31 Days of Prayer: Day Two – God is willing

August 2, 2014August 1, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits 31 Days of Prayer, Mark, Martin Luther, Matthew, prayer

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him. (Matt 7:11)

In Mark 9, Jesus meets the father of a boy possessed by an ‘impure spirit’. The man desperately wants his son healed, but is unsure of Jesus’ ability to help: “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” he begs. Jesus replies “‘If you can’?” Jesus then heals the boy with a simple word – he is more than able to meet the father’s request. “All things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Continue reading →

31 Days of Prayer: Day One – The Power of God

August 1, 2014August 1, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits 31 Days of Prayer, Jeremiah, power of God, prayer, Tozer

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Our understanding of prayer will never be bigger than our understanding of God.

I know it’s a cliché, but the place to begin reflecting on prayer is by focusing again on the character of God. In particular, we’ll start by focusing on God’s power. We pray to a God who is able to do all things. Continue reading →

31 Days of Prayer

July 31, 2014August 12, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Ministry, Quick Hits 31 Days of Prayer, Colossians, prayer, Spurgeon

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2)

If I could choose one thing to be great at, or even one thing to be better at, it would be prayer.

Maybe that’s a reflection of how important I believe prayer to be in the Christian life. But if I’m honest, it also reflects my disappointment at my own lack of prayerfulness – my well-meaning plans that so often fail to produce action. And I’m not exactly going out on a limb here, but I doubt I’m the only one who wishes he was a better, more faithful pray-er.

With that in mind, I’d like to invite you to join me in the month of August for ’31 Days Of Prayer’. Continue reading →

Standing with the Nazarenes

July 24, 2014August 11, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits Iraq, ISIS, Julie Bishop, Mosul, Murray McCully, Nazarenes, persecution, Syria

A quick but meaningful way to offer real support to persecuted Christians

Over the last 48 hours, you’ve probably seen this picture (right) on Facebook. It’s the Arabic letter ‘nun’, for ‘Nazarene’, and is currently being painted on the doors of Christians in Mosul by an extremist Islamic group called ISIS. The symbol marks out Christians, who are being forced to either convert to Islam, pay a ‘protection tax’, flee their homes, or be killed.

For this reason, many Christians have placed the ‘nun’ on their Facebook profile as a small way of showing solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters, encouraging prayer, and perhaps drawing a tiny bit of attention to what’s happening in Iraq. Continue reading →

Creating a Culture of Evangelism – Mack Stiles Podcast

April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Ministry Evangelism, gospel, InterVarsity, Mack Stiles, Podcast, T4G, UAE

Mack Stiles, author of Evangelism: How the whole church speaks of Jesus and Marks of the Messenger, on promoting the gospel and creating an effective, Christ-centred culture of evangelism in your ministry.

Mack may be the most passionate and naturally gifted evangelist I’ve ever met. He’s the author of five books, including Marks of the Messenger and Speaking of Jesus. This week, at the Together For The Gospel (T4G) Conference in Kentucky, Mack will launch his latest book – Evangelism: How the whole church speaks of Jesus. Born and bred in America, he now lives with his wife Leeann in Dubai, UAE, where he is CEO of Gulf Digital Solutions and General Secretary for the Fellowship of Christian UAE students. Continue reading →

Ten Resolutions of an Introverted Christian

April 3, 2014April 3, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits contentment, extrovert, introvert, Jesus, Myers-Briggs, personality type, Philippians, service, Strengths Finder

I will define myself as a Christian, not an introvert
Myers-Briggs may say that I’m an INFJ. Gallup may think they know my Top Five Strengths. There are all kinds of ways to categorise ‘me’. But what truly defines me? What goes to the heart of who I am? I’m a Christian. I’m a follower of Jesus, and a new creation. I’m saved by the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus – being conformed to the image of Jesus by God’s gracious work in me.

We can say lots of true things about ourselves, but personality tests or traits will never ultimately define any follower of Jesus. Our identity is found in him. We are Christians first. Continue reading →

Why You Must Always Exaggerate

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Ministry hyperbole, Jesus, ministry, preaching, relationships, truth

Over the years, many teachers and preachers of God’s word have shaped the way I understand the Bible, the world, and myself. Easily the most important have been those who pastored me personally – who led the churches or ministries of which I was a member. People who knew me, invested in me, and shared their lives with me.

But there have also been many teachers and preachers outside my local ministries – authors, conference speakers, and various other leaders – who have played an enormous role in shaping my thinking and my life. Some are people I’ve come to know well; some are people I’m yet to meet. Some are the ‘big name’ authors and speakers that everyone knows; some serve in relative obscurity.

As I look back and consider why people I barely know have influenced me, a number of factors emerge. But for now, I want to mention one common characteristic among those who’ve impacted my thinking: a willingness to state the truth in bold and challenging ways. Put another way: a willingness and ability to exaggerate. Continue reading →

Getting Things Done, God’s Way

March 7, 2014March 7, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Ministry book reviews, gospel, Matt Perman, Matt Perman Zondervan, ministry, productivity, time management, WBN, What's Best Next

What's Best Next Cover

What’s Best Next
by Matt Perman
Zondervan, 352 pages
Amazon | Book Depository

I admit that I’ve always been a bit skeptical about books on productivity. I don’t really know why, but I think I just assumed that reading a whole book and developing a comprehensive system for ‘time management’ was overkill. Surely all it needs is a bit of common sense, right? After all, I already make to-do lists, I have a diary and a basic weekly schedule, and I take time out to make sure that what I do gels with my overall goals.

Still, in the back of my mind, I knew I should get around to reading one of the books that everyone recommends. I’d seen the way books like Getting Things Done (David Allen) or First Things First (Stephen Covey) had helped my friends. I’d just never been quite motivated enough to make the time for it myself. Continue reading →

Is your church really welcoming?

February 20, 2014February 20, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Ministry Bible teaching, Evangelism, newcomers, welcoming

The startling adventures of ‘Jack Pagan’ and his post-earthquake ‘church crawl’

Three years ago, when the February 22 earthquake hit Christchurch, the church I worked for at the time (St Stephen’s Anglican in Shirley) lost the use of its building. In the scramble to find an alternative venue, we decided that our three congregations (which had met at 8.30am, 10am and 7pm) would have to combine into one. On top of that, we couldn’t find a large enough venue that was available on Sunday mornings or evenings, so we spent the better part of a year meeting at 2.30pm on a Sunday afternoon. Continue reading →

Another way to read the whole Bible in 2014

January 3, 2014January 3, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits 2014, Bible reading, ESV, prayer

Over the last couple of days, I’ve put together a simple Bible reading plan to get me through the Bible in a year. It was really just designed for my own use, so it’s tailored to what I want from a Bible reading plan. But I thought it was worth sharing in case it helps anyone else.

Why another Bible reading plan when there are so many out there (see below)? What makes this one different? Basically, I wanted something that would allow me to get through the Bible by concentrating on one book at a time (rather than reading a single chapter from multiple books each day). I also wanted something that deliberately did NOT start at Genesis and end at Revelation, but rather moved around from genre to genre throughout the year (blame YouTube for ruining my attention span, but I think this method has a better chance of keeping me engaged throughout the year).

Here is a PDF of my plan (Colour-coded Version | Black & White Version) Continue reading →