Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
Yet I Still Dare to Hope: When Hope is a Virtue.
So what virtues do you aspire towards? If you want a conversation to take a turn to the serious, it’s a good question to ask. Some people will answer promptly – perhaps citing some of the more commonly listed virtues – courage, justice and integrity. Others might be more exotic in their choice. Perhaps they will leave you perplexed because they selected procrastination, doubt and detachment. Yet others will be rendered speechless. That’s not to say they don’t have any virtues, but it probably means they haven’t spent much time...
read morePraying for the Peace and Prosperity of our City of Exile: Jeremiah 29:7 and the Political Landscape
It’s been a big week in politics – and I don’t even live in the US! As is usual with elections, there are winners and losers – those who are ecstatic and those who are devastated. In the middle are those who are essentially disinterested, but this is probably a smaller group than is usually the case. I could pontificate at great length about what the US Presidential election says to us and about the role that Christian faith plays in elections – but I don’t have an appetite for that right now. Instead...
read moreMissing You: Gaps that aren’t Filled when People Leave…
I came across a beautiful poem by Irish poet Dennis O’Driscoll entitled simply, Missing God. It’s about the societal drift away from God and all the things we lose in that journey. One verse reflects on how different civil marriage ceremonies feel as they avoid words like “everlasting” and “divine”: Miss Him during the civil weddingwhen, at the blossomy altarof the registrar’s desk, we wait in vainto be fed a line containing wordslike “everlasting” and “divine”. If society misses the signs of the Divine it...
read moreOn earning the right to complain…
Much of life is paradoxical. Have you noticed that those with the most to complain about usually don’t, while those whose lot has fallen on pleasant paths often whinge endlessly. I don’t know why, but perhaps those for whom things routinely go right are so accustomed to this fortunate state that they instantly react when something is a little wrong. By contrast, those who regularly struggle are more likely to shrug off a new difficulty with a “well that hardly compares with some of the difficulties I’ve gone through. So let’s just move...
read moreBecause Genius is often just Persistence in Disguise…
I have a PhD. For those who like detail, I earned it for my research into the theological method of Stanley J Grenz and just as he worked to revision evangelical theology, my thesis attempts to revision some of his work. But this post is not about that – did I hear a collective sigh of relief? But it does have a point – a simple one. People have often said to me, “Gosh, you have a PhD. Are you are genius? You must be. That’s so hard to do.” My reply is simple: “Absolutely not. But I am more persistent than...
read moreAspirational or Actual: Navigating the Gap…
Do you have a picture of an ideal you? What does it look like? My ideal me is wise, kind, loyal, energetic, creative, courageous, prophetic, pastoral, thoughtful, engaged, pure, free, mindful, generous, funny, impacting, sensitive, inclusive, affirming, joyous, hopeful, positive, smart, informed, full of faith and at least a dozen other hopelessly optimistic adjectives and adverbs. He also has the looks and strength of a 30 year old with the insight gained from 80 whirls around the sun. On my better days I am a few of these – but then...
read moreWhen subtracting is adding: 8 Suggestions for a “don’t do” list
In our FOMO world, saying yes to new opportunities is the new normal. It has many benefits, and certainly it is far better to lean into life and all it offers than to embrace FOGO – the fear of going out and seeing threat and hazard everywhere. But because every yes is also a no, we need to ask if subtracting things from our life is sometimes the best way to add to it. Like me, you probably find yourself more productive with a daily “to do” list. I usually dive into the things that I can achieve quickly and with little...
read moreThe in and out dilemma: Should we magnify our differences?
By and large we live in a tolerant era – well, it’s tolerant until it isn’t. What do the things we both tolerate and exclude tell us about ourself and the time in which we live? And what’s the difference between tolerating something and embracing it? Should we go on about our differences, or focus more on the common ground between us? And should our differences drive us apart, or draw us together in curious wonder? That’s a lot of questions for an opening paragraph! I guess I’m asking them because the...
read moreBecause You Can’t Edit a Blank Sheet: Developing a Bent Towards Action
Perhaps you’ve heard the old quip, “When all is said and done, far more is said than done.” A lot of my world revolves around words, making sure that ideas are well tested before being put into action and that the language around their implementation is likely to give them wings, rather than relegating them to the “never in a thousand years” basket. In that journey I hear so many words, and often long that instead of another talk fest we would have an action fest. There is something about the Nike slogan...
read moreAnnoying sayings of Jesus…
If you’ve been following this blog, you will know that I’ve made a start on developing some proverbs and sayings. They are supposed to be wise and helpful, and perhaps you have found them so. But sometimes sayings can be really annoying – especially if they are trotted out when its too late to do much about them. I know “a stitch in time saves nine” but please don’t remind me of that when I face a huge repair bill because I forgot to get the car’s routine maintenance done. While we are probably...
read moreThe Proverbs Project: Know your name…
A few weeks back I alerted you to my proverbs project – spring boarding from the thirty sayings that start in Proverbs 22:20. “How is it going?” I hear you ask. “Pretty well,” I reply. “I am up to number 23, and my plan is to drip feed them out over a longish period – and this is one of those posts.” “So what is this week’s saying?” you ask and I reply, “Know your name.” Some background… A few months ago I was fooled into attending a time share presentation....
read moreOur deepest desires, our necessary plans…
It was a mentoring conversation, and while obviously with a specific person, I had the feeling I had heard it many times before. We were starting with the important Steven Covey insight, “begin with the end in mind”. If you know Covey’s work you will remember that he suggests we imagine we are at our funeral, and are listening in to the eulogies. Covey asks what we hope to hear. Do we long for a word from fellow workers about how smart we were and how cleverly we outwitted the opposition, or would we prefer words from our...
read morePurpose over Preference, and Noting the Difference…
Ever since the phenomenal success of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, conversations about the importance of purpose have abounded. Of course we are now a little less enthusiastic about being “driven” and are alert to the dangers of driven leaders and workplaces. Too often they birth burnout, and can subtly justify the abuse of individuals by claiming that the underlying cause is worthy. Much pain can result. However, most things have a potential shadow side, so while acknowledging the possible downside of being...
read moreThe Eternal Trio: Faith, Hope and Love
It’s an incredibly bold claim that Paul makes at the end of what is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. In it Paul confidently asserts: “These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). In many ways it’s a surprising statement, especially given the wider context of his first letter to the Corinthians. Prior to the stunning hymn about love found in chapter 13, Paul has been dealing with far less lofty matters – some were downright sordid. Let’s face it,...
read moreReflections from a cruise…
I’m writing this as I sit on my cabin balcony gazing out at the open ocean. Rosemary and I are in the middle of 25 days of unaccustomed ease and luxury as we celebrate her retirement some 20 months ago. We have cruised around Iceland and Norway and will soon be exploring Amsterdam and Belgium before docking in Southhampton when a second cruise will take us all the way around the United Kingdom. It’s been glorious. I can’t remember the last time our most pressing decision was which of the dozen plus dining options we will make use of tonight,...
read moreThe Thirty Proverbs Challenge: Formulating your Life Learnings.
Proverbs 22:20 reads, “I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge.” What follows are a wide range of helpful insights from the noble “Do not rob the poor… for the Lord is their defender” (V22) to the controversial “Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you spank them” (Prov 23:13) and the pragmatic “If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat, and don’t desire all the delicacies” (Prov 23:2). Each generation formulates its own wisdom. Often it is in agreement with what has gone before, but...
read moreI will be second: Insights from an ancient friendship…
It’s an often overlooked statement that is strangely counter-cultural. You find it in 1 Samuel 23:17 when Jonathan says to his great friend David: “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.” Now that wouldn’t be too startling a sentiment if it wasn’t that everyone expected Jonathan to be king. After all, he was the oldest son of King Saul, and that’s how these things work in royal circles. The oldest son is heir to the throne – easy, straightforward, not controversial at all. So what is Jonathan doing promising...
read moreOn Turning 67: Numbering our Days…
Psalm 90:10 makes the sobering claim that “The length of our days is seventy years.” That’s mildly alarming if, like me, you’ve just turned 67. What – only 3 years to go? True, the Psalmist goes on to note that we might reach 80, but warns that “their span is but trouble and sorrow”, before advising us “to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” OK – so what does this have to say to those who, like me, are in striking distance of some of those numbers, and does...
read moreOur Deepest Regrets: To the Judas within…
I get to preach on Judas Iscariot this week. Yup – I drew the short straw. Sure, someone has to do it, but how do you inspire a congregation with someone who is more infamous than Hitler? “With great difficulty”, I hear you reply – and fair enough. Jonathan Sacks has rightly noted that the Bible is unusual in ancient literature in that its heroes have flaws and its villains have virtues. That’s in stark contrast to the lazy triumphalism that was common for the time. But does it apply to Judas? There is no doubt...
read moreOn Launching a Book: The Stirrers and Saints Story
There is a fair chance you already know that my latest book, “Stirrers and Saints: Forming Spiritual Leaders of Skill, Depth and Character” was recently launched. It’s my 7th, and I like to remind people that in the Bible 7 represents a complete or perfect number – so hopefully that says something about the book. People often ask me why I write, and what it takes to write a book, and what it feels like to launch one – so I thought I’d use this post to speak about that. Hopefully these thoughts will be...
read morePromise, Challenge and Task: Three Reminders…
I’m due to preach on Joshua as a one off message in a series exploring interesting Bible characters. It’s hard to condense such an important story into 25 minutes, and any lens selected will miss a lot, but I’ve opted to filter his story through three key ideas – what he was promised, what special challenges he faced and the tasks he had to do. I decided to steer the story in this direction because it struck me that these are three big categories that can be helpful for most people, and perhaps you are one of them. So...
read moreHear, Help or Hug: 3 Ways to Respond
It was a slightly unexpected and somewhat abrupt question, but afterwards its wisdom struck me. I was chatting to a friend about a difficult thing that had happened and he simply asked: “So what would you like from me? To hear, to help or to hug?” It set me thinking about my instinctive response when people talk to me about something difficult. While I try to remember the importance of deep listening, I’m wired to swing into help mode. Tell me a problem, and I will quickly suggest 5 or 6 options that you can try. If you...
read moreEffort, Excellence, and Exclusion: Three challenging “E” words…
I’ve been fortunate enough to have pastored churches which grew. And I loved the challenge each brought – adding new buildings, enlarging the staff, seeing people grow in their love for Jesus and each other. But each time we came up against what I call the “effort, excellence and exclusion dilemma”. What happens when we grow to a point where what used to be good enough, no longer meets the required standard? To be clear, while much of my life is lived within the broad parameters of the church, the issue is far wider....
read moreTaking steps towards radical honesty…
Have you ever been in a relationship where the person says, “I want you to be completely honest with me” and you make the mistake of believing them? There is something about complete honesty that can be very confronting. Even if we are told the “complete truth” it is usually massaged to make it a little more palatable – or at least, it is massaged if the person is a friend, but might be coldly dumped (and perhaps exaggerated) if an enemy. I’ve been thinking through my values – the things I most truly...
read moreLiving on the Edge of the Inside: Why it’s OK to only Partly Belong…
Many years back I read Paul Tournier’s A Place for You, and was struck by his story of a young man who said simply: “Basically I’ve always been looking for a place – a place to be.” Perhaps it was because I identified, and realised that most of my life I have felt as though I belong – but also as though I don’t. It’s an oddly ambivalent feeling – being at home, but not really. And here was Tournier putting words to it -this search for home, a place where you can be without pretence, a...
read moreBecause Success is a Lagging Indicator…
I can still hear her saying it. She had been asked why so many people engage in ultimately destructive behaviours, while healthy habits are quietly ignored. Her answer was simple, but it has stuck with me. “Because success is a lagging indicator.” Naturally she elaborated, but she didn’t need to. Those six words were enough to bring the “ah ha” of recognition to me. “Because success is a lagging indicator…” We often think in terms of cause and effect. Put your hand on a dish straight out the...
read moreFrom Deep Listening to Deep Seeing…
One fun thing about being part of a podcast is that it is only very loosely scripted and you find yourself saying things you don’t expect. While sometimes they are in the “I shouldn’t have said that” category, I’ve also had really pleasing moments when I’ve thought, “gosh, that was good. Did I really say that?” My recent Stirrers and Saints Podcast on “Mary – A Leader from the second chair” has one of those moments. Jen, Jon and I were talking about the importance of deep...
read moreThe Three Books of God: How do we Learn About God?
If you’re into theology there is a fair chance that you’ve heard about the two books of God. There is the book of nature, where creation points to the creativity, power and majesty of God, and then there is the Bible, which records hundreds of “God turned up” events and helps us to understand what they mean and how they teach us about God. Ps 19 is often used as an example of these two sources of knowledge about God. It starts: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day...
read moreThe face in the mirror and other measures…
I don’t know what your relationship with mirrors is, but mine is becoming a little hostile. Aging is not flattering and the image my bathroom mirror reflects back is somewhat disappointing. For all that, mirrors can do some wonderful things. They aren’t always of the visual variety. I’ve recently had some auditory mirrors played back to me. In preparation for the release of my latest book (Stirrers and Saints – the hard cover copy is now available for pre-order) I’m part of a podcast: Stirrers and Saints- The...
read moreHumility – a baseline virtue
I imagine you have heard the usual quips about humility, often of the “I’m the most humble person I know,” variety. While we might smile at the quandary the “are you humble?” question places us in (if you answer yes, it means no; and no means yes) it’s still worth asking. Perhaps it’s not about rating ourself on this virtue, but thinking about why it matters. There is of course a case to be made against humility. It can mean struggling with a sense of unworthiness, or of feeling second rate – or...
read moreBeyond Disappointment…
We all have to deal with disappointment. While our expectations are sometimes exceeded, often it works in the opposite direction. You were sure you’d get the great job you applied for, but then didn’t even get an interview. You thought a new relationship was going to go to a new level, but then the other person ended it. You thought you had aced an exam, but the examiner failed you. Disappointment comes in many different forms. It’s easiest when it is linked to a specific event – because then you have something...
read moreWho would have thought? When change is possible…
Ever had one of those “who would have thought” moments? I’m thinking of those in the positive category – when you are delighted that something has unexpectedly come off, or you are so pleased that someone you underestimated has hit a six. True, we also have dismal and disappointed “who would have thought” nightmares when things don’t go at all to plan – but this is not the place for those. I’m writing this just a short while after Easter. Easter Sunday was history’s greatest...
read moreFriday…
If you are part of the Christian world, you’ll know that we attach the descriptor “good” to this Friday. “Good Friday.” It would have seemed an impossible stretch if you had been there on the day. If asked to give your own word you might have chosen “tragic”, “awful”, “brutal”, “cruel”, “ruthless”, “barbaric”. If of a more cynical or world weary frame of mind you might have selected “predictable”. “Predictable Friday.”...
read moreThe Darkest Night…
About 40 years ago an older friend spoke to me about “the dark night of the soul” that he was going through. I had never heard the term, but he told me it was initially coined by St John of the Cross in a poem of that title. I was struck by the idea, conjuring up images of a stormy night when in the thunder, damp and gloom you temporarily lose perspective and doubt the goodness of God. Not that I related to the idea. My own life was going well – I was recently married, we had brought our first home, doors were opening up to me –...
read moreTruth telling: Words as weapons or healing balm?
I have a few mantras I trot out often enough to be annoying. One is “facts are friends”. And they are! Even though we might not like what they are saying, it’s better to face reality than to have it forced upon us. So I am in favour of telling the truth, and developing environments in which candid conversations can take place – though I do work hard to demonstrate that candour and kindness do not have to be incompatible. My stance then is that truth telling works… except when it doesn’t. Are there times...
read moreCross-carrying or rest? The Matthew 10:38 and 11:28 paradox.
In a church I served as pastor, several leaders from the church would meet for prayer before each service. Though sincere, the prayers were predictably repetitious and I’d often be able to pick what someone would pray before they said it. One favourite was the request that God would “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” It’s kinda clever, though now I’ve heard it in so many places I realise it didn’t have the originality I initially ascribed to it. It points to an interesting little paradox....
read moreLeaders as weight carriers…
I’ve been thinking about leadership lately – perhaps not too surprising as on the 14 June I have a book coming out on the topic, Stirrers and Saints lest you are interested, but much more about that in future blogs. There are so many possible answers to the question, “What do leaders do?” but the one I have been pondering is “leaders carry weight on behalf of others.” Let me elaborate. A few months back I was chatting to a school principal who was a little ruffled because a staff member had exploded at him for...
read moreGuarding God’s Reputation: Is God a Moral Monster?
Like many who went to school in the sixties and seventies, my day started with an assembly at which the Lord’s prayer was said. We’d rush through it, and I can confidently affirm that it is possible to say it in well under 8 seconds. Not that I’d advise it. After all, the sentiments are so rich, you don’t want to miss them. Do you remember how Matt 6:9 starts? “This then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'” In my sub 8 second scramble I never paused to reflect on...
read moreDelays: A spirituality for flying…
I’m writing this blog at the airport. It’s my fourth flight in two weeks and each has been delayed. Apparently I will now be boarding in 6 hours time. None of the delays has been weather related, so my temptation is to go on a rant against everyone’s favourite airline – but I won’t do that. Instead I thought: “Let me put what I so often say to the test. Instead of raging against what I can’t control, let me see if my advice to spot God in the unexpected means anything when my plans don’t go as...
read moreBecause You are Called…
Through some slightly unusual circumstances I’ve been asked to preach on the same topic (at different churches) for a few weeks in a row. The topic? “Called”. Or “Because you are called”. Perhaps you could say I’ve been called to preach on being called – but perhaps that’s trying to be too smart. I love the idea behind “called”. It presupposes two really important things. One – that there is a caller, and two, that this caller notices us – notices us enough to call us....
read moreCloud or ground thinking…
I’m a big picture person. Perhaps it goes back to my days in the chess team at school, but as any chess player will tell you, you’ve got to play the game forward. You are always asking, “If I do this and they do that, then what. But what if they don’t, and do that instead…” and so it goes on. Before every move you brainstorm in dozens of different directions before you commit and move your queen three spaces to the right. You are constantly looking for new possibilities – both opportunities and...
read moreThinking about posture: Punchers, Blockers, Embracers and Pioneers
We all know how shrill public discourse has been these last few years. I’m old enough to remember a time when if you disagreed with someone you thought: “That’s so interesting. It will be good to chat this through with them to see what we both can learn.” That doesn’t happen much today. There is very little nuance in the public space, and suggesting it is required is often seen as a sign of weakness or lack of conviction. The model is adversarial, and we often exaggerate and catastrophize to score cheap but...
read moreWith a stake in the heart – learning from the past
I’m taking today’s blog in a somewhat different direction, and a bit of a warning is appropriate. I will be looking at some historic Christian responses to suicide, and what we can learn from them. While it is not meant to be, it could be triggering for some, and if that’s you, give this post a skip – we’ll be back next week with very different fare. And don’t forget, help is at hand if you need it.. In spite of the warning, I think this is a really important topic. I can’t think of anything more...
read moreWhy not try framing…
In his insightful book The Remarkable Ordinary, Frederick Buechner observes that artists get us to see things by putting a frame around them, effectively saying, “stop and notice me”. Often it is with very ordinary things, a flower, a bowl of fruit, a human face. The artist puts a frame around it and our attention is drawn, and we notice beauty and mystery in new ways. Buechner goes on to suggest that we should put frames around little moments of our life, and then stop, look, and listen to what they are saying to us. I’m...
read moreBurnout or bore out: Reflections for the New Year
There’s no doubt about it, burnout is a real problem, and large numbers of people have pulled back from aspirational careers, putting new boundaries in place, and taking clear and tangible steps to make sure they never land up in the same place of over stretch and exhaustion again. And fair enough. But even as we self protect, I wonder if we are not running the risk of over compensation. It could be that we enter a new year not at risk of burning out, but running a serious chance of boring ourselves out – with only the safest of...
read moreFa, la, la, la, la – It’s Christmas
With temperatures rising by the day, Christmas must be near. While some dream of a snow filled white Christmas, Australian images are of sunshine, BBQ’s and beaches. Though I have lived in three countries, they have all been in the Southern Hemisphere, so this meets with my approval. I’ve never heard ‘sleigh bells ringing’, but if I did, I wouldn’t link it to Christ’s advent. So where do my thoughts go this Christmas season? I remain intrigued by the characters of Christmas. Have you ever wondered what the wise men reported back after their...
read moreLittle victories…
We sometimes think everything would change if we managed to get a major breakthrough in some troubling area of our life. We long for a slam dunk moment after which success is assured and all will be well. Perhaps its an investment that turns out to be a goldmine, or a new breathing technique that assures us we will be able to say goodbye to anxiety, or a magical combination of foods that mean calories no longer count. We long for that single step which will solve all. And the simple truth is that we are unlikely to find it. Progress in life...
read moreStory or Plot: On Christmas and Purpose…
EM Foster wisely noted the difference between a story and a plot. “The king died and then the queen died” is a story. It’s a chronological sequence of events. However, it becomes a plot if you add two words, “The king died and then the queen died of grief.” Plot suggests cause and effect. A plot introduces a purpose, a because. It makes a story interesting and draws us in. “So what?” you ask – and fair enough. Too many of us are living stories without plots – lives that have no essential...
read moreAsking Questions Like Jesus…
Don’t know if you were ever caught up in the WWJD quest – that’s “what would Jesus do” if the initials don’t immediately speak to you. It’s a good question, and it’s only possible to answer it if we look seriously at the WDJD query – what did Jesus do? When it comes to what Jesus did do, we know a few things for sure – he taught, he healed, he provoked, he forgave, he challenged. He lived, he died and he rose again. And so much more. Part of the so much more that doesn’t always...
read moreSimplicity, Accountability, Purity…
I was chatting to a 40 something year old who was reflecting on his 15 years of marriage. ‘When we said “I do” we had agreed that it meant not only an unqualified “yes” to each other, but also a commitment to a future of simplicity, accountability and purity. We saw those as three key building blocks for the journey ahead. It’s working really well for us.’ I’ve thought about the conversation since. What are the key ingredients for a good marriage – or, for that matter, a good work...
read moreIlluminator or Diminisher?
I recently watched a YouTube talk in which David Brooks discusses his new book How to Know a Person – which explores listening to and seeing others well. It is filled with deep insights, but one especially struck me. Brooks asks if we are essentially illuminators or diminishers in our conversations. Naturally he elaborates. He suggests there are those who listen to reply, often to top what has been said, or to claim the same experience but more so. They take hold of conversations to redirect them to their agenda. They are not...
read moreSabbath as restoring or restorying?
Perhaps the title of this post is a little too clever, but it started as a throw away question in a podcast I was half listening to while going through my paces at the gym. My location is important, as it meant I was trying to follow a thoughtful discussion whilst gasping for breath and wondering if I would still be alive in ten minutes. In other words, I might well have missed the subtlety of the argument, but it did set me thinking. So what was the speaker getting at when asking if the Sabbath is primarily about restoring or restorying? I...
read moreWhen Church is Beautiful…
I don’t know if you have ever left a church service thinking, “Wow – that was beautiful – really beautiful.” Given the bad press the church often gets, I can imagine some of the cynical comments that could be forming, but why not put them on hold, and listen to the experience I’ve had the last two Sundays – when I’ve left the same smallish church both weeks thinking, “that was beautiful – really beautiful.” A quick disclaimer. I was the preacher both weeks. “Ha, ha, you...
read moreBy persevering…
What’s the greatest predictor of future success? While experts express a range of views, their answers usually include words like resilience, tenacity and perseverance. Those who persevere, reap the reward. Naturally there are limits to this. If you persist in doing the wrong thing, you will be persistently wrong. What we persevere at matters, and checking we are on the right journey is important. There is an interesting aside in Luke 8:15, as Jesus wraps up his parable of the sower. It’s probably a familiar story, but lest its...
read morePreachers or story tellers?
