Learning to follow Jesus in 21st Century Australia
On the last Saturday in September this year, the Brisbane Lions football club won their third Australian Football League (AFL) premiership in a row. Achieving the three-peat hasn’t been easy for the club. Ten years ago, they were sitting at the bottom of the AFL ladder with poor membership numbers and low attendances at their... Continue Reading →
Most church communities have something that they are known for. For example, a lot of churches in the Barossa Valley are known for having old, beautiful buildings. The reputation of other churches can be based on a particular worship style, a ministry, a musical instrument like a pipe organ, or other things they have or... Continue Reading →
Do you ever change your mind? We all make lots of decisions in our lives. Some of these might be small things about what we will eat, what we will wear, or how we will spend the day. Other decisions can be more significant and shape the course of our lives such as what careers... Continue Reading →
Most people think the story of Jonah is being obedient to God. It is common to hear the story explained something like this: God told Jonah to go to Ninevah; Jonah wanted to do his own thing instead so caught a boat in the opposite direction; when the sailors threw Jonah overboard because of the... Continue Reading →
Just about every Australian adult lives with a certain amount of debt. For some, it might be a credit card debt of a few thousand dollars. For others, it might be a personal loan for a car, motorbike or overseas trip that could take years to repay. A lot of people have home loans or... Continue Reading →
Transformers is a media franchise that includes toys, animated television shows, comics and movies which feature robots in disguise. These robots have the ability to change or transform into other things such as cars, airplanes, animals and even dinosaurs. Transformers began with a line of toys in the mid-1980s that you could change from their... Continue Reading →
There are times in life when we all need help. Sometimes, problems can be so big that we can’t see our way through them, or we can’t resolve them by ourselves. These are the times when we can look to someone we trust and who has what’s needed to take care of our problems for... Continue Reading →
I find it fascinating to listen to the different ways that moviemakers represent the voice of God. For example, in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, when God speaks, he has a deep, booming, authoritative voice. In Bruce Almighty, Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of God has a warm, friendly, almost jovial tone. In Kevin Smith’s movie... Continue Reading →
A long-standing tradition in a lot of church communities is the shared lunch. Many of us will remember halls full of people with long tables overflowing with casseroles, sandwiches, and homemade pies, pasties and sausage rolls, followed by delicious cakes, slices and cream-filled desserts. They were times when people would connect, talk about their lives... Continue Reading →
Over the last few months, we have witnessed a transformation of the Barossa landscape. The hard, dry ground of summer has come alive with new growth as we have been blessed with better rain than we have had in recent years. It is amazing to see the change that good rain brings to the country... Continue Reading →
