Random Musings

Why I will be a Christian until the day I die

2011-09-14T15:05:00.012+10:00

We live in a society where people think that Christians are gullible and even stupid for what they believe. Such people allege: ‘Miracles don’t happen. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. The Bible is a fairytale. Christians are either brainwashed into believing since childhood, or they are pathetic people who need a crutch to get them through life.’

I don’t consider myself to be naïve or uneducated. I don’t think I’m that pathetic to need a crutch, and I certainly wasn’t brainwashed into Christianity. I am a man of science- I worked in a former life as a research scientist in the field of protein chemistry. I’ve lectured in human physiology. I don’t mention this to blow my own trumpet- but simply to say that I’m someone who likes to know how things work. I need solid evidence to back up my beliefs. I crave not only to believe, but I crave to know why I should believe.

I know you are the same- you need reasons, evidence and proof. So that’s why I want to offer some reasons that explain why I am a Christian and continue to be one. I hope it will make you seriously consider the evidence for Christianity, and if you are already a believer, I trust this will strengthen your own faith.

1. The Wonder of Us

If you were to be walking down Pitt Town Rd, and noticed the letters of your name scratched into the cement, what would you conclude? You’d think that it was put there by someone. Now consider our human bodies. I find it amazing that our entire genome is made up of only 4 different genetic codes, but that they are amazingly arranged to make up our human bodies. If we conclude that someone had pulled some letters of the alphabet to write our name in the cement, why do you conclude that we are accidents? Someone with a Mind has arranged the genetic code in our bodies. Such wonder points to a God who has wonderfully made us.

2. Making Sense of the world

Another reason I’m a Christian is because Christianity makes sense of the world that I live in. The Bible teaches that God wants to give me joy and satisfaction through knowing Him. But in reality I have a wrecked relationship with God and others. We look for pleasure in the wrong places- in food, alcohol, and sex. The result is anorexia, addiction and adultery. These things never satisfy.

Why can’t I love people the way that I should? Why do I lock my door at night? Why is the newspaper full of bad news? These things tell me that there is something drastically wrong with my world, which the Bible calls sin. This all stems from the tendency I have to find my ultimate happiness outside of God.

3. The Proof of History

The information we have about Jesus comes mainly from ancient documents written by Christians shortly after Christ. Even non Christian scholars speak about Jesus (for example, Josephus and Tacitus). In fact, I have never come across an ancient scholar who has denied the existence of Jesus.

The books of the New Testament are reliable historical documents. Not only do we have over 24,000 early copies of portions of the New Testament today, but many of them are quite close in time to the original.

What they wrote is reliable and trustworthy. You see, the writers of the New Testament considered themselves as ‘eyewitnesses’. They claimed to be able to eyeball, to touch, to hear God in the flesh of a man- a person called Jesus. They recorded these things so that we can know with certainty that they actually happened.

The most unique event these eyewitnesses recorded for us was the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. They were completely convinced that Jesus Christ became a corpse, and literally rose from the dead. They weren’t exaggerating- they saw it! And not just them, but many others as well. The historical proof that comes from these eyewitness accounts must be taken seriously.

4. Christianity says what no other religion does.

You might read this and think ‘OK, so I believe in a God who created, I know there’s something wrong with the world, and I know Jesus existed…but why should I believe in Christianity? Why not any old religion, or just my own personal belief in a Supreme Being?

The answer is that Christianity offers something which is vastly different to all other religions. How do the religions tell us to seek salvation? The major religions have founders who claimed to show the way to salvation. This is usually by some form of moral exertion or religious observance. Major religions teach ‘DO this and you’ll live’.

Not Christianity. Jesus didn’t come to show the way to salvation. He came to BE the salvation. Christianity doesn’t teach that the way to salvation is by being good, or practicing religion. The apostles of Jesus taught that salvation has been DONE for us by Jesus. When he died on the cross, he acted as your substitute. All we need to do is accept this!

This puts Christianity into a league of its own when it comes to religion. I’m not saved by what I DO. I’m saved by what Christ has DONE.

What person could invent a religion that a Jewish man dying on a Roman cross, and coming back to life, could win eternal life? Eternal life, simply by believing! Who would think of such a thing? The answer is simple- no person could! It’s only because God offers something that is so different to everything else that is on offer.

5. The Person of Jesus

The more I get to know Jesus, the more convinced I am that no human could invent him. He is different to any other person that I have met. No one has all the power of the universe at his disposal, and yet uses it to give himself as a sacrifice. He’s magnificent, glorious and confident. Yet he’s meek, humble and lowly. No one else that I’ve met has such a perfect balance of these characteristics. This is a person who claimed to be God, yet condescended himself to be exposed to being spat upon. No one could imagine that these characteristics could be so amazingly combined in one person. This is a God who is also a man, who is worthy of my worship! He is truly unique!

I have given 5 reasons why I am a Christian and continue to be one. I hope you’ll consider them. God didn’t create us as dummies. He made us with brains, and we should use our intelligence and our God given reasoning to examine the evidence for Christian faith. St John summed it up when he said ‘These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’. (John chapter 20, verse 31 NIV). Are you open minded enough to thoughtfully consider the evidence?

Tired?

2011-07-18T17:41:00.003+10:00

Are you tired? You might have had a late night. Perhaps the kids kept you awake and then woke you up early in the morning. Perhaps your tiredness is self-inflicted. Maybe you’ve been working too hard. Perhaps you’re tired of pretending and tired of letting people down. Perhaps you’re tired of crying. Maybe you’re tired of trying, tired of pretending, and tired of failing. Maybe you’re just tired! What we may not realize is that rest is a life and death issue!

Why We Need Rest.
Our problem is we don’t rest. Within us there is a great restlessness. We get worried and anxious and can’t sleep at night because we don’t have a deep, deep calm that we really need.

Jesus recognized the need we have for rest. He said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew chapter 11, verses 28-30)

Our great problem is that we cannot rest. We know we should be more loving and more patient. We realize we should try harder at being a better Dad, or a more understanding spouse. Perhaps we feel we should give more money to sponsor starving children , or put in longer hours in our job. We get tired just thinking about it!

In Jesus’ day, there was a religious sect called the Pharisees who put heavy burdens upon people, telling them that they had to perform. They were expected to do things like forgive, tithe, help the poor, keep the Sabbath, and show compassion. But no one could make the grade!

The real weariness, is the need to impress others so you impress yourself, because you aren’t satisfied with who you are. So we are work to convince ourselves that we are good people. Living up to the expectation of society, family, your boss, and yourself is a heavy burden that we all bear. But most of all, we look for ways to prove ourselves to God. Such under-achievement weighs us down with guilt, so we get weary.

We need rest from our burdens, guilt, and performance. Jesus says he wants to lift that heavy burden from us.

How we get rest
Jesus says ‘Come to me’. We are invited to come to a person. The real rest happens when we stop trying to perform like a trained seal, and come to Jesus. He asks us to lay down our burdens, our actions, our performances at his feet and simply to come to him. There is no need to try and impress him, or prove ourselves to him. All we need to do is come.

He also says ‘take my yoke upon you’. A yoke is a farming instrument that is put over 2 bulls so that they can plough out the field. He’s actually saying ‘you’ve already got a burden. You’re weighed down by your own yoke of guilt and performance. Let me take that one off you and give you mine because it’s light and freeing.’

How can Jesus do this? How does he take away our burdens? The answer is that he became the burden himself. When he went to the cross, a glorious emancipation took place: he shouldered the weight of our burdens. On that cross, he took upon himself all our wrong motives and the things that we live for. He became the under-performer in our place and he offers us his perfect life which perfectly lived up to God's expectation. Because of what he did, the burden of performance and the pressure of guilt and anxiety and the pain of proving yourself can now be lifted!

What he did was so complete that you no longer have to perform! The pressure is off!

What happens when you take Jesus’ rest?
When we believe that Jesus did this for us, what we get is ‘rest for our souls’. Because the job that Jesus did was so good and satisfying, we are now able to say ‘all the work I need to do is finished because my Saviour has completed it for me.’

In life, there are 2 kinds of jobs. Firstly, there are jobs which never seem to end, no matter how hard you work at them. A dishwasher will always have dishes to wash, every day, no matter how hard they work. A nurse will always have sick people to care for. A mother’s job is never done. But there is another type of job where, once it is complete, it is over. The organizers of the Sydney Olympics had to find employment elsewhere once the Olympics were over. There is a sense of finality once the last brick is laid, or the project is complete. I’m sure the actors in Harry Potter are now looking for employment elsewhere now that the last movie has been made. (Although, now that J.K. Rowling has penned the very last chapter of Harry Potter, I don’t think she’ll be in need of work anytime soon! Her job is complete!)

The things we work for are like that first kind of job. We’ll always feel the need to perform, no matter how much we’ve done. There is always someone to impress, and it's never enough. But the work that Jesus did for us on the cross is more like this second type of job. It was complete! Right before he died, Jesus said from the cross ‘It is finished!’ In other words, the work has been done.

This means we can rest from having to carry the weight of all our under-performance. We can rest from the fear of death. We can rest because Jesus brings us into an intimate relationship with God where God is our Father and Jesus is our brother. We can rest in what he has done.

The real reason our souls are restless is because we live for the burdens. We live for the deadline, the pressure, and the expectations of others. We feel the need to prove ourselves. But because Jesus said ‘it is finished’, you too can say ‘it is finished’ and walk away, resting in the knowledge that your sins are paid for. Your life can be complete. There’s no need to feel wearied anymore. Do you know this rest deep within your soul? It's a relief when you do!

The World is going to end… with a Royal Wedding!

2011-05-08T22:01:00.003+10:00

Everyone loves a good wedding. The recent marriage of Prince William to Catherine is proof of that. Millions of people tuned into extravagant event and thousands lined the streets in London to witness this elaborate spectacle. Those who couldn’t attend in person celebrated with royal parties. Souvenir newspapers and magazines were sought after.

This event is a wonderful picture of what will happen at the end of time. The Bible describes that the world will one day end. But it won’t be by a deadly virus, a nuclear fallout, or an asteroid plummeting into the earth. The world will end with a wedding!!

Here’s how the Bible describes it in the book of Revelation:
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9 NIV)

At the end of time, there will be a Royal Wedding. The Bridegroom on that Day is none other than Jesus. The Bride will walk down the aisle and take her place beside Jesus. As Jesus lifts the veil, he will be looking at his own people. The Bride is everyone who has ever loved Jesus, gone to him for forgiveness, and worshipped him as King. This will be the wedding of all weddings!

Why a wedding?
Why will the world end with a wedding? Because it perfectly represents the relationship God wants with us. God doesn’t want to relate to us simply as a shepherd would relate to sheep, or as a King would relate to his Subjects, or even as a Father to a child. He wants to relate to you as a Bridegroom relates to a Bride. He wants to know you intimately, love you deeply and know you personally. He wants to have a honeymoon love for you. And he’ll pursue you passionately to get it.

Can you imagine being in a relationship where you are perfectly loved, despite your flaws and mistakes? The more you get to know your lover, the more you love them? And all your lover wants to do for you is all for your joy and benefit. Your lover gives you the kind of joy that makes you want to explode!!! This kind of relationship is unbelievable! But this is exactly the kind of relationship that God offers you when you come to him through Christ.

One of the things about being a Christian is that you enter into a relationship with God. In this relationship, it’s as though you develop a 6th sense- a spiritual sense that no one else has, and you begin to experience the love of God all for yourself. You start to think that it’s a wonder and a marvel that God should love you. The Bible says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8). Why does it say that? It’s an invitation to experience God. It’s one thing to know that he is good, it’s another thing to taste it for yourself. God wants us to know for ourselves just how good he is! This can only happen when we come to God, ready to receive His love.

A Costly Love
But this ‘Honeymoon Love’ that God is offering to each of us does not come cheaply. It comes at great cost to himself. You see, we actually deserve divorce from God rather than marriage. We deserve separation rather than intimacy. The reason is because we find our love in other things- gold, glory, grog, girls… you name it, we substitute it for God. We find love in the arms of ‘other gods’ and chase after them. The result is that we deserve to be cut off from God.

The amazing thing is that despite our rejection of God, he still wants us. This is why he sent Jesus into the world, to die the death we deserve for chasing other lovers. He died in our place and took our ‘divorce’- the result for our rejection of God. Jesus dies in the place of his Bride so that his people can be cleansed from all their guilt and shame that holds God at a distance. With his blood, Jesus has won back his Bride. The fact that he gave his Son for us is proof of his deep love for us.

Saying 'Yes' to the Proposal
Can you imagine God on one knee, holding out his love, saying “will you be mine”? God is offering each of us a marriage proposal. The way to accept this proposal is by:-
1. Admitting you have loved other ‘gods’. You have put other lovers ahead of God. You are far from God and have strayed from him.
2. Giving him the credit for what he’s done. He died to make us his bride.

Remember the minister who did the cartwheels once Kate and William were married? This is how God feels when people accept his wedding proposal. What he promises to do is to fill you with the joy and gladness that comes through having him in your life. Do you know this joy? There is no greater joy than knowing God.

This is why the world will end with a royal wedding. It’s the perfect finish for what God has in mind for us. Are you ready for this wedding?

Which is more important: Christmas or Easter?

2011-03-21T09:05:00.002+11:00

Which do you think is more important, Easter or Christmas?

From a purely celebratory point of view, it looks like Christmas is more important than Easter. Christmas is the time of family get-togethers. It’s the day where you have to split your time between your side of the family and the ‘other’ side of the family. At Christmas, we stuff ourselves silly and then recover when the New Year starts. These things aren’t as important at Easter time.

From the way we treat each other, it looks like Christmas is more important than Easter. Christmas is the time for the unavoidable giving of gifts. At Easter time, you just might get away with not presenting Aunty Gertrude with a colourful, foil-wrapped chocolate egg. But woe betide you if at Christmas time, you don’t have your obligatory wrapped contribution ready! Gift giving is compulsory!

Christmas is also the time when people talk of love, joy and peace. We long for the downing of weapons and the halting of artillery fire. For many, Christmas can be a painful time because we remember relationships that have been lost through bereavement or separation. There is something about Christmas that makes us think about the people we have been close to. Easter doesn’t evoke such feelings as strongly as Christmas does.

The shops also reflect the importance of Christmas over Easter. In December, there’s more bling, more kitsch, more lights, more decorations, more music, more tinsel, more shopping hours! But in April, what do you find greeting you at the supermarket door? There’s simply the colourful rows of wrapped eggs and the waft of hot cross buns.

As you can see, when we consider the way we behave at Christmas, it seems as though this is the most significant celebration on the Christian calendar.

However, from a Christian perspective, the reverse is true. The significance of Easter outweighs the importance of Christmas. Easter is by far the more important celebration.

You see, the extravagant gift that God gave on that very first Christmas was unwrapped on the very first Easter. Only at Easter do we realize the significance of the gift God gave.

On Good Friday, the gift was that Jesus died instead of us. When he died, he did so to take the rap for our own offences against God. The innocent Jesus, who was perfectly God-pleasing, died in the place of guilty, God-offensive people. If we have accepted this gift, God is able to look at us and smile, because our offences against him have been dealt with in Jesus. The reason God sent Jesus on that first Christmas was to be a perfect sacrifice for us on that first Good Friday.

But that’s not all. As we continue to unwrap the extravagant gift that God gave, we discover something more. On Easter Day, Jesus burst out of the grave, back from the dead, never to die again. Because he rose, we have proof that dead men do rise. Because of this, those that have aligned themselves with Jesus will also be raised with him. Because he lives forever, the Christian will live forever. Death doesn’t have to be the end! Without a resurrection, there is no Christianity and no fresh start with God.

Indeed, the whole reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Easter. Jesus was born in order to die, and to be raised again. His death and resurrection is what gives us hope, meaning and purpose. Without these things, we would have nothing of the love, joy and peace that we crave for at Christmas time.

Easter is more important than Christmas! So let the shops know. Tell your family and the in-laws you’ll be over. And come and celebrate Easter this year at a local church near you.

We Are Not in Control

2011-01-17T12:46:00.003+11:00

Cars swept away by the sheer momentum of racing torrents. Rooftops peering out of towns now swallowed by water. Streets turned into creeks. The sight of tears on the face of Australians. Many people dead. More people missing. The Queensland Flood Crisis has been called the most widespread natural disaster in Australian History.

As I watched the Flood Crisis unfold, I was horrified by the images I witnessed. I watched with disbelief when I saw cars being swept away by the sheer force of water. My heart broke when I witnessed heroic acts of sacrifice. My heart sank when the death toll rose, and people went missing. I felt devastated when I saw the ruin to homes and livelihoods. The emotional, physical and economic scars that this crisis has left on communities will be deep for some time.

But what spiritual impact should these events have upon us? I want to suggest that this crisis should teach us this one ancient truth: We are not in control.

One reason I felt shocked as I watched my television was because this crisis was taking place in my backyard, in my beloved Australia. We, after all, live in The Lucky Country. Our freedom, our natural beauty, our mateship, and our way of life are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. We think of our nation as ‘the world’s best kept secret’. I was shaken that such devastation could take place in the sunburnt land that I love.

