He finished his coffee, and then Mr Pashalis walked down his driveway and came to where I was sitting. He gazed at me silently. I gazed back with an awkward smile and extended my hand in greeting. He did the same. And he held my hand in a warm and firm handshake. As he looked at me I saw his eyes brimming with tears.

That is what we will be doing in heaven. We will be wearing white robes and waving palm branches before the Lamb. Just as God has planned it. Consecrate yourself and prepare…

So, consecration is no accidental, occasional religious thing. It is a ruthless, intentional commitment to pursue holiness that gives space, cooperation and faithful yielding to our Sanctifier who makes us holy. Which is summed up thus…

“Eagerly”? What can this possibly mean as the cross looms large this night, and Jesus knowing they will all disown Him and flee. Yet, “I have eagerly desired …”

Our freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression – basic human rights, which are NOT explicitly enshrined in the Australian Constitution, by the way – are being systematically and systemically eroded by government. This is not conspiracy theory paranoia – it is happening democratic systems.

Being at table with Jesus challenges our lukewarmness. It rekindles. It refreshes and revives … and it restores. One of the most significant moments in Luke’s Gospel is where Jesus …

Only just recently one man asked me, as we were having a coffee at the local caffeine dispensary, “So what’s in all this for God? What’s in it for Him, if He is the boss of everything? Like, He doesn’t need anything, right?” And that was a very, very good question.

“Why cannot My people pursue holiness – pursue Me – with the same relentless energy as these miners to whom nothing else mattered?”

Sound extreme? I guess to the first-time reader it would seem like that, because we don’t understand holiness. And the central issue in all of this is God’s holiness.

But the big question for me, as I meditated on this passage on my holiday break, was this: “How was this wisdom of God released to the world through Christ?” …

Enjoy this Christmas season and the beautiful worship that is so special as we celebrate the Word become flesh. And remember, as we do so, to pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters – and thank God for that first Hanukkah all those centuries ago. Without it, we wouldn’t have Christmas. Without the Jews, we wouldn’t have Jesus.

Like you I was shocked and horrified at the news of the brutal, evil murders carried out on Bondi Beach, Sydney, on Sunday night. I was deeply, deeply grieved…

So, the issue is not at God’s transmission end, but our receiving end.

Words are important. Words are a necessary means of communication. But sometimes words are not enough.

We are living in a time of great flux in our state and nation. There is great uncertainty, a lack of confidence in governments and institutions, the judiciary, education and so on. The flux is maintained by weak…

This week I was listening to some worship music – I just happened to come across it on YouTube – and by the second verse I realised that it was not really or properly about worship at all, but the writer themselves.

I was overcome by the grace and love of the Father for me in that sacred moment. I prayed for forgiveness, I prayed my thanks and gratitude to my God to whom I owe everything. I repented – started to think differently, too.

Life-changing, irreversible outcomes can begin in Primary School with parents having no say at all. If parents are involved and are deemed to be “unsupportive” by teachers, according to …

The heading for this BLOG is, of course, heavy sarcasm on my part. Of course, black is always black, and white is always white regardless of anyone’s opinion to the contrary. See, opinions don’t change facts and truth no matter how strenuously and persuasively…

When the dignity of another human being is trashed, ripped down and spat upon, mocked, disrespected and cancelled, more of the great reservoir of the sanctity of all human life disappears from us. The result is more fear, more hate and more violence.