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Who’s Afraid of the ‘H’ Word?
Who’s Afraid of the ‘H’ Word? What do you think about when you hear the word ‘holiness’? It isn’t a word that we use often, and for some it comes with strong negative connotations. It might bring to mind strict rules, unreachable purity, stern conduct, and bland obedience. But holiness is a common theme in the Bible, and it is never described as a bad thing! In fact, holiness is described as something great, which leads to true happiness. Holiness in the Bible is a key part of a Christian life, and is something to strive for. Holiness describes absolute moral purity—to be holy is to be completely good, to not only do what is right, but to never do wrong. God, of course, is the perfect embodiment of
The countdown is on!
The countdown is on! You might be wondering ‘what countdown?’ In roughly 60 days, athletes from all over the world will come together for the much-anticipated, perhaps controversial, and slightly postponed (thanks COVID) Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. And while there are many discussions going around regarding the wisdom of holding the event in light of the pandemic, let’s focus for a moment on the athletes who’ll be there to compete. I can only imagine the extensive preparation that must go into training and being ready to compete at an international level. The degree of self-discipline athletes must have leading up to an event, is just amazing. And how can you not admire their determination and focus? Everything they do is with the end goal in mind – winning. With
You’re Invited!
You’re Invited! Later this year, on Sunday 18th of July, we will celebrate 30 years of ministry on this campus. We are thankful to God for all that he has done in and through us as a church, and we look forward to all that he might continue to do into the future. We want the whole church family to be able to gather and be part of the celebrations, so we intend to hold one worship service at 9am in two locations (the church auditorium and school auditorium). Both locations will have live music, a live MC, with the sermon to be livestreamed into the school auditorium. After the 9am service we will then hold a celebration on the lawn and around our campus with jumping castles, hot
A Prayer for Mother’s Day!
A Prayer for Mother’s Day I wonder if there is any other day in our calendar that provokes such deep and contrasting emotions as Mother’s Day? For some, it is a day of celebration, gratitude, and joy; you rejoice in your role as mother (and perhaps now as grandmother) and give thanks for the blessing of your offspring. For others, though, it’s a day of disappointment, loss, and pain; you grieve unfulfilled desires, unreconciled relationships, and untimely loss. For many, it will be a mixture of both. Mother’s Day is a lot like life; it’s good and grievous, beautiful and broken, joyful and painful. This is why perhaps the most pressing need on a day like Mother’s Day (and every other day) is prayer. To turn to the God
Did Jesus Always Correct People
Did Jesus Always Correct People? Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. (Philippians 4:5) I’ve had this nagging question in my mind recently. I’ve always thought it’s Biblical to be both courteous and reasonable to others, but I wondered whether these ideas were truly Biblical? I recently heard someone argue that Jesus was gentle with sinners, that he wouldn’t have corrected every single wrong thing a person said or did all the time. In other words, he was reasonable. It’s not that they were arguing that he would water down the truth… but rather, that he was gentle and took his time with people. This made sense to me knowing how Jesus befriended the ‘big sinners’ of society (Luke 7:34). They seemed to love him! The Bible clearly says
Creation reflects the Creator
Creation reflects the Creator I love Autumn. I love the cool air, the warm sun, the changing colours of the leaves. One of my sisters who lives in Canberra sent me a photo recently of the trees all displaying the autumn colours of red and yellow and orange, so beautiful. And while we don’t get to enjoy quite the stark changes of seasons that Canberra does, I am still enjoying what we do have. My crepe myrtle tree, which flowers in the summertime, is dropping its leaves and bark, bringing a different kind of simple beauty. Being outside in nature often makes me wonder afresh at the work of God’s hand. Which always leads me to worship and adore Him. Is it any wonder that the Creator is reflected
An Invitation to Prayer
An Invitation to Prayer I’m writing this during the week leading up to the celebration of our last 9am Sunday service. I feel both nostalgic and thankful for what God has done and continues to do in and through His church here at BPCC. I’ve been at BPCC since late 1997. Soon after my family and I started coming here I joined the Worship Team (with my clarinet!). I remember the organ that sat below the stain glass large window, the wooden stage, the library that used to stand against a wall that isn’t even there anymore! In fact, many walls have been knocked down to make more space for more people. What a joy and great privilege that God is using what we’re doing to call people to
Why are there fewer miracles today?
Why are there fewer miracles today? On December 14, 2019, a 2-year old girl named Olive Heiligenthal died in her sleep. It was heartbreaking, especially of course for Olive’s parents, Andrew and Kalley, both worship leaders and songwriters for Bethel Church in Redding, California. Soon after Olive’s passing, her mother Kalley posted on Instagram issuing a desperate call to “pray for a miracle of resurrection”. She called on the global church to “…stand with us in belief that He will raise this little girl back to life.” A similar request was posted for the next 6 days before finally, when it seemed clear their prayers would not be answered, they moved towards a memorial service and celebration of Olive’s life. It is a desperately sad situation, as is the loss
