The Happy Father Personal Matters Whilst my serious manner has led some people to think that I am not a relational person, Jesus is increasingly making this opinion untrue. Recently he has been communicating an indispensible element of relating. In … Continue reading →

Marriage Equality and the Fear of Satan Language Twisters Satan is a specialist in corrupting the language of intimacy. I remember when “free sex” was substituted for “promiscuity”, and we all know what “gay” means. The title of this article … Continue reading →

Broken Light I believe the Lord himself is planning a major disruption to “everyday Church life”. If however we lack discernment we may reject the Spirit’s moving, or be led astray by other powers. This teaching starts with personal matters … Continue reading →

The Fighting Father Personal Matters In a week when I grew increasingly conscious of my lack of energy to deeply intercede for my natural and spiritual children two people told me I was “looking angry”, a little later I sensed … Continue reading →

The Holy Spirit as the Power of Spiritual Formation Introduction Western Christianity is in the midst of a spiritual crisis with issues of sexual immorality, ignorance of scripture and prayerlessness abounding[1].  To seek power from the Spirit as a solution … Continue reading →

Sleep Working Personal Matters I was encouraging a friend the other day in the context of giving the best part of his day to the Lord. Like me, he is a “morning person”. I have learned over the years to … Continue reading →

A Place For You Personal Matters In the last week or so a number of friendly folk have remarked how tired I have been looking. In truth I have been mildly depressed. This tends to happen during quiet weeks, and … Continue reading →

Apathetic Personal Matters At a conference I attended recently there was lengthy discussion about the Paul’s missionary methods. The question repeatedly arose as to how we communicate the gospel effectively today given the vast differences between ancient and modern cultures. … Continue reading →

Better Than Me  Personal Matters I have just come back from a retreat with a group of local pastors. As we began with prayer one of the younger ministers asked for something which was pivotal for our time together; “The … Continue reading →

Bearing the Burden Background The topic I was originally assigned for today’s rehab retreat was “undoing the cords of the yoke” from Isaiah 58:6. In context this has to do with the powerful in Jewish society putting away all injustices … Continue reading →

Paul and the Mission of the Church                                                22.9.2013 Introduction Jesus said “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matt 16:18), but by numbers, finances and age profiles the Anglican Church in … Continue reading →

Beautify My Bride Personal Background Last week I found myself sitting on a panel with a transsexual, a feminist and a self identified gay-queer discussing issues of gender in front of a very secular crowd in a Northbridge pub. Through … Continue reading →

The Way of the Lord Introduction During the week I received an email from some friends who are touring Italy, “We have seen lots of beautiful and interesting places, met many hospitable people, eaten heaps, too much, good food and … Continue reading →

Bow the Knee: a word for Australia This message is a written form of a prophecy given to a group of Christian leaders last Friday evening on the verge of the federal election. Background Last week God graced Perth with … Continue reading →

Unacknowledged Sons: the Struggle for Mature Unity Immediate Context The immediate context to this note is a meeting held in Perth (24/8/13) as a follow up to Ian Shelton’s visit last June, seeking greater functional unity between pastors/local churches, marketplace … Continue reading →

Discerning the Life Personal Matters Over the years I have become increasing conscious of inner drives that cannot possibly have their origin in ‘ME’. When I sense a strong impulse to be generous, humble, loving etc., this must be the … Continue reading →

Responsibility Beneath the Rainbow of Grace Personal Matters Stressed people are all around us; the school teacher overwhelmed with the expectations of the admin of a private school, the business person striving to meet the never ending demands of a … Continue reading →

Introduction I often gone on retreat when the stresses of ministry become too difficult to manage and this year I sensed I needed to go overseas and felt led to Cambodia.  I believed the trip would have three foci: trauma, … Continue reading →

Personal Matters The public slur “You fool” is a very powerful one. It may remind us of the stern warning of Jesus, ““whoever says, ‘You fool!” is liable to the hell of fire”” (Matt 5:22), or perhaps his dire predictions … Continue reading →

Introduction It is not an easy thing to follow Jesus; in fact it is impossible to bear witness to whom (sic)  he really is without a powerful personal encounter with Jesus in both his majesty and his humility. This depth … Continue reading →

Personal Matters I have for some time been convinced that the Church today needs to be recaptured by a vision of beauty, moving outside the box we have created by our fixation on good and evil to see God and … Continue reading →

Personal Matters When I arrive at an early morning prayer meeting in Perth CBD and there are four young women outside sleeping against the walls of the church, or when I repeatedly hear how people are working enormous working hours, … Continue reading →

Personal Matters I believe this message is a matter of prophetic priority. I usually place great emphasis on God as Father, but this morning in a marketplace prayer meeting I sensed the Lord talking about the reality of his “mothering”. … Continue reading →