Though the title might make you think this post is aimed at church preachers, it isn’t. It was a comment made in a podcast exploring communication styles. The podcaster suggested that there is a preacher and a story teller in each of us, and that we need to soften the preacher and develop the story teller. It’s worth thinking about. I think he was saying there is a bossy “I’m going to tell you what to do” part in us, living alongside a more winsome, “let me share my life and experience” self. Put...
read moreBecause lost direction is worse than lost time…
Have you heard the one in sixty rule? Pilots are taught it. If you are one degree off course, after sixty miles you will be one mile off course. That might not sound like much, but it is a big deal if it turns out the wheat field you thought you were due to fly over is actually a mountain – and history records some tragic accidents that have happened as a result. A bit of lost time checking your settings is far better than lost direction. OK, I’m not a pilot and you probably aren’t either. So why is this relevant? Perhaps...
read moreBecause you can’t spend 5 days waiting for 2…
Is most of your week spent hanging out for the weekend, insufferably long hours in the office slowly ticking away while you wait for the magical 5pm Friday moment when you are free to go and enjoy life?For many people work is a drudge, a necessary evil that provides the money to keep food on the table. It’s the story of the man asked why he was digging a hole: “I’m digging the hole, to earn the money, to buy the food, to give me the strength, to dig the hole.” It’s a sad way to live a life – how awful to...
read moreMaking Success a Pattern, not a Moment: 8 Qualities to Cultivate
You’ve probably had those moments when you breath a sigh of both relief and satisfaction. It’s come off. Something you wanted has worked out, and you are really pleased. Perhaps your response is, “Well, that was lucky. Hope it happens again.” Now once in a while success is like winning the lottery, and things come through against all the odds, but it’s dangerous to build our lives on that model. For the majority of successful people, achievement is a pattern, not a moment. What do I mean by that? Simply that...
read moreBecause every yes is also a no…
Some throw away lines stick. I was listening to an interview with Richard Foster of Celebration of Discipline fame and when asked why he declined most speaking invitations he said,”Because every yes is also a no,” and then elaborated that each engagement he said yes to was a no to his wife and family, a no to time alone with God, and a no to the contemplative, reflective person others wanted him to be. Every yes is also a no. My yes to comfort food is a no to my healthy body; my watching one more TV episode is a no to waking early...
read moreThe Voice
You have probably heard that on 14 October Australian voters will take part in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum to approve an alteration to the Australian Constitution to create a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that “may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government … on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. While I am conscious that half the readers of this blog are not from Australia, the question of justice for First...
read moreBeyond distance and difference
In his profoundly insightful book Not in God’s Name, Jonathan Sacks asks how it was that Joseph’s brothers planned to kill him. Fratricide is a pretty extreme response, desperately over the top even if Joseph was a tad irritating, so how had it got so badly out of hand? Reflecting on Genesis 37:18-20 Sacks notes that the brothers’ murderous conversation starts when they see Joseph at a distance, and their talk soon dismisses him as an arrogant dreamer, someone very different to them. Goodness, his colourful coat emphasised...
read moreThe arrogance of procrastination
It was a perspective I hadn’t thought of before, and it struck me as insightful. She said it with some emotion. “People always think that procrastination is about being lazy, or uncertain, or non-committal, but it isn’t. It’s about being arrogant. It’s about assuming you will always have tomorrow. It’s about thinking another time will come around.” For her it was tinged with sadness – a sudden death, with so many things left unsaid. “It’s never the right time, is it? So you just keep...
read moreIs church working for you?
He is a very committed Christian but recently said to me, “This church thing, it’s just not working for me. The kids are bored, I’m bored, a lot of what happens is silly, and I experience God a lot more when I’m out in nature than when I’m forced to sit still and listen to endless jabber from the front – all in that rather drab building.” My instinct was to tell him why he was wrong, and to think of a way to help him reframe things. But even as the shape of a few rebuttal sentences formed in my head,...
read moreProlonging the Incarnation of Christ…
It was a comment in a Nomad podcast on the thought of Ivan Illich that I’ve been thinking about ever since: “The Christian vocation is to prolong the incarnation of Christ.” Ponder the sentiment. Those speaking readily acknowledged that a cheap and easy pushback is possible. “How audacious to think we can somehow prolong the incarnation of Jesus – as though our paltry efforts will come even close to resembling his. Rather we should point to the incarnation of Christ as the source of inspiration for our lesser...
read moreWhen experience holds us back…
I’ve always viewed experience as an advantage. When you’ve gone through something a few times you pick up insights along the way, and learn what to embrace and what to avoid. If you keep making the same mistakes you have only yourself to blame, so other than experience meaning we are a little older, what’s the downside? I guess every advantage has a shadow, and it’s as well to be aware that even experience has potential hazards. Think of a few… Those who have experience assume they know, but what if our...
read moreWorld expanding words…
Wittgenstein noted that “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” It’s an interesting sentiment. Can I understand what I cannot adequately name? Does a restricted vocabulary mean a reduced ability to enter into the world of another, or my own world? Do I need the nuance of alternate words to more perceptively comprehend what I am trying to grasp? In Scripture, words matter. God speaks the creative words “let there be…” and reality springs into being. Jesus is described as the Word who was at...
read moreIf You are Willing: On Power and Possibilities
In Matthew 8:2 a man with leprosy approaches Jesus not with the anticipated “will you heal me?” but a statement, “If you are willing you can heal me…” The man has no doubt about Jesus’ ability, just his willingness. It’s a little confronting. Perhaps he had heard of the man who had been an invalid for 38 years before Jesus healed him at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-16). He might not have enthused about the wonder of this miracle but asked about the others at that pool who weren’t healed...
read moreA Walk in the Woods…
This week Rosemary and I managed a short escape down Margaret River way, in part to celebrate my 66th birthday. Most of the family joined us and we were amply accommodated in a cavernous home that could have coped with a party twice our size. The weather was great in a wintery way – cold and sometimes misty, but nothing to stop us carrying out our plans, one of which was to walk the Chimney Trail in Wooditjup National park – a walk suitable for both 5 and 65 year olds (we did it the day before my birthday, when I was younger). A...
read moreThen I remember, death comes before the rolling away of the stone
It was a throwaway line in a talk by a speaker whose name I have now forgotten: “We feel more moral, more right, more cheaply than ever before.” It was a comment on the shrill nature of much public discourse, and how easily we feel moral because we have expressed a noble sentiment, though expressing it has cost us nothing. Although not necessarily the intention of the speaker, it set me thinking about spiritual and moral formation, and how we learn and grow in life. And then I stumbled upon this magnificent conclusion to Mary...
read moreWhen Leaders Fall…
To be clear, this post isn’t a reaction to some new scandal and I’m not making any veiled references to some unsavoury incident soon to shock and dismay the Christian community. It is true that there have been so many moral failures that we should be disturbed – but even if you immediately attach a name to what I am about to write, I am not thinking about any one person – just a disturbing trend that impacts us all, no matter which flavour of the Christian faith you adhere to. Come to think of it, it’s not simply...
read moreBecause Biography is not Identity: From what we do to who we are…
In a throw away line in a podcast shortly before his sudden death, philosopher-poet-theologian John O’Donohue observes that, “biography is not identity.” Think about it. We spend so much time trying to impress people about what we do, or the achievements we can list on our CV, and far too little time focusing on the inner landscape of our life. In his book The Road to Character, David Brooks differentiates between what he calls resume virtues and eulogy virtues . The first focuses on the virtues that leave people saying...
read moreCoram Deo: Living in the sight of God…
While I am by no means a Latin expert, there is a Latin phrase I love. Given you’ve seen the title of the post, it won’t come as a surprise that it’s “coram Deo”, which essentially claims that all of life takes place in the sight of God. We live and move and have our being before God’s face. Nothing is unknown to God, nothing a surprise to God. Should God ever get into a discussion about us we can be assured that nothing the discussion partner says will see God’s hands fling up in surprise with a...
read moreAmor Fati: From things happen to me to things happen for me…
The Stoics have a lovely expression, “Amor Fati”. In essence it means love your fate, or at the very least, embrace your fate. Probably originating with Epictetus, the slave who became one of the founders of stoicism, it was popularised through the work of Nietzsche who in Ecce Homo writes: “My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it.” Love your...
read moreLimiting Beliefs: Things that hold us back
I was recently talking to someone who felt God had let them down badly. The marriage hadn’t gone well even though they felt they had done everything right. Of course they had indulged in a few little squabbles and minor bouts of selfishness, but nothing that seemed to justify the marriage ending in such a gut wrenching way – for it was a very messy and painful end. “So how am I ever going to trust God again?” was the plaintive question at the end. Disappointment with God – feeling let down and that God...
read moreGrateful, Engaged, Open: 3 Postures to Adopt
If you know me, you’ll be aware that I’m in my mid sixties. There’s something about being 65ish that gets people to ask, “So how are you feeling about life?” They know I am not retired but suspect I might be soon; they know I’m in good health – but hey, at this age anything could be around the corner (though I could live to a 103); they know I’m still writing and preaching and teaching and training, but then at 65ish you don’t take any invitation for granted. My usual reply is:...
read moreIn your dreams…
Language tells us a lot about ourselves. Take the three little words “in your dreams”. They really mean, “Don’t even think about it – it’s not going to happen.” It’s a pretty gloomy view of the world and assumes a planet where dreams don’t come true. And if dreams don’t come true, why bother having them. Think small, have low expectations, and you won’t be disappointed. But each time we say “in your dreams” we should have a bit of a look around first. Are we saying...
read moreThose little extras…
I’ve been reading the account of the feeding of the 5000 in Matthew 14:13-21. You’re probably already sighing and thinking this is a miracle you have heard about often enough. It’s the only miracle to pop up in each of the gospels, a reminder that there is something about food that is unforgettable. Feeding 5000 – yes, that was a truly memorable day. Except it wasn’t feeding 5000, was it? Tucked away in verse 21 is the little detail that they fed “about 5000 men, beside women and children.” Each time...
read moreDFM: The Direction, Focus, Motivation Trio
You might know that I now direct AVENIR Leadership Institute. It’s a lot of fun to lead something I was instrumental in founding, especially as it means I can’t pull the “I don’t know what the founders were thinking” card. If it’s not to my liking, it’s a little too obvious who is to blame! We’ve got a great team, a wonderful culture and a huge amount to be grateful for, not least our clients, who let us dive deeply into their world. They look to us for many things – ideas, an external...
read moreFor the Applause of Nail Scarred Hands…
I love Mark Batterson’s counsel to “live for the applause of nail scarred hands”. It has echoes of R.T.Kendall’s instruction to live “for an audience of one”. Both remind us that it is God’s perspective of who we are and what we do that matters. That’s easy to forget in an era that places great weight on what others think and say of us. It’s also a reminder that it’s not all about “me, myself and I”, but that I am a very small part of a very large story- the story of God....
read moreMisdiagnosis…
If you are into medical thrillers you know about the dangers of misdiagnosis. You will have seen shows where the medication supposed to help the patient is quietly killing them, while the actual cause of the problem remains untreated. Misdiagnosis is an issue, but it’s compounded when no one is willing to concede that they have got it wrong. Stubbornly sticking to the wrong treatment is hazardous – but what if it’s not in the realm of your health? What if you have misdiagnosed why a relationship is failing – and its...
read moreFrom Mindfulness to Watchfulness…
I usually enjoy excellent health but some months back succumbed to a minor ailment which required me to be on medication for 10 days. The doctor informed me that as a likely side effect was sleepiness, I should take my daily tablet half an hour after I finished my evening meal. Came day four, and about thirty minutes after dinner I stopped and thought, “Have I taken my medicine?” Answer – I had no idea. I had a vague recollection that I might have, but had been so busy doing one thing after another that I really wasn’t sure. I tried to recap...
read moreSunday: Afraid yet filled with joy…
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Matt 28:8 Have you been at a wedding where the groom cries, and the bride, and the parents, and granny – and as they do they all tell you how happy they are. Emotions are funny things. We sometimes cry when we are happy. And then there are those funerals where people burst into loud laughter as the idiosyncrasies of the deceased are recapped and tolerantly recalled. At many funerals mirth and tears intermingle seamlessly....
read moreSaturday: Waiting
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” Luke 24:1. See also John 19:38-42. There is nothing worse than waiting. You’re caught in that in between time. For those who loved Jesus it was made far worse by Sabbath rules and regulations. They had rushed his body into a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, but really it was far from satisfactory. Joseph and Nicodemus had done their best to bury Jesus according to Jewish customs – but...
read moreFriday: Love so amazing…
This Easter reflection is from my book, Could this be God? It is the first of the three posts for this Easter weekend: Friday; Saturday; Sunday. Don’t know if you have ever been face to face with a little child who insists on asking ‘Why?’ No matter what answer you give, it’s immediately followed by yet another ‘Why?’ I feel a little like that when it comes to Easter. You can’t but scratch your head and ask in amazed bewilderment, ‘So why did Jesus love me so much that he would die for me?’ No matter how good a theologian you are, it’s a...
read moreJudging or Discerning?
In Matthew 7:1 Jesus challengingly instructs: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” It is an oft quoted sentiment from the Sermon on the Mount, and is sometimes used as a get out of jail free card by those who know they have erred badly, “If you listen to Jesus you won’t judge me.” Even if you challenge back, “That sounds pretty manipulative” the retort is going to be, “Manipulative! There you go, judging me again!” Realistically, Jesus didn’t seem to expect us to obey this...
read moreFrom Statements of Faith to Theological Architecture…
If you are a Christian, tell me what kind of a Christian you are? In a divisive age where faith is expressed in varied and sometimes incompatible ways, this has become a relevant question. While most of us feel a little uncomfortable asking it, it is a little naive to assume we all love Jesus, so everything is OK. Ever since the 1054 Great Schism between the church in the East and West we have lived with the idea of a divided church. This was accelerated by the 1517 Protestant Reformation which went on to birth a plethora of new...
read moreFlourishing in Winter…
I’ve been talking about flourishing a fair bit lately, and recently someone asked, “Is it possible to flourish in winter?” It’s a good question, and a lot depends on what is meant by flourishing. If it means being highly productive and in a state where everything goes well, presumably not. That’s not what happens in winter, for winter is the season of slowing down, staying indoors and sober reflection. It isn’t a “go and glow” time, and if you confuse winter for summer, frost bite is a short...
read moreThe Case for Mercy…
I have been working my way through the Beatitudes and surprised myself by pausing for longer than usual at the 5th: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” (Matt 5:7). Why surprised? Well I’ve always assumed this one was not a struggle for me. I’m not a vindictive person and I deeply understand that life is often not easy and that it’s not uncommon for people to make decisions they later deeply regret. I’m more than sympathetic in such situations and am willing to give people a second or even third chance. So there you...
read moreRecovering Awe…
In an age where fairly ordinary experiences are described as “awesome” (“awesome movie”, “awesome meal”) there is a risk that we trivialise awe away. To confuse the mildly pleasing with awe is an issue, especially when it leaves us unobservant of that which should truly leave us in silent, speechless wonder. I’ve had a few awe struck moments in the last week, largely because I was able to get down south to the beachside resort of Dunsborough. There were times when I was on the beach alone, a vast...
read moreRemembering and Hope…
We live in an era of chronological snobbery, where only the most current is seen to be worthy of attention. Often we judge the past too severely, assuming every tool at our disposal was available to earlier generations and forgetting how much they did with so much less than we have. While I am convinced that we should look more to the future than to the past, it is possible to push that too far. After all, one of the most frequent cries in scripture is “remember”, and to forget to remember is too risk misunderstanding the part we...
read moreBecause Place Matters…
I still remember the lines from Paul Tournier’s book, A Place for You, “Basically I have always been looking for a place. A place to call home.” Tournier writes at the interface between faith and psychology and insightfully explores the importance of belonging and knowing that there is a place for you. Place might be a psychological zone, but often it is a physical one – the tangible contours of a garden or a familiar chair that is left open for you. In my last post I explored Wolterstorff’s idea that Shalom (or...
read moreWhat does it mean to flourish?
It’s become a bit of a catch word – one you find in vision and mission statements which commit to building flourishing communities of hope or whatever. It’s a noble and inspiring sentiment, but what does it mean to flourish? We could immediately dash to definitions. Depending on your source, you will be told that to flourish is to prosper, to thrive, to be in a state of activity or production. If you go to the Greek philosophers you might well come out at Aristotle and his idea of eudaimonia (roughly translated as...
read moreChurch-Lite
Let’s face it. If you say the word “church” a less than enthusiastic response is likely to follow. True, there are some glorious exceptions, but by and large those who have never been part of a church tend to express views that have been shaped by the press coverage the church has been receiving (almost uniformly bad), while those who have often launch into a story of feeling let down, disappointed or even betrayed. Many will tell you that they now embrace a churchless faith, one which is real but which effectively says...
read moreBecause time matters…
If you’re like me, there never seems to be enough time and you often wonder if you can manage it better. And the truth is that most of us could – and if you follow these seven principles you probably will. But here’s the thing. I saved myself a wad of time by getting chatGPT to write this post for me. Lest you haven’t been keeping up with the news, chatGPT is an extraordinarily powerful AI tool which is taking the internet by storm and leaving educators anxiously asking about the future of assessment as it churns out sophisticated...
read moreWhen we are Generous: A Counter-Cultural Difference
I’m finishing this brief series on the counter-cultural difference being a follower of Jesus makes by adding to the list of gratitude and providing a non-anxious presence that of being generous. Now I realise that some had hoped I would come out swinging against prevailing attitudes to things like sex and sin and sobriety, but I wanted to shift from passive morality to more active virtues… we are different through active gratitude, through actively leaving a sense of quiet confidence in the goodness of God and through being...
read moreCounter-culturally non-anxious
To be clear this counter-cultural series is not an exercise in “them and us” with “them” being awful and “us” being amazing. But it is an attempt to dig into the Jesus difference that often becomes apparent in the lives of those who take up the invitation to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ. The last post explored being counter-culturally grateful, this one looks at being non-anxious, or perhaps more accurately, managing the anxiety we have in the light of our faith in Jesus. In short, following Jesus can...
read moreCounter-culturally Thankful: From Entitlement to Gratitude
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone say that Christians need to step up and be counter-cultural – well, I’d be rich enough to help fund multiple mission organisations. Trouble is, the way it’s said often sounds so very like the culture it is supposed to counter. You know what I mean? Sweeping statements made about villainous others whose motives are entirely suspect – they are the enemy. And then there is the aggression with which it is spoken, as well as the demand for complete agreement with the...
read moreDeeper-Wider: To be and to do…
You might know that I am very involved with the Carey Group and wearing my AVENIR hat, helped devise their vision document Carey 2026. It’s framed around the theme “Deeper Foundations – Widening Reach” or more simply, “Deeper-Wider” – a wonderful refrain for a missional movement like Carey. In an age when many are content with shallow slogans and triumphalist grandstanding, Carey has committed itself to becoming a reflective movement, unafraid to dig ever deeper into the Christian faith on which it is...
read moreJust because it’s Christmas (change the world)
Just because it’s Christmas a whole lot of things are going to happen. Many people will double (or treble) their calorie intake. A phenomenal number of gifts will be exchanged. Some will be greatly treasured, others will provoke a startled “Why would you think I would want that?”; several are likely to be in the socks and jocks category (useful though not inspiring) while yet others will be met with scepticism that will change to appreciation (“actually I really enjoyed that book I wouldn’t otherwise have...
read moreNot such a silent night…
Back in the 1990’s I was part of a tour which started in Egypt and finished in Israel. Naturally a visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was part of the agenda. I had high hopes for the time, and imagined myself bowing the knee at the Grotto Cave where it is thought Jesus was born. Like the Wise Men of old, my pilgrimage was to worship the One whose coming reshaped all of human history, and all of my own history. The start of the visit was unpromising. Our tourist busload was one of far too many. I am sure the size of the...
read moreBecause we all need six weeks off…
A good friend was chatting about his recent visit to the dentist. As his mouth was trapped in a permanently open gape the dentist was doing all the talking, and was running through the woes of the world. He kept going for a long time and then concluded, “with all that has been going on, I think everyone needs six weeks off.” It’s a rather appealing idea that… the whole world taking six weeks off. It made me reflect on a recent walk Rosemary and I had been taking on the shared cyclist-pedestrian footpath. It was a sunny...
read moreWhen faith is a quest
Jesus commended the faith of little children, seeing in it innocence, spontaneity and deep trust. But for many, faith doesn’t come easily or naturally. Indeed, for some, nothing comes easily or naturally. William Blake in his Auguries of Innocence writes: Every Morn and every NightSome are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to Endless Night It’s lovely for those who are born to “sweet delight”, but what about those who seem born to “endless night”? You probably know...
read moreReductionism or Awe: Thinking about God
It’s always good to think about God. What is less good is assuming we are always right and that we are on top of our subject. Any description or explanation of God is at best a simplification or a reduction, and that is as we would expect it to be. After all, as Tom Wright has noted, when you look at the majesty of the Universe and see its astonishing complexity, and recognise how finely but perfectly tuned it is, you don’t assume that the Divine being whose imagination brought this all into existence is One who you can quickly...
read moreWhen you can’t unfriend…
I don’t know what your relationship with Facebook is like, but on the whole, mine is pretty good. It’s introduced me to over 2000 friends, the majority of whom I didn’t know before, and they often like or share my posts, introduce me to new concepts or generally enrich my life. On rare occasions a few have proved troublesome – some trying to offer me services I definitely don’t want, others being rude about things I had said in ways that showed they were playing to another audience and yet others linking me to...
read moreGuarding God’s Reputation…
Have you ever sat through a sermon or a talk and heard the speaker express a view about God that made you think, “Well that makes God sound petty and small”? Usually the speaker means well, but has not thought deeply. An advantage of being 65 and of having preached my first sermon when I was 15 is that I now have half a century of sermon “thou shalt not’s” to sift through. In their own way they each say something about what the speaker thought about God, or perhaps didn’t think, because sometimes we make...
read moreUnbusy, Subversive and Apocalyptic: Three Big Eugene Peterson Words
One of the joys of teaching theology is that I get to engage with many student projects. Some remind me of things I have forgotten, others introduce me to ideas I have not previously considered. At present I am supervising a project which highlights the importance of the work of Eugene Peterson. One of his books The Contemplative Pastor suggests that pastors should be unbusy, subversive and apocalyptic. The only change I’d suggest is that we don’t limit this to pastors – but advocate it for all followers of Jesus. Why do I...
read moreKnowledge or Wisdom?
I chair the academic board of an Australian University College and at a recent board meeting we were discussing “the democratisation of knowledge”, which is a lovely little expression noting that information is now readily available to almost anyone. It’s simply true. I have been lecturing in class and said something like “that happened in 1827 – or was it 1828” and in less than 30 seconds I will have a student say, “Actually it was 1826 , the 4th of May 1826 to be precise – I’ve just...
read moreGod is my: A Psalm 3 Testimony…
This blog often discusses weighty matters – the future of the church, social trends, significant ethical issues, Christian apologetics, personal growth. Every now and then I like to step back and simply remember and celebrate the God whose existence and goodness is the assumed given behind all that is written. In this post I would like to do this by reflecting on a 3000 year old testimony – one which King David writes when in the middle of one of the many crises which made up his life. You find it in Psalm 3 when David is facing a...
read moreOur Responsibility to the Future…
Christianity has a 2000 year history, and it is therefore natural that we should think about our responsibility to the past, and those who have gone before us. You see this in debates about faithfulness to our heritage, or how the Bible needs to be interpreted in a way consistent with the longer term tradition of understanding its texts, as well as in efforts to keep doing things the same way as we have before. All this is understandable, and has value. However, I wonder if we pay as much attention to our responsibility to the future –...
read moreWhen we are seen…
Have you ever felt invisible? If it’s especially bad, people don’t notice you at all, if a softer version, they sort of see you, but have placed you in an inaccurate and limiting box. You know there is more to you – but you struggle to get it out or for anyone to realise that there is a more significant you waiting to be discovered. It’s alienating, frustrating, and lonely. Sometimes we have landed up with a label – perhaps as a result of a major failure. We are the cheat, the unreliable one, the adulterer, the...
read moreDoes Church Matter?
