Because God is like a mother…
If you are reading this post on its day of publication, its Mother’s Day – or at least it is in Australia, though date conventions are different around the world. What’s also true is that in Australia (and some other countries) the day has become a little more controversial, some suggesting it is insensitive to those who don’t have a mother, or who would like to be a mother but aren’t, or for children who are growing up in a two dad family or whatever. And we do indeed live in diverse times and it is appropriate for us to be sensitive to those who feel left out,...
Read MoreGod and Politics: Election Reflections, and 11 things that matter…
Relax – I’m not going to tell you how you should vote, but I thought I couldn’t let the upcoming Australian election pass without a mention. That would imply that Christians are unconcerned about the well being of the state and good government, which is simply not true. If you tried to tell any prophet from the Old Testament that believers should not care about how the land is governed they would have looked at you in sheer disbelief, for that concern saturates their writings. So are there issues that we, the followers of Jesus, should specially think about as we...
Read MoreFrom Platforms to Altars: Rediscovering Servant Leadership
You know as well as I do that the list of fallen Christian leaders is growing at an alarming rate. Many have been high fliers, leaders who were widely lauded and greatly respected until – well until it all came out. It has been more than a little depressing. I heard one pastor call it “deeply disillusioning” – that’s a fair summary. Something is amiss. A recent podcast I listened to warned leaders that it is possible to grow your platform more quickly than your character, and that leadership compromise is almost inevitable when your fame is larger than your...
Read MoreEaster as challenge more than comfort…
Back in 1950 Sir Norman Anderson famously wrote: “Easter is not primarily a comfort but a challenge. Its message is either the supreme fact in history or else a gigantic hoax.” Anderson goes on to explore the evidence for the resurrection forcefully arguing that unless it is factual, the entire foundation for Christianity is based on a lie. He writes that the resurrection is either “infinitely more than a beautiful story, or else it is infinitely less. If it is true, then it is the supreme fact of history; and to fail to adjust one’s life to its implications means...
Read MoreOn doing what you can…
Perhaps this Easter you will read the Mark 14 account of the woman who pours perfume over Jesus. Lest that doesn’t sound like an especially exciting story line, grab hold of this. She used the entire bottle which had cost more than a year’s salary. While we are not certain how many dollars that was in AD33, even if she was on Australia’s minimum wage, it would now translate to about $40 000. Gulp! A tad extravagant, don’t you think? After all, I agonize when I spend $40 on flowers for my wife (who I love greatly), and wonder if a pot plant wouldn’t make more financial sense. But how long...
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