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8th July is my last Sunday at Penno for two months. The church has graciously offered me six-weeks Sabbatical leave, which I will be combining with two weeks of annual leave starting tomorrow. I'm almost embarrassed to take up the offer, but I also know there is much godly wisdom behind it. We should all practice a regular weekly Sabbath a time of rest from our labour, ...

John Saunders was born in 1806, the son of a London City Alderman, grandson of a London City Alderman. As a young man he was articled to an attorney and became a solicitor. Everything was in place for a successful legal or political career. But God had other plans. Aged 17, John was baptised by immersion and began attending Cold Harbour Lane Baptist Church in Camberwell. ...

There's good days and there's bad days. Sometimes everything comes up roses, other times life is an onion patch. That's the way it is for all of us. No one is immune. Some of us, however, and I don't count myself among them, seem to be able to navigate the troubles of life with a smile on their face and a constantly cheerful heart. Their positive outlook has an enormous i...

She was born in Hong Kong in 1912. Her mother died when she was four and, with the outbreak of World War I, her father was unable to care for her. Her childhood was spent moving from one relatives house to another, sometimes in China, sometimes in Hong Kong, always a burden. She never went to school and never learned to read properly. She married by arrangement at 18 and ...

On Wednesday morning, at the invitation of BaptistCare, I attended the Sydney Prayer Breakfast at Darling Harbour. It started at 6:30am. Myself, along with 1400 others, committed to a very early morning. Guests included NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, former Premier, Mike Baird, former Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, former Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, alon...

I met Mary, an energetic woman with sparkling eyes and an infectious laugh, on my recent holiday. Mary serves in a troubled part of our world. It's dangerous work. She can't speak the language. Being a woman complicates matters more, but she loves her work. She overcomes, I suggested, because love speaks all languages. 'Oh, yes!', she said. And then she told me about her f...

My friends in Central Asia have a farm very close to the national border. To see over the border, you only need to cross the road on their boundary and walk up the edge of an irrigation canal. Then, on the other side, you'll see heavy barbed wire fences, an area set aside as 'no-man's-land', and beyond that the country next door. I was curious. I really wanted to have a l...

No two mothers are the same and nobody is perfect but we thank God for each and every one of you....

What’s your normal go-to when someone asks you "How’re you doing?"...

Spotify Premium! Should I, or shouldn't I? That is the question. Spotify has been my 'go to' music streaming app for the past year or two. It's fine, except for all those annoying ads, with the volume twice the normal level, that keep interrupting my listening pleasure. Of course, it doesn't have to be this way. If I upgrade to Spotify Premium, then, for the low price of ...