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The Prayer God Loves to Answer Most
The Prayer God Loves to Answer Most I love praying. Admittedly, I know I could spend more time praying. But when I make time to pray, not just a quick prayer while I’m driving or going to sleep, I mean really take time to get on my knees and pray, I am always left feeling closer to God and encouraged by His goodness, love, and faithfulness. Last Sunday, as part of our new series looking at Jesus’ prayer in John 17, the sermon was titled ‘Praying for Glory’. We were reminded that Jesus prayed not to conform God to His agenda, rather Jesus prayed to conform His heart to God’s agenda. When we follow Jesus’ example and focus (or mediate) on Scripture and the truths of God, God is
Going to School at the Hospital
GEMS and Cadets are primary-aged boys and girls ministries at BPCC. We meet every fortnight (during school term) on Thursday evenings at the church to have fun, build friendships, and learn more about our great God. Also, every year the GEMS and Cadets clubs from all over Australia raise money for a specific mission project. This year we are raising some much-needed funds for the Honiara Hospital School in the Solomon Islands. This is a small school built by the Reformed churches of Australia and New Zealand through SWIM, the missions base in the Solomon Islands run by the CRCA. The hospital school is located at the Honiara Hospital (the major referral hospital to all of Solomon Islands). It was built for the children who miss school while they
Fatherhood in Five Words or Less
How would you describe parenting in five words or less? This was the question posed on Twitter recently (#ParentingIn5WordsOrLess)—and it’s fair to say there were a great number and variety of suggestions. Some were heart-warming, some serious, and some seriously funny. Here are a few of my favourites: ‘Is that poop or chocolate?’ ‘It’s quiet, too quiet.’ ‘Because I said so.’ ‘Are we there yet?’ ‘What’s in your mouth?’ ‘Don’t drink the bathwater.’ ‘Why is this sticky?’ ‘Where are your pants?’ ‘Go ask your mother.’ ‘What did your father say?’ ‘Long days, but short years.’ ‘Would do it all again.’ As I read (laughed) my way through these responses, and as I remembered that Father’s Day was coming up, it got me thinking about how the Bible might define
Step into My Shoes
What does it mean to ‘step into someone else’s shoes’? We’ve been asking our Kidz Church children to do just that this term. We’ve been watching video clips of a family living in Uganda to see what life is like for them. And as Pastor Tom, his wife, and 12 children have shown us where they live, how they collect and prepare their food and water, what their church is like, and what they like to do for fun, our children in Australia have been able to step into their shoes, even if just for a moment. We’ve seen a lot of differences between life in Uganda and life in Australia. The children walk to a well to collect water for the family. The water needs to be boiled
Grateful for Another Great Camp
Last weekend at Mt. Tamborine we held our annual Youth Camp, and I’m so grateful to say that it was a great success! We had over 100 young people and leaders on-site, and everyone had a fun and impactful time. The production crew did a great job and the band led us in powerful, genuine times of worship. We had three key speakers who unpacked the biblical truth that as disciples of Jesus we are called, grown and sent. The Spirit of God convinced and challenged many of our young people with a number making the decision to follow Jesus, as well as many deep discussions about our faith and our calling. Praise God! We also got to form closer bonds with the youth from the other Reformed churches
We Need Each Other
Have you ever watched ants work together? As much as they’re a pest when they infest my pantry, I find it incredible the way they work together! I read this week that an ant colony is like a factory. Nestmates work together to convert resources (food) into products, other ants take care of the queen and her brood, while worker ants go outside to gather food and defend the nest against enemies. God truly is an amazing Creator! I don’t write this as a biology lesson, rather a wonderful illustration and example for us. Just as God has created ants to work together, just like they need each other for the colony to thrive, we too need each other for the church to thrive! 1 Corinthians 12 talks about
Does Jesus Really Understand?
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15) Being part of a Growth Group is such a blessing. This came home to me this week as my Growth Group dove deeper into last week’s sermon, ‘The Sexuality of Jesus’. We spent a lot of time on the first question, ‘Do you think Jesus experienced the same temptations that we experience?’. For some of us it was as simple as quoting Hebrews 4:15, but others of us needed more time to ponder what this actually looked like. Later on in the week one of the members messaged our group
Why You Shouldn’t Be Cynical
Cynical (adjective): distrustful of human sincerity or integrity; doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile; synonyms: sceptical, doubtful, distrustful, suspicious, disbelieving, scoffing, pessimistic, negative, hardened, world-weary, disillusioned, disenchanted, jaundiced, bleak. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard not to be cynical. An endless news cycle of disease, corruption, violence, and exploitation frustrate our enjoyment of life and wear away at our optimism. Sometimes it’s hard not to close our newspapers or shut down our social media apps in the morning without a resigned sigh. But is this the way it should be? Should Christians walk through life with a permanent scoff and hardened scepticism? Dan DeWitt, author of Life in the Wild: Fighting for Faith in a Fallen World, suggests not. He provides 5 reasons
