27 June 2020

Putting myself out there. Taking the bull by the horns.

The weeks are zipping past, fast......you would think it would feel slower in the lockdown, but no..it feels to be rushing past even more quickly.

As I Prayed this morning  a few thoughts came rushing to me about some circumstances I am aware of.

I think I can count around 4 or 5 different situations where this lockdown has given the perfect opportunity for wise leaders to take the bull by the horns and change some seriously stuck circumstances and turn things around in radical ways.

  • Churches where things have become very messy in shared leases... and use of the facility.


  • Some people who have been in dumb relationships that are hurting and damaging them.


  • People with habits causing great harm to themselves. (Lockdown causing a forced stop to the habit)


  • Blinkered vision, unable to see new ways ahead.




In these circumstances and heaps more, people like you and me have an opportunity like never before to break some stuck stuff and fix it. Maybe that’s what God wants to show us.  Maybe we have been doing it the wrong way.

It is going to take brave leaders, courageous...and purposed people who refuse to remain stuck any longer.

And thats where the problem really is I think..... we can be presented with amazing opportunities and concepts and ideas, that are not that difficult to navigate our way through, and we will choose to remain stuck because it’s easier to stick with what we know, than to venture out into the unknown unchartered waters of “the new”.

Yesterday we facilitated a discipleship workshop for TSA as a catalyst for bringing back into the life of TSA, especially in SEVic... the Masters Plan.  Discipling people. (Matthew 28)

Now I might prove to be a bit controversial here...but that’s who I am.... at times... I guess ??

There is absolutely no point presenting anything like we did yesterday, if people wont choose to get involved in a new opportunity.  It isn't rocket science or complicated...it is simple. 

Just go and do it.

But most wont do it... most will settle back into the old normal, and it has nothing to do with keeping the older people satisfied as we keep stating.... its because its easier for us personally, to keep the peace than it is to rock the boat.   
(Remember in a rocking boat Jesus was very peacefully sleeping, it isnt a worry to Him)

A lot of People don't like change. Cant cope. Moving the seats in the worship hall. Changing the songs we sing. Moving some things online rather than in person. 

We hear it all the time, and there have been times when I have even said it myself. Why do we have to change ? We have always done it this way ? Never mind the fact that we are in decline and losing the battle. Never mind the fact that our No.1 key Mission purpose isn't being fulfilled. 

We hear it all the time, we must do the mission... keep the mission, fulfill it. 

Friends just in case you are confused... the “No.1” mission purpose of every church.....every Christian is getting other people saved for Jesus Christ.  The other things we do are secondary to that. And if you want to know how we are doing with that...just look around and look for the new baby Christians being born around you and in your church. If they are not around, then we haven’t done the mission.

We haven’t been winning.  So therefore we must be losing.

That has to change ....sorry.... but it must.

The message never changes, but the methods must always change. 

The world has changed and it is in the middle of a new era, radical change, life and death change, and God is at work amongst us, but will we perceive it ? Will we move with Him, or dig our heels in, in our personal safe zone... now that’s the question isnt it ?

Perfect opportunities to fix a few things, blame it on Covid 19 or whatever, but just fix it.

Gutless or courageous ? Who are you. ?

This week has been interesting... some older folks ringing us and getting stuck in..in a “kind and sickly sweet” way... confused and angry over decisions made by our leaders... and criticism of all and sundry about what is going on, as they want to get back to the old normal.  

And my questions and frustration rises, why are we so blind to the new things God wants to do amongst us ? Why are we so out of step with the Holy Spirit that we behave in ways that are contrary to His ways ?  

Why wouldn’t we want for us, what He wants for us ?

So.... take the bull by the horns..... grab the opportunity as it presents, fix the issues that surround you, sort out the bad relationships while they are on hold, take spiritual authority over the circumstances in your sphere of influence, listen out for God as He whispers your name and then boldly obey His call into His purpose.

Push back against the things that haven’t worked for years. And truthfully - never will again. 

Regardless  of what the declining “stuck and stayed” in their ways folks are saying.  

