remain faithful.
I’ve enjoyed reading HARMLESS THOUGHTS for years. This time around Matt Harmless presents an interesting look at Abide in Christ, a book by the great Christian writer Andrew Murray in the post Abide in Christ.
The growth of atheism is something that is causing some Christians concern, but if we trust an almighty God there’s no need for us to worry. Andrew presents a thoughtful post titled The answer to atheists at Rely on God in your personal development.
Sarah has been thinking about the way that some people make plans and talk about future events without leaving room for our sovereign God. her post Not When, But If at This is what Sed said gives us some great food for thought.
To finish this week Jeremy Pierce helps us get to grips with some would perceive as a conflict in Scripture. Read Proverbs and Wives at Parableman to see what Jeremy has to say.
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.
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.
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Christian Carnival 327? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
Would you like the opportunity to have your blog promoted? Have you published a post over the last week that you’d like read by a wider audience?
I’m having some friends drop in next week. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us. The next Christian Carnival is being hosted here at RodneyOlsen.Net.
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 this blog 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 deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Christian Carnival Returns? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
If you’ve had something to eat today … if you had somewhere to sleep last night … if you know where your next meal is coming from … please take just a few minutes to consider being part of Compassion Day 2010.
Throughout today a number of radio stations across Australia are encouraging listeners to sacrifice $44 a month to change the world one child at a time. As someone who has seen the work of Compassion first hand, I can assure you that this is vital work which is quite literally saving lives.
Compassion does amazing work and when you sponsor a child through Compassion you are impacting many people in the life of that child. You can help turn a whole community around by the simple act of sponsoring a child.
If you have children of your own this is a great start in teaching them the responsibility we have to reach out to those in less fortunate circumstances. It’s such a joy to hear our son James pray for Collens, our sponsored child in Haiti, every night.
On Thursday, April 29 radio listeners across the nation will have 1600 reasons to respond when stations join forces with Compassion to see 1600 children sponsored in just 16 hours. This year’s focus is on the children of East Africa, specifically Kenya, where 20 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line, 1.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, 2.5 million children are orphans and where a third of women between 15 and 49 have suffered from genital mutilation.
This is the eleventh year for Compassion Day and we’re hoping that Australia wide 1600 children will be saved from poverty. Will you be part of Compassion Day by sponsoring a child?
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading 1600 Reasons to Respond? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.