We continue to today with insights from our Proverb of the week, Proverbs 9, from the Message Bible. Vs.4-6. Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on? Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me! I've prepared a wonderful spread - fresh–baked bread, roast lamb, carefully selected wines. Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street … Continue reading Proverbs 9
Here is a quote from Gregory Boyd's helpful book Present Perfect: Finding God in the Now. When many Christians first hear about the practice of the presence of God, it strikes them as an impossible discipline. Perhaps supersaints locked up in monasteries can attain this level of awareness, but not us average folk who work … Continue reading God is with you NOW
Today we continue with our Proverb of the day, Proverbs 2. Reflections are from the Message Bible translation. Vs. 2. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. We live in a wordy world. TV, radio, social media, reading material and conversations infiltrate our day whether we want to … Continue reading Proverbs 2
A few weeks back I wrote a letter to the Australian Prime Minister expressing concern about how children are being treated in detention centres. This last week I received a response from him and I post it here. It feels like a "everyone has a right to their opinion but we're going to do … Continue reading Asylum Seeker Treatment: A Response from Prime Minister Tony Abbott
As we head towards the crazy Christmas season, it's a good thing to pause and think about consumerism and the follower of Christ. At CityLife, we have a social justice LifeGroup and they have put together a paper designed to be a thought provoking series of questions and comments exploring some key issues which confront … Continue reading Christianity, Christmas and Consumerism
As we dig into today's Proverb, let's reflect on the wisdom coming to us from Proverbs 24 in the Message Bible. Vs.3-4. A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. What kind of a house are you building? A home takes … Continue reading Proverbs 24
A good friend of mine sent me this earlier in the week. I thought it was quite funny but had some good points. Let's always seek to love and encourage those who lead us, in whatever capacity. Pastors have a tough job. They get more kicks than kisses. If a pastor is young, he lacks … Continue reading Love Your Pastor
Another week rolls by and we come to our Proverb of the Day. Today it's some wisdom from Proverbs 17 in the Message Bible translation. Vs.3. As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan, so our lives are assayed by God. God tests us to see what we are made of. Times of pressure and … Continue reading Proverbs 17
Let's read and reflect on the following related Scriptures: James 5:7-8. Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. … Continue reading Spiritual Leadership Lessons from Farming
Back in 1964 Bob Dylan sang, "The times they are a changing." How true and the changes haven't let up. One business writer put it this way: Winds of change are barrelling in from all directions. Competition is tougher than ever and coming from places you least expected. The customer is more sophisticated and demanding. … Continue reading Leading in Changing Times
It's time for some reflections from our weekly Proverb and today is the 10th of the month so it's Proverbs 10 (Message Bible). Vs.4-5. Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth. Make hay while the sun shines – that's smart; go fishing during harvest – that's stupid. Life operates on the principle of sowing and reaping. We reap what … Continue reading Proverbs 10
The inhumane treatment of asylum seekers here in Australia is extremely concerning. Thankfully, more and more people are speaking up about it. All year, Christian leaders have been peacefully protesting and writing letters. I encourage you to do the same. Here is a copy of an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott I … Continue reading An Open Letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbot re Treatment of Asylum Seekers
Good friends of ours, Rob and Christie Buckingham (pastors of Bayside Church here in Melbourne), host The Exchange, an interactive TV program that engages with a variety of current issues, including parenting, technology, dealing with loss, the sexualisation of children, and domestic violence. The Exchange is like meeting with your friends in a coffee shop … Continue reading The Exchange TV
Here is some more amazing wisdom from the Book of Proverbs from the Message Bible: Vs.5-6. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God 's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Life is a journey of … Continue reading Proverbs 3
I remember attending my first Halloween party as a kid (not long after our family moved to the USA back in the 1970s), with its eerily lit pumpkins, freaky dress-up costumes and the scary dark room we were all dared to navigate ourselves through, kind of like a pseudo-haunted house. It was a lot of fun. … Continue reading Halloween – Trick or Treat?
