Articles (Page 41)

Something struck me the other day about the theory of evolution… something I had never really thought much about before.  For me it was one of those “Aha!” moments.  It came about while I was reading a copy of the Australian Geographic. To explain what happened I need to digress a moment and say something about adaptation.  I’m not a scientist and I understand that sometimes terms are used by scientists with fine shades of meaning and some research indicated…

Last Thursday morning as I led the teachers at Glenvale Christian School for devotions our focus was the first letter of John.  It”s a lovely letter in which one of the major themes is love.  Twice John tells us that God is love.  All our love for God and for others stems from the love that God demonstrated in the atoning death of His Son.  As God”s wonderful gospel love is poured into hearts we are enabled to love in…

This week I asked someone, “Imagine that same sex ‘marriage’ was approved in Australia and a workmate invited you to his ‘same-sex marriage ceremony’, would you attend?” I asked that question because recently in the US a past President, the older George Bush and his wife, Barbara, attended the ‘marriage’ of two women.  He was criticised by many people for doing that.  What had made his attendance somewhat more controversial was his claim that he had not attended as past…

Recently Pope Francis was widely reported as having sought to build bridges to atheists and agnostics.  What particularly took the media spotlight was a statement in which he is reported to have said that what matters most is obeying one’s conscience. Apparently he was responding to a series of questions in an Italian newspaper editorial.  He wrote, “You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith.  I start by…

“Your character is what God knows you to be; your reputation is what people think of you.”  I came across that saying this past week while preparing for devotions with the teachers at Glenvale Christian School on Thursday morning.  It would be wonderful if our character was the same as our reputation. Last week I lamented the fact that it is increasingly argued that what people do in private is their business as long as it doesn’t affect their public…

It’s not for me to tell you how to vote this coming Saturday but I do want to remind you to think Christianly about your vote.  So to stimulate your thinking let me share three particular ‘gripes’. Gripe number one is that politics in Australia in the last few decades has been less and less about parties and policies and more and more about people and personalities.  A stranger from another country could be forgiven for thinking that the whole…

Last Sunday afternoon I spent a wonderful two-plus hours at the Anglican Cathedral in town enjoying a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Oratorio, Elijah.  It’s the best twenty dollars I’ve spent for a long time.  The place was packed out with standing room only.  I managed to find a seat in the very front row within arm’s reach of the conductor – the best place from which to listen to this kind of performance.  It was two hours of being absorbed…

Every now and then I am asked by a disturbed Christian whether he or she might be troubled by an evil spirit.  The answer is, “Yes of course!  We’re all troubled by that embodiment of evil personified – Satan.”  As the Apostle Peter says, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  And this Enemy of our souls certainly has his helpers to trouble us night and day.  C.S. Lewis gives some helpful insights into…

There are several countries where grandparents are known by these titles (although our South African folk do spell the words just a little differently.  I was once in a shop and heard a young child call out, “Oma…!”  When I talked to the grandparents I discovered they were Indonesians.  Many years ago I had some Aussie friends who liked the ring of those titles rather than Gran and Pop so they got their grandchildren to call them Opa and Oma.…

Sleep is important to us for our physical wellbeing.  It’s the time when the body rests and refreshes itself.  A lack of sleep can create huge issues.  For example, a man suffering from “sleep apnea” finds it much more difficult to handle the challenges that the new days brings.  When that is prolonged then depression and mental breakdown are often the consequences.  Sleep is a gift from God, as some translations of Psalm 127 make clear, “He (God) grants sleep…