The Afterword

Tag: god

  • At the Table with Jesus – John 5:1-15

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    Peter
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    I am a classically avoidant man.I delay,displace,compartmentalise,run until the problemseems further away. But distance spreads.Church becomes too hard,so we stop going.Friendships become complicated,so we let them fade.Family becomes stressful,so we stay home. Soon avoidance becomesa household,a church,a society saying,We do not want to deal with this.Send someone else.Send a link.We will contribute. But Jesus wentto…

  • A Culture of Life – James 5:13-20

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    Peter
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    Is anyone among you in trouble?Then pray.Not because prayer is a leverand God is a machine,but because trouble reminds uswe are childrenturning againtoward the Father. Is anyone happy?Then sing.Praise is prayerwith its hands open,naming goodnesswhile it is still before us. Is anyone sick?Then call the elders.Let the community come close.Let oil be brought,medicine and sign,ordinary…

  • One Small Act of Trust

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    Peter
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    What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right? Sometimes you meet someone briefly and sense that they are trustworthy. I met him in Tanzania. I was there working on a project and he was assigned as my translator when I spoke at a church. We were together for…

  • Ask for Patience – James 5:7-12

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    Peter
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    It was the best of timesand it was the worst of times,and James knew it. He wrote to peoplecaught in contradiction,faithful to Jesus,yet still suffering,still divided. Stress exposed weakness.Weakness found a tunnel.Pain became frustration.Frustration became grumbling. So James says,be patient.Not passive.Not numb.Not pretending.Patient. Long suffering.Able to take a hitwithout returning one.Able to choose gracewhen irritation…

  • Making It Happen Without Making a Fuss

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    Peter
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    Who are you most inspired by? I am increasingly inspired by people whose names never appear in headlines. They are the ones who turn up, notice what needs doing, and do it without making a fuss. Brilliance has its place. We need gifted people. But as I get older, I find myself more deeply moved…

  • What It Rests Upon – James 4:13-5:6

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    Peter
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    The tone changes here.No gentle encouragement.No careful instruction. A prophet has walked into the room.Like Jonah in Nineveh,James points and says:Look. You stand condemned. The merchants make their plans.The wealthy count their coins.The powerful drag their own peoplebefore the courts.Silver. Gold.The things that seem untouchable.James says, Look again.Even the things we trust mostcannot carry the…

  • Character Outlasts Achievement

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    Peter
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    What is your top tip to be successful in life? My top tip for being successful in life is simple: character outlasts achievement. We live in a world that measures success by what can be counted, announced, awarded, or displayed. Titles, income, influence, publications, prizes, and recognition all have their place. Achievement matters. Good work…

  • Joyful, Anyway

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    Peter
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    What is a common misconception people have about happiness? A common misconception about happiness is that it means being satisfied with everything. That is not true. In fact, it may be one of the more damaging ideas we carry. It suggests that if we are truly happy, we should be undisturbed by grief, injustice, disappointment,…

  • Charity Begins at Home

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    Peter
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    Share a proverb you think is completely wrong and make your case. “Charity begins at home” sounds sensible enough. It means we should care first for the people nearest to us. Our family. Our neighbours. Our local communities. The people we actually live with. There is something right about that. It is easy to care…

  • An Infinite Hunger

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    Peter
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    What is the meaning of life? At the beginning of the year I sat with a student who was trying to decide whether to change degrees. He had come to the college office after lunch and had waited near the doorway until I looked up from my desk. He said he only needed five minutes.…

  • Vital Signs – James 2:14-26

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    Peter
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    Faith is not a wordkept safe in the mouth. It is not the old habitof belonging somewhere,the family name,the Sunday seat,the language we learnedbefore we knew what it meant. James asks the hard question:what does your faith look likewhen someone is cold,hungry,standing in front of youwith no coatand no bread? A blessing is not bread.A…

  • Mercy Triumphs – James 2:1-13

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    Peter
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    Last time Jesus was on earth,crowds followed himlike a rockstar,not fanboys,not fangirls,but the poor,the sick,the unclean,the hungry,the frightened,the ones who had run outof other doors to knock on. And he did not turn them away. Often late into the nightcompassion kept him awake,healing one more body,touching one more wound,answering one more desperate hope. Then, in…

  • Where Our Wanting lives – James 1:12-18

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    Peter
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    James came lateto faith. Brother of Jesus,then servant of Jesus,steady in the early churchwhen the gospelopened its doorsto the nations. He knew this much:faith is not inheritedlike furniture. It is birth.Second birth.God giving lifeby the word of truth. So it is not enoughto say,my parents believed,my grandparents believed,I have known the songssince childhood. A chain…

  • When a Bold Step Was Needed

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    Peter
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    I have made cautious decisions all my life, which is probably why this one still catches me by surprise. When I was minister on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, there was a persistent idea that surfaced every now and then. There had once been a drive-in theatre on the beaches and, after it closed, one entrepreneurial leader…

  • The King of Peace

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    Peter
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    He goes before usnot hurried,not turning aside,not shielding himselffrom what he knows is coming. We follow behind himinto the city of palms,into the trembling air,into the week that gatherslike stormlight at the edge of the sky. He is called king,but not the kindwho comes with horses,with iron,with banners snapping above the will of men. He…

  • Building Your Life – Matthew 7:15-29

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    Peter
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    We have listenedto Jesuson the mountain. Words of blessing.Words of life.Words gentle enoughto lift the weary. And thenwords that search.Words that warn.Watch out, he says. It is a surprise.He has called us blessed.What danger remains?Not only the danger outside.The danger within. Voices among the people of God.Pretenders.False guides.Wolvesin sheep’s clothing.They promise lifeand lead toward ruin.…

  • Before I Speak – Matthew 7:1-12

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    Peter
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    Do to otherswhat you would have them do to you. A beautiful sentence.Simple enough for a child to remember,deep enough to follow for a lifetime. It sounds gentle on the tongue,but it reaches everywhere—into thought,into tone,into the private verdicts we passbefore we know the facts. How quickly we judgeas though we see everything,as though motives…

  • The Courage of Conviction

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    Peter
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    Who is the most confident person you know? For me, confidence is not bravado. It is not loudness, swagger, or an inflated sense of self. A confident person has the courage of their convictions. They listen carefully, think independently, and act on what they believe. Their confidence is clothed in humility. They are willing to…

  • The Divine Store – Matthew 6:19-34

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    Peter
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    Jesus has been speakingabout the hidden life,the secret places of the heart. Now he turnsto the outward things—the stuff we store,the things we trust,the treasures we keepin the storeroom within. What do I cling to?What captures my attention,my hope,my ambition? Treasure is not onlyjewellery, clothing, food, money.It is anythingI believe will keep me safe:control,comfort,security,a future…

  • When No One Sees – Matthew 6:1-18

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    Peter
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    She was raisedto think often about righteousness.Her father was a Pharisee.She learned to do what was right,and she did it well. So when the rabbi said,Be careful,she was startled. What danger could there bein righteousness? Then he named it:doing holy thingsto be seen. Giving to the poor—the law had always made roomat the edge of…