In fact, after I wrote that last line, I went back to read that famous poem ‘I Love a Sunburnt Country’, which was penned by Dorothy MacKellar. There was a line that particularly struck me: ‘Her beauty and her terror’. We don’t think of our country as a place of terror. But the events of recent weeks have reminded us of this truth: Whilst Australia is a place of unmatched beauty, it is also a place of untamable terror. And we cannot control it.

One of my friends is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Rockhampton. Pastor Mike said about the floods: ‘all we could do is sit and wait for the water to come’. I can only imagine his helplessness, knowing that destruction was looming, but being unable to avert it. For other Queenslanders who experienced flash flooding, there was no waiting or warning. There was only immediate, unstoppable, untamable terror.

The events of the past few weeks have forced us to admit our helplessness. We have experienced the unpredictable and capricious forces of nature and have been powerless to do anything. This challenges our snug human notions of order, control and comfort through science, research and technology. The floods have shown us that whilst we like to think we are in control of our world, we simply are not.

However, there is a radiance of hope which shines through the devastation of the past few weeks. There is God, and His character is compassionate. He wants the very best for us. He is powerful. In our time of need, we must look to Him for help.

This requires an attitude which self-sufficient Australians can find very difficult: humility. It is humbling to admit that you are not in control. But God responds to those who admit that they need Him and are humble, rather than the proud who think they don’t need Him. In the end, humility is not a sign of weakness, but a necessary attitude that we must embrace if we are to have a life-changing relationship with God. Indeed, the very reason that God sent His Son to die in our place is because we were helpless to do anything to save ourselves. We needed help. We needed a Saviour.

The floods have forced us to humbly admit that we are not in control. Having been humbled by the powerful floods, will we see past these events to an even more powerful God? It is time that we allow this crisis to drive us humility before God and to realize that we must depend upon Him for everything.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3 NIV)

Something Better than Happiness

2010-10-13T23:51:00.008+11:00

Or:
Happiness: Not all it's cracked up to be

Jumping out of a plane. Buying a hot new car. Dating a hot girl. Marrying a handsome man. Wearing the newest fashion. Jogging along the beach. Eating crispy hot chips. Buying the latest iPhone. Why do we do these things? Answer: Happiness. But is happiness all it is cracked up to be?

The word ‘happiness’ comes from the same English word as the word ‘perhaps’. Happiness carries the idea of chance and circumstance. Friday afternoons always bring more happiness than Monday mornings. People smile more at weddings than they do at funerals. Retail therapy might lift my mood, but in a few hours it will wear off. Happiness is based upon the ever-shifting situations that I am in. Perhaps I am happy, perhaps I am not.

This means that happiness is not constant. Happiness is like a sandcastle that is washed away by the waves of circumstance. I might be happy one year because I am fulfilled in my career. But the next year I might feel a deep sense of grief because I lost my job. For all of us, happiness is a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.

Something better than happiness

But there is something which is better than the euphoric rush of happiness. This is something which gives you a greater sense of fulfillment than any ecstatic wave of gladness. What I am talking about is joy. Joy is very different to happiness. Let me explain.

Joy and happiness seem very similar. But in reality, they are quite different. We might feel happy after that first morning coffee, but joy is something we feel when a baby is born. Happiness may gladden our heart, but joy makes our heart want to explode.

In the Bible, joy is tied to relationships. A wise son brings joy to his father, says the Proverbs. You can find joy in a spouse, a new baby or a good friend. We find joy in the relationships God has given us. Anyone can experience this.

Joy comes from the Ultimate Relationship

But true and lasting joy comes from having a relationship with God. When God comes into your life, He brings His joy with Him. He turns people’s lives into a festival of joy. This is because God is good, and when He comes into your life He drags all His goodness with Him.

Joy is always anchored to all the good things that God gives. The good things God has on offer are purpose, value, and meaning in life, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a home in heaven, being with God forever, ruling the world with Christ, being known by God personally, and having God Himself as your inheritance! It doesn’t get any better than that.

Because these things are unchanging, this means that joy is unchanging. No one can steal joy away from you. You can be happy and have joy. You can have the deepest sadness and still have joy. Joy is not tied to circumstances. No wonder the apostle Paul, while in the wretched state of being chained up in prison cell can say ‘rejoice in the Lord always!’ (Philippians 4:4). He is looking at his relationship with the Lord.

Experiencing this joy

Have you experienced this joy yourself? The Bible says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’. (Psalm 34:8). Why does it say that? It’s an invitation to experience God. It’s one thing to know that he is good, it’s another thing to taste it. You can know in your head that ice-cream is creamy and cold, but to actually taste the yummy, cold, creaminess of ice-cream is quite another thing! To know that God is good and to taste that God is good are quite different things.

When someone becomes a Christian, it’s as though they develop a 6th sense- a spiritual sense that no one else has, and they begin to taste the goodness of God all for themselves. This is the experience of true and lasting joy.

I don’t know if you have ever had the experience of being so full of joy that you feel as though you could explode. Or feeling your inner core well up with fire? Do you even know what I am talking about?

How to get this joy

Perhaps this idea of joy is foreign to you. But this is exactly what Jesus came to bring. He came so that ‘your joy might be full’ (John 15:11). This is permanent joy because ‘no one will take your joy from you’ (John 16:22).

The irony is that Jesus came to fill our lives with joy by going through the most joyless of experiences: Death on a cross. In that death, he wiped away the curse of my sin. He rose again so he could enter my life and bring me joy. Do you want this joy yourself? You must do 2 things.

Firstly you must admit that you are empty. Confess to God that you don’t have meaning or purpose without Him. Ask him to forgive you for ignoring Him. Secondly, you must give Him the credit for true and lasting joy. Thank Him for sending Jesus to die in your place so that God may enter your life and bring you true joy.

All that the world can offer you is happiness based on circumstances. But true and lasting joy is anchored in God, which the world cannot take from you. Joy is always better than happiness!

Disappointment with God

2009-09-17T14:50:00.006+10:00

This is a post I wrote that appeared in our local rag. Some may be wrestling with this issue right now, so I thought I would post here if you wanted to read.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps you are reading this and you feel like God has treated you unfairly right now. When you pray it feels like you are talking to a wall. Your most urgent prayers get no answer. God seems silent. You’ve asked him for something and He just won’t give it to you. Your career, maybe your marriage, maybe your body is in trouble. Or maybe it’s just the mundane that bothers you: your work is boring; your marriage isn’t what it could be; the bills keep stacking higher and you just seem to be working longer.

You may conclude that God seems to be unfair when He has the power to do what you want, but He doesn’t. Or perhaps you have concluded that there is no God, because life is just too hard. Or maybe you’ve concluded that God is an impersonal force because you don’t think your prayers get beyond the ceiling.

What should we do when we feel disappointed with God?

Disappointment with God in the Bible

The Bible is full of examples of people who were disappointed in God. In fact, throughout the Old Testament, the people of God continually express their disappointment with God. The song-lyrics book of the Bible, Psalms, sums up the despair of the person who trusts in God:

Psalm 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

Some of the Old Testament prophets felt as though they were wrestling with the silence of God:

Isaiah 45:15 Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.

Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?

If you are disappointed with God then you are in good company.

Types of Questions we ask when Disappointed with God

There are 2 types of questions we ask when we are disappointed with God.

The first question is the "why" question: "Why did this happen?"

There is a bloke in the Bible called Job. He lost his kids, his house, his health. The only thing he didn’t lose was his wife, and she told him to curse God and die! He said to God:

Job 7:20b Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?

These may be your questions:
· Why did the Victorian bushfires happen?
· Why did my marriage fail?
· Why did my child die?
· Why did ....... ? (I'm sure you can fill in the blank)

But there's another question which is even more chilling than the "why" question. It is the “where” question. "Where is God" when all this terrible stuff is happening? Consider Job:

Job 23:2-4 Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. 3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! 4 I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.

Job wanted to know where God was. Our questions might be:
· Where was God when my wife’s body was full of cancer?
· Where is God now that my Dad has died?
· Where was God on 9-11?

All you are left with is the whisper of the devil who says: “God is not there! You are all alone, and God doesn't care!” Have you ever felt like that?

How to Handle Disappointment with God

We can handle disappointment with God in wrong ways and right ways.

Wrong Ways
We can:
-Ignore God: Silence becomes our weapon of defence against God. We avoid church and avoid the people of God like a rash.
-Focus on Self: Pain has a tendency to make us introspective and distort our vision.
-Perform: We may think that if I pray more, attend church or do good things, God will look kindly on me and owe me one.
-Take shortcuts: We do this to avoid pain. We turn to alcohol or porn or the workshed to avoid the pain.
-Make demands on God: As though God is our butler to do our bidding, we demand that God proves Himself to us.

Right Way
When disappointed, there is only one way to respond. It’s simply to trust in God. Disappointment doesn’t have to be the last word. The important battle is: will you trust God? When faith is the hardest, that’s when faith is needed most. Again, consider Job. During his terrible suffering, Job had trust in God:

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.

Trust which is the result of having been shaken is strong trust.

Am I asking for blind trust? NO! It’s a trust in God that isn’t based on circumstances.

God uses circumstances to develop our trust in him. Circumstances are not our enemy, they are our friend. God knows what it takes to make us more like Jesus. There are no perfect circumstances to follow Christ except the ones you are in today. These are the ones God has given you to develop you.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God is good no matter what the circumstance. That’s why you can agree with the writer of Psalm 42.

Psalm 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Some Things to Remember

a) Don’t Trust in a Perfect Earth
Sometimes we think that God is not fair because life is not fair. We think physical reality equals spiritual reality.

But that’s a wrong conclusion. God’s love for you does not depend on your good wealth and health. That’s staking your faith on a perfect earth. If you do that, your faith will always let you down.

God’s love for us depends on what he has done through Jesus.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God loves you beyond your wildest dreams. So learn to develop a relationship with God apart from your circumstances. (Read Hebrews chapter 11- it’s full of men of faith who hung onto God despite their circumstances).

b) Count Your Blessings
The heart that is thankful is the heart that isn’t disappointed. Are we to give thanks in some circumstances?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

So count your blessings, name them one by one.

c) Focus on the Big Picture
When you get disappointed with God, you get trapped in the present. We need to see the big picture and fix our gaze ahead to the future.

If you think God has been unfair to you, you haven’t seen the big picture. For one day, God will conquer evil and restore this world to its original perfection. In the end, suffering won’t win.

Do you know what the last word is? Heaven.

In the new heavens and new earth God won’t be hidden any more. You will see him face to face. Heaven and earth will finally work the way God wanted it to.

So when you are trapped in pain there is one word you need to remember- temporary.

d) God Knows Pain Too
We want a God who knows what it’s like to be human, to feel our pain. The cross settles the issue of is God unfair. Our God is unwilling to put his children through any test which he Himself has not endured. God understands what you feel. He too is acquainted with grief.

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

God is not hidden. He is there. He loves you. He has given the best proof of this love by sending His Son.

Beam me up Scotty!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-06T21:25:00.004+10:00

This post is dedicated to my one reader who still visits this cob-web strewn region of the internet *waves to Tim*.

I got to see an advanced screening of Star Trek, for free! For sure! And to demonstrate my thankfulness to the producer of this movie, I should share some of my thoughts on the movie so that you will boldly go where doubtless many more others will go and shell out some dosh to see Star Trek!

First- the title of the movie. Star Trek. The first Star Trek movie in 1979 had this name so personally, I would have been more content if it had been titled Star Trek Year One, or Star Trek Origins, or Star Trek: Beginnings, or something like that. After all, that’s what the movie was about. It chronicles the early years when the crew of the SS Enterprise meet each other for the very first time and start their whole star trekin’ escapades across the universe. On the Star Ship Enterprise, under Captain Kirk!

The characters were true to form. Captain James T. Kirk has always been a difficult character for me to pin down. He seems heroic, and noble, but then he comes across as a flirtatious womaniser. But I guess he is no different to the character of James Bond in that sense. And he really plays up his womanising-ness in this movie. This is not the aspect of the character that I enjoy, but it was true to form.

I loved seeing the introduction of Scotty. I can’t remember if the original Star Trek discussed scientific theories all that much, but I was delighted that we got to hear Scotty’s thoughts on whether he could teleport (that’s beam me down to the unversed) people onto a movie object. It was cool seeing him work it out.

The sheer delight for me was seeing Zachary Quinto’s portrayal of a young Spock. Yes, I do watch Heroes, and am familiar with his portrayal of Silar, which was very chilling. The thing that really got me thinking was the way Spock wrestles with his human nature and his Vulcan nature. (He has always reminded me of a certain Namor, but that’s another story).

The character of Mr Spock is calculated and reasoned. But being half human, he wrestles with his emotions which sometimes get the better of his Vulcan logic. This seems to depict the struggle that our world wrestles with: ‘I feel, therefore I am’ is the catch cry of our world. We desire experiences which make us feel. Facts and truth mean little to us in the face of feeling and experiences- a concept which has seemed to have influenced the way Christians do church (but that, dear reader, is for another post. Suffice it to say for now that truth should influence feeling, not the other way around…)

And it wasn’t until later that I realised that Eric Bana was portraying that rascally Romulan Nero. Well done Bana for all your craziness. I still miss you playing Ray Martin on Full Frontal.

SPOILER ALERT

The movie also deals with the concept of time travel. I absolutely love anything to do with the concept of time travel. My imagination has been captured by this concept since the Back to the Future movies. In this movie, (and here’s where you want to tune out if you dislike spoilers), older Spock travels back in time and meets younger Spock.

The movie was done by JJ Abrams, the creator of Lost. Being a Lost fan, I saw definitive parallels between this movie and Lost. There was the introduction of the older Mr Spock. I found myself clapping when I saw Leonard Nimoy on the big screen. It was such a pleasant surprise. Die-hard fans will love the continuity with the original. The concept of meeting your future self, and of what has happened in the past will happen in the future was such a Lost concept. I loved it.

I’d see it again. Defo.

Raindrops before the storm

2009-03-12T21:06:00.004+11:00

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD (ESV)

OK...

2008-12-18T23:57:00.001+11:00

OK, so apparently people still read this blog....

Can he save the world?

2008-11-16T20:54:00.013+11:00

It seems as though America has a new religion- Obamania.

The thing that has intrigued me has been the role of "rescuer" that has been attributed to the dude. The expectations that have been placed upon the guy are enormous! The guy must feel the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

I find it fascinating that we look for heroes like Obama to save and rescue us. At our great time of need we look for heroes to give us hope.

This is one reason why I find superheroes so fascinating. Did you know that Superman was first published in 1938- that's on the end of the Great Depression. After a time of hopelessness, the Man of Steel gave us hope. He inspired us in our time of need.

Given the current financial crisis, which has been likened to the Great Depression, what heroes will we turn to? Who will inspire us and give us hope? Who will protect us?

We recognise that deep within us we cannot save ourselves. We need someone to pull us out of the slim we have fallen into. Who will save our world?

In my hour of desperation, I want someone to say "not if I can help it" to me!

The Future of Futures

2008-10-15T10:26:00.004+11:00

The following is an article about to be published in the local paper.

Money, money, money!

ABBA was wrong. Money, money, money is NOT very funny in the rich man’s world. Times are tough. We are experiencing a significant economic down turn.

One political leader has called current economic situation the ‘worst economic crisis since the Great Depression’. Economists have referred to this as a ‘Financial Tsunami’.

Wall Street has crashed, and then gone back up again. The stock-market has been acting like a roll-coaster. Billions of dollars were wiped out in one day, but recovered the next. As the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dipped, so have our emotions.

Whilst we in Australia may not feel the full effects for some time, we do notice some things. It is getting harder to save and harder to retire. People are talking about not taking an early retirement in order to ‘top up’ failing superannuation levels.

Worry About the Future

We worry about the future. We are worried about our superannuation. We are worried about dropping share prices and investment funds.

What will happen to the value of my home? Will I be able to afford my mortgage payments? Can I live off the aged pension?

These are real worries that we face. They cause us stress and anxiety.

Our political leaders say they have the situation under control. They assure us that they are working together to fix the situation. They assure us that our money is safe in the bank.

But although our political leaders are working hard to reassure us, it’s easy for us to fear the worst.

Perhaps we paint a worst case scenario of living in a cardboard box in a public park somewhere, relying upon food from soup kitchens. At best we might be able to crash in a friend’s garage.
Things like this can cause us to think of deeper things than money.

The Uncertainty of Wall Street

God warns us not to put our hope in riches.

The Bible cautions us not to put our hope in wealth, which is uncertain, but to put our hope in God. (I Timothy chapter 6, verse 17).

We have seen firsthand how unstable wealth can be. The Stock market crash, inflation, a burglary or the current financial crisis are painful reminders of the shakiness of wealth.

It is a foolish thing to stake all our hopes on money. Confidence in securities and futures will lead to an insecure future!!! When we put our hope in money, we get ripped off because of its uncertainty.

The Certainty of Hope in God

Instead of relying upon money, the Bible says to put our hope in God, ‘who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment’ (again, from I Timothy chapter 6, verse 17).

Put your hope in God. He is unchangeable and certain. The promises that He makes to us are unshakable. God sent His Son Jesus so we can have a secure future.

Jesus doesn’t offer to pay off my home loan, top up my failing superannuation, or restore the economy. Jesus offers us something far, far greater than what money can buy.

