Life and Faith

Tag: Hope

  • The Advance of the Gospel: In Joy

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    Jon
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    The book of Job in the Old Testament presents the story of a man who, despite his righteousness, is subjected to immense suffering. Job’s friends, in their misguided attempts to provide comfort, suggest that his misfortune must be due to some hidden sin. Job, in defiance, is confident that God will ultimately vindicate him, that…

  • By Faith – A Future Hope

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    Jon
    in ,

    Hebrews 11 is one of those chapters in the Bible that is packed with so much that it takes numerous readings to grasp its various teachings. It’s the chapter where the writer outlines all those significant biblical characters of the past, and describes briefly how they lived by faith, trusting and obeying God throughout their…

  • Christ In A Curfew

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    Jon
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    Our city has now been under a curfew for a week. What an amazing sentence to write. I’ve always figured that to be under curfew would mean I was living in a country under martial law or something similar; where there would be the threat of violence and war. Even living in the Middle East…

  • A Psalm For Our Sanity

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    Jon
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    Ooft, there’s no other way to say it, the restrictions now placed on us here in Melbourne are brutal. Yesterday evening we entered a ‘State of Disaster’, which now means we have a curfew, limited time for exercise, and we’re unable to travel more than 5km from our home (except for special circumstances). This is…

  • Published: Hope In Distress

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    Jon
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    At the last minute I was tasked with preaching on Sunday. After contemplating what I should speak on, and not finding peace about any of my previous sermons, I landed on Psalm 142. This Psalm certainly spoke to me in the context of the last week–Christchurch and Cardinals, disaster and religious war. In the end…

  • Hope Gone Viral – A Christmas Reflection

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    Jon
    in

    In 1991 Metallica released their self-titled album, commonly known as ‘The Black Album’. On this album they released a song called “The God That Failed”. The central theme of this song being about faith and the human reliance on promises which are broken by the God of the universe. Lead singer, James Hetfield, wrote the lyrics soon after…

  • Another Year Begins

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    Jon
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    It’s a New Year. A time filled with expectation, excitement and possibilities.  For me this means a couple of changes, particularly early in the year. I currently have seven more days of leave before I begin as Associate Pastor for Youth & Young Adults at Rowville Baptist Church. In early March there will be a…