Beautiful wedding

Our daughter Ami was married on 5th March to Luke Nicholls.  It was a great day.  The weather was perfect, unusually so for Warrnambool.  And the happy couple brought some amazing little touches to the day in the way they decorated the church, reception venue, etc.  What more can I say?  We pray that their ongoing marriage and life together will be blessed in keeping with their wedding day.  Here are a few pics.

 

6 year old 'Aulani adds photographer to her
flower-girl duties

Censored again!

How ironic is this?  I wrote an article for the Ministers Association column about how people want to stop Christians from speaking the truth in this politically correct society.
The article I sent is reproduced here in blue but the part in red was edited out when the newspaper went to print.  I guess the editor thought it was getting dangerously close to hate writing.  But, of course, it wasn't.  A doctor has to give you the bad news before prescribing treatment.  And our society needs to hear some home truths if people are ever going to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ.
What do you think?

Shut up! Stop talking! We don’t want to hear what you’re saying!

About 700 years before Christ, there was a prophet in Israel named Amos. This former sheep breeder and sycamore tender powerfully called the people to repentance. But his message was so unpopular that a prominent priest actually told the king that Amos’ words would destroy the nation if he wasn’t silenced. The priest told Amos to go back to his own country and never again to prophesy at Bethel. But Amos chose to obey God rather than this corrupt priest.

A similar thing happened to another prophet, Jeremiah. People didn’t want to hear the warnings that he brought. They lowered him into a sewer pit, so that he sank in the mire and could barely stay alive. But, when a God-fearing servant of the king finally rescued Jeremiah, the message from God was just the same. Turn from the evil of your ways.

More than 600 years later, the apostles Peter and John were commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But they said: “Judge for yourselves. Should we listen to you or to God?” They pointed to some of the people who had been miraculously healed in the name of Jesus, and said: “We can’t stop preaching and teaching about Jesus. This is Good News that the whole world needs to hear!”

There are lots of scary things happening around us these days. But nothing more scary than official attempts to silence those who would speak the truth of God. Christians are more and more being warned not to rock the boat. “Don’t tell us that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Don’t tell us that sex outside of marriage is sinful. Don’t tell us that homosexuality is not normal. Don’t warn us about the dangers of Islam.”

The thing is, what if the Christian message is true? That God sent Jesus to pay for all our wrongdoings and bring us back to the relationship with God for which we were created. Wouldn’t that be the best news ever? What if the one message we least want to hear is the one that we most need to hear?

Help out where you can!

Talk about warm fuzzies...  I just helped this cute baby koala.  When I saw it, it was on a smallish tree, separated from its Mum, which was high above in another tree.  After checking me out for a while, it clambered down near the bottom of the tree and then jumped off.

Baby K found the right tree but there was an obstacle, namely a wide plastic barrier.  They actually put these barriers around most of the trees in the picnic area so the koalas won't eat all the leaves.  Baby K couldn't get a grip on the plastic.  There was no way it could climb this tree.  But Mum K was already in the tree so I picked the cuddly little Baby K up and lifted it above the plastic barrier.  At first, it let out a blood-curdling scream of distress but it seemed to realize quickly enough that I had actually helped it.

Mum K descended from her lofty position in record time and leaped across to join Baby K on its branch. By the time I left, Baby K was securely resting on Mum K's back and they safely climbed back up to safety.

God calls us to a life of good works, not to earn salvation (which would be impossible) but to reveal His love and goodness.  And doesn't this world need plenty of that!

Rich Culture, Poor Culture

(with apologies to Robert T. Kiyosaki, who wrote the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad)