Yes move forwards in compassion and care for them, absolutely.... and don’t neglect that.... and I mean really care... but don't neglect the primary mission. put it first.

but ask Jesus what He is saying to your situation... (and I mean really ask)... and then answer the second question... what will I do about it ?  And then do it..... intestinal fortitude !!!!!

be brave and do the work of the Kingdom... pray for souls to be saved and get yourself involved in that process...and that just might mean putting yourself out there in a risky situation.

Just my rambling thoughts on this Saturday morning in Melbourne.

20 June 2020

Just so sad !!! A bit of a rant today !! Sticking my neck out !!!!!

This morning as I ponder life... we have been in a situation of lockdown in our Nation and state of Victoria for over 3 months now. I remember back when it all began how nervous I actually was, one Saturday morning a few months back I remember having high anxiety over what was unfolding. Since then so many people have died. And that is horrible for the families and friends of real people around the world.




The World Health Organization says it is still spreading at a higher rate around the world still, even though not as bad as it was in Australia. But it isn't finished this covid 19 thing.

So I am going to stick my neck out and speak what’s on my mind this morning...

But what makes me really sad is the fact that we seem to have become complacent and  in the church especially, all we want to do is go back to how things were.   And things were not that good really back then. We have been in decline for a very long time and its slowly getting worse.

To me thats a tragedy.....we were given this incredible opportunity to change things up, and yet we see people anxious to resume where they left off.... and that is the dumbest thing I can imagine.

We say we want change, but we are not prepared for the sacrifice and cost of change. We are not that brave. We lack courage to make the hard choices. We are weak when it comes to tough decisions. And so the real sadness is that as things start to ease, we will just go back to the same old same old. Why ? Because it’s familiar and it’s easier than trying to adjust and change things.

I know a few folks in leadership around the place have challenged and asked the hard questions and tried to challenge current thinking and methods. But when answers are spoken, they are ignored completely. Some people think they have all the answers, and I have even been guilty of that myself.. 

One of the best things I have seen is  a note from our DC today around asking our Officers to answer the question,, what is God saying about your place ?

My experience  and fear is, there is a question mark around if we are willing to even ask God that question.

And so 3 months down the track, we find ourselves potentially returning to “normal”...and I feel sad that we have missed the point.  Deeply sad actually.

You know when I said yes to my calling in my life, and as I try to live it out, I never expected that life would turn this way.  Would I have said yes if I had known ?  Unsure. Truthfully.

In some ways I am not a happy camper these days.... truthfully.  

There are many highly capable leaders in this world who are ignored and forgotten and I feel that at times myself.  It saddens me that folks with the runs on the board are just ignored because they have a strong view and speak it out, and it doesn’t quite align with “others” who have different opinions.  And thats where our danger really sits I think.... for what if God is speaking through these forgotten and neglected leaders ?

That is sad.

Yesterday I was speaking to a colleague who I respect highly, and truthfully I would go to the brink with and for this guy.  He has the runs on the board, in my mind he is a legend and I trust him, don’t always agree with him, but 90% of the time I do ...and can see true wisdom in him.  And yet he is ignored, disrespected ...sideswiped and it isn't right or fair.  Our problem is that we just might be missing what God is saying if we are not  listening to voices like this guy.

And so ... here we are, about to head back.... in the next few weeks.... 

And I respectfully ask.... head back to what ?

I pray that we wake up just in time to ask God for revival in our meetings.  Personal revival in each of us ...that God might pour out fresh power into our weak bones.... that we might be fired up to save the lost, and in our churches, instead of seemingly going through the motions week in and week out, caught up in politics, song choices and styles, criticism if things are not going our way, that our focus would be on Jesus, 100%.

I personally think it would be better to not go back at all, than to go back to how it has been in so many of our churches.

I know these comments will ruffle feathers, but if we are gonna fly as the church of God on the earth then we are going to have to spread our wings out and actually take a leap of faith into the air and fly. 

And that means ruffling the feathers and jumping from the safety of the nest to do so.

