InFocus

God’s Opinion of Abuse

22 July, 2014 | Joy Harris(1) Comment

And so begins Series 4 of our Marital Abuse posts – Helping the Abused. Up until now, my goal has been to define abuse. Below is a convenient list of topics we've covered with each link: Introduction - Marital Abuse - No One Knew Series 1: How to Spot an Abuser Post 1: Domestic Violence Post 2: The Cycle of Abuse Post 3: Emotional and Mental Abuse Post 4: Financial and Spiritual Abuse Post 5: Spotting An Abuser Before You Marry One Series 2: Why The Abused Stay Post 1: Fear, part 1 Post 2: Fear, part 2 Post 3: Reasons Other Than Fear Series 3: Why Abusers Abuse Post 1: Power Post 2: Addiction Post 3: Abusive Background Now, series 4 will explore what we can DO about what we know. God's Opinion of Abuse It may seem useless and even silly to ask what God thinks about abuse when the answer s ...

OneLove Speaker – Bryan Chapell

18 July, 2014 | Joy Harris(1) Comment

This women's event is coming 2 August to Sydney. The third speaker is Bryan Chapell Dr. Bryan Chapell is highly regarded in the evangelical community as a preacher, teacher, and author, preaching on topics including grace, marriage and journalism. He began his ministry pastoring in churches and then joined the Covenant Seminary faculty full-time in 1986 and has since served as a professor, Department Chair, Seminary Dean, and Executive Vice President.. He has also served as President of Christ College in Taiwan. Bryan became the senior pastor of a large church in Peoria, Illinois, USA in March 2013. Chapell's book Christ-Centred Preaching won "Book of the Year" from Preaching Magazine and has established him as one of America's most recognised teachers of homiletics. Bryan has written nume ...

OneLove Speaker – Kathleen Nielson

16 July, 2014 | Joy Harris(0) Comments

This women's event in Sydney is coming up on 2 August. Let's zero in on the second speaker for the day. Kathleen Nielson Talk 2: Do you love me? The question rings in our ears, as we hear Jesus ask it of Peter three times in John 21: "Do you love me?" We do well to listen in on Peter's after-breakfast conversation with the risen Christ, for those words sent Peter out to grow the church we're part of today. What does it mean to be the people who love Jesus...women who love Jesus? We'll ask ourselves what this means for us now, as we take in that seaside scene where our Lord Jesus asked Peter his searching question: "Do you love me?" About Kathleen Kathleen grew up in St. Louis and attended Wheaton College, where she earned a B.A. in English and French, sang in the Women's Glee Club -- and ...

“Not by Chance” by Layton Talbert

15 July, 2014 | Jason Harris(0) Comments

Talbert, Layton. Not by Chance, Learning to Trust a Sovereign God. Greenville, SC: BJU Press, 2001. 236 pages. Layton Talbert tackles a notoriously difficult topic and offers a useful overview and discussion of it in this book. I would recommend this book as a good starting place for those wanting to grasp this crucial aspect of the character of God. The ups First, this is a credible addition to the literature on the sovereignty of God. It offers a thorough overview of the topic looking both at the Scriptural teaching and the historical context of the discussion. Second, Talbert offers excellent discussions on the lives of both Joseph and Esther, highlighting the sovereignty of God in those stories. Even more beneficial is his discussion on the sovereignty of God in the crucifixion of Jesu ...

Why Abusers Abuse #3 – Abusive Background

14 July, 2014 | Joy Harris(2) Comments

In this series 3 on "Why Abusers Abuse", we discussed the lust for power and how it turns into an addiction. One other idea to explore is the part an abuser's background plays in his current behaviour. FACTS “In a family where violence is observed by the children, but not addressed in a healthy way, little boys and girls learn perverted views of how men and women are to relate to each other.” 1 “85% of men who batter their wives and 30% of their victims grew up in violent homes.” 2 Side note: as has been mentioned before, we refer to the abuser as "he" because “85% of domestic violence victims are women.” 3 “Abusers are made, not born.” 4 “Witnessing violence between one’s parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behaviour from one generation to the next.” ...