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Dear Lord, I went to Penshurst the other day. I'd never been to Penshurst before. It's just next to Hurstville and Oatley and Beverly Hills. How is it that I've managed to miss Penshurst all these years? I saw lots of people in Penshurst, which is, I suppose, to be expected. How is it, Lord, that although I know next to nothing about Penshurst, you have an intimate knowl...

Last October the Baptist Association organised a church planting and evangelism conference in Nelson Bay. Given our 'Towards 2020' goal to 'Raise up and send team/s for strategic Kingdom growth', I thought I should go. Perhaps I'd learn something, but mostly I wanted to network. I really didn't want to attend. I figured I'd be hanging out with groovy church planting types...

We are people who believe, at the core of our being and values, in the hope of resurrection. We celebrate Easter, not as an extended public holiday, but as an affirmation of the promise of new life. Jesus was crucified for our sin. On Friday afternoon He breathed his last. His body was hastily embalmed and placed in a rock tomb. A large stone was rolled over the entrance, ...

On our recent holiday, our family spent considerable time walking through lush, green Kiwi bush. Kauris, Tawas, and Rimus towered overhead, bedecked with epiphytes, as we wandered through a forest floor clogged with fernery in all shapes and sizes. Every now and then we would see the brilliant white underside of New Zealand's national emblem, the Silver Fern, lying amongs...

Some of you may have seen the first episode of the SBS documentary 'Christian Like Us' that aired last week. For those who haven't, imagine a documentary wanting to show "Modern Australian Christianity". Having watched episode 1, I can't help but feel the producers were only really interested in promoting "socially-acceptable religion". True, condensing a week of live foo...

Last Sunday our Church family welcomed new members and farewelling Christine Dillon as she prepares to leave for Taiwan. As I looked at the new members, I cannot help but wonder "how did you become a follower of Christ, who was your encourager?" If each one would write their story for our weekly bulletin we could get to know them better. I looked over at Christine and wo...

Dallas Willard, best-selling Christian author and academic, was a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California for 47 years. During that time, he must have engaged in countless discussions with brash, young university students. John Ortberg shared one of those interactions as he gave a tribute at Dallas Willard's funeral in 2013: In one of his classes...

Leah has been working as a vet for the past three years. University Vet School, whilst invaluable, must be a million miles away from the reality of handling needy animals and their anxious, wallet restrained owners, week in and week out. No doubt Leah has learnt a lot. So I asked her: 'What have you learnt from the animals?' I was expecting something like 'Their remarkabl...

The Apostle Paul was the greatest missionary the world has ever seen. Called by the Lord Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, gifted and prepared by God, Paul travelled the Roman Empire preaching the gospel and starting churches wherever he went. These churches, in turn, grew into Spirit filled communities that proclaimed the Lordship of Jesus and served their neighbours i...

Anna and I were in Scotland when I finally finished a heavy non-fiction book I had been lugging around. I decided my next book would be a light, non-confrontational piece of fiction. So off to the bookshop I go. Before long I'm pouring over shelves and displays, looking at titles and authors and cover designs. Nothing grabs my attention. So off to another bookshop, and an...