I kept hearing the word Providence in an audiobook I was listening to about William Wilberforce, the great slavery reformer.
And it seemed to be said in terms of being someone or something.
Paul Windsor, my former Carey Baptist College principal, writes this.
Again and again and again, instead of saying ‘God’, Wilberforce simply writes “Providence” with a capital P.
For him, this was the essence of God’s activity in his life, for “Providence governs the world”.
It is that lovely blend of sovereignty and grace captured so well in the testimony of Nehemiah “the gracious hand of my God was upon me (Neh 2.8, 18).
I like it.
[Providence] embarrasses us.
Christians far prefer to use the word “luck”– or they consider that the bad things happening in the world will always trump any sense of providence and thereby eclipse it.
No!
On so many fronts Wilberforce lived a miserable life (his own health, his own failures, the death of children, other children squandering all his money so that he died virtually penniless…) – and yet near the end it could be said “For 45 years he had believed in Providence; he was not going to stop now” Paul Windsor
I was hooked.
I wanted to know more.
Could an understanding of providence be the missing key to my contentment in God?
Discovering Providence Class
Topics
- How do God and Providence fit together?
- The history of the concept of providence
- Biblical examples of Providence
- Post-biblical examples of people growing a life of living in providence
- The metaphor of the boat
- How to build a bigger boat
- Practical exercises to strengthen your growth in providence
Details
Class 1
Saturday, September 6th, 7-8:30 am Auckland, New Zealand
Saturday, September 6th, 5am Sydney time
Friday, September 5th, 3 pm EST
Friday, September 5th, 1 PM MST
Friday, September 5th, 12pm PST
Friday, September 5th, 9 pm SAST
Friday, September 5th, 8pm GMT
Class 2 Saturday, September 13th, 7-8:30 am, Auckland, New Zealand
Saturday, September 13th, 5am Sydney time
Friday, September 12th, 3 pm EST
Friday, September 12th, 1 PM MST
Friday, September 12th, 12pm PST
Friday, September 12th, 9 pm SAST
Friday, September 12th, 8pm GMT
Privacy:
The class will be on Zoom, so this means that you can be as private as much as you like. No one needs to see you. It’s over to you. There will be a chat option where you can comment and chat with others if you want.
A recording will be made, but your face and comments won’t be seen.
The recording will be available to watch later on YouTube but will be ‘Unlisted’ so that only those with the link will be able to see it. It will not be open for the entire world to see.
Platform:
It will be given via Zoom.
If you don’t have Zoom, then please download it if you want to attend.
Otherwise, a recording of the class will be posted on YouTube for you to view there.
Cost and attendance:
The cost of this class is a donation. ($3 US minimum). If you can’t afford this, please email and I will send you the links.
Monthly donors receive automatic access. Become a monthly donor.
Once registered, class members will receive a Zoom link to the class.
In-person attendance is not required.
The class will be recorded and available for later viewing on YouTube
Signup:
Sign up using the form below.
If you live in New Zealand and want to book directly with me, then email me and I will send you details.
If, for whatever reason, you aren’t able to give a donation, PLEASE contact me and I will send you the link.
I don’t want the lack of money, or difficulty in sending money online to stop anyone from taking these classes.
Questions? Comments?
Contact me