the bible talks

So, you suspect that Christians might be a little nerdy and weird… and as for the bible… is it really that hard to read, full of lots of religious language?

But maybe the bible is more like a biography about Jesus… and you can read it just like any other biography of a great man in history?  And maybe (just maybe), it could be possible for you to have a sane conversation with a Christian and figure out what makes them tick; what makes them believe the stuff they do?

TBT would like to challenge you do one of these things this semester at uni… To suss out what the christians on campus are on about, and to think more about your life, who Jesus was, and what sort of relationship you and God have.

week 1 is TBT open week - we’ve got lots of activities and people on campus.  if you’re interested in thinking or chatting about life, christianity, or who Jesus is, then it shouldn’t be too hard to find a way to do this.

Tuesday @12pm: TBT Q&A panel (Grill a Christian)

Free BBQ and a chance to ask the TBT panel any question you’d like.

where? Between Y and R block (in the amphitheatre thingy)

Thursday @12pm: TBT talk, ‘what is reality?’

what is real?  can we know?  why should we even care about reality?  and what is the christian take on reality?

where? Z 181B (nursing block, near the swamp… well not quite)

come along or chat to someone in a TBT shirt at uni - we’d love to meet you!

Last weekend, Katharine, Ryan and my self ventured down to the cold of Stanwell Tops to attend the AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) apprentice conference. Over the weekend, we looked into God’s character and how we can see through the bible his emotions and his affections towards the world. We looked at questions such as:

What aspects of God’s character do we see in the bible?
What are emotions and what are affections?
What emotions and affections does God show in the bible?
How can we have godly emotions and affections?

We learnt the difference between emotions and affections (emotions being a response to external circumstances and affections being the powerful inclinations that influences how we think and act) as well as looking at how these impact our ministry and relationships.

We see throughout the bible that God has shown people grace and mercy, even when their sin has grieved him. His “affection” was to show us such mercy by NOT ignoring our sin but giving an answer for our sin and that was Jesus. We learnt that the good news of Jesus influences how we think and act, not only towards God but to those around us. To express our emotions and affections in a good way, this would mean lining up our hearts with God’s.

This has been helpful for me thinking through how to do uni ministry and how to encourage the students at Southern Cross Uni to live as Jesus did, having compassion for those around them and sharing the good news of eternal life.

What are your thoughts on how the gospel impacts your emotions and affections?

Jasmine

uni, friends, family, cleaning, shopping, flatmates, going out, relationships, work, God…

life often seems out of control

this year at mid year conference (myc09) we’re thinking about the stuff in life that seems to control us.  we’ll think about what it means to be christian and ask how Jesus changes our lives - both at uni and beyond.  Does Jesus control your life?

myc09: taking control…

MYC (Mid Year Conference) is a camp being run by the AFES (afes.org.au) groups at UNE Armidale and SCU Lismore. We’ll hear Bible talks. We’ll have a few workshops where you can learn about whatever you think would be most useful to you. There’s a bunch of adventure gear at the centre too - hiking, canoeing, etc. The plan is to have a lot of fun and get to know each other. Christians are known for being intelligent, attractive, entertaining people! MYC09 is a great chance to make some great friends for life.

* talks on Titus (guest speaker: Bernard Gabbott)
* practical seminars
* 1:1 coaching to think through life after uni
* plenty of free time fun

Where? coffs coast conference centre

When? 31 july - 2 august

How much?

Actual cost: $100
Price for tbt: $55  (supporters are generously subsiding myc for us!)
…. priceless!

********** RSVP by 26th May **************

for more info, email info at thebibletalks.com

or check out the websites

UNITEDinc (unitedinc.org) - the AFES group at UNE

myc promo vid (a true and accurate representation of what myc will be like)

myc’s great location (coffscentre.org.au)

See you at myc!

Tomorrow (that is: Thursday) at 12noon - ‘Grill a Christian’ is on!
The amazing difference between two weeks ago and this week is the picture perfect North Coast weather. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the forecast is sunny, sunny and more SUN! Perfect weather for the grilling. I have fond memories of last year where not only was the panel being grilled with questions being fired left, right and centre but we were getting fried by the sun! Slip, slop, slap will be essential!

So if you are a STUDENT, it’ll be on Thursday at 12pm. There’s a free sausage sizzle available – please invite your friends, not only for the free feed but to hear answers to some of the questions they may have about Jesus!

If you’re not a student, please be praying for the students, the panel and the MC.

• please pray for the students who come along –that God will work in them to genuinely seek himself - and for the panel as they answer, that they will answer with wisdom and humility, giving a reason for the hope that they have.
• please pray that the people on the panel would present Christ clearly and faithfully

Though it’s been an exciting week at SCU, it was a relief to reach the last day of O-week and still be functioning to speak to more students about what the bible talks is actually about – that is proclaiming the gospel of Jesus.

