David Cook was recently asked, "Do you have any deep convictions about developing the future leaders of the church?" You would think that David Cook has a view ideas about this question. He is the Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the former principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College, where he served for 26 years. David Cook is also the featured speaker at the upcoming Preaching Conference at the Reformed Theological College in Geelong (more...
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant:...
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant: New Life Community Church, Pickering, Ontario(1987-95), and Bethel CRC, Listowel, Ontario (1995-2007). Jack is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity - 1983) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry - 2003) Jack and his wife Jeannie currently live in Petrie, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland. They attend and are members of Bray Park Community Church. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren living in the USA and Canada.
In Isaiah 58:11 we read: "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Australia has seen times of drought and floods. There is another type of drought in Australia; there is a spiritual drought. But God promises to provide refreshing rain, a never ending supply of refreshing water. The water he provides will satisfy the needs of all Australians. As we take up the missional vision God has given us we extend the life changing invitation of Jesus: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, come, and take the free gift of the water of life!" (Revelation 22:17)
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Peter van der Schoor and I, Jack De Vries, have just returned from a week in Solomon Islands. We met with the leaders of the local churches including the Archbishop of Honiara Adrian Smith (pictured here with Peter van der Schoor and Eric Maefonea). The clear message from the partner churches and agencies in Solomon Islands is that the ministry of SWIM (the CRCA mission in Solomon Islands) is needed, is valued, and the partnership we share in the gospel...
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I sat down with a senior manager of an international company and I asked him, “What insight have you gained about management in the past year?” He thought it was an interesting question, but that was why I asked it. He then shared with me the insight he had gained. This was the insight: you need to set high goals for the people you manage. He then went on to give me an example. In the...
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A Christian disciple is someone who follows Jesus Christ. As they follow Jesus they learn from him and take on his way of life. When we talk about discipleship, we refer to the ongoing call to growth which is laid before all followers of Jesus (Eph 4:15; Col 1:28; 2 Thess 1:3). This growth is really the outward expression of our ongoing growth in holiness or our ‘sanctification’. It is an expression of our ongoing transformation...
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My father-in-law was an avid gardener! Not only did he cultivate acres of vegetables and greenhouses full of tomatoes and cucumbers, he had a knack and reputation for growing healthy young starter plants from seeds. I knew this firsthand. See, as a teenager, before I was married, I spent many weekends in the spring working for him in the greenhouses. He kept reminding me, since my name was Jacob, that if I was ever to marry his daughter Jeannie, like the...
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