I’ve just finished teaching a week long intensive called “Denominational Distinctives.” It’s an “all things Baptist” unit – and most of the dozen students who were in the class are well on their way to becoming Baptist pastors. Pleasingly while most make it clear they think the age of denominations is long past and come to the unit a little resentfully, (it’s obligatory if you are to become a Baptist minister), by and large they land up enjoying it. In fact over the years I have taught it, many...
read moreThings that get in the way…
You’ve probably not spent a lot of time thinking about the troublesome little song recorded in 1 Samuel 18:7 “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” To all intents and purposes it led to a civil war, which was a pretty devastating and dramatic outcome for a song simply meant to celebrate a significant change in Israel’s military fortunes. Israel knew only too well what it was to be defeated in war, but now that Saul was king and David was a significant warrior in his army – well, the taste...
read moreTruth, Goodness, Beauty: Cultivating a Christian Voice
I recently spoke at the Christian Media and Arts Australia conference on “Truth, Goodness, Beauty: With What Voice Should we Speak in Today’s Culture?” It’s a genuinely important question, and AVENIR, the Leadership Institute I now lead, was closely involved in the program design and presentations. It was a real privilege and I think it was a very significant conference. Given that the voice of Christian media is heard by several million Australians every week (and there were representatives from other countries as...
read moreMoody Weeks, Volatile Weeks…
I don’t know if you are a “steady as she goes” kind of person, or one who is a little more stormy. By and large I fall into the calm category, but this week I have been reminded that even calm people have volatile periods – precisely because I have had one! Interesting how things go wonderfully to plan – until they don’t. Yup, it’s been that kind of week. Goodness, there was even the death of the Queen. Her passing leaves a void that is unlikely to be filled. In short, it’s hard to see how...
read moreBetween Toxic Positivity and a Deus Remotus…
Toxic positivity is a new buzz word which rightly laments the irritating habit of attributing something positive to everything that happens, the kind of “if life serves you lemons, make lemonade” mindset which undergirds most bumper stickers and many sermon slogans. It’s an attitude that makes it near impossible to own failure, unless it is spoken of in the past tense: “Once long ago, before I solved everything.” It leaves us viewing lament with suspicion, and blocks attempts to face and own the pain of life. You...
read moreWhere our best prayers take us…
My previous post noted the passing of Frederick Buechner and tapped into some of his wisdom. In this one I’d like to explore a passing comment which appears in a series of rapid fire advice in his memoir Telling Secrets. It’s:”Go where your best prayers take you.” Why do I love this? First, it’s refreshing to acknowledgment that some prayers are better than others – we have our “best prayers”, but also our selfish prayers, our tiny prayers, our insular prayers, our sectarian prayers, our fearful...
read moreRemembering Frederick Buechner
Like many, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Frederick Buechner on Monday 15 August. He was 96 and is survived by his wife Judith who he married in 1956. I always think of Buechner as a theologian and preacher, though most remember him as a novelist, justifying their choice by pointing to his 39 books, one of which (Godric) was a finalist for the 1981 Pulitzer Prize – so this is no light weight we are talking about. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister, he never pastored a church, but through the honesty and the depth of insight...
read moreOn being still, not silent
I recently listened to a fascinating podcast where Alastair McIntosh reflects on Quakerism and unpacks some of its convictions. In a throw away comment he notes that it is often said that Quakers gather together in silence (no drums of smoke machines for them !) but that this is not entirely accurate – they gather together in stillness. He goes on to quote Ps 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”, which is not the same as saying “Be silent and know that I am God.” Silence or stillness, is there a difference?...
read moreWhen Belief is Aspirational
Have you ever asked if we do what we believe, believe what we do, or sit in an uncomfortable space of a bit of both, with belief and action sometimes congruent, sometimes not. It’s worth thinking about as it digs into the gap between what we say we believe and how we then live. For example, what are we to make of the simmering resentment we might feel towards another while we continue to happily pray “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Or how do we evaluate ourselves when we have a failure of courage in the face of a...
read moreYours, Mine and God’s: Holding Anxiety Well
I direct the AVENIR Leadership Institute and we recently hosted an exceptional masterclass on Managing Leadership Anxiety led by Steve Cuss, the author of an outstanding book with that title. I can’t remember if it was during the class or in conversation afterwards, but at some point Steve commented that when faced by people working through a problem or facing a difficult issue we need to decide what of the problem is ours to carry; what is theirs to carry and what is God’s to carry. It also works in reverse. When I am facing a...
read moreA Cold Dark Night on the Side of Everest: How Expectations Shape Outcomes
I recently enjoyed listening to psychologist Alia Crum speaking on the Hidden Brain podcast about reframing your reality. She recalled a crisis point during her time as a PhD student when she was working in the early hours of the morning in the basement at her University. Feeling overwhelmed by all that was required by her, she was surprised when a friend walked into the room and seeing the distressed look on her face, said simply, “ah. It’s a cold dark night on the side of Everest”, and left. Crum said it took a while for...
read moreOn Turning 65…
Well, the title is a give away. This week I turned 65. No matter how hard you try to massage it, that’s pretty sobering. You know it because some try to gently tell you that 65 is the new 55 – but since when has 55 been a deeply desirable age? Others console you that you are “only” half way through the 60’s, presumably not realising you are struggling to accept they have started. Yet others reassure you that age is a matter of the mind, and you are only as old as you think you are – which is fair enough...
read moreAnd a child shall lead them…
Rosemary and I have been blessed to have a weeks holiday together with our three children, their spouses and our three grandchildren. Getting everyone together is something you don’t take for granted, especially in these Covid ridden days, but the 11 of us have been together in a 5 bedroom AirBnB between Denmark and Albany. Although the temperature has been icy, we have been spared the heavy rain that is usually part of our winter and have been able to explore as widely as you can when you have a 1, 4 and 7 year old in the party. Jesus...
read moreWhen a number breaks your heart…
Numbers usually sound a little cold. Aid agencies know this. Rather than tell us that roughly 689 million people currently live in extreme poverty (that is, survive on less than $1.90 a day), they will usually tell the story of one child, knowing that as we sense the sadness of the one story, we will start to sense what it means when you multiply it 689 million times. Without the story, the number is quickly glossed over. The results of the Australian 2021 census came out this week – so it has been a week of numbers. In the midst of a...
read moreThe Virtue and Vice of Agnosticism
We are sometimes too sure of things we should be open minded about, and too uncertain about the things that really matter. Agnosticism, that tantalising space where we see all sides of an argument and put a definitive answer in the too hard basket, is sometimes a virtue, and sometimes a vice. Let me give a few examples from my almost 65 year sojourn on this planet. I became a serious follower of Jesus when I was a teenager – back in the 1970’s. Some things were very clear in that distant era. I didn’t go to my school ball...
read moreOn Isolating for a Week with Covid…
You’ve got it. The title of this post is what is happening for me as I write. I’ve had an inner struggle between my easy going self and my Gestapo self, the former telling me that given I have Covid, no one will expect me to post this week, and my sergeant major self telling me that it’s no excuse, after all, what else have I to do with my time other than write blog posts now that a week of appointments has been cancelled. The sergeant won (he usually does), but my gentler self is giving a reader alert that my words might be...
read moreA Spirituality of Simplicity
Can less be more? Or, in the world of church and Jesus following, can fewer services, ministries and activities help us draw closer to God? It may sound counter intuitive, but let’s play with the idea and see where it leaves us. It is actually a relevant question. After all, Covid shut downs have seen most churches run significantly fewer programs, and it is important that we ask if that has been to our spiritual detriment, or if in some strange way, it has helped us become a little more like Jesus. If the former, we should probably get...
read moreReclaiming and Redeeming Gossip…
It was a prayer meeting I was at several decades ago. The person praying suddenly asked that God would help James and Jenni (yes, I have changed their names) in their marriage problems, especially after their last major argument which had been overheard by neighbours and was really very ugly. As the prayer elaborated on each detail of this troubled marriage I heard the person next to me say excitedly, “oooh, really” and then a little later, “didn’t know that”. This was prayer as gossip, and our well attended...
read moreWhat to do with your one wild and precious life: Alcuin’s Answer
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life?” asks Mary Oliver in her poem The Summer Day. It’s a haunting question. Psalm 90:10 tells us that “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures.” In the end it is not the number that counts, but what makes up our “wild and precious life”. Recently I have been thinking about Alcuin of York (735-804) and how, in his own way, he provides an answer to Oliver’s question. Born in a period misleadingly...
read moreOn full stops and commas…
Let me start with a brag, and follow it with a confession. I won the English prize at school. True, that was not far off 50 years ago but I haven’t forgotten the thunderous applause as I walked up to receive my prize. Well – that’s how I remember it, though others might say they simply recall yawning quietly and longing for speech day to end. But here is my confession. In spite of that prize I have always been grammatically challenged. For example, I’m never quite sure when a sentence requires a comma, though I do know that it is...
read moreThinking about Fixed and Growth Mindsets
While Carol Dweck’s 2007 book Mindset is no longer new, it continues to spark rich conversations about the difference between fixed and growth mindsets. The basic thesis is simple: Some people approach life with a fixed mindset, assuming that they are born with certain talents and abilities and that relatively little can be done to alter what they started with. They will repeatedly do what they know they can do well – as this is safe and reassuring and gives them a chance to show what they are good at. If they fail, it is because...
read moreBecause 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...
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...
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...
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...
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 only 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...
read moreConscious incompetence: On knowing what we don’t know…
It was only a few sentences in a podcast I recently listened to, but it set me thinking. The speaker suggested there are four stages in the journey towards competence: Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence An example may help to ground this. Let’s say you don’t know how to drive a car. As you watch people driving you think, “How hard can that be? Of course I could do that.” But then you hop into the drivers seat and as the car jerks and jolts along the road, you...
read moreOn what we don’t hear…
I’m due to preach from Matthew 16:21 where Jesus announces his suffering and death. Often that’s how we summarise that verse (the heading in my Bible is “Jesus predicts his death”), but actually if you look at it more closely you will spot that it also predicts Jesus’ resurrection on the third day. I wonder why his disciples reacted so strongly to the announcement of the bad news that he must suffer and die, but then appear to have paid no attention to the astonishing good news that immediately followed, that on...
read moreFour Flavours of Regret…
In the days I served as a church pastor I would often visit the rest homes in the area and chat with the elderly residents. They were a mixed bag but in my mind they divided into two distinct groups, those who faced their closing years with a sense of resentment, disappointment – even rage, and those who were content and would enthusiastically recall many moments of pleasure and pride from the past. The difference did not stem from their physical condition (for all the residents were very frail), but how they viewed their past. It is...
read moreSpotting God…
I have a small group of people who come to me for spiritual direction. It’s a richly rewarding experience to sit in the story of another person and to work together with them to discern what God is saying and doing in their life – an astonishing privilege actually. It has also reminded me of the many and diverse ways in which God turns up for people. For some it is while reading scripture, for others while in prayer, for many it is in the flow of life, though often it is then only recognised afterwards as an “I think that...
read moreAssuming Spiritual Responsibility
One of my more bizarre conversations as a pastor was when a man informed me I was the reason he cheated on his wife. As he said in a voice increasing in volume with each word, “It’s your fault! If you were a better preacher, and inspired me more, it would never have happened.” Hmmm. While I can’t say the conversation left me encouraged, it also didn’t cost me too many sleepless nights. But it does raise some interesting questions. How responsible are we for the spiritual well being of others, and for that matter,...
read moreAdam Raised a Cain: Reflections for Parents in Pain
Back in 2016 I wrote a post, Adam Raised A Cain, reflecting on the sadness of the Genesis 4:1-16 account where we discover that the worlds first parents raised a murderer, and that the worlds opening story of two brothers is of the one killing the other. It’s not a promising start, and reflects the Bible’s deep awareness that family is usually the source of both our greatest joy and our greatest pain. I thought it worth doing a minor edit of the post and thinking about our response when parenting doesn’t go as we imagined it...
read moreOption B: When Life Doesn’t Run to Plan
In their very readable book, Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant explore how to build resilience and find joy when option A for our life is no longer available. For Sheryl Sandberg it started when she discovered her husband Dave collapsed on the gym floor – never to recover. She suddenly found herself part of the enormous Option B club – that multitude of people who don’t get their first choice, but who find that it is still possible to have meaning and happiness when only their second (or third) choice is available....
read moreFrom Theodicy to Theophany
Ok, I admit the title of this post is not exactly catchy! But you are still reading, so let me quickly say why I think it is important. You probably know people who have suffered greatly – perhaps you are one of them. All suffering is hard to watch, but it is especially devastating when it seems to be senseless and unfair. There are a thousand different scenarios I could paint, but in your heart you already know your “why, why, why” questions. How do we come to terms with life’s most devastating heartaches without...
read moreWhen our GPS Flounders: Genesis 12:2-3 as a Correcting Lens
A few months ago I was on my way to speak at a meeting on the other side of Perth (north of the river for those who are locals) and because it was unfamiliar territory, I trusted my phone GPS to guide me. Usually this works beautifully, but for some obscure reason (probably the endless roadworks in Perth), this time it didn’t. My estimated arrival time suddenly changed from 18:46 (giving a nice buffer for my 19:15 start) to 20:47 and instead of a journey of 47 km, I was apparently now due to arrive after covering 134km. I was less than...
read moreWhen in a City under Siege: Ps 31 then and now
I came across Ps 31 in my devotions this week. Given its original context, it is a surprisingly hopeful psalm, and verse 21 seems especially apt for the complex times we are living through: Praise be to the `Lord, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a city under siege. Written when David was physically and emotionally drained, deserted by his friends and anticipating that everything he had stood for would be lost, he prays in words that Jesus chose to repeat while on the Cross: “Into your hands I commit my spirit”...
read moreBlending Amish and 21st Century…
OK, so I accept some will think this is one of my sillier blog posts, but I recently wondered if it might be possible to navigate life part Amish, part 21st century. Of course a whole lot of qualifiers need to be thrown in, and I realise the thesis would never stand up to serious scrutiny, and those in the know will want to correct me on endless aspects of Amish life. But I am a big picture person and I really just want to explore if its possible to opt out of our overly complicated 21st century lives periodically and travel back to a simpler...
read moreBecause Our Habits Form Us…
Though I no longer remember her name, I remember the enthusiastic student teacher in my primary school teaching us about habits, and how important it is to form good ones. “A habit sticks with you,” she proclaimed. She wrote the word HABIT on the chalk board, systematically then rubbing out one letter at a time – creatively turning the lesson into an exercise in both spelling and ethics. You take out the H, and it is still there A BIT. Work harder, and remove the A, but BIT is still left. Yet more effort, and the B disappears – but IT is...
read moreQuestions for the New Year: Two Prompts from Genesis 16
Photo by Zane Lindsay on Pexels.com Genesis 16 is one of the more troubling passages in the Hebrew Bible, dealing as it does with Abram and Sarai’s initial attempt to deal with their childlessness by having a child through Sarai’s servant, Hagar. Though the plan originates with Sarai, when she sees that Hagar is pregnant she feels very differently about it, a reminder that there is usually a significant gap between theory and practice in all matters of the heart. This is not Sarai or Abram at their finest – Abram giving his...
read moreOn not making great things small…
I recently listened to a podcast in which Fuller Seminary President Mark Labberton lamented that religions (including Christianity) have a habit of making great things small. He said he initially heard the sentiment from his father – who at best was on the fringes of faith. He hadn’t really understood his father’s point until his own God encounter when he was about 18 years. His mother, who attended church periodically, realised that her son had experienced something meaningful, and so invited a pastor to come and see him....
read moreDoing what Love Requires: Exodus 1, Murder, Myths and Morality…
Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com I recently preached at the wonderful Westcity Church of Christ, taking part in their sermon series on Disruptive Stories. My disruptive story was from Exodus 1:15-22, a story of enormous courage and surprising ethical complexity, which we usually gloss over too quickly. Several people asked for a copy of my notes, so I thought I would make them more widely available and post them on the blog. Hope you find yourself drawn into this extraordinary story…. Have you ever had to make an impossible decision?...
read moreA Cohort of Courage…
Photo by Eric Sanman on Pexels.com Have you spared a thought for students who studied their pivotal year 11 and 12 in the shadow of COVID – with disrupted classes, lockdowns and great uncertainty? What would you say to a year 12 graduating class? Last week I spoke at the Carey Baptist College graduation ceremony for 130 year 12 students. This is what I said, and because several people asked for a copy, I am posting it here… Congratulations on being the graduating class of 2021. You have the special honour of being the cohort whose...
read moreIt says what! Making sense of impossibly difficult Bible passages…
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com In my recent post On Being a Progressive Conservative, I mentioned that I had drawn the short straw on our preaching team and had to speak on some impossibly difficult Bible passages from Deut 19-26. Several of you asked what I landed up saying, and so I thought I would post the notes from the message. Actually it went surprisingly well, and many people said they found it helpful. Most commonly cited was the insight that when we read scripture we should pay more attention to the concern behind a...
read moreOn being a progressive conservative (or a conservative progressive)…
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com Is the world so simple that we can quickly attach a valid label to everyone? We often act as though it is – or certainly we do in the world of theology, where we try to separate between those who are theologically conservative and those who are progressive – although we might use slightly different language, and suggest someone is a liberal or a fundamentalist or an evangelical or whatever. Single descriptors (conservative or progressive) usually make the error of assuming a world without nuance, a...
read moreOriginal Goodness: Taking our First Creation Seriously
I often listen to the theology podcasts from Yale Divinity School. Their by line asks a question: “What is a life worthy of our humanity?” I love it. It reminds us that although we might talk about original sin, God’s first word after the creation of humans was that they were very good, and indeed, that they were made in God’s own image. To bear the image of the Creator is a lofty status and provides a hint at how much is involved in leading a life worthy of our humanity, a life blessed by original goodness. The reason why we strongly object...
read moreA bit of an update…
Many of the people who read this blog do so because our paths have crossed – and this is a good way to keep in touch. So let me update you on some of the things that have been happening in my life. If it is old news for you, sorry, but others are reading it for the first time. At the end of 2020 Vose Seminary merged with Morling College to form one of the largest theological colleges in the Southern Hemisphere. This was a very sensible move, as both Vose and Morling are Baptist Theological Colleges and the merger has enabled the two colleges...
read moreArguing for the sake of heaven: Why we need curious conversations…
I wonder if you, like me, are finding the polarising conversations taking place in the public square shrill, tiresome and destructive. We have lost the art of disagreeing with one another politely or constructively, and have forgotten than ad hominem attacks (attacks directed against a person rather than the position they hold) have traditionally been seen to weaken an argument, not strengthen it. It genuinely is a pity, because there are so many important discussions that need to take place, and take place well. No matter how angrily we...
read moreMary’s choice…
Many people love the account of Jesus’ meal at the home of Mary and Martha. For those of a more contemplative disposition, it is the quick trump card justifying stepping away from the fast lane and spending time with Jesus. For those with a more activist bent, it’s a reminder to sometimes slow down and sit at the feet of Jesus. Here’s a quick rehash of these 5 verses at the end of Luke 10. Jesus and his disciples arrive at a village (likely Bethany) and Jesus is invited to the home of one of the locals, Martha by name. While...
read moreWhat makes a life worth living? Four lenses to ponder…
Matthew Croasmun directs the Life Worth Living program at the Yale Centre for Faith and Culture, and in a recent podcast suggests there are four levels at which people live, and invites us to examine our life to ask if most of our living takes place at a level of significance. It struck me that the exercise is worth undertaking towards the start of the year, when we might be a little more open to self-reflection and change. While the stages are progressively more stretching, there are benefits and challenges at each. The underlying questions...
read moreWhen Confidence is a Curse..
Swamped as we are with endless courses aimed at enhancing our self esteem and confidence, it might seem passing strange to suggest that confidence can be a curse. But it can! True, lack of confidence can also be a curse, but for a while ponder the other side of the equation – for although our many self esteem courses might suggest that the absence of a worthy self image is a wide spread problem, the hard evidence suggests otherwise. David Brooks in his book The Road to Character notes that in 1950 when asked if they considered...
read moreOn Quoting Shakespeare and Scripture…
A delightful post widely circulated on Facebook highlighted how many English expressions originate from Shakespeare. Here is a taster: “If you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a doornail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then — by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! For goodness’ sake! What the dickens! But me no buts — it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.” (Bernard Levin) Even Prince Charles has...
read morePraying the journey…
My Sabbatical leave is almost over, and what an unusual season it has been. I spent part of it at Carson Newman University in Tennessee, and after seven wonderful weeks close to the Smoky Mountains, Rosemary and I had to dash back to Australia to avoid being locked out, potentially for many months. It did make for an abrupt end, though the major task for my Sabbatical, remained. That was to make significant progress on a book on the formation of spiritual leaders, which is my current writing project. I am now at the two thirds through stage,...
read moreRemembering the Friday…
We are sometimes a little uncomfortable with Good Friday, and tend to rush past it to arrive at Easter Sunday as quickly as possible. Yet unless we feel the weight of the Friday, we will miss much of the mystery of Easter. If you are a theologian you might say that a theology of suffering must precede a theology of glory, lest the latter becomes trite and superficial. So this Good Friday I have been noting the things I need to remember… I need to leave the last supper and walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. I need to pause – is that...
read moreWhy leadership matters…
Leadership guru Peter Drucker once said that only three things come naturally to all organisations: friction, confusion and under performance. Everything else requires leadership. It’s worth thinking about. My observation is that those in church circles have an uneasy relationship with leadership. They are conscious of how easily it can be abused, and of how some leaders embark on toxic quests for power and control, using the nobility of the mission of Jesus to mask their naked ambition. Consequently they are quick to point out that genuine...
read moreFrom FOMO to hello to here…
Do you, like me, often want to be somewhere else? It’s not that I’m unhappy where I am, it’s just that in a world filled with many options and possibilities – well, why wouldn’t you explore them all? Those younger than me tell me it’s FOMO, aka fear of missing out. Here’s the irony. FOMO can actually see you missing out, and get you to overlook what you already have. Recently I’ve been reading Padraig O’Tuama’s book In the Shelter. O’Tuama is the leader of the Corrymeela community in Northern Ireland, and brings a refreshing and hopeful...
read moreWhen heaven is now…
I’m greatly enjoying Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, All the Light we cannot See – a moving exploration of life set against the Second World War. One chapter is entitled “Heaven” and in it Marie-Laure, blind since aged six, is picnicking with the ailing Madame Manec. It is a rare and brief respite from the war that is raging around them, and they begin to discuss whether heaven is real, and what it will be like. One poignant insight follows another, and the chapter ends: The grasses toss and shimmy. The horses nicker....
read moreCultivating a spacious heart…
I don’t know if you can remember a time when your heart was filled with love. Perhaps you thought, “I don’t think I could ever love more than I do now.” It might have been on your wedding day, or on the birth of a child – or even when you first met your puppy! For me it was certainly on my wedding day. As Rosemary glided down the aisle, I knew this was a forever thing. My heart was bursting with love, and I was intensely grateful. That love has never left – actually, 39 years later, it continues to grow....
read moreWhen you say “Pastor”: What Images of Clergy tell us…
Don’t know if you have ever thought about the collective nouns for various professions. Some are perceptive, others tongue in cheek. Apparently one should speak of a “rash of dermatologists”, a “shower of meteorologists”, and a “boast of barristers”. When it comes to clergy the best I could find was “a rumble of clergy” – most were less flattering. What do you think of when you hear the word “pastor”, or “priest”, or “minister”, or...
read moreHope’s Beautiful Daughters…
It is alleged that St Augustine said that hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage. Without these, Augustine argued, hope comes to nothing. Why these two daughters? (And although off the point, why daughters? Don’t we usually see anger and courage as male qualities? Clearly Augustine didn’t, and perhaps his 5th century wisdom should cause us to reflect on where we most often spot valid expressions of anger and courage). Returning to our question – why these daughters? Take anger… Instinctively we default back to the...
read moreSorry, I’ve no time. Really?
It’s often said that while we are a wealthy society, we are time poor. Now the first claim is undoubtedly true, but the second should have a serious question mark placed alongside it. Time poor – in comparison to who and when? Certainly not the ancient Hebrews. They worked a six day week from sunrise to sunset – on average a 72 hour working week. Indeed, a 70 hour plus working week has been the norm for most of human history. Robert Whaples, professor of economics at Wake Forest University has demonstrated that in the 1800’s a work week of 70...
read moreTowards a 21st Century Church (2): Time for the 500 year Rummage Sale?
