Poor Vision
Introduction Already home to the richest woman on earth, if Western Australia was a separate nation we would be the 3rd wealthiest place in the world. Yet the most striking growth in the heart of our capital is not its … Continue reading
Author Archives: John Yates
Does God choose us, or do we choose God?
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to … Continue reading
Beautiful ‘ME’
Personal Matters I was rather embarrassed recently when I heard a second hand description of myself as a “beautiful man”. Given however the comment came from someone who is familiar with my weaknesses, and concerned my weekly visits to a … Continue reading
Simply ‘ME’
Personal Matters A short while ago I was feeling generally disconnected or “out of sorts” and knew there was a root cause that God would want to deal with. I gradually realised that I was going through a wide-ranging predicament … Continue reading
gay Rights-eousness
Introduction Television programmes, activist organisations, celebrities, popular magazines and state parliamentary chambers have joined the crusade for the rights of homosexuals to “equal marriage”. Comparisons are drawn to the civil rights movement in America, apartheid in South Africa and past … Continue reading
Still ‘ME’
Still ‘ME’ [1] Personal Matters I find it difficult to consistently live out the promise, ““In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”” (Isa 30:15). After an extended period of restfulness … Continue reading
A Vision for Australia
Introduction The immediate context for this message is of global significance. I have known about the Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) for some years, and its immensity as the greatest prayer gathering in human history signifies that it is a … Continue reading
Jealous ‘ME’
Personal Matters As a young Christian I had strong inner convictions about who God had called ‘ME’ to be and what the Lord was meant to be doing in my life. When circumstances went against these expectations deeply revealing feelings … Continue reading
Holy Saturday
Personal Matters As children we wait with expectancy for birthday gifts and the presents around the Christmas tree to be unwrapped. Similarly as children of God we have all received many promises of gifts from our heavenly Father. These might … Continue reading
Rested Glory
Introduction Despite numerous attempts to promote Christian unity as a key to revival[1] the general spiritual condition of both Church and culture in Australia keeps going progressively backwards[2]. Operational unity in the Body of Christ does commonly precede a spiritual … Continue reading
Direction
Personal Matters For as long as I can remember I have asked questions that disturbed others, and disturbed ‘ME’ as well. As a young child my perpetual “Why’s” perplexed parents who were happy to get on with life as best … Continue reading
Edge
Background Over the Christmas period I was doing quite a bit of praying about the discipleship crisis in the Australian Church. During this time I became increasingly conscious of sin in my own life blocking the growth needed to help … Continue reading
Brothers and Friends
Brothers and Friends[1] Personal matters Even though it is several years since I left the ministry for which I am best known, teaching theology, I am only just beginning to understand God’s deeper reasons for calling me out. Regular readers … Continue reading
Kingdom Conflict
Personal Matters This picture (It shows a stork with a frog half way down its neck, the frog however has both hands outstretched choking the stork) which sits behind my desk reminds me of fits of rage in my early life … Continue reading
Unboxed
Personal Matters One of my more intense struggles is to feel trapped inside the limits of my own consciousness. This feeling of constraint is aggravated by “experts” telling me what to do or making decisions on my behalf without consultation. … Continue reading
Pass the Glory
Personal matters I seem to have a rather unique and troublesome gift, the ability to discern the worst possible spiritual outcome in a situation. This has caused me great grief over the years giving me the reputation of a stern … Continue reading
Rest in Jesus
Personal Matters There are distinct periods in my life when I sense in an outstandingly clear way the sheer goodness of God and enter into a space of deep stillness. This can be in prayer, at the kitchen sink, after … Continue reading
Sacred
Personal Matters There are areas of my life where the triumphant joy of Jesus’ resurrection rarely seems to break through. In meditating on the root causes of this a foundational traumatic episode from early life came to mind which I … Continue reading
Joy Again
Personal Matters In an earlier article[1] I emphasised that only in Christ’s strength can we carry the cross he’s appointed for us (Luke 9:23), but that I sometimes intimidated others by putting on them a load they could not carry. … Continue reading
The Spirit of the Cross
An Experience for us All There is perhaps an unprecedented amount of prayer in Australia at the moment, which is characteristically a forerunner of revival. I have long been theologically convinced that Pentecost proceeds from Calvary, but as I was … Continue reading
Compassionate and Fullness
Personal Background Since I first shared how the Lord was dealing with me about my tendency to intimidate others, I have been praying for a soft heart and greater compassion towards others. More recently however I sensed my prayers were … Continue reading
unAustralian?
Personal background When trauma at my own sin and the failures of other Christians seems to cause me to lapse into uncontrolled anger, am I being unAustralian? Or is this typical of a deeply repressed aspect of our national psyche? … Continue reading
ME
Personal Background Although this subject that has been on my mind for several months I have felt a type of spiritual paralysis recently which has kept me from writing on it. This morning however I sensed the Lord clarify some … Continue reading
2012, The Year of Persecution
Introduction This is the time of the year when many Christian leaders make statements about what God is going to do in the next 12 months. I too have a declaration. Yesterday I went for a brief walk in the … Continue reading
Facebook
The page for God
I am on Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn and Netlog solely out of respect for those who have invited me to connect. Recently however something happened that has caused me to meditate more deeply on the power of social media. Surprising Encounters … Continue reading
Success in the Son
Introduction In the process of reading a biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer[1] I was struck by one of his statements concerning success; “God’s cause is not always the “successful” one …we really could be “unsuccessful” and still be on the right … Continue reading
Fear Formed Fathers
2. Fathering the nations
Review The first study attempted to explore the foundation upon which God can bring the diverse ethnic groups of the Church into a functional unity in the cause of global mission. Its central thesis was that fear of the Father … Continue reading
Face Up?
The Name and the Face A prophecy that has really struck me as true concerning God’s plan for Perth has been that revival will be led by “nameless and faceless” people. But what would this look like? In scripture, “name” … Continue reading
Crying for the Kingdom
During worship at Eagle Rock Church 03.12.2011, had the sense: all over the world the children of God are crying out for justice and deliverance / just deliverance, deliverance by justice. “And he told them a parable to the effect that they … Continue reading
He is Near
Introduction This brief devotion seeks to tackle the common feeling that God is not near us. What we really believe, our values, are not the same as what we say we believe, and are most tested by the difficult times … Continue reading