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 […]
The Second Greatest Commandment
Many people will tell you that the most important thing in the world is just to love people. The problem is that we have many ideas about what love is, and something we think is loving may in the end turn out not to have been for the person’s good, and even actually harmed them. Like […]
Climate for Change
A number of government leaders from around the world are making louder noises in acknowledgement of global climate change, and the necessity of responding to it with new, stronger policies and action in order to prevent dangerous alteration to the world’s environment. Even the Murdoch news empire, a recent strident climate-change denier, has converted, and […]
Grace & Law
There are two false ways of living: 1. to live by a grace that has no law in it, where there is no accountability for one’s actions, and no obligation to live in a true way. 2. to live by law that has no grace in it, where there is only success or failure to […]