My wife and I worked at the same job for 11 years. We were fortunate in that it was more than just a job. It was something we both considered called to do. It wasn’t just a job, rather a cause we felt honored to help be a part of in fulfilling. The cause you might ask was to enhance,...

My favourite T-shirt has this picture on it with the following phrase on it “thanks for the legs suckers!” The photo is of Sir Douglas Badder. If you have never heard of him before. I can highly recommend you grab a copy of his book “Reach for the Sky” Thanks for the...

It has been a long time since I felt like writing. And I came across an article I wrote some time ago called “The 3 f’s of church planting” the entire article left me very ‘flat’… you see what I did there? Yeah I know not very ‘funny’…...

“Ultimately each church will be evaluated by only one thing. Its disciples. Your church is only as good as its disciples. It does not matter how good your praise, preaching, programs or property are: If your disciples are passive, needy, consumerist, and not moving in the direction of...

by Neil Cole: I found this brilliant passage in an article by the late F.F. Bruce recalling a powerful teaching from E.H. Broadbent. The article by Bruce was addressing the things that went wrong with the Jerusalem church, one of which was legalism. So many of us look to the Jerusalem Church...

“My conviction is that we over-teach Christians and under-teach non-Christians.” This article originally appeared in the May/June 2005 issue of Outreach magazine. The key to evangelism in the New World is the same as it was in the first century—creating environments where people...

Contextualize, contextualize, contextualize. I hear this word a lot. I hear it from the emerging Church movement. I hear it from the evangelical pragmatics, (that’s what Robert Webber calls them in his book ‘Young Evangelicals’). I hear it from training colleges… What...

Another story which somehow had been sitting in the draft section for way too long. Can I tell you two stories, both of which occurred to me last week. I was driving home with my 4 year old daughter and my 3 year old son, when they both unexpectedly started singing this song; ‘You are...

An amazing parable but sadly the truth does indeed hurt! “ship wrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown”… watch the video and say the those words out loud. Get the Flash Player to see this video.

The noise is getting louder each day! The boisterous opponents of the Church are becoming increasingly vocal: ‘All the Church wants is money!’ ‘Fanatics like them cause wars!’ ‘Bunch of hypocrites!’ ‘They don’t know how to have fun! ‘The...

TED provides a wealth of information and inspiration, it shows the best and worse of humanity. I was amazed to discover that Billy Graham was once one of the key note speakers, and despite his age, when it was given, the message is still relevant and insightful. Christians should be involved...

One of these things is doing its own thing; (sing along with me now) one of these things just doesn’t belong… O.K. so you’re not as familiar with the Sesame Street classics as I’d hoped. Doesn’t matter. Does it worry you to be different? I don’t always fit...

Some people love the Church, some are suspicious of the Church and still others hate it with a vengeance!But which Church do they love or hate? Is it the greying, largely traditional Church; the aggressive, contemporary mega or regional Church; or the almost hidden (no buildings) emerging...

Since my parents moved interstate I don’t see them much. I was afraid that with the move into a small country town they would somehow just give up on following Jesus. But it seems the reverse has happened. So when Dad asked me to take him to a large Christian Bookstore during his recent...

I was going through my notes the other day and came across this article that I have collected along the way other the years. Sadly I have lost the cover sheet for it, so I can’t give credit to the original owner. If you should know, please let me know so I can give the author the...

mmm the truth is out there…

John Doerr makes a lot of sense and has a pretty impressive track record! Get the Flash Player to see this video.

If you get frustrated with people telling you, “slow and steady wins the race”, and you have a sense God’s church should be busting out all over the place, then you will find Viral Churches, by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, a welcome relief. As they say, “This book can...

In Australia there is a growing phenomenon I like to call own-little-world-itis that is hazardous to evangelism and disciple-making. One of the symptoms of said phenomenon is the trend to activate your remote controlled garage door on the final approach to your house, and hit it again while...

