thinking honestly about life and faith
Mother's Day—which was today, May 10th in Australia—is for so many people a day of slight discomfort, as we resist the commercialization, yet feel a little guilty, too. We all have a mother, to thank for the gift of life. … Read More »
In the latest Harvard Business Review (April 09) there's a terrific article called 'Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln'. Much is made of the stated intention of President Obama to model his presidency on Abraham Lincoln.The article is based on a … Read More »
I'm working on a sermon, for Lent, week 4, and just now I am reflecting on the Gospel text, John 3. 14-21. One part of this very familiar passage is about people who prefer darkness rather than light. There's something … Read More »
In the aftermath of the recent and horrendous bushfires here in Victoria, Australia, people have been calling for a system of 'early warning'. They want some scheme, perhaps based on mobile telephones, by which the authorities can warn people who … Read More »
At the end of this series comes 'self-control'.In the garden of the Spirit, we find the fruit of self-control. What can this mean?First, this is a huge challenge to all those who see religion as the deprecation of self: 'all … Read More »
The harvest of the Spirit includes gentleness.This is surely a greatly mis-understood idea, supported for example by the imagery of 'gentle Jesus, meek and mild'.It is this kind of thinking that associates faith, or more precisely Christian faith, with weakness, … Read More »
Recently I attended a conference from which I took a number of helpful ideas about leadership, and I to pass them on. The central focus is upon the person, not so much technique and style of leadership.Here are some of … Read More »
In recent weeks I have been thinking that too much of the discussion in ministry and theological circles is about forms of church, worship styles and models of mission, without the primary focus on what Jesus sent his followers to … Read More »
The Spirit nurtures the fruit of faith, to produce faithfulness, or shall we say, 'faith-full-ness'. To understand faithfulness, we need to think about what faith is. There's a lot of confusion here, but if we can get some handles on … Read More »
It's taken me a long time to get to goodness. Is that somehow significant? Maybe I just never wanted to be good! But this is not an individual thing. The Spirit grows goodness, in individuals and communities. There is a … Read More »