The survey question of the day was a topical one – considering the news from around the world - what role does faith have in today’s world?

a. None 
b. It’s ok as long as its kept private
c. Its ok to spread your faith around
d. Other (comment)

There were mixed responses – the majority explained their thoughts on faith and how it fits in.
• “its really good, so long as its not forced upon others who aren’t willing or believe otherwise”
• “spreading faith around is why Richard Dawkins exists”
• “…helps hope and determination from starving”
• “I think the pursuit of the truth should be free and that perspectives shouldn’t be silenced.”
• “Faith as ‘belief’: I don’t see faith as blind devotion. Faith as an action (a verb): people act in accordance to what they believe”

It is an interesting concept, faith. How would you describe faith? How do we determine what is faith and what is “blind devotion”? Would the “absence” of faith (i.e. atheism) be a type of faith in itself? Thoughts…?

the fourth day of O-week kicked off with sunshine and a deserted plaza but as the day progressed (and the temperature sky-rocketed!), the plaza became packed and seats in the shade were hard to find! Even with the high risk of sunburn, there were still those keen to prove their skills and talents - the bungy challenge and of course, chess…

what an interesting day it proved to be, particularly with the survey question of the day - What would you say were the three most important things in your life…? What did SCU students see as the priorities in life?

Well, most people indicated that family and friends were one of the most important things/people in life. The other responses included faith, pets, education, a career, music, socialising, enjoyment, traveling, animals/pets, and the environment.

Not surprising responses but a question to ponder - how do we work out what IS important in life? Do we just instinctively see people in our lives as important or is that something we learn?

What if these important “things” in life were in conflict? How then do we decide what is important?

Thoughts…?

While the rain kept many students away, the faithful remnant still gathered in the plaza: tbt students, osca staff, the giant-chess nerds (mainly tbt staff) and DJ Deep Fryer.

Bit of a shame really - today’s survey question was about Jesus.

While there were few people to survey, it was clear that most scu students consider Jesus a person to be highly respected: unique in history, and a good example for us to follow.  Alternatively, Jesus could be thought of as a reincarnation of Melchizedek, an extra-terrestrial being.  However, this was a minority view on campus (n=1).

All of us strive to be unique. To be considered ‘ordinary’ is disappointing – we all want to be special. Yet when compared with Jesus, a guy who lived 2000 years ago, we come out looking quite ordinary - and despite our education, technology and all the resources our society offers us. In the words of one student, it is ‘unrealistic for people to try to be exactly like him’… there is something about Jesus to which we just can’t measure up. However, this same student concluded that ‘it’s still good to try’…

Can we be like Jesus?  In what way?

today at scu, the bible talks surveyed students in the plaza… we wanted to get a vibe of what they think about TRUTH… does it exist? can we have access to it?  is it oppressive?

the results are in… and they’re a bit surprising.

do over 50% of students at scu really think that absolute truth exists?

I think it’s fair to say that the typical first year student asks a stack of questions every day during o-week. You’re overwhelmed with new stuff, and you often don’t know where to go for even the simple things, so you end up having to ask question after question. Where is the library? Where do i go for my id card? Where is H block? Where are the toilets? What street is my house on? Who are these people I’ve moved in with? Where can I buy a term’s worth of two minute noodles? Where can I get industrial strength anti-frizz for my hair? (love the Lismore humidity)

However, while asking these questions is crucial for surviving o-week, what other questions might we think about asking? Questions about life, about God?

On the Monday of o-week 2009, the bible talks surveyed scu students in the plaza. We love to know what scu students are thinking about the big questions of life, so we asked a stack of students:

if you could ask God any question, what would it be?

It’s fair to say that scu students want to ask God a wide range of questions: everything from what’s the meaning of life?, to where’s the nachos at?

At the bible talks, we’re big fans of nachos… so if you can advise as to the best nachos on campus, we’d appreciate it, whether you discover them by divine revelation, or by your own taste testing.

Also at the less serious end of the spectrum, some students would like to know…

where’s the free beer? do zebras have white stripes on black, or black stripes on white? what is at the end of the rainbow? why is Greenland icy and Iceland green? and of course the Big Question that bugs us all… is Elvis alive?

However, some students also had serious questions for God, big questions about life:

who are you? what’s your favourite thing to do? why do we need a god? if we’re created in your image then, what must you look like now?

But by a long way, there were two questions which many students wished to ask God: questions about the meaning, purpose and direction of life, and questions about suffering and injustice – why do they exist in this world?

These are great questions to explore while you’re at uni, and they’re even greater questions to be asking God.

How do you think he might answer us?

Southern cross uni orientation is just round the corner. Exciting time for a lot of new students, beginning this new stage of life, maybe moving to a new town…

There’s a lot to get involved in during o week, just round the bend. If you’re a new student and interested in getting connected to other christian students at scu, keep an eye out for ‘the bible talks’ table in the plaza throughout o week. We’d love to meet you and help you settle in. We’re here to get students thinking and talking about the claims the bible makes about jesus, and to help support Christian students in following jesus here at scu. Everyone’s welcome, Christians from any beckground and anyone at all interested in checking out jesus’ claims. So get amongst it! You can even comment here if you want to make sure you get in contact.