Psalm 96 opens with these words: “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” (Psa. 96:1–3 NIV11) The idea...
Three quick thoughts from the prayer I read this morning in Valley of Vision (a book of Puritan Prayers). 1) “Order all my ways by thy Holy Word,” is a great prayer to bring to God. In other words, sort out my priorities by Your priorities. How could one know...
We need to meet the challenges of our world with prayers to the God who has the power, love, and care, to change things for His glory. When James wrote to his congregation about prayer he penned these words, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James...
Struck by this phrase in today’s prayer from the old Puritan prayer book - Valley of Vision. ”Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind intent on things eternal.” The request is that God would help us reframe how we get involved with the everyday...
A reflection on today’s reading from Leviticus 20. A People Set Apart "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” (Lev. 20:26 NIV11) What do you do with a chapter like Leviticus...
Just a joyous scripture for today; “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”(Rom. 15:13 NIV11) Simple observations: a) Our Lord is called the “God of hope”.....
Reflection on today’s Scripture from our reading plan. The God who leads without footprints “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psa. 77:19–20 NIV11) Psalm...
Here’s my reflection on today’s reading from Leviticus 3. The Uncomfortable Costs of Fellowship “If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the LORD an animal without defect. You are to lay your hand...
Reflections on our daily reading from Exodus 36: The Joyful Abundance of Freedom “They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.” (Ex. 36:3 NIV11) Yesterday we saw...
Here’s my reflection on today’s reading from Exodus 35: Skills as both gift and responsibility. “Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with...
Simple thought for today from Exodus 19. God saves. This beautiful verse captures God telling His people about how He freed them from chains and labour in Egypt to be a people set apart for Him. He does this not because they deserved it but because of His grace. He...
““Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”” (Ex. 16:25–26 NIV11) Manna. Miraculous bread from...
“When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” (Ex. 12:23 NIV11) It’s...
“Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.””(Ex....
“But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.””(Ex. 4:13 NIV11) Do we know this feeling? Yes, God, I know that You have great plans and that somehow You’ve chosen to involve people in bringing them about. But when You say ‘people’ You can’t possibly mean me can...
“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ””(Ex. 3:14 NIV11) Moses has been shepherding in Midian, found a wife, and is quietly going about his business when he sees something extraordinary....
“Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This...
{This is a response written to a congregation member at NewLife who was struggling her way through the readings from Judges with their brutality and wondering how it engaged with God's plans in the wider world - even up to today} I believe what you’ve articulated is a concern that...
Horses are big and visible. They’re powerful and impressive. If you were an ancient King and had enough wealth they were also able to be kept in barns, counted, fed, and brought into the fight exactly when you need them. In short - horses are a very impressive resource you...
Just enough. Do we know when we’ve reached that state? Neither too much nor too little? Serving sizes don’t help do they? Often I’ll be served a burger and think to myself that it’s delicious but could reasonably be half the size. Or maybe it’s a drink.. the medium that...
We are what we eat. What we put in privately will be revealed to the watching world whether we like it or not. Thus this simple but beautiful Proverb from Solomon; “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” (Proverbs 27:19 NIV11) The inner life of your...
Our speech matters. There are good words, bad words, and sarcastic words. Words that build up and words that tear down. Today in Proverbs 26 we see that this is far from a new problem as this proverb of Solomon displays; “Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is...
There’s a great big universe out there. Do you ever consider it? It’s been a joy watching my boy catch an interest in black holes recently. “Dad did you know that nothing can escape a black hole’s gravitational pull? Dad did you know that some black holes are bright? Dad..”...
How are you tracking? Feeling full of energy? Ready to take on the challenges of the world? Or.. maybe not? Today’s Proverb from the 24th chapter at first glance seems a little harsh; “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!” (Proverbs 24:10 NIV11) Well,...
Passion. What grabs you? What gets the best of you? Where do you find yourself freely giving energy and attention - almost effortlessly? The answer is whatever ‘floats your boat’ - a hobby, a relationship, a place, an area of study, a favourite spot to fish. The line from the...
Friendship. It’s a human need who’s value has been recognised for at least 3000 years from the time of Proverbs. Listen to these wise words from a few days ago: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17 NIV11) To...
There’s more than one side to the story. We never feel this point more strongly than when we are accused or in the wrong. Of course there’s another side. We know our true motivations.. or is it simply that we know our *justifications*? At any rate, we are totally convinced...
New Life Anglican is a group of Christians who live in and around Oran Park, starting a brand new church with the express goal of seeing new life come to every home in Oran Park and the growing South West.
