It comes as a great shock to many ‘church’ members that Jesus is recorded as using the word ‘church’ only twice and in neither case did he mean a physical building. Yet that is what legions of church members have been conditioned for centuries to mean when they use the word ‘church’, i.e. the building … Continue reading When is a ‘Church’ Not a ‘Church’?
“It’s more missionaries we need, without more missionaries we will lose” ****** In my previous post on the ‘Biggest Elephant’ topic I mentioned a number of characteristics of the Australian church (discussed more fully in the 'Something Completely Different' booklet) which are to various degrees causative factors in the Church’s chronic lack of missional … Continue reading The Biggest Elephant – Challenges Yes – Excuses No
Opportunity Lost As we see Covid19 restrictions beginning to be eased we also see the first trickles of what I am sure will turn into a flood of churches seeking to get back to ‘normal’, or business as usual’, as soon as possible. As this starts to occur, we see some churches going through a … Continue reading The Divine Freedom or An Opportunity Lost
In times of trouble such as the world is currently experiencing, when for many it appears that all the foundations and structures of life, all the things upon which they have relied, seem to be in danger of being washed away, people often turn to the Old Testament book of Psalms. The main reason for … Continue reading In Times Like This – A Song for the Black Times
‘Wake up the church and . . . encourage it to strengthen itself, while there is still time’ … Continue reading The Cockle-Picking Tragedy
“You may get what you want, but you won’t like what you get!” ***** History is normally written with the benefit of hindsight. That is, historians describe events that have occurred years, decades or often centuries in the past. However, I wonder if today by using a biblical lens we are actually in a position … Continue reading Something Rotten In the State of the West
On a recent holiday trip we stayed overnight in a small English village. The next morning, as walked around I came across an old Abbey, which I entered and explored with visitor’s eyes. It is an ancient building, large and cavernous, with a history going back over 1400 years and which currently also serves as … Continue reading Encountering Tragedy in the Abbey
Mary was well into her eighties when I was asked to make a pastoral visit by the minister of the church I was attached to at the time. She had been attending the same church ever since her parents took her along to be baptised as a baby. It was there that she had met … Continue reading Mary’s Tale
2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be … Continue reading The Future is Not Behind Us
In the last few weeks we have celebrated and commemorated both the Easter and ANZAC Day holidays (ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand being the equivalent of Remembrance Day held on November the 11th in Europe). During this period one topic has regularly come up in conversations in various contexts with friends and family … Continue reading A Deeper Kind of Sadness
