Gary Grant

“When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.” ‭‭ 2 Chronicles‬ ‭15:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As I read this passage of scripture, and specifically this verse the words just about jumped off the page for me...   “ And Asa repaired the altar of the Lord ” The thought immediately came to my mind that we need to repair some altars of the Lord in our lives also. When reading the whole chapter and getting context we also see other actions by Asa... not only did he repair the Lords Altar, but he also removed detestable idols.. he took courage .... I don’t know about you, but that speaks deeply to me today... maybe its the bit about taking courage, or maybe its the bit about getting the Altar of the Lord back in its righ...

Yesterday when preaching at Pakenham Salvos I was reminded of the absolute certainty of my calling. It was a Sunday afternoon I think... the venue was Perth Modern School and I was sitting with Jules, my fairly new wife in those days... (we have been married 39 years this year) Eva Burrows was the preacher, she was the TC back then.... and I heard God call my name.... I felt like I must have run to the altar that day to say Yes to God for His call upon my life into ministry...  it was a very long time ago, I am thinking around ... most likely 36 years ago... or close to that. God changed my life forever that day... and the days leading up to "that day". Its a pretty long story, so I wont bore you with all the details, but my heart rate quickened, my mind raced....and I remember sweating heavily as I attempted to say Yes to My God that day.  Do you remember when you first heard God call your name ?   Did you run to Him or did you run awa...

There are a lot of things that matter to a lot of people in this world. We all know it, and know it even more the moment we upset someone’s apple cart. But I wonder if you have thought about what really matters at the very core of your being !? I got to thinking about this tonight, and I guess, the older I get the more  I think through some of these things at a different level than I have before. I do turn 60 in a few weeks... I know its impossible to believe right ? I dont look a day over 40... 😳   Yeah puzzling I know !!!!!!! Anyway... what are the things that really matter in life ... it’s not the shirt I wear, the footy team I follow, or the job I have, the car I drive or the color of that car, it isn’t about whether I feel like I have been treated unfairly or forgotten...its not about the friends I have or don’t have...  it isnt even really about my family, as precious as they are to me... No when everyth...