Author Archive
Reading through the 95 Theses (Part 2)
There is no doubt that the posting of the 95 Theses on the church door is one of the iconic moments of the Reformation. However, a contemporary reading these words would have trouble predicting the role that Luther would play in the years ahead. Two lesson here: 1) Understanding takes time. A flash of lightning [...]
Reading the Sources
I was listening to a Yale lecture on American history this afternoon and the professor referenced Jonathan Edwards and his most famous sermon – “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God.” She took time to read a section from the text so that everyone could get an audible “Jonathan Edwards moment.” I enjoyed the [...]
Does architecture enhance worship?
I enjoyed visiting St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Newtown (Sydney) on Saturday for a wedding. The church was constructed in the 1870s by Edmond Blacket. You would probably be more familiar with his “other” designs – The University of Sydney and St. Andrews Cathedral. While waiting for the wedding to start I took some notes [...]
“In My Seat” – A reflection on 9/11
I highly recommend this video about an American Airlines pilot who was scheduled to fly on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Centre. The story is a powerful reminder of redemption and the grace of God. I recommend the following articles on the anniversary event: Time Magazine – What took so long? [...]
What defines a Christian school?
I attended a Christian school in Sydney for the majority of my K-12 schooling years. Recently, someone asked me answer this question: “How do you know that you attended a Christian school?” I’ve thought through the question and in relation to my experience at the school I could answer it this way: The school name [...]
Projection Software for Church Services
I remember the first time I saw a data projector used in a church service. The unit was the size of a carry-on piece of luggage and it also acted as a convergence device with a built in VCR! Today, you would be hard pressed to find a church without some integration of a data [...]
Controversy… what is it good for?
I’ve missed my last two biweekly posts due to work commitments and a seasonal bout with the flu but I am happy to be back with the Infocus team on a weekly basis till the end of the session. From the basis of page views and comments – it looks like many people have been [...]
Doubt: A Self Examination
This quote from Tim Keller’s The Reason for God has really challenged my thinking over the past two weeks: “A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do [...]
Thank you Mum
I remember the day as if it was yesterday. It was my first day in high school (Year 7 for international readers) and my whole world was changing. In primary school, you reach the top of the food chain in Year 6 only to start again at the bottom in high school. At the end [...]
The Hollow Tree
A few weeks ago I stood under a large 16 metre gum tree with an arborist and local council officer. I couldn’t fault anything with the tree… but then again, I don’t known anything about trees. The two professionals were so alarmed by the tree that they created an exclusion zone around the tree and [...]
Hands up if you don’t read your Bible…
I love reading. I read (on average) one to two books per month and almost every day I read a bucket load of news and opinion across the internet. My most recent book was Lou Gerstner’s Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance and I am currently reading In the Plex by Stephen Levy. On the theological [...]
Ministers & Science
Our church participated in our monthly bush regeneration project with the local community yesterday. While sitting in the mulch I was thinking about ministers and science. Ministers need to be professional curious about scientific issues. Ministers are usually able to be conversant on a wide range of issues. Furthermore, most people value what [...]
