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Another New Year, Same Gracious God
Another New Year, Same Gracious God The last Sunday of January (this coming Sunday) is always an exciting and meaningful time in our church community. We call it ‘Launch Sunday’. It’s the day we set aside to pray for the upcoming year, to ordain our new elders and deacons, to re-commission our existing elders and deacons, as well as pray for our staff team, launch our new sermon series, and, of course, host our Summer Party after the service! I do hope you will join us for this special occasion this coming Sunday. Just a reminder that we will be gathering together for one combined service at 9am and then hanging around for the Summer Party afterwards. Our 6pm service will be held in the evening as usual. Personally,
Encouragement for a New School Year
Encouragement for a new school year In Feb of last year, I shared some of what I’d learnt from Reggie Joyner’s book ‘Think Orange’. As we head into another school year I’d love to revisit and further explore some of Reggie’s thoughts around the impact church and family can have when we work together to raise kids who love and follow God. Reggie lists 5 things that he believes every kid needs- A REALLY BIG GOD they can trust no matter what SOMEONE ELSE who believes what they believe ANOTHER VOICE saying the same things parents say UNCOMMON SENSE to help them make wise choices NOSY PARENTS who know where their kids are spiritually I love all these points but I want to focus on the second and fifth.
The Unsearchable Depths of the Bible
The Unsearchable Depths of the Bible I have a distinct memory from when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was in church one Sunday and an older lady in our church was saying how happy she was that even though she had read her Bible her whole life she still found new things in it, she was still learning from God’s word and God was still speaking to her through it. Even at that young age I was excited and encouraged to know that God’s word still spoke to people who had been studying it for decades and decades. Over the years as I’ve read the Bible, specific passages have jumped out at me, speaking into my heart and into my life. A few months ago, I
Seventy Years
Seventy Years Many long years ago I wrote a short article entitled “The Good Old Days” for our church newsletter. Our pastor refused to publish the article because it painted a dim view of the then current days. I wish to revisit the same theme, but this time approaching the subject by more objectively observing aspects of life at three points of time over the last 70 years: When I was 7 years old When my son Peter was 7 years old My grandson Archie at 7 years old (the present day) My life at 7: Life revolved around family, friends and church. There was no television or any other electronic devices for personal enjoyment. Although my parents were not regular attendees at church, they sent my brothers and
Born in a Dog Bowl
Born in a Dog Bowl Where were you born? I was born in a hospital here in Brisbane. I assume you were born in a hospital too. Or maybe you were born at home? But I think it’s safe to assume none of you were born and placed in a feeding-box. You might think that’s a bit of a random thing to say, but that’s exactly what happened to the Lord Jesus. …She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke 2:7) A manger is a feeding-box for animals. It’s like a dog bowl in that sense. My youngest boy, Bo, is obsessed with playing with our dog’s bowl at the moment. He puts her feed into
My Year in Books
My Year in Books I love a good list. Whether it’s a to-do list, a packing list, or my favourite type of list, a year-end list. I don’t mind if it’s music or movies or books, I enjoy reflecting on the year that’s been and the content that stood out. With that in mind, here are a few books I read this year that I found stimulating, enjoyable, and helpful, which I commend to you. ‘God of All Things: Rediscovering the Sacred in an Everyday World’ by Andrew Wilson I love the God of things and appreciate the things of God more deeply as a result of this unique book. Andrew Wilson, teaching pastor at King’s Church in London, takes ordinary things (like dust, donkeys and viruses) and unpacks
Are you ready?
Are you ready? The countdown to Christmas is on. Are you ready? We do lots of things to prepare for Christmas, don’t we? We put up the tree. I know for many, it’s been up for weeks. But others wait till at least the start of December. We buy presents for family and friends in readiness for Christmas day. We plan lots of yummy food and special drinks to share. Perhaps we pull out old recipes of Christmas fare that’s been passed down for generations and has become such a tradition that there’d be uproar if it wasn’t on the table for Christmas. We get the house and yard ready, tidying, mowing and decorating. There’s so much to do to get ready for Christmas. I’m a little tired just
What made Oasis my home
What made Oasis my home As you likely know, I will soon be handing over my role as Youth Pastor at Oasis, as I’ve felt a call to shift to a broader ministry, to help fill a nation-wide shortage of pastors in our denomination. As I start to wrap thing up ready to hand over, I’ve been thinking about how hard it will be to leave Oasis- and why I feel so at home here. When I first started in my role 6 years ago, John Hoogenhout was the lead pastor here. He was one of the many who put in effort to make me feel at home here, and one way he did that was that whenever I returned from a trip, whether to Victoria or elsewhere (I
