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Worship in Song
Worship in Song I don’t know if I have a favourite song… I mean, there are so many to pick from! There are definitely tunes which I instinctively turn up the volume for on the radio. Like U2’s ‘All I want is You’, because it was Troy and my first dance on our wedding day, or ‘You are my Sunshine’, which I sang to my children when they were babies. I also love worshiping to ‘How Great Thou Art’ because of the rich lyrics, the powerful story behind it! But a single favourite? Nope, I couldn’t pick just one. Do you have a favourite? Do you think God has a favourite song? I don’t. I do, however, believe he loves when we worship him in song. More than that,
Laughing at the Days to Come
Laughing at the Days to Come Imagine being a child on holidays. Camping in beautiful weather, visiting the beach every day, your parents ignoring their usual sugar limits. Then, imagine coming back home to find out you've got two extra weeks of holidays! You'd be laughing at the days to come! For some children though, who perhaps live remotely or have had to stay at home over the holidays, you're not so joy filled. Then there are us adults- when life happens, often laughing at the days to come is our least likely reaction. While my children celebrated an extra few weeks of holidays, I felt some dread about how I'd handle work with kids at home for another two weeks. At the same time, one of my dearest
Salt and Light
Salt and Light The early days of the Christian church were exciting, but at the same time dramatic and dangerous as Christ’s message went out into all the known world. The world was turned upside down (Acts 17:6). Attention was focused on the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for the gospel. They were the “influencers” of that era to use the modern jargon, unlike the “influencers” of today—the celebrities, the politicians, the media moguls. Two characteristics of the early church stood out: their unity of purpose and the love they had for one another. How does the ordinary person view the Christian church today? The media certainly plays a part in influencing the views of the average person in the street, and the
What Are You Feeling This Christmas?
What Are You Feeling This Christmas? As Christmas approaches this week, many people will be feeling many different emotions. There will a great deal of joy, a lot of laughter, and after a big Christmas meal, there will be contented sleepiness. There will be childish delight, and there will be the happy tears of families and friends being reunited. But there will also be many people with mixed emotions. There are those who are still separated from loved ones, and who miss them deeply. There are those who are lonely, and who longingly remember more ‘full’ Christmases gone by. There are those for whom the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas trigger memories of past hurt. There are those who wish time with the family was a cheery event,
My Year in Books
My Year in Books I must admit, one of my favourite things about this time of year is not simply the lights, the carols and the gatherings (as good as those things are), but also the year-end lists. Whether it’s music, movies, or books, I enjoy reflecting on the year that’s been and the content that stood out above the rest. 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. Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund A book that took the Christian world by storm, and for good reason! The heart of Christ is deep, wide and expansive, as Dane Ortlund so profoundly reveals. Drink
The Subversive Power of the Gospel
The Subversive Power of the Gospel My friend Ashley told me a story this week. She used to own a business here in Brisbane, and she explained how she once asked one of her employees to stand in a parking space out the front so that she could bring her car around and load some things into it. However, as she drove around the front of the shop, she saw her employee being verbally abused by a man who wanted to park there. He was angry, very angry. His reaction was totally out of proportion to the problem. Ashley was horrified, so she quickly stopped her car and went up to this man. And what did she do? She gently responded to him, and politely said that he could
Advent — More Than a Chocolate Calendar
Advent — More Than a Chocolate Calendar On Wednesday morning I received an excited, albeit early, wake-up call from our youngest children. They’d been looking forward to the 1st of December for weeks! They knew they’d wake up to Advent calendars and therefore eat chocolate first thing in the morning for the next twenty-five days. Well, that’s what we used to do. But we’ve implemented a new practice in our household this year; we’re not eating our Christmas Advent calendar chocolate until we’ve read our Advent devotion. Because if I’m honest, we’ve never been too busy to eat the chocolate but we have had days in December where we didn’t make time to focus on what Advent is really about. In its simplest definition, Advent is the season of
Thank You for Your Feedback
Thank You for Your Feedback We recently conducted a churchwide survey. The goal of the survey was to provide an opportunity for you to have your say, to share feedback, to identify where things are going well and also where we could become healthier. While the survey is not the only factor we consider when determining priorities and goals for the upcoming ministry year, it does influence and guide our decision making. I’m thankful to report that we had almost 170 people complete the survey, across all age groups and all levels of experience with our church. The results of the survey were encouraging and the insights were helpful, with positive feedback given in many areas of church life and some areas identified where we could grow or do
