The Mystery of Marriage[1] Revelation 1: Equality “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Introduction to Series Across the Western world the state of marriage is in crisis. Marriage rates have plunged in Scandinavia, births out of wedlock are … Continue reading →

Personal Matters Before heading overseas last month I felt quite overwhelmed by the pressures of ministering/fathering to people. I left seeking a greater share in the relationship between the Father and the Son as a source of all spiritual strength. … Continue reading →

Finally Human In the last week I have several times become lost on my way to familiar venues, totally forgotten an important meeting I was meant to chair, and whenever I think about the future it seems to be wholly … Continue reading →

Do it again! Personal Matters A few weeks ago I had a surprise phone call from someone in Adelaide who knew me 40 odd years ago at the charismatic youth-oriented Jesus Centre. A few days later at a church fete … Continue reading →

Unchristian Unfathered Introduction In the last six months 3 Anglican ministers in Perth have been defrocked, on Monday this week I heard about a Pentecostal youth pastor stood down because of fooling around with girls, then in Tuesday’s West Australian … Continue reading →

Control Freak Personal Matters In a recent meeting reviewing the progress of Perth Prayer[1] one of the most insightful brothers said we were suffering from “hardening of the artistry” (Charles Slack). By this he meant that our format of worship, … Continue reading →

Generation Personal Matters At the height of the Vietnam War masses of young people were protesting in the streets and a consensus existed that ANZAC Day would die a natural death. I was part of that generation who considered they … Continue reading →

Death: A Meditation Personal Matters A few days ago I had a very intense conversation with a church leader about some foundational problems in a local congregation. The situation was complex and any way forward required deep humility and carried … Continue reading →

Cling Personal matters Recently I have been sensing that we are too measured in our approach to the things of God. This might seem like a reflection of my “intense” personality; but I believe such a conviction is biblical. An … Continue reading →

Healing Australia’s Wound Personal Matters A few days ago I was with Christians of many nationalities gathered with elders/members of the Noongar tribe by the banks of the Swan River. The site overlooks a fresh water spring and is close … Continue reading →

Personal Matters I was engaged in conversation recently with a national leader in a Christian marketplace mentoring organisation. Rather naughtily I inquired, “Do you teach those being mentored about idolatry?” The response was a blank stare and speechlessness; the extreme … Continue reading →

Introduction In a time of national crisis the LORD spoke through Jeremiah, “Has a nation ever changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.12 Be appalled, O … Continue reading →

Set Apart “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, … Continue reading →

Introduction The topic of spiritual formation finds its biblical basis in the knowledge of God. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3, ESV). … Continue reading →

Impotence: The Crisis of Fathering in Australia Today Preamble Several years ago I intentionally left theological lecturing to focus on more effective ways of making disciples. Unexpectedly this has lead to spending a lot of time with individuals (nearly always … Continue reading →

Lord’s Prayer (LP) 4. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil[1] Introduction Two weeks ago a mentally disturbed father murdered his 11 year old son, this week a 15year old bashed his infant child senseless. … Continue reading →

Family Forever 2. Unbelievable Personal Matters Lately my heart has been filled with tension, restlessness and annoyance at the half truths spoken by spouses in struggling marriages, believers wilfully disobeying God and deception in the Church.  Observing internal inconsistencies in … Continue reading →

Family Forever 1. Personal Matters Apart from the impact of my own family of origin my greatest griefs in life have been experienced in the Church. So when the Spirit started to challenge me recently to turn away from “them … Continue reading →

Satisfaction Personal Matters When the Rolling Stones released the hit “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” it struck a powerful chord with the sexually driven generation of the 60’s, and nothing much has changed since. Some years after rocking to these … Continue reading →

Lord’s Prayer 1. Our Father Preamble The strength of my personal convictions about the importance of prayer come from God’s dealings in my own life. About 30 years ago I was in the middle of a period of intense and … Continue reading →

Wound Personal Matters In my last article, Ignorant, I shared about my overwhelming experiences of spiritual dullness. Several people responded to this teaching saying they felt much the same about their own lives. Closely related to this is a persistent … Continue reading →

Ignorant Personal Matters I have just returned from a time interstate which I hoped would include a time of retreat from people; almost the exact opposite happened. I turned out spending quite some hours answering a host of questions from … Continue reading →

“Is that all there is?” Personal Matters Through mentoring folk from every continent, getting alongside pastors, businessmen, lawyers, artists and local church people etc. 2013 has turned out to be a very exhausting year. Much of this has to do … Continue reading →

The Mystery of God Introduction For some years I have observed that emotional darkness descends upon me when I am simultaneously dealing with multiple marriage crises, this may involve the courts, domestic violence, emotional estrangement and so on. Allied with … Continue reading →

Wise Men Follow the Star Personal Matters In praying about writing something Christmassy I have decided to focus in on one of the more neglected and misunderstood aspects of the infancy narratives. Living in Western Australia whilst power and population … Continue reading →

Mirror Personal Matters It’s not very often that we get to see ourselves as others see us, but God has a way of cornering us when we least expect it. I was looking at myself in a large mirror the … Continue reading →

Attractive Personal Matters I have been quite drained lately but have learned that beneath painful symptoms the Lord is always addressing a deeper life issue. I began to realise I had given up hope of influencing the broader state of … Continue reading →

Envisioning the Impossible Personal Matters I am not used to living with perplexity. Last week however I hear something which caused me great perplexity and motivated me to seek the Lord for a serious answer. At Perth Prayer we heard … Continue reading →

What does the Messianic movement mean to Jesus? Introduction “What does the Messianic movement mean to Jesus?” is a question of both immense importance and terrible neglect.[1] Since the deepest revelation of what matters to Christ is the gospel, then … Continue reading →

The Hope Filling Father Introduction Our society is running out of hope because it has abandoned the story of Jesus. The CEO of World Vision Tim Costello speaks like a worried man when he says, ‘we’ve stripped our kids of … Continue reading →