Marching Forth!

Recently I was reminded of God's grace towards me many years ago when men from church and I helped someone move house.  There was a lot to move into the big truck before we headed to the new residence.  As we were loading boxes and furniture, the owner pulled us aside and asked us to be very careful with a particular piece of bedroom furniture:  a chest of drawers with a large mirror.  Apparently it had been passed down through generations and he urged us to take every precaution.  "I won't be upset if anything breaks--except for this," he said.  We assured him we would be as careful as possible. Night had long since fallen when we arrived at the new place and quickly began to haul the belongings into the garage.  Due to the late hour (with midnight rapidly approaching) we did not have time to stage every piece of furniture in each room but piled everything into the garage.  The large truck had a hydraulic Tommy Lift that made the removal of items...

Yesterday I went on a bushwalk with friends from church on the Ku-ring-gai track to Berowra Train Station and started from the station.  It was a cool morning, and the canopy of trees prevented the light drizzle from soaking us through.  Our small party encountered a couple lyrebirds, heard the wailing of black cockatoos, saw a wallaby, and removed a couple of leeches as we trudged along the 10km track by a creek that seemed more like a river.  By the end of the walk a decent rain began to fall as we hoofed it to our vehicle.  After a slow drive home through traffic, I was pleased to change out of wet clothes (and ensure my prickly feet were leech free!) and relax. A couple hours later I scratched my side and felt something strange:  a textured, raised area that was not part of me.  I suddenly realised I had picked up a tick that hitched a ride home with me.  Because of the location I wasn't able to see it clearly or grab it with tweezers, and thankful...

Sometime during my life, "punishment" became a bad ten letter word that was an indicator of a heavy-handed parent, one who might as well admit to abusing their child.  I can understand serious concern how consequences for doing wrong are meted out because parents, teachers and others in positions of authority have committed abuses, but the Bible shows punishment in itself is not sinful or morally wrong.  God punishes evildoers, and what those in authority must understand is they are not God and must answer to Him for their deviation from love, mercy, compassion and justice.  It is the love and fear of God that ought to govern God's people in the administration of discipline. I have experienced leaders at schools, camps and the workplace who embraced positive affirmation to a degree that made me squirm with discomfort more than harsh censure.  Instead of identifying bad behaviour and enforcing a clear boundary with corrective measures, some feel compelled to tell eve...

During a recent men's breakfast at church, we were treated to hear testimonies of God's faithfulness to work in the lives of His people.  I was encouraged and blessed by those who shared from the heart. There was one story that opened up a fresh perspective of discipleship.  When people speak of or consider discipleship, often people look to spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible, regular times of prayer, attending gatherings with fellow believers to worship God, giving, fasting and Christian service--actions that are done outwardly and are quantifiable.  Some feel if they are doing these things more whilst avoiding sin they are doing well in their relationship with God, and this can be true.  Since the Pharisees were very good at maintaining their religious exterior without having hearts transformed by the Gospel, the embrace of spiritual disciplines do not necessarily correlate with being saved. A brother rehearsed an event which happened years ago as a teen ...

Today I walked by what could be called, "the scene of the fall."  I took a tumble a couple months back when I kicked a raised kerb on the footpath during a morning walk before daylight.  It seems the local council took notice of the lifted kerbs in the area and ground them flat to prevent others from tripping like I had.  Without me notifying anyone, the council put into practice a principle of  Romans 14:13 :  " Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way ."  A council worker observed the raised area, judged it to be uneven and unsafe, and ground it flat to remove the walking hazard. It is possible to have a perfectly flat footpath and still trip over our own feet and fall down.  But if we are the ones who have fallen, we ought to be circumspect and more careful when we pass by that way again.  When I came to the area where I fell, I took care to ...

Yesterday something that amused me happened during a drive through the country.  As the sun began to sink over the horizon and the shadows grew long, I decided to turn on my headlights to ensure best visibility.  Somehow the lights were on high beams that shone into the rear vision mirror of the car I was following.  Noticing this, I quickly toggled the beams to the normal setting. This also did not go unnoticed by the driver of the car I followed along the road.  I imagine the driver viewed this an an intentional act to urge them to pass the car in the front.  The driver showed his displeasure by giving his windscreen a thorough spray--which caused water to sprinkle all over my vehicle--to my great amusement.  The simple act of turning on my lights to see more clearly sent a message I was annoyed or displeased with the driver ahead of me who instantly retaliated. It was probably too dim for the driver to see my smile or see me laugh as the droplets rained ...

When my dad lived in Michigan as a teen, he suffered a broken femur during a game of "king of the hill" in the snow.  The object of the game was to stand on a heap of snow and fend off everyone else who wrestled their way to the top.  People teamed up to overthrow the present "king," and when my dad fell in a tumble of bodies his leg snapped near his hip.  Because of the location of the break, he was hospitalised and in traction for nearly two months as his bone mended. Though an injury sidelined my dad, he came out of hospital much stronger than he went in.  There wasn't much to do with his whole leg in a plaster cast suspended in the air, but he discovered he could do pull-ups on the traction equipment.  He missed out on playing and working for months because of the leg break, yet his focus was not on what happened or that he wasn't able to be where he wanted to be:  he put in hard work through exercise because of where he was heading.  When he walke...

