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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
The History of Christmas Carols
The History of Christmas Carols Christmas Carols... love them or loathe them, it’s inevitable that you’re going to hear Christmas Carols in the coming weeks. I love Christmas Carols which is probably a good thing because I start listening to them in July in preparation for December services! Whatever your disposition is towards them, I hope you enjoy reading this brief history about Christmas Carols. There’s so much information about where Carols started and about their musical evolution. The first Christmas song was written in 129AD by a Roman Bishop who said a song called ‘Angels Song’ should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another early Christmas song was written in 760AD by Comas of Jerusalem. However, these early Christmas Carols (as we now call them) were
Using Our Words in Our Calling as Christians
Using Our Words in Our Calling as Christians Rob Humphreys is a member of our church and has written this article for your encouragement. He is married to Glenda and has four adult children. The Oxford Dictionary defines a calling as a ‘profession’ or ‘trade’. As a retiree I don’t fall into either category. Am I just a non-taxpaying burden on society? That’s not what God’s Word says. I am reminded by the Lord of glory that I have a threefold calling from heaven itself: A High Calling (Philippians 3:14) A Holy Calling (2 Timothy 1:9) A Heavenly Calling (Hebrews 3:1) All of us who name the name of Christ – whether staff, elders, or members share this high, holy, and heavenly calling. There is no great divide between
International Day of Prayer
International Day of Prayer This Sunday, the Church will unite as the one body of Christ to pray for persecuted Christians – those who share our faith, but not our freedom. The International Day of Prayer is an initiative of Open Doors, an organisation whose mission is to strengthen and prepare Christians living in persecution, and to mobilise the Australian church to identify with the global body of Christ. Open Doors is encouraging churches to pray for persecuted Christians, in particular, for secret believers, for women, and for children. We will spend time praying together as a church on Sunday, but can I encourage you to be praying at home as well. You might like to use the following as a guide for your prayers. Together, lets pray for
