God’s love demonstrated
Thanks to Facebook, I recently saw something I had not seen before in a wedding, from a couple I knew from uni. Both are musicians and in their wedding, the groom chose to sing to his bride as she approached. I showed this to teens at school and asked what they thought. Their reactions ranged from amusement to indifference, but there were also others who were quite impressed. Like me, you might not be comfortable
A thousand thanks
O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of his grace! Charles Wesley wrote thousands of hymns and was certainly prolific in his praise. He wrote this hymn to commemorate the renewal of his faith after a crisis of doubt. The line "O for a thousand tongues…" is powerful, because it reflects our limited ability to express the unlimited value of Christ and
Like a boomerang
One time in uni speech class, I was assigned to give an instructional speech. My assignment was to teach the class to throw a boomerang. Easy work, if you know how to throw one. I didn't. I remember practicing daily in the athletic field before sunrise. During this time, I discovered why you don't throw boomerangs horizontally like frisbees—it whizzed straight up then down, smacking a deep red welt on my hand as I tried
The people God chooses to save
Susan Boyle was the 47-year old Scottish woman who applied to the TV show Britain's Got Talent. When she presented herself, the judges and the crowd didn't believe she could sing. She didn't look like a singer. When she talked, she didn't sound like a singer. Then she started singing. Susan Boyle was chosen as a finalist, although she was not the kind of finalist you would expect. When God saves people, whom does he
What kind of error is KJV-only?
Defining KJV-only Before we consider this question, do you consider yourself to be KJV-only? By this, I mean: Do you believe that God preserved His word to us in the King James Version only? Do you believe that any other Bible translation is unreliable and must not be used? Do you believe that using the KJV-only is a mark of a genuine Christian? If you answer "yes," you are KJV-only. Now, there are others who
A Christian self image
I've been meaning to finish up my series on self image for a long time now. You can see the first two posts here and here. Those two posts lay the groundwork for this one. I'm going to try to summarise a Christian self image succinctly. 1) God made you and what he made was good. You are made in God's image. By God. And what he made was good. Your right to exist comes
The country whence the shadows fall
Several years ago, a friend shared a story with me from a book he'd been reading to his children. He spoke of a land full of shadows—shadows of a country more real than the one we now know. I went to the library and requested the book, The Golden Key by George MacDonald. You can read the text online here. I've come to realise that we live in a shadow land too. All about us
One hundred percent truth
This post was written from a public internet terminal in China. Do you know how to tell the difference between fake pearls and real pearls? Rub them together. Real pearls sound like sandpaper and they will leave a fine grain on your fingers without affecting the colour. What's the true price of a Rolex watch? Well, it depends on who's selling the goods. You could pay two dollars for a Rolex (or Rolax) branded watch
Insights for Easter
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 converge; hence all the roads of the future diverge.” (Stephen Neill, page 49) 'The cross of Christ "is the event in which God makes known
Churches without pastors
This week we attended a friend's ordination and induction at the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (Sydney congregation in Riverstone). The church had been without a resident pastor for over 30 years, so you could definitely feel the weight of the occasion! It was appropriately solemn, yet also a joyous celebration. We marvelled at God's providence in preserving His church, and in blessing them with a man who is equipped with the word and called