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

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,Romans 14:17Joy is something we take for granted I reckon. We feel entitled to happiness. We expect pleasure and for life to be filled with gladnessIt’s worth seeing that this isn’t entirely rational. From an evolutionary/physics perspective, we live in a chaotic world of random ch...  Read More

Q. 105. What do we pray for in the fifth petition?A. In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.Westminster Shorter CatechismHave you ever been wronged? Hurt? Treated unfairly? H...  Read More

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.Judges 21:25A few weeks ago the ABC asked people a question, “Should we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger?” What do you reckon?It’s an amazing question for one because it means we are no longer asking - can we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger. But as responders to the ABC article show, this new technology raises some ethical questions. To p...  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

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and tremblingPhilippians 2:12Is salvation simply a matter of believing or even ‘making a decision for Christ’? Paul reminds us that salvation is a matter of ongoing faith.We must continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The ...  Read More

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