In my earlier blog post “Towards a 21st Century Church”, I discussed four assumptions we should challenge if we are to make a constructive journey towards the future. In this post I explore Phyllis Tickle’s contested but thought provoking thesis that roughly every 500 years a “great emergence” occurs within Christianity during which a new and “more vital” form of faith emerges. Roughly stated, Tickle’s big idea is that every five hundred years the Church cleans out its attic and has a giant rummage sale. This enables the church to reevaluate...
read moreWhen a Cardinal Sins: Reflections on the conviction of George Pell
For those not in the loop (and they must be a very small number), Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, and is being held in detention while his sentence is awaited. As he is the most senior cleric in the world to be convicted of this crime, it is deeply unsettling. He could have become the Pope – having been a serious contender (though not the front runner) when Pope Benedict resigned in 2013. Until stepping down from his role at the Vatican to face trial in Australia, he was the third most senior figure in...
read moreQuotable: Marilynne Robinson – Gilead
American novelist Marilynne Robinson (1943- ) won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize (for fiction) with her novel Gilead. It is the fictional autobiography of aging Congregationalist minister John Ames, who, aware that his serious heart condition means his death is imminent, wants to leave a memoir for his seven year old son to remember him by. The book is a wonderful celebration of life, and is filled with profound insights. Here are a few… Love is holy because it is like grace – the worthiness of the object is never what...
read moreQuotable: With Frederick Buechner – Take 2
This is a second take on Frederick Buechner (1926-), an ordained Presbyterian minister, who is a notable novelist, preacher and theologian. I recently read one of his memoirs, Telling Secrets, and it led me to track down some insights from his thirty plus published works. His novel, Godric, was a 1981 finalist for the Pulitzer prize. You might well be aware of the most famous of Buechner quotes: “God calls you to the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Here are some others… One life on...
read moreQuotable and Alpha and Omega
Those who have been following this blog will know that in the lead up to Christmas, we have been looking at some questions that Jesus asked – having noted that he asked an awful lot of questions – often in reply to questions he had been asked. So here are the two questions for the 24th and 25th December. And because that will seem a little brief, I have also attached another of the Christmas meditations that have been appearing on the Vose Seminary site in the “Theologians at Lunch” section and which you might have...
read moreQuotable: Questions Jesus Asked
A piece of unverified Bible trivia I came across is that Jesus asks 307 questions in the Bible. True, some of the questions appear several times, being repeated in the different gospels, so the number of distinctly different questions is less – but you still can’t get away from the fact that Jesus asked lots of questions. While each had its own immediate purpose and context, they remain powerfully penetrating, and I have found it a worthwhile spiritual exercise to sit with some of the questions and to allow them to challenge me at...
read moreQuotable – For Christmas
With the Christmas season upon us, I thought I’d look at some Christmas quotes from notable figures. A thousand times in history a baby has become a king, but only once in history did a King become a baby. Anon Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more! Dr Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts. Benjamin Franklin Gifts of time and...
read moreQuotable: Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday – Take 2
Last week we looked at some of the notable quotes with which Rachel Held Evans starts different chapters of her 2015 book Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church. This week we look at some of her own insights from the book, which as the title suggests, explores her journey of loving, leaving and finding the church. The book is well worth the read – at times it is funny, at other times sad, sometimes poignant, and often profound. It is no coincidence that when Satan tempted Jesus after his baptism, he began his...
read moreQuotable: C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity – Take 2
Recently I finished teaching a course in Apologetics at Vose Seminary, and we concluded by looking at the apologetic methodology of C.S.Lewis. As I took another look at his classic work, Mere Christianity, I was again struck by its significance and the importance of Lewis as an apologist. Based on his 1943 wartime broadcasts, Mere Christianity has impacted the lives of many thousands of people. Here is a second look at some insights from this book… To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than...
read moreSloth: A Twenty First Century Take on an Ancient Vice
For those familiar with the 7 deadly sins, sloth ranks as one of them – the others being envy, vainglory, avarice, anger, gluttony and lust. I was recently interested to read Rebecca Konyndyk De Young’s take on sloth. Validly pointing out that while we tend to associate sloth with laziness, or lounging on the couch munching away at crisps and binge watching Brooklyn 99 yet again, this is not the historic understanding of sloth. The longer understanding of sloth has been that it is a failure to pay attention to what we are called to do....
read moreQuotable – C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity
Last week I finished teaching a course in Apologetics at Vose Seminary, and we concluded by looking at the apologetic methodology of C.S.Lewis. As I took another look at his classic work, Mere Christianity, I was again struck by its significance and the importance of Lewis as an apologist. Based on his 1943 wartime broadcasts, Mere Christianity has impacted the lives of many thousands of people. Here are some insights from this book… A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down,...
read moreQuotable: Glittering Vices – Rebecca Konyndyk De Young, Take 2
This is a second selection of snippets from Rebecca Konyndyk De Youngs intriguing 2009 book Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their remedies. The title explains the book, which after an exploration of some of the historical understandings of the seven deadly sins (and the opposing virtues against which they were stacked), explores each in turn – envy (the bitterness that flows from believing others have it better), vainglory (believing that image rather than reality is all important), sloth (which rather than...
read moreQuotable: Glittering Vices – Rebecca Konyndyk De Young
This week our selection of quotes comes from Rebecca Konyndyk De Youngs intriguing 2009 book Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their remedies. The title explains the book, which after an exploration of some of the historical understandings of the seven deadly sins (and the opposing virtues against which they were stacked), explores each in turn – envy (the bitterness that flows from believing others have it better), vainglory (believing that image rather than reality is all important), sloth (which rather than...
read moreQuotable: Greg Sheridan and God is Good for You – Take 2
A few weeks ago we had an initial look at a few gems from Greg Sheridan’s excellent new book God is Good for You. Here is a second look… Materialism, the most boring as well as the least accurate way of experiencing the world and recording experience, is the dominant mindset of the Western intelligentsia in our day. – Quoting A.N.Wilson (p35) Militant atheists deny any validity to the testimony of anyone in history who, through mystical prayer or contemplation or the irruption of God into human consciousness, claims any direct...
read moreQuotable: Brian Harris, The Big Picture – Take 2
Last week we looked at a few of the statements made in the opening chapters of my 2015 book, The Big Picture: Building Blocks of a Christian World View which people sometimes cite back at me. Here are a few more insights from the book which I hope you will enjoy pondering… Election is not about privilege but responsibility. We are blessed to bless. It is a biblical truth with challenging implications, but if we are to build a Christian world view we must repeatedly affirm that every God-given blessing is for the greater good of...
read moreQuotable: Brian Harris, The Big Picture
I guess it was an inevitable question: “You have been quoting several different authors in your blog. When are you going to quote yourself?” A simple answer follows… “this week!” Here are a few of the statements made in the opening chapters of my 2015 book, The Big Picture: Building Blocks of a Christian World View which people sometimes cite back at me. I often have a sinking feeling that if Jesus were to revisit this planet, he would feel a need to birth something fairly different from the church as it currently exists. As I read the...
read moreIn Praise of Smaller Churches: 10 Positives…
Almost every church I come into contact with (and over the years, that has been a fair few), wants to be bigger than it presently is. They look a little enviously at churches in the next size category, and imagine that if that were them, most of their problems would be solved. Their pastor (if they have one) assumes that if they were larger, they would be more respected by their colleagues and – well, let’s face it, we live in an era where bigger is usually assumed to be better. To be sure, large churches have many things going for them...
read moreQuotable: Greg Sheridan, God is Good for You
Greg Sheridan’s latest book God is Good for You: A Defence of Christianity in Troubled Times (2018) is well worth the read. It starts memorably… What will it mean for us, when God is dead? Who, then, can humanity converse with, when we lose our oldest friend? The loss of Christianity, and not only of Christianity but of much other religious belief and practice, will change us in ways we cannot possibly imagine. There will be no purpose beyond ourselves and ultimately Western humanity will look in the mirror and say: I’m bored with...
read moreQuotable: Eugene Peterson and Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places – Take 2
Last week we looked at a few key quotes from Eugene Peterson’s influential book on spiritual theology Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. Here is a second look… Human beings are not gods; the moment we forget this, we violate the boundaries of our humanity and something is violated in reality itself. The universe suffers damage. Eugene Peterson (p42) But the fundamental inadequacy of codes of conduct for giving direction to the spiritual life is that they put us in charge (or, which is just as bad, put someone else in charge of us);...
read moreQuotable: Eugene Peterson and Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places
I have always appreciated the work of Eugene Peterson, and was recently re-reading Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, first published in 2005 and in my opinion, one of his finest works. Here are some insights from the book… Endings take precedence over beginnings. We begin a journey by first deciding on a destination. Eugene Peterson, p1 Story is the most natural way of enlarging and deepening our sense of reality, and then enlisting us as participants in it. Stories open doors to areas or aspects of life we didn’t know were there, or...
read moreConsumers or Christians…
It has become common to talk about consumer Christianity. You see it everywhere. The new family at the church makes it clear that they want to test things out first – after all it may or may not be a good fit for the family, and there are lots of needs to take into account. Is the youth group friendly enough, the children’s ministry sufficiently accomodating, the preaching inspiring enough, and the music to everyone’s taste? If each box gets a bold tick, they might attend… well, attend on those weekends they are not away at their...
read moreQuotable: Simon Carey Holt and Heaven All Around us – Take 2
I posted on Simon Carey Holt’s wonderful book Heaven All Around Us a few weeks ago. Here is a second look at some striking quotes from the book. …for neighbor-love to have credibility, it has to be practiced where we are. Simon Carey Holt (p86) Walking is an act of awareness, a way of seeing, noticing, and being present to where we live… When I drive through my neighbourhood, my destination is elsewhere. I am focussed on the most efficient way in or out. I don’t see it. When I walk my neighbourhood I am aware of it. I notice the...
read moreQuotable: Simon Carey Holt and Heaven All Around Us
I posted on Simon Carey Holt’s wonderful book Heaven All Around Us a few weeks ago. Here are some striking quotes from the book. A good spiritual practice names the presence of God already with us. In whatever form a spiritual discipline takes, it proceeds on the assumption that the possibility of God is as real where we are as anywhere. Simon Carey Holt (p39) To contemplate is to look deeply into something in order to discern its truth. That something is life itself, its objects, contexts, routines, and encounters. The true contemplative is...
read moreManaging Monday with John Maxwell – Take 3
Say the name John Maxwell (1947 – ) and most people immediately think of his work on leadership. A pastor, motivational speaker and best selling author, his ability to summarize key leadership principles into memorable axioms or striking quotes is remarkable. This is our third look at some of his ideas… You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. John Maxwell Dreams don’t work unless you do. John Maxwell Leadership is not about...
read moreManaging Monday with John Maxwell – Take 2
Say the name John Maxwell (1947 – ) and most people immediately think of his work on leadership. A pastor, motivational speaker and best selling author, his ability to summarize key leadership principles into memorable axioms or striking quotes is remarkable. This is a second look at some of his thoughts… Every day, leaders must wake up and lead themselves before they can lead anyone else. John Maxwell If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone. John Maxwell When was the last time you did...
read moreManaging Monday with John Maxwell
Say the name John Maxwell (1947 – ) and most people immediately think of his work on leadership. A pastor, motivational speaker and best selling author, his ability to summarize key leadership principles into memorable axioms or striking quotes is remarkable. We will look at a few of them over the next few weeks… We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are. John Maxwell When it came to choosing disciples, Jesus picked people you and I would have missed. John Maxwell Many of us want the perks of leadership without the...
read moreManaging Monday with Elisabeth Elliot – Take 3
Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) is usually remembered for her work with the tribe who killed her missionary husband, Jim Elliot. She went on to author over twenty books, was a popular radio broadcaster and inspirational speaker, an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a significant Christian leader. Here is a third and final look at some of her insights… If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!Elisabeth Elliot If we...
read moreManaging Monday with Elisabeth Elliot – Take 2
Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) is often remembered for her missionary work to the tribe who killed her missionary husband, Jim Elliot. She went on to author over twenty books and was a popular radio broadcaster and inspirational speaker, as well as an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Here is a second look at some of her thoughts… Fear arises when we imagine everything depends on us. Elisabeth Elliot God will not protect you from anything that will make you more like Jesus. Elisabeth Elliot One does not surrender a...
read moreReflections on 12 weeks in the UK…
I’m writing this while sitting in the Qantas lounge in London. Having heard that the flight back to Perth has been delayed 2 hours (which as they initially said it would be 3, is actually good news), I thought it better to jot down some of my thoughts from the time away, than to spend the time making constant trips to the food counter – tempting though the latter option is. For those who are not aware, Rosemary and I have just completed a 12 week Sabbatical in the UK where we were largely based at Spurgeon’s College in London, where I...
read moreLiving Mindfully: 10 Practices…
Mindfulness is the new buzz word in many circles, and it is easy to understand why. In a world which views multi-tasking as essential, and offers far too many distractions, the gift of the present moment often passes unheeded. We are at risk of becoming human doings rather than human beings – and the consequences are enormous. During my Sabbatical at Spurgeon’s College, I have been working on a book about forming spiritual leaders, and one of the formational practices I have been reading about has been mindfulness – and I...
read moreManaging Monday with Elisabeth Elliot
Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) is often remembered for her missionary work to the tribe who killed her missionary husband, Jim Elliot. She went on to author over twenty books and was a popular radio broadcaster and inspirational speaker, as well as an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Here are some of her thoughts… It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place. Elisabeth Elliot The devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements:...
read moreManaging Monday with Walter Bruggemann – Take 3
Walter Brueggemann (1933- ) is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars. Though in the first instance a distinguished academic, his work has reached a far wider readership, and the depth of his insights have spoken to many. Here is a third and final taster of some of his work… Prayer is a refusal to settle for what is. Walter Bruggemann I intend to focus on the question of truth. That means I do not inquire about facticity – what happened – but what is claimed, what is asserted about reality. Walter Bruggemann...
read moreThe Stories We Tell: Seven Basic Plots
Though writing with a little teaching and preaching has been the main focus of my Sabbatical time at Spurgeon’s College, I have also taken the opportunity to broaden my reading, and in doing so, came across Christopher Booker’s classic The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories. Now truth to tell, I did not read it all (as in 728 pages – which took Booker 37 years to research and write) but read some and skimmed other parts to get a reasonable sense of the key ideas, which I thought worth discussing. Early on in the book...
read moreRoad Rage in London: Reflections on having to give way…
Let me start this post with some disclaimers. No, the road rage I am about to talk about was not my own. I have not driven a car in the now 10 weeks that Rosemary and I have been in the UK – and have had the luxury of being driven by others, using public transport (which overall, is amazingly effective), or walking (which is a wondeful way of bumping into unexpected delights, as you discover endless houses previous occupied by genuinely famous people). But today I observed road rage from the comfort of our one bedroom flat whilst...
read moreManaging Monday with Walter Brueggemann
Walter Brueggemann (1933- ) is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars. Though in the first instance a distinguished academic, his work has reached a far wider readership, and the depth of his insights have spoken to many. There is no final reading of the text. We will always read it again, and it will take us somewhere else. Walter Bruggemann Hope, on one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts. Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of...
read moreStanley Hauerwas – take 3
Stanley Hauerwas (1940- ) is a noted American theologian, ethicist and academic. Here is a third look of some of his thoughts. For those who would like to read more of Hauerwas, here is a link to Patrik Hagman’s blog which provides a complete guide to his work. For Christians do not place their hope in their children, but rather their children are a sign of their hope… that God has not abandoned this world. Stanley Hauerwas The courageous have fears that cowards never know. Stanley Hauerwas A social order bent on producing wealth...
read moreWhy Pastors should (must) Pastor: Seven Musts…
It’s never been easy to be a pastor. Though it is often claimed that contemporary ministry is more difficult and complex than it has ever been, that usually signals that the claimant knows very little about previous periods of church history. For example, I am a Baptist pastor. Is it really more difficult to be a Baptist pastor today, than it was back in the 1600’s when the denomination was first founded? Hardly likely! Do you know what they did to so many Baptist pastors back then? Having said that, it is a challenging privilege...
read moreManaging Monday with Stanley Hauerwas: Take 2
Stanley Hauerwas (1940- ) is a noted American theologian, ethicist and academic. Here is a second taster of some of his thoughts… The great enemy of Christianity in America is not atheism, it’s sentimentality. Stanley Hauerwas As Christians we do not seek to be free but rather to be of use, for it is only by serving that we discover the freedom offered by God. Stanley Hauewas The basis for the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount is not what works but rather the way God is. Cheek turning is not advocated as what works (it usually...
read moreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu – Take 3
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. This is our third and final look at some of his insights… Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world. Desmond Tutu All of our...
read moreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu – Take 2
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. Here is a second look at some of his insights… If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Desmond Tutu Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all...
read moreThe noisy table…
Deciding a visit to the UK would not be complete without a meal at the local pub, last night Rosemary and I took advantage of the two for one pricing of the mixed grill, and prepared for a new experience. Downstairs was super busy so we retreated to an upstairs corner. Only four tables were occupied – one with four older people, another with a middle aged couple, a single person at yet another, and then the two of us made up the fourth. We thought it would be ideal – not too noisy, a place for a pleasant conversation debriefing on...
read moreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. Here are a few of his many notable insights… Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. Desmond Tutu I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown...
read moreManaging Monday with Alan Paton – Take 2
This is a second look at some of the thoughts of South African author, human rights advocate, Christian thinker, and educator, Alan Paton (1903-1988), who is best know for his book Cry, the Beloved Country. It’s a haunting book on the tragedy of race relations in South Africa, and one which shaped much of my thinking during my late teenage years. I still remember the opening two sentences of the book – perhaps because the countryside remains etched in my memory… There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills....
read moreAbout a Sabbatical and a Flight on a Dreamliner…
At present Rosemary and I are in London, where I am serving as a visiting international scholar at Spurgeon’s College. The picture is of their very impressive stained glass window in the main building of the College with their motto Et teneo, Et teneor (I hold and am held). I am owed more Sabbatical leave than I can take, and the good folk at Vose Seminary, where I serve as principal, said that it really was time that I started taking some of it, so I am here for 12 weeks. I have several goals for the time… Getting to know the...
read moreManaging Monday with Alan Paton
South African author, human rights advocate, Christian thinker, and educator, Alan Paton (1903-1988) is best know for his book Cry, the Beloved Country. It’s a haunting book on the tragedy of race relations in South Africa, and one which shaped much of my thinking during my late teenage years. I still remember the opening two sentences of the book – perhaps because the countryside remains etched in my memory… There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are...
read moreManaging Monday – with quotes for Easter…
Rather than focus on a specific person and their insights, on this Easter Monday I thought it helpful to look at some general quotes for Easter from a range of thinkers… Easter was when Hope in person surprised the whole world by coming forward from the future into the present – N.T.Wright, Surprised by Hope Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song – Pope John Paul II Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf of springtime –...
read moreThe birth of hope and death of death…
I always enjoy preaching at my home church, Carey, and this morning got to speak at the Easter service. I spoke on the theme of “Easter as invitation” and this is roughly what I said… Invitations. Have you ever had a discussion with friends about who has had the most impressive invite in your group? I took part in that discussion once and quickly realised I was completely outclassed when two British friends started to argue amongst themselves as to whether his invitation to have dinner with the then British Prime Minister...
read moreLove So Amazing… Good Friday Questions
Here is a reflection for Good Friday from my book, Could this be God? Don’t know if you have ever been face to face with a little child in the three to five year age range who insists on asking “Why?” No matter what answer you give, it is immediately followed by yet another “Why?” I feel a little like that when it comes to Easter. You can’t but scratch your head and ask in amazed bewilderment, “So why did Jesus love me so much that he would die for me?“ No matter how good a theologian you are, it is a question that can’t really be answered....
read moreManaging Monday with Thomas Aquinas – Take 2
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is regarded as one of the most significant shapers of Christian theology. He followed the tradition of scholasticism, and was a champion of reason and natural theology. His “necessary first cause” argument for the existence of God is still widely used – albeit a source of much debate. The Catholic Church continues to view him as a model teacher for those studying for the priesthood. While this selection from his insights cannot possibly do justice to his work, they can perhaps act as a tiny taster...
read moreWill Kindness Win the World? Insights from the Early Church…
Recently I had the priviledge of opening the “Insight” conference for Grace Christian School in Bunbury. This is a slight rework of some of the main points I made on the day… By pretty much anyone’s calculations, 2017 was a tough year for the church – or certainly that is true for the church in Australia. There was the release of the findings of the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It makes sobering reading – no, more than sobering – it is heartbreaking, heart wrenching stuff. Perhaps the...
read moreManaging Monday with Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is regarded as one of the most significant shapers of Christian theology. He followed the tradition of scholasticism, and was a champion of reason and natural theology. His “necessary first cause” argument for the existence of God is still widely used – albeit a source of much debate. The Catholic Church continues to view him as a model teacher for those studying for the priesthood. While a selection of a few of his insights cannot possibly do justice to his thoughts, they can perhaps act as a...
read moreManaging Monday with Billy Graham – Take 2
With tributes to Billy Graham (1918-2018) still pouring in, I thought it appropriate to dedicate Managing Monday to a few of his quotes. The most successful evangelist of the 20th century, Graham’s ministry was truly remarkable, and his legacy continues in the lives of the estimated 3.2million people who responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour at his many crusades. To this should be added many million more who responded to his televised broadcasts – estimated to have been seen by over 2.5...
read moreFollowing Jesus or the Pharisees? A 10 Point Check
In Christian circles it is usually considered a significant insult to suggest that someone is a Pharisee. Knowing the hard time these religious leaders gave to Jesus, and the harsh words he said about them in Matthew 23 – well, who would want to be a Pharisee? Yet if the essence of being a Pharisee is being legalistic and harshly zealous about faith, quick to dismiss others as beyond the pale and even quicker to declare oneself righteous, many would suggest that there are more than a fair few Christians who fall into this category. Now...
read moreManaging Monday with Billy Graham
With tributes to Billy Graham (1918-2018) still pouring in, I thought it appropriate to dedicate Managing Monday to a few of his quotes. The most successful evangelist of the 20th century, Graham’s ministry was truly remarkable, and his legacy continues in the lives of the estimated 3.2million people who responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour at his many crusades. To this should be added many million more who responded to his televised broadcasts – estimated to have been seen by over 2.5...
read moreWhy Christianity is Probably True… My next book
British Publisher BRF recently confirmed that they will be releasing my latest book Why Christianity is Probably True in October – the 19th October to be exact (and ISBN number 9780857466549). Here is a taster from the book – the opening chapter to be precise. It gives a feel of the territory to be covered. Hope you enjoy it – and I’ll give some updates as the publication date draws closer… Chapter 1: About Probability… Perhaps you have come across the bus campaign run by the New Atheists. The little slogan...
read moreA blog update…
Perhaps you have noticed, but there have not been any new posts on my blog lately, and you might have wondered why. Some of you have been kind enough to check if poor health has been the reason – be assured, that is not the case (but thanks for your concern). A few weeks ago the site ran into a technical hitch which meant that while all posts could be accessed, no new ones could be added. It has taken the immense skills of the wonderful Ben O’Reilly to sort this out – and sort it out he has. Huge thanks to you Ben. So...
read moreManaging Monday with Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day (1897-1980) is remembered as a journalist, social activist and an unlikely (but very genuine) convert to Catholicism. A key figure in the Catholic Worker Movement, and regarded as controversial and radical, she has neverthless drawn high praise from both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, and her possible canonization is currently being investigated by the Roman Catholic Church. Here are a few of her thoughts… I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least. Dorothy Day The Gospel takes away our right...
read moreManaging Monday with Gustavo Gutierrez
Born in Lima, Peru, Roman Catholic Priest Gustavo Gutierrez (1928-) is regarded as one of the founders of liberation theology. His work is thought provoking and challenging, and it is certainly worth taking time to reflect on some of his insights… There is no true commitment to solidarity with the poor if one sees them merely as people passively waiting for help… The goal is not to become the ‘voice of the voiceless’… but rather to ensure that in some way those without a voice find one. Gustavo Gutierrez We live...
read moreManaging Monday with Helen Keller: Take 3
The story of Helen Keller (1880-1968), the first blind and deaf person to be awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree, has long surprised and delighted millions. Left blind and deaf after a disease contracted when she was 19 months old, Keller became a prolific author, human rights activist and an international inspiration. This is a third and final selection of some of her thoughts… A bend in the road is not the end of the road… Unless you fail to make the turn. Helen Keller Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can...
read moreManaging Monday with Helen Keller: Take 2
The story of Helen Keller (1880-1968), the first blind and deaf person to be awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree, has long surprised and delighted millions. Left blind and deaf after a disease contracted when she was 19 months old, Keller became a prolific author, human rights activist and an international inspiration. This is our second exploration of some of her insights… We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. Helen Keller Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller...
read moreManaging Monday with Richard Foster – Take 3
Richard Foster (1942 – ) is an American theologian and author in the Quaker tradition. His 1978 book Celebration of Discipline has sold over one million copies, and has perhaps been more influential than any other book in helping those in the evangelical stream of Christianity to rediscover and experience some of the spiritual disicplines that have nurtured the church for centuries. He has also written significant books on prayer and simplicity. This is our third look at some of his reflections… They are worth pondering at the...
read moreManaging Monday with Richard Foster – Take 2
Richard Foster (1942 – ) is an American theologian and author in the Quaker tradition. His 1978 book Celebration of Discipline has sold over one million copies, and has perhaps been more influential than any other book in helping those in the evangelical stream of Christianity to rediscover and experience some of the spiritual disicplines that have nurtured the church for centuries. He has also written significant books on prayer and simplicity. This is our second look at some of his reflections. In their own way, they are suitable for...
read moreAnd in the Chaos, God…
With Christmas around the corner, I thought I would reproduce one of the Christmas meditations from my book Could this be God: Bumping Into God in the Everyday. It’s called: And in the Chaos, God… Did you get your fair share of nativity plays this Christmas season? I certainly enjoyed watching a host of little children wend their way through improbable presentations of pregnant Marys, dazzling angels, lofty wise men and the rest of the Christmas crew. It was the unscripted moments that produced the greatest mirth—the accusatory...
read moreManaging Monday with Richard Foster
Richard Foster (1942 – ) is an American theologian and author in the Quaker tradition. His 1978 book Celebration of Discipline has sold over one million copies, and has perhaps been more influential than any other book in helping those in the evangelical stream of Christianity to rediscover and experience some of the spiritual disicplines that have nurtured the church for centuries. He has also written significant books on prayer and simplicity. We will look at some of his insights over the next few weeks… The discovery of God...
read moreManaging Monday with Jimmy Carter – take 3
Jimmy Carter (1924- ) served as the 39th President of the USA from 1977-1981. He is unusual in that most commentators consider him to have been more influential and effective in his post presidency years than he was while president, a view reinforced by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, more than 20 years after he was ousted from office. Known for his strong Christian commitment, this is our third and final look at some of this insights… God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can...
read moreManaging Monday with Jimmy Carter – take 2
Jimmy Carter (1924- ) served as the 39th President of the USA from 1977-1981. He is unusual in that most commentators consider him to have been more influential and effective in his post presidency years than he was while president, a view reinforced by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, more than 20 years after he was ousted from office. Known for his strong Christian commitment, this is our second look at some of this insights… We can’t be both the world’s leading champion of peace and the world’s...
read moreArtificial Intelligence, the Future of Work and What it Means to be Human…
Have you ever asked at what point technology will have so advanced that the input of humans into life’s tasks will rarely be required? And what does that mean for the future of work? And what does it say about what it means to be human? A personal anecdote. My family and I had recently arrived in New Zealand from South Africa. In the South Africa we left, the rubbish was collected by a van which rode down each street, the driver being supported by a team of four runners. Those runners would divide into teams of two, one for each side of the...
read moreManaging Monday with Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter (1924- ) served as the 39th President of the USA from 1977-1981. He is unusual in that most commentators consider him to have been more influential and effective in his post presidency years than he was while president, a view reinforced by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, more than 20 years after he was ousted from office. Known for his strong Christian commitment, we will consider some of his insights for a few Managing Monday posts… We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon. ...
read moreReligious Freedom: Freedom for what?
