• Hannah Ploegstra
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• 12 February 2018

“You are so beautiful” could qualify as rank fawning; it could also, given the right circumstances, tone of voice, and context of relationship, serve as a genuine statement of appreciation, gently spurring a weary or discouraged person back into the game.

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• Shirley Mainstone
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• 10 August 2015

Many older people—and some younger ones too—have difficulty sleeping right through the night, spending hours or minutes trying to go to sleep. Many years ago, I was discussing insomnia with Dr Paul White, the famous “Jungle Doctor”. He stated, “If I can’t sleep, I don’t count sheep, I talk to the Shepherd.” The idea fascinated me, as a very frustrating time could then be used for something worthwhile.

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• Andrew Barry
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• 7 August 2015

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he wept bitterly over the people and spoke about the temple’s imminent obliteration, in part because the temple was operating as a “den of robbers” (Luke 19:41-46). The inspection grade was a clear fail!

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• Cassie Watson
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• 8 April 2019

When you have a front-row seat to the whole wedding planning process, you are reminded how important it is to pray for the couple awaiting their big day. But I also noticed some wider trends that warrant reflection in ourselves and in our churches.

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• Peter Chubb
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• 28 July 2015

When learning to pray, children (and adults!) often fall into a rut. They use the same words and pray the same things every time. I came up with an idea to help, to make praying fun, and to prompt the people praying to consider more things to pray about.

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• Mark Gilbert
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• 27 July 2015

The Royal Commission will certainly challenge people’s trust in the institution of the Church, whether that be Catholic, Anglican or otherwise. And that is not a bad thing, if, instead of to the Church, we are able to point people’s trust toward the promises of Jesus and him alone.

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• John McClean
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• 24 July 2015

We’ve looked at the implications of the doctrine of inspiration for reading the Bible. Since the Bible is God’s word, we don’t read it ‘just like any other book’. We reverence it as we revere God. We can’t understand the Bible without knowing the Author. We receive every part of the Bible as God’s word, no picking and choosing. This final discussion of inspiration focuses on the unity of the Bible.

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• Sandy Grant
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• 22 July 2015

Catch up on the Christian news and thought of the week. This week: the revelation of the sale of body parts from aborted infants; church planting that distracts from evangelism; prayers for the tempted and wayward; points for protecting a marriage.

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• Phillip Jensen
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• 14 July 2015

Passports are really important. You can’t enter the kingdom of heaven with the wrong one. You can’t use anybody else’s passport. You have to have your own. It must be current. It must not be a fake or forgery. It must be recognised by the government. Without the right passport there is no entry into God’s kingdom.

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• Peter Tong
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• 13 July 2015

If the human-centered approach to serving in church doesn’t happen to be the one you want to foster, then perhaps you could try these tips for encouraging a cross-shaped mindset for ministry.

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