Jesus offers us the security of riches that will last forever. These riches are to be enjoyed in the Kingdom of Heaven. By dying for us and paying the price for our ignorance of God, Jesus has secured a home for us in Heaven.

The current economic crisis is a wake-up call for us. It alerts us to the fact that riches will ultimately fail. Trusting in money is uncertain. That is why the Bible urges us to hope in God, not in money. Only God can give us the certain future that we need. Only He can offer us the life that is truly life.

This is a time to speak to God in our hour of need and to ask Him to help us trust Him. For when we put our hope in God, the future is secure. Hope in anything else will fail!

A Way out of This...

2008-08-29T21:51:00.003+10:00

I’ve been preaching through Genesis lately, and the tragedy of human sin has been striking. Adam and Eve were able to enjoy a rich relationship with God. And then BOOM! Sin entered the world. In the Garden, sin was an external enemy. It had not entered our world. It was waiting like a stranger on the outside, wanting to come inside and take possession.

Now, suddenly sin becomes an internal enemy. It becomes a crouching tiger, waiting to possess and control us. Sin wants to master and possess us. But we must master sin.

Because sin possesses us, death rules us. For when we open the door to sin, death enters in as well. This is what happens when we shut God out- our punishment is the natural outworking of our crime. We say we want to be independent of God, the giver of life, and as a result we get death.

And death always gets in the way of life. We might seek a way out of the mess we are in, but death means that there is no way out. There is no way out of the maze from the inside. We need someone from the outside to come and free us from the tyranny we have created for ourselves.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ!

On Tonight's Menu...

2008-08-01T23:44:00.003+10:00

In the Chinese restaurant tonight I noticed that there was something unsual on the menu, and I just had to take a photo and show you.

Pigeon... really?

Have you ever eaten one? Or wanted to? And don't tell me it tastes like chicken!

The Dark Knight. Welcome to a World Without Rules...

2008-07-30T22:31:00.010+10:00

Seeing as how I blogged some Iron Man thoughts down, I thought I would follow suit with the new Batman movie. If you haven't seen the movie yet, we probably don't have as much in common as I thought, and you may not want to read on, since there are some spoilers. Here goes.

Back in the early 90’s, I remember reading a novel about the Joker. It consisted of a series of short stories. They read more like horror stories, and they had a sick morbidity about them. To be honest, I found the whole thing quite disturbing but very fascinating. It definitely didn’t read like a comic book character. It could have been anyone in the real world. And so began my realization that comic books don’t need to be comic books. They could be as dark as the real world.

That’s why Batman the Dark Knight is not a comic book movie. Unlike the Spider-man or Superman movies, it hasn’t been set in the make believe world of comic books. It is set in the dark world of reality. I’d go as far as to say that the movie is not dark. It’s black. The villain is a psychopathic murderer, and the hero…. well perhaps he is a psycho path too.

This is what I liked about the new Batman movie. It is set in a world where the rules about truth keep getting changed. This is a world without rules. Whilst Superman stands for truth, justice and the American way, in the world of Gotham, the lines are blurred about who is the hero and what is the truth. A repeated line in the movie reflects this: ‘You either die the hero or live long enough to become the villain’. By the end of the movie, the White Knight (Harvey Dent) has become the villain. And Batman has descended into… what? The hero? The anti-hero? We are left to wonder if the people of Gotham want him. He is alone and isolated, with his loyal butler as his only ally. He is an outcast.

This black realism is paralleled by the use of lighting throughout the film. Visually, most of the movie is rather dark. In fact, the visually brightest scene in the movie is probably when Batman knocks the stuffing out of the Joker in an interrogation room. And as he was doing so, it was in full view of the police, with a chair blocking the only door inside. Ironic that such a brightly lit scene had the effect of showing the dark side of the Batman.

Batman’s costume also reflects this blackness. OK- here is a little bit of a Batman history trivia (feel free to skip to the next paragraph whilst I show off my knowledge of Batmania). Previous movies (and indeed, earlier comic books) made use of the yellow oval behind the bat symbol on Batman’s chest. But originally, Bob Kane, creator of the Batman, didn’t use this design. His Batman was far more brooding. In a reaction to this, the character Robin was invented to make Batman allow Batman to be less serious and lighten up a little. Eventually however the effect was that Batman got a little bit silly, and was far removed from the original concept that Bob Kane had in mind. The silliness portrayed in the Batman TV show in the late 60's starring Adam West is a great example of this. It wasn’t until Frank Miller wrote a comic book mini-series called The Dark Knight Returns that the character was considered by many to be returned to his original roots. More recently, the comics have chosen to eliminate this ‘yellow shield’ on the Batman’s chest emblem to reflect the true nature of the character.

End of history lesson.

For me, the film called into question the nature of who we are. What is your identity? Has Bruce Wayne lost himself in the person of the Batman? Batman seems to have taken over Bruce’s life. Then there is Two-Face. Originally he is the white knight of the story- somewhat of a literary foil to Batman. But by the end he has transformed into Two-Face, a nickname that he can’t seem to live down.

And of course, there is the psycho-maniac Joker. Ironically, the Joker seems to be the only one in the movie who knows who he is. He repeatedly says, ‘do you know how I got these scars?’ as though the scars have made him the person that he is. Not only that, he seems to understand others too. ‘You really get to know someone well the moment before they die’.

I must say I really really really enjoyed Heath Ledger’s portrayal as the Joker. He reminded me of that Joker I read as a teenager in that novel I mentioned. (I wonder if Heath had read this in preparation for the role?) I found myself enjoying his delivery and the energy he brought to the character. This Joker licked his lips between sentences as though he thought that what he was saying was soooo delicious. The way he walked was awkward, and the way he stroked his hair was chilling. His lines were delivered with expressive eyes and mouth movements, but it wasn’t overdone or gushing in tone. It was chilling. I, like many Australians, watched these scenes solemnly, but with great enjoyment and pride.

There were some disappointing things about the movie. I found the story a little convoluted and lengthy. Just when you thought it should end, the movie goes for another hour. And it’s intensity does not help it’s length. Plus I was disappointed I didn’t anything of the Batcave. This could have been used with greater effect to show Batman’s isolation.

There was a nice touch in the movie when a tribute was paid to a famous comic book cover, which I thought was nice. It’s a typical Batman scene- he is on the top of a building, alone and isolated, but contemplative. This is the Batman we know.

The world of the Batman is our world. In our world, the lines are blurred between who is the hero and who is the villain. The rules of life are whatever you make them to be. Ironically, this rule is the only rule that people seem to believe in.

However, as a Christian, I believe that there are rules. I’m totally glad that there is a God who has told us the truth about our world. He hasn’t blurred the lines about what the truth really is. He has told us the rules of life, and the truth about who we are. Our world was made according to truth, and works according to the rules God has set for it. In the end, our world is not the world of the Batman.

4 stars out of 5.

Coming Soon- a film review on The Dark Knight

2008-07-30T18:30:00.005+10:00

I saw this movie last night. In 2 words- chillingly fabulous! Stay tuned.

Hymn Spot

2008-07-21T21:22:00.007+10:00

I grew up with a rich Baptist heritage. Part of this heritage involved singing hymns in church each Sunday. This was my experience right up until I was 21 years old. God has used these hymns to minister to me lately. Here is one such hymn which I have been thinking about of late. I trust these words speak to your soul as they have to mine recently. Read these words and ponder over them often.

O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long,
The bliss till now unknown.

Refrain:
Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me;
There's love, and life, and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.

I sighed for rest and happiness,
I yearned for them, not Thee;
But while I passed my Saviour by,
His love laid hold on me.

I tried the broken cisterns, Lord,
But ah! the waters failed!
E'en as I stooped to drink they'd fled,
And mocked me as I wailed.

The pleasures lost I sadly mourned,
But never wept for Thee,
Till grace the sightless eyes received,
Thy loveliness to see.

B. E., Arr. 19th Century

July Holiday Kids Club

2008-07-09T19:41:00.004+10:00

The last 3 days has been quite busy with our Holiday Kids Club at church. The programme focused on 3 of the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus- I am the Light of the world, I am the Good Shepherd, and I am the Life.

We focused on a theme each day- our crafts, activities, puppet shows and games all taught these themes. The day ended in small groups, which is where we shared the gospel with the kids based on what they had been learning during the day.

I quite felt proud of the leaders for all their hard work and efforts in wanting to explain the gospel to the kids that came along. Thanks so much to Alice, Anna, Bec, Holly, Jacquie, Meg, Phil, Rachel and Sarah - you guys are awesome!

Praise God- one of the parents wants to bring her 2 kids along to our Sunday Kids Club. If you are the praying type, please pray for this! These 2 kids made cards for us with messages inside saying ‘Thankyou for teaching us about Jesus is the light and the Lord is my shepherd! Thankyou very much I hope to see you next time!’ and ‘Thankyou for having us and the craft and the fun stuff’!

I'll leave you with some Quotes from the kids:
‘Why can’t we have this every day of the school holidays?’

Me: 'How does Jesus prove He is God?'
Kid: 'He has medals to show it.'

‘Can we play soccer??’

Iron Man Movie

2008-05-15T06:18:00.001+10:00

I saw Iron Man last Saturday night at the new Reading cinemas in Rouse Hill. I loved seeing it here because the screens are HUGE and it's Sydney’s newest movie cinema, and it’s practically on my doorstep!!!

I liked this movie for many reasons.

It had something for everyone. There was romance, there was technology, there was action, there was good acting. (People told me the same thing about Transformers- but I was bored in that movie. Not so with Iron Man).

It was plot driven. I felt as though the action in the movie was well paced, and it wasn’t mindless. It made the 2 hours fly by (I’m the kind of person who stops watching movies on DVD half way through if I get bored…I didn’t feel this at all with Iron Man). The storyline drove the movie- not the action. But when there was action, it was not gushing, or overly done with cheap CGI effects. (The scenes flying above the earth made you feel as though it was you!) Simply brilliant.

Comic book fans would have loved it. There were some tributes to die hard Iron Man fans. While I don’t profess to be a die hard Iron Man fan, I will admit to being a comic book geek. Iron Man fans would have been happy with the armour that Tony Stark rigged up while being captured in an Afghani cave. It was a nod to the golden age of Iron Man. (i.e. the way the original comic book artists conceived of the Iron Man costume). At one point, the ring tone of Tony Stark’s mobile phone sounded like the music to the original 1966 Iron Man cartoon. And of course, who could go past a guest appearance by co-creator Stan Lee?

I heard somewhere that since Marvel was heavily involved in the production of this movie, there is a plan to create an overlapping world of Marvel movies where the same characters can cross over into other movies. This means that the Marvel universe will be represented up on the big screen. This is another plus to comic book fans. Imagine if you saw a movie where Toby Maguire (Spider-Man) and Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) were fighting side by side in a Civil War against Captain America? Or Iron Man and the Mr Fantastic were trying to deal with a rampaging Hulk? (OK, I’m showing off my knowledge of current Marvel storylines, but oooh, the possibilities!)

A word of advice- stay for the ending after the credits. Comic book fans especially. I won’t spoil it for you, but you’ll enjoy.

A Blog Archive Meme.

2008-04-27T20:50:00.003+10:00

I have been tagged in an Archive Meme by Ali.

This meme involves resurrecting old posts from the dark recesses of my blog archives for you to read again, dear reader!

Here are the topics of this meme:
family, friends, me, something I love, and anything I like.

So, at the risk of redundancy, here goes!

Family: Who has better parents than mine?

Friends: My times with Chris are always memorable.

Me: This post really was dug up from the dark dungeons of blogsville! But the content is appropriate given that the word 'meme' was coined by Richard Dawkins to describe the selfish gene.

Something I love: When people become Christians.

Anything I like: Drawing.

I tag Chelsea, Mandy, Kate, Tim and Matt.

Today White Australia says Sorry…

2008-02-13T23:44:00.001+11:00

Today, the Australian government said sorry to the ‘stolen’ generation. I applaud Kevin Rudd for taking the initiative to make this historical apology.

I think it was the right thing to do. Yet too many people said 'I didn't do it. Why should I apologize?' I think this is a wrong argument.

Sometimes we have an ‘individualistic’ view of sin. We think that my sin is what matters, and all I am responsible for is my own actions.

But what we forget is that we live in a community. Humans are far more collective than we realize. When we elect a government that fights a war that we disagree with, we are responsible because we put them there. When one person sins, it affects people around us.

But sin also has consequences which flow over from one generation to the next. It affects people who come generations after us. When we don’t right the wrongs of previous generations, we are showing that we agree with their sin. The old saying is true: 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge' (Ezekiel 18:2).

Our country prides itself upon its the achievements – we started off as a penal colony and look at the go we have made of the country. But we don’t take credit for the bad. And we need to.

And that’s why today I am proud to be an Australian. Because we said sorry. And it was long overdue.

Sorry.

2008-02-13T00:11:00.000+11:00

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.
We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."

Facebook Strikes Again

2008-01-06T22:08:00.000+11:00

Funny thing happened to me. In 1999, my long time friend from Uni, JP and I, were on our way home from a road trip from Melbourne. Out of the corner of his eye, JP saw a guy in a ditch, by the side of the road, crawling out. Not far behind him was his car, in the same ditch. We pulled over, and took him to the police station. We drove him all the way home to Wollongong. He gave us a copy of a book he had written on the Darwin Armed Forces.

Well JP and Ness came over for dinner Friday night. And as we usually do, JP and I told stories of the shannegans we used to get up to at Uni. And the hitchhiker story came up. (Well, he wasn’t really a hitch hiker, just a stranded driver). JP wondered if we could find our hitchhiker on Facebook.

And the short of it is that we did!!!!!!!!! Now Robert J Rayner, author of the Darwin Armed Forces is my Facebook friend. So apparently he remembers me. I’ve written on his wall, but still no words from him.

Pray for Evangelism

2007-12-17T00:45:00.000+11:00

I'd appreciate your prayers if you are reading this.

I've been invited to speak at the local Rotary Club Christmas dinner to share a special Christmas message. It's quite exciting really- the kind of thing I really like about being in ministry- telling others about Jesus.

Pray I'd be clear, interesting and challenging. I'm speaking on Monday night, 6:30pm. Ta!

A Christmas Meme

2007-12-11T22:54:00.000+11:00

Ali tagged me for this Christmas meme. I'm tagging JT, Tim, and Matt.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Neither, I prefer presents.

2. Real tree or artificial? Real tree, Christmas tree farm down the road (I live in the sticks!) Will this be affected by signing Kyoto?

3. When do you put up your tree? Sometime this week? Get a life peeps!

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime in January…if it’s a real tree, make it last, I say. (And get a life peeps!)

5. Do you like eggnog? I’ll drink anything with cinnamon and honey in it.

6. Favourite gift received as a child? My golf game. You pull a lever and a golf ball pops up and rolls onto the tee. You pull another lever and a little man tees it off into a hole. And you pull another lever for it to sink and start all over again. I still have it.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? No.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad. He has all he needs.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My brother. He needs comic books.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing springs to mind. But my sister once received a fake pearl necklace from my grandmother one year, and since she got it, we have had an ongoing game (running over 10 years now) where we have hidden it in each other’s room/ place. Once she went to sleep with the pearls in her pillow case. Another time I found them in my backpack at Uni. They are currently in the top drawer of my desk. Does she think I haven’t found them? Just you wait little sister…mwah mwah mwah!!

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? How about a hearty ‘Merry Christmas’?

12. Favorite Christmas movie? When I was growing up, me and my brother would watch ‘The Year without a Santa Claus’ without fail. Right now, I’d say ‘It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie’.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Um, how many days do I have left?

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, but I’m currently using the coffee percolator I gave to my Dad one Christmas. Does that count? Hey wait a second, that gives me an idea for question 8!

15. Favorite things to eat at Christmas? BBQ prawns are an essential part of any Christmas day eating.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? The soft glow of clear lights reflects the soothing, ambient atmosphere which I like to relax in.

17. Favorite Christmas song? "Let it snow let it snow let it snow…" only because it features in Die Hard 2, and I can’t get the song out of my head.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel down the road to my folks place.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? On Dasher, on Dancer, on Vixen, on Comet…on the rest of ya’s….Hmmmm…guess not. Points for trying?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. There’s only room for one angel in my household. Isn’t that right Maddie? *cough cough*

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. Well, not anymore. I live alone, and I don’t give presents to myself. So, it’s afternoon now.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? All the altruistic nonsense you read in the newspapers which just helps selfish people feel better about themselves. Ok, maybe I’m just cynical?

23. What is the "corniest" family tradition you do, or miss doing? Each year my siblings and I have a ‘Christmas meeting’ to work out the finer details of making sure that Christmas works well in our family. Plus my brother and I used to go out on Christmas Eve yelling ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ for the neighbourhood kiddies. Ain’t we stinkers?

24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? Blow-up Santa’s. What’s with that?

25. Which looks the best, theme trees or homey trees? Homey? Yo! What’s up wiv dat homee tree bro?

26. What does Christmas mean to you? Jesus: God Saves.

It's OK, you can swear!

2007-12-08T00:11:00.000+11:00

I’m back. I’ve been away for a little bit, and plan to keep posting here. But in the meantime kiddies you can sit back, grab a coffee and read on, dear reader.

