Honest prayer lifts us to the one who can help.
There was a time when people turned to God in disasters. “How can God allow this?” they asked, sometimes in anger. Now technology lets us recognize the wave before it hits, so people place their trust in medicine and governments to save us. Technology is useful, but it isn’t our security.
Let’s encourage each other to look higher: Continue reading “Lament and hope: when life feels patchy”
Staying afloat?
You might be sick of hearing about a tiny virus threatening our way of life: health, economy, sport, travel, theatres, cafes, pubs, even churches.
How do you find peace in troubled times? Continue reading “Peace in troubled times”
The Lord’s Prayer. Free evening course in Perth, Western Australia
Want to be intentional about prayer? Want to pray in partnership with what God wants?
Join me for six Monday evenings here in Perth, as we learn from Jesus how to pray. Continue reading “Developing your prayer life”
The noise of our world makes it hard for us to hear what Jesus was saying. Even in the most familiar bits, we miss his message.
Here’s an example of from a best-selling author:
Continue reading “The Lord’s Prayer as Jesus’ kingdom vision”
When God doesn’t do what you expect.
Open Matthew 11:1-6.
Matthew 11:2-3 (my translation)
2 In prison, John heard what the Messiah was doing and sent his followers 3 to ask him, “Are you the one to come, or do we wait for another?”
Last year I was in a Masters-level class on the kingdom of God. Dr Tidball asked us, “So why did John the Baptist doubt if Jesus was the Messiah?” How could the greatest of all prophets — the one privileged to announce the arrival of the Messiah — doubt if Jesus was the Messiah? Continue reading “Disillusioned with Jesus? (Matthew 11:1-6)”
Why does Jesus invite us to call God our Father?
Jesus’ favourite word of God isn’t YHWH. It’s Father. That’s new. Why?
Christians in evangelical traditions kneel much less than we used to. Have we lost something?
Open Matthew 8:2.
As Jesus stepped down from this inaugural address on the kingdom, an outcast with a disease that prevented him being part of the community came and knelt before Jesus with a request. Why did he kneel? Should we kneel? What does it mean? Why do we rarely kneel anymore? Continue reading “Why kneel?”