God remains faithful in all seasons of life, and there is no substitute for His gracious presence.  While my family and I are still in the process of settling in a house after moving, I felt it fitting to magnify God for the help He has provided step by step when everything seemed too arduous to endure.  When we are overwhelmed, God remains sovereign and is truly a present help in times of exertion, trouble, inconvenience, uncertainty and hard work.  As our Good Shepherd, He makes His people like sheep to lie down in green pastures, leads us beside still waters, restores our souls, leads us in paths of righteousness to a broad place. It was just over two months back my wife Laura and I discussed embarking on looking for a house to buy in a nearby suburb and to see what we could sell our house for.  What followed was a whirlwind of driving to open houses and vacating our house for open houses, meetings with realtors, banks and solicitors.  Laura handled the vast ...

At a family gathering as a kid, I witnessed an interaction between one of my uncles and his grandson.  When my uncle noticed the boy playing with his pack of cigarettes, it prompted a fairly harsh response that left the little one scurrying away crying.  I was surprised by my uncle's violent outburst, and he justified it without apology as being for the best, as the incident would serve to deter the little boy from smoking in the future.  I was not convinced his assessment was accurate even at the time, and upon reflection I am certain it was untrue.  The boy was interested and drawn to the colourful packet and lighter his grandpa always had at his side, and when his uncle sparked up another cigarette it rekindled the curiosity of the lad. My uncle's thinly veiled hypocrisy was clear to me, that he was adamant smoking was bad for his grandson when he continued to smoke himself.  I assume his motive to protect his grandson from the fangs of addiction was genuine,...

During my study of the book of Romans , I came across an anecdote in Matthew Henry's Commentary that warmed my heart.  He wrote: “ Mr. Hugh Kennedy, an eminent Christian of Ayr, in Scotland, when he was dying, called for a Bible, but, finding his sight gone, he said, “Turn me to the eighty of the Romans, and set my finger at these words, I am persuaded that neither death nor life.”  “Now, said he, “is my finger upon them?”  And, when they told him it was, without speaking any more, he said, “Now God be with you, my children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my LORD Jesus Christ this night;” and so departed .” ( Henry, Matthew . Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible . Vol. 6, Hendrickson Publishers, 1991. page 345) From this anecdote, it is likely Mr. Kennedy was a man who had placed his faith in God and also was a reader of the Bible during his life.  On what proved to be his deathbed he requested a Bible be brought to him, and almost to his su...

God is present in the everyday situations of life, and sometimes we are given insight to see Him at work that brings encouragement.  Looking back on God's faithfulness to people in the pages of scripture, through the testimonies of others and our own experiences, we can rest assured God will be faithful to us presently and in the future forever.  Though the future is uncertain, we can know without a doubt our good God knows us and will preserve us going forward. Recently I reminisced over a challenging move that took place years ago.  Several fellows from church and I organised to help a family move house.  This move was a struggle because the family moving was not sufficiently prepared, it was on a weeknight, and we needed to travel a long distance--and we were all slated to work early the following day.  In our initial discussion, we were told to be extra careful with a bureau and a large matching mirror.  The furniture had been in the family for a long t...

When my eldest son was learning to pray out loud to God, he said something that makes me smile to this day.  Shortly after our kitchen had been remodelled, before a meal he rattled off a series of things he was thankful for.  As he made a sweeping gesture with his arm he said happily, "And thank God for the countertops!"  We never had new countertops before, and we were all pleased to have them.  His exuberance over our remodeled kitchen was unexpected and fun to see. At Calvary Chapel Sydney we are studying through the book of Ecclesiastes, and Solomon was no stranger to new or nice things.  One thing he discovered, however, was no matter how many nice things he had they would not remain his forever:  new things quickly grow old, and things in themselves cannot provide meaning or satisfaction.  We only had our new countertops for a short time before they took damage from an exercise ball that inadvertently knocked a chisel into the bench surface near ...

I was reminded recently of the time God used a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses who came to my door to teach me some valuable lessons.  I was running late for a Wednesday evening service when two fellows carrying magazines knocked on my apartment door.  At the time these men were unwanted obstacles who prevented me from going where I wanted to go.  I was in a rush but I thought it impolite to leave without saying something. I had several personal interactions with Jehovah's Witnesses before and understood some important deviations in their theology from mine as a born-again follower of Jesus Christ.  After sharing my conviction that the Watchtower was a false prophet not to be trusted because of many historical errors, I told them I was convinced by scripture God has revealed Himself as one God in three distinct persons:  God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.  They seemed interested when I told them the Holy Spirit is referred to as God by Peter i...