I’ve sustained a jogging injury which I’ve had for a few years now, and decided for my next plan of attack to visit a chiropractor. While I was lying face down on the bench, having the chiropractor poke my stiff muscles, he called in his assistant to do the massaging.

Now when someone massages me (and I’ve had a few) my preference is to at least meet them. But alas, I was not afforded this opportunity since, as I said, I was lying face down.

The girl just came in and just started massaging me as she was chatting to me. We were talking about muscle groups and the Bay run, among other things. She also studied anatomy at NatureCare, where I used to do some casual teaching so I could pay the bills whilst at Bible college. The funny thing was how at ease she seemed to be. Her talk was casual and unguarded. She was swearing like a trooper as she talked to me. She was saying ‘s&^% yeah’ to this and ‘effin’ oath’ to that. The conversation was quite jolly. Obviously she had done this many times. And then she asked me ‘so what do you do?’

I knew the conversation was about to change.

‘I work for a church’

‘Really?? What do you do there?’

(After all, maybe I mowed the grass and trimmed the hedges)

‘I am a minister’

I could hear her brain thinking back over all the expletives that she had used within the last five minutes.

‘That’s quite a change…’

‘Yeah’ (me agreeing)

‘What made you decide to do that?’

Now before I continue, can I just admit that I’ve never come up with a clever answer to this question? I mean, an knock-out answer which will make the best use of having a good gospel conversation. Once I said to a whole church (answering the same question) ‘because there is a heaven and there is a hell, and everyone is going to one place or the other’. I also once said to a hairdresser ‘so I can help people know about Jesus’. And this time? Well I paused for some moment. (Put it down to the massage I was clearly enjoying).

‘Because I want people to think through the big questions in life. About knowing God’

She politely agreed.

The conversation didn’t really go anywhere after that.

But it made me think that the world really does put us ministers into a different box than everyone else. I feel as though they don’t know what to do with us. Sometimes even I don’t know what to do with me! But it’s interesting that the world feels the need to stop swearing and behave around me! Perhaps they feel judged, or guilty. Maybe even unholy.

Whatever it is, I wished she felt as though she could be herself. I wanted her to keep swearing at me! I wanted her to be at ease. I wished the conversation could go on. I wished she could know I’m just like her- I’m a sinner in need of grace too! I wanted to stay in the same box as her, and not be put in a different box.

Stay tuned, I'm going back on Monday.

In the meantime, help me out. What would you say if someone asked you ‘what do you do?’ and you are seeking to share the gospel with them?

Oil aint oils.

2007-10-23T23:49:00.000+10:00

Today I mowed the grass. Somehow the oil cap flew off the lawn mower. As a result oil was spewing out of the mower like a fine mist in the air. As a result oil was spraying onto me and I didn't realise it. As a result, I looked like I had just discovered some black gold. Texas tea. Yuk.

The Art of Forgiveness

2007-10-15T23:30:00.000+10:00

I'm doing a 3 week series on the topic of forgiveness. Here's how it goes:

1. How God forgives
2. How we forgive
3. ???

I haven't come up with the title of the 3rd week. Any ideas? Please?

Is God a Greenie?

2007-10-11T09:36:00.000+10:00

Here is an article I wrote for our local newspaper (bascially its my environment sermon rehashed, attempting to present the gospel in the light of the environment). I'd be interested to know what you think. David.

Is God a Greenie?

If God were to go shopping would he use plastic or green shopping bags? If God owned a car, what would he drive? A gutsy Commodore V8 or a piddly Daihatsu Charade? Does God care about the environment? Would you find God singing with Midnight Oil ‘Your dream world is just about to end?’

There are many reasons why God should be a greenie. Look at our world. What happens when all the oil runs out (and it will)? How do we dispose of used uranium? What about the hole in the ozone layer and global warming? And the drought in our country? Does God care about these things?

The story of the Bible is that God does care about these things. Indeed, the Bible explains the environmental mess our planet is in. Consider are 3 Inconvenient Truths from the Bible about the state of our planet (apologies to Al Gore).

Inconvenient Truth #1: Planet Earth is God’s

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)

One general rule in life is if you create something from scratch, you own it. Since God created planet earth from nothing, it’s His. The local valley, the local soccer field, the local rotary park- it’s all His. And He made this world to bring glory to Himself.

Inconvenient Truth #2: We are Caretakers of God’s Planet Earth

You see this in the creation account in Genesis 1.

God created man in his own image…God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 1:27-28)

Humans are given 2 commands- fill the earth and subdue it. We have done pretty well at the first command (6.7 billion people so far and counting!) But we are also told to rule the earth under God. But ruling the earth does not mean ruining the earth. The earth is on lease to us as rental property. We are merely the caretakers. As the caretakers, we must manage it responsibly. We can’t do with the world what we like.

Inconvenient Truth #3: Planet Earth is ‘Sick’ because of Human Rebellion

However, instead of choosing to rule under God, we staged a coop and took control of God’s earth. We ignored our Creator. God, being the perfect gentleman that He is, allows us to rebel against Him. And the results are catastrophic.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it. (Romans 8:20)

Our world is now ‘frustrated’. Because of human self-centredness, the world is in ecological disaster. Human greed cuts down forests to make money but that damages the environment. Killing whales to make a buck drives them to extinction. Now there are Hurricane Katrina’s and Cyclone Tracey’s. There are floods and fires, droughts and diseases.

So what will God do about our environment? Here are 2 reasons why God is a greenie.

1. God will Fix up Planet Earth

The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)

Creation is waiting to be freed from its decay. God is going to do something amazing in the future. He is not going to throw this world away over his shoulder like an empty can. He is going to renovate it. God will dismantle the creation and build it again. He will make a new heavens and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

Because of this, Christians have a huge respect for this planet. We believe not only that God made it, but he is also going to restore it. We want God’s plans for this world to be our plans for this world.

Not that we will achieve utopia now- that’s for the future. But in the meantime Christians work for justice and environmental care because we want the world to head towards what it one day will properly be- a restored world.

2. God is now Fixing up People

Before God saves the planet, he is now saving people. He fixes up people by making them new creations.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

He is transforming humans, through Christ, into what we were created to be. Now we can have a new relationship to God, and a new relationship to each other. This includes a new relationship to our world. Now we can rule God’s creation the way we were made to rule it.

God sent His Son to pay for the fact that we ignore Him and run His world our own way. His Spirit transforms people’s hearts into people that want to serve Him and love others. Selfish people and God-ignorers become new creations. We can now live as the proper caretakers of the earth that God has rented out to us.

This means caring for the planet. It means using our world’s resources properly. It means preventing selfish pollution and needless wastage. It means giving up on materialism at the expense of being eco-friendly. It means recycling and being responsible. It means loving others by caring for the environment.

God cares for His planet and how it is used. He will fix up the mess one day, but in the mean time, he is fixing up people. Is God a greenie? Yes!

Author’s endnote- no forests were cut down in the process of writing this article.

Cause for Environmental Concern #3

2007-10-02T09:19:00.000+10:00

(For the start of this sermon on the environment, see previous 2 blog entries)

2 Reasons Why You Should Care:

i) ‘Not Yet’- Planet Earth will be Renovated

Romans 8:19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

Romans 8:21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Our future is linked to the future of this planet. When we are glorified, creation will be glorified. When we are resurrected in physical bodies, planet earth will be resurrected as well. He will make a home fit for us to live in.

God will dismantle the creation and build it again. Creation is waiting eagerly to be what it should be. It’s waiting to be freed from its decay.

The future is physical.

God is going to rebuild this world into a new heavens and a new earth. We read in Isaiah 24 the horrible state that the world is in because of the sin of Israel. But by the end of Isaiah we read of God’s better homes and gardens plan.

Isaiah 65:17 17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

God is going to do something amazing in the future. He is not going to throw this world away over his shoulder like an empty can. He is going to renovate it. Recreate it. Make it new. A new heavens and a new earth!

Christians above all are people who have a huge respect for the earth because we believe not only that God made it, but he is going to remake it. God’s plans for this world should be our plans for this world. Too often you hear Christian’s say ‘why be concerned about this world- its all going to be destroyed anyway’.

But God plans to restore his creation. That gives you every reason to work for justice and to make creation what it one day will properly be.

We shouldn’t think we can achieve a greenie paradise now. It’s arrogant to think that we can achieve some kind of greenie paradise by changing our lifestyle. We won’t end the pains of the earth by science or technology. God is the one who will create a new heavens and a new earth. Not us.

Christians should be the ones who lead the way in wanting the world to be what God wants the world to be. The ‘not yet’ drives us to care for the environment.

ii) ‘Already’ – Planet Earth is reconciled to Christ.

The ‘now’ is that the world is being reconciled to Christ. Paul says this about Jesus:

Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

God has reconciled everything to His Son. From Bono to Peter Garrett, from my dog to the devil- all things are being reconciled. God has brought his entire rebellious creation back under the rule of his sovereign power.

That includes planet earth. God has claimed back this planet as his very own, through the death of His Son. It can now do its job- praise its Creator.

But more than that- God has claimed back people.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

God is in the process of making new creations- he transforming humans, through Christ. We have a new relationship to God, and a new relationship to each other.

Christians are now, what we were created to be. Now we can rule God’s creation the way we were created to rule it. We are God’s image bearers, and we can rule creation the way God intended. We will live as caretakers of the earth that God has rented out to us. And as his image bearers, we can help our world be what it was created to be- a world which praises God.
Planet earth is already reconciled to Christ. It can right now live for the praise of His glory. And we Christians can be involved in that right now!

So, let me give you some principles to live by:-

3. Some Principles to Live by-

i) Love

Someone once asked Jesus which was the greatest command.

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Christians are people who love God and love others. We care for all people- whether they live in India or Ethiopia, or Australia.

The best way to love someone is to share Jesus with them. That’s our top priority. Saving people is more important that saving whales.

But in today’s world, one way to love others is to care for the environment.

We are to love those people who in Fiji might lose their islands if global warming becomes real.
We are to love our children so we aren’t dumping all the environmental problems on them but coming up with solutions for our own mistakes. Love is the key.

ii) Wisdom

Wisdom in the Bible is working out how to live in the world under God. We must listen to what God says about the world. And look at the way the world works. The Bible doesn’t tell us how deal with global warming. So we need to listen to scientists and environmental engineers. Listen to those who are studying God’s creation to see if we can come up with a solution to fix the mess of the environment.

iii) Transformation

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

This problem is a spiritual one. And Christians have got to stand against the greed and materialism of this world, by being transformed ourselves. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit.

So many of our environmental problems are due to selfish hearts. We must repent of selfish pollution. We must repent of double standards. If we insist on the protection of African rain forests then we have to be willing to do something in our own backyard.

Love, wisdom and transformation.

May God give us the strength to live this way. Amen.

Cause for Environmental Concern #2

2007-09-29T21:04:00.000+10:00

Point ONE: 3 INCONVENIENT TRUTHS

Al Gore alarmed us last year by making a movie called ‘An Inconvenient Truth’- inconvenient because selfish humans don’t like hearing about the state of the environment because we may have to do something about it.

But I would like to tell you 3 Biblical ‘Inconvenient Truths’ about Planet Earth. They are inconvenient for the same reason- because selfish humans don’t like hearing these truths.
3 Inconvenient truths to consider:

1. Planet Earth is God’s Earth

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
There is a general rule in life- you create something you own it.

God created planet earth so it is his. All that you see- the valley, the soccer field, the rotary park- its all His. And he makes this world to bring glory to Himself, to sing His praises.

But this isn’t the full story, because secondly,

2. Planet Earth has been given to Humans To Rule (Under God)

Psalm 115:16 16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.
Earth actually belongs to both God and man.

God because he made it. Man because God has handed it to us.

The earth is God’s and ours. You see this in the creation account in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Humans are given 2 commands- fill the earth and subdue it. We have no problems with the first command. The command to go forth and multiply is probably the only command of God’s we ever kept.

But we are also told to rule the earth. Subdue it. But ruling the earth does not mean ruining the earth. Because – and here’s the important part- we are to rule under God. God has given to the earth to run on His behalf. That means we are stewards. The earth is on lease to us. It’s rental property. We are not the landowners- we are the caretakers of God’s property. We have to manage it responsibly.

What do horses and atoms and cells all have in common? God has given them to us to improve life. We can train horses to plow fields. We can use atoms to create energy for good reasons. When I worked in the lab, we were taking strands of DNA out of one cell and putting into another cell to make medicines. We are supposed to use technology and science to improve life.

We are caretakers. But the reason we are caretakers is because God has given us the world to rent. The greenies are right about one thing- We have to care for the earth. We can’t do with the world what we like. But the greenies don’t have the same reason as us. We care for it because it’s God’s world and we are only the caretakers under him.

3. Planet Earth is ‘Sick’ because of Human Sin

There was a cosmic rebellion in the universe- we humans turned our back on our Creator. Instead of choosing to rule under God, we staged a coop and took control of God’s government.
We go on ignoring him. You see it in the way we simply ignore God as our Creator. We prefer to speak of ‘Mother Nature’ as the Creator. There’s even a company called ‘Natures way’. She is the maker of Earth. We worship her and her ways. What blasphemy! to be worshipping a false idol, instead of worshipping the God who made nature!

The result is that God lets us do it. He judges us for doing it.

And the results is catastrophic. Its cosmic.

Romans 8:20-22 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Because of our human self-centredness, God has chosen to frustrate His own world. (‘frustration here means vanity’- its useless!) Creation is not what it should be. The world doesn’t do its job. It doesn’t achieve the purpose that the creator set out for it. As a result, the world is in ecological disaster.

Now there are hurricane Katrina’s and cyclone Tracey’s. Now there are floods and fires. Its now hard to grow crops. There are thorns and droughts and diseases. Its hard to rule creation. We are under the judgement of God.

But everything is still good (I Tim 4:3). It’s to be received with thanksgiving because its made by a good God. But it’s in decay.

We keep thinking that the real problem with the world is physical. But the real problem is spiritual. The heart of the problem with the world is the problem of the human heart.
The reason why there is a drought in this country is because of the spiritual drought in our hearts. We have ignored our Creator. If we all die a thirsty death it will be because we don’t thirst after God. It’s God’s judgement upon us.

And the cycle is endless. We bring ecological disaster upon ourselves. Human greed cuts down forests to make money but that damages the environment. Killing whales to make a buck will drive them to extinction.

The world exists to bring glory to God. But we think the material world exists to feed our materialism. See how the Bible makes perfect sense of the world we live in?

There are 3 Inconvenient Truths about Planet Earth. It’s God’s. It’s given to us to rule under God. It’s now sick.

Next: 2 Reasons why Christians should care about the environment.

Cause for Environmental Concern #1

2007-09-29T19:50:00.000+10:00

OK, so I'm a little behind on this week's sermon. I've got the guts of it, but it still needs work. Besides prayer, I thought I would motivate myself by posting my sermon up as I finish it. Its a once-off topical on the Environment, so here's my introduction:

Is God a Greenie?

• Is God a greenie?
• Does God want me to use plastic bags?
• How long should I spend in the shower or have my air conditioning on for?
• What kind of car would Jesus drive? Would he be a Commodore V8 guy or a Daihatsu Charade kinda man? Hereby known as WWJD- What would Jesus drive?
• Should you vote Green? Or just use green bags instead of plastic ones?
• Should you vote at all since there is so much paper wastage on election days?

I don’t know if any of these questions have crossed your mind, but the Environment is a big issue in today’s world, and its not an issue that is going to go away.

Earlier this year The Sydney Morning Herald published an article on the front page with the headline: ‘World wakes to climate calamity’.

February 3, 2007: 2007-THE world has been delivered its strongest warning yet that human actions are causing global warming and that greenhouse gas emissions must be reined in by 2020 if humanity wants a chance to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Should Christians care about this? There are many reasons humanly speaking why we should be concerned about the environment. Here's 4:

1. Population Growth. At the moment the population of the world is 6.7 billion. But by the year 2015, it could be 8 billion. Can the earth handle such a large population? How many people could live in your house before its just too much to handle?

2. Use of resources. Can we feed 8 billion people? The earth only has a limited amount of resources. You think of oil and other fossil fuels you cant recycle. Once they are gone they are gone forever.

3. Waste disposal. Our nation is rich in uranium, which when it is used it is still radioactive. What do we do with all that waste?

4. Damaged atmosphere. Think about the damages done to the ozone layer, and global warming. The hole in that ozone layer is getting larger, and are we to blame? And is it linked to increases in skin cancers and global warming? Scientists think that by 2100 the average temperature of the planet will increase by 1-5 degrees. Is that why there is a drought in this country and is the future of our great grandchildren that they will all die slow thirsty deaths?

There are many reasons why we should be alarmed about the environment.
But as Christians we always want to be driven by God and his concerns.

Coming up:
3 Inconvenient Truths
2 Reasons Christians Should care
Some Principles to Live by

Do you want to attain holiness?

2007-09-25T09:03:00.000+10:00

Do you want to attain holiness? Do you feel this day a real hearty desire to be holy? Would you be a partaker of the divine nature? Then go to Christ. Wait for nothing. Wait for nobody. Linger not. Think not to make yourself ready. Go and say to Him, in the words of that beautiful hymn,

‘Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, flee to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace.’

