When I go to see a doctor, while I hope they have a genuine heart to see people healed, I also hope they have a medical degree and have been trained according to approved professional standards. Same when I go to a dentist. It’s nice if they have a passion to see everyone with good…
DetailsA lot of people these days tell me they are “blessed”. It’s become the default reaction to anything positive that has happened to them like receiving some windfall, gaining a promotion at work, or simply getting a car park nearer the store entry. Such usage now tends to lead us to associate “blessing” with some…
DetailsI know that this year has been an extremely challenging one for everyone. For the majority of the year, we’ve been living with the fear and anxiety over the international pandemic. We are painfully aware of all the things we couldn’t do as we would have liked to have done. We think of all the…
DetailsAs Christians we are commanded to love God and one another. The naturally occurring question arising from this is, “How do we show love?” If we believe advertisements, we might have to buy expensive gifts of jewellery. Maybe we need to be lavishing flowers, wine and chocolates on one another? Perhaps we should reserve a…
DetailsGod, it seems, is not without a sense of humour. The theme for this week is Joy and when I looked at the readings set down for today, I laughed out loud at the instructions of Paul to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances”. Are you kidding me, after the…
DetailsEvery year, on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. While we Australia don’t celebrate this day itself, I find that we do join in with some of the other aspects of the holiday namely the shopping festivals known as “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday”. Last week I think that every shop I have…
DetailsI think we could all use some hope these days. It’s been a very difficult year as we have faced dreadful bushfires and are now suffering through a global pandemic that has completely upended our lives. Just when we thought things were getting better, we had an outbreak, and we were locked down to give…
DetailsWe’re right in the middle of exam season just now and I feel sorry for those students in Year 12 and University. I clearly remember my going through this myself and I know it’s a stressful time. You wonder what areas of the subject will be in the exam and what the questions will be…
DetailsHow often have you spent the day waiting for a parcel to be delivered? You’ve ordered something and you get the email or text to say it is going to come today and so, because you have to sign for it, you have to wait for it to come. Think of all the things you…
DetailsWoody Allen famously remarked that he was not afraid of dying, he’d just prefer not to be around when it happened. While it’s a funny one liner, I think it gives voice to an extremely common conception around death. Death is seen as the final ending of everything and, as humans, it’s something we all…
DetailsI once knew of a builder who only ever drove a top of the range Mercedes regardless of how well the business was doing. His logic was simple. If he drove an expensive car, it meant he must be successful. If he was successful, it meant he had to be good. If he was good,…
DetailsI was thinking this week of the story of the fox and the crow which is commonly attributed as one of Aesop’s fables. In it, a crow finds a piece of cheese and flies off to a branch of a tree in order to eat it. A fox however wants the cheese and begins to…
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