Real Friends Tell Their Friends The Truth

I was brought up in Church on a lie.

And I bought it: hook, line, and sinker.

I never had a lot of friends growing up. I guess I never had that 'magnetic' personality that came naturally to some.

The closest friends that I did have, though, all attended to the same church as I did. My parents started dragging me to Sunday School at the Baptist Church around the corner from our home in Christchurch, New Zealand, right from a wee age. Actually, that's wrong, they didn't have to drag me, I rather enjoyed it.

Gospel Nuggets - Casting Vision, or Being Obedient? (Prov 29:18)

courtesy aliexpress.com

"Without a vision, the people perish...".

That means the leaders of your church need to get together and establish a 'God-given' vision, a plan forward for the congregation to follow, right?

Wrong.

God Only Saves Bad People

My Pastor asked me to do the teaching yesterday...honoured to do so!!

Water for Life...Saving Spiritual And Physical Lives In Asia

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Last year my wife Jan took part in Gospel for Asia's Bridge Of Hope Marathon, in Brisbane, Australia.

She thoroughly enjoyed this, despite the toll it took on her sore, blistered feet!

Although this was her first time, the other two girls from our fellowship in the 'Keep Calm And Kiwi On' team had participated in this event before. 

The one drawback for teams going over from New Zealand to participate, was the large airfare and accommodation cost (around NZ$800pp).

And so, the girls pitched the idea that a similar event could take place in NZ. And with the help of our local church fellowship, 'The River: Walk For Water' was born.

My Favourite Christian Tunes Through The Years (Part 2)

Just when you thought you knew all my eclectic music tastes... 

Well, not long after posting my first list of favourite Christian music, I started remembering some of the other weird bands / musicians I used to listen to, and thought to myself  'how did I not include that one?'

Enjoy...

The Gospel Sandwich - A Quick (And Weird) Study of 1 John 1:8-10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10).



I've been studying the first epistle of John lately, and the poet in me has noticed a little pattern which I've never really noticed before...

The Spurious Gospel of 'ME'

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Tim 4:1-5).


I'm pretty sure if there was an actual affiliated religion called 'Me', then it will have the biggest cult following ever seen in the history of the human race.

In fact, there's one out there already...and its' acquired pseudonym is called "Christianity". 

In Remembrance...My Heart Is Broken, Too

Like everybody else in the world, I turned on the TV on the morning of 9/11/01, and watched in unbelief at the horrific scenes before me.

I wrote this poem the following week, and posted it on a Christian Poetry forum (re-posting date Sep 2002 if you're looking for it). Some of my other poems are there also.

This is dedicated to those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy.

The Day I DIDN'T Witness To The New Zealand Prime Minister

Auckland City.

One day last month my wife phoned me at work out of the blue. The previous day she had entered a radio competition on Facebook to win an all-expenses paid trip for a weekend in Auckland for 2. She just entered her details, clicked on the 'enter' button, believing it would never happen to us...

Why Is That?...Why Is It Now Right To Be Wrong?

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!" (Is 5:20-21).

There's a song I used to love from one of my favourite Christian artists, Randy Stonehill, called "Stop The World" (wow, showing my age, here!).

It is a satirical picture of how the morals and ideals of the world are so upside-down and hypocritical, and he was right on the money.

Unfortunately, this sad reality has crept into some churches as well, and it is now considered right to be wrong.

why is that?...