Many years ago, a man living in an insane asylum died and was carried to his grave. When they were cleaning out his room they found some words written on the patient’s wall. This is what he had written … Could we with ink the ocean fill And were the skies of parchment made Were … Continue reading The Love of God
Trust
Someone once said that trust in the glue of all relationships. Trust holds things together. In contrast, when there is no trust, the relationship starts to break down. Trust creates confidence and removes suspicion and fear. When trust is high in a relationship, you could say the wrong thing and it will be okay. People … Continue reading Trust
The Others
If you think about it, the entire population of the world, with one exception, is composed of OTHERS. What would life look like if we stopped seeking to get everyone else to revolve around US and started taking OTHER people’s needs and interests as our first concern. That would be pretty counter-cultural in a world … Continue reading The Others
The Trinity
The apostle John boldly declares that, “God is love.” He doesn’t say that God is loving, although that is true OR that one of God’s activities is love, although that is true too. He says that God IS love – it is the very core of his being and nature. The Christian God is revealed … Continue reading The Trinity
Forgiveness
Have you ever been hurt or offended by someone? If you haven’t, you probably haven’t lived long or you need to get out a bit more. Everyone gets hurt – many times, either intentionally or unintentionally. When other people hurt us we have two options. 1. Our first and natural response is often one of … Continue reading Forgiveness
Faith
The majority of Australians believe in God – they have some sort of what we could call ‘faith.’ Genuine faith in God provides a strong foundation for many people’s lives – especially when everything else around us seems so uncertain. Of course, real faith is more than just believing in something or someone. Back in … Continue reading Faith
A Rabbit on the Swim Team
Once upon a time, the animals decided they would do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects. The duck was excellent in … Continue reading A Rabbit on the Swim Team
How Christianity Changed the World
Have you ever considered the tangible impact of the coming of Jesus Christ on our world? Sociologist, Alvin Schmit decided to do an extensive research project to answer this question. A summary of his research can be found in his excellent book How Christianity Changed the World (formerly published with the title Under the Influence). It … Continue reading How Christianity Changed the World
Discover!
As a child, I am sure someone asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We each had ideas about what our future might one day become. Sometimes those dreams become reality while at other times our very desires change. However, one thing we all want to be is useful. None … Continue reading Discover!
Technology and Families
A new study by the Barna Group reveals that families are more dependent on technology and media than ever and could benefit from some reflection on how they manage their time on-line, in front of the TV and on their digital devices. The research found that: Parents are just as dependent on technology as teens … Continue reading Technology and Families
The Grass Will Grow
I first heard this story in a sermon by Tony Campolo. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye ... "There was once a little boy named Mike. When he just was a toddler, he wanted a sand box and his mother said, 'That’ll be good', but his father said, 'There goes the … Continue reading The Grass Will Grow
A Macho Jesus?
What would Jesus look like if he were living on earth today? One artist, Stephen Sawyer, thinks he'd be more macho than wimp. Click here to read all about it. No doubt our image of Jesus is important. It's so easy to create a God who is what we want him to be and something … Continue reading A Macho Jesus?