Posts from 2018

Posts from 2018

Make “Resurrection Resolutions” (because New Year’s resolutions are futile)

“New Year’s Resolutions are silly really. We all know that. There’s nothing about a new year that promises personal renewal. It doesn’t offer a new strength of will that we didn’t have before. Ultimately the new year is not a symbol of possibility but of futility. Life is frustrating. Progress is hard. Our aspirations far outstrip our ability to achieve them. And, not to be too blunt about it, but we all die in the end anyway. Why bother? Christians…

Salvation in the Car Seat (and Other Mundane Miracles)

“And that’s when it happened. In the ordinary miracle of a mundane Monday, my son’s eternal destination was cemented. Sitting in the same car seat in the same car where we’d shared family road trips, sang songs, talked about the Lord, His creation, His care, His Son Jesus – that’s where my son decided to follow the Master.” Read more…

10 Things You Should Know about Christian Hospitality

“Jesus identifies with the stranger, the outsider, the needy. Daily hospitality hones a distinctive Christian culture from within as it embraces evangelistic optimism, knowing that if God wills, strangers will become neighbours and neighbours will become part of the family of God. Who knows? This may happen at your kitchen table tonight.” Read more…

The Day Jesus Said “I’ve Got This”

“… let me assure you that there’s truly something amazing about God’s grace in Jesus. Something amazing about God in Christ stooping down to us. Amazing enough to melt your heart. And in my mum’s costly forgiveness and years of prayer for my dad, I’ve been able to see that grace. And perhaps it’s pulled me away from being as graceless as I could have been. It’s certainly made me see things more sharply.” Read more…

The New Aussie Idol: Home Renovation

“As I started adding up the money we have spent over the past 18 months on our renovation projects however, I started to question this whole pursuit. Why are we doing this? What is this fever that keeps us watching renovation shows and sends us scrolling through websites by the hour? Is home renovation a sin?” Read more…

Things only God sees (and angels, and lately, us)​

“There was a beautiful sunrise this morning in Ireland—except the majority of Ireland’s inhabitants missed it. It was a dank, grey morning, but at 35,000 feet, all was different. A fiery glow gently whispered over the downy cotton-tops of sleeping clouds. Fields and fields of clouds bathed in morning light, things of beauty—infinite in variety and formation—changing for every planeload of spectators. Beauty—only recently seen by us; always been there, of course, but only in the last 100 years have…

What a Pro-Life Church Looks Like

What does a pro-life church look like? Pastor Stephen McAlpine shares how believing in life after life after death has come to expression in his congregation and writes, “We’re living in a culture of death that has run out of hope. Let’s be that strange group of people who are pro-life from cradle to grave, because life after life after death is our hope.” Read more…

Are you a Glass Half-Full Christian?

I’m sure you’ve all the saying ‘He’s a glass half-empty kind of guy,’ or ‘She’s a glass half-full kind of girl.’ It describes how we tend to see the world, either in a negative light, or a positive light. Some people tend to see the problems in life, while other people see opportunities. And the truth is that some of us see our spiritual lives in the same fashion. We see how our country is turning its back on Christianity…

The Power to Witness

Pastor Josh Hartog continues his reflection on evangelism – this time, the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit. “Our gospel witness will only have power when the Holy Spirit is present in our lives, in our words, and actively working in the lives of those who hear. Before you step out of your house, pray that the Holy Spirit would fill your heart. Before you speak, pray that the Holy Spirit would speak through you. And when you share the gospel with someone, pray that the Holy Spirit would work in their heart. Through the Holy Spirit may you have power to witness to Jesus.”

Is the Light On in Your Home?

The truth is we all live in a particular local neighbourhood. Unless you live in a commune, you are living in the world, you are surrounded by people who most likely don’t know God, or at least don’t know God as we know him. God has placed you in a strategic position to be a witness to His love and grace in Christ Jesus. Your neighbours watch you come and go. They see how you live. They hear how you talk to your spouse and kids. They observe how you spend your time. They learn your priorities.