This happy family are the newly appointed worship pastor at ________ church

It all began when I read Acts again towards the end of last year – actually I’ve read it at least once a year for a long time, but it was last year I began to notice something which, to me anyway, was significant. Most of you who are leaders will have read widely enough to have heard of the...

no it is not me… but it is my identical brother

FIRE2010 Saturday PM session… ‘the other track’ by John Tanner

FIRE2010 Saturday AM session… ‘power power power’ by Colin Stoodley

FIRE2010 Friday ‘I am ok with that?’ ‘Are you ok with that?’ The question we need to ask… a lot. by Dean Thomas

trust in God looks likeI like this pic so much I decided to start a photo of the month… I think this would be great on a T-shirt

I don’t always verbalise it – but I watch what’s going on around me so I can learn from it. I think the right way to say it is that I “wonder” about things a lot. Anyway, I’d like to share one of these “wonderings” with you as it relates to the Kingdom of God. I believe there was a subtle...

I came across an article the other day from the ‘Boston Globe’ talking about the increasing difficulty of making new discoveries. I discovered (no pun intended) that until recently no one has really tried to measure the increasing difficulty of discovery. The name given to this new type of...

About six years ago the German football team was at a crossroads. They were playing what many people thought was a boring brand of the beautiful game. They were a defensive team and while they could sometimes win on the counter when it came to winning a game with their own strategy they...

Recently on the “Church Planting Village” website, Tom Cheyney posted an article outlining the traits of churches that multiply. He called these churches “sending” churches and gave a simple outline that might be a useful leadership discussion. Check the site...

(the first of three conversation starters outlining the key features in the process of beginning new faith communities that lead to multiplication).  The phases of church planting have been discussed before and I am not introducing anything new to you in these articles. But for the past few...

I was having lunch the other day and the topic of my recent illness (cancer) came up. A colleague who was there said they had no idea it was so serious, due to the way Christine and I had continued on as though nothing was seriously wrong.  This got me thinking. (I know, I need to stop it!)...

PodCast of the Month – Erwin McManus

7 Life Changing Lessons Learned From Walt Disney – by Dumb Little Man. Walter Elias “Walt” Disney was a film producer, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, international icon, and philanthropist. Walt is well-known for his influence...

Is Our Vision Too Small? I read an article on the internet recently in which the writer made a critical assessment of world mission efforts during the last 100 years.  He said we had invested our energies in either Gospel outreach or social action and the results in many countries have been...

Multiplying Churches without adequate prayer is about as effective as trying to sell melted ice-creams. I love ice-cream. It’s my favourite food! Sometimes I help my wife with the grocery shopping and we often buy a tub of ice-cream to bring home. None of those generic brands – No! When...

At 3pm one day a few years ago my son, who was 5 at the time, sat down with me to watch the world superbike championship. He was quite pleased and truthfully so was I because I had been longing to watch it, longing to watch Aussie Troy Bayliss beat the best the rest of the world could offer!...

I was asked the other day to speak about my ‘church planting’ experience… you know the usual questions… Why should we church plant? Who should church plant? How did I start? What have I done? What would I do different next time? But before I get to that I want to tell...

I blame people like Barna for ruining my life… I have tuned in and dropped out. I have been in the ‘ministry’ now for some time and as I reflect on those years, I wonder how could I have been so wrong on so many things? In all of those years I experienced a degree of...

direct reprint from How to forget fear – Times Online. Imagine if you could rewrite your mind as quickly as a document on your computer. No more painful memories, no phobias or ingrained fears, just a blank slate where the scars that mark each human life used to be. This may sound like...

In September 2009 four Pines’ Graduates went to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to encourage and minister alongside four other Pines’ Graduates – Peung, Relle, Terry and Robyn. The ensuing two weeks were filled with challenges, salvations, swine flu, tree removal, good food and new cultural...

In the first article I discussed some of the background to the issue. Here, I will explore some of the details in the expression of worship that may enable men to more easily access worship. Males and females are obviously different. This is not going to be an extract from a biology textbook...

Why are missionaries allowed to get away with so much when it comes to communicating the Gospel in the context of those they serve? What would happen in our communities if we lived out their missional strategies here at home? How would that impact how we talk? How we dress? How we serve? How...

Recently I sat around a table talking about a variety of subjects of interest and there was a moment when we talked about worship. One contributor leaned back, put his hands behind his head and said, “Blah, blah, blah!” The essence of his response was, as I understand it, most males don’t get...

