We've moved

To keep up with the game we're now blogging at

http://dayspringchurch.posterous.com

which means you will see posts on Facebook on Twitter. It will be great if you follow us there.

Dave Halls, 25/05/2011

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Talking about the cross from a Pentecostal perspective.

Here are a few resources that may help with my CCT Good Friday talk.

You can find my source for the statistics here.

I have been strongly influenced by recent thinking done by James K A Smith on Pentecostal Epistemology.

You can get his book here

or watch a lecture on the subject here.

My father's story can be found here and my mother's here.

The unedited script for my talk is here.

If you would like to pursue any of the ideas I have raised you should be able to comment below.
To access other resources including information about current interests, please email me at davehalls@dayspring.org.uk

Dave Halls, 21/04/2011

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The opposite spirit

This Sunday we were back to talking about the cross and made some small reference to spiritual warfare and the idea of ACTING IN THE OPPOSITE SPIRIT.

I first heard of this idea from Gerald Coates but I believe it might have developed in YWAM with Loren Cunningham, the founder.

Anyway, if you want to know more, here and here are two helpful articles which you can read at leisure.

Dave Halls, 08/03/2011

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Awesome cross of power

Its 10.20 on Saturday night. I've got tomorrow's talk as far as I can - just a case of sleeping on it and praying the detail through in the morning.

Here are the bits you might want to follow up the session.

Wordles are a neat way of summarising and analysing text. You can make your own at www.wordle.net

Col 2

Colossians 2:13-15

1 Corinthians 15:50-57

Here's the song which tells it better than I ever could.

And if you want to see the longer version of the HBO clip of the Roman triumphal procession, including a gory reminder of what happens to defeated enemies...

Dave Halls, 05/03/2011

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How to pray for Egypt

Here's a quick Sunday link from Ruth which gives a valuable prayer angle on whats happening in Egypt.

Dave Halls, 06/02/2011

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Awesome cross of freedom and forgiveness

The base from which I am working totay is Ephesians 1:7

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is our sins are forgiven.

That says it all really but the other ideas come from Colossians 1:19b-23a and Galatians 6:1-5.

Here's the fantastic movie I am showing towards the end.

Dave Halls, 29/01/2011

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We're not the only ones...

...who like stories. Here's a new site where you can post and read about life in the church. Why not think about contributing?

Dave Halls, 28/01/2011

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WHO HELPS EDIT YOUR LIFE?

I've just read a post by one of my favourite bloggers, Donald Miller. It appealed both because I was once a writer and edited other people's work and also because of our focus the importance of relationships in the change process.

Here's his post. (BTW: Max Lucado is a top ranking Christian author.)

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Every so often I get asked to review somebody’s manuscript. And anymore, I won’t do it. I’ve had too many bad experiences. I’d assume writers want to be told what should be cut out of their book, but this isn’t the case. Only the good writers want to know what should be cut from their manuscripts. The amateurs just want to be told they are good.

I had dinner with Max Lucado last year, and he said his editors sent back his latest book marked up in red. Can you imagine? Can you imagine telling Max he needed to change anything? I wouldn’t have the guts, much less the sensibilities to actually say what of his words aren’t terrific. But Max surrounds himself by editors who will tell him the hard truths. These are trusted friends, and they’ve been working with him for years. And they are also part of the reason he’s sold more than 60-million books. He said the latest rounds of edits were hard to take. He said he thought by now he’s be a “good writer.” But he took them in, he sat down, and he edited the book. I read Outlive Your Life on a plane on the way home from Nashville, and it’s the best Lucado book I’ve read. In fact, it’s the best book I read this year. I’ll be talking more about it in the coming weeks.

But this isn’t a blog about editing books. It’s a blog about editing your life. If you are like me, it’s easy to surround yourself with people who don’t tell you about your blind spots, your weaknesses. I told my friend Dave about a piece of criticism that was thrown at me last month, and he helped me dismiss it as a person consumed with bitterness. But he didn’t stop there, he asked me why I was sensitive about it, and pointed out that part of that persons criticism was actually true. And you know what? Dave was right. He wisely helped me separate the criticism that helped and healed me from the motive of the messenger, which had in it the desire to destroy.

Not having people around us who can show us our blind spots is a sure path toward self destruction. I’m not talking about surrounding yourself with critics. People who offer blank criticism, especially if they don’t know you, are of little help. But if you have friends who are honest with you about your character defects, and yet are obviously for you, you’re going to go far.

Here are a few tips on editing your life:

1. Ask for criticism from people who care about you and love you.
2. If you are sensitive about some criticism that has been thrown at you, there’s a good chance some of it is true. Analyze that, separate it from the messenger who may not have your best interests at heart, and work on that area of your life.
3. If you suspect a friend is competitive with you or controlling, don’t include them in your circle of editors. They aren’t going to be able to give you objective advice.

4. Don’t get into an editing relationship with a person who can’t see their own faults, or admit to their mistakes. These people are usually the fastest to offer criticism of you, but it’s not objective or helpful criticism.

You can read more here