From Steve's Study
Welcome to my humble corner of blogging!
I’ve been the Senior Minister of St. Peter’s since 2003. I’m married to Lorna and we have three lovely children (Emily, Daniel and Nicholas). When I’m working, I enjoy playing (& watching) football, playing guitar and spending time with my family. In a former life I was a Maths teacher in Sydney’s West. If I wasn’t working at St Peter’s, I’d most likely be part of a famous band… or helping England win the World Cup!
Everything here, is my personal opinion, and is not read or approved in advance. Tell me what you think about my posts even if your viewpoints may be different from mine. If you’d like to talk to me privately, feel free to drop me an email (steven.layson@stpeterseastlindfield.org.au).
Enjoy reading,
Steve.
It’s just a game
1 comment | Posted by Steven Layson on 04 Sep 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
It’s been quite a week in sport hasn’t it? From the Pakistani Cricket Betting Scandal, to doubts about the Australian Cricket win in January & the NRL investigating allegations of “spot fixing” in the Bulldogs/Cowboys match.
It seems there is a creeping cancer in the realm of sport – that of gambling. And it is becoming an all-pervasive influence – many televised games are now littered with running commentary of betting odds. Is it any wonder that there would be an increase in betting scandals in such an environment?
Of course, this is no new phenomenon & it is certainly not restricted to the sporting fields. Indeed, a big part of the negotiations between the independent MP Andrew Wilkie and the two Federal parties has been about regulations for the gambling industry.
So, what should the Christian response be to all this? Certainly we need to be aware of the damaging consequences gambling can have on individuals and families. A couple of weeks ago, in our evening services, we had the privilege of hearing the testimony of a man whose life had been almost completely wrecked by a gambling addiction. We heard about how he was dragged further and further into trouble, losing his family and house along the way. It was only when he was able to acknowledge his complete need for God’s grace, and total inability to save himself, that he was able to be released from it.
At its core, gambling is not simply “harmless fun”, it is a desire to “get something for nothing”, an expression of greed. And like all sin, greed can become addictive and harmful to us spiritually, as well as physically, emotionally and financially.
We may never be able to wean our society off its reliance on gambling income (though it is important for us to speak to our local representatives about this), but as Christians we must be wary of the effect in can have on us personally. Paul reminds us in Gal 5:1 that “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Don’t let the world’s addiction to gambling get into your life and take you away from reliance on God’s grace or your contentment in him.
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God is Always at Work for the Good of Those Who Love Him
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 29 Aug 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
I thought I’d just share with you a wonderful story I read in my quiet times this week that perfectly illustrates the concept we saw in Romans 8:28, that “God is always at work for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes”.
It
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Let’s Go Back to Rome
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 22 Aug 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
Today, in our morning services, we go back to our series in the book of Romans. In case you’ve forgotten, Paul has spent the first eight chapters giving us a summary of the gospel and its implications.
We have been reminded of our sin and our desperate state before God, but
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Last Sunday - how encouraging it was ...
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 19 Aug 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
Hi all,
Just a quick note to say how encouraging it was to see everyone at church last Sunday. I hope you found the subject matter challenging (I certainly found it challenging preparing it!). Anyway, just to follow up on the discussions on parenting, I found this brand new website, which
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Family Meal or Restaurant
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 17 Aug 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
Last Sunday night at the 7pm service, we had the opportunity to watch a snippet of a sermon by Mark Driscoll regarding church. It was a very challenging talk, and I thought he used a very interesting picture to describe our view of church. He compared church to
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We Still Call Australia Home!
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 08 Aug 2010 in From Steve's Study :: Missionary Support
Well, Lorna and I are back in the country and glad to be back with our people. Many thanks to all those who were praying for us while we were away. Here are some of the highlights of our time in I-r-k-u-t-s-k:
Spending time with our “host family” the Kulikovs. It
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1 Marilyn Lancelot :: 06/09/10 06:11 AM
I am a recovering alcoholic, gambler, and other addiction problems. I published a book, Gripped by Gambling, where the readers can follow the destructive path of the compulsive gambler, a prison sentence, and then on to the recovery road. I am currently publishing a second book, Switching Addictions, that describes the challenges the addict encounters as they work toward recovery. I also publish an online newsletter, Women Helping Women, which has been on-line for more than ten years and is read by women around the world. I would like to suggest you add the link to the newsletter to your link page. (www.femalegamblers.info)
Sincerely,
Marilyn Lancelot