SMALL Personal Matters Having just returned from interstate where I was surprisingly confronted with issues to do with sin, plus the church’s failure to testify to Jesus, I was feeling even more “overpeopled” than normal. Feeling crushed, re-traumatised (again!) and … Continue reading
Sabbath Keeping, Terrorism, Israel’s Jealousy and the End Personal Matters God is working out a global scenario involving Islamic terrorism the Gentile Church and the Jewish people. A friend who fled Kazakhstan recently because of persecution spoke prophetically when he … Continue reading
Andrew Chan and The Meaning of Life The Meaning of Life is the title of a privately distributed communication from Andrew Chan to the Indonesian Church a few months ago. (Excerpts below retain the original wording.) Personal Matters I have … Continue reading
Sacred Blood Bonds: an ANZAC reflection The Spirit is calling us to a deeper realisation of how much we need one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, this will reveal Jesus as the ultimate source of the mateship Australians … Continue reading
Isaiah and Jesus[1] St Mark’s Anglican Bassendean Isa 6:1-13 Ps 24 Acts 7:44-53; John 12:36-43 Preamble I connect very strongly with Isaiah, for 21 years ago at the end of a week of prayer when I felt extremely crushed I … Continue reading
Stop the Boats Personal Contradictions Many Perth churches minister into the Third World but few preach the plight of the global poor as an issue of biblical justice. The fate of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran incites frenzied interest but … Continue reading
Bruised: A Good Friday Meditation Personal Matters Many today feel like we are living in a time of intensifying spiritual warfare, and given the media attention provided to terrorism it is not surprising that talk of the “last days” is … Continue reading
Blood in the Cloud Personal Matters In a recent chat a friend excitedly shared how in a newly launched ministry they had taken up the practice of prayerfully blessing everyone who visited their building. This custom was already bearing remarkable … Continue reading
The Puzzle of Humanity Personal Matters Being human is a struggle. Looking back over my life I can see three phases of inner wrestling. When I was an unbeliever I nearly went crazy, especially when drunk, turning over and over … Continue reading
Corporate Wisdom: the Architecture of God Introduction Churches influenced by Western culture split between an emphases on the relevant, pragmatic and influential e.g. mega church profile, and what is incarnational, creative and diverse, e.g. emergent church profile. A different approach … Continue reading
Face Up Personal Matters Years ago I was at the centre of a shock few would believe could come happen in an Anglican Church; people were shouting, pointing their fingers, crying, rushing out of the service, angrily accusing me of … Continue reading
My Father’s Business “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). A while ago, I was at a small meeting with some people with a mutual interest in Christ’s kingdom in the workplace. We … Continue reading
Vindicate My Righteousness Personal Matters At last Saturday’s prayer meeting for persecuted Christians I felt completely out of my depth; “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how … Continue reading
Blessed to be a Blessing Gen 27:30-38; Ps 133; Eph 1:3-10; Matt 14:15-21 Introduction In the beginning “God created man in his own image …male and female he created them.” And because God liked what he had made, “God blessed … Continue reading
The Crisis of Authority Deut 18:15-20; Ps 111; 1 Cor 8; Mark 1:21-28 Introduction Moses prophesied to a rebellious Israel in the wilderness; ““The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me…it is to him you … Continue reading
Australia’s Zeal. 25.1.2015 Personal Matters Travelling abroad often brings perspective, and our recent trip to S.E. Asia did exactly that. Within two minutes of being with several taxi drivers in Kota Bharu (Malaysia) I knew exactly where they were in … Continue reading
Grace without Limit Personal Matters As a young Christian zealot I relished opportunities to defend the Lord’s truth, these days I need to be faced with a controversy to make comment. So there I was at a Boxing Day party … Continue reading
Safe Introduction In a changing world God is recalling us as Church to the seemingly impossible, to be “The Safest Place On Earth” (Larry Crabb). Just a few weeks ago the man on my right at a city bar spoke … Continue reading
Epiphany Isa 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-7, 10-14; Eph 3:1-12; Matt 2:1-12 Introduction Today is the Feast of The Epiphany, a story about the manifestation of Christ to the Gentile nations represented by the “wise men”. To properly appreciate this story we … Continue reading
2015 Reversal and Refuge 2014 will be remembered as a year of great evils; MH 370 disappears somewhere to the west of Perth; MH 17 is shot down over Ukraine; another flight “goes missing” over Indonesia; Ebola breaks out in … Continue reading
Relinquish Luke 2:25-35 28.12.14 Introduction Decades ago I pointed out that his opinion that that death could never be a good thing was contradicted by the story of Simeon. Luke tells us that “it had been revealed to him … Continue reading
Happy Holidays Personal Matters I have never felt happier with God than at this stage of my life and the abiding presence of his goodness is growing ever stronger. The root of these feelings stands in stark contrast to the … Continue reading
The Government of Peace Preface By way of introduction I need to explain that in the Bible the word “peace” does not mean the absence of conflict. It means something like wholeness, healing and salvation (Deut 6:24-26; Luke 7:50; 8:48). … Continue reading
Satan, Siege, Survival 16.12.12 Post Trauma Reflections God has been speaking to his Church through the hostage siege in Sydney. If we have ears to hear him the Lord is speaking powerfully to draw the comfortable Western Church into … Continue reading
Complete Personal Matters Sometimes the Lord has to speak to us multiple times over a period of years before his word is “piercing to the division of soul and of spirit…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.…” (Heb 4:12). … Continue reading
Phillip Hughes Why? Personal Matters God has a prophetic purpose in the midst of painful events; “Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his … Continue reading
Come Again Isa 64.1-9; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Cor 1:1-9; Mark 13:24-37 Introduction I cannot recall a sermon topic which has been more of a challenge to my own spirituality than this one. With teaching on the Second Coming of … Continue reading
Fire Personal Matters Listening to speakers at three meetings in two states over two consecutive days can be very demanding, especially when you test men’s words by Jesus’ testimony; “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt … Continue reading
Sweet Wine Personal Matters Spiritually it has been “a long time between drinks.” Though often feeling close to God and hearing him clearly it is a long time since I have experienced a radical empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts … Continue reading
Rest Again Personal Matters Restless sleep, pastors’ meetings in disorder, Indigenous Christian leadership burning with anger, young people in addiction; surrounded by such things I sensed clearly: God is restless and that he is missing the enjoyment of his rest. … Continue reading