Terms and conditions
The terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the multinational tech company, Apple, have been the subject of controversy. The T&Cs length, complexity, and potential to be used to entrench Apple’s market power have led to serious criticism. Can we compare Apple’s T&Cs to the T&Cs God put in around the “apple” of the Garden of Eden? (more…)
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The paradox of the cross
What does the death penalty have to do with love? The crucifix was a brutal means of capital punishment in the ancient Roman empire. Death by crucifixion could take between 6 hours and 4 days resulting from excessive bleeding, dehydration or progressive suffocation. It was an extremely painful and shameful way to die, inflicted upon those considered repugnant. And yet today we hang pretty crosses from our ears and necks, tattoo them into our skin, hang them on our walls – bejeweled, ornamental, celebrated. (more…)
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Clean forever
Sometimes getting dirty can be fun. Painting, cooking, gardening, sport, can all be activities we do for fun that may get us a little messy. Sometimes getting clean can be fun. Having a shower and putting on fresh clean clothes after a sweaty, muddy, football [soccer] game feels great. (more…)
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Jesus can help you find the best version of yourself
If you were to imagine the best version of yourself, what, or who, would you imagine? (more…)
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Prophecies about Jesus: His virgin birth
In about 700 BC. the Arameans and the kingdom of Israel planned to attack the kingdom of Judah from the north. This was an attack on a descendant of king David and so was an attack on God’s promise that the Messiah would be a ruler who was a descendant of David. But God told the Judeans not to be afraid and gave them a sign. (more…)
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The original Christmas gift
Can you remember what you got for Christmas last year? How about 5 years ago? How about 2000 years ago?
The magic and excitement of receiving gifts at Christmas has somewhat diminished for me as I’ve gotten older. Like most Australians I am blessed with having everything I need and a lot of what I want. Throughout the year I am my own expert self-gifter. I can search and click, and have exactly what I want delivered to my front door within days. It kind of takes the shine off receiving a gift from someone else who may not really know what I like. (more…)
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The cure for death
What would you be willing to do or sacrifice if it meant having the cure for death? The shadow of death looms over all our lives – rich or poor, young or old. It is the great inescapable equaliser that cuts across nationality, social status, physical ability, gender, sexuality, and belief. (more…)
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When Jesus returns
The sound of a father’s footsteps approaching the front door – the same thing can mean different things to different people. For the two year old that sound may be the most exciting noise she’s heard all day. For the teenager who has just crashed the car it may elicit dread. For a child feeling scared and alone it may be the sound of comfort and relief. How we feel and respond to someone’s return depends on our relationship with them. (more…)
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Jesus is the rock you can stand on
I’m in deep, deep trouble again. I’ve cried my eyes out; I feel hollow inside. My life leaks away, groan by groan; my years fade out in sighs. My troubles have worn me out, turned my bones to powder. To my enemies I’m a monster; I’m ridiculed by the neighbors. My friends are horrified; they cross the street to avoid me. (more…)
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Train for eternity
Exercise and sport provide a myriad of benefits to our wellbeing. There are physical health advantages such as better heart and lung health, higher bone density, lower blood pressure, better balance, flexibility and function. There’s also the psychological gains of physical activity changing brain chemistry to improve mood, reduce stress, promote sleep and boost memory function. Not to mention the social positives that come with many sports – being part of a team or group joined together with a common goal. Although exercise and sport often involve a level of discomfort and hard work it’s easy to understand why, with such an impressive list of benefits, we see crowded sports fields every weekend and can find a gym or two in almost every suburb. (more…)
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Go for gold!
Many of the world’s best athletes and sports competitors are striving for victory at Paris, after spending hours each day practicing and developing their skills and directing their minds to the task ahead. (more…)
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Eternal glory awaits those who …
Have you ever dreamed of excelling at something? Being the world’s best? Having crowds cheer for you? To have people say your name with awe and speak well of you. Respect. Kudos. Glory. Fame. (more…)
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Evidence for the God of Christianity
According to a 2023 survey, about half of Americans believe in God, the lowest number in history. And globally (omitting China and Russia), an average of 40% say they believe in God “as described in holy scriptures”. (more…)
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Blood as a symbol of death in the New Testament
When we sing songs like “Nothing but the blood of Jesus” and “Forgiveness is bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ”, do we understand what the words mean? Or when we hear that our sins can be washed away by the blood of Jesus, what does that mean? (more…)
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God left no stone unturned for you
What would you do to get back someone precious that you’d lost? What lengths would you go to to find your missing child, friend, spouse or parent? How far would you travel? How long would you look? What price would you pay? (more…)
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Darkness and light in Galilee
Light is defined as the electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 380 and 750 nm, which is visible to the human eye. This light is a source of illumination. And sunlight provides the energy that green plants use to create sugars mostly in the form of starches, which release energy into the living things that digest them. This process of photosynthesis provides virtually all the energy used by living things. Darkness is the absence of visible light. (more…)
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Prophecies about Jesus: He would be a suffering servant
God told king David that his royal dynasty would endure forever (2 Sam. 7:16). And the prophets predicted that one of David’s descendants would bring justice and peace (Isa. 11:1-16; Jer. 23:5-6).
That’s why after the time of the Old Testament the Jews looked for a Messiah (anointed one) to lead them and to defeat their enemies. (more…)
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Good news in a world of bad news
They say that the “proportion of headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust, negativity and sadness” grew markedly in the US between 2000 and 2019. News reports always begin with bad news because humans have a “negativity bias”. We tend to pay more attention to negative experiences than positive ones.
I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is something about us and the good news is something about God. (more…)
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Christmas is all about the gift
Have you ever given yourself a present? There are many advantages. You can get just what you want. No lurid pairs of socks. No cheapo, no-name stuff.
But, let’s admit it, buying yourself presents is a bit sad. No one wants to open a present they’ve wrapped themselves. And it does remove the element of surprise. (more…)
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Finding the way to heaven
When we travel, maps and GPS apps guide us to our destination. But how do we find the way to heaven, and how many ways are there?
Understanding heaven
Heaven is where God lives and rules (Appendix A). Jesus taught His followers to pray to “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9NLT). Heaven is a spiritual place which we can’t see. It existed before the physical universe began. (more…)
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The way to heaven
Most people want to go to heaven. Do we all go there automatically? How can we know the way to heaven? A map or a GPS App can show us many ways to a destination. How many ways are there to heaven? (more…)
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Love your neighbor as yourself
As a mental health counsellor I have the privilege of joining with people in their deepest struggles. I hear harrowing stories of neglect, abuse, self-loathing, loneliness. At the heart of these varying stories there is a common tragedy: the profoundly painful experience of not being loved. (more…)
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Prophecies about Jesus: He will be the “Son of God”
In ancient times sons got their identity from their fathers. They did the same work and were trained by their fathers. For example, Jesus was known as “the carpenter’s son” (Mt. 13:55NLT). And many characters in the Bible are named as “the son of” their father (Appendix). (more…)
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Prophecies about Jesus: He will preach good news
I have some good news and some bad news. Yesterday, the Tigers (rugby league) won, but the Matilda’s (soccer) lost. Most people prefer to hear the bad news first because we prefer stories with happy endings. But bad news dominates in our news media because it gets higher ratings. The Good News Network was founded in USA in 1997 because the media was failing to report the positive news. (more…)
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