Do you love your city? Recently Melbourne lost the title of “world’s most liveable city.” After 7 years at the top, it fell… to second place. But for a city that ranks so highly, we find it easy to pick its faults (transport, cost of living, safety, etc.). It’s loud and busy and… that’s why I think God loves it. Our city is...

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When I was a teenager, I thought it was funny to say, “aim low, you’ll never be disappointed.” I thought it was kind of clever. Depressing, discouraging and devoid of hope… but clever. I was more interested in being clever than being courageous. We might not openly and intentionally think this way, but subconsciously, I wonder whether we’ve settled for aiming low. We’ve...

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Are you in the middle of a hard situation, wondering if God is still there, if you heard him right the first time, if this is where you're really meant to be? There are these two great quotes that talk about faith... Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.  Martin Luther King, Jr. Faith is the...

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Many of our Australian sporting teams carry a unique identity, a nickname. The rugby union team, the Wallabies. Our female cricketers, the Southern Stars and the soccer team are the Matildas. The men’s hockey team are the Kookaburras. There’s a certain theme, an Aussie flavour, a national identity. It continues with the rugby league team, the Kangaroos, but then it gets silly: The...

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I have so little time alone. I need to do nothing. I take my books. ... that's doing nothing!? I like to achieve. I leave my book... I take photos of what I see. I like to create. I have no battery... I must breathe. I see the waves  – they're awe-inspiring and terrifying. I notice the colours  – the sea, the rocks. I...

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Hopefully you didn’t watch the movie Titanic or Apollo 13 wondering what happens! So why make a movie about it? Why would we want to hear a story we already know? Why retell history? That’s the question that Christians often face – why keep telling the same message? Isn’t it outdated or obsolete? During a fascinating interview, John Anderson and Jordan B. Peterson...

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I don’t give myself much time to read these days. But in the past week, I’ve done a little bit of reading. I’ve picked up my book again, and it’s been life giving. I've been very slowly reading The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. It's good for the soul. In the chapter I’ve just read, she shares of one evening, while she was...

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There’s a kind of false modesty that is really common but rarely works… in fact, it never works False modesty is just another form of pride, it simply draws more attention to ourselves. In trying to deflect compliments or praise, we talk ourselves down. “Oh I did nothing” “No, don’t say that” “It wasn’t me, it was all you” And I know what...

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How do you measure your worth? Assets. Influence. Skills. Possessions. We tend to value people based on what they have. And so collecting, accumulating and competing are the norm. But there's an alternative, a voice that declares, "life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” [Luke 12:15] Jesus has a different economy: Give up everything... follow me. Not to pursue poverty, prudence...

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Surrender isn't sexy. It's not trending on twitter. It's not celebrated at ceremonies. Giving up has got a bad name. You relinquish control, hand over the credit... maybe even lose your dignity. People don't like giving up. That's why lent is such a problematic but profound season. It goes against the grain of a success-saturated society; calling into question all that we hold...

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I was driving the other day with the iPod on.  I love having music on but never know what to listen to.  So I usually end up listening to something really old and familiar. I chose Bethel. "Play All." There were quite a few songs (slight exaggeration) and I didn't know what would come on... I'd been listening a while and then this: If...

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