There is not a brick nor a stone laid in the work of our sanctification till we go to Christ. Holiness is His special gift to His believing people. Holiness is the work He carries on in their hearts by the Spirit whom He puts within them.….Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the true Vine... Go then to Christ and say, ‘Lord, not only save me from the guilt of sin, but send the Spirit, whom Thou didst promise, and save me from its power. Make me holy. Teach me to do Thy will.’

Would you continue holy? Then abide in Christ. He says Himself, ‘Abide in Me, and I in you….He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit’ (John 15:4, 5). It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell, a full supply for all a believer’s wants. He is the Physician to whom you must daily go, if you would keep well. He is the Manna which you must daily eat, and the Rock of which you must daily drink. His arm is the arm on which you must daily lean, as you come up out of the wilderness of this world...

May all who read these pages know these things by experience, and not by hearsay only! May we all feel the importance of holiness, far more than we have ever done yet! May our years be holy years with our souls, and then they will be happy ones! Whether we live, may we live unto the Lord, or whether we die, may we die unto the Lord or, if He comes for us, may we be found in peace, without spot, and blameless.

JC Ryle, Holiness, p48,49

Sometimes Process Beats Destination

2007-09-05T22:46:00.000+10:00

My dear reader, it is truly wonderful to know that you are still out there and taking in the words which now appear before your eyes. Life for me has been all systems go. The train has left the station. The eagle hasn’t landed. The fat lady has not yet even begun to sing. OK, I’m rambling. I’m musing. But that’s the title of this blog, and you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t at least a little bit interested in even the most obscure keystroke I have to offer you.

So let me see if I have anything to offer you, so that you can say that your time here was of some value to your day. Have you considered what makes reading this blog- this particular blog, worthwhile? Is it interest in the author’s life and happenings? Is it some insight into a subject that the author has, and how it applies to his specific situation? It could even be boredom that brings you here. At its worst, perhaps it is even be a form of voyeurism that brings you here, and apart from these words, the thoughts of the author are veiled from your mind.

Whatever the reason, dear reader, your interest means masses to me. I consider it pure altruism that you indulge me by your presence. How thoughtful of you to click on these pages and upload my words with interest, consider my thoughts, and perhaps even comment on the most archaic of my ramblings, hereby increasing my site meter count as well as my own self esteem.

So what insight can I offer you tonight? What possible words of wisdom will ‘random musings’ offer you? That, dear reader, is hard to say. For tonight presents a different kind of blog entry. This entry has no set purpose in mind. The aim here, dear reader, is to share my thoughts, as the blog name suggests, with randomness, but not at the expense of clarity. But you will need to be the judge of that. My habit has been to reflect before I speak. However tonight I find myself doing the opposite. I speak as I reflect. And I’m sure that you will agree that the result is rather...impetuous.

Now I’m all for spontaneity. Spontaneity wakes people up in the morning. Spontaneity provides unpredictability to an otherwise boring existence. Spontaneity breathes exhilaration into life and sucks up the mundane. Spontaneity is what keeps share market analysts employed.

So do not be alarmed dear reader. I have not lost my mind. I am merely celebrating an opportunity for a newly found spontaneity. Its an opportunity to start with a thought, and to enjoy the process of thought upon thought, without giving much thought to the final destination. Indeed, there does not have to be a significant distination. For process is what is important here. This process reminds me of when I was a child, and I would place a leaf in a flowing creek just after the rain, only to see where its destination would be. In once sense the destination did not matter, but the process of travel was important to observe. And I must say, that the enjoyment of the ride along the way can sometimes overshadow the importance of the destination. It should, for creativity sometimes needs to be an end within itself. And this is why modern art is highly subjective. The artist has enjoyed the process of creating, even if the end result is something you wouldn't hang up on a preschoolers wall. Don’t blame it all upon postmodernism, dear reader. The process involved in creativity does have its place.

Forgive my reflective and somewhat evasive mood this cold September evening. Some will read this and feel that the contents are not fit to line my dog's kennel. Others will enjoy the process and feel a warm heart at an update. But whoever you are, dear reader, I do owe you for the pleasure of allowing myself to indulge upon this rather poetically reflective mood I find myself in this evening. The process has been engaging and entertaining for at least one of us. Until next time, my dear reader...

Thirsty Merc and Pub Church

2007-08-14T23:51:00.000+10:00

So tonight I got to hear Thirsty Merc live again...they really are an awesome band. My only complaint was that they didn't play for longer. Afterwards, I caught up with some friends of mine- Scott and Suze, and kinda met the drummer's wife- Di- but didn't really meet her. But it was cool to know that she is a Christian, as it her hubby.

The Mean Fiddler is such an awesome pub. In my own humble opinion (which here on in will be known as IMOHO for you non bloggers) its one of Sydney's finest pubs. After rocking with the Merc, Scotty and I dreamed about starting up a pub church at the Fiddler. It's something I've thought about for a few months now- being inspired by others before me, but being a one man band, it would be hard for me to pull it off on my own. So Scotty got my brain into gear, and we dreamed together about getting this thing called 'pub church' for men up and running. Hmmm, something to think and pray about.

How excitement!

PS This post is partly to prove to Shannyn that I haven't given up on the blog. Are you still out there and reading this? I need reassurement!

A Moment of Honesty: Today I met Jerry Bridges

2007-07-03T22:29:00.000+10:00

OK, so today I got to meet Jerry Bridges. I mean, the Jerry Bridges of ‘Transforming Grace’ fame. It was at a staff meeting at a church I used to work for. It was a privilege to be invited for such an occasion. He spoke to us on the topic of 'How to urge the Saints to Pursue Holiness without Forfeiting Grace.'

His story of legalism reminded me of my own journey. I remember as a teenager reading his book ‘The Pursuit of Holiness’. It was a very challenging book, and being a pious Christian at the time, I rose to the challenge of putting into practice some of the things he said in the book. But that's not the moment of honesty for me.

You see, today Jerry verbalized some things that God has been teaching me in my own walk with the Lord over the past year. If you've been reading these pages, you've been seeing stuff on humility and doing things in God's strength, living by faith, and indeed, just recently, claiming the rightousness of another as our own. In a word: GRACE. Jerry defined 'grace' as God giving to people He is rightly angry with what they don't deserve.

If you know me at all, you would know that I grew up with a pretty legalistic view of Christianity. It was easy for me to think that the Christian life was characterized by commands or by the word ‘ought’. I suppose I focused upon commands in my young adulthood, and my standing with God was based upon this. Surprisingly, this is what Jerry experienced as well!

Now I knew the answers about grace- in my head- but being compelled by grace and living by grace…actually doing it? Well, that’s another story. For me, its been a journey to live out the imputed righteousness of Christ. In other words, to live out the righteousness that has been handed to me on a platter. And the temptation is still strong to think that by my own efforts I can achieve this righteousness.

You see, because I have lived an upright life, (at least outwardly) its easy for me to be proud and to think that I have achieved something. But God won’t let me get away with that! Pharisee that I am- proud of my own righteousness! Jerry reminded me of what God has been teaching me of late (if you don’t believe me, see my previous posts!) - to look outside of myself for my acceptance. I need to see myself in the imputed righteousness of Christ. My righteousness comes from outside of myself, not from within myself. (Theologians call this ‘alien’ righteousness for the very reason that it comes from outside us, not from within).

And yet I still see the gap between my own sinfulness and my need to grow (something else Jerry pointed out today). I'm constantly reminded of what a great sinner I am. And Jerry reminded us to always look to Christ’s infinite righteousness, because that’s the righteousness that I have….please read that last sentence again. If you are in Christ, you have his infinite righteousness!!! He even mentioned the sinful woman, who anointed Jesus’ feet (a passage which spoke powerfully to me earlier this year, and a passage I intend to preach on later this year).

But its more than having the righteousness of Christ. Its also having the power of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit I am able to live out the righteousness of Christ. Again, not by my strength, but the daily attitude of relying upon Him to do things in His strength. For me, the temptation is to constantly think I can do things in my own strength. But what I need to keep realizing is that I HAVE NO POWER WITHIN MYSELF! God is really not interested in my self-strength, but in my reliance upon His Spirit. Ahh grace…what a relief it is to live by you.

So there is the righteousness of Christ, the power of the Spirit, and if you really want to get Trinitarian about it (and I do!) the sanctifying work of God the Father. Rely on each of these Christian brother and sister!!!

One of the things that stood out for me was Jerry’s prayers. He shared with us things that he had prayed for during his life, and how God had answered those prayers. Here are some of them:
-I pray I would use the Bible to guide my conduct
-I pray I may be compelled by the love of Christ
-I pray I would be conscious of your forgiveness

Good things to continually pray for.

Jerry also commented upon how the church tends to compare their own sinfulness with the world's, rather than from within the church. As a result, we have a number of ‘respectable sins’. Sure the church doesn’t tolerate sins like adultery and homosexuality. But when it comes to gossip, pride, anxiety, bitterness and unforgiveness (I could go on) the church puts up with these sins. Again, its something God has been teaching me of late. I'm a 'respectable' sinner. But if you would see inside my heart, you would see that I'm no such thing.

So ya...God used Jerry to confirm/underline/highlight the journey I'm on at the moment. Its been a deeper grasp of the gospel for me. A deeper sense of my own sin. And a deeper sense of my need for forgiveness. Indeed, God has been showing me the pit that He has pulled me out of.

And I couldn’t help it- I had to ask Jerry to sign my copy of ‘Disciplines of Grace’. His verse: 2 Cor 5:21. Probably the topic of my evangelistic talk on Sunday night. And here's the proof.

Congratulations Tim & Shona!

2007-06-30T21:43:00.000+10:00

It was awesome witnessing this today.
Congrats guys! May God bless your new life together.

Friday Friendships

2007-06-30T00:16:00.000+10:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but I would just like to thank God for living in a city where you can pick up friendships with old friends you haven’t seen in years, make friendships with new people you have never met before, and just plain hang out with current friends! And thank God for being able to call up old friends and catch up. And laughter. That’s ALWAYS fun. Isn’t being a Christian such a blessing?

Fridays tend to make me think about the friends that I have...seeing as how its a day to enjoy friendships. Tonight a group of us went out for pizza- the funniest thing that happened- one of the girls there was trying to tell her friend that she had some green food on her teeth. Her signal was to put some green food on her own teeth. Subtle but hilarious. It reminds me of my own age old joke- which consists of putting some food on my nose at the dinner table and then waiting for someone to notice.

I need to get out more.

Our Only Entry to Heaven

2007-06-17T23:01:00.000+10:00

The only righteousness in which we can appear before God is the righteousness of another- even the perfect righteousness of our Substitute and Representative, Jesus Christ the Lord. His work and not our work is our only title to heaven. This is a truth which we should be ready to die to maintain.

(Holiness, JC Ryle, p21).

Do you appreciate just how sinful you are?

2007-06-16T23:33:00.000+10:00

So much of our religious teaching betrays no sign that the speaker has descended into hell, been near the everlasting burnings, or been plucked from the awful pit. He has risen with Christ—what right have we to deny it?—but it is out of a shallow grave, with no deepness of earth, with no huge millstone to roll away.

~PT Forsyth, The Church, the Gospel and Society

What sweet words- that we are risen with Christ. But do we really see how far we have risen up out of the grave? Does this come through in my preaching? My conversations? My prayers? We do we shrink from the doctrine of sin, when it makes the doctrine of our completeness in Christ even more sweeter?

A Snapshot of This Thursday

2007-06-07T21:58:00.000+10:00

The day starts with finishing off my pastor's corner for the local newspaper. My latest article is on 'Amazing Grace'- an article arguing that 'Amazing Grace' is more than just a hymn- its a song about us! Hopefully with the upcoming movie, the article will generate some interest. And then there is the sermon series that I want to promote in the local rag on 'Eternity...everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask'. Also, an email about the bon fire night tomorrow night. A phone call or two. And the morning is gone.

Then there are Scripture classes. I teach year 4 in two schools. The kids are better behaved at the second class I teach than the first one. But is this because I'm better prepared for the second class, having done it once already? I have no way of knowing, other than travelling to a parallel universe to find out.

In between classes I catch up with Shannyn at one of the local cafes for a coffee. We solve all the problems of the world during this time, starting with our own.

Lunch at home. My dog is excited to see me. After lunch I send some more emails. (Our poor secretary gets a bombardment of emails from me on Thursdays...) I hope to rope in some volunteers to help move a 'woman-in-need' from my suburb to East Kurrajong. I'd call her a widow, but she wasn't married to the deceased. What do you call a woman in a de-facto relationship where the partner dies? Still trying to figure that one out. The forecast for the projected removal day is rain, so it could be unpleasant.

Finally some sermon work. Preaching on Romans 5:1-11 on Sunday morning, at 8:30am and 10am. Then I cover Ruth 1 in the evening. Ruth 1 still needs some fine tuning. (My sermon, not the actual word of God, in case you were confused!) Romans 5:1-11 is looking fine. I'm glad I did some hard work on it earlier. I look forward to preaching both. I also start writing next week's Bible study on Romans 5:12-21.

The evening- a few phone calls, more emails, a visit from Dad, and all is well in my world.

But looking forward to a day off tomorrow...a visit from my cousin, perhaps a beer with a mate, and a bonfire night at church with the local kids.

Totally reliant upon my God and in awe at this life He has given me.

Amazing Grace- the movie

2007-06-04T23:27:00.000+10:00

My boss had free tickets to see a prescreening of the movie Amazing Grace. So I went along and saw it with him. (The perks!)

I have to say first and foremost I loved the movie. There were some serious and somber moments where the gruesome brutalities of the slave trade were realised. There were also some light moments, like when Wilberforce was matched up with his wife-to-be. There was romance and humour. The political scenes were well done. There was suspense as a plan was hatched to pass the Bill of Abolition. There was drama as Wilberforce delivered a stirring speech to the Parliament.

But I don’t think this movie does much to help you ‘speak’ the gospel with your friends. There is a point in the movie where Wilberforce is at the death bed of Pitt, the Prime Minister, and Pitt says ‘I’m afraid.’ Wilberforce asks ‘what are you afraid of?’ Pitt says ‘Death. I wish I had your faith.’ At this point I thought ‘now he is going to show him that he doesn’t need to be afraid of death’. But Wilberforce merely takes his hand and holds it. End of scene. What the? When I'm about to die, I don’t need someone who is going to hold my hand…I need the Saviour. I was on the edge of my seat, thinking ‘Wilby, preach it brother.’ But apparently that doesn’t make for good movie making.

The difficulty is that the movie doesn't really explore the Chrisitan motive behind the ethics. It just explores the ethics of slave trading. I see this movie as a ‘flag waving exercise’. It adorns the gospel. It shows that Christians have stood up for Christian issues and they have been unpopular about doing so. And Christians still do the same thing today. When we speak up against the plight of refuges, or about euthanasia, or killing fetuses or embryos, its because we believe in the value of human life, that all are equal- men, women, Africans, Australians, embryos, elderly…all are made in the image of God, and are to be cherished as such.

It also strikes me that one of the challenges of atheism is to come up with a good reason why slavery is wrong. I mean, if people have no created worth, (the atheist's view) then surely it is OK to view people as commodities to be used, rather than people within relationships who are to be cherished?

Movies like these put Christianity into the public sphere, which is always a good thing. (The 200th anniversary of slave trade abolition in Britain was 25 March, 2007, so the movie comes at a significant time). I'd recommend going to see it. Who knows how God might use it? Perhaps you can use the movie to speak of Newton- the wretched man that he was- guilt driven, yet found by God. And explain the story of the well known words, Amazing Grace. Perhaps you can take your post modern friend along who doesn't believe in a category such as 'wickedness' and see what he thinks.

Incidently, here's some interesting trivia on Wilberforce: he used to say Psalm 119 to himself from memory when he was most under pressure. Not bad for a psalm which is 176 verses long. Wilberforce chose that particular psalm because its about the importance of relying upon God’s word.

Last Day of Our Holiday

2007-05-31T22:38:00.001+10:00

I'm back at work now, but the last day of holidays was by far our greatest adventure. We were driving along the highway to fly out of Townsville doing around 80 when something in the back of the bomb we borrowed shook. The car started backfiring and shaking quite badly, and Dave had to slow the car down to 60. Eventually the shaking got so bad that we had to pull over.

Its funny how quickly a bunch of ministers can turn into a bunch of mechanics. I got under the car. Dave popped the bonnet. Steve offered suggestions about what could be wrong. Would we make our trip back to Townsville in time? Can you feel the suspense dear reader?

We pooled our collective experience about what had gone wrong with bombs we had driven in the past. Was it the carby? The petrol line? The spark plugs? (I don't mean to boast here, but incidentally, my particular speciality is radiator overheating. This one time, on another holiday, Dave and I drove home from the Hunter in my previous car- my old Corolla, which kept overheating on us... admittedly it took us a while to get home, but since we had a set of Boules with us, while we waited for the car to cool down, we played Boules by the side of the road. But that's another story for another time. Back to the current one!)

