1 Week Bible Immersion Experience

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I started my journey deeper into God’s Word about two months ago. And what an amazing journey it has been! Wow! God has been really dealing to me, calling me to draw deeper into relationship with Him, challenging me to deal with my sin, to rely more on Him through being more open to the Holy Spirit. I have grown as a Christian, and based on the wonderful messages I receive, God has worked through my reflections in other people’s lives as well. To God be the glory!I believe God is calling me to introduce some structure to my time immersed in the Bible each day, and to invite you to be part of this.

This will be called the 1 Week Bible Immersion Experience and the idea is that starting this coming Monday the 19th of Oct, you and I read a passage each day and then on the Facebook Journey Deeper page or the Journey Deeper into God’s Word blog the passage will be discussed. I will still post my journey reflections, and you will be invited to contribute what God is showing you! Side by side we will grow in our relationship with Christ.

Ok so the passages for the 1 Week Bible Immersion Experience are:

Monday 19th Oct Luke 4: 1-13
Tuesday 20th Oct Luke 4: 14-30
Wednesday 21st Oct Luke 4: 31-37
Thursday 22nd Oct Luke 4: 38-41
Friday 23rd Oct Luke 4: 42-44; 5:1-11

And if this works, we might continue it.

Let me know if you would like to be part of the 1 Week Bible Immersion Experience

Journeying Deeper into God’s Word

About six weeks ago I came before God seeking direction on what I should do next after I finish as CEO of Bible Society New Zealand (click here for the blog post on this).  I felt God leading me to prepare for the next big step, to draw close to Him through facing my sin and journeying deeper into the Bible.  So there and then I took the decision to spend more time reading my Bible, to journey deeper into the Word, and what a journey it has been!

Each day I spend around an hour and a half  reflecting on a passage, usually looking at the Greek or Hebrew, maybe consulting a commentary, but mostly praying that the Holy Spirit would teach me.  And it has been an amazing time of discovery: the blunt challenge of taking the Bible and my faith seriously and not playing at it.

And then three weeks ago while I was head down in my study, I felt God leading me to invite others  to become part of my journey.. not so much to write a devotion for them, but more to invite them to look over my shoulder at the conversation I was having with God.

So I started a page on Facebook (click here) and for those not in Facebook, a blog (click here) where I post my short reflections. So if you would like to receive my reflections by email click here.

The style of my reflection is very personal, about relationship rather than intellectual observation as I seek to journey deeper to God.

I invite you to join me on the journey!  God bless, Mark

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PBS Interview

A couple of months back I was interviewed for a PBS documentary in the US on Second Life for the Religion and Ethics News Weekly show.  To view it head to there website by clicking here.

simply wow!

WOW! Big news! The Bible page  I started on Facebook has just passed 350,000 fans and is growing fast! Over the past week it has grown by 36% and is presently the 10th fastest growing vanity URL page and the fastest growing Religious Organization page on Facebook this week.

Given its size it is no surprise it is now getting a bit of heat from trouble makers leaving deeply offensive language on the page, which has led to a beefing up of security.

The growth has also led me to start the Facebook Ministry Team who are commited to responding to prayer needs, offering support, and being a wonderful witness on the Bible and Praying People pages.

Let me know if you are interested in being part of this ministry!

Head over to: The Bible to check it out!

Praying People Needed!

Back in May I started the page on Facebook:  Praying People which invites people to post and prayer on the wall and pray for others.  And it has grown to over 7,500 members (fans) and the number of prayer requests is amazing.  So much need, so much pain!  So I am doing a shout out for people to head over to the page, become a fan and offer prayers of support and care.

If that interests you head to:  http://www.facebook.com/PrayingPeople    And let me know if you do get involved!

The Age of ME

I rarely listen to the radio, I download my choice of podcast.

I rarely watch TV, I watch my choice of video online.

I rarely read the newspaper, I choose what news I want and set it up via RSS Feed.

I struggle with a formal learning programme -  being told what I should know.  I prefer to explore, to choose what I want to learn.

The age of ME is here, anyone wanting to engage the Me age will need to consider the individual: offering convenience, the freedom of personal preference and a suite of possible choices.

This is a tough environment within which to create a community.  We are moving away from collective identities to collectives full of individual identities.  So from ‘I am Baptist’ to ‘I attend a Baptist Church.’  People are reticent to become too involved.  Membership of anything is quickly becoming an old reality.

How then do we create community within this me centered, transient environment?  I welcome your thoughts.

What do you want me to do God?

It is now public that I am finishing as CEO of Bible Society New Zealand March next year and the question people are asking me is, ’so what next?’  Well I plan to finish my doctorate in business which is looking at ways of effectively moving a Christian organisation through a period of significant change. I am aiming to hand the thesis in by September 2010.  While I am completing my study I hope to get a bit of work here and there helping ministries out with strategic planning, leadership issues and future proofing.  So what will I do after September?

What do you want me to do God?  Continue reading »

.:: keeping the ministry fresh ::.

Excellent quote from a recently elected politician here in New Zealand: ‘(My party) must move with the times, generate new ideas, recruit fresh talent, take risks and listen to New Zealanders.’

Not bad advice for anyone who is involved in ministry leadership! Let me tease this out a bit:

//Move with the times  - the society around us is changing.  It is essential that leaders spend time reading across a range of disciplines; and go for blogs where possible.  Books are great, but often it can be a year between the finished manuscript and publishing and a lot happens in a year.  Also subject yourself to the discipline of writing about where things are heading and how it applies to your area.  This often forces careful thought - not a bad thing.  For my latest piece see: The Bible in the Digital Space (891)

//Generate new ideas - in my experience new ideas are easy, what is hard is finding the resources to make the great ideas become reality.  And when I say ‘resource’ I am not thinking about money, but something way more important: talented staff (fresh talent). Getting the right people involved in a project at just the right time is one of the most important tasks of leadership.

// Listen - It amazes me how few Christian orgs. I have encountered will take the time to find out what the needs are in the community they are working with and seeking to influence.  As one Pastor once said, ‘The church is answering questions no one is asking.’  It is absolutely essential to find out what the needs are in a community, to learn as much about the community so as to contextualize the offering.  And in listening, be prepared to change the offering if required.  It is essential to keep the ministry fresh.

Growth of interest in the Bible? Huh?

I believe the world is going through a radical change brought about by the digital revolution.  This new landscape will and in part, does require a new approach to doing ministry and business.  One of the changes is the shift from expecting people to come to us (whether a church building, website, or a particular product) to us going to them.  So a matter of finding out where the community is and then getting involved in that community.

And one such community is Facebook.

So a number of months ago I founded The Bible page on Facebook where in becoming a fan, people receive a portion of Scripture each day.  The number of fans has just passed 100,000 and it is growing at more than 7,000 a day. And not only that but people comment on the Scripture, ask questions, answer questions, seek prayer, pray for each other and share the most amazing testimonies.  In the past week nearly 8,000 people have interacted with the page.

So if you get a moment head over and check out this amazing burgeoning Bible focused community of sorts by clicking here.

The Transformative Power of The Bible

This morning I was guest preacher at Petone Baptist Church, and decided to share about how God totally transformed my life.  Through this amazing event I then talk about the transformative power contained in the Bible.

To listen click on the play button below. To subscribe to my messages via iTunes click here.

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In my sermon I refer to a brief vid of my baptism which you can check out below: Continue reading »