And in the words of our founders... we will never affect anything in the present ...if we don’t actually disturb it.

I guess if anyone above me actually reads my blog, I could well be in trouble.  

Ahhh..if that’s the case, I will suffer the consequences of that. 

But for me I am not sure we can keep doing the things we have been doing, stay with the status quo and smile at the same time. Well I simply cant do that and wont do that.

I am 60 years of age and have a few years left in me yet and I desire to serve the Lord as best as I can until He calls me home.  And if that means ruffling some feathers along the way...so be it.
Of that there is no confusion for me.,..

He called me to make a difference and that hasn’t changed over the past 25 years or so.

I love Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and my Lord.
I am not perfect and I dont always get it right.
But... I will serve Him as best as I can for as long as I can.
No messing with that for me.

14 June 2020

Devastating News !!

I awoke very early this morning to some devastating news... some very good friends of ours lost their son yesterday and it shocked me so hard.... My prayers are with that special family who have influenced us so much over the years... I am truly grateful for them and out of respect for them wont mention their names here... In fact it was these wonderful people who ministered to us in some really tough times in our lives... praying for us, praying for healing for our girls... seeing miracles happen, and standing with us through some pretty amazing times in our process of being called into ministry..and now they face grief of unimaginable size....  life is hard sometimes, and as I pondered that this morning, trying to get my heart and mind into worship, I was led to this wonderful song... 

Michael W Smith has blessed me for so many years I can’t  even count them,... we used to use his worship on our Monday night prayer nights at Craigieburn  and they were always times of power and praise and tears as God was with us in those times.  God is with us in all of our “times”.

Whatever time you face this day...may this song lift you like an eagle 🦅....  as it has for me this morning and as I hope it will for my friends this day also.

Click on the link  below to listen to the song... (* the lyrics are below)

https://youtu.be/tPwhLQfEe8E

Morning mystery pull me
Give me one more week and I'll be gone
It's been a long hard month of Sundays
Still no rain
Nothing left around here 
But the dust and shame
I know you know (hm)
I know you know
And I'm trying to find a way, 
To hold onto my faith
While I wait, for You
I'll wait for You
Now I lie awake at night
Trying hard to think, that these 
Are the hardest times I've ever seen
I'm still holding on
I know You never said it'd be easy
All thick and no thin
But the man who waits, is the man who wins
I'm holding on, (oh yeah)
I'm holding on
But I hide myself away, and I hide myself away
And I'll wait for You, I'll wait for You
I'll wait for You, I'll wait for You
I need You now 
I need You now, (yeah, oh, oh)
Lord I need You now (oh, yeah, yeah, )
And I'll wait for You, I'll wait for You
I'm gonna wait for You, oh I wait for You,
I'm gonna walk on, and not get weary, now
I'm gonna run, and not fall down
I know that someday I'll get my wits about
You will carry me, 
You will carry me
I'm gonna rise up, like an eagle, now
Gonna ride that big blue sky,
I'm sure that someday, 
Won't look down again
You will carry me
You will carry me, even now 
(oh yeah, yeah) (yes you will)
Carry me, even now, 
(You're gonna carry me)
You will carry me, 
You will carry me
Even now, oh carry me (oh yeah)



This fantastic song inspired me this morning in my quiet time and private worship.... and reminded me of  
One of my favorite verses in the bible from Isaiah 40:

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Oh Lord, in the midst of struggle and hardship, of pain and suffering and hurt and tears, may you bring peace to this troubled world and to our troubled hearts and help us to get off the ground and to soar like an eagle... straight into your presence where there is peace..perfect peace. May this be so for my friends this day.   Amen.





1 June 2020

Settle for the Safe ? Or scary risky faith ? What are you gonna do Jack ?

I have been doing a lot of reading over these past few months... on my 12th book in close on 3 months, thats a bit of a record for me.

But its this latest book which is creating some serious thought in me. I have always been one to have my doubts about Catholic traditions .... and if we were all honest all of us would be in similar situations over various Christian traditions and practices.