We decided that it was the fuel line. Dave gave the petrol filter a little shake, which seemed to do the trick. There was also a bit of a problemo with the exhaust. It was hanging decidedly low...So Dave being the Macgyver that he is, sacrificed a cable connection from his mobile to allow us to cable tie the muffler to the rear bumper. Having fixed that, we were on our way again.

But we didn't get far. We called the owners of the bomb and told them the sad news. The owner graciously met us at Frosty Mango, the first northern stop outside of Townsville. And the NRMA guy (or whatever its called in Queensland) came to give the diagnosis. It turned out it was the fuel pump!!! The next problem was, the guy couldn't start the car. We had driven it into the ground. It had given up the car-ghost.

The owner graciously drove us to Townsville airport, and we made our plane. Fun times.

Rest in peace, bomb!

Mission Beach Hoons

2007-05-25T16:40:00.000+10:00

We got to the water taxi this morning to be told that there were no trips to Dunk Island today because the weather was meh. (That's not the word they used btw).

So this was plan B....

As you can see, basically the plan was to look like something out of C.H.I.P.S.

And then after we accomplished that, we decided to fang around Mission Beach on our scooters all day.

Sweet fun.

Do you know this person??

2007-05-24T14:42:00.001+10:00

So recently someone got hold of my camera, and left a nice picture on it. It was very kind of her, and I'm guessing she did it so I can share this special picture with you.

You just never know where your picture is going to end up!

De-bunked from going to Dunk

2007-05-24T14:28:00.000+10:00

...because of the weather. I mean, you can hardly see the island!

So maybe tomorrow.

Meh.

Mission Beach- not meh!

2007-05-23T13:13:00.000+10:00

Now I'm in Mission beach. The bus trip here was a little meh. It took only 3 buses to get here from Cairns. But the place where Steve, Dave and I are staying is not meh. It's a beach side apartment with 3 bedrooms. My room is an ensuite equppied with double bed, spa, TV and air con, and it faces onto the beach. So yeah, its not meh, because I fall asleep to the calming sound of the ocean. Did I mention that I have an ensuite?

Yesterday we went for a walk on the Kennedy trail. 3 hours return. The sand by the water's edge was a metallic gold. A fool's gold maybe, but gold nonetheless. PLus the beaches stretch for miles. We need more beaches like this in Sydney.

We also went snorkelling near Bingel Bay. To be honest there wasn't much to see except for a few tropical fish and dashes of coral. At one point I thought I saw a stinger's tail (they are grey with a white tip, right??) I even found myself protectign my heart with my hand in case the guy felt threatened by my presence, but come to think about it, that was pretty stupid huh? Like if a stinger's tail could go through Steve Irwin's sternum and pierce his heart, it could do the same thing to my hand and my sternum I'm sure. But one does not think about these things when you are snorkelling and see a stinger's tail poking out from under a rock.

Tomorrow we conquer Dunk Island.

Did i mention I have an ensuite?

So yeah, not meh.

More than just a trip to Cairns

2007-05-18T00:42:00.001+10:00

OK, so here it is. Especially for Shannyn, cos I’m sure that since I haven’t been updating as regularly as I used to, my blog readership is suffering drastically. So Shannyn (and anyone else who still visits this page) ... enjoy!

So I’ve been in Cairns for the last few days. Palm Cove to be exact. The flight in was rather smooth. An air stewardess comments on my Thirsty Merc t-shirt and tells me that one of the band members had flown with Virgin Blue recently. I wonder if that’s true. And if there is any way of finding that out.

I reflect on how flying is such a strange phenomenon. To think that you can get inside this little capsule and be hurled through the sky to the other end of the country and come out and feel like it was no real distance that was travelled. I open my drink bottle at mid-flight. When the plane starts to descend, I go to open it again, and I notice that my drink bottle is all crumpled. My mind starts whirring about differences in air pressures and how there is a lower pressure in the bottle at a higher altitude, but then I wonder if cabin pressure would cancel out such altitudinal differences. I conclude apparently not.

Then I land and Chris is there. Chris used to attend my church but moved to Cairns to recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We just talked on Skype the night before so it doesn’t seem like so long since I’ve seen him. We chat away about the last 24 hours and the few days ahead we have to hang out, how his chronic fatigue is going. And I start to realize I’m here and how much I’m hanging out for these next few days with my friend. And I know he will challenge my own walk with the Lord, as I trust I will refresh him.

And, can I just say, not by way of rubbing it in, but by way of thankfulness to God, that I am utterly loving it here. I could put it down to the jogs by the beach, the lazing on the sand to the sound of the waves washing up on the ocean. It might even be the coffees near the water, or the warm temperature (OK, so those things are rubbing it in…I realize that!). But I think most of all it’s the time of refreshment I get with Chris. He really does challenge me to be Christ-like. To live in the fullness of grace. To simply have faith and believe. To learn what it means to be forgiven. To realize the depth of my own sinfulness. To learn what it means to have a contrite heart. We talk about brokenness and how everyone is filled with something…and we talk about being filled with God. We talk about humility and waiting upon the Lord. We speak about loving God with all our heart. We talk about helping others to love God more, and setting others hearts on fire with the love of Christ burning deeply within them. We talk about growing in godliness and forming good habits, and trusting in God. We talk about how people love doctrine but neglect God. I’m challenged to not just love the doctrine of justification, but to love the One Who Justifies. I’m challenged yet again about my own pride and selfishness and need to believe myself dead to sin in Christ. To depend upon Him as dying to sin for me, and to look upon myself as dead to sin in Him. We talk about how we trust Him for salvation, but we trust Him for so little beyond salvation. We talk about how the Lord wounds and also heals. We talk a lot about things that are on my heart at the moment. We talk about God’s sovereignty, how He hurts us where it’s precious to us, so that we will hand over every single area of our life to Him. We talk about giving up precious dreams by faith. We talk about how we don't have to hang onto things if we are in Christ. We talk about how desiring in God actually changes our desires. We talk about how the notion of 'I feel, therefore I am' is such a lie. We talk about prayer and telling God how we feel. And handing all over to the Lord. We talk about abiding in Christ. We talk about the Puritans. And Luther. And Calvin. And Spurgeon. And Romans. And Galatians. And complacent Christians. Above all we talk about being IN CHRIST, the paradigm for my life which I keep coming back to again and again and again.

So yeah, you can see why I love spending time with Chris, and how refreshing it is to be with a brother who sees me through the eyes of Christ, warts and all. A man of God who encourages me to love God more. God bless him!

Too much info Shannyn? :)

Happiness

2007-05-16T23:20:00.000+10:00

O LORD,
Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.
Let me not think that I shall be more happy living to myself,
for I can only be happy if employed for thee,
and if I desire to live in this world
only to do and suffer what thou dost allot me.
Teach me
that if I do not live a life that satisfies thee,
I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.
Help me to desire the spirit and temper of angels
who willingly come down to this lower world to perform thy will,
though their desires are heavenly,
and not set in the least upon earthly things;
then I shall be of that temper I ought to have.
Help me not to think of living to thee in my own strength,
but always look to and rely on thee for assistance.
Teach me that there is no greater truth than this,
that I can do nothing of myself.
Lord, this is the life that no unconverted man can live,
yet it is an end that every godly should presses after;
Let it be then my concern to devote myself and all to thee.
Make me more fruitful and more spiritual,
for barrenness is my daily affliction and load.
How precious is time, and how painful to see it fly
with little done to good purpose!
I need thy help:
O may my soul sensibly depend upon thee
for all sanctification,
and every accomplishment of thy purposes
for me, for the world,
and for thy kingdom.

~A Puritan Prayer

(p168, Bennett, The Valley of Vision, 2005)

The Pain of Knowing God

2007-04-19T22:32:00.000+10:00

1. I asked the Lord, that I might grow,
In faith, and love, and ev’ry grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

2. ’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.

3. I hoped that in some favoured hour,
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

4. Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of the heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in ev’ry part.

5. Yea, more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I’d schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

6. ‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
‘’Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘I answer prayer for grace and faith.

7. ‘These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st seek thy all in Me.’

John Newton, 1725–1807

Heaven- Working the Crowd Eternally

2007-04-14T23:05:00.000+10:00

My mate Jimbo has been in love with a girl- Viv- for years and years. Well, she finally accepted (wore down? gave in?) Jimbo's advances. And today they were announced to be husband and wife....and I had the joy of attending their wedding.

What struck me about the day was there were so many people from my church past who were there- people I'd laughed and cried with, people who had lost babies, people who I've seen married and have kids (well, I wasn't in the delivery room if that's what you were thinking!), people I've planted churches with, people who I've seen fly overseas to be missionaries, people I've been in Bible study groups with, people I've been on church staff with, people I've prayed with and prayed for, people I've studied at Uni with, people I've seen come to the Lord and...the list just goes on and on.

More than one person commented to me 'this is what heaven will be like'. It sure did feel that way. Time stood still. We picked up relationships where they left off. I 'worked the crowd', catching up with as many people as possible.

And I'm sure the new heavens and new earth will be an eternal opportunity to 'work the crowd'.

I can't wait. Until then there is work to be done. Like tomorrow's preaching on the resurrection body. What a great joy to tell everyone about this! (And that's exactly what I plan on telling people!)

To Booze or not to Booze...

2007-04-12T22:03:00.000+10:00

I was in big trouble on Sunday- one of my parishioners complained that the Communion wine was alcoholic.

Whenever we have communion at church, I try to make sure that we have grape juice, and not port, sherry or wine. You never know if there are recovering alcoholics in the congregation who may get a whiff of the stuff and want to get back on the sauce. And you don’t know who is going to be offended. So I insist on grape juice (must be my strong Baptist heritage- thanks Mum and Dad!)

In my church however, there is a couple who are constantly offended that we use grape juice. So instead, we give them a seperate cup of port, but everyone else gets grape juice.

On this particular Sunday, since we had run out of grape juice, there was no other option but to use the port. I didn’t know at the time we had run out. Imagine my surprise when I took a cup and gulped it all down! Man, did that put hairs on my chest that morning!!!

Afterwards, a lady came up to me the following week and told me that she had taken a vow before the Lord that alcohol would never ever pass her lips again. D'oh!!!

So this Sunday, its back to the grape juice. The things a minister has to deal with…*sighs*

Ridiculous Grace

2007-04-10T21:50:00.000+10:00

I met a guy at a house warming party who used to come to my church when he was a teenager. He was telling me how he wandered away from the Lord, but now he was back. He said 'the grace of God is ridiculous'.

The grace of God is ridiculous. I love that description. Calvin said irresistible grace. I'm going for ridiculous grace.

I mean, grace is what we are constantly learning. Grace teaches us how to forgive, how to give, how to live. Grace that changes our hearts. Grace that means that everytime we fall flat on our face, or stray or stumble, the grace of God is always there to restore us. Grace that means its not by our own efforts. Grace that means that a squeaky clean track record means diddly squat, for we are all on equal footing at the foot of the cross. Grace takes away the Pharisee's pride of clean living. But by the costly grace of God, go I.

Grace- amazing, irresistible, costly, rich and free. I'm going to throw around ridiculous.

Ridiculous grace. Isn't it?

Bondi & Recovering Humility

2007-04-09T23:01:00.000+10:00

I had an awesome day today with my cousin Clare, who has just moved to Bondi. It was good to explore some cafes while we read the paper, sit on the beach and draw, and then have dinner. Bondi became my new favourite place today- the packed cafes and restuarants, the smell of coffee and pizza, the laid-back atmosphere, the buzz about the streets- everyone just loves being there. We ended the day at Boarders at Bondi Junction, reading magazines and sipping coffee.

Whilst browsing through the magazines at Borders, I came across an issue of Quadrant, an Australian commentary on society and culture. Tom Frame (Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force) has written a fantastic piece called Humility: The Depised Virtue? It sparked my interested because of my own reading and understanding on humility lately. The article basically looks at how humility is such a foreign virtue in our society. But yet so important because it affects the way that we see the world, how we treat people, and conduct public debate (like national apologies by governments for the misdeeds of the past).

The article is not available online, but some articles from back issues are available here.

Happy Resurrection!!!

2007-04-08T21:58:00.000+10:00

Phew...I made it.

Don't get me wrong, I love Easter, and love sharing the Easter message. But its a crazy time for us ministers because of so much preaching and organisation of services that need to take place. While this is a great privilege, its also going to be nice to just chill out now that Easter is over!

Some highlights over the last few days :
Receiving TWO home made lots of Rocky Road from a woman in my congregation who wondered if I was allergic to nuts...so she made TWO lots- one without nuts and one with! (in dark chocolate too might I add cos I love dark chocolate the most- yum!)

Going to a bucks night where my mate Jimbo got dressed as a Raider when he is really an Eels supporter...it was to an Eels vs Raider game (I hope he didn't get bashed...I'll find out next week at the wedding!)

Doing kid's talks where I am popping balloons in church and one of the kids took off cos he was so scared...

In sermon tonight, saying 'the tomb was rolled away...' Not the worst slip-up in a sermon I have made.

Getting addicted by the on-line community of facebook. Check it out! And make me your friend if you join!

Being challenged by my own study of 1 Cor 15...Jesus is the man who has defeated death. He brings order to God's universe and rules the way we were supposed to. So make him your ruler!

Can't wait to just chill out with my cuz in Bondi tomorrow... fun times.

The Way a Day off Should be...

2007-03-31T08:57:00.000+10:00

With apologies to other days off I have had.

This was probably one of my most favourite days off ever. Why? Time with friends, time to relax, time to hang out in our great city, and time to for 'silly Dave' to come and play for a while and no one seems to mind. Its all part of the destressing of ministry life anyway! Here's how it works.

Start by riding a river cat from Rydalmere and actually run for it in order to board. But once you are on, you can relax and enjoy the surroundings. Laugh at the little girl who sits behind you and asks her Mum after every bridge you go under: 'Is that the Sydney Harbour Bridge?' Little kids are good for a giggle like that.

After some lunch, cruise on in to the Sydney Aquarium. You'll love the crocs and stingers, but you can act like a bigger dill than you already are. Crickey! How long can you hold your breath under water?

Next, re-live that time you got lost in the mirror maze when you were a kid, and the time you threw up after going on the Gravitron as a teenager by heading to Luna Park. You'll see magnificent views of Sydney Harbour from the ferris wheel, and your thirst for silliness can be quenched a little more.

Throw in some quality time spent in Conney Island with slide races, spinning out on big wheels and through tunnels. Once you're done, play some pinnies and race each other in Daytona! And may the force be with you, because relfexes and sheer talent certainly won't be! (Why can't I ever win at these things?)

And then, when the day is over, sit back and chill back over dinner, share some more laughs, have some 'serious' time in talking about life and God and relationships- some of my most favourite topics. Intense stuff!

Then, when its time to bid thee a farewell, release all that excitement that is left and teenage angst that you never got rid of as a teenager by shooting up some bad guys! Yeah! bring that on!

Ahhh...now I'm ready to get back to the grindstone!

Any similiarities to real people are intentional and voyeuristic on your part.

Evangelistic Dinner- How it went

2007-03-26T22:59:00.000+10:00

Well, a number of you have been asking how the dinner went, so here goes.

In a word- fantastic!!! The food was great, the atmosphere was inviting (although muggy). Around 90 people were packed into our little church, and a number of them there for the first time. My sister did a great job singing some of her songs. And then a cracker of a sermon was preached on the paralytic whose sins were forgiven.

And after Ray's talk...silence. You could feel that people had been touched by the Word of God.

I asked people to fill out cards. Some from church indicated that they had responded to Christ. One woman, who doesn't come to church, responded by saying that she had prayed but wasn't sure if she should feel any different.

I love seeing people come home to Him! God is indeed merciful. Thanks for your prayers. Keep in prayer for those who asked God for forgiveness.

Dinner update: 90 people and counting

2007-03-22T18:29:00.000+11:00

At last count, we had 90 people coming to our dinner for Saturday night!!! I couldn't have asked for a better response if I tried. I've had to turn people away who were coming without bringing any friends along. We are even setting up a video link in the next room of the church to accomodate all the people who are coming!

Someone asked me 'why do you think it was so successful?' What do we tribute this success to?

I'd like to think it was the sermons I've been preaching on the Coming Kingdom. I'd like to think that the 5 minute spots on 'building bridges to people' and then 'how to invite someone to an evangelistic event' had a lot to do with it. But that would be arrogant.

The success was due to people actually making effort in their friendships and inviting others to come! People really took the message on board that we need to form relationships and be inviting people. Relationships is where its at folks!

And it goes without saying that God had His hand in it too. People got excited in church when I shared with them the story of how the man dying of cancer became a Christian. The gospel got people excited!

(A couple saw the dinner advertised in the local paper, and rang up this afternoon to come!)

Please keep praying!!!! Its THIS Saturday! Go God! Woo-hoo!!!!

Light Sent into the Dark

2007-03-20T22:30:00.000+11:00

Last night we went to College Graduation. I began to appreciate the voyeuristic nature of blogging….a friend I haven’t seen in ages said to me ‘I have come across your blog!’ Whilst I don’t tend to spill my guts on the blog, it does strike me as a way that people can access your private life, and see what you have been up to, without ever seeing you. Even though my blog is random, I tend to think of it as a way of keeping in touch with people more than anything.

