I love listening to the news!   I want to know what is happening in the world.   But more and more I question whether or not we can trust the news.   There is so much talk about 'fake news'.   Every newspaper, radio, and/or TV program have their own slant to the news.   Is there news you can trust?  What is news? Some people claim that the English word NEWS is derived from an acronym formed from the words north, east, west, and south.  Hence the word NEWS.   Most likely, however, the orginal sense of the word...

How can we reach the lost for Christ?   The unchurched people in our neighbourhoods.  Our missional vision asks that each congregation consider how they can reach out to unchurched groups in their community.   Is your church thinking about this?   Suggestions are given of the kinds of people we could be reaching:  "unbelieving spouses of church members and the unchurched among single people, professional people, high rise or gated communities, ethnic communities, sports clubs, young people in shopping centres, workers in the hospitality industries, shift workers, the illiterate, young mothers, retired people, and the like;"  So how do we...

Be holy!  The Bible calls us to be holy as God is holy.The Apostle Peter commanded us to be “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15).  This might sound far fetched.   But think about it!   God wouldn’t command us to do something if it were not possible.   On that basis, it must be possible to become holy as God is holy. I grew up in a religious home.   We attended church every Sunday.   We prayed and read the Bible at meal times.   But yet...

Our biggest opportunity for growth in the CRCA is "equipping parents to disciple their own children."   This is what a recent survey* among CRCA youth ministries revealed.   While "Bible teaching" scored as our greatest strength, the priority of family scored lowest.   Most churches do not teach or train parents how to disciple their own children. As churches we have agreed that our key task is "to equip our church members to be disciples of Christ."   We are also committed to align everything we do as a denomination and as churches to "encourage and enable the fulfillment of...

Every mighty oak tree was once a little nut!   Every time I see an oak tree with its massive trunk and thick limbs I am amazed how all of this came from a single acorn seed.  Some years ago a farmer told me I could have the four metre long trunk of an oak tree that had been cut down in the middle of his grain field.  It was over two metres in diameter.  Together with a friend we cut up that tree trunk into furniture grade lumber.   My office desk is one of many pieces of furniture that...

Where you stand determines what you see!   This was the challenge given at the recent Church Summit I attended hosted by McCrindle Research and NCLS (National Church Life Survey).   Both these organizations have done extensive research on church life and culture in Australia, and by listening to them one has lots to learn.  This challenge is really asking you and I to stand in the shoes of the typical Australian.   When we stand in their shoes we begin to see the Christian church from their perspective.   And they have lots to tell us how we can best...

I love using crock-pots!  These slow-cookers are ingenious.  In the morning you pile it full of whatever you want to have for dinner at night.  And slowly but surely after many hours the dinner is ready to be enjoyed.  The food is always delicious, tender, and full of flavour.  But that is not all.  Throughout the entire day the kitchen and surrounds are full of the aroma of the pending meal. I mention crock-pots to highlight a principle about prayer.  One of our goals in the CRCA is to develop a culture of prayer in our churches. In the book City...

Vision never really becomes a reality until there is alignment.   And the key to alignment is the hub.   I know that from the number of motorcycle rebuilds I have done.  We all know about the importance of the rubber tyres.  When the rubber hits the road we are moving along.  And the rim to which the rubber is attached keeps the tyre inflated.  But inflated tyres do not get a pedal bike, motorcycle, or vehicle rolling along!   You need the hub, the centre piece of the wheel.  When the hub functions properly, the entire wheel begins to get...

Sometimes in life you just got to do a rethink!  I did a rethink when I was studied for the ordained ministry.   My course of training was headed toward a study steeped in biblical exegesis.   My goal was set!  I wanted to know the Bible inside and out so I could teach people in the churches I would serve.   It was a great goal.   But midway through my studies I came to understand the gospel in a rich new way!   What it meant to be forgiven.  What it meant to be a disciple of Jesus.  ...

Many people try to climb the ladder of success.   But what about the ladder of prayer?   This is a model of praying that I learned from Alvin Vander Griend in his book Love to Pray.    As churches we are committed to PRAY that there will be such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that people will manifest a godly life!  In my life, in your life, in the life of our churches, and in our community around us.  So what is this prayer ladder? Well, the prayer ladder is based on one of the apostle Paul's prayers as...

