Blog

I was chatting with Cameron Eccleston from Baptist World Aid when our conversation turned towards what makes for a healthy, Spirit filled, life-giving church. Cameron visits lots of churches and he always leaves with an impression, imperfect though it be, of their spiritual vitality. The churches that leave Cameron buoyant in faith are not necessarily the biggest churches...

During my recent Sabbatical, Anna and I attended three different churches. I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but at each church, people arrived on time. Our first Sunday was spent at Mortdale-Oatley Baptist Church where my friend, Tim Burns, is Senior Pastor. MOBC is, in many ways, much like Penno. A diverse congregation of over 200 people gathered to worship God and enco...

I'd often go for a walk or run along the track that runs up the headland above East Sands Beach at St Andrews, Scotland. At the height of summer, the track is hedged in by a wild garden brimming with flowers, foliage, and life. A trained horticulturalist would be hard pressed to cultivate a more delightful plot. Blackberries, in flower and with berries in various shades o...

Sunday morning in St Andrew's Scotland; 10:15am and we're off to church. Out the front door, up the road, through the car park, and into the local high school auditorium. Strangers look at us and smile. As we approach the entrance another stranger says hello and holds out a piece of paper. We grab it quickly and enter a large hall with hundreds of chairs and masses of peo...

I've just returned from six weeks Sabbatical and two weeks annual leave, most spent with Anna in Scotland and Belgium. So many thoughts have passed through my mind over the past two months. I hope to share many with you in this column over the next few months. However, one thought stands over all: THIS IS GOD'S WORLD. Humans have been making their mark in Scotland and B...

On the unity we have in God...

A poem about the cross...

About God's knowledge of us and the peace that brings......

Picking up a script, dropping off a violin, meeting with a tradesperson to fix a stove, restocking a fridge, ordering a new book for piano lessons, sorting laundry, checking the mailbox, putting petrol in the tank, posting cards and buying bread and milk. These are all examples of necessities that filled some of my ordinary day this week. If I didn't do these tasks, they...

On being attentive to the people around us......