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Let’s Go “Old Testament” on Fatherhood!
Let’s Go “Old Testament” on Fatherhood! Have you ever heard someone say, “They went Old Testament on (fill in the blank)!”? Usually, what they mean is that the person was a bit angry, judgemental and intense about something. Well, seeing as it’s almost Father’s Day, I thought I’d go Old Testament on fatherhood! But don’t be so quick to assume that means fatherhood is going to get a Bible bashing. That would be to misunderstand the character of the Old Testament. Below I offer some reflections on God as a Father in the Old Testament in the hope that all dads can become more godly fathers. A Godly Father Creates Belonging There are eight references to God as Father in the Old Testament (using the normal Hebrew word for
Sing, and Keep on Singing
Sing, and keep on singing There is a little bird that often visits my garden. His favourite place is the highest point on the tallest palm tree. And when he's up there; as high as he can be, way up in the clear, blue sky, he likes to sing. I have lots of fun imagining what he might be singing. Perhaps it's "Look at me! Look at me!", a kind of bird version of "I'm the king of the castle." While I may not know exactly what he's singing, he seems to delight in being up there and his song is a happy one. It sounds like he's rejoicing. The thing is, the weather's not always great. Sometimes it can get pretty windy up there. I think he's going
Predicting the Future
Predicting the Future “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:7-10 Surprise! Life has seemingly thrown you another curve ball. “How on earth did I end up here?” you might ask, or you might say, “I never could have seen that coming.” Sure enough, sometimes life does throw some unexpected
When God Doesn’t Answer Our Earnest Prayer
When God Doesn’t Answer Our Earnest Prayer I was having a heart-to-heart with a good friend recently. We were talking about a deep and raw struggle she was having with unanswered prayer. You might already be thinking what I began to think…that maybe God was saying ‘no’ or not answering yet because He had a different plan, a better plan. But this wasn’t one of those prayer requests where I could encourage her to ‘pray a different prayer’. Her prayer was for a loved one to find life in Jesus. She had gently and genuinely shared the gospel with him on many occasions. Yet he continued to reject it. Despite her faithful sharing of the gospel and earnest prayers… in the end, it seems he rejected Jesus when he
Jesus’ Method for Success
Jesus’ Method for Success Most of us are drawn to success. We want to have a successful career, a successful marriage, a successful life. Even if you’re less ‘driven’, you probably have some kind of definition of ‘success’ you’re pursuing. As a pastor, I’m often thinking about how we can be a successful church. But how we define ‘success’ and how we set out to achieve success are vital for us to consider as followers of Jesus. Both the path and the destination of Christian ‘success’ are radically different to the way most Australians pursue success today. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this. I heard a man tell a story recently about his father, a well-known pastor. He recalled how his dad spoke to him about an invitation to
Where Am I On Mission
Where Am I On Mission? Did you know that (according to the 2021 Census data) in the three closest suburbs to our church (Joyner, Bray Park, and Warner), there are over 26,000 people who call these suburbs home? Add Cashmere, Lawnton, Petrie, Strathpine, and Brendale, and that number more than doubles to around 60,000 people. Of that number, over 42% described themselves as being non-religious. That’s over 25,000 people, and that doesn’t include people “who reported Secular and Other Spiritual Beliefs such as Atheism, Agnosticism, and Own Spiritual Beliefs” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Imagine if just 5% of that number put their trust in Jesus and became part of Oasis Church. Imagine how incredible it would be if 10% (or more) started following Jesus. I get excited just thinking about it!
Seven Lessons from the Seven Letters
Seven Lessons from the Seven Letters Have you ever finished something and immediately wanted to experience it again? It might be when you step off a ride at Dreamworld, finish a good book, listen to a great album, visit a new city, or eat a good steak. I felt this way when we finished our recent sermon series ‘Dear Church: The Seven Letters of Revelation 2-3’. I found our study of these chapters to be personally challenging, convicting, and encouraging. Rather than preach the sermons again (I wouldn’t want to subject you to that), I thought I’d offer a reflection on seven lessons I’ve learned from the seven letters in Revelation 2-3. Jesus loves the church The seven letters clearly reveal that Jesus is attentive to his church; he
Step Into My Shoes
Step Into My Shoes What does it mean to ‘step into someone else’s shoes’? We’ll be asking this very question at Kids Church during Term 3. We’ll be watching video clips of a family living in Uganda to see what life is like for them. And as Pastor Tom and his wife and 12 children show us where they live, how they collect and prepare their food and water, what their church is like, what they like to do for fun, our children in Australia will ‘step into their shoes’ just for a moment. Our kids will see many differences between life in Uganda and life in Australia. The children in Pastor Tom’s family walk to a well to collect water for the family. The water needs to be
