In Exile If you know my husband, you’ll know he loves music. In fact, a number of years back now, he and some mates formed a band. I went to a gig last weekend and as always, I really enjoyed listening to them play and seeing the fun they have performing together. They call themselves ‘In Exile’. A few days after the gig, as I made a start on some exam preparation, I just happened to find myself in the book of 1 Peter. And in the opening verse, Peter addresses his letter ‘…to those who are elect exiles…’. Coincidence? Or a teaching moment from God? I believe God wanted to encourage me. And in turn, I hope to encourage you. So, what does it mean to be living

Where to Turn When Times Get Hard The other day I was listening to the news and it was all about the doom and gloom of the housing crisis and property prices. Australia has an awful lot of land per capita, so it made me wonder why it is so expensive to buy some? I then remembered my dad telling me a long time ago that God set up the laws in the Old Testament to teach the Israelites that they didn’t really own the land, but were rather stewards of it. They were meant to cultivate it, work it, and do something productive with it. During the year of the Jubilee (every 50 years), all debts were forgiven, and the land was given back to the original owners.

When Football, Faith, and Politics Collide Unless you’ve been intentionally avoiding the news or you’ve been living in a remote cabin in the wilderness without electricity or access to a smart phone (which sounds pretty good!), I’m sure you’ve seen the unfortunate saga playing out south of our border. On Monday 3rd of October, Andrew Thorburn was appointed CEO of the Essendon Football Club. Fairly unremarkable news, really. Until the very next day, Tuesday 4th of October, when news broke that Andrew had resigned. The reason for his sudden departure? Andrew is Chairman of the Movement Board at City on a Hill, an Anglican church in Melbourne with a number of other locations around the country. It was this association, and particularly City on a Hill’s orthodox views on

Why Believe the Bible? “2 timothy 3:16-17 “all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness…...” It was at St Lucia in 2012 at the University of Queensland where I first ventured into campus evangelism. Youthful and energised with the urge to share the saving message of Christ that I myself had only received that year. I remember enjoying the discussions around the evidence for God, the basis for morality, the unpacking of secular worldviews with non-believers, but to much of my amazement, I spent most of my time making the case that the Bible is the inerrant word of God among non-believers and believers alike. Proverbs 30:5 states “every word of God is flawless…...” in other words,

Love in a Shoebox This Sunday we will be celebrating and praying for the 233 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes our children at Oasis have packed. That’s 233 children living in poverty who will not only receive a gift, but will hear about the deep love God has for them. A big thank you to everyone who donated shoebox items or gave financially toward the items. On Sunday we’ll also have an opportunity to give toward the postage of those shoeboxes, which cost $10 per box to get into the hands of a child living in poverty. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News

Which Hills to Stand On Have you ever found yourself in a long, heated conversation over a very precise point of Christian belief? Or have you ever seen someone who seems to make a huge deal of a doctrine which doesn’t seem all that important? Or, have you seen the opposite. Perhaps it was a person or a church that refused to approach controversy, and ended up accepting or endorsing all kinds of unhealthy practices, or even ideas which are totally opposite to the Bible’s teaching. When Christians differ, the deep love and passion we have for knowing God and following him faithfully can turn into discord and division. But the Bible does repeatedly teach us to value sound doctrine, and not to accept false teaching. So, how do

A yoke of my own making A cup of tea had cooled in my hand, and I felt a sense of achievement sitting in my armchair reading my devotion for the day. I am setting up my day for success! Dang, I am nailing this Christian gig! Later on, while driving to work, a podcast on biblical history was playing and again, I felt that pang of accomplishment. I am so good at learning. God must be pretty chuffed with me right now. Before the lunch bell, I spoke to a student about their behaviour, sending them off with a prayer and a talk about respect and trust. Wow, good thing I’m such a patient and devout Christian teacher. What was wrong here? I was walking the Christian walk