Since my parents moved interstate I don’t see them much. I was afraid that with the move into a small country town they would somehow just give up on following Jesus. But it seems the reverse has happened. So when Dad asked me to take him to a large Christian Bookstore during his recent...

I began to offer as a consultancy on behalf of The Pines Training Centre, some elements of the Journey programme we offer, to The Salvation Army in NSW, ACT & Queensland. So far I have done intensives in Sydney (twice), Port Macquarie, Townsville and I will be offering another intensive...

Erwin Raphael McManus – author, international speaker, activitist, filmmaker and innovator who specializes in developing and unleashing personal and organizational creativity, uniqueness, innovation and diversity. Engaging such issues as culture, creatvity, change, and leadership, Erwin is...

I don’t believe anyone deliberately chooses less in life. We may unwittingly choose it because we feel unworthy of anything more, but never because we actually prefer less. No. There is, in fact, a long journey through badly handled decisions and deep disappointment before we reach less. The...

For those of you who know me personally you would know that I really struggled through my bible college years… and I mean struggle. Every year a new intake of students would enter in the college and every year the students who have been around the longest would have to help integrate...

Today I’m re-assessing [deep breath]. I talk so much about the need for revolution. The need to stop perpetuating an institutional commitment apart from its cultural context, and to start living out the Gospel in the culture in which many are lost and facing a Christless eternity. I...

Contextualize, contextualize, contextualize. I hear this word a lot. I hear it from the emerging Church movement. I hear it from the evangelical pragmatics, (that’s what Robert Webber calls them in his book ‘Young Evangelicals’). I hear it from training colleges… What...

Leaders from Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal the Solomons and Australia met last week on the Sunshine Coast to learn about how God was working in their countries. Participants heard about whole villages coming to know Christ in Nepal; Buddhist people becoming open to the Gospel in Myanmar after the...

So many of us are under-estimated in life! Have you ever felt that people just can’t see what you know is inside you?… or at least what you hope is there? I had this experience this week, someone I spend time with thinks I’m a drop kick. Now I know at times I act like a drop kick,...

This morning I became aware of something as I was praying. I had been reflecting on what strategy was needed for an Intercessors prayer meeting tomorrow and the Lord opened something to my heart. So, while it is fresh, I submit this to you all and ask you to weigh it. We are all aware of the...

Can I tell you two stories, both of which occurred to me last week. I was driving home with my 4 year old daughter and my 3 year old son, when they both unexpectedly started singing this song; ‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when clouds are grey’. I...

Have you ever read a non-fiction book which is un-put-downable? If a quick survey of my close circle of Christian friends is anything to go by, books like James Rutz’s MegaShift are few and far between. The preface includes the challenge, ‘If you read it with an open heart, I...

I chat online with men and women involved in house churches, church planters and other pioneers creating new ministries. And I speak in the old-fashioned way to peers involved in ‘normal’ pastorates. Whenever the subject of emerging church or emerging ministries arises, we...

There’s a linkage between the devotional pathways we take and our eagerness to share about Jesus with our friends. I can be physically down but still willing and able to share about Jesus. But if the spiritual side of my life is down, then I feel unbalanced and I’m less confident...

“Having met Bob Roberts; seen him pace up and down speaking at an enormous rate of words per minute; having had to get past the awful Hawaiian shirts he wears; but also having great regard for his ability to get things done, I don’t have any difficulty with the sincerity of...

From science we recognize that there are capacities and limitations to our own perceptions. From the early 20th century two guys named Donald Broadbent and Thomas Kuhn did separate studies and discovered we have filtering processes that both allow and prevent information from coming in to our...

Growing up I feared with a passion school report card day. To this day my father has not seen all of my report cards. Last week my four year old son brought his first report card home from kindergarten. How is that possible? How do you prepare a report on a four year old who can’t read...

Some people love the Church, some are suspicious of the Church and still others hate it with a vengeance!But which Church do they love or hate? Is it the greying, largely traditional Church; the aggressive, contemporary mega or regional Church; or the almost hidden (no buildings) emerging...