It was G.K. Chesterton who said "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it."    But such wisdom is not new nor did it orginate with G.K. Chesterton.    This is the heart of God!  It was Jesus who said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant." (Mark 10:34)   On another occasion Jesus taught: "... he who is least among you all--he is...

When I was ordained into fulltime Christian ministry 35 years ago I posted on my study wall the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:1-16. I was captivated by this vision Paul gives of the mature church: a church attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, becoming like Jesus in every way. That was the church I wanted to be part of and I committed myself to living out these verses in a...

Recently I prayed with my eyes wide open!   I have not done that for a long, long time.   As a young child during family devotions I would on occasion open my eyes(just a slit or two) during prayer -- just to see if anyone else had their eyes open.   Years later, there were many times carving up kilometres on pavement on my motorcycle when I would talk with God out loud.   I figured no one...

It is encouraging to know that 84% of CRCA congregational members would support the development of new initiatives in the ministry and mission of their local church.     This is one of many findings in the recent NCLS (National Church Life Survey) survey conducted among CRCA churches.    While not all churches participated in the NCLS survey, the results are still a good sampling of the vitality of CRCA churches.     Over 1300 adult members...

Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (5) Christianity is not a spectator sport. Australians know what it means to be a spectator. And Australians are not unique in this. Sport is big business and attracts huge crowds to stadiums. What typically happens is that you have a few players on the field who are active participants in the sporting event, be it Cricket, Soccer, Rugby, or the like. The rest are spectators and they come...