As human beings, we can be full of inconsistencies.  We can look to God when situations are overwhelming and out of control, yet we can be undone by an accumulation of minor inconveniences.  We trust God to forgive our sins and provide eternal life for us in heaven, but we can worry over finding a parking spot.  Why not trust God with the little things we are involved with as much as the things which obviously are beyond us? God can use fear, cares and worries to instruct us concerning our persistent lack of faith in God and chronic unbelief.  One example in my own life was during my union apprenticeship.  As I embarked in what I saw as my career path after working other part-time jobs, I prayed God would help me to excel as Daniel did in Babylon University.  My schooling began well but in my second year an experienced foreman made it his aim to stir up trouble for me with the apprenticeship coordinator.  The accusations were so severe the coordinator ...

God who created all things is able to do everything, and this includes using a common household appliance to reveal unbelief in a heart and mind.  Allow me to explain. :) A couple weeks back our condensing dryer stopped working.  I have a systematic approach to such events:  I dig up the manual, look up the error code and see if there is anything I can do about it.  In this case our Electrolux dryer flashed the letters "EHO" which meant there was an electrical fault in the circuit board.  Since the machine is under warranty for another 6 months it was not a repair I was willing to tackle.  And besides, I have never bothered to invest in a soldering gun.  The manual was hardly informative, and from what I gleaned online the only way to reset the machine was to turn it off for a few minutes and turn it on again.  It was the same problem over and over. When my wife handed me the extended warranty paperwork for the machine, it was evident to me she wa...

Those who pray can attest to God's answers.  Just today I prayed God would help me deliver a message at church and He strengthened me to do so, and even directed the worship team to play songs that perfectly complemented the message.  It is wonderful to know God has even these small details in hand that magnify His generosity and greatness to those who believe. This week I was reminded of a prayer God answered a long time ago in year 8 when I attended Emerald Junior High.  For the previous three years I had been homeschooled, and I felt a bit out of place joining people who had already experienced a year of junior high.  I was the only one I saw wearing pants and a shirt with buttons and collar, quite the contrast of other who wore shorts with much cooler t-shirts emblazoned with popular surf brands. My prayer was a simple one:  that God would give me a friend.  I had not sat down in my home room seat long before God answered my prayer.  The fellow in ...

In a meeting this week I was asked to describe the way God spoke to me when it came to deciding to move to Australia before I was aware of any open door.  I suppose I can describe it as similar to a symphony:  a crowd of musicians playing a variety of instruments led by one Conductor.  God is unlimited in the means and manner He speaks to us, confirming His leading by the Bible, other people, what some people might call "coincidence," and the witness of our own conscience, motives, and thoughts.  God is intimately acquainted with all people and knows the way to communicate in a way we can receive.  When we seek the LORD He is faithful to speak. I remember the day very well God's call to go to Australia was crystalised in my mind.  Even the date was significant and unforgettable, commemorated in the title of this blog:  March 4th, 2009.  From early in our relationship my wife always said "March 4th" was her favourite date because it was also an ...

We never know what we take for granted until we lose it.  Over the weekend Sydney was buffeted with strong winds which downed power lines and caused almost 50,000 households to  be powerless.  Right in the middle of sermon preparation on my computer the power to our house went out.  My computer went from a useful machine to being an expensive paperweight or doorstop.  Since all our appliances, computers, and lights require electricity to run, we spent the afternoon sitting in the dark. During prayer this morning I considered how we need God more than we rely upon Him.  Reliance is an intentional dependence.  Just like computers and refrigerators need electricity to perform their designed function, so we need the Holy Spirit of God to enable us to do God's will.  We need Him constantly but can forget that unless we are a branch connected to the Vine Jesus Christ in faith we can do nothing.  I need countless things which escape my mind at an...

Whilst studying in preparation for the sermon last week, I was reminded of an interaction from years ago.  I was working at a church in El Cajon and often people would come to the office seeking assistance of some kind.  "Walk-ins" were common:  people asking for money, homeless people looking for food or clothes, petrol for their cars, and even a medical emergency.  I believe God did a miracle when we prayed for an older man who was overdosing on methamphetamine and instantly set him in his right mind. One man came into the office who had recently been released from prison.  He looked to be a tough character, covered in tattoos - and was inked on his neck and face.  I was asked to speak with him.  during our conversation he confided he had an addiction to alcohol which he saw as deadly.  "If I don't quit drinking, I'm going to die.  I'm desperate to do anything to be clean and sober."  I told him of a local ministry I knew that speci...

The Bible has been a part of my life for as long as I remember.  Yesterday I recalled an occasion as a child when I was inspired by a passage in 1 Kings 18 to build a small altar of rocks in the back yard.  My actions were inspired by God's response to the prayer of Elijah atop Mount Carmel by causing fire to fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice.  I hoped to be amazed by divine fire igniting the dried pine needles I carefully perched on a pile of rocks.  Around the altar I had carved a trench I dutifully filled with water as Elijah had.  I prayed to the God of heaven, but alas, no fire fell.  And it was a good thing too.  God would not indulge a child with the equivalent of playing with matches. Looking back on that day long ago under the big pine tree, it is instructive of common mistakes even adults can make when it comes to miraculous signs:  I was focused on the wrong things.  I wanted to see fire fall from heaven, but I didn't ...