Anyone who has bought furniture in recent times will probably be familiar with a flatpack. If you have never heard of a flatpack, when people purchase an item, such as a bookshelf or an entire kitchen, it will come with a set of instructions for the purchaser to follow so they can assemble the product... Continue Reading →
Following Jesus (Matthew 16:21-28)
Most of us would be familiar with the game ‘follow the leader.’ In this game, children follow someone and imitate the leader’s actions. If the leader jumps, everybody jumps. If the leader skips, everybody skips. If the leader runs or stops, everybody runs or stops. The goal of the game is to copy exactly what... Continue Reading →
Walking on Water (Matthew 14:22-33)
Each year, millions of Australians flock to the beach to enjoy the sun, surf, and sand. At a lot of beaches, we can find red and yellow flags with people near them wearing the same colours. They are the surf lifesavers who patrol many beaches to watch over people and keep us safe when we... Continue Reading →
Wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-31)
Australians have been treated to a feast of sport over the couple of months. We had an enthralling Ashes Test Cricket series, the Tour de France cycling, Wimbledon tennis, the World Swimming Championships, and are still in the middle of the Women’s World Cup Soccer. At the same time, closer to home, we have been... Continue Reading →
Old and New Treasure (Matthew 13:52)
In all of Creation, one of the most beautiful and diverse things God has made is music. Every culture since the dawn of time has had its own form of music. In our own time, we have an incredible diversity of forms of music, from classical to rock, from pop to country, jazz, blues, punk,... Continue Reading →
Hope in Suffering (Romans 8:12-25)
Most people in Australia have been blessed with the opportunity to travel. Some people’s travels might be within the state in which they live, or they might explore other parts of our beautiful country, or, in recent decades, international travel has given people the chance to travel to parts of the world that many of... Continue Reading →
Rest (Matthew 11:25-39)
Many people who grew up in the church might remember going on church picnics. In some congregations, everyone in the church community would meet at a park or in someone’s paddock, worship in the open air, share a meal together, and then spend the afternoon playing games. Some of these games may have included sack... Continue Reading →
Finding Life (Matthew 10:24-39)
There is a scene in the original Cars animated movie where the main character, Lightning McQueen, is trying to turn a corner on a dirt race-track just outside of the town of Radiator Springs. Every time he tries to turn the corner, his wheels lose their grip in the gravel, and he ends up off... Continue Reading →
Unwavering Faith (Romans 4:13-25)
For the last few weeks I've seen a jigsaw puzzle in the bargain bin outside of our local newsagent. It's a 1000-piece puzzle with dozens of Marvel superheroes as the picture. What intrigues me most about this puzzle is the claim at the top right-hand side of the box saying that it is an ‘impossible... Continue Reading →
Making Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)
Just about every day, most of us go somewhere. There might be days when we just like to stay at home and not go anywhere special, or our mobility might be limited and we might not be able to go where we would like as often as we might hope to, but in one way... Continue Reading →