Success is more than a suburb in Western Australia. It is something that everybody wants to achieve!  People measure success in terms of accomplishing specific results. It might be wealth, prestige, happiness, or power.  When I think of the pastors I coach and the churches I partner with, I want them to be successful. But how do you measure success? What are the results we are looking for in a successful church? “But wait a minute,” you might say. “Is success really our goal?”   It is true, “immediately, when the word ‘success’ is used . . . many modern Christians...

I have a rule when using an axe:  never chop a piece of wood on a rock.   My grandson Jack knows this rule.  And now he knows why.   He admitted to me after a recent camping trip that he did something he knew he should not do.   He used grandpa's small axe to chop some kindling wood.  And he did it on a rock. The sharp steel edge on the axe was no match for the stone.   A piece of iron chipped off and left a blunt edge.   A lesson well learned!   Jack now knew...

I have learned the importance of consultation.   Getting expert advice!   In our recent annual leave in Canada we had ongoing issues with our Jeep.  The engine light kept going on alerting us of some serious problem.  A couple of mechanics that looked at the vehicle could not figure out what caused the engine alert.  I eventually followed the advice of my mechanic son and brought the Jeep to a Jeep dealer.   With their expert knowledge of Jeeps, within an hour they advised me they had the problem sussed out and no more engine warning light! Whether it vehicles...

Prayer, we say, is our number one task!   As churches we desire to be a church reforming to reach the lost for Christ, and we know this missional outcome must be begun and undergirded by prayerful dependence upon God.   For this reason we make it our priority "to call upon God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that his people will be assured of his love through his Word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world."    The...

I went back to where it all began.   Full-time ministry, that is!    I just returned from my annual leave in Canada, and while we were there on a Sunday we gathered for worship with the people from my first congregation.   Things have sure changed.   Not just the church, but the whole community.   The country town had become an urban sprawl.   The church building had been recently remodelled and updated.   Everyone looked a whole lot older, and so did we.   It was no wonder;  we left that church 33 years ago to plant a...

  Who has influenced your life?   Helped you become who you are today?   Achieve the goals you have reached?   It might be a parent, a father or mother who were good role models in your formative years.  Or a teacher at school.   Her love for poetry and English composition inspired a passion in your life for reading and writing.   As I think back over the six decades of my life I have a long list of people who have influenced me ... for the better.   My mother who had a deep faith and trust in...

 What is the key to church renewal?   Congregational health?  Missional vitality in and through the local church?  I am often asked these questions in my coaching role with pastors, church leaders, and churches.   People are often looking for the 'silver bullet' that will be a fix all for churches.   But while there is no 'silver bullet' there are some key things about church renewal that many people miss.   One of the key things for church renewal that I suggest to church leaders is that they have to lead spiritually. I know how it is.   In our...

I just travelled through the hill-country of South Gippsland in Victoria.   You cannot be unimpressed with the grandeur of the rolling landscape.   And you cannot miss seeing all the cows. They literally dot the hills.   Cattle beyond number on countless hills. As I made my way on these winding roads I was reminded of Asaph's words in Psalm 50:10  "The cattle on a 1000 hills are mine."   These are God's words, and he reminds us that He is not like the gods of the pagans who seemed to thrive on animal sacrifices.  Everything already belongs to Him,...

  Why do you do what you do?   And how do you do it?   The Bible calls us to do good to others.   For example, we read:  "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."  (1 Tim. 6:18)    As Christians we are to "abound in every good work."  (2 Cor. 9:8)   This is what God created us to do:  good works (Eph. 2:10)   This is all an outworking of Jesus' command to "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love...

  Vision is important!   We just installed room darkening shades on our bedroom windows.   They are great for keeping our room dark, especially on those Queensland summer days when the sun is up soon after 4:00 am.    But they are not great for improving vision.   If I need to get up in the middle of the night I find myself fumbling and stumbling about in the dark.    I just cannot see where I am going. This describes a lot of churches.   They cannot see where they are going.  They do not have a picture of...