Have you ever wondered about what church would be like for God? I don’t mean if God was to rock up to your local church one Sunday morning. But what would it look like for God to sit in on all the local gatherings going on at once? This idea has been tickling my imagination … Read more
So often Jesus’ words seem to be contradictions. He brings a gospel of opposites. Everything is upside-down, backwards, and the opposite of what it should be. He says, ‘The last shall be first’ (Mark 10:31). Give if you want to receive (Luke 6:38). Living means giving up your life (Matt. 10:39). To be a leader, … Read more
Sometimes words echo throughout history. Followers of Jesus have repeatedly cried out “Come, Lord Jesus.” It has been a consistent refrain. But it’s not one I hear often as I survey Australian Christianity today. However this short phrase is one of the most significant things we can ever say. The oppressed know the cry “Come, … Read more
One aspect of popular theology concerning the end times is the rapture but I’m not sure that it is a Biblical concept. Perhaps the most popular understanding of the rapture is that Christ will return and take his followers back to heaven before a time of trouble and judgement before returning again to reign. I … Read more
This week the area where I live has been hit by storms. The have been multiple and they have been fierce. Trees have been uprooted, there has been flash flooding and for the best part of a week we have been without electricity, as have many others. This tree was in a field by the … Read more