blog
We Can Make a Difference
We Can Make a Difference I wonder how you feel when you’re confronted with photos of children living in poverty. You know the photos I’m talking about—the ones that pop up on our Facebook feed, or on day-time television, or appear in our letterboxes with the mail. Photos of severely malnourished babies in the arms of their mothers, or of a child collecting water from a dirty waterhole, or even an Australian child in a torn school uniform with a plastic bag and no lunch. I don’t know about you, but seeing those images usually brings me to tears. And the immense scope of poverty and injustice can seem overwhelming. But let me encourage you, because there are things we can all be doing, and we can all make
Better Together
Better Together I have a son who is fascinated by animals. This means I often hear “Let me tell you about… (insert any and every animal here)”. Well, it is my turn now, and you have the privilege to hear me say “Let me tell you about... the emperor penguin”. Emperor penguins live in the Antarctic where it is, obviously, freezing. Researchers have discovered that the penguins huddle together for more than just warmth, they also make very specific, synchronized movements that further the effort to retain heat. Roughly every 30 to 60 seconds, all of the penguins in one row of the huddle move anywhere from 5 to 10 centimetres in the same direction. The penguins in the next row copy the movement soon after, over and over,
The Mid-Year Challange
The Mid-Year Challenge If you’ve opened the YouVersion Bible app recently you would have noticed something called ‘The Mid-Year Challenge’. It’s got nothing to do with exercising, eating or budgeting, though those are all good things. It’s a challenge to make time with God a daily habit by selecting a Bible reading plan and then completing daily readings for seven days in a row. For some, this might sound like a significant challenge, while for others, it may sound like your average week. Wherever you find yourself, it’s a good challenge for all of us to consider and a good reminder about the importance of regularly feeding on God’s word. Psalm 1 powerfully reminds us that the pathway of life with God leads us deeper into the word of
The Story Behind the Song – Rock of Ages
The Story Behind the Song: ‘Rock of Ages’ I was recently given a very old, very beautiful hymn book from a member at our church. The hymn book, titled ‘Sacred Songs & Solos and New Hymns & Solos, 888 Pieces’ was published in 1898 and is believed to be one of the first ever compiled hymnals. I am so thankful for this special gift and will truly treasure it. The songs themselves are treasures; indeed, the richness in the lyrics and the history and stories behind the songs are priceless. As I’ve leafed through the pages there are some songs that I recognise and still to this day love singing with our church. One of the songs, Rock of Ages, stood out to me because I recently heard a
Let Justice Roll
Let Justice Roll My eldest turned 18 this week, which means I’ve been looking through old photos and gathering the most embarrassing ones together for his party! It’s certainly sparked lots of lovely memories, well, for me, anyway. I have especially fond memories of the Kindy years – puzzles, water play, box construction, playdough, circle games, day-time naps. I often wished I could go to Kindy for the day. I also remember the seemingly endless number of paintings that came home each week. They would cover our fridge. We’d use them to wrap gifts, we’d even frame them and give them to grandparents. But there always seemed to be more. And our children would be absolutely heartbroken at the mere thought of throwing away something they’ve made. How could
Proverbs for Your Pennies
Proverbs for Your Pennies The Bible has a lot to say about money and a variety of other issues related to it. Some people estimate there are, in fact, more than 2,000 verses about money and related topics in the Bible. This Sunday we are exploring Jesus’ challenging words in Matthew 6 v.19-24. Now, you might assume this wealth of material is a good thing. And you’d be right; we need all the help we can get to properly understand and manage our finances in a way that honours God. But there is also a dark side to this deluge of data. Because the Bible says so much about money the temptation is to develop an imbalanced theology of money; to focus on one particular aspect of its teaching to the neglect of
The Armour of God
The Armour of God As a young child I recall many colouring-in-sheets and activities during church that were related to the armour of God, described in Ephesians 6. I recall these activities so vividly because the language used by the Apostle Paul in that passage to describe the armour is reminiscent of what a Roman soldier would wear, and I loved Roman history (I was a bit nerdy). More recently, I’ve found myself back in Ephesians 6, but this time for different reasons. It is a great reminder of the spiritual defenses we are equipped with as Christians to take our “stand against the devil’s schemes” (v.11). I won’t copy it all out here, but I encourage you to read Ephesian 6:10-17 sometime soon. The imagery used is a
Created for Community
Created for Community In the well-known movie, Castaway, FedEx employee Chuck Noland is marooned on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific Ocean. In the film, a volleyball named Wilson becomes Chuck’s imaginary friend and companion during the four years he spends marooned on the island. If you have seen the movie, you can recall the devastating moment when Wilson floats away from Chuck into the vast ocean. I can still vividly recall Chuck’s pained cry: “WILLLSOOOOOON!”. Although Castaway is fiction, this particular story line points to the reality of our need for companionship. God has created us to do life with others. Paul Tripp puts it like this, “We weren’t created to be independent, autonomous, or self-sufficient. We were made to live in a
