Ten Tips for ‘Leading Up’

When we serve on a team that we do not personally lead, we can experience frustration building up within. Rather than bite our tongue, suffer in silence, or run to greener pastures, there is an alternative. ‘Lead Up.’ There are some effective and simple strategies that allow anyone to proactively bring change but in a spirit of humility and helpfulness.

Three Keys to a Transformed Life

The Church’s worldwide celebration of Easter has just demonstrated that its power is in the changed lives of Christians and not in our buildings or rituals. This theme is picked up by the writer of the fourth Gospel, John, who builds fascinating significance into His post-resurrection encounters with the risen Christ. One of these is in his final chapter which offers three important insights to the way in which these encounters can transform us.

Your Voice Matters This Easter

Each year, Easter offers an opportunity to showcase Jesus who transcends history and changes lives. The Cross and Resurrection are the foundation of a faith that is as real in isolation as in our public gatherings. There are three great reasons why Christianity is thoroughly believable and why giving voice to it this year is as important as ever.

Your voice of faith amidst Covid-19

With the Coronavirus landscape shifting again, readjustment is needed for community connections. Meetings are being forced to happen via Zoom or Google Hangouts. Germany’s public gathering limit is down to just two, perhaps a foretaste of what is coming up on Australia. What does this all mean for church’s voice beyond offering an initial online experience?

What’s Your Difference Right Now?

In this unprecedented season of response to a global crisis, there is a great opportunity for us to bring hope and confidence despite the shifting landscape. Christians have an advantage, not in being better than others, but in being better off. Three important elements exist in living out the difference to inspire others.

What Research Tells us about the Possibilities of Christmas

As each Christmas passes, it becomes increasingly noticeable that traditional carols are falling into disfavour. On the one hand, this is to be expected in a secular society unreasonably afraid of offending, but it also suggests that there is still a great opportunity for Christians to fill a gap in making meaning of the Christmas season. Whereas televised events such as Christmas Eve’s Carols by Candlelight provide the strongest December faith connection for many Australians, recent research shows the potential of Christmas to proactively heighten Christianity’s impact.

What One Ancient Transaction Shows Us Today

I was intrigued by an obscure Old Testament story read in a church service recently. What possible relevance might it have to an audience reading the text many centuries later? How would such an account of history be helpful beyond the immediate narrative?

An App for That

As a musician, I used to think that poetry was just a waste of good song lyrics. Perhaps I’ve learned now to appreciate more creative diversity, but my feeble attempts at writing poetically show I might yet have some way to before I master this art. If rhyming qualifies, though, then I just might be able to pull out the thesaurus and begin. So here goes. A few reflections on how technology has changed us.

When a driver was a golf club and hardware meant some nails,
Forgetting important dates were our only memory fails.

Fifty Years On

This past weekend marked the 50^th anniversary of the first moon landing. The ‘why’ of Armstrong’s famous “giant leap” became comparable to an Everest climb. He was first, and it was there. Of course, we haven’t yet colonised or mined the moon and the initial visit did little other than afford galactic bragging rights over the Russians. Was it really so important and how does it matter now?

The Truth About Why Jesus’ Death Matters

The nature of Jesus’ redemptive work is, of course, crucial to understanding its application. It has sometimes been described as the ‘at-one’-ment by which people are joined in relationship to God. The mechanism of this reconciliation, though, makes the Atonement more multi-faceted than the simplistic picture we gain from isolated theories put forward to explain it. Easter only makes sense when Jesus’ death does, and here’s why it matters more than just gaining a four-day weekend.