Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age

It's easy to hear a story so many times that we stop hearing it in such a way that it might address who we are. The principles never change, but sometimes we just stop paying attention. Let's shine some light on the Ancient Christmas Narrative. 

Remember the excitement you felt as a child as Christmas approached? As you get older and life inevitably happens, it’s easy to lose the excitement and wonder of Christmas. This week we ponder some things that may help with that.

Many charities conduct fundraising campaigns around Christmas because people are more generous. Both non-church and churchy people tend to be more relaxed with their wallets. So are Christian giving and humanitarian generosity the same thing, or is there a difference between the two? How about the difference between generosity and sacrificial worship?

We use the word pride in both positive and negative contexts. In a negative context, pride attributes honour where it isn't due. The Bible speaks about pride in a negative context a lot. That's because pride sets us on a collision course with destruction; unfortunately, the two are inseparable.

Imagine the thing that you desire most in the world. Solomon says wisdom is more valuable than that, and you should "Get wisdom". You can get it the hard way through a lifetime of difficult experiences, or the easy way, respect your elders and listen to what they have to say.

It's that time of year when we eat, drink, spend too much, and have more debt to look forward to in the New Year. Some people love the holiday season, others not so much. This is for you if you are struggling with anxiety or depression. 

This week we are talking about sexual morality. Sex is often treated as casual and inconsequential, but there's more to it than that, a lot more. Where and how should sex fit into our modern culture? How our culture views sex has the potential to benefit or harm you, your marriage and even society as a whole. What do you say if your partner asks you to move in together? Should you get married first? Does it even matter, or is marriage an outdated tradition that no longer holds any relevance in our contemporary society? Sexual desire is an excellent God-given desire, and how you exercise it matters. 

Aliens, Halloween and Alchohol, sounds like quite the party. Today we are looking at a few of the recently received questions. 

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, or so the saying goes. But that’s not always the case in a church. Some things shouldn’t stay. This week we answer some questions and focus on how a local church should deal with immortality. If a church ignores sin among its members, division or dilution will soon follow. 

This week we begin a new series. We are talking about why morality matters practically. 

Today we look at one aspect of a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.  

We all know good people who do good things, but what's the standard for what is good? Is it a quantitative or a qualitative measure? Is it the number of good things someone does that make them good or is it a quality they possess?

We all deal with pain and suffering. Sometimes it can be damaging. We may not know someone's past, but what we can know is that it probably hasn't been easy. 

Covid, Charlatans, Conspiracies, the Coming End of the World, Vaccines, the Illuminati, The Great Reset and The New World Order.
Yep, we're going there.

Our character is the sum of the decisions we make throughout our lifetime. Are we making decisions that build a character that aligns with our message?  

Part 3 in our series "Let's Talk". If you're a non-Christian, have you ever been annoyed by a Christian who wants to tell you about Jesus? Have you ever wondered why Christians won't "Keep their religion to themselves"? Are you a Christian pondering whether or not it matters if you tell someone about Jesus? The answer might give everyone better insight and understanding.  

Sharing a timeless message in contemporary culture. John 3:1-21

Mother's Day 2022

How God manifests His wrath in the world today. It's probably not what you think. 

The final episode of the "Definitions" series. 

Today, we are looking at the word Holy as it relates to God, people, and everyday life. 

Looking at the word blessed, how it's used and what it means. 

A look at wisdom. What it is and how to get it. 

A perspective on ideologies, religion and religious practice. 

Sin defined: What is it, what does it do and how do I deal with it? 

Being Challenge Week #5

The Being Challenge Week 1

Mark Nuss and I have a conversation about child trafficking, sexual slavery, and what Destiny Rescue is doing about it. Want to do something about this disturbing but rarely discussed issue? Listen, share and get involved. WARNING: Graphic and Disturbing Content

Every believer has a few spiritual "birthmarks" they share in common. Most believers at some point feel at least a little bit unsettled of where they stand with God. It is during these times we can look at these birthmarks and draw some peace and assurance. 

Everyone wants to be successful, but have you ever defined what success means to you personally? We all have hope of some description and many of us place it in our definition of success, unfortunately doing so will ultimately lead to disappointment. This week we take a look at Matthew 21:1-10, The Triumphal entry, a familiar story of misplaced hope.

Today I'm having a conversation with Chase Reynolds. Chase is a linguist who has spent the past 15 years working with Wycliffe Bible translators. He has spent a lot of time in very remote places. We wrestle a little bit with technical difficulties but are still able to have great conversation.  We only begin to scratch the surface of Chase's story today and hope to do a follow up episode in the future. 

Rob Woods works with Barnabas ministries and facilities John 17:23 support groups for Pastors. Barnabas Ministries is a ministry that focuses on providing support for pastors as they minister to others. He asked me to include a small correction... "I had an a-ha moment just now. The word I shared last night in Swahili, Umoja mkamilifu meant unity one/perfectly one. I should have said, Kujihudumia - Self-Care.  That’s the word I was trying to recall." -Rob Woods

It's an ancient and unchanging principle, you reap what you sow.

A conversation with Psychiatrist Dr. David Eyears. 

We all have a pharisee living in us just waiting to come out...

TRIGGER WARNING: A pastor talks about money in this podcast

Today we talk about living truth, rather than a self-managed religious narrative

Applying truth in a way that is both wise and harmless

A Sunday message on the importance and power of being truthful in our speech.

Today Stuart Sampson from CAP financial have a talk about financial health and wellbeing. 

This week Glenn Tozer and I have a conversation about social health and wellbeing. 

This week Natalie wood and I have a conversation about Mental and Emotional Health and Wellbeing. Natalie owns & operates her Gold Coast Private Practice - Cogni Academy Counselling & Clinical Supervision - with over 1200+ client hours. She is a member of The ACA’s College of Supervisors and one of the Convenors for the ACA's Gold Coast region. She is also committed to providing EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) and NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) recipients with high quality counselling & support. With a Masters of Counselling, her current post graduate studies is in helping to raise awareness, solve the problems & long-term difficulties perinatal women endure & face after 'near death' childbirth events through both secular & sacred practice. 
 
Natalie’s unique ability to combine key relationships, synthesise information and connect people with appropriate resources for themselves and others, is an asset in her commitment and role as both an Integrative Psychotherapist, Family & Individual Counsellor and an Innovative Clinical Supervisor. 
 
Natalie’s mission is to empower 100,000+ people & Mental Health Practitioners consistently in their potential and ensure the voice of people with Mental Health challenges (particularly women experiencing PTSD symptoms and at risk of relationship breakdown) is heard, held with compassion and responded to appropriately. In addition her convening, advocating and engaging in mental health conversations with Counselling Associations, Integrative Health Industries and Psycho-Education bodies continues to empower people & practitioners in their potentials.

This week Sam Miller and I have a conversation about physical health and wellbeing from a Christian perspective.

This week Rhys Evans and I have a conversation about spiritual wellbeing from a Christian perspective. 

Each week over the next 5 weeks we are going to be looking at a different area of personal health and wellbeing, including spiritual, physical, mental, social and financial health and wellbeing. Our hope is that this will help you learn a little more about yourself, taking care of yourself and better enable you to better manage the stress and strains of day to day life.