According to the Commonwealth Bank, Australians are set to spend more than $7.9 billion this year on Christmas gifts. Here are three ways we could collectively better spend this money. 1. Reinstate our spending on global poverty. The Federal Government has slashed $656 million from this...
Who Needs A Happy Christmas Anyway?
This year when I wish people a happy Christmas, this is what I will mean. I wish you the deep happiness that comes from knowing and being known by your Creator; that comes from living thankfully, acting hopefully, and loving lavishly as you join your God in creating a world where injustice yields...
The Fine Line Between Monsters and Heroes. On the Passing of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela, the greatest statesmen of the past fifty years, passed away this morning. He will be eulogised, lionised, and turned into a god. Yet what strikes me about Mandela was his vivid awareness of his humanity, his humble recognition that he was just a man like any other. As he wrote in...
My Most Popular Posts
I started this blog in January 2012, and this is post 200. Thanks to Google analytics I am able to track which have been the most read. Here’s the top 5. 1. “Wives, submit to your husbands”. Why We Mistakenly Assume This is God’s Word to Us Today 2. Dancing with the Devil. Nestle, Chocolate...
Good to be alive
I’m on the train travelling from Sydney home to Newcastle. The sun is shining as we pass over a shimmering Hawkesbury river. The music of Mumford and Sons plays through my headphones. And I can’t help but feel it’s good to be alive. There are some significant challenges in my life...
It’s a little obscene
What sort of crazy planet is it when 8% of the global population own 83% of global wealth, and 69% of the world population own just 3% of its wealth?
Source data: Credit Suisse Global Wealth Data Report 2013
Should Scott Morrison be Charged with Child Abuse?
Federal Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is guilty of child abuse and should be reported to the Department of Child Protection, says the Australian Medical Association (AMA) of the Northern Territory. The legality of making such a report is being investigated by the AMA, “not as a...
Putting Jesus in Detention
What’s a parent to do? A murderous tyrant sits upon the throne and ruthlessly crushes all opposition. Drunk with power, he even assassinates three of his children whom he fears will try to usurp him. The message is clear: no-one is safe. The tryant maintains a network of informers, which means a...
Where is God When Typhoons Strike
The devastation in the Philippines is overwhelming. Houses flattened. Massive loss of life. Pain and grief. So where was God when all this was happening? This question gets asked over and over in the Bible. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” cries the Psalmist. “O Lord...
Putting Sin in its Place in Proclaiming the Gospel
Yesterday’s post, Why We Need Less Preaching on Sin and More on Possibility, generated some comment about where preaching sin does come in. Here are some thoughts; There are three realities about human beings: 1) we are amazing creatures made in the image of God, capable of heroic acts of love...