The topic of religious freedom has been getting a fair amount of air time lately – and validly so. The often bitter debate over gay marriage has led to the fear of enforced conformity of opinion, with non-compliance seeing a quick accusation of (and possible prosecution for) hate speech or something similar. Baptists (the denomination I am aligned with) were some of the early champions of religious liberty. Having been persecuted for their religious convictions (sometimes being drowned with the cry, “If they want water, they shall have...
read moreManaging Monday with Corrie ten Boom – take 3
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) is remembered for her imprisonment in the Ravensbruck concentration camp for the assistance she and her family provided to help Jewish people escape from the Nazi Holocaust. Her story is told in The Hiding Place – a book which continues to encourage and inspire many. Three of her key themes were the futility of worry, the importance of forgiveness and the power of prayer. Her personal experience adds enormous credibility to her comments. Today we look at a few of the things she said about prayer. Prayer is...
read morePost Plebiscite Reflections…
Well, the results from the Australian Plebiscite on same sex marriage are in, and are very much as predicted with 61.6% in favour and 38.4% against, the only surprise being the astonishingly high participation rate of close to 80%. Clearly this was not an issue over which most Australians yawned in disinterest, grunting a dismissive “whatever”. I’ve written about the plebiscite before so have no intention of rehashing what I said here. What I’d rather do is ask if there is anything we can learn from the plebiscite, and...
read moreManaging Monday with Corrie ten Boom – take 2
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) is remembered for her imprisonment in the Ravensbruck concentration camp for the assistance she and her family provided to help Jewish people escape from the Nazi Holocaust. Her story is told in The Hiding Place – a book which continues to encourage and inspire many. Three of her key themes were the futility of worry, the importance of forgiveness and the power of prayer. Her personal experience adds enormous credibility to her comments. Today we look at a few of the things she said about forgiveness. To...
read moreManaging Monday with Corrie ten Boom
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) is remembered for her imprisonment in the Ravensbruck concentration camp for the assistance she and her family provided to help Jewish people escape from the Nazi Holocaust. Her story is told in The Hiding Place – a book which continues to encourage and inspire many. Two of her key themes were the futility of worry and fear, the importance of forgiveness, and the power of prayer. Her personal experience adds enormous credibility to her comments. Today we look at a few of the things she said about worry and...
read moreManaging Monday with Martin Luther – Happy 500th…
Though we have featured quotes from Martin Luther (1483-1546) a few times on Managing Monday, on this the eve of the 500th anniversary of Luther posting his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517, it only seems right to hear from him again. Here are some Luther quotes we have not yet considered… I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honour. Martin Luther If our Lord is permitted to create nice large pike and...
read moreManaging Monday with John Stott – Take 3
Several years after his death, the ministry of John Stott (1921-2011) continues to impact many people, most commonly through his writing, with his classic Basic Christianity, his profound study The Cross of Christ and the deep insight shown in I Believe in Preaching, continuing to win him new fans. Stott was one of the key authors of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which continues to shape evangelicalism. This is the third and final post at which we look at some of his insights… We live and die. Christ died and lived. John Stott We must...
read moreManaging Monday with John Stott: Take 2
Several years after his death, the ministry of John Stott (1921-2011) continues to impact many people, most commonly through his writing, with his classic Basic Christianity, his profound study The Cross of Christ and the deep insight shown in I Believe in Preaching, continuing to win him new fans. Stott was one of the key authors of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, which continues to shape evangelicalism. Here is a second selection of some of his insights… Until you see the cross as that which is done by you, you will never appreciate that...
read moreManaging Monday with T.S.Eliot – Take 2
Ever since studying Murder in the Cathedral during my school years, I have been a bit of a T.S.Eliot fan. For those not familar with his work, Eliot (1888-1965), who identifed himself as an Anglo-Catholic, was one of the most significant poets and playwrights of the twentieth century. In 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here is a second taste of some of his many reflections… Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity. T.S.Eliot The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink. T.S.Eliot Time you enjoyed wasting is not...
read moreManaging Monday with T.S.Eliot
Ever since studying Murder in the Cathedral during my school years, I have been a bit of a T.S.Eliot fan. For those not familar with his work, Eliot (1888-1965), who identifed himself as an Anglo-Catholic, was one of the most significant poets and playwrights of the twentieth century. In 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here is a tiny taste of some of his many reflections… Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?...
read moreManaging Monday with George Herbert – Take 2
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh born Anglican priest, theologian, poet and orator. Though he was only 39 when he died, he accomplished an extraordinary amount in his life (including a brief stint in the Parliament of England in 1624 and 1625). While a priest remembered for his genuine care of his parishioners, he struggled with his call to ministry, reflected in one of his most famous poems The Collar which concludes with the words, But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde At every word, Me thoughts I heard one calling,...
read moreChurch: From Members to Attenders…
Language reflects the way we think about things, and with that in mind I was struck when someone recently claimed that it has only been in the last 50 years or so that Christians have spoken about “going to this church” or “attending this church”. For the many hundreds of years before that, they would have said “I belong to this church”or “I am a member of this church”. If the claim is true (and I suspect it is) it’s an interesting change – from members to attenders. Think through...
read moreManaging Monday with George Herbert
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh born Anglican priest, theologian, poet and orator. Though he was only 39 when he died, he accomplished an extraordinary amount in his life (including a brief stint in the Parliament of England in 1624 and 1625). While a priest remembered for his genuine care of his parishioners, he struggled with his call to ministry, reflected in one of his most famous poems The Collar which concludes with the words, But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde At every word, Me thoughts I heard one calling,...
read moreProtestants, Reformers or Transformers…
As the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation draws near (it is usually dated from Luther posting his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg on 31 October, 1517), it is worth asking if we are now primarily protestants (from protestors) or reformers. The Protestant Reformation involved both protest and reform. It was a protest against a corrupt religious system, and some of its particular practices, such as the sale of indulgences. Later it was a strong protest against the April 19th, 1529 reversal of the August 27, 1526 German...
read moreManaging Monday with Parker J Palmer – Take 3
I first came across the work of Parker J Palmer (1939-present) when I was loaned a copy of his book The Courage to Teach. It’s a wonderful read, and it led me to track down some insights from his wider writings. Palmer, a Quaker, is well known for his work on education, social change, vocation and spirituality. Today is our third and final look at some of his insights… The questions we ask ourselves are at least as important as the answers we come up with, often more so – Parker J Palmer The highest form of love is the love...
read moreManaging Monday with Parker J Palmer – take 2
I first came across the work of Parker J Palmer (1939-present) when I was loaned a copy of his book The Courage to Teach. It’s a wonderful read, and it led me to track down some insights from his wider writings. Palmer, a Quaker, is well known for his work on education, social change, vocation and spirituality. Here is a second selection of some of his thoughts. Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self...
read moreManaging Monday with Parker J Palmer
I first came across the work of Parker J Palmer (1939-present) when I was loaned a copy of his book The Courage to Teach. It’s a wonderful read, and it led me to track down some insights from his wider writings. We’ll enjoy them over the next few weeks. Palmer, a Quaker, is well known for his work on education, social change, vocation and spirituality Violence is what happens when we don’t know what else to do with our suffering – Parker J Palmer Take everything that is bright and beautiful in you and introduce it to...
read moreManaging Monday with St John of the Cross – Take 3
Spanish born St John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a major figure in the Counter Reformation (or Catholic Reformation). A priest, poet, artist and mystic, he worked closely with St Teresa of Avila in reforming the Carmelite Order, for which he was imprisoned in 1577. During this time he suffered great privation (including being beaten three times each week), but gained profound spiritual insights, many of which are recorded in his best know work, the “Dark Night of the Soul.” This is our third and final look at some of the sayings...
read moreManaging Monday with St John of the Cross – take 2
Spanish born St John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a major figure in the Counter Reformation (or Catholic Reformation). A priest, poet, artist and mystic, he worked closely with St Teresa of Avila in reforming the Carmelite Order, for which he was imprisoned in 1577. During this time he suffered great privation (including being beaten three times each week), but gained profound spiritual insights, many of which are recorded in his best know work, the “Dark Night of the Soul.” This is our second look at some of this sayings…...
read morePost Post-Christendom…
For the last few decades churches in the Western world have noted, usually with a sense of lament, that we live in a post-Christendom world – in other words, in a world where Christianity has lost its privileged status and is no longer assumed to be true, moral or the default religion of society. We can no longer presume that the major stories of the Bible are known by the majority, and biblical allusions are usually met with blank incomprehension (“what do you mean when you say she’s a Good Samaritan?”) As to the...
read moreManaging Monday with St John of the Cross
Spanish born St John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a major figure in the Counter Reformation (or Catholic Reformation). A priest, poet, artist and mystic, he worked closely with St Teresa of Avila in reforming the Carmelite Order, for which he was imprisoned in 1577. During this time he suffered great privation (including being beaten three times each week), but gained profound spiritual insights, many of which are recorded in his best know work, the “Dark Night of the Soul.” We will look at some of his quotes over the next few...
read moreManaging Monday with Martin Luther – take 3
With the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation drawing near, we have been looking at some of the thoughts of one of the key figures in the Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546). The law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted – Martin Luther God doesn’t love us because of our worth. We are of worth because God loves us – Martin Luther One learns more of Christ in being married and rearing children than in several lifetimes spent in study in a monastery – Martin Luther I have held many things in...
read moreManaging Monday with Martin Luther – take 2
As the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation draws near, it is only appropriate that we spend a few weeks looking at the insights of one the leading figure of the Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546). I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me – Martin Luther It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor – Martin Luther The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes,...
read moreSixty, not out…
I turn 60 today – well the day this post went up (13 July 2017), lest you read it later. Here are some semi tongue in cheek comments I made about this in my regular column in the Advocate. It was also entitled, Sixty, not out… I turn 60 in July. I know you’d never have guessed it, and find it hard to believe as well. But there it is, the big six zero looming up ahead. So when does old age begin? According to an often cited study, the British consider themselves old at 59, the French at 63 and the Greeks (bless them) at 68. I...
read moreManaging Monday with Martin Luther
As 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it is only appropriate that we spend a few weeks looking at the insights of one the leading figure of the Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546). I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my guide – Martin Luther So when the devil throws your sin in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus...
read moreManaging Monday with Philip Yancey – take 3
Philip Yancey’s (1949 – present) books have sold over 14 million copies, making him one of the most widely read contemporary Christian authors. I always enjoy his work, but What’s so Amazing about Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew, are particular favourites. This is our third and final look at some of his gems… Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part – Philip Yancey One bold message in the book of Job is that you can say anything to God. Throw at him your grief, your anger, your doubt, your bitterness, your...
read moreManaging Monday with Philip Yancey – take 2
Philip Yancey’s (1949 – present) books have sold over 14 million copies, making him one of the most widely read contemporary Christian authors. I always enjoy his work, but What’s so Amazing about Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew, are particular favourites. Managing Monday will spend a few weeks highlighting some of his gems… As I read the birth stories of Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog – Philip Yancey Endurance...
read moreThinking about preaching: What to learn from Jeff Manion
I’ve recently finished teaching a unit in preaching at Vose Seminary, and one of the assignments was to assess the preaching of a well known pastor whom the student could select, evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, and asking what we could learn about preaching from this person. Several excellent essays resulted, but I was especially impressed by this one from Yvette Cherry, a Vose student who also serves on the staff at Riverton Baptist Church. In addition to being an excellent student, she is a gifted...
read moreManaging Monday with Philip Yancey
Philip Yancey’s (1949) books have sold over 14 million copies, making him one of the most widely read contemporary Christian authors. I always enjoy his work, but What’s so Amazing about Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew, are particular favourites. Managing Monday will spend a few weeks highlighting some of his gems… Christians get very angry towards Christians who sin differently than they do – Philip Yancey The solution to sin is not to impose an ever stricter code of behaviour. It is to know God – Philip Yancey...
read moreIs God unfair?
I was speaking at the Slavic Baptist Church this Sunday, and with the help of an excellent Russian interpreter tackled the ever perplexing question of why good people often suffer, and the question which arises from this, “Is God unfair?” I was interacting with some of the views explored by Philip Yancey in his excellent book Disappointment with God, and the response to the message made me think that what was said would be worth sharing with a wider readership. So with a few minor edits, here is what I said… I have been a...
read moreManaging Monday with Eugene Peterson – take 3
Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. This is the final of the three post where we look at some of his striking insights… Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts – Eugene Peterson The silence that makes it possible to hear God speak also makes it...
read moreSigns of the Spirit’s Presence…
I was with the good folk of Mt Hawthorn Community Church this Pentecost Sunday, and being Pentecost, thought it would be helpful to ask if there are signs we can look for that indicate that the Spirit is at work. One of the lovely features of Mt Hawthorn is that they have a Q and A after the message, and it provoked lots and lots of discussion, making me think it would be worth posting my notes on the blog. So with a very light editing, here they are… A number of year ago noted evangelist Leighton Ford asked this question: “If God were...
read moreManaging Monday with Eugene Peterson – take 2
Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. This is the second of the three post where we look at some of his striking insights… You are defined by what you embrace, not what you resist – Eugene Peterson One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up...
read moreManaging Monday with Eugene Peterson
Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. We’ll spend three weeks looking at some of his striking insights… Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God – Eugene Peterson No life of faith can be lived...
read moreManaging Monday with Abraham Kuyper – take 2
This is the second and final post on Abraham Kuyper. To refresh you memory on who Kuyper is, here is the introductory paragraph from the previous post, with a fresh set of quotes then added… The relationship between Christianity and politics is vexed, and for many (regardless if they know it or not) has been shaped by the thinking of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) who served as the 20th Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905. A journalist, neo-Calvinist theologian and statesman, his political and theological views continue to be...
read moreManaging Monday with Abraham Kuyper
The relationship between Christianity and politics is vexed, and for many (regardless if they know it or not) has been shaped by the thinking of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) who served as the 20th Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905. A journalist, neo-Calvinist theologian and statesman, his political and theological views continue to be influential, especially in Reformed circles, and his thinking has impacted the views of Francis Schaeffer, Cornelius van Til, Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Chuck Colson and Tim Keller...
read moreAndrew Murray (take 2)
Here is the second (and final) set of quotes from Andrew Murray (1828-1917), a key figure in the South African revival of 1860. Murray is remembered as an author, pastor and champion of mission. He is sometimes considered one of the forerunners of the Pentecostal movement because of his emphasis on faith healing and the continuation of the spiritual gifts. He also placed special emphasis on prayer. I recently read one of his classics – Humility: The Beauty of Holiness, and thought that a few insights from this and some of his others books...
read moreManaging Monday with Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray (1828-1917), a key figure in the South African revival of 1860, is remembered as an author, pastor and champion of mission. He is sometimes considered one of the forerunners of the Pentecostal movement because of his emphasis on faith healing and the continuation of the spiritual gifts. He also placed special emphasis on prayer. I recently read one of his classics – Humility: The Beauty of Holiness, and thought that a few insights from this and some of his others books were worth a few Managing Monday posts. Humility is...
read moreManaging Monday with Evelyn Underhill (take 2)
This week we continue looking at some insights from Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) who is remembered as a pacifist and for her writing on Christian mysticism, her best known book being Mysticism (1911). An Anglo-Catholic, she was doubtful of state religion and placed great store on the heart and experience. She led many spiritual retreats for the Anglican Church, was an active proponent of contemplative prayer, and served as a spiritual director to hundreds of people. If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be...
read moreOn the death of a brother-in-law
My brother-in-law, Milner McPherson, died last night, the 21 April 2017. He had been in a deep coma for a few weeks, so was unable to anticipate what was about to occur, but if that had not been the case, he would have approached his departure cheerfully and indeed, enthusiastically. For some death comes as the enemy – for others, death is the friend. After years of poor health (cancer leading to the amputation of his right leg below the knee; brain tumour; Parkinsons; dementia), this 77 year old father of two and grandfather of five,...
read moreManaging Monday with Evelyn Underhill
Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) is remembered as a pacifist and for her writing on Christian mysticism, her best known book being Mysticism (1911). An Anglo-Catholic, she was doubtful of state religion and placed great store on the heart and experience. She led many spiritual retreats for the Anglican Church, was an active proponent of contemplative prayer, and served as a spiritual director to hundreds of people. Beauty is simply reality seen with the eyes of love – Evelyn Underhill For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness...
read moreEaster: With head and heart…
Here are some Easter musings from my book Could this be God? Bumping into God in the Everyday. This entry is called Easter: With head and heart… I was a guest preacher last night (well, no longer last night by the time you read this), and had been asked to speak on what Jesus accomplished at the Cross. So how do you fit that into 20 minutes? I went a pretty traditional route, unpacked the reason for our creation (relationship with God), followed it up with the problem of our alienation from God and then explored how and why the Cross...
read moreManaging Monday with Charles Wesley
After a few weeks of John Wesley quotes, it only seems fair to give a voice to his brother, Charles Wesley (1707-1788), also a leader of the Methodist movement, and best know as the writer of over 6000 hymns, many of which continue to be sung. Keep us little and unknown, prized and loved by God alone – Charles Wesley Amazing love how can it be that Thou my God shouldst die for me – Charles Wesley Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, And looks to God alone; Laughs at impossibilities, And cries it shall be done – Charles...
read moreManaging Monday with John Wesley (take 3)
Here are a final batch of John Wesley (1703-1791) insights – well, final for a while. Wesley was an Anglican minister who founded the Methodist church. His theology has a particular focus on holiness, though as you will see from the quotes, the scope of his interest was wide. When you do what you can, you do enough – John Wesley Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can – John Wesley Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame, if I cannot write better sermons now that I did seven year ago –...
read moreWhen “darkness is my closest friend”: Reflections on Psalm 88
I was in a meeting a while back where a man said that he and his family had been living in Psalm 88 for a fair while – especially in v18b. Naturally I had to look it up. The tone of his comment had alerted me to expect something that fell a long way short of cheerful, and my instinct was right. The psalm is hauntingly sad. While it starts hopefully (“you are the God who saves me” – v1), it finishes in a very different place, speaking about abandonment, rejection and suffering, before finishing with the sobering...
read moreManaging Monday with John Wesley (take 2)
Here are a second batch of Wesley insights. It was always only a matter of time until I included some John Wesley (1703-1791) quotes on Managing Monday. Wesley was an Anglican minister who founded the Methodist church. His theology has a particular focus on holiness, though as you will see from the quotes, the scope of his interest was wide. We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others – John Wesley Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. To all...
read moreManaging Monday with John Wesley
It was always only a matter of time until I included some John Wesley (1703-1791) quotes. Wesley was an Anglican minister who founded the Methodist church. His theology has a particular focus on holiness, though as you will see from the quotes, the scope of his interest was wide. What one generation tolerates, the next will embrace – John Wesley Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you who can be against you? – John Wesley, in his last letter...
read moreManaging Monday with Charles Spurgeon: Take three
This week we conclude our short series of Spurgeon quotes. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was known as the “Prince of Preachers, and it’s not hard to understand why when you read through his penetrating sermons. He pastored London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle (formerly the New Park Street Chapel) for 38 years, a megachurch of the time, and indeed, during Spurgeon’s time, the largest congregation in the world. Ponder these Spurgeon insights… I have learned to kiss the wave that slams me into the rock of ages...
read moreEvery Brilliant Thing… Reflections on a movie
On a recent flight back to Perth, I watched a HBO documentary, “Every Brilliant Thing”. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the brief blurb about it said “Adapted from the hit Broadway-show, and balancing sobering loss with cathartic laughter, this deeply poignant film recounts a life lived in the shadow of suicide.” I guess it’s a comment on the other options that I decided to watch, but it turned out to be one of those rare instances where low expectations had to be dramatically recalibrated and I sat...
read moreManaging Monday with Charles Spurgeon: Take two
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was known as the “Prince of Preachers, and it’s not hard to understand why when you read through his penetrating sermons. He pastored London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle (formerly the New Park Street Chapel) for 38 years, a megachurch of the time, and indeed, during Spurgeon’s time, the largest congregation in the world. This week we continue to reflect on some of his memorable insights… The Gospel is like a caged lion. It does not need to be defended. It simply needs to be let...
read moreManaging Monday with Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was known as the “Prince of Preachers, and it’s not hard to understand why when you read through his penetrating sermons. He pastored London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle (formerly the New Park Street Chapel) for 38 years, a megachurch of the time, and indeed, during Spurgeon’s time, the largest congregation in the world. Here are some memorable Spurgeon quotes… There is nothing in the law of God that will rob you of happiness: it only denies you that which would cost you sorrow...
read moreWhy Grenz matters…
You may or may not know (and may or may not care) that I did my PhD on the theological method of Stanley J Grenz. “Why?” I hear you ask. Without trying to reproduce my PhD (which can be downloaded for free from the University of Auckland’s research site), let me give you a simple explanation for why I think Grenz is an important theologian, and my reasons for arguing that his work continues to be relevant and worthy of study. A committed evangelical, American born but Canadian based Grenz (1950-2005), sensed that the...
read moreManaging Monday with Viktor E. Frankl – take 3
Today we finish our exploration of some insights from Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), who is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis that suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that...
read moreManaging Monday with Viktor E. Frankl – Take 2
Today we continue to explore some insights from Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), who is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis that suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can...
read moreManaging Monday with Viktor E. Frankl
Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997) is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis which suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can actually contribute to this. His PhD dissertation,...
read moreAbout a holiday…
I recently returned from a wonderful family holiday in Japan. The selection of Japan was based largely on its amazing ski fields (a really important factor for my oldest son Nic) and that it would be culturally enriching while still being a country where you can get by with English – albeit that the occasional misunderstanding occurs. So what are my reflections from this time? First, holidays really matter, and it’s worth scrimping and saving a little during the year to ensure that you can have one. They also need to be long...
read moreManaging Monday with Pope Francis (take 2)
Pope Francis is the 266th and current pope, his papacy having begun on 13 March 2013. He has said many memorable things, often about the importance of care of the poor and of faith being expressed in tangible actions. Last week we noted some of his insights, and this week round them out with a few more… You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. This is how prayer works – Pope Francis Having faith does not mean having no difficulties, but having the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone – Pope Francis Sometimes...
read moreManaging Monday with Pope Francis…
Pope Francis is the 266th and current pope, his papacy having begun on 13 March 2013. He has said many memorable things, often about the importance of care of the poor and of faith being expressed in tangible actions. Here are a few of his insights… To ignore the poor is to despise God – Pope Francis The crucifix does not signify defeat or failure. It reveals to us the love that overcomes evil and sin – Pope Francis I prefer wrinkled families with wounds, with scars, but that continue going forward because these wounds,...
read moreManaging Monday with Thomas Merton – Take 2
Last week we reflected upon a few Thomas Merton quotes – and here are some more. Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk and mystic. For a brief period he was a Communist. He is largely remembered for his work as a civil rights activist, poet, writer and student of comparative religion. When ambition ends, happiness begins – Thomas Merton The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture...
read moreTradition and traditioning…
I grant you that most people don’t spend lots of time wondering about tradition and particularly the tradition of the Church, and if they are being true to it or not. But if you have ever had a bright idea of yours shut down with a “It’s not going to happen. We’ve never done it that way before”, or if on the opposite end of the spectum you’ve felt a little uneasy that you might be about to embrace something that humans have only really been doing for the last 5 minutes of their existence, and which...
read moreManaging Monday with Thomas Merton
I recently started reading Thomas Merton’s Contemplation in a World of Action and it has led me to track down some of his quotes and insights. Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk and mystic. For a brief period he was a Communist. He is largely remembered for his work as a civil rights activist, poet, writer and student of comparative religion. To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that Love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character....
read moreEt Teneo, Et Teneor – holding and held…
Most of us aren’t into Latin, but once in a while you come across a phrase that captures your imagination. At any rate, et teneo, et teneor captures mine. Translated it means, I hold and am held. It serves as the motto embedded in the crest of Spurgeon’s College, Spurgeon probably having first heard it from the hymnwriter Dora Greenwell, who had adopted it as her life motif. In the crest, a hand holds the cross of Christ, and it can be interpreted as both holding out the cross to others, and holding onto the cross. Holding and...
read moreManaging Monday: Quotes for the start of a new year…
As we start a new year, here are some wise insights to reflect upon… Do something today that your future self will thank you for – Anon Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you – Anon The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new – Socrates And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out...
read moreManaging Monday: Quotes as the New Year approaches…
As 2016 enters its final few days, here are a few quotes worth thinking about… There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind – C.S.Lewis What feels like the end is often the beginning – Anon You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine – Jessica Gordon Ryan There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realize there is so much more to the book than the page you were...
read moreIf Christmas hadn’t happened…
As Christmas approaches, I have reproduced a piece I wrote for Christmas a few year ago and which appears in my latest book Could this be God? Bumping into God in the Everyday. Hope you enjoy it – and I do hope that Christmas provides a chance for you to connect more closely with the One who assuredly entered our world as a little baby thing… If Christmas hadn’t happened A rather harassed looking student popped into my office a few days back, claiming a mental block whilst doing an assignment. For some, that’s a permanent...
read moreManaging Monday: Some quotes for Christmas…
With Christmas around the corner, I sifted through a hundred or so Christmas quotes on Pinterest, and discovered a few I thought worth pondering… Advent is synonymous with hope, not the vain waiting for a faceless god, but concrete and certain trust in the return of him who has already visited us. – Pope John Paul II Look for Christ and you will find Him. And with Him, everything else. – C.S.Lewis Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else...
read moreWhen family fails…
At Carey we recently finished a preaching series on the life of David – author of so many of the Psalms, and Israel’s most successful king. One of my topics was the family life of David – notable largely for its failure. As a fair few people found my reflections on the topic helpful, I decided to post my sermon notes on the blog. Perhaps the messiness of David’s situation might, in some round about way, be helpful for you… Don’t know if you had any imaginative dreams during your childhood. In my fantasy moments I...
read moreBorrowed Spaces: A Meditation for Advent
Audrey Francis has contributed to this blog on a few occasions. Recently she sent me this meditation for advent ‘Borrowed Spaces’ – allowing me to use it on the blog and also to give you permission to use and reuse it as you see fit, so long as you credit her as the author. Audrey recently completed her studies at Vose Seminary, and has a lifetime of service behind her, including a period as a missionary nurse in Africa. Borrowed Spaces A Meditation for Advent Her time was near, time to give birth to her first- born. She...
