Friday on My Mind
There was a pop song that said, “everybody’s workin’ for the weekend”. The idea behind it is that we all hate work, and what we most want is to get it out of the way so that we can get on with something enjoyable – i.e., the weekend and whatever we get up to then, […]
Creation Happened
When you mention creation, most Westerners and even many Christians will respond, “can we really believe that?” assuming that something more like an evolutionary process was responsible for the origins of the universe and life. Yes, we can absolutely believe that God created all things. There is no possible proof that it couldn’t or didn’t happen. […]
Goodness & Severity
Sometimes we feel that we are being harshly treated by circumstances and life, and therefore can think that God is being harsh toward us. In Mark 7:24-30 it seems as though Jesus is being harsh toward a woman who asks Him to heal her daughter, resisting her pleas. We have two tendencies when this happens. […]
Certain Resurrection from the Dead to Eternal Life
“I will raise them up on the last day.” – John 6:54b You must not judge by external appearances. You must be guided by the Word which promises and gives you everlasting life. Then you truly have eternal life. Even though your senses tell you otherwise, this does not matter. This does not mean that you […]
This Sporting Life
It’s been race, after race, after race on our TV screens in recent weeks, as the Olympic Games have been in full flight, and will be again in a week’s time for the Paralympics. That’s great, because, as Roy & HG remind us, in Australia too much sport is barely enough! Paul in the Bible […]
Simply Irresistible
Remember back to a time when you first became aware that somebody you liked actually loved you… What did you feel?… What did you think?… And how did you respond?… Let me guess… You went weak at the knees… your brain flooded with dopamine… and you were ready to sell your soul to them! Jesus said […]
Going for Gold
After a ‘nervous’ semi-final run, Australian flag-bearer Jessica Fox only qualified for the K-1 women’s slalom finals in eighth place. I imagined the final instruction of Jessica Fox’s coach (her mother) before the final. Did the coach say, “Be strong”? In a breathtaking performance, Jessica delivered a staggering 96.08 run to claim her first gold […]
Satanic Powers
It’s a bit of a rude shock for we hyper-secular Westerners having a phrase like “satanic powers” thrown at us. We train our minds to assume that spiritual powers aren’t real – evil or otherwise! This is a narrow-minded bias of the last 200 years of Western culture. It was not held by Western civilization […]
Good Father is Watching You
If Big Brother were watching us, we’d have plenty to worry about (I mean the real “Big Brother” from George Orwell’s “1984”, not the one on Channel 7!). Imagine having to carefully check every syllable coming out of our mouths to make sure it didn’t contradict the ruling class’ opinion! The Bible does say that God our […]
New People
Chameleons are amazing creatures that can adapt their colour to their background and become indistinguishable from it. Christian teacher, Richard Coekin makes the point, “Christians are not chameleons”! And Paul says, “you must no longer live as the unbelievers do” (Ephesians 4:17). In Ephesians 4:17-24, Paul calls us to be very different from the unbelieving […]