Space Academy - Preparing For Launch

We are very grateful to God for an excellent Space Academy. Perhaps you have seen the video? 

This post is just in case anything we have done can be useful to anyone else. I might be able to post a bit more in time ... but this is a starter. Please ask for more in a comment if you are interested. I'd be very happy to help in anyway I can.

Logos:

Outline of the Space Academy Material (40+pages pdf)

Timetable

Day 1 Script / Day 2 Script / Day 3 Script

Space Jokes / Space Academy Song (words)

Down to Earth Service / Certificate

Space Academy - to eternity and beyond

We are all back to earth safely having had a great time! 
Check out the video:

Down to Earth Service

We have had a superb week at the Space Academy. It's been out of this world. 

And it is not over yet.

We re-enter the earth's atmosphere on Sunday! 10.30 am. 

Join us to witness the Space Cadets become fully fledged Space Academy Astronauts, to hear the Space Academy Song, to find out which team is heading for the stars and to explore all we've been learning all about God's Planet Plan.

given up?

Sermon 5 (Romans 1:26-32) Notes / Handout

In view of the content I also did a 'Table Activity' for those Infants/Juniors at church to do 'out' during the Sermon. Romans 1 & 3 scratch cards. 

Huge fun to make (if a little fiddly). Here is the template.

I was very indebted to this website: Artmind. You'll find there all you need to know how to make a scratch card. 

Dying in infancy

A model of a baby at 12 Weeks

Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit,[12] who works when, and where, and how he pleases: [13] so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word. [14]’
Westminster Confession 10.3

12. Genesis 17:7; Luke 1:15; Luke 18:15-16; Acts 2:39; John 3:3, 5; I John 5:12

13. John 3:8

14. John 16:7-8; I John 5:12; Acts 4:12

blindingly obvious

Sorry, I've been ill since Sunday, so this is a bit late, but here are the notes of last Sunday's sermon. We continue our series in Romans. It is unpolished I am afraid - but will be mostly intelligible I think. 

 

Sermon 4 Notes

Goody

Our children love Goody O'Grumpity. Yesterday I came downstairs to find the kitchen floor, both children and my wife covered in flour. A lot of mixing, kneading and such like had gone on copying Goody using the recipe in the back of the book. 

The house smelt amazing as it cooked. 

And the end result was a cross between a loaf of bread and an enormous hot-cross bun. 

Very nice with butter. 

Grace in the Green Room

I've just discovered that we (Grace Community Church) have made it to the ASDA 'greenroom'! 

We sang there at Christmas - see here for the video and story.

what next?

After biblical faith wanes, a people can maintain habits of thought and of self-restraint. The ethic remains after the faith that bore it departs. But eventually a generation arises that no longer has the habit, and that is when the behaviour changes radically.  

p xvii IDOLS FOR DESTRUCTION

An evangelical redefinition of marriage

Last Sunday night I was called on to preach in the evening as well as the morning.  Without a lot of time to prepare and in light of Tuesday's Vote in the House of Commons I spoke about the Redefinition of Marriage amongst evangelical Christians. 

The elephant in the room. 

e is for ... education. 

The notes and handout are below. 

Sermon (a bit note like in parts) / Handout

We closed the service with a hymn I had never sung before, but which I am very glad to have stumbled on. 

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.

[In case you are parachuting into this blog ... and think this is all very serious and REFORMED (aka dull) or something... the morning service was our monthly 'Parade' Service, carrying on a series in Romans. It included the smashing of an egg, explosions, Powerpuff girls and the playing of SNAP's 'I've got the power'.]

Homosexuality and shellfish

A very helpful 12 minutes addressing the issue that troubles many or is brought up in debate: Christians just pick and choose regarding the Levitical Laws. Why say that homosexuality is wrong when we happily eat shellfish, wear 'mixed cloth' and the rest?

{It is worth remembering that 'pants' mean 'trousers' in the States [first 30 seconds!]}

everybody can

Everybody wants to be an astronaut. 

If you are at Infant or Junior School and in or around Tipton ... here's your chance! 

Prison to Pulpit

Once an abused, addicted, homeless, Christian-despising criminal, Mez now serves as senior pastor of Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, and founder of 20 Schemes, a ministry dedicated to building gospel-centered churches for Scotland's poorest communities ("schemes"). Here's their vision:

Our long-term desire is to see Scotland's housing schemes transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ through the planting of gospel-preaching churches, ultimately led by a future generation of indigenous church leaders. . . . We believe building healthy, gospel-preaching churches in Scotland's poorest communities will bring true, sustainable, and long-term renewal to Scotland's schemes.

The Gospel Coalition 

31 status

Stumbled on this doing some prep for eXcel (we are in Proverbs this term). 

31 status. 

Interesting.