One of my most vivid childhood memories is of a house close to ours that burnt down. One day it was there.One night it burned. The next day all that was left was a smouldering, smoking shell of a house. From a home to a burnt down house. I remember my childlike fascination with the …
Don’t look back in anger
The British rock band Oasis were HUGE in 1996. It was my first year of university, and every bar, club and campus hangout was playing Oasis. Or so it seemed! Their music was anthemic. Thrilling. Stirring. Rousing. Shimmering guitars blossoming into dramatic choruses. It was music that defined a new, wondrous time of opportunity. A …
Questions for God
My son Caleb is 6 years old, and he has an exhaustingly enquiring mind. He listens carefully to information and then begins to process it by analysing and questioning what he has been told. And, he invents his own set of impossible questions by connecting seemingly random concepts. What’s the weakest thing in the world- …
Water in the Ship
“All the water in all the oceans can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside.” Eugene Petersen. Nothing in the ocean of life around us can sink us, unless we let it get inside of us. When illness comes, or anxiety grips us, or conflict rocks our relationships, it’s easy to come to the conclusion …
Stormy Seas and Rainbows
I took this picture while on a run in Adelaide. My mind was focused on the run and for a long time, all I noticed was the stormy sea. But, when I stopped for a rest and lifted my head, I suddenly saw the rainbow. The stormy sea. A picture of turbulence and trial. It …
Fake Grass
I saw a sign the other day at the nursery. It was advertising artificial lawn. Fake grass. “No mowing. No watering. No mess.” the sign said. It looked great! No inconvenience. And no care needed. Neat. Tidy. But fake. There’s so much fake grass around us, isn’t there? Our world seems enamoured with the pursuit …
It’s always unfinished. And what to do about it.
Recently I was chatting with an old friend, a wise man who lives his life very closely connected to Jesus. I was sharing with him how overwhelmed I felt at the various challenges I was facing at the time. As I reflect, it probably sounded like a self-lamenting pity party. I realise that sometimes I …
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What to do when you are facing a big decision
Should I stay in my current job, or change employers? Start that new business? End this relationship now, or wait to see if things improve? Should I study further? Or start working? Or both? Should I buy that house? Or have another child? Big decisions. Ever been there? Of course you have. Me too. So, …
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The power of a pause
There’s an interesting word in Scripture. “Selah” It’s found 71 times in the Psalms, and 3 times in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. There is some uncertainty about the exact meaning of Selah. Some commentators believe it came from the word Salah, to pause. Selah. Stop, pause, and think about it. The practice of …