Holy Huddle?
Sometimes as the church we can be a “holy huddle” – i.e., we’ve received a precious gift from God (the good news), and we focus on enjoying it among ourselves in our worship and protecting it against the unbelieving world outside. Consequently, we don’t relate to the world outside the church, we don’t grow, and […]
Complex Persecution
It’s “open season” on Christians in Australian society. What comes through the media, politics and general social attitudes, is a subconscious acceptance that Christian truth, and anyone who holds to it, must be absolutely opposed as illegitimate, and considered “evil”. This is not a shocking surprise, but the fulfilment of Jesus’ words of prophecy in […]
Want to live life to the full?…
For the Christian, the secret to that is not actually “rocket science”! Jesus said, man shall live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). By which He meant, all the words and teaching of God contained in the Bible. The Psalm writer said that the person who meditates constantly on […]
Normal
The New Year has seen our community tumble into a new phase of the Covid pandemic with the arrival of the highly infectious Omicron variant, and transitioning from zero-tolerance of the virus, to living with it. And as much as vaccines have helped us prepare, we still feel exposed and vulnerable. Before the pandemic arrived, […]
HOW LONG. HOW LONG. HOW LONG?
In Psalm 15, David, the psalmist makes a plea to God, “Lord, how long will you ig- nore me? Forever?” In similar psalms, the cry is from a person who “dwells in the dust”. David questions God, “How long will you look the other way?” “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my […]
Love Jesus Christ, or Hate Him…
…but whatever you do, don’t just tolerate Him! A lot of Australians tolerate Jesus Christ. Christmas has mostly become a secular holiday. Yet because of its overt connection with Christ, people may tolerate some mention of Him, or perhaps carols that have words about Him,… but not too much! Carol singing crowds can get pretty “tetchy” […]
A Great Future for Our Kids
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a dark time for people around the world, and we’re still in it! Of course, there have been darker times in history, but the present has certainly been plenty difficult enough for everyone. With this and other global concerns, we naturally worry about the future for our kids. We are […]
Baptism: True Intimacy
It has given us enormous joy to welcome our first grandchild into the world this last 12 months. It took us back to our own experience of the birth of our children. There is nothing more intimate than the relationship of mother and child; for nine months one is literally inside the other! By the water […]
God In the Trenches
Journalist Mark Day writes of the war-time songs sung by Australian soldiers, mentioning such songs as The Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag, Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye, Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major. He says that “While the tunes linger in the mind, the lyrics remind us of the […]
Politics & Grace
In Mark chapter 12, Jesus argues with the Sadducees who wouldn’t believe in the resurrection, and with the Pharisees about which commandment was the most important. These two groups were a bit like the left-wing liberals and right-wing conservatives of today; the former emphasizing individual rights and free thinking, the latter focused on the strict […]