The story we read on Sunday, of David transporting the ark of God to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6), sounds – at times – like a game of hot potato! Having captured the ark of God (1 Samuel 4), the Philistines are soon convinced (1 Samuel 5 and 6) to return Read more…
Dear Friends, Happy NAIDOC Week! On Sunday I mentioned the beautiful resources indigenous Salvation Army officers have prepared to celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, and I wanted to share this video with you – a sermon from Aunty Clare Lena, speaking alongside the Tweed River in Bundjalung Country, on ‘The Read more…
Dear Friends, As I was looking for quotes related to refugees and boats last week, I came across this poem by young Somali-British writer and poet, Warsan Shire. The line that was picked up in my search was: you have to understand,that no one puts their children in a boatunless Read more…
Dear Friends, This week Rudy Prasetya sent me this picture of a mural depicting David and Goliath that he took in Regensburg, Germany. As he says, “the proportions between them seem more accurate!” David and Goliath are a powerful metaphor for the struggles we experience, and thinking about how those Read more…
Dear Friends, It is not often someone shaking the minister’s hand at the door of the church describes the service – excuse the language – as ‘kick-arse’! But that was the case on Sunday! It was a powerful service – hearing from Karen Pack about the damage that is done Read more…
“Everyone is cranky at the moment!” That’s what we’ve been saying in our house this week. It seems patience is just a bit thinner and fuses just a bit shorter than usual. I was looking up the ACT Government Health site to see if the Covid health advice had changed Read more…
Dear Friends, As I shared at church, last Saturday was an exciting day! It was the first General Meeting of the Open Baptists, and at that meeting Canberra Baptist Church and South Yarra Community Baptist Church became the first member churches of the new association. The significance of what we Read more…
Dear Friends, It was wonderful to hear an update Sunday on our project ‘Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities’ in Bangladesh. Mike Bartlett from Baptist World Aid mentioned they are experiencing a downturn in donations due to cost-of-living pressures. I know these are real concerns, but can I encourage Read more…
Dear Friends, I am on leave this week (until Thursday 9 October), but thinking about the May Mission Month theme, ‘Mending’, I was reminded of a reflection I wrote in May 2019 about the BBC series, The Repair Shop. (You might remember episodes of this programme being aired on the Read more…
I have two clear memories of unwanted prayer for ‘healing’. The first was when I was a young woman and went to see our pastor to relay the young people’s concerns about the Sunday evening service. (As background, the pastor had decided that every Sunday night service should centre on Read more…