I saw a documentary about a certain tribe of people and the comment was made that they had a "rich culture".  Naturally, this got me thinking about what would make one culture rich and another culture poor. And would Christian culture be counted as rich or poor?
The makers of the documentary, I believe, thought the particular culture was rich because it had colourful rituals that conveyed a powerful heritage to each new generation.  Every item of ceremonial clothing, each movement, each musical instrument, pointed to an ancient story that defined life for these people.  Their hero ancestors lived on in the cultural memory of the people.
I concluded that a rich culture must have an abundance of art, music, ceremony and ritual, deeply connected to an underlying worldview.  An impoverished culture would be one where the heritage had been lost or disconnected from daily life.  Or simply where traditions had been watered down to the point of meaninglessness.
A rich culture would have genuine depth, whereas a poor culture would focus on trivialities.  A rich culture would find meaning in death, pain and suffering, whereas a poor culture would gloss over the harshness of life in its quest for material riches and fun.  A rich culture would be holistic, bringing all the pieces of life together, but a poor culture would lead to fragmentation and confusion.
So, on that line of thinking, is Christianity rich culture or poor culture?
I believe it depends on how well Christians hold firm to their foundations.  There is no richer heritage than the art, music, architecture, literature and customs of Christendom.  But these things must be linked to the revelation of God in Scripture and the reality of the coming and ongoing presence of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  In other words, Jesus Himself must be at the very heart of our culture.
The modern Christian Church relies on its charitable work to uphold its image and reputation.  But what would happen if we promoted the richness, the connectedness, and the beauty of our culture in Christ?
The world doesn't need Christianity as a religion, it needs Christianity as a culture, an alternative way of life, one that is holistic, righteous, powerful and rich.

A Christmas Poem 2010

Hans Gruener

Could it ever be like that again
God entering the world he made?
So unannounced, so ordinary
Born like us but poorly laid.

Could angels come alive with song
For any other promised birth?
Could Heaven once again resound
For such unworldly worth?

Perhaps if we would open up
Our hearts to him in prayer
A fleshly stable can be filled
New music in the air.

And as we grow in following
His star will guide our days
And God will change his world again
Through vessels born of clay.

Can I ever be sure that I'm saved?

Sometimes people who have been Christians for twenty or thirty years admit to me that they still don't know for sure if they're really saved.  The doubt may arise because they are so conscious of the sinful tendencies that still seem so entrenched in their lives.  Or, putting 'works' to one side, they're not sure if their faith is truly a saving faith.

The issue of ASSURANCE has bothered Christians ever since the earliest church.  Modern evangelicalism tends to downplay the issue by telling new converts that they are truly saved, just on the basis of a single prayer prompted by a counsellor.  Some church systems have virtually guaranteed salvation to their followers on the basis of attendance at services and performance of certain sacraments. 
But many others, including those in the Puritan and mystical traditions, have kept assurance separate from saving faith. 

The apostle John obviously wrote his first epistle to bring assurance to believers.  But the assurance comes across with a number of 'ifs'!  If we keep His commandments (2:3), if what we heard from the beginning abides in us (2:24), if we practice righteousness (3:10), if we love the brethren (3:14), if our heart doesn't condemn us (3:21). 

If we're worried about our walk with God, John's assurance may well make us even more unsettled!
There are also verses where Jesus Himself seems to make salvation conditional on enduring (Matt 24:13) or obedience (Matt 7:21).  The promises to believers are clear enough (John 3:16, 6:37, etc) but the assumption is that those who believe will go on to follow Jesus and do good stuff in His name.

For me, assurance of salvation is primarily about faith in the Gospel promise, God's Word.  But it's also about the knowledge that God's mercy and forgiveness are bigger than all my sins and failures.  When I see changes in me that can only be the work of God's Spirit, I am convincced that God will bring me through to full salvation.  After all, why would He bring me this far, only to abandon me in the end?

Finally, some professing Christians have no assurance of salvation because they are, in fact, not saved.  Perhaps they are trusting in themselves, or someone other than Christ.  Perhaps they have not truly repented or turned away from their ungodly lifestyle.

Let's keep things in their correct order.  There is no assurance without true repentance and faith!

Frustration with Islam

I'm writing this on September 11th, nine years since the terrorist attacks that changed the world.  A Florida pastor has been very much in the news this week because his church was planning to stage a koran-burning event. 

My understanding is that the church was protesting against plans for an Islamic mosque to be built near "ground zero" where the twin towers had stood. 
Hatred against Islam is not the answer but the frustration is understandable because Western governments continue to display an appalling ignorance of the danger that Islam poses to Western society.
Why should it be, in nations known for their Christian heritage, that it has suddenly become unacceptable to speak out against a religion that denies every foundational Christian teaching?  Many Christians are frustrated that Islam seems to receive official protection while Christian values are freely and openly denigrated and ridiculed.
I would never suggest a koran-burning protest at New Life Church but I would say that building a mosque near Ground Zero would be far more offensive.  The New York authorities should find a way to prevent this mosque from going ahead.
Meanwhile, here in Australia, we need politicians who will refuse to be intimidated by Islam, men and women who will risk public outcry to say what needs to be said.