Anyway, what I loved about the night was not only the singing of great hymns and songs, seeing people I know get their piece of paper after 4 years hard work (I know what that’s like), hearing the Word expounded…BUT what I loved the most was the thought of the gospel going into all the world through these people- UK, Japan, Spain, Australia…God is doing amazing things in our very own city.

When I was waiting on the steps to go inside, a passer by said to me ‘what’s going on in there?’ I merely said ‘Oh, it’s a college graduation’. If I had that moment again, I would have said ‘A celebration of light being sent into a dark, dark world'.

Or something cool like that. Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me.

For all the voyeurists out there, I close with some pictures of some of my friends. Congratulations!!!

Smile At Life Again

2007-03-17T22:51:00.000+11:00

Life ain't over. Life ain't done now.
So get back up in your place, child.
When you feel like its the end,
no mother and no friend could love you more.
These are dry days.
And your heart breaks when the best years seem to have gone by.
I've made promises before,
But no mother and no friend could love you more.

You've got to smile at life again.
Smile at you. There's a time to let it go, and then you
Smile at life again. There's a time to let it go.

I know that sometimes you need someone,
And the soul you want is nowhere.
When you're scared and left alone,
your faith becomes your reason to go on.
If you'll hear me, I have known truth.
I have hurt, and I have cried, too.
I've made promises before,
But no mother and no friend could love you more.

It's time to let it go.

The Elms, 2002

Evangelistic Dinner- Progress Report

2007-03-14T22:12:00.000+11:00

On March 24 we are holding an evangelistic dinner at church. Its pretty exciting- people are actually inviting others to come. But why am I surprised? My church has been gripped by the gospel, and they love seeing people come to Christ. They have been praying for this for a long time. At last count, we had 60 people coming. I’m so excited! God is stirring up this place, working through His Word and Spirit. People keep ringing me to tell me that more are coming. One is a lady who has never been to our church before, but brings her kids regularly to our kid's club. Another is a couple I married, but they didn't quite make friendships at church.

So please pray for this night. Pray for Ray as he preaches. Pray for my sister as she sings on her guitar. Pray for me as I MC the night. And pray for the unbelievers who will be there. I can't wait to tell you how it goes!

Its a Lost World After All....

2007-03-13T00:10:00.001+11:00

I’ve recently downloaded Google Earth onto my computer. Its awesome. I just type in my address, and I can see where I live, and every house I’ve ever lived in. I can relive overseas trips. I can see aerial shots of that island in Fiji I’ve visited twice in real life and many times in my imagination…then there’s San Fran, Great Keppel, Cairns and Adelaide- all places with fond memories, and I haven’t even touched Poland or Thailand.

Plus it’s a great reminder about how small our world is, and how great the need is for the lost people of this world to know Jesus. I used an aerial shot of my suburb in the kid’s talk to make this very point on Sunday.

In other news, I don’t like Monday night meetings that go late…

The Prayer of a Dying Man

2007-03-06T23:14:00.000+11:00

Today was a good day. No- today was a GREAT day!

I went to visit a dying man. His partner called me to ask for some pastoral care for him. It turns out he used to be a church-goer. He used to sing in a choir. He grew up knowing Bible stories and the rest. But he had wandered so far from God.

I asked him ‘so is God someone who you feel is out there in the distance, or is he someone who is very close to you?’

After a thoughtful pause he said ‘God feels quite far away'.

He said that he felt like he was a hypocrite, coming to God in his hour of need, when he had spent so long ignoring God. Then we talked about the prodigal son. He seemed to remember the story.

We talked about the son who wandered away from his father, and squandered his father’s inheritance money on wild living. But at his lowest point he returned home, begging for mercy, as he asked his Dad to take him back in.

But then we talked about what the father was like. He watched the road patiently, waiting for the son to return. And when he finally saw the son return, he ran! He ran as fast as his old legs would carry him, and embraced his son, wanting to throw him a party and restore him to the place of son. ‘That’s what our God is like!’ I said excitedly. ‘He loves it when people who have wandered away from him come home. He is only too ready to take us back!’ I explained that it would take a proud person to stay away from God. Only a truly humble person can admit their fault and turn to God.

That parable had his name written all over it.

I told him that the reason why God has spared his life in this way is to give him time to repent.

‘What do you think about that?’ I asked.

He looked at me puzzled. ‘When you talk about repenting, I don’t think that I have done anything wrong.’

And I believed him. He seemed like such a nice man.

I explained that sin is not about how good or bad you are. Its about rejecting God, and living a life of ignorance about Him. We talked about heaven and hell, and the reality of those places, and the rightness of God to send us to hell if we chose to want to have nothing to do with him. The punishment Jesus took on the cross deals with our rejection of Him.

‘It makes sense when you put it that way’, was the reply.

I then asked him if did he want to repent- to do some serious business with God- start treating God as God, and change his attitude to God, and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. He said he did.

So I prayed a prayer out loud, while he prayed it in his heart. And by the end of it, he had asked God for forgiveness, and trusted in the mercy of God at the cross.

It was the quickest conversion I’ve ever seen. But when your time is up, and you could go at any moment, you don't want to stuff around.

I don’t mention this to boast. Far from it. But it does put things in perspective, doesn't it? Some days I wonder what God is doing. I wonder if His Word just keeps falling on deaf ears all the time. But then I get a moment of clarity, like today, when I see Him at work so clearly. Preach the Word, in season and out of season.

And I get paid to do this?

Thanks for your prayers.

The Sovereignty of God

2007-03-05T23:17:00.000+11:00

At the moment I don’t know what the future is.
I wish I knew what the specifics are.
Is that a lack of trust?
At least I know the generals:
That God is leading me into holiness, godliness and a stronger trust,
Even though the details are sketchy,
There are so many questions.
And answers are wanting.
Is this what it means to live by faith and not by sight?
Yet God is in control!
This causes me to rejoice and be confident,
And be prayerful and faithful.
And work with all my might.
For He knows,
And cares,
And is compassionate,
And is in control,
Of the details.
So take comfort.
For He’ll get me there.
I even know where ‘there’ is,
Even though I don’t know the details
Of the itinerary.
But they become clearer
The longer I’m alive.

When Death Comes Knocking...

2007-03-05T21:43:00.000+11:00

Bible studies for the week have been written...enquiries about a weekend away have been made...meeting with the boss with future planning accomplished...sermon notes updated...phone calls made...emails sent...wedding for couple planned.

In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary thing that happened today was the phone call I received to meet with a man dying of cancer. He wants some pastoral care. Some advice. About how to die. Maybe he read my article in the local newspaper? Who knows. He wants to prepare for his untimely death. What do you tell a dying man? The gospel of course.

That's tomorrow's job. If you can call it a job. Pray I'd be clear. Pray he'd accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Pray that God will use his early death to soften his heart to Jesus.

Its at times like these that I remember why I went into ministry. God knows that He's also teaching me things during times like these.... I'll keep you posted.

Emancipate Yourself

2007-03-03T01:53:00.000+11:00

Me thinketh that Thirsty Merc doth rock.
Rocketh on!

Bible Study Quote of the Week

2007-02-28T08:09:00.000+11:00

In Bible study yesterday we were talking about superstition.

Elderly Wife- Christians shouldn't be superstitious like that. I've seen some people kiss old relics, and as Christians we shouldn't be doing that.

Elderly Man- Is that why you don't kiss me anyone?

Thirsty Merc- 20 Good Reasons

2007-02-25T22:42:00.000+11:00

OK here's the deal...

Orginally I was thinking of seeing Thirsty Merc on Saturday night. But having to preach the next day kinda put a damper on things, and besides, that gig was sold out. But now I realise that the 2 March (Friday night) gig is not sold out, and they are not on stage until 10.45pm. And even though I have kid's club on, I could make it to Annandale by 10.45pm. I know its late, but its not a school night, so my big question to all my friends and acquaintances and whoever out there...are you interested???????

Let me know. Everyone and anyone. Especially Merc fans.
David

Friday Dinner at Dave's

2007-02-23T22:39:00.000+11:00

I love hosting dinners at my place…the only problem is, it really is out in the sticks where I live, so its an effort to get here. But boy oh boy, when you do, I hope its worth the trip out to the country…

The truth is, I love to bake things. It’s the idea of putting together some ingredients in an oven, and then watching to see what will come out in 30 minutes or an hour’s time. Lamb is one of my specialties. If anyone out there has some winning lamb recipes that they would be willing to share, I’ll be sure and do a swap with you. (Mine is made with local honey…)

After dinner and dessert we did something I’d never done with some guests before- we wandered over to the church next door and belted out some hymns, courtesy of Little Musician. Oh, and Little Miss has a pretty good voice as well so between them we rocked the church! And it was uplifting. After that I preached a sermon (only kidding).

And to top it all off, we watched an episode of the Muppet Show (from 1976!) over coffee, starring Candice Bergen. Remember her? I thought she became a little whiney in Murphy Brown. But she was stubborn and she had attitude, which is always cool in my books.

Men’s convention is tomorrow. There are 8 of us going, which is awesome. Just spending the day together makes for some leaps and bounds in relationships. Plus my sermon is actually finished…(and I’m preaching twice, 2 different sermons, so I’m feeling on top of things at the moment). If only that feeling could last!

Goodnight!

Where did God come from?

2007-02-22T23:52:00.000+11:00

A common question keeps coming up each year in Scripture class- 'where did God come from?' or 'who made God?' I know how I would answer it, but I'm curious- how would you answer this one?

Goodbye Shirley

2007-02-20T23:47:00.000+11:00

Good bye Shirley...we have been places together. You carried me. I maintained you. We got lost together. We explored together. We picked up hitchhikers (well, only one, really). You overheated. We met NRMA people. We ventured far and wide. Remember the trip to Melbourne? Remember the trips to Port? We saw a lot of the east coast. I made such an impact on you...

...especially when I ran you up the back of that BMW back in 1998. Oh the memories!

120 years ago

2007-02-20T08:36:00.000+11:00

In 1887...

Barbed wire was patented.
The first contact lenses were made.
Hertz invented radar.
The first gramophone was made.
A year before, Coca Cola had been invented, so was the dishwasher, and the chemical element fluorine was discovered.

And the first church service was held in my church.

A Prayer to be Freed from False Forms of Belonging

2007-02-17T16:48:00.000+11:00

Do you gain comfort from reading the prayers of others? Sometimes other saints are able to say things that we are feeling better than we can say ourselves. Here is a prayer a friend shared with me. You might gain some encouragement from it.

O Lord Jesus, you who came to show us the compassionate love of your Father, make your people know this love with their hearts, minds, and souls. So often we feel lonely, unloved, and lost in this valley of tears. We desire to feel affection, tenderness, care, and compassion, but suffer from inner darkness, emptiness, and numbness. I pray tonight: Come, Lord Jesus, come. Do not just come to our understanding, but enter our hearts- our passions, emotions, and feelings- and reveal your presence to us in our inmost being. As long as you remain absent from that intimate core of our experience, we will keep clinging to people, things, or events to find some warmth, some sense of belonging. Only when you really come, really touch us, set us ablaze with your love, only then will we become free and let go of all false forms of belonging. Without that inner warmth, all our ascetical attempts remain trivial, and we might even get entangled in the complex network of our own good intentions.

O Lord, I pray that your children may come to feel your presence and be immersed in your deep, warm, affective love. And to me, O Lord, your stumbling friend, show your mercy.
Amen.

~Henri J. M. Nouwen

V-Day

2007-02-15T00:23:00.000+11:00

Happy V-day everyone. Today, one of my friends SMSed me to tell me this:

On Feb 14, 269AD, St. Valentine was martyred for not denying his faith in Christ! A good day to celebrate his faithfulness and courage!

Well, that’s as good as any reason to celebrate!

I will leave you with this picture. When I was at Bible college, some of the Uni students broke into my room and ‘girlified’ my room. They vacuumed and dusted the room, sprayed perfume everywhere, decorated it with glitter and flowers (all through my drawers, might I add), and left notes from a mysterious woman called ‘Hotlips’ who was apparently madly in love with me. Here is what they did to my mirror:

Its nice to have an admirer...even if its all in jest.

And thanks Chris for a great V-Day party!

New Ministries in 2007

2007-02-11T22:31:00.000+11:00

Men’s convention, evangelistic dinner, young adults Bible study group, several other new Bible study groups, church camp, men’s breakfasts, revamped youth service, a new puppet theatre in the works, Cedarville singers, a 3 month training /mentoring with an American friend…these are just some of the new and exciting ventures and activities that are happening in our church in the weeks ahead and during the year! Did I miss anything?

Love Thy Neighbour...Share the Gospel with them!

2007-02-04T22:48:00.000+11:00

On Saturday I was at a church planting conference. The speaker, Martin Robinson was sharing how he met some new non-Christian friends. Basically he decided to invited his neighbours, 10 doors on either side of him, over for a meal. What a great idea- in today's individualised society and isolated suburb that we live in it seems so foreign to do this! But its so essential if we are going to build bridges to people for the sake of the gospel. One woman piped up during the discussion and said that their church had set aside a weekend to spend getting to know their neighbours. I was quite inspired by their initiative!

These 2 testimonies stood out for me because I had said a week earlier to my congregations to spend time getting to know your neighbours. In my suburb, you'd be lucky to know your neighbour's name. It challenged me to make the next step and invite them over for a meal or a BBQ, or spend more time getting to know not just the people on either side, but further on down the road.

In other news, today we had our church's commencement service. I made one of the kid's cry during the puppet show when the monkey wouldn't come back to life...OK, so you had to be there to understand...and we farewelled JT. Fare thee well buddy!

Game on: Euthanasia

2007-01-30T07:37:00.000+11:00

It seems as though euthanasia is back on the agenda in public debate. A private member's Bill is being introduced by the Green's Senator, and if the passing of the stem cell research Bill is anything to go by, Christians need to stand up and speak out against this.

I decided to send a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald this morning. I've never had a letter published, but even if its not, it gives the Herald a sample of the public's view on such matters. Especially when they report that most of the letters they have received on the matter are in favour of voluntary euthanasia.

For what it's worth, here's my letter:

Dear Editor,

I heartily agree with Dr Frith (letters Jan 30) that it is a terrible thing to watch a loved one die. I heartily disagree that euthanasia is the answer. How dare we say that because we find it hard to watch people die that an assisted death is the answer!

Giving people the option of euthanasia will cause them to think they are burdens to us. Dying with dignity means giving people a sense of love and respect when they die. And not making them think they are a burden to be snuffed out.

This ultimately sends the message that we think that people are expendable. And this will cause the dying to think of themselves as having already expired before their use-by date. Telling people that they are better off dead is not the answer. Ironically, this actually reduces autonomy rather than gives people autonomy.

What do you think?

When Flowing Silk Meets ‘Fully Sick Mate!’

2007-01-27T22:50:00.000+11:00

This Australia Day I was at a friend’s wedding. The ceremony was quite moving and joyous. It was quite evident that the couple were so happy to be together. What made it even more special was that the groom is Lebanese and the bride is Chinese. The preacher got good mileage out of this fact as well. He said ‘What do you get when Lebanese meets Chinese? When East meets Middle East? When flowing silk meets ‘fully sick mate!’

Perhaps one of the more moving parts of the ceremony was when the couple read portions of Song of Songs to each other. Here is a portion of what he read to her on bended knee:

‘You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.’ (Song of Solomon 4:7-8)

In return, her reading to him included this:

‘His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.’ (Song of Solomon 5:15)

Fully sick mate!

Congrats Rod and Bec!

For those who came in late...

2007-01-25T22:14:00.000+11:00

A Morning in the Library

2007-01-23T22:06:00.001+11:00

I love Januarys…things are a bit slower, there is space to think and plan, weather is awesome (hot I know- smokey air at the moment from the fires, but as I type, much needed rain falls). All point to the fact that summer is well and truly here.

I decided to try and get ahead in my sermon work today. I love going to the local library with my lap top, studying the Bible and trying to think deeply about this week’s passage. No phone calls to interrupt me, no emails. Pure escape. I also enjoy the fact that people are anonymously around me while I work, and I can listen to the babble of kids trying to find a fun holiday book, and mothers trying to keep control over them while I get down to some serious exegesis.

While I was sitting there, an elderly chap saw that I had my Bible open and asked me, ‘doing some research?’
‘Yeah’, I said. ‘I’m writing a sermon’.
He looked a little surprised at me. ‘Oh! Which church?’
I told him which church I was from.
‘Well, you might see me there sometime, you never know. What time is your church on?’
I not only told him what time church was on, but I (casually) gave him one of my cards with all the church details on it.

That made my day.

Too Much Mercy?

2007-01-20T21:15:00.000+11:00

As I wind down tonight and get ready for another Sunday, I'm struck by the words of Spurgeon on contentment:

'When men have too much of God's mercies—strange that we should have to say this, and yet it is a great fact—when men have much of God's providential mercies, it often happens that they have but little of God's grace, and little gratitude for the bounties they have received. They are full, and they forget God; satisfied with earth, they are content to do without heaven.'

Great point. Often when God richly blesses us with material happiness, we forget him. We end up serving the great circumstances that we find ourselves in, rather than serve the God who gave us those circumstances. But in a world where our desires are left yearning for something more, we cry out for our full of grace.

May we never forget God in our satisfaction.

