Not everyone is like you. I hope that doesn’t come as a surprise! Sure, they might look like you. They might have the same number of arms and legs. Yet other people see the world in a wildly different way to what you do. That is due to all kinds of factors, including culture, age, …
If you’ve grown up in the West, honour and shame are probably not things that impact you very much. Westerners are not known for feeling shame deeply. If you do something embarrassing, that’s unfortunate but not that bad. If it’s funny, it may well end up on YouTube! Those who have grown up in the …
I want you to picture a scene. A couple have been married for over twenty years. They have been through good times and bad and have remained together. Theirs is a long and happy relationship. One day, the husband says to his wife over breakfast, “Dear, we know each other really well. I love you …
While I was on annual leave, my wife and I decided to visit a few different churches in a few different church traditions. Having been part of the Presbyterian tradition now for a long time, we thought it would be good to see a broader spectrum of the churches in Perth. We also thought it …
One of my main jobs is as a preacher. I have the privilege of explaining and applying God’s word to people most weeks of the year. As an organised person, I plan my preaching programme well in advance. I can tell you which sermon series I am preaching for every Sunday in 2021, and in …
In 1 Kings 12, King Jeroboam decided to set up a new religion. He set up golden calves to worship as well as installing his own priesthood and festival system. We are told that he did this for political reasons, but it appealed to the people for a range of reasons: It was more convenient. …
If you’d like to know more about the Bible, where can you start? It’s a big book. Sometimes the size of the Bible intimidates us and we never actually start reading because we don’t know how to do it. Here are some useful principles you should consider so that Bible reading actually happens instead of …
If you ask any Christian what the order of priorities is in their life, they will probably reply that Jesus comes first. Then family, then work, then everything else. It sounds like the right answer. It is easy to say and perhaps we will sound kind of virtuous when we do say it. But is …
What to wear is not the deepest or most pressing question that preachers need to keep in mind as they prepare to open God’s word with his people. The most important issue is being faithful to the Biblical text, followed by usefully applying that text to the specific congregation of people they are preaching to. …
The Pharisees were the serious religious people of their day. They took morality seriously, they had the utmost respect for the law, and they were part of God’s historic chosen people. In other words, they thought they were the good guys. And so did a lot of other people. Yet, in Matthew 12, after a …