Sep 2
A few weeks ago I preached on