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Peace and Practicality in a Pandemic
Peace and Practicality in a Pandemic For the last couple of months, we have been in a sermon series exploring the fruit of the Spirit; the characteristics God is producing in our lives by the presence of his Spirit. A few weeks ago, we explored the fruit of peace. Now let’s be honest, on a global and societal level 2020 has been somewhat short on peace! We’ve seen extensive drought give way to destructive bushfires, followed by a flurry of flooding—only in Australia! And now the coronavirus is spreading its way across our globe, taking lives, filling our news feed, and emptying our supermarket shelves. It’s hard not to feel at least a little bit anxious. For this reason, it’s important for us to ground ourselves in the sovereignty
Story Behind the Song: ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’
Story Behind the Song: ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’ I have vivid memories of when my Dad first taught me how to drive. With white knuckles and sweaty hands, I gripped the steering wheel and stared at the road. I remember fixing my eyes on the white lines trying to navigate the car to stay exactly in the middle of the lane. Dad must have seen where I was looking and said to me, “Don’t look at the road directly in front of you. Lift your eyes up and look ahead further.” When I looked up and out I found navigating the car was instantly easier. I could still see the white lines and keep in the middle of the lane as well as being able to see everything
A New Name for a New Season
A New Name for a New Season Earlier this year I shared with you some of the things Church Council have been thinking through and praying about over the last 12 months, including the possibility of changing our name. When we first relocated from Stafford to our current location we were known as Bray Park Reformed Church. This made sense at the time because we belonged (and still do) to the ‘Christian Reformed Churches of Australia’ denomination and we were located (and still are) in the suburb of Bray Park. However, given the declining relevance of denominational affiliation to the average Australian, the term ‘Reformed’ was dropped and we became Bray Park Community Church. Now, for a number of reasons, we believe the time has come for a new
The Husband’s Calling
The Husband’s Calling I was listening to a podcast the other day where the two speakers were talking about cultivating a healthy marriage. They were speaking specifically to the unique challenges of pastors but what they said applies to all Christian husbands. As I was listening, they brought up Ephesians 5:25, where it says ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’. This verse has remained on my mind over the past few days. On the one hand, I love how straightforward it is. I don’t have a huge list of things that I need to remember in order to be a Godly husband. Instead, I have an example. Jesus loved the church by laying down his life for her, now
A Prayer for Valentine’s Day
Prayer for Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many, ignored by some, and painful for others. It’s not a day that is usually recognised on the Christian calendar and its history and origin are uncertain. Despite the differences we might feel about this day, I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be united in prayer. Specifically, to pray for marriages, for singles, and for the fruit of love in our lives. Prayer for Marriages One of my favourite events to attend are weddings. I love the atmosphere and anticipation while people wait for the bride to arrive, the look on the groom’s face when the bride walks down the aisle, watching shaking hands as rings are exchanged. It’s a beautiful occasion. But we all know that
Musings from the Middle East: Jericho
Cypriot Bichrome Pottery. It seems like an unnecessary technical term, and it is hard to imagine why it might be important. But many have claimed that it can be used to prove that the Old Testament is not historically accurate. What is Cypriot Bichrome Pottery, you might ask? It is a type of pottery made in Cyprus (Cypriot) with a distinct two-color (bi-chrome) style. This pottery was all the rage around the time that the Bible says that the Israelites conquered the Promised Land. In fact, Cypriot Bichrome Pottery was so popular among the wealthy, that archaeologists look for it as a key way of telling whether a city was active in this time period. Cypriot Bichrome Pottery then was like Nike apparel or Apple devices are today. So,
What John Stott Did Every Morning
What John Stott Did Every Morning What is your morning routine? What are the first few things you do when you get out of bed in the morning? Maybe you get up early and retreat to a quiet spot to spend some time reading your Bible and in prayer. It might be that you have to jump straight into the day; get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunches, and so on. Maybe you’re at a different stage of life and you can go at a somewhat slower pace. Apparently, John Stott (1921–2011), world-renowned church leader, author, and Bible teacher, would do the same thing each and every morning when he woke up; he would pray the following prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your
Gratitude and Lament
Gratitude and Lament I’m really looking forward to gathering together this Sunday. Of course, I look forward to every Sunday, but this week we have a little something extra planned. We will not only—as we always do—sing to our God, come before Him in prayer, open up His word, and encourage one another. We will also pray for our leaders, hear where God is leading us this year, find out about ministries that are kicking off, have an opportunity to sign up to serve, and then celebrate together at our ‘Summer Party’ after the service with a sausage sizzle, ice-cream, face painting and games for the whole family. That’s a whole lot of good things packed into one Sunday! I hope to see you there. Not to mention the
