Church Father stated that martyrs are the living seeds of the church. Jesus said those persecuted on account of him will be blessed. This week we explore this outrageous claim. We also hear the stories of four 'ordinary radicals', Saint patrick, Elizabeth of Thuringa, George Fox and Caroline Chisholm. Listen in...Download Beatitudes Four
Roman Emperors were known as 'peacemakers' and 'sons of God'. Jesus spoke a different reality. He said his followers would be the true peacemakers and that the peace they have and offer is a peace that lasts. The world cannot understand it nor take it away. Listen in...Download Beaititdues Three
Jesus embodied 'right living' - that is, how its is possible for us to live in peace and harmony with God and each other. Such righteousness should be our goal. Jesus say we are blessed when we hunger and thirst for it. Listen in as Melissa Lipsett shares more...Download Beatitudes Two
G.K. Chesterton said that a paradox is 'a truth standing on its head demanding attention.' Jesus taught numerous paradoxical truths. The last will be first, those who die will live, it is more blessed to give rather than receive. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount contains nine paradoxical truths we know as the Beatitudes - blessings. This week we explore the first three, and most especially Jesus' assertion that those who mourn will be comforted. Listen in...Download Beatitudes One
The Sermon in the Mount is the greatest message ever preached. It has challenged, provoked, encouraged and disturbed countless numbers of the curious and committed. It speaks of another world, and yet is grounded in this world. It is mine of inspiration, challenge, instruction and encouragement. We introduce our exploration of this wonderful teaching by asking ourselves, to whom do we give authority? Listen in...Download Matthew 5-1,2
Last week we celebrated our church's anniversary; this week we celebrated the church's birthday. Almost two thousand years ago the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' disciples gathered in an upper room and animated them is such a way they becamea community of transformation. The world can never be the same again. We stand with other spirit-filled communities across the ages and seas in proclaiming the good news of the gospel. Celebrate as you reflect on the words Melissa Lipsett brings us...Download Pentecost 2009
Fifteen years ago four small congregations came together to pioneer a new church in a new place. That church was Robina-Surfers Paradise Uniting Church, now Newlife Uniting Church. We celebrated our anniversary by celebrating new life and faith through baptism. We also reflected on the lay-down love love that God has for us, and he calls us to have for the world. Listen in...Download Church Anniversary 2009
In introducing my message this last Sunday I commented on those things which have changed markedly over the last decades. By way of illustration I read excerpts of the following instructions derived from a 1954 (American) Home Economics text book. I should say this is not our church's position on gender roles in the home!
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.
Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
Jesus said some confronting things to his disciples, like ýou will always have the poor with you.' (Mark 14:7). It sounds, out of context, callous and uncaring. But Jesus announced his ministry by assuming the words of Isaiah that he was proclaiming Good News to the poor. The church, as the Body of Christ, should speak and live this Good News. Listen to to find out more...Download Good news to the poor
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. (verse 2)
What is there to say about this most famous of psalms? There is not a word wasted; not a thought expressed that is not full of meaning and promise.
In my mind's eye I picture David writing this psalm after a particular harrowing period of his life. Perhaps in a quiet moment as he is pursued by Saul and his men, or when the affairs of state crowd his thoughts after he has assumed the throne. Whenever David wrote this psalm, it is clearly written out of hard-won experience. He is not expressing some theory; this is testimony.
My thoughts are many; my anxiety and worry sometimes palpable. I write this reflection after a restless night's sleep before the son has come up over the horizon. To lie down in the grass and stare lazily at the sun, or to meditate on the stillness of quiet waters is the longing of my soul. David's words challenge me. They challenge me to cast all my cares on to the Lord who is my Shepherd. They challenge me to make every thought captive to the One who is with me always.
Timothy Keller: The Reason for God
Had heard a lot about this book and have finally bought it. Read the first chapter and am impressed. Stay tuned!
Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers: The Story of Success
Just finished this book. Wonderful articulation of the 10,000 hour principle and cultural legacies. Stimulating and relevant.
N. T. Wright: Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
Gold! This book is full of wonderful, life-affirming truth that is at the heart of the gospel; that God has a plan for the future of our world that is full of hope and promise. I read it slowly and prayerfully and loved every moment.
Dallas Willard: The Spirit of the Disciplines - Reissue : Understanding How God Changes Lives
An absolute classic. Argues persuasively and pastorally for the necessity of a disciplined inward life on the road to spritual wholeness. This book changed my life.
Tim Winton: Cloudstreet
Uniquely Australian. Funny, magical, heart-wrenching and deeply insightful - Cloudstreet takes the reader over a roller-coaster of emotions as it recounts the story of one family and its struggles to overcome.
Donald Miller: Blue Like Jazz
Full of whimsical prose, Blue Like Jazz reads just like a book should when its pages have been formed in coffee-shop coversations. Miller shares vignettes, conversations, inward musings from a life searching after God.
Mike Yaconelli: Messy Spirituality : Christianity for the Rest of Us
If you ever thought that the spiritual life was only for those with super-human levels of discipline, patience and self-control, then read this book. As the title suggests, real spirituality is lived out in the messy ordinariness of our everyday lives. Life-giving in every way.