The book I am currently reading, is the book written by Journalist Mike Willesee and his journey to faith. 

Now as a young guy growing up I used to watch Mike on TV, so I recognized him and knew about him but didn’t know his story until I started to  read this book.

The book goes into graphic detail around stigmata and bleeding statues and the like, much of what I have had doubts about for a long time.





This book sits alongside another devotional book in my reading stand by Brian Houston from Hillsong.

You couldn’t get any more extremes than these 2 books.

From stigmata, to praying in tongues, from the prophetic to the visions and unexplainable events of crying statues... to the healing of the sick, and the divine intervention from God into peoples lives.

One must surely catch your breath and decide for yourself what you really believe.

Scripture states that No eye has seen ...no ear has heard what God has in store for those who truly love Him. ( 1 Corinthians 2 )

For one to dismiss any of it, is a dangerous thing as who among us knows the full extent of God and His work around us and within us.

Unexplainable mystery’s.... and I can honestly tell you my spirit has quickened as I ponder the possibilities of what I am reading right now.

It draws me back to a few miracles of my own...

Angels on my car..
Physical healing of my daughter.
The removal of a demon from a young lady in our youth group.
Supernatural visitations in our bedroom in regards to our calling.
Incredible confirmations of scripture from a prophet in our church..
My own personal Holy Spirit baptism.

I wont go into detail here, and if you want to know more ...you can always make comment below and ask, and I will be happy to explain any of the above in further detail.

But it got me thinking... our earthly churches have traditions and characteristics that become our DNA.

The Catholics... 
The Pentecostals..
The Baptists...  and yes
The Salvos..

We have heard many stories of supernatural work in our Army meetings....  some might argue that even that is full of fraud or doubt. How could some one be totally drunk one minute and the next minute sober and saved ?

Here’s the deal for me....  why be closed in our thinking and limit God to what He can or cannot do ?
Who of us are so full of knowledge that we fully know the mind of God ?

How many of us have placed Him in a box though over the years and said, well unless its  done our way then it isn't true and it isn't God. ?

That is a very dangerous theology to have, in my view.

I remember years ago, when I was a youth pastor we took our key leaders to a discipleship camp. It was run by baptists so communion was held one night. I was fairly open in those days but some of our guys were not. The bread and juice was passed around and some of us took it and joined in and others let it pass on by.  The Salvos don't practice communion, but we surely don’t condemn it either, but as I watched it unfolding that night I remember thinking to myself, just how closed we can be to the wider things of God and what He wants to do in us and through us .... I remember also as a young naive Christian Salvo that I used to think that if it wasn't salvo then it surely must be of the devil and sinful...seeing all other churches as wrong.   

And then one day I had a fairly big wake up call and I was never the same again.

All this to say...  what If.... what if God is trying to get our attention....to open our minds to the possibility that He wants to do a new thing in us right now, for us to put aside some of our doubts and fears to open our minds to the miraculous .... to the supernatural.... to the new thing He wants to do in us, through us, with us ?

Will we hold ourselves back ? Or will we dare to believe that God might just do something pretty fancy right in front of me (you) ?

This world has had a habit of getting us to settle for the safe..... for the normal..the explainable...for the risk free lifestyle in our churches and lives... we don't want our little boat rocked by unexplainable supernatural events...or do we ?

For this world right now, we are already in a crazy situation ... we need God and His supernatural intervention in and around us... and I pray it will be so in me.

You ?

I think right now we have an opportunity before us to be poured into a new wineskin and allow God the Holy Spirit to reign in us like never before, and it just might mean some of the old ways need to go.

The question is, whether we will be gutsy enough to hear ....to listen... to obey Him, and be ready for what ever He wants to do next .

Big questions ...I know !!!!!!

Big questions need Big answers ...from a very Big God....
Let’s trust Him like we have never done before.

The Spiritual Experiences of my life. (Wondering about my Wandering) (It’s kind of Ripley’s…)

It’s always good to be reminded or to remember what God has done in your life. Recently, I hit a bit of a low spot in my life.  Things had c...