read moreWhy the angels sang…
With the Advent season officially upon us, I thought it would be worth turning our thoughts towards Christmas. In an Advent message a few years ago I asked the question if the angels were right to sing a song of joy the night Jesus was born. Would a dirge not have been more appropriate given the shameful response Jesus met with? Here are some of the things I said… When at high school I was the chairman of the school debating team. I quickly learnt that there were two sides to just about any argument, and that it didn’t really matter if...
read moreManaging Monday with C.S.Lewis – Take 4
C.S.Lewis is one of the most oft quoted people. His insights are pithy and effortlessly and clearly get to the heart of each matter he addresses. A few weeks ago I posted on C.S.Lewis as apologist, and so it seemed appropriate to follow up with some of his wisdom in selected quotes for Managing Monday. This is the last of this short series from Lewis (well, for a while…) In our own case we accept excuses too easily; in other people’s, we do not accept them easily enough (from The Weight of Glory) If God forgives us we must forgive...
read moreDebating Dawkins: Confronting the New Atheists…
I recently finished teaching a paper on apologetics at Vose Seminary where I serve as principal. I am currently finishing off marking the assignments that resulted, and while I would be the first to admit that marking is my least favourite part of the job, every now and then a student writes an essay that reverses that, and I am reminded again of why I teach. A few days ago I read Vose student Robert Barthurst’s essay Debating Dawkins. The class had been asked to imagine that they had to debate one of the New Atheists – and could...
read moreManaging Monday with C.S.Lewis – Take 3
Recently this blog explored C.S.Lewis as apologist. You find Lewis sayings everywhere – indeed, he is apparently one of the most oft quoted people on Twitter. Here are some of his memorable insights from a selection of his works… Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see (from God in the Dock) What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are (from The...
read moreManaging Monday with C.S.Lewis – Take 2
Recently this blog explored C.S.Lewis as apologist. You find Lewis sayings everywhere – indeed, he is one of the most oft quoted people on Twitter. Here are some of his memorable insights from a selection of his works… Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different (from Prince Caspian) It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to (from The Problem of Pain) Forgiveness does not mean excusing (from Fern Seed and Elephants) All...
read moreWhen wrestling with God: Jacob’s struggle, and ours…
Sometimes life does not go to plan, and you find yourself in a battle with what seems to be everyone and everything. In the midst of those seasons, it is easy to lose perspective and to succumb to the destructive trio of bitterness, cynicism and despair. Given that for most people it is not a question of if those seasons will come, but when they come, are there any biblical narratives that can provides some guidance and strength? Personally, I often go back to the account of Jacob wrestling with God. You find it in Genesis 32, from vrs 22...
read moreManaging Monday with C.S.Lewis…
With the recent post on C.S. Lewis as apologist, I thought it only sensible to spend a few Managing Monday’s on citing some of Lewis’s insights… Joy is the serious business of heaven (from Letters to Malcolm) It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one (from Letters to Malcolm) Everything is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him (from The Great Divorce) No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear (from A Grief Observed) The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles...
read moreC S Lewis as apologist…
You are probably aware of the work of C S Lewis. His Narnia series transformed more than a few childhoods, and while exploring Narnia’s imaginary fortunes, Lewis provides a narrative that interprets the main contours of the Christian faith in a way that is both accessible and meaningful. It is a remarkable feat. While Narnia forms its own kind of apologetic for the Christian faith, Lewis was also a systematic defender of Christianity. I’ve recently completed teaching a unit in apologetics at Vose Seminary (where I serve as...
read moreManaging Monday with Henri Nouwen: Take 4
Today we come to the end of our short series looking at some quotes from Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), who was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising (although liberating) decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here are some of his thoughts… The hard truth is that all people love...
read moreOn a High School Graduation…
This week I spoke at the year 12 graduation and awards evening of Carey Baptist College. Many of the graduating students have been part of Carey for over a decade, and they’ve been a close knit and supportive cohort. For teachers such evenings are bitter sweet… great to see students equipped and ready to move on, but it’s sad to say goodbye. The graduation is one last chance for the school to say what it hopes each pupil will remember, so it was an honour to have been asked to do this. Given that these evenings are long...
read moreManaging Monday with Henri Nouwen: Take 3
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here are some of his thoughts… You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking – Henri Nouwen Each step of love is...
read moreSome changes to the blog…
Thanks for reading this blog. For the last year I have been posting on Monday, Tuesday and Friday morning, and have been happy with the response – almost 20 000 page views this calendar year. But the frequency of posting is eating into my time a little too much – more particularly, it is slowing the progress on the 3 new book projects that a spoke about a few posts ago. This is to alert you that while the blog will continue to operate (this is definitely not a closure notice), posts in the foreseeable future, won’t be as...
read moreManaging Monday with Henri Nouwen: Take 2
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here are some of his thoughts… Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ‘beloved’...
read moreExtrinsic, Intrinsic and Quest forms of faith…
OK, so this topic might not sound compelling. What’s this about extrinsic, intrinsic and quest forms of faith, and does it have any relevance? Actually, I think it does. It helps to explain why faith works it way out one way in some people, and so very differently in others. But let me be a little more systematic. It’s a topic I explore in my recently published book When Faith Turns Ugly (Paternoster, 2016). I start by talking about some of the pioneering work done by Gordon Allport in the field of personality theory, and do so in...
read morePolitics and the race to the bottom…
The American presidential election has become so bizarre that it has provoked me to move out of my ‘minimal political comment’ zone. At so many levels it is deeply disturbing. The selection of candidates who have such obvious character flaws, is worrying. If we accept this, will it become the new normal for the future? Almost as distressing has been the insistence of many (far too many) evangelical leaders to back Trump, come what may. Now I don’t doubt that they have their reasons, and clearly expect a political return in...
read moreManaging Monday with Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising (though liberating) decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He introduced the concept of The Wounded Healer with his book of that title, and some of his other significant works (which have been published in more than 30...
read moreWhen mental health is the issue…
Most of us are sympathetic when family or friends face an obvious physical ailment. We are often a lot less certain how to respond when it is a mental health issue. Yet all the statistics indicate that large numbers of people struggle in this realm. It’s something we talk about too little. Pleasingly, and going against the trend of silence, the latest edition of the Advocate is devoted to exploring issues of mental health. For those not familiar with the Advocate, it is an award winning Perth based Christian newspaper produced on a...
read moreManaging Monday with Jean Vanier – take 4
Today we finish our focus on the insights of Jean Vanier (1928- ), founder of the L’Arche communities for people with developmental disabilities. Vanier is a theologian, philosopher and author. A champion for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, Vanier has done the truly remarkable – he has demonstrated the value and beauty of imperfection. A community that is growing rich and seeks only to defend its goods and its reputation is dying. It has ceased to grow in love. A community is alive when it is poor and its...
read moreIt’s Out: Could this be God…
This has been my publishing year – two books out within a few months of each other. My latest book Could this be God: Bumping into God in the Everyday has now been released and is available from all major suppliers and on Kindle. Here are some of the key links: A hard copy is currently cheapest at Book Depository – (A$14.03) and this includes free postage to anywhere in the world. If you prefer the electronic kindle version, Amazon is the best place to go – though Australian buyers are likely to be redirected to the...
read moreThe 10 Commandments: Gary Player’s take…
Though I am not a golfer, I was struck by the death of golfing great Arnold Palmer. It set me thinking about the other golfing great I heard about constantly during my childhood, Gary Player, and I wondered if he was still alive. The answer is yes, and he seems to be thriving and continuing with a great deal of charitable work around the world – his foundation having donated over $50 million. I found that out by visiting his website, and was struck when on it by his 10 commandments, which I have reproduced here. Player is of course a...
read moreManaging Monday with Jean Vanier – take 3
Jean Vanier (1928- ), founder of the L’Arche communities for people with developmental disabilities, is a theologian, philosopher and author. A champion for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, Vanier has done the truly remarkable – he has demonstrated the value and beauty of imperfection. Here are some of his insights… Growth begins when we start to accept our own weakness – Jean Vanier All of us have a secret desire to be seen as saints, heroes, martyrs. We are afraid to be children, to be ourselves...
read moreChurch: A snapshot of one congregation…
Rosemary and I were in the UK recently and finding ourselves free on the Sunday morning, decided to attend the Church of England service taking place across the road from our hotel. Struggle one was finding the entrance, though once spotted, it was clear enough. There were about 60 in the congregation, and we had gathered for the sung Eucharist – the only service being held that day. I know nothing about the congregation, but several things struck me… There was a warmth of welcome that was very reassuring. An elderly man at the...
read moreSex, Wealth, Power and Self: Identifying the Idols of our Time
The Bible says a great deal about idols and idol worship. They are non-threatening passages to read, largely because they seem to have little to do with us, and we can therefore quietly smile at long gone eras who found the pull to bow the knee to idols of silver, gold and brass, irresistible. It is of course startling that the ancient Israelites would dance around a golden calf, when they had experienced Yahweh’s help and provision time and time again… But that was the Israelites for you. You could never depend on their ongoing...
read moreManaging Monday with Jean Vanier – take 2
Jean Vanier (1928-) is a theologian and philosopher, known for transforming the way we think about intellectual disability. His work is deeply humane and challenging. Here are some of his thoughts… I am struck by how sharing our weaknesses and vulnerabilities is more nourishing to others that sharing our qualities and successes – Jean Vanier A society which discards those who are weak and non-productive risks exaggerating the development of reason, organisation, aggression and the desire to dominate. It becomes a society without a...
read morePracticing the presence of people…
You might well be familiar with Brother Lawrence’s classic The Practice of the Presence of God – a wonderful text on becoming aware of God in the everyday. But what do you think about practicing the presence of people. At my home church (Carey Baptist) we are currently working through Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and on Sunday it was my turn to speak, the topic springing from chapter 9 of the book, ‘Growing into a mature adult: Learning new skills to love well.’ It is in this chapter that...
read moreManaging Monday with Jean Vanier
Jean Vanier (1928- ), founder of the L’Arche communities for people with developmental disabilities, is a theologian, philosopher and author. A champion for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, Vanier has done the truly remarkable – he has demonstrated the value and beauty of imperfection. We will consider some of his insights over the next few Mondays… In the end, the most important thing is not to do things for people who are poor and in distress, but to enter into relationship with them, to be with them...
read moreRedeeming Emotions…
Most studies of emotion suggest that there are seven basic human emotions, and that in one way or another, all emotions fit within the categories of anger, anxiety, surprise, trust, grief, fear and love – well that’s Diane Raymond’s list. Humintell suggests they are anger, contempt, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, and surprise – so there is some overlap, although they are hardly identical lists. Apparently a combination of basic emotions leads to secondary emotions. Thus another site (which suggests there are six...
read moreIs there a place for denominations?
It has become common to declare that we live in a post-denominational era. Increasingly church attenders are indifferent to the label a particular congregation might carry… Presbyterian, Baptist, Vineyard, Church of Christ… whatever. Indeed, many churches declare to the public that they are simply the local community church, sometimes using a verb to describe their ministry (Impact Church, Encounter Church, Dreambuilders Church…). Often these churches have a denominational allegiance, but prefer to downplay this, mentioning...
read moreManaging Monday with G.K.Chesterton, take 4
This is the fourth and (for now) final Managing Monday post on G.K.Chesterton. Noted for his ability to highlight the paradoxical, Chesterton was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century. A significant Christian apologist, he often used his skills to defend the Roman Catholic Church. His love for the church comes across in his fictional detective-priest, Father Brown. Being our final Chesterton post, I have thrown in a few bonus quotes… The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and...
read moreWhat about other religions? In conversation with Lloyd Porter
In my latest book, When Faith Turns Ugly one of the topics discussed is that of other religions. It is clearly a controversial subject, and some who oppose Christianity, and indeed any form of religion, often point to inter-faith conflict and see it as the source of much of the world’s division. They are consequently suspicious of anything that is seen as missionary activity or the attempt to convert people to faith – be it a conversion to the Christian faith or any other. Chapter 2 of When Faith Turns Ugly explores both...
read moreManaging Monday with G.K.Chesterton, take 3
We continue to enjoy some pithy insights from the great English novelist and Christian apologist, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), who authored the Father Brown novels. The worst moment for an atheist is when he feels a profound sense of gratitude and has no one to thank – G.K.Chesterton Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution – G.K.Chesterton When men stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything – G.K.Chesterton Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love...
read moreOn opening a new building…
Four years ago Vose Seminary, where I serve as principal, decided to embark on a building program. It has been a faith stretching time. Last night saw the official opening of our new conference centre and lecture rooms, the John Olley Centre – named after our second principal, Dr John Olley. As I prepared my talk for the opening, it struck me that others might be interested in what was said and why we embarked on this project… So here is the talk… Thanks so much for joining us on this wonderful occasion – the opening of the...
read moreIs narcissism becoming a virtue – or whatever happened to humility?
Yesterday I led a professional development day for staff at Grace Christian School, in Bunbury. One of the topics we explored was the rise of narcissism, and ways Christian schools can help provide a corrective for it. Of course there might be some readers who wonder if a corrective is necessary. After all, pendulum’s tend to swing back and forth, and the current wave of self love has followed hot on the heals of too long an era where the need of the individual was always seen to be subservient to the needs of the group, and when any...
read moreManaging Monday with G.K.Chesterton, take 2
We continue to enjoy the insights of English poet, novelist and Christian apologist Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), who amongst his many achievements could list authoring the Father Brown novels – currently enjoying a renaissance thanks to the TV series based on them. A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it – G.K.Chesterton Courage is almost a contradiction. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die – G.K.Chesterton Art is born when the temporary...
read moreOlympic Glory…
Since the start of the Olympics I have noticed that there has been a drop in the number of page views of this blog. Sigh… Such muddled priorities. But then, as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them. So here is a post on the Olympics… Actually, you’ll quickly note that it was written during the 2012 London Games – and is about to appear as one of the readings in my latest book (which comes out next month, and is already available for pre-order) – Could this be God? Bumping into God in the Everyday (BRF, 2016). This book is a little...
read moreWhen weak is strong…
At Carey we are running a series on emotionally healthy spirituality based on Peter Scazzero’s book of that title. It was my turn to speak this week, and I looked at his chapter on hitting the wall. The message was based on 2Cor 12:1-10 and focused on the Pauline paradox in 2 Cor 12:10 For when I am weak, then I am strong. Clearly this flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Here are the notes I spoke from… You’ve probably heard the Mae West quip: “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.” How would you complete this...
read moreManaging Monday, with G.K.Chesterton
G.K.Chesterton (1874-1936) was a noted English poet, novelist, orator, literary critic, journalist and Christian apologist. He is also remembered for creating the fictional priest-detective, Father Brown. We will dive into some of his wisdom over the next 4 weeks. If there were no God, there would be no atheists – G.K.Chesteron Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions – G.K. Chesterton We are all in the same boat, in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty – G.K.Chesterton There is...
read moreA New Kind of Apologist…
I’m currently teaching a unit on apologetics at Vose, and as part of my background work have been reading through a collection of essays edited by Sean McDowell entitled A New Kind of Apologist (Harvest House, 2016). Apologetics explores the reasonable basis for the Christian faith, and addresses the common objections that people have to Christianity. Some of the articles in this book are really excellent – a few less so – but my intention is to highlight the helpful. Noting C.S.Lewis’s comment that all Christians are...
read moreRedeeming Work: Job, career, or calling?
A significant portion of our life is engaged in ensuring that we have a roof over our head and food on the table. Some of us are able to work in such a way that life’s basic needs are just taken care of, for others it’s a pathway to wealth. But how do you view the work you do? Is it a job, a career or a calling? The answer given is a likely indicator of how satisfying you find Monday to Friday – or whatever days you dedicate to earning your keep. If you say ‘job’ it is probable that you are acutely aware of how many...
read moreManaging Monday with Ravi Zacharias – take 2
Last week we looked at some insights from noted Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. Here are a few more… Having the answers is not essential to living. What is essential is the sense of God’s presence during dark seasons of questioning – Ravi Zacharias We must learn to find the back door to people’s hearts because the front door is heavily guarded – Ravi Zacharias You’ll never get to a person’s soul until you understand their hurts – Ravi Zacharias Beginning well is a momentary thing: finishing...
read moreThree challenges facing Christians…
Those of us who are embedded in healthy church communities sometimes wonder why there are so many who are not. Put differently, at a time when it is so easy to track down information about Jesus and to learn about his teaching, why are so many deciding that following him has little appeal. A fair amount of the negative response can probably be put down to the negative publicity surrounding the church, with people thinking, ‘well, if that’s the community he founded, count me out.’ But it is not just that. If you ask me what I think the three...
read moreTruth, Kevin Rudd and the UN…
Those who keep up with Australian politics will know of the debate surrounding the government’s decisions not to formally nominate former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to be appointed as the secretary-general of the United Nations. There are those who see it as sheer vindictiveness (‘petty, partisan, vindictive’ to use the words of a former Labor foreign minister Gareth Jones)- the current government unwilling to back a fellow Australian simply because he has been on the other side of politics. They also see it as a serious...
read moreManaging Monday with Ravi Zacharias
I’m currently teaching a unit in apologetics at Vose, and naturally that brings me into a fair amount of contact with the thought of noted Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias. This Monday and next, we will focus on some of his insights… We have a right to believe whatever we want, but not everything we believe is right – Ravi Zacharias Before the truth can set you free you need to recognize which lie is holding you hostage – Ravi Zacharias I am absolutely convinced that meaninglessness does not come from being weary of...
read moreFaith and mental health…
One of the issues explored in my latest book When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It is the impact of faith on mental health. Predictably it’s a discussion where nuance is needed, and sweeping generalizations are best avoided. Some forms are faith are linked to positive mental health, others are likely to negatively impact it – and it is important to differentiate between them. Chapter 4 of the book asks the question if, as Freud alleges, faith is essentially an illusion, adopted to help us avoid some...
read moreWhy do we preach? And should we…
My home church is Carey Baptist in Perth, and at present our night time service is asking some questions about basic church practices – like why we preach, take communion, worship, and others. I got to kick the series off by trying to answer the question, “why do we preach?” and it did feel a little strange to give a sermon about giving sermons. But overall it was a good experience and even seemed to mean something to some, so here the notes are. Hope it answers some of your questions, and if not, do post them… It is...
read moreManaging Monday with Mother Teresa – take 3
A final set of quotes from Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997). Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation working amongst the poorest of the poor, her life continues to inspire. Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. Mother Teresa Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. Mother Teresa The problem with our world is...
read moreBecoming whole and holy…
I am currently enjoying reading a book on spiritual formation published under the title Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation. It is essentially a gentle conversation between the three authors (Jeannine K. Brown, Carla M.Dahl and Wendy Corbin Reuschling) on questions of human being and becoming (or formation). They each bring a different field of specialization to the discussion (biblical hermeneutics, the social sciences and ethics) – which leads to a refreshingly broad and integrative...
read moreWhen God writes straight with crooked lines…
Ever heard someone’s story, scratched your head and thought – ‘that doesn’t make sense. Surely this story is not over yet’? Sometimes you get to hear the sequel, sometimes not. When it’s not, you simply have to trust that God is fully competent, and makes God sized decisions based on significantly fuller knowledge than you or I will ever have access to. But on those occasions when you do get a glimpse into the next chapter, it helps you to trust a little more. In my recently released book When Faith Turns...
read moreManaging Monday with Mother Teresa – take 2
Last week we started reflecting on some of the wisdom of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. A champion of the poor, here are a few more of her profound insights. If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. Mother Teresa Poverty is not made by God, it is created by you and I when we don’t share what we have. Mother Teresa Hope this is a special week for you…
read moreOn turning 59…
I turned 59 on Wednesday. It’s an awkward kind of a birthday 59 – it feels like an unspecified space. When you turn 39 or 49 people joke, ‘almost 40’ or ‘almost 50’. But 59 is different. People politely say, ‘I would never have guessed it’ – as though you are about to enter territory too sad to fully acknowledge. Whatever, I had a ball on Wednesday, and am feeling remarkably positive about life. As I look back on 59 years, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and delight… life...
read moreFor an audience of one…
After a busy little spell, and with a very full semester looming, I took some time off to pray and to reflect on what lies ahead. As is usually my practice on such days, I found a quiet spot by the beach, the soothing rhythm of the waves a wonderful backdrop to my thinking. At one stage I went for a walk along the beach – true, I am still limping somewhat, but it was good to feel the breeze and to watch wave after wave make its way towards the shore, and though my pace was slower than usual, my pedometer approved of my progress. For...
read moreManaging Monday with Mother Teresa…
Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) is one of the most loved and respected figures of the 20th century. Winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, her extraordinary life continues to inspire us, as does the wisdom of her many sayings. We will reflect on a few of them over the next few Mondays… If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. Mother Teresa In the end dear friend, it is always between us and God, not between us and them. Mother Teresa I used to believe that prayer changes...
read moreWhen Psalm 1 doesn’t work: Where questions and answers come from…
What do you do when Psalm 1 doesn’t work? Do you know the dilemma. Psalm 1 promises an orderly life that makes sense. Do the right thing, meditate on the Scriptures, keep the right company, love God, and in due season your life will flourish. It’s perfectly logical, and it works most of the time… probably 95% of the time. But what happens when you land up in the 5% territory – when nothing makes sense, and when you identify more with Asaph in Ps 74:1 who asks “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does...
read moreOn walking with a limp…
The title of today’s post is not figurative. After excessive zeal at the gym, I have landed up with tendonitis. My physio advised some exercises to help settle it, the key of which involved standing on a step and lowering my heal to stretch the tendon – all good until I overdid that and slipped off the step, twisting my ankle in the process. If it hadn’t been so painful, it would have been funny. And painful it was. It was so bad I was convinced I had broken something, but have been assured this is not the case. However, it...
read moreManaging Monday with Nelson Mandela – take 4
Many of you have commented to me how much you have enjoyed the quotes from Nelson Mandela. Today we draw them to a close (well, for a little while at any rate). Nobel Peace Prize winner, first black president of South Africa, and extraordinary leader… Mandela has so much to teach us. “As I walked out the door towards my freedom, I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison.” – Nelson Mandela “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are...
read moreBusiness as Mission: A New Way of Thinking…
One of the great delights in my role as principal at Vose Seminary is that I get to see students grapple with fresh ways to live out the Christian faith in both the church and the world. One area that is now receiving an increasing amount of thought is the way in which business can be a vehicle of mission. A related issue is that of the hybrid church, where churches not only engage in classically ‘spiritual’ activities, but also run activities that might operate at a surplus, helping to fund other areas of mission, or which might...
read moreAnother book: Could this be God?
