details...
When:
Arrive 7-8pm Friday 11th
Depart 3pm Monday 14th March (Labor Day Weekend)
Where: Kangaroobie
Great Ocean Road,
Princetown
Ph: (03) 5598 8151
Who: For people in year 11 up
How much: $90 (+$2.56 for credit card registrations)
Speaker: Dr Tony Bird 'Leaving Never Land' (Studies in James)
About the speaker:
Tony is married to Carole with four children. He is the New Testament lecturer at the Presbyterian Theological College. The family worships at Donvale Presbyterian Church where Tony also acts as assistant to the pastor.
Tony became a Christian through witness of friends whilst a student at the University of Leeds in England. In 1979 he went to Indonesia with Overseas Missionary Fellowship and served as a lecturer and chaplain in a government university, before coming to Australia in 1986. His interests include reading, writing (currently on James), orienteering, rogaining (a good conversation starter!).
About the talks:
Peter Pan is the story of a boy who lived in never land ("first star to the left and straight on till morning”) where children never grow up. The letter of James is written for Christians who live in never land to encourage them to leave childhood behind and grow up to maturity in Christ.
James seems to be one of the least doctrinal and most practical books in the New Testament. It is filled with advice about coping with trials, the desire to be rich, controlling the tongue; making plans for the future and so on. This makes it attractive to the pragmatist or someone with a dislike of doctrine. And James does underline the need to be active, practising Christians. We are to be doers of the word not just hearers only.
But it would be a mistake to read James merely as a handbook of helpful advice. We must not jump straight into the how? Without pausing to ask the question of whom? If we treat this letter as a do-it-you manual we run the risk of knowing a lot about Christian practice but little about God himself. In the end God will be as distant to us as when we began and our practice may end up in a legalistic checklist of do's and dont's. No matter how enthusiastically we embrace a practical approach to the Christian life it has no value unless it is based upon the One who is the source of that life. Apart from a focus on Him attempts to grow and become mature believers will not succeed.
Contacts:
For any enquires please contact:
Kane Georgiou
Ph: (03) 9723 1227
Mob: 0425 731 194
Fiona Meeuwissen
Ph: (03) 5967 4231
Mob: 0401 467 777
or email events@pyv.org.au