This time of year is a great opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Here are some insights gleaned from John Stott’s The Cross Of Christ: “In the Christian theology of history, the death of Christ is the central point of history; here all the roads of the past […]
He wasn’t a believer, but Henry David Thoreau was a thoughtful and articulate man. This piece from Walden inspires and intrigues me. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it […]
Australia recognises the value of competency and improvement in the workforce. We have regulation and training options for almost every industry application and education itself is a major industry. Our cultural attitude to education has direct application to the systems and processes that we have established for formal instruction in […]
Last weekend I attended a training seminar on church music, provided through a local Bible institute. Over fifty people attended from various independent churches, including a couple from Melbourne. The topics included the Bible’s emphases on music in the church, musicianship, audio/visual/technical support, and leading church music for congregation, choir, […]
Over the years, an insidious notion has periodically expressed itself in our circles. The notion is that God is working in the 10/40 window, but he isn’t up to much here in Australia. This mentality has led to the idea that our churches can be handled by the rich Americans. […]
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to learn French, German, Greek, Hebrew, & Elvish. My father is a native Cantonese speaker but the only lines I know are “hello” and “thank you for a good meal” (in the “I was put off by the petrified chicken foot in […]
I once read a survey which listed top books recommended by evangelical leaders. It was fascinating to discover which books had influenced the minds of great pastors and leaders. Theological titles comprised most of the list, while some were biographical or fictional. Have you ever considered what books have impacted […]
Today’s post comes from my good friend Dan Roland. Dan is serving on pastoral staff in Colorado. Audrey (his wife) is an amazing musician and they have one energetic son. I have been reading “Shadow of the Almighty” about Jim Elliot and I have had to consider my relationship with […]
What books have influenced you? Most smart Christians would first answer, “The Bible.” But I’ve rarely heard Christians go on to explain why the Bible is their most influential book. Rather than assume the Bible is our most influential book (and move on to “more interesting” titles), we should stop […]
Does deliberate living spell death for spontaneity? I’ve been thinking this through over the last two weeks as several people brought it up in the comments here and here. Here are my thoughts. 1) The opposite of intentionality is not spontaneity. The opposite of intentionality is traditionalism. Traditionalism does something […]