It has been an exciting few weeks for me on the publication front. My book When Faith Turns Ugly has been out for about 2 weeks, and I have now received the final proofs for my next book, Could this be God? Bumping into God in the Everyday which British publisher Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) are releasing on 23 September. It is fairly different from my other books – a series of 90 short pieces written for a wide audience and with an intentionally laid back but devotional style. In spite of its light touch, the publisher latched onto...
read moreManaging Monday with Nelson Mandela – take 3
This week we again dive into the wisdom of one of the inspirational leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela. “As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Nelson Mandela “When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.” – Nelson Mandela “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love...
read moreDeveloping a personal plan: Reeb’s From Success to Significance
It’s the marking time of the year – oh joy. Actually sometimes it is a joyous occasion, when a student greatly exceeds my expectations or highlights something I have not thought about before. True, it can take a fair few essays before I read one in that category, but it happens just often enough to keep me hopeful… perhaps this time. Today I was marking the personal formation plans that students in my ministry formation class have drawn up, and I’ve gotta say, there were a fair few heartening moments. Some of them used...
read moreTransformation Down Under: Dallas Willard’s views on Spiritual Growth
I’m delighted to post a piece written by Jules Birt, on Dallas Willard’s golden triangle of spiritual growth. It is well worth reading. Jules teaches Beliefs and Values at Carey Baptist College, Perth, where he also oversees a number of voluntary pod groups helping to disciple well over a hundred students from the school. Just as it’s a common pastime to hold a cold drink and watch another person work hard, I recently found myself watching a few documentaries about the selection process for some of Australia’s elite...
read moreManaging Monday with Nelson Mandela – take 2
Nelson Mandela was one of the giants of our time. Managing Monday is currently looking at some of his profound insights. “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived, it is the difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.” – Nelson Mandela “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your...
read moreOrlando and Singing: Insights from other blogs…
You have heard enough of my voice in recent posts, so I thought I would do a cut and paste from two other blogs to vary the diet. The first is a brief response to the Orlando tragedy, the second asks why people aren’t singing in church anymore (and do you agree with that sentiment? Are people singing at your church?) Hope you find them helpful. On the Orlando Massacre (Jesus Creed) From Archbishop Justin Welby: In the wake of the appalling attack in Orlando, I’ve released this joint statement with the Archbishop of York John Sentamu: “After...
read moreGender Dysphoria: Tentative Theological Reflections on the Transgender Question
A few weeks ago I was the theological consultant on a panel looking at gender dysphoria at a conference in Canberra. It was a helpful gathering and I think we all learnt a lot. I am presently working on an article on the topic and will post on it in more detail at a later stage but thought I would make a tentative start in this post. Your comments and pushback will help me to clarify some of my own thinking. What theological tools can we draw upon to guide us when we consider the issue of gender dysphoria? First we need to be sure what we are...
read moreManaging Monday with Nelson Mandela…
Nelson Mandela’s legacy continues to inspire. It is not only the events of his life, but the wisdom he imparted as he reflected upon that life that moves and motivates us. For the next few Mondays we will savour some of his insights. “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela. “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” – Nelson Mandela...
read moreIt’s out! When Faith Turns Ugly…
After a few hiccups at the publisher (the book was due out in April) my latest book When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It is now available – well the Kindle version at any rate. I am assured that the paperback version is just days away. If you enjoy reading on Kindle (and I have long been a convert) here is the link to Amazon Australia and this is the link for those outside Australia. So what do the people who reviewed the book prior to publication say about it? Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor of...
read moreFaith, Forgetting and Fruitfulness: Reflections on Genesis 41
I was preaching on Genesis 41 yesterday. As I don’t expect you to be able to rattle off what that chapter is about, let me refresh your memory. Genesis 37 tells us that a 17 year old Joseph had a dream in which he saw his brothers bowing down to him. Offended by the arrogance of this dream, and by Joseph’s status as his father Jacob’s favourite son, his brothers have him sold into slavery in Egypt. Purchased By Potiphar, he impresses in his new status and is left in charge of Potiphar’s household. For a while things...
read moreManaging Monday with John Calvin – Take 4
For the last few weeks the Managing Monday post has explored some of the wisdom of French theologian John Calvin (1509-1564). Calvin’s influence is almost impossible to overstate – so we will probably return to him in the future, but for now here are a few concluding insights as revealed in these memorable quotes… Unbelief is the mother of anxiety – John Calvin Whatever a person may be like, we must still love them because we love God – John Calvin Men are undoubtedly more in danger from prosperity than from...
read moreThe Numbers Game…
It’s that time of the year. The budget for the next financial year is being finalised, marking is getting done and I’m monitoring student enrolments for semester 2. My life for the last few weeks has revolved around numbers. Astonishing how a small number can make a large difference. An extra zero added at the end of a donation and the year’s budget can be met! In my role as moderator I have to visit the scripts of all borderline students. A decision to add a mark or shave a few off makes the difference between euphoria and despair. In...
read moreA second and third Reformation…
Just over a decade ago Rick Warren called for a second Reformation. Making a stirring plea at both the Baptist World Alliance Conference and the Willowcreek Leadership Summit, he suggested that whereas the first Reformation was of doctrine, the second needs to be a Reformation of deeds. It was challenging stuff, and a decade later we can see its prophetic power. As we approach the 500th anniversary of Luther’s Reformation (usually dated as 1517), it seems appropriate to join the growing tide of conversations about needed reformations....
read moreManaging Monday with John Calvin – Take 3
We continue to look at some of the insights of the hugely influential French theologian, John Calvin (1509-1564). The apostle does not say that Christ was sent to help us obtain righteousness, but to be our righteousness – John Calvin Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to destroy – John Calvin We ought to read the Scriptures with the express design of finding Christ in them – John Calvin and why not a bonus quote… The sun is no less bright because men do not perceive its light – John...
read moreThe Listening Life… About conversations in our head
I’ve been reading Adam McHugh’s newish (2015) book The Listening Life. McHugh is well know for his book Introverts in the Church and in this new book, turns his attention to the importance of ’embracing attentiveness in a world of distraction’ – to cite the books sub title. In exploring attentiveness he looks at, amongst other areas, listening to God, to Scripture, Creation, Others, People in Pain and Your Life, before finishing the book with a chapter on The Society of Reverse Listening where he poses the...
read moreWhat makes a sermon bad?
While by instinct I prefer to focus on things that are positive, given that I posted on what makes a sermon good, it is only appropriate that we look at what makes a sermon bad. While it might be tempting to look at the earlier post and say, ‘everything that’s the opposite of the seven good points’, that is just a cop out. So what makes a sermon bad? Here are my thoughts, and as always, feel free to add your own. A bad sermon misinforms about God. It can do that in many ways. It can be unbiblical. It can present a partial...
read moreManaging Monday with John Calvin – Take 2
We continue to look at some insights from prominent French theologian, John Calvin (1509-1564) – after whom Calvinism is named. The whole life of man until he is converted to Christ is a ruinous labyrinth of wanderings – John Calvin Repentance is not merely the start of the Christian life. It is the Christian life – John Calvin The tongue exists to reveal our hearts – John Calvin and why not one more There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in the world that is not intended to make us rejoice – John...
read moreWhat makes a sermon good?
The last post asked if preaching has a future. I guess many would answer – ‘depends on the preaching. There is no future for shabby preaching, but good preaching, bring it on.’ Fair enough, but what is a ‘good’ sermon? I came up with these seven ideas (I like the ‘one for each day of the week’ concept) – and am interested in others that you would add to the list (perhaps we’ll get to one for each day of the year!) Lest you think, ‘but I am not a preacher, so have nothing to say on...
read moreDoes Preaching have a Future?
What do you feel when the preacher steps up to preach… a surge of enthusiasm? a sense of expectancy? a bit of a sigh and an inner comment ‘hope this doesn’t last too long’? In a twitter age, do 30 minute monologues have a future? I wrote this article in 2013, and it has been published both in Ministry Today and in the book that marked the 50th anniversary of Vose Seminary Vose Seminary at 50: From ‘Preach the Word to ‘Come, Grow’. I’d be interested in your thoughts, and depending on response, I...
read moreManaging Monday with John Calvin
French theologian John Calvin (1509-1564) is one of the most influential theologians of all time, and the key figure in the system of Christian theology known as Calvinism. His thinking continues to fuel numerous theological debates… you can’t really be a theologian without bumping into his views. We will enjoy some pithy insights from him over the next few Mondays… Although the stars do not speak, even in being silent they cry out – John Calvin We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it...
read morePentecost Sunday: Happy Birthday Church…
Vose student Audrey Francis has contributed to this blog a few times. She wrote this prayer for Pentecost Sunday, which I share with you… A Prayer at Pentecost Lord of the cross and empty tomb, Surround us afresh with the power of your Holy Spirit that we may be bold to risk your way. Surround us afresh with the fire of your Holy Spirit that the desire to communicate your Gospel may burn within us. Surround us afresh with the wind of your Holy Spirit that we may show the abundant and joyful life you have given us....
read moreEvangelism and attentiveness…
On the weekend I led a seminar on evangelism for the good folk at Kingsway Methodist Church. It has been a little while since I have led a seminar on this topic, and I decided to think through some issues in a slightly different way. After reflecting on the importance of pre evangelism, and the many obstacles that prevent people from making a meaningful response to Jesus, I asked those present to think of 5 people they knew who haven’t yet said ‘yes’ to Jesus, and to write their names down. I thought this was important, as...
read moreWhat spurs us into action? Reflections on Lamdin’s book, Finding Your Leadership Style
I’ve recently been grading some student reviews of Keith Lamdin’s 2012 book, Finding Your Leadership Style: A Guide for Ministers. In spite of the sub title (a guide for ministers) I think Lamdin’s work has a wider relevance, and thought it worth highlighting some of his key insights. After defining leadership as ‘one humans capacity to influence another’, Lamdin suggests that three factors are usually at work before we spring into leadership action: discontent, vision and courage. The first ingredient,...
read moreManaging Monday with Paul Tournier: Take 2
Last week we looked at a few key quotes from noted Swiss physician Paul Tournier (1898-1986), who significantly impacted the way we think about the relationship between psychosocial, spiritual and physical health. His books continue to be used in pastoral care courses. Here are a few more Tournier quotes… Acceptance of one’s life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes, with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering, of psychological...
read moreOn the shoulders of giants: A tribute to Noel Vose
Vose Seminary has had only three principals in its fifty plus year history, Brian Harris since 2004, John Olley from 1991-2003 and its founding principal, after whom the seminary is named, Noel Vose, from 1963-1991. This Monday May 2nd, in the early hours of the morning, Noel slipped into the presence of Jesus – an event he had been looking forward to for more than a little while. He was 94 years of age – and what a 94 years he lived. The old saying goes that we are dwarfs who stand on the shoulders of giants. If what we do in the...
read moreWhat does a healthy church look like?
We’ve had a few posts on churchless faith and the journey towards becoming de-churched. Underneath has been the assumption that the church has in some way disappointed and failed to be what she should be. And in most cases if you ask those who have given up on the church ‘why?’ they would cite a litany of errors and flaws. Perhaps we should ask what it would take for people to give an approving nod, and to say, ‘well if church is like that, count me in’. Or to put it differently, what does a healthy church look like? I’ll list a dozen...
read moreManaging Monday with Paul Tournier
Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a Swiss physician and author whose books significantly impacted the way we think about pastoral care. It has been claimed that he was the most famous Christian physician of the twentieth century, and his work continues to influence the way spiritual and psychosocial aspects of patient care are considered. Some of his better known books include: The Healing of Persons Escape from Loneliness The Meaning of Persons The Strong and the Weak Guilt and Grace To Understand Each Other A Place for You The Naming of Persons...
read moreGenesis 3 in the Light of the Cross
Our last post looked at the devastating consequences that resulted from the fall of humanity, described in Genesis 3. If Genesis 3 stood alone, it could only be read as a tragic passage – a bad news story from start to finish. But because of Jesus, all biblical passages should now be read in the light of the Cross – in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This impacts the way in which we read every passage – but it is probably true to say that there is no passage more impacted by the Cross than Genesis 3....
read moreDid the Fall Really Matter? Reflections on Genesis 3
If you have ever been impacted by the pain of life (and is there anyone who has not?) you might well have asked the ‘why’ question. Why is life so difficult? Why is it so hurtful? Why can it be delightfully enjoyable one moment, and then swing around and devastate us the next? While there are no easy answers, the story of the fall found in Genesis 3 is usually cited by theologians as representing a key building block of any explanation. We are busy with a mini series on Genesis 3, and in the first post looked at 4 views of why...
read moreManaging Monday… with Karl Barth (take 4)
Our Managing Monday quotes in April have looked at some notable Karl Barth (1886-1968) quotes. Being our last week with Barth, I have thrown in a bonus quote – so four for our final Monday in April. “The gospel is not a truth among other truths. Rather it sets a question mark against all truths.” Karl Barth “Religion is the possibility of the removal of every ground of confidence except confidence in God alone.” Karl Barth “The person who knows only his side of the argument knows little of that.” Karl...
read moreWhy was it wrong to eat the forbidden fruit? Four Views…
Ever asked, ‘so what was so bad about Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden?’ Do you remember the account in Genesis 3? A serpent persuades Eve (who in turn persuades Adam) that God’s instruction that they refrain from eating from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was misguided, and would not result in their death, but rather in their being like God, and thus having the ability to differentiate good from evil. Adam and Eve find the argument persuasive, eat from the tree, and...
read moreManaging Monday… with Karl Barth (take 3)
Our Managing Monday posts in April have been diving into some of the wisdom of Karl Barth (1886-1968), probably the most influential theologian of the 20th century. “The goal of human life is not death, but resurrection.” Karl Barth “Prayer without study would be empty. Study without prayer would be blind.” Karl Barth “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” Karl Barth Hope your Monday is filled with gratitude…
read moreWhen Faith Turns Ugly… An interview
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my next book When Faith Turns Ugly: Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It (Paternoster, 2016) is due out in a few weeks. As with several of my other books, each chapter finishes with an interview which tries to earth some of what the chapter has been speaking about. I think each interview greatly enhances the book, and as you read this interview with Deborah Hurn, you will probably understand why. Her experience is poignant and raises more than a few unsettling questions. I am grateful to...
read moreReflections on being made in the Image of God…
In addition to my role as principal at Vose Seminary, I serve as pastor at large for the Carey group, and this Sunday I preached the treble there (twice at Harrisdale, once at Forrestdale). We are working on a series from Genesis, and my task was to explore how Gen 1:26-31 and 2:19-25 help us to understand what it means to be made in the image of God. Here are the notes I preached from… One of the most basic questions we ask ourselves in life is ‘who am I?’ When we are children, we try to get a sense of what group we belong to…...
read moreManaging Monday… with Karl Barth
We continue our Managing Monday insights with more quotes from the person usually rated as the greatest theologian of the 20th century, Karl Barth (1886-1968). “When we are at our wits end for an answer then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can he give us an answer when we are still well supplied with all sorts of answers of our own?” Karl Barth “In the church of Jesus Christ there can and should be no non-theologians.” Karl Barth “The theologian who labours without joy is not a theologian at all....
read moreColliding Truths: Living with Paradox
Back in 2006 I published an article Colliding Truths: Embracing Paradox in Ministry in the British journal Ministry Today. Ten years later, I think that most of the points remain relevant, so here, with just a few minor changes and updates, is that essay. While the focus is on how pastors deal with colliding truths and paradox, I think that the relevance is far wider than for those who are pastors, and am sure that with just a little imagination you will be able to transfer the insights to your setting. I can still remember him saying it. It...
read moreWhen Faith Turns Ugly… A new book
My next book, When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It, is due out in a few weeks. Rather than write about it and tell you why I think it is important, I will let the preface speak for itself. Hopefully it will whet your appetite for more (and the book is available for pre-order from Koorong and Authentic Media). Here is a taster from the preface… It was an unexpected encounter at an art gallery and it left me unsettled and concerned. Rosemary and I had been admiring the entries for the Mandorla Art Award,...
read moreManaging Monday… with Karl Barth
Ask who the greatest theologian of the 20th century was, and the consensus is likely to settle on Karl Barth (1886-1968). Over the next few weeks we ponder a few significant Barth quotes. Here are three to help manage this Monday… “Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is Himself the way.” Karl Barth “God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed Himself in his Son. In Jesus Christ, God has spoken for himself, and we must hear...
read moreIs grey the new green?
On my flight back from New Zealand I got to watch The Intern. To be honest it is largely forgettable, but in my opinion it did have one memorable line – ‘grey is the new green’ – that in explanation of the companies decision to employ elderly interns as a gesture of social responsibility and as a way of recycling former abilities. What do you think? Is grey the new green? It is becoming an issue in the political landscape. A few radio talkback programmes this week explored the question of the employability of seniors,...
read moreKa Mua, Ka Muri – Walking backwards into the future
I am back in Perth after a wonderful week catching up with friends from our New Zealand days and lecturing at Auckland’s Laidlaw College. We attended the Good Friday service at Mt Roskill Baptist Church where I once was pastor, and the recently arrived Senior Pastor of the church Ed Karlsen reminded us of the Maori proverb, Ka mua, Ka muri – we walk into the future backwards. There are many thought provoking Maori proverbs and sentiments – the one I find most meaningful probably being that we are guardians (kiatiaki) of the earth which we...
read moreQuotes for Easter Monday
Some quotes to ponder this Easter Monday… Let all that I am wait patiently before God, for my hope is in Him – Psalm 62:5 (NLT) The resurrection of Christ is the most important article of our faith, and without it the hope of eternal life is extinguished – John Calvin One who has hope lives differently – Pope Benedict XVI The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, life out of death, life that trumps death, life that is the last word, Jesus life...
read moreA post for Good Friday…
Not the day for lengthy ponderous thoughts… just a day to wonder at the depth of God’s love – demonstrated and proved so dramatically at Calvary. Why not read the biblical accounts of the crucifixion, and then perhaps add to them the words of this once greatly loved but now not so often sung hymn, When I survey the Wonderous Cross (Isaac Watts, 1707) When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,...
read moreGrand Bassam: On a Terrorist Attack…
I wonder what you felt when (and if) you read of the terrorist attack in the coastal town of Grand Bassam, Republic of the Ivory Coast, last week. Perhaps you shrugged your shoulders and asked in despair ‘What is the world coming to? So much violence.’ Or in your impatience to get to the sports page, perhaps you paid this bad news item no attention. For Audrey Francis, a student at Vose Seminary who served with her husband as a missionary in the Ivory Coast for 10 years, this was not a news item she could simply shrug off. She has...
read moreManaging Monday with Bonhoeffer – take two…
Last week I posted three quotes from notable German theologian, and victim of the Nazi regime, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Here are a few more… five actually. One a day until Good Friday… Silence in the face of evil is itself evil – Bonhoeffer If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction – Bonhoeffer The blessedness of waiting is lost on those who cannot wait, and the fulfilment of promise is never theirs. They want quick answers to the deepest questions of life and miss the...
read moreEvangelicals and the Bible
Rosemary and I set off for Auckland tonight, where I will be teaching a graduate course in Evangelical Theology at Laidlaw College. It will be good to be back on our old home territory. I have often said to people that we feel enormously privileged to consider 3 countries as home, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and whenever we have not been able to get to one for a while, it feels as though something is wrong. It has been a couple of years since we were last in New Zealand, so a visit is overdue. While we will do our best to catch...
read moreGraduation Reflections…
You probably know that I serve as the principal of Vose Seminary. Last night was our graduation ceremony. I always find it a bitter sweet event. On the one hand, students start their studies with the hope of graduation in mind. The evening is about ‘mission accomplished’. Of course it is something to celebrate. And celebrate we do. Ours are not dry and dusty graduations. We delight in God’s presence and we raucously and cheerfully acknowledge each student’s success. But it is also about saying goodbye. We’ve had...
read moreManaging Monday, with Bonhoeffer
While most theologians from the 20th century are quietly fading off the radar, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one whose work is gaining greater and greater appreciation. Not only was he a great thinker and theologian, he lived out his beliefs, even as he agonised over them, and struggled to find an appropriate path forward in the nightmare of the Nazi regime in Germany. Most would know that he participated in the unsuccessful plot to assassinate Hitler, which saw him being hung to death just two weeks before the end of World War 2. We will look at...
read moreDementia… Forgetting or Forgotten?
Discussions on dementia are rightly becoming more frequent. It is a pertinent topic, and one which deserves careful theological and pastoral reflection. Someone wonderfully qualified to do this is Kerryn Monger, a graduate of Vose Seminary, currently studying a master’s degree in Ageing and Pastoral Studies at Charles Sturt University. She is a chaplain in residential aged care with Bethanie with a passion for ministry with seniors. I am grateful to her for this excellent article written specifically for this blog. I have wonderful memories...
read moreRetirement musings…
No, I don’t have plans to retire any time soon (how could you even think it?), but I recently attended a function to celebrate the retirement of two colleagues. One, Peter Lu, had worked for the Baptist Union of Western Australia for over 20 years, and the other, Terry Hicks, for 17 years. A lot of intellectual capital was finishing up that day, and there were naturally mixed emotions in the room. Both men have served the denomination with great loyalty and enthusiasm and leave it in a significantly stronger position than it was when...
read moreManaging Monday… Some Tillich Quotes
Last month we introduced ‘Managing Monday’ with 3 quotes each week from the great theologian of the church, Augustine. We will carry on with the three quotes each week format, but from different thinkers each week. Here are three quotes from American/German existentialist theologian from the last century, Paul Tillich (1886-1965). While he had many notable insights (though theologically I differ from him on many, many points), these are the three most frequently cited Tillich quotes… Enjoy… The first duty of love is to...
read moreFanning into Flame the Gift God has Given You
I serve as principal at Vose Seminary, and our new academic year got underway this week. With a record enrolment of students, things are looking really positive, and you could sense the energy and optimism in the room at our opening chapel service. I spoke at it, looking at 2 Timothy 1:6-7 where Paul instructs Timothy to fan into flame the gift within him. I explored what this might mean for our students as they begin their journey with us, and after speaking it struck me that what I said would be relevant for the majority of those who read...
read moreCan bitterness be beaten? Redeeming Emotions (4)
You’ve probably been in the company of someone who is bitter as the result of significant hurt or disappointment in the past. It could be that the company is your own – and that try as you might, you can’t keep your mind from replaying scenes which cause you anger and emotional pain. That smouldering resentment becomes a deeper and deeper bed of bitterness. So what is bitterness? Gregory Popcak has suggested that ‘Bitterness is unforgiveness fermented’ – and I think that is richly suggestive. Perhaps the...
read moreManaging Monday: Some final (for a while) Augustine quotes…
February is drawing to a close all too quickly. Here are a final set (well, for a while) of three Augustine of Hippo (354-430) quotes to help us manage Monday. Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe. People travel to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean; and they pass by themselves without wondering. Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by...
read moreIs it possible to forgive? Redeeming emotions (3)
We all know that we are supposed to forgive others. Provided the offence against us has been minor, it might be relatively easy to do. ‘We all make mistakes,’ we’d say philosophically, and let the matter drop. But sometimes it is not so easy. Not all offences fit into the trifling category. Some will impact us until our dying day. Is forgiveness then possible? We started this redeeming emotions series with two posts on anger. Today we shift our focus to the question of forgiveness, and the healing of emotions that might need...
read moreAnger for the rest of us… Redeeming Emotions (2)
The first post in our redeeming emotions series looked at the anger of Jesus, and the way he used it redemptively. I imagine many who read it thought – ‘all very well for Jesus. But what about anger for the rest of us? Is there any way that it can move from the deficit side of the ledger to being a positive in our life?’ It is a pertinent question. We live in an angry age. It may show itself in very obvious ways – family violence, warfare, bullying. Other forms are more subtle – sarcasm, cynicism, depression...
read moreManaging Monday: Insights from Augustine
Each Monday in February we are looking at 3 different Augustine of Hippo (354-430) quotes. Hope this weeks selection speaks to you… Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence. The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself. In my deepest wound I saw your glory and it dazzled me.
read moreAn Angry Jesus? Redeeming Emotions (1)
Not sure which emotions you would rank as the most destructive. I suspect that hate would be right up there, as would jealousy, bitterness and yes, I imagine, anger. It is not hard to see why we would include anger in the list. It wears out our bodies, being linked to hypertension, heart disease and strokes – but it is not just about what it does to us. Being in the orbit of an angry person is at best uncomfortable, and in some circumstances can be terrifying. Which forces us to ask the question, ‘What are we to make of the...
read moreHow to change the world… The Greenpeace formula
I was flying back from the National Council Meeting of Christian Schools Australia on Friday, and after a full day of discussions, felt entitled to relax by watching a movie on my way home to Perth. The Qantas fare on offer was a tad disappointing, so it was with little enthusiasm that I clicked onto the Greeenpeace documentary, How to Change the World. Now truth to tell, even though I am about to write a post on this film, it is not going to go down as my favourite movie of the decade (or year, or month) – but it was interesting, and...
read moreManaging Monday: With some help from Augustine
This February we have been trying to manage Monday with some insights from Augustine of Hippo (354-430) – perhaps the churches greatest theologian. Here are three more quotes. My advice (for what it is worth…), don’t gobble them too quickly – taste one at a time and let the import sink in… There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future Beware of despairing about yourself; you are commanded to place your trust in God, and not in yourself. The church is the traveller’s inn where...
read moreWhen singleness is a gift…
With Valentine’s day falling on a Sunday this year, many churches will use it as an opportunity to celebrate love, marriage and relationships. And fair enough. But in this post I would like to be a little counter intuitive and invite us to think about the singles in our midst. For some, Valentines day can feel like anything but a celebration. Not that we should fall into the trap of thinking that every single person would prefer to be in a relationship. Many are happily and intentionally single – and really wouldn’t want it...
read moreMessy church, messy mission…
You might know that in addition to my role as principal of Vose Seminary, I serve as the pastor at large and chair of the board at Carey – a school and church planting movement which by providing excellent community services wins the right to speak into the lives of thousands of people who would otherwise have no church contact. Sunday was our annual commissioning service – a wonderfully celebratory event, especially as the staff from our newly opened Forrestdale School were present, as were many of the staff from our fairly...
read moreManaging Monday: A little extra Augustine…
Last week we had a taster of 3 Augustine of Hippo (354-430) quotes. Here are the next 3. Hope they help you manage Monday… From Augustine… Patience is the companion of wisdom What does love look like? It has hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever: and take care of your soul as if you were going to die...
read moreAdam raised a Cain: When our children break our heart…
Don’t know if you are familiar with the Bruce Springsteen classic, Adam Raised a Cain, with its haunting closing lines, ‘Lost but not forgotten, from the dark heart of a dream, Adam raised a Cain.’ For those less familiar with the biblical story behind these lyrics, the song explains it in these words, In the Bible Cain slew Abel And East of Eden he was cast, You’re born into this life paying, for the sins of somebody else’s past. They are tough lines… Sin enters the world through Adam. It impacts his...
read moreOn being the body of Christ – all 2.2 billion of us…
Don’t know if you are into Dr Seuss, but if so you might remember the poem, My Many Coloured Days Some days are yellow. Some are blue. On different days I’m different too… On Bright Red Days how good it feels To be a horse and kick my heels!… On Purple Days I’m sad. I groan. I drag my tail. I walk alone… Then comes a Mixed-Up Day. And WHAM! I don’t know who or what I am! But it all turns out all right, you see. And I go back to being… me. – Dr Seuss, My Many Coloured Days (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1966) Catharine Thompson...
read moreManaging Monday: Some quotes from Augustine
Most people find Monday the most difficult day of the week. Weekend over, and with five work days looming, managing Monday can be a challenge. So I thought I would try to help by starting a regular ‘Managing Monday’ post. The format will be really simple – just 3 quotes from a notable person. Some weeks, all from the same person, other weeks, a mixture. Quotes will be brief (this is, after all, Monday) – but hopefully they will give a thoughtful start to the work week. For the academics amongst us – I have not...
read moreI’m part of a church because…
We started this short series on the church by looking at the growing phenomena of churchless faith, where people who still hold to the Christian faith choose to continue in the faith whilst not being actively involved in any Christian church. In spite of the growth of churchless faith, overall church attendances are not faring too badly. The haemorrhaging of church membership in the so called Western world appears to have past the peak it reached in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and while still worrying, might be levelling. So...
read moreOf tall poppies, mateship and pragmatism: Spirituality in the Australasian Context
Australians today celebrate Australia Day. To mark the day I thought I would reproduce a paper on Spirituality in the Australasian Context (I focus on Australia and New Zealand) which I initially presented at a workshop of the Baptist World Alliance, held in Mexico City in July 2006. It was later published in Stimulus – a New Zealand Journal (vol 16, issue 3, 2008). Though a decade has past, I think the insights are essentially valid, and are hopefully helpful. See what you think… 1) By way of an introduction In some ways it feels...
read moreChurch: A messy, risky but still powerful ideal (Part 2 of So what is church?)
