Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and ...  Read More

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earthAnd in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our LordWho was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin MarySuffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hellThe third day he rose again from the deadHe ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father AlmightyFrom thence he shall...  Read More

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 16:33I wrote this blog several hours after reading of an incident between a Russian jet fighter and a U.S. drone in the Black Sea. A few days later, the Sydney Morning Herald rattled many in Australia with an editorial piece arguing for Australia to ...  Read More

Q. 104. What do we pray for in the fourth petition?A. In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread, we pray that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them.Westminster Shorter CatechismDo you love food? I think most people do. It really is an amazing thing to think about, particularly in how God prov...  Read More

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”Acts 10:1-3If you have spent any time defending the Ch...  Read More

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earthAnd in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our LordWho was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin MarySuffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hellThe third day he rose again from the deadHe ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father AlmightyFrom thence he shall...  Read More

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17There will be troubles in life. Some will be big and some will be small. Some we bring on ourselves. Some are brought on by others. Many will feel out of our control. When these times come we are reminded of our frailty, our weakness, our lack of power.The great privilege of the Christian is that w...  Read More

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus ChristPhilippians 3:20In many countries of the world, Australia has an embassy. A place within a place. For those who work there, they live a dual existence. They are Australians, working for Australia but living in a foreign nation. Outside the walls, embassy workers must abide by local customs and cultures...  Read More

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earthAnd in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our LordWho was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin MarySuffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hellThe third day he rose again from the deadHe ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father AlmightyFrom thence he shall...  Read More

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,1 Peter 1:3We were at the dentists and the kids were one by one getting their teeth check and cleaned. I was reading a book while one of the kids was on the chair when someone said - there’s something wrong with the secreta...  Read More

Q. 103. What do we pray for in the third petition?A. In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.Westminster Shorter CatechismThe idea of someone getting their own way in everything is a concerning thought. We think of t...  Read More

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you;    never will I forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5As I write the front cover of the Sydney Morning Herald is dominated by the conversation around poker machines. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that in any given month approx. 40% of Australians will participa...  Read More