One Percent and One Degree Can Make All The Difference...
One percent improvement can have a dramatic impact on overall performance while one degree variation from a course can have dire consequences... [More]
The Greatest Christian Essayist - F.W. Boreham...
Chances are you've heard an illustration written by F.W. Boreham, but the chances are greater that you've never actually heard of F.W. Boreham! He is now regarded as the greatest Christian essayist of all time. His books written nearly a century ago, are now desperately sought collector items even selling for up to $1000 for rarest editions! What Boreham wrote was profound. The way he wrote was genius. The impact he had was immense. [More]
Nearly Right Is Wrong...
The couple had had a whirlwind romance. Back in the days before email, well-wishers used telegrams to convey their delight to a newly married couple. Some friends thought it would be nice to encourage these newly weds as they embarked on their Honeymoon with a poetic verse of Scripture. They went to the Post Office and asked for a telegram be sent to the Honeymooners with "1 John 4:18". The Postal Clerk however left off the "1" and simply put "John 4:18". When the groom received the telegram from his bride's friends he was dumbfounded. That telegram ruined Honeymoon! [more]
Finding A Church...
Daniel Brown (not Mr DaVinci Code) was the trusted assistant pastor to Jack Hayford in L.A. California. This church is renowned for its stability and long-term membership. When Daniel Brown left to take over his own church in another city he expected that he could repeat what his famous mentor had done. But what he discovered in his first year of pastoring this 600-member church was that 400 people left! But simultaneously, 400 new people were added! The “Times, they are a changin’!” According to Barna Research, one in seven Christians have left their church and are currently looking for a new church... [more]
The Last Words of An Executed Apostle...
Peter, the chief apostle of Christ, was brutally executed by Caesar Nero, the first century tyrannical dictator, widely regarded by most Bible scholars to be the "Beast" referred to in the first part of Revelation 13. Before he died, he wrote to Christians urging them to live fully-devoted-to-Christ lives. In case people were uncertain how this looked, he specifically listed (with a bluntness that perhaps only the way a man who knows he was about to die can state) the things that genuine Christians should do. Consider one of his lists found in 1Peter 4:7-14... [more]
Insidious Battling...
At some stage throughout your life you will have been robbed and deceived. The Enemy has done it! Jesus revealed this in a parable about the spread of the Kingdom. As the riches of God are invested into you through preaching, teaching and sharing of the Word of God, Satan comes to steal it through deception. Please don’t think that because you are a Christian you are immune to deception. If you do, then maybe I am too late... [more]
Getting Organised...
Kim and I are now into our 11th year of pastoring this church. Over that time we have seen people come and go and lately come and stay. Over the course of last year we were blessed to have more people come than go. There is at this time a wonderful sense of peace and unity in the church which we need to guard. Much of this has come about because we have submitted to God's Word and Spirit and allowed Him to change us into the image of Christ. This has resulted in many of us learning to love, understand, make allowances for, and get along with others who may be quite different to us. If we are to grow into what God has for us this expression of Christlikeness must continue. It is really what the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) is all about. Its also at the heart of Romans 12 where it says that God brings people together with different gifts and abilities and makes them one. Within that same passage it says that we are to outdo our love for each other and honour one another (Rom. 12:10). Therefore, when God blesses or honours someone in our fellowship, we rejoice (Rom. 12:15). And while we have grown both numerically and spiritually, in order for us to continue to do so we need to drive further into God's Word for help... [more]
Men Are Afraid...
"The same sort of thing goes on Sunday mornings, its just a different set of rules. Dave runs into Bob in the church lobby. Both are wearing their happy faces, though neither is happy at all. 'Hey, Bob, how are ya?' Bob is actually furious at his wife and ready to leave her, but he says, 'Great, just great, Dave. The Lord is good!' Dave, on the other hand, hasn't believed in the goodness of God for years, ever since his daughter was killed. 'Yep- God is good, all the time. I'm just so glad to be here, praising the Lord.' 'Me too. Well, I'll be praying for you!' I would love to see a tally of the numbers of prayers actually prayed against the number of prayers promised. I bet its about one in a thousand. 'And I'll be praying for you too. Well, gotta go! You take care.' 'Take care' is our way of saying, 'I'm done with this conversation and I want to get out of here but I don't want to appear rude so I'll say something that sounds meaningful and caring,' but in truth, Dave doesn't give a rip about Bob." ("Wild At Heart", John Eldredge) [more]
The Little Things...
The last thing that Jesus told His disciples to do was to win the world for Him. That's a pretty big task. But in one of the last parables that Jesus told, He urged His disciples to be faithful in looking after the "little things"... [more]