Part 1 of this post set about answering the question, ‘So what is church?’ suggesting that church is a simple, but powerful idea. It did so in response to the earlier post on churchless faith – a growing phenomena that often sees people, in spite of their faith commitment, simply shrug and say, ‘Church – too difficult, too painful, too boring, too political, too time consuming, too compromised, too controlling, too irrelevant’ – or something comparable. They then quietly (or not so quietly) withdraw...
read moreSo what is church? Part 1 Church, a simple but powerful idea…
We kicked off this short series on the church by looking at the relatively new but rapidly growing phenomena of churchless faith. I wanted to start with that post because the word church increasingly has a lot of emotional baggage attached to it. For many it smacks of control, abuse of power, manipulation, politics and thought control – a rather alarming set of associations. For others it conjures up images of boring Sundays, or of irrelevance or perhaps of sectarian squabbling. Much more positively, for large numbers the images are of...
read moreChurchless Faith
I am about to embark on a short series on the church – and what it might mean to be church in the third millennium. This opening post looks at the increasing phenomena of what is being called ‘churchless faith’. I briefly touched on the topic in a post which proved popular, Churched, Unchurched and Dechurched, and I’d like to explore it a little more today, as very close to the surface it raises a multitude of questions of what it means to be church (and part of the capital C universal Church). So what is churchless...
read moreAnd every step an arrival… On the gift of the present moment
I am presently reading Eugene Peterson’s wonderful biography The Pastor which has on its front cover Rilke’s memorable line ‘every step an arrival’. It reflects Peterson’s own conviction that when all is said and done, the work of a pastor is not primarily to get things done or to be surrounded by a flurry of activity, but to pay attention and call attention “to ‘what is going on right now’ between men and women, with each other and with God.” What is going on right now. Spotting God in...
read moreSome great posts…
From time to time I like to refer our readers to some great posts on other sites… though always hoping that they will still keep looking at this site. So what are some recent posts that I have enjoyed? Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog recently ranked this post on being on the wrong side of history as their post of the year. Now there are some great posts on that site, and I wouldn’t necessarily have rated this as number 1, but it is an intriguing read and argues back strongly against the emotional manipulation present in...
read moreBlog Reflections: Most and least successful posts and all that…
With the new year moving along steadily, I thought it as well to write up some reflections on the life of this blog in 2015. For most of the year it lay dormant – an idea brewing and developing. Starting it was on my list of goals for 2015, and with the help of Ben O’Reilly, a domain name and basic site had been built early in the year. True, the domain name was not my initial choice – but the trouble with a name as common as Brian Harris is that more obvious choices like brianharris.com and brianharrisblog.com were already...
read moreFireproof and Crazy Stupid Love: Comparisons and Contrasts from a Christian Worldview Perspective – By John Mayne
The relationship between Christianity and the arts is fascinating. The arts were once a sphere dominated by the church, but they now often seem to be a ‘God free’ zone. However, underlying assumptions about the world and reality drive most artistic portrayals, and should be examined and discussed. John Mayne does this very helpfully in his comparison and contrast of two films, Fireproof (written with an explicitly Christian script) and Crazy, Stupid, Love – which while without a clear Christian mandate, often resonates with...
read moreGratitude and Giving Back: A theme for the New Year
Given that if you aim at nothing, you invariably achieve it, it is probably wise to set some goals for the New Year. In the past I have worked away at detailed plans, trying to set precise markers that will help me assess if the year can be classified a success or otherwise. But this year I have opted for an alternate strategy. Rather than great specificity (like lose 5kg, publish 2 articles, see Vose enrolment grow 7%) I am hoping to follow through on a theme, and to see where it leads. I have a gentle conviction (in other words, not a...
read moreHannah and Mary: Having the faith to let go… by Audrey Francis
I was shopping at Coles yesterday and noticed that they already have Easter hot cross buns on sale. Christmas has only been over for week, and we are already being rushed away from it. But it is better to ponder Christmas a little longer. Audrey Francis, a student at Vose Seminary who has contributed to this blog before, helps us to do so in this message she preached on Sunday 27 Dec 2015 at Rockingham Uniting Church. It is built around 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 and Luke 2: 41-52, comparing the sacrifice made by Samuel’s mother Hannah, and...
read moreReflections on a two funeral week…
Over recent years I’ve become fairly settled in my end of year routine. Vose Seminary, where I am principal, closes for the week between Christmas and New Year, so when I finish preaching the Christmas day message, I am off for the remainder of the year and for the first few days of the new one. Once Christmas feasting is over, the obligatory maintenance on the home gets undertaken – very poorly to be sure – but nevertheless all paving gets water blasted, our decking gets re oiled, and any other tasks I have been unable to...
read morePost Christmas Pondering…
It is unfortunate that New Year rushes in so quickly after Christmas. No sooner have we finished singing the final bars of ‘O Come, all ye faithful’ than our thoughts gallop forward to the promise of the year ahead. Worthy resolutions quickly spring to mind, and the babe of Bethlehem is tucked away for another year. The basic problem is that we are catapulted into thinking about what we are going to do, rather than being encouraged to spend time thinking about what God has done. Perhaps on this one we should join Orthodox...
read moreA somewhat sobering Christmas…
This is not the Christmas post I planned to write. In my mind, it was going to be jovial, generous, and filled with hope. Indeed, Christmassy. Perhaps I will manage the hope part. Sometimes things change quiet suddenly – like today. I am writing on the 23rd, with Christmas two days out. I set out into the day with gentle confidence and a lightness in my step. My must do list had been reduced to manageable proportions, and I knew that after speaking at our Christmas services on the 24th and 25th, I could contemplate 10 days off. The...
read moreIf Christmas hadn’t happened
A rather harassed looking student popped into my office a while back, claiming a mental block whilst doing an assignment. For some, that’s a permanent condition, but this student is usually pretty diligent, so I was indulgent. I asked what the assignment was about. ‘We’ve got to discuss the relevance of John 1,’ he said, as though it was a remarkable task. Now while I’m not able to recite all Scripture by heart, this is a familiar passage (‘In the beginning was the word…’ for those of you who never won any prizes for Bible memorization). As...
read morePrince of Peace? Really…
Last year I was part of a group finalizing a Christmas preaching series. We decided on the theme ‘Call Him’ and planned to look at a range of names given to Jesus. You know the ones I mean? He shall be called wonderful, counsellor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel and so on. Great names, they rightly inspire and motivate us. I landed up with the ‘Prince of Peace’ title, and dutifully set about planning a message on that topic. It turned out to be stretching. Of course the new atheists would snigger, ‘Jesus. Prince of...
read moreIs there a place for quiet leaders?
In 2013 Paternoster published my book, The Tortoise Usually Wins. It works from the simple thesis that while we often assume that leaders need to be larger than life charismatic figures, the reality often turns out to be different. There is a place for those who are quiet leaders. Sometimes they approach the task of leadership hesitantly, even reluctantly. But they often go on to make a significant difference. Many people have found the book helpful and it has now had a second print run and has also been translated into Indonesian. Here is...
read moreJournaling: A 4 H approach…
Most of us want to grow spiritually, but aren’t always sure how. One path many find helpful is journaling. I have been using it to varying degrees for over 30 years. My journals have become trusted friends, reminding me of insights I have gleaned, things I have been challenged about, and ways in which God has broken through to me when things seemed bleak. You probably agree that journalling about your journey with God is worth doing, but might be feeling, ‘great idea, but in practice how do I go about doing this?’ First the basics. To...
read moreAbout teaching and learning…
Perhaps you wonder why you are reading this post. ‘I’m not a teacher,’ you say, ‘so teaching and learning really doesn’t have anything to do with me.’ But most of us are teachers of one form or another. We might be raising our children – then, regardless of if we want to be or not, we definitely are teachers. Or we might be responsible for supervising someone in the workplace. Or perhaps we lead a home group, or… you get the point. Teaching does not only take place in those formal settings...
read moreSo what to do? The question of guidance…
I once vowed that I would never preach a sermon on guidance. It was an understandable promise at that time, as my own life seemed complicated and I felt that I had made one poor decision after another. But time marches along, and I realise that while there are no easy answers, it is important to think about the way in which God guides and leads us. So I preached a sermon on guidance a few years ago… nothing earth shattering – just a simple exploration of some tried and trusted principles that have helped guide God’s people...
read moreMirroring God: Implications of the Imago Dei for Pastoral Care
I recently finished teaching an introduction to Pastoral Care course at Vose Seminary. It was a great class, and many thoughtful projects and case studies emerged. One that especially struck me was this essay by Alycia Randell on the implications of our being made in the image of God, for the provision of pastoral care. Alycia is drawing towards the end of a combined BMin/BTh degree at Vose, and together with her husband Peter is engaged in pastoral ministry in Mandurah. I thought that this fine essay more than justified Alycia being...
read moreMiscellaneous thoughts after a holiday in Europe…
All good things do indeed come to an end, and I am now back at work after four weeks of holiday, most of them spent on a river cruise through 5 countries in Europe. Lest you think that is the lifestyle to which I am accustomed, think again, but it was wonderful to be in a make believe kind of world for a while. Here are a few miscellaneous thoughts that came to me in the course of the trip. Seasons are real. In the first instance, that’s a statement about geography. Our trip took place during a Northern Hemisphere Autumn, in...
read moreAbout church buildings…
A common question of tourists is ‘So what did you see today?’ If they are touring Europe (as Rosemary and I have just done), you are likely to hear the reply, ‘abc’. Lest you have not heard the quip, abc stands for ‘another bloody church’. It is a little ironic that the worlds most secular continent is filled with church buildings – and not just any church buildings, stupendously splendid buildings, buildings that literally take your breath away with their beauty, history and heritage. On our recent...
read moreChurched, Un-churched or De-churched
A shorter post than usual today, but it poses some pertinent questions about those who are de-churched… Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. If you’re up with the discussions on the future of the church you’ll know that commentators distinguish between people who are un-churched (as in never had any significant contact with a church) and those who are de-churched (as in once were involved, but no more thank you very much). While the church has always worried about those who are unchurched (they’re the reason for the...
read moreOn passing a trainload of Syrian refugees…
Our river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest had many extra bonuses, each designed to keep us coming back again and again. And let’s face it – river cruising is a lifestyle that has a lot going for it. Take the extra special trip from Linz to Salzburg on the Majestic Imperator – the imperial train used by Emperors of the once great Holy Roman Empire when Austria was at the height of its power. We were in the carriage where the Emperor had once sat, and it was renovated to all its previous glory. Whilst on that day trip to...
read more10 reasons why silence is golden…
We live in such a noisy world. Getting ourselves heard can be a real problem. With everyone else so busy talking, no one really seems to want to listen to what we would like to say. Should we care? Here are 10 reasons why silence and being silent can be a virtue… 1) The Psalmist advises: Be still and know that I am God. When we speak too much we often start to think that we are God. Silence reminds us that we are not. 2) When we are silent, we often really hear what the other person is saying, and sometimes even begin to understand why...
read moreSo what is an evangelical, and should we care?
This is a lightly edited version of an article I published in Perth’s The Advocate, in 2012. It in turn was a more radically summarized version of a much longer article on the topic which I published in Churchman in Autumn 2008. With around 2 billion people claiming allegiance to Christianity, it is not surprising to discover that it comes in a wide range of flavours. Those in the know point to the Great Schism of 1054 when the church divided into the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. The latter divided again after the...
read moreIs there a case for a Christian University?
A few groups are working to form an evangelical Christian university in Australia. Is this wise, or is it a case of misguided zeal? Our last post explored the drift from a soft to a hard secularism. In this post I argue that the formation of a Christian university could help to change the missiological climate in which we are currently located. This is an updated version of an article of mine that was originally published in Perth’s Advocate newspaper in 2012. While we could argue as to what constitute the major missiological blocks to...
read moreFrom Deo Volente to Digital Video: The Flight to Secularism
To keep the blog going while Rosemary and I are on holiday, I have drawn on some articles I wrote for Perth’s Advocate newspaper. This one originally appeared in 2012, and I have now updated it slightly. We all sense that the climate in which we practice our faith is changing. This post examines the shift from a soft to a hard secularism. Though at times a little tongue in cheek, the underlying issues are of great significance. Hope you enjoy it… My mother-in-law is a wonderful human being who has almost adjusted to life in the...
read moreFriendships that inspire…
Perhaps you have come across Gordon MacDonald’s classic, Restoring your Spiritual Passion. It originally came out in 1986, and is memorable on many counts, but perhaps the one that first springs to mind is MacDonald’s description of 5 kinds of people that you come across in ministry (and indeed, not just in ministry, but in all walks of life) and the impact they have upon your spiritual passion and zeal. The MacDonald taxonomy describes each of the five types with 3 letters and then pithily summarizes their likely impact on your...
read moreAbout the blog and a holiday…
Thanks for your continued support and interest in this blog. I have been really encouraged by the warm response of so many of you. There have now been well over 6000 visits to the site – it has significantly exceeded my expectations. More importantly, several people have contacted me to ask me if they can use material from the site in church newsletters or in sermons or as resource in a unit they are teaching. My answer is always the same: YES – that is why I write, and I can’t tell you the pleasure it gives me to think that...
read moreThe Spirit that gives life: Audrey’s story
It is possible that at 75 years of age Audrey Francis is the oldest student at Vose – I am not sure. What I am sure of is that she is one of our most engaged and engaging students, and that her life speaks of the reality of God, or of the Spirit that gives life, which was the theme of her recent chapel talk at Vose where she shared her life story. I found it both inspiring and encouraging, and am confident you will too. As you read it, imagine it being spoken in Audrey’s gentle Irish voice. Perhaps as you do, you will hear the...
read moreAbout a book: Could it be God?
Yesterday I received the rather exciting news that a British publishing house, Bible Reading Fellowship, are offering me a contract to publish a collection of my articles from Perth’s Advocate newspaper. I have been producing a monthly article for the Advocate for over 10 years now, and they have selected their 90 favourite columns and will bundle them up into a book entitled Could it be God? The blurb about the book reads: In a series of pithy, poignant and profound readings, this book explores the intersection of faith and life....
read moreConducting a Spiritual Audit: A First Fifteen of Questions…
Have you ever asked, “so how do you measure spiritual growth?” Sermon after sermon challenges us to commit to grow spiritually, or to become more like Jesus, but how do we know if we are getting there? Are there any signs we can spot that reassure us that we are heading in the right direction? Back in 1998 Fred Smith wrote a wonderfully insightful and oft quoted article on conducting a spiritual audit. In it he poses 12 questions we should ask. It is probably because I am writing this as rugby world cup fever heats up, and with...
read moreOn being sure we are not the problem…
I spoke at the Baptist Union of Western Australia’s Annual Assembly yesterday, and thought you might be interested to read the text of my address. You’ll notice that I picked up on a few of the themes we have looked at on the blog in recent weeks. We had a computer virus hit our network at Vose this week. As we called the staff together to look at what had happened and to outline the plan to get it sorted, the natural question that was asked was, ‘So how did this happen?’ As the IT guru outlined it for us, and explained how...
read moreWhy Theodosius vs Ambrose really matters…
Heard about the dispute between the Roman Emperor Theodosius and Bishop Ambrose of Milan back in 390? I thought not… Before you yawn a little too obviously and quote Henry Ford’s ‘history is bunk’, let me assure you that this case finds its way onto the pages of this blog because in my judgment it is one of those critical turning points in history – a little ah ha moment after which we all understand some aspects of faith more clearly. For those who are at the ‘Theodosius who?’ stage, he was the Roman Emperor famously (or not so...
read more10 insights on losing 10 kilograms…
OK, so this is a bit of brag post. I’ve just succeeded in losing 10kg, and mercifully that’s not the result of some dreaded disease, but a bit of a change in eating habits. Here are my 10 insights on losing 10 kg… I don’t ever want to get into a position where I need to lose 10 kg again. Sugar is addictive. Its highs are illusionary, and they always let you down. Eat off a plate and with a knife and fork. It helps limit binging. Eat slowly, and ask yourself, ‘so what is it that I am eating and am I enjoying...
read moreThe refugee, my housemate: On opening our hearts…
Vose student Alan McGrechan recently shared something of his story at a chapel service… And what a story it is – of cultural readjustment to Australia after his time in Mozambique, of loss of purpose and confidence, and then of finding new challenge and meaning in opening his heart and life to others, others who in this case were Afghani asylum seekers. I find it inspiring, and I am sure you will to… It fits seamlessly into our current series on ethics, ‘Deciding what’s right…’ Currently I live in...
read moreSome blogs worth looking at…
I had a preaching free Sunday, so no sermon notes today, but instead I thought I would point you to some blogs I think are worth looking at. In my opinion, the gold standard is undoubtedly Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed. Most often there are 4 posts per day (no idea how he manages that – though he is not the sole author), and whilst topics are largely theological in nature, the overall coverage is broad and always interesting. At times it is fairly specialized, but most are accessible to anyone ready for a theology 101 course....
read moreTo Strive for Great Things: Is Ambition OK?
J. Oswald Sanders starts his classic book Spiritual Leadership by contrasting 1 Tim 3:1 To aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition with Jeremiah 45:5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Seek them not. There is a creative tension between the two sentiments. Is there a place in the life of a Christ follower for ambition? If you listen to some worship songs, or pay attention to the names of many Christian groups, ambition seems the new norm. We are going to be planet shakers and kingdom builders and our lives are going to count...
read moreThe Blog: Some Notes and News…
It has been great to see the increase in traffic to the blog. Each week it has been hitting new highs. It’s been going a little over a month and is currently just short of 5 000 page visits from more than 2500 visitors from 58 countries – a few of which I had never heard of before and have had to look up on the map. Wherever you are from, welcome. Some bits and pieces First, why the blog? I’d like to help further a thoughtful Christian faith. Roughly a thousand years ago St Anselm spoke of ‘faith seeking...
read moreThe Reason for the ‘Go…’: Reflections on Matt 28:16-20
Several people said they found the sermon notes from last week Is Cross Carrying Passe helpful. So I thought I’d post this weeks notes as well. This is the message I preached at Carey Baptist Church, Perth, today. As always, feel free to use them any way you find helpful. If you pass them on, it is always nice if you credit the source as brianharrisauthor.com In this series we have been asking the question, ‘Why Jesus?’ – but now we finish on a slightly different note. ‘If it is Jesus – so what? What difference should that make in my...
read moreFor better, but not worse: Marriage and Divorce in the 21st century
I still remember the day. A woman had moved into the town where I was pastor, and on arriving at the church, announced that she was trying to build a new life for herself. She and her husband had separated after 30 years of marriage. He was now living with a much younger woman, and she doubted he would ever return to her – though she would be happy if she was wrong. She wasn’t. After 18 months of agonising and of all attempts at reconciliation failing, she filed for divorce. On the day her case was to be heard in court, she asked...
read more3 Ways to Decide: Some Models to Navigate Ethical Dilemmas
Ever been in the position where you scratch your head and ask, ‘So what should I do now?’ And as you ask, your thinking is not only moving along the track of what might work, but you are also wondering, ‘regardless of what works, what is the right thing to do?’ The right thing is invariably defined by a cluster of factors such as our faith, upbringing and cultural background. We may or may not be aware of how these impact our decision making. But enough pontificating. In real life situations, how do we go about making...
read moreIs Cross Carrying Passé?
After preaching I am often asked for a copy of my notes, so I thought I would place them on the blog – well some, at any rate. Here is the text of the message I preached at Carey today. It is part of a series on the portrait of Jesus that emerges from Matthew’s gospel, and this sermon is based on Matt 10, focusing on verses 34-42. As always feel free to use it in any way you like, though if you do reproduce it in some form, it would be nice if you would credit the source as brianharrisauthor.com Hope it’s helpful… Is...
read moreRemembering what Matters: Ethics and Exodus 1
In 2011 I was asked to deliver the TB Maston lecture on ethics at Carson Newman University in Tennessee, USA. I spoke on the ethical dilemmas inherent in Exodus 1 in a talk entitled ‘Remembering what Matters: Ethics and Exodus 1’. If you want the full text of that talk you can access it here. It starts on page 91 of the journal. What follows is an edited version of that talk. As we start to think into the field of ethics, I want to underline (and emphatically underline) that we should not think in terms of trite and easy answers...
read moreDeciding what’s right: Introducing a new series…
I hope you enjoyed the ‘Why believe?’ series, which was a 101 introduction to apologetics. Lest you missed it, the posts are still readily accessible. We covered ‘Why believe: A sort of apologetics 101’; ‘Theism and all that’ which explored some of the basic arguments for the existence of God; ‘The Bible: Bloodthirsty Text or Solid Witness?’; ‘The Church: Hazard or Witness?’; ‘A World Minus Jesus’; ‘Easter cancelled. They’ve found the body’ (not);...
read moreWhy Christian Teachers and Schools Matter…
Last night I spoke at the 25th anniversary celebration of Grace Christian School in Bunbury. I don’t know what you think of the missional potential of Christian schools, but my assessment is that it is enormous. I am not sure if this is true in all parts of the world, but am convinced that it is in Australia where a favourable funding regime and a willingness to enrol students of any or no faith (while holding a strong line on only employing Christian staff, who carry the mission) sees Christian schooling as the most rapidly growing...
read moreResurrection, Pannenberg and Aaron Chidgzey
Aaron Chidgzey, a Vose Seminary graduate, is currently a PhD student at Murdoch University where he is engaged in research that compares the views on the resurrection of German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg and NT Wright. Pannenberg died in Sept 2014, having been one of the theological giants of the 20th century. He is well known for his conviction that faith is reasonable – indeed, that it is more reasonable to believe than not to believe. He places special emphasis on the resurrection. I asked Aaron about his research, and thought...
read moreAnother day, another Prime Minister…
I was born in South Africa, am a New Zealand citizen, and live in Australia. Though living in the latter country for 12 years, its politics remain a mystery to me. On a day by day basis, life here is a little like paradise. Australia truly is a glorious country, with an indulgently comfortable standard of living. Yet we’ve just changed our Prime Minister. Again. The 5th in 5 years. Being a schoolkid here has just got a whole lot more stressful. Who can possibly remember the names of all Australian Prime Ministers? I was in two minds...
read moreMiracles, maths and mystery…
I can still remember the sneer from one of the panelists at an evangelistic atheist site. Desperate to convert others to her newly found atheism she declared: ‘Christians are really, really bad at maths. When doctors say your cancer is incurable, what they mean is that there is only a 1 in a 1000 chance that it won’t prove terminal. When it doesn’t, religious nutters happily proclaim, “a miracle”. No it’s not. It is the 1 in a 1000 cases which comes around, on average, once every thousand cases. Low odds...
read moreSugar, fat and all that…
I publish a monthly article in Perth’s Advocate newspaper, and as most readers of this blog don’t see it, I thought I would reproduce it here. September’s title was ‘Sugar, fat and all that.’ It comes as a bonus blog. The current ‘Why believe?’ series continues on Tuesday with a post ‘Miracles, maths and mystery.’ Sugar, Fat and all that… Due to a recent flight’s disappointing movie choice, I was reduced to watching Damon Gameau’s That Sugar Film which pontificates on the...
read moreEaster Cancelled. They’ve found the body…
Graffiti was an art form during my university days. It adorned three of the walls of every toilet cubicle. One wall was devoted to political comment, another to the smutty, the third to the witty and clever. By and large contributors conformed to this unwritten guideline, and a few days before a now long past Easter the headline ‘Easter has been cancelled. They’ve found the body!’ appeared on the third wall. It has stuck with me through the years. In its own way, it is deeply insightful. Produce the body of Jesus, and whilst...
read moreA world minus Jesus…
Ever imagined a world minus Jesus? There would be some obvious differences. The date for example. I’m writing in 2015 – 2015 since what? And though we might not have got the year of Jesus’ birth completely right, there is no doubt that our calendar has been structured to convey the conviction that the date of his arrival marked the turning point of all history. That’s to be more than a little famous. So what earned Jesus such accolades. The most striking is the claim that he conquered death and that his resurrection...
read moreAbout the blog…
I’m recently back from preaching at a special Fathers’ Day service at Katanning. For those not familiar with Western Australia, it is a three hour drive south of Perth – and what a stunning drive it was today. The countryside was ablaze with colour. This is one of the best times of the year in WA. The blog has now been operational for two weeks, and lest you are interested, I thought I would give you a quick update on where it is at. So far 549 people have visited the site from 39 countries viewing pages 1205 times viewers...
read moreThe Bible: Bloodthirsty Text or Solid Witness?
In this ‘Why Believe?’ series we’ve been engaged in a little exercise of cumulative case apologetics – not trying to demonstrate that everything that Christianity stands for is proved with one knockout blow, but cumulatively building a case for belief, one piece at a time. The role of the Bible in building or detracting from this case is important. While arguments for theism establish that belief in a god or gods is reasonable, at some point we have to give content to the character and nature of the god believed in....
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