Reliance in its Entirety

2007-01-19T23:58:00.000+11:00

I’ve been hit lately with our total reliance upon the Father. Everything I am, everything I have, owes its existence to the Father. And I am in utter and total reliance upon Him for every part of my life- my dreams, my hopes, my desires. I don’t know if you have ever cried before our Father in your hour of need, but its comforting to know that He is our source of strength. He is our reason for existing, and the reason we continue to exist. Truly a humbling thought.

But why does my sinful heart keep deceiving me into thinking that I can do things in my own strength without total reliance upon the Father? Why do I keep thinking that I’m so great?

In his book simply called Humility, Andrew Murray says: ‘Man’s chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present himself as an empty vessel in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.’

‘Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of man. It is the root of every virtue.’

I must admit, the times when I feel most content and joyous is when I have felt like I have been an instrument in the hands of the Creator. And when I’m proud within myself, I feel most discontent. Is the secret of contentment? Is this what Paul means when he says ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me?’ I think Murray is onto something there!

I’ll leave you with some verses I’ve been reflecting on lately which describe the fact of our total dependence upon God for our existence.

1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.

Psalm 104:27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.

Nehemiah 9:6 "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

Lord, make me your empty vessel…(quite a scarey prayer when you think about it!)

Egg Cream- where have you been all my life??

2007-01-17T23:07:00.000+11:00

Thanks to the West Wing, I’ve recently discovered Egg cream. And being so hot here, its such a nice way to cool off in the afternoon...

Its a drink that New Yorkers drink. It has neither egg nor cream in it, but consists of:-
-Soda water
-Milk
-your best chocolate syrup… (thankfully, I was given heaps of this for Christmas!)

Mix those all together and voila! Your very own egg cream drink, courtesy of NYC. And as President Bartlet says, "I'm drinking the most fantastic thing I've ever tasted in my life! Chocolate syrup, cold milk, and seltzer. I know it sounds terrible, but trust me, I don't know where this has been all my life!"

Just curious- if any of my American friends still read this, do you actually make this? Or am I just overly Americanized??? (and isn’t that Americanised in America???)

In my mind, this is part of the fun of cooking. Its knowing what goes together and doesn't. Knowing that tomato and basil are partners, but tomato and ice cream just won't do it (although I did try this once as a kid). And then there are the experimental cooks who discover that orange and chocolate work well together to make jaffa; soda water, milk and chocolate syrup all work together to make a yummy drink!

PS I now have a blender. Mango and banana smoothies for breaky!

2 Funerals and 3 sermons later

2007-01-14T21:00:00.000+11:00

Well, its been a heck of a week. Awesome teaching at Summer School which made me again reflect that discipleship is costly. There is no point in following Jesus if you aren't willing to make sacrifices. Jesus didn't call us to live comfy, fluffy lives...he calls us to take up our cross and follow him.

Perhaps for me these words were reinforced by the reality of death. One speaker even said (even though I didn't hear this talk) "ministry is all about preparing people for death".

You see, I took 2 funerals this week- one on Monday (my first funeral, since starting out in paid ministry), and another on Thursday (which involved a double burial). I would have had to do a third one, but I asked one of our retired ministers to take it.

Funerals take a lot of emotional energy. Its certainly not one of the joys of ministry! I never met the people that I buried. But I still felt a deep sense of loss for their families. Funerals remind me how much I hate death. I hate how death robs me of relationships with people I love. Death leaves me thinking I wish I could speak to that person again. Death reminds me how broken our world is. And yet again, I'm reminded at how unnatural death is even though our world accepts it as normal. Death causes me to long for the new heavens and new earth, the home of righteousness, where death will have finally lost its sting. Maranatha!!!

But we aren't in the home of righteousness yet. Death is alive in our world. I remember taking the first funeral and thinking 'what possible hope can I possibly give to these people? How hopeless!!' But hope is not mine to give. Only Christ can give hope. All I can do is explain what he has said about life and death.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26)

"I AM the resurrection and the life!" By the end of the week, I had preached 3X on this great passage (including Sunday night's sermon). And each time I was excited that even though death is alive in our world, Jesus Christ has returned from the grave. Resurrection is not a thing. Resurrection is a person. There is hope for us all! And when you are dead, its too late to hear this!

I do hate death. With a passion. But I'm glad that One before me has faced all the hell and horrors of death so that I don't have to. And this message of the resurrection is worth leaving families and countries, crossing cultures, learning languages, and even dying for, just so people can hear it.

Hallelujah!

2007-01-07T23:12:00.000+11:00

I led the singing in church tonight. I can’t sing but hey I’m versatile.
The miracle of the night was that people were still there by the end of the service…
PS- That's not me.

Happy 36th Anniversary Mum and Dad!!

2007-01-03T22:22:00.000+11:00

Can I just say how thankful I am to God for my parents. I happen to think I have the nicest parents in the world. I couldn't have been given better parents if I picked them myself. But then again, I'm biased.

Tonight was their 36th wedding anniversary. I went out to dinner with them tonight to celebrate. In my adult years, I have grown closer to my parents, and grown to enjoy them as friends. I enjoy our conversations and shared memories that we have. Where I have been, they have been. They understand more than anyone the experiences I have had in life because they have shared them with me.

I hope that if I get married someday, that my marriage will be like theirs. What I mean is, I pray I will have the strength to be gracious and forgiving when I'm married, just like they are with each other. I used to think that once I am married things would be perfect. Well I've learnt my lesson. I've learnt a lot from my parent's marriage. Its not perfect. Sure they are different. Sure they have their fights. Sure they don't always see eye to eye. But they are forever patient with one another, forever enduring, forever forgiving. (Newsflash- isn't that the Bible's description of love? ala 1 Cor 13...) Surely this is what marriage is all about.

But at the heart of their marriage is faithfulness. There is no fear in their relationship because it is based on trust. It is secure. It is for life.

Here is a quote from Christopher Ash's book (Marriage: Sex in the Service of God) which I think reflects my parent's marriage (and is in my humble opinion THE book to read on marriage):

'Marriage [...] means being forgiving and patient and showing forbearance towards the other when they fail to give us what is promised or implied in marriage. Marriage is both an obligation and a grace, giving and forgiving.' (Ash, 2003, p365).

The grace of marriage...Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad!

Spider-Man 3 Trailer

2007-01-03T22:17:00.000+11:00


How cool is this movie going to be...

Happy New Year 2007!

2007-01-01T12:44:00.000+11:00

JT and I caught the train into the city to join a party inside a friend's city apartment. Level 24 did not disappoint us. We had spectacular views of the harbour and had a front row seat to the fireworks display which lasted about 15 minutes. For a split second I found myself secretly wondering about the effects of these pryotechnic displays upon the environment, and the amount of hungry mouths that could have been fed by the cost incurred. Call me superficial but these thoughts only lasted a moment...the atmosphere was just too electrifying! The image on the bridge which appeared after the display was a giant red coat-hanger. Personally, I was a little disappointed that the Herald had published a picture of the coat hanger in Saturday's paper, so that it was not a surprise to me.

The highlight of the night was experiencing the building's emergency evacuation system. One wonders if an impatient host somewhere in the building wanted his New years' guests to leave quickly on the stroke of midnight, or if some drunken slob just thought it would be the funniest joke of the year to date.

Its great living in Sydney where you have mixed in certain circles for many years, and friends show up that you haven't seen in a while, and new acquaintances may be made. The celebrations continue tonight at a friend's house. May this New Year bring more opportunities to build yourself in your holy faith, grow in your love for God, and abound in your knowledge of Him.

Why Anglicans Don't Do Full Immersion...

2006-12-29T10:58:00.000+11:00

Coming from a baptist background myself, I can appreciate the humour in this...

Happy Incarnation

2006-12-20T00:07:00.000+11:00

Today I feel so spoilt that I am a minister. I mean, I get paid to study the Bible and tell others about Jesus. This morning I spent preparing my Christmas sermon- I’ve settled on Philippians 2- one of my favourite passages in the Bible. That afternoon I went and visited one of the elderly saints from church who is in hospital (and probably will be for Christmas). She is such an encouragement. I shared my Christmas message with her, and she said ‘I’ve always marveled at that hymn O Worship the King…there is a line that goes:

Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end! Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.'

She went on: ‘Why would he want to be our friend, when we are so vile? But he became one of us and identifies with us!’

Truly an amazing thought.

Small Village Churches

2006-12-10T23:22:00.000+11:00

Lately I've been thinking that the mega church is not the way to reach the suburbs, but the small country church that meets in the local community centre has a lot going for it. My church continues to encourage me. It was my first Sunday back from holidays. One of the ladies at church wanted to chat. She asked me what had I been encouraged about lately in my Christian life? I answered 'contentment'. She said she was thinking about that too. I told her I'm planning on reading a sermon on Spurgeon's on it to help me think about it (so stay tuned). All this at 8am this morning! It was an intense conversation, but well worth it!

Then at the 10am family service we had a new family, and some of the local kids came as well fopr the first time. During the prayer time, the new guy asked us to pray for his Nan, who is dying. He also has family that live behind our church, so it would be exciting if they came! (I used to despise transfer growth until I realised that new people often bring unsaved people with them to church). Later that night, after evening church and after a long jog with my dog, I went shopping at Woolies. I ran into the new guy who was at church (still all red and sweaty from my jog). We chatted for a bit in the vege section about his Nan who was dying. Its great being part of a community of believers where we can build each other up outside of church meetings. That's the way it should be. Plant village churches in the suburbs- they're awesome!

Small village churches are intimate and caring. Even though we want to grow in size, I pray we will remain caring and intimate.

Stem Cell Bill Passed

2006-12-06T22:49:00.000+11:00

As the souls of endless humans cry out
Who were never given the chance to live
Or the opportunity to reach their full potential
The investigator delights in the potential of his findings.
Their life is created, only to be snuffed out
In order to save another
As though that made it right.
Such mindless brutality…
If the roles were reversed
And the power lay in the hands of the powerless
Then would they understand
The senseless extermination?

As the souls of endless humans cry out
The God of the orphan and widow is grieved
Because of the barbarity.
Ways of doing evil have been invented
And the powerful are handed over
To lavish in their wickedness.
The powerful will only think of their own mortality
And will use whatever means it takes
To control their diseases
And ease their pain
Even if it means the murder of the innocent and helpless.
But all they do is prolong their final destiny.

Good Times in Cairns

2006-12-02T23:57:00.000+11:00

OK, so here are some of the highlights from my week here in Cairns....

-Swimming in the Redlinch Cascades.
-Reading Saturday's SMH on Palm Cove Beach.
-Reading 'The Minister's Fainting Fits' by Spurgeon (Lectures to my Students- look for it on the web- an excellent essay on the vulnerability of the minister to depression and its benefits...)
-Catching pufferfish at the wharf.
-Day-dreaming about preaching the gospel in the future (wherever that may be!) and being used by God for His glory.
-Swimming in the pool at the resort at Chris's place (and meeting some people from Moore in the same pool!)
-Being challenged to think (from Chris) that every time I preach, God is speaking through me.
-Getting the smallest meal on record at dinner tonight (why is quality never proportionate to quantity?)
-Reading The Commonwealth of Thieves (Tom Keneally) and appreciating our convict heritage and loving our history...
-Chris nearly getting a stomach bug from the waitress who admitted she had been puking all day and could bearly stand up to serve us...
-The same waitress left a shift early so we could bearly get our meal...
-Sharing the gospel with Mad-Mike the Yugoslavian piano player at the same restaurant.
-Jogging by the beach in Palm Cove.
-Getting training advice from Chris (who just happens to be a tennis coach with ample advice on much needed core strength).
-Going to an Independant Baptist Church (well that's the plan for tomorrow...Chris and I are both looking forward to revisiting our church heritage!)
-Flying home to Sydney on Monday and preaching on 2 Peter 3 on Sunday (my next sermon...how exciting- to speak about the end of the world and calling on people to repent! Please pray.)
-Feeling refreshed to preach over the Christmas Season.
-Abi- abi- abi...that's all folks!

Comics and Clothing

2006-12-02T00:56:00.000+11:00

I prefer reading DC comics but I like wearing Marvel clothing. I know, I'm weird. The meaningless things we think about when we are on holidays!

Bliss

2006-11-24T15:23:00.000+11:00

Ahh holidays...I just want to stay here...jogging every day by the water, swimming at the beach, reading novels and comics, drinking coffee...and 10 more days to go!

Say no to Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2006-11-13T00:43:00.000+11:00

Last week the Australian Senate passed an amended Bill which could potentially allow for embryonic stem cell research. It has now passed onto the Lower House for discussion.

The problem I have with this Bill is that stem cell research involves cloning and killing embryos. And embryos are humans. And they are people made in the image of God.

Whatever you think about Bush, one thing I admire about him was that he fought for banning abortion, keeping the definition of marriage as between male and female, and banning stem cell research. And according to the SMH, stem cell research using discarded embryos is high on the Democratic agenda (a real issue now that they have a majority in the US Congress).

The problem is that this issue is highly emotive. Like the woman today who angrily said to me after church, 'I hope you're not going to make me sign that petition!' (We invited people to sign a petition that would be send to our Federal MPs against the cloning Bill). She seemed to be in favour of scientific advancement over killing embryos. Or maybe she didn't understand the consequences of stem cell research. I hope it was the latter. I don't know, she was too angry to discuss it.

But there are other arguments other than scientific advancement that are put forward in favour of embryonic stem cell research. People argue (rightly) that the embryo has no developed nervous system so it can't feel pain. But since when did a painless death justify murder? People argue that all kinds of diseases have the potential to be cured using stem cells. But since when does killing humans in order to save humans become right? People argue as well (I'm rusty on the scientific process involved in this) that cloning doesn't have to involve a sperm cell, so it is not really a human that is being created. But if the clone that is created has the potential to be a human, then you are still killing someone who was made in the image of God.

It will be a sad sad day when murder in the laboratory in the name of science is legalised. Pray it doesn't happen. And take action by writing to your local Federal MP.

Friendships

2006-11-09T23:49:00.000+11:00

Tonight was a rare chance for me to catch up with one of my friends- let’s call him Steveo. (Because that just happens to be what his real name). Ahhh Steveo. He is a friend who works hard at understanding me. I treasure his friendship. He asks me questions. He is interested in who I am. I’ve often wondered why we have remained friends for so long. (Over 10 years now). I think its because we laugh a lot. And we try and understand each other. (Mind you we’ve had our share of blues!) But most of all, we encourage each other to find our strength in Christ and be like Him. Treasure your friendships. Work at them. Take initiative. It’s worth it.

A Victim of Adultery

2006-11-03T23:02:00.000+11:00

The following is a true story.

I passed a woman on the street in the city this morning. I know her husband cheated on her. Don’t ask me how I know her husband cheated on her, I just know. Trust me. I have good sources. She looked sad. I could see it on her face, but she couldn’t. She just looked at me as I walked by, kind of sad, kind of down. I’m sure she knew the relationship wasn’t what she thought it should be. I wonder if she blamed herself. I’m sure she knew something was up, but couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Perhaps she even blames herself.

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to scream at her. ‘Don’t you know your husband cheated on you? Don’t you know he doesn’t want you to know?’ But obviously I didn’t. Its none of my business really. I’m not the moral police here.

Then I thought of the husband. What a terrible slavery to be part of for the rest of your life. To know you’ve done the dirty on your wife, and not to tell her. Now, who am I to throw stones. Goodness knows I’m no better. But it does make you stop and think- how wonderful it is to be saved- to walk in the light. To be able to freely admit your sin and to bask in God’s acceptance of you. To know that we are sinful, yet we are free to admit it. To God, yourself and each other.

How sad and pathetic it is to be hiding from each other, covering over our sins- especially from the people we love. This is slavery. This is ugly. This is why Christ died. And these are the things that Judgement Day will reveal and will leave us who have not been washed by the blood of the Lamb prostrate with embarrassment and shame.

Discipleship Training

2006-10-24T22:29:00.001+10:00

Currently I've instigated a training course upon my unsuspecting parishoners- Preparing Just for Starters, produced by Matthias Media. Its a great course, teaching people how to follow up new Christians in the basics of Christianity.

So much of what we are being taught in our training days is to start up new ministries as a key to growth. Doing something like Preparing Just for Starters encourages people to meet up with other Christians to teach them the basics of Christianity. The course is based on 7 'basic' Bible studies. Already 2 people are starting to meet up with others. Such discipleship is essential to growing churches.

Another advantage is that it teaches people in the parish a 'philosophy of ministry'. I've been thinking about this lately. Everyone has their own philosophy of ministry. I suppose mine is that one-to-one ministry is the essential backbone of the church. The more one-to-one ministry relationships that are taking place behind the scenes, the stronger the church is, and the more equipped it is to grow. The reason why churches often don't grow is because they don't grow beyond their capacity to equip and care for its people. Learning to disciple new Christians is an important key in the future growth of any church.

Any, just some random ramblings. I'm trying to blurt out what I know about one-to-one ministry to my parishoners to enthuse and encourage them to be involved in this essential work! After all, we are all priests; we are all ministers.

Pray God would use this new training venture to grow His church.

Guess What...

2006-10-09T23:11:00.000+10:00

I've got a dog. No joke.