We’re starting a new series on “Reasons to Believe.” Part 1 will look at why we can believe that the Bible is the word of God.
I wish there were more answers to how to raise children. How hard is too hard? How soft is too soft? How much is too much?
Some things in life seem too good to be true… We have accustomed ourselves to look for trouble and therefore take control of our lives. We do this with spiritual matters also. Watch to explore how.
I’ve been going through a weight-loss program called “Noom.” Truth be told, I did really well the first 2 weeks (lost 2 kgs) but then it was my birthday weekend, we had our father-in-law with us for 3 weeks, and many more excuses later I’ve gained back everything and then some. But while I haven’t been 100% committed to the nutrition, exercise, and sleep recommendations on the program, I have been reading the daily tips pretty faithfully.
“Noom” provides psychological, scientific and practical tips each day to help you modify your thinking & behaviour.
Today, it told me the physiological effects of stress (that includes weight gain) and reminded me to start each day with a smile and enjoy JOMO (joy of missing out). It also told me to forget my to-do list and start the day with a “done” list. Huh?
The Parables of the Wheat and Tares teaches us how to be patient with difficult people and circumstances.
I was driving when Joshua cried out, “Rain!” I sighed, anticipating tugging two wet children through the streets. But Micah said, “Mummy, the rain is good! It makes the flowers grow.”
And so it does.
I’ve been reading the Book of Ezra for my personal devotions and was struck by the dual reaction of the Jewish exiles when they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the foundation of the Temple.
The first temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and the Jewish people taken captive. When God moved King Cyrus of Persia (who had conquered Babylon as prophesied) to empower the Jewish exiles to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem in 538 BC, nearly 50,000 people fulfilled that call.
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:45,46 NLT). You are the pearl worth the life of love of Jesus. Discover what that means for your life.
One of the most prominent themes in the Bible is the Second Coming of Jesus. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the 10 virgins. In this eschatological allegory, Jesus highlights the characteristics of those who will be prepared for His return.
In honour of Aboriginal Reconciliation Week our guest speaker Kelly Jackman talks to us about God using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Kelly works with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries.
I play for a futsal team regularly on Tuesday nights. Apart from being my favourite type of cardio, it is also a great way to build good friendships with teammates that are outside of the church circle. Everyone in the team is courteous and most of the time show excellent sportsmanship. Most of the other teams we play against show a similar attitude.
But there is always bound to be a team that does not adhere to the shared code of sportsmanship. And our league has one such team. The players have very limited skills and try to make up for it by playing dirty and rough. It gets even worse when they are trailing on the scoreboard. They resort to elbowing, kicking of legs more than kicking of the ball, and constantly complain to the referee.