Every mighty oak tree was once a little nut!   Every time I see an oak tree with its massive trunk and thick limbs I am amazed how all of this came from a single acorn seed.  Some years ago a farmer told me I could have the four metre long trunk of an oak tree that had been cut down in the middle of his grain field.  It was over two metres in diameter.  Together...

Where you stand determines what you see!   This was the challenge given at the recent Church Summit I attended hosted by McCrindle Research and NCLS (National Church Life Survey).   Both these organizations have done extensive research on church life and culture in Australia, and by listening to them one has lots to learn.  This challenge is really asking you and I to stand in the shoes of the typical Australian.   When we stand...

I love using crock-pots!  These slow-cookers are ingenious.  In the morning you pile it full of whatever you want to have for dinner at night.  And slowly but surely after many hours the dinner is ready to be enjoyed.  The food is always delicious, tender, and full of flavour.  But that is not all.  Throughout the entire day the kitchen and surrounds are full of the aroma of the pending meal. I mention crock-pots to highlight...

Vision never really becomes a reality until there is alignment.   And the key to alignment is the hub.   I know that from the number of motorcycle rebuilds I have done.  We all know about the importance of the rubber tyres.  When the rubber hits the road we are moving along.  And the rim to which the rubber is attached keeps the tyre inflated.  But inflated tyres do not get a pedal bike, motorcycle, or...

Sometimes in life you just got to do a rethink!  I did a rethink when I was studied for the ordained ministry.   My course of training was headed toward a study steeped in biblical exegesis.   My goal was set!  I wanted to know the Bible inside and out so I could teach people in the churches I would serve.   It was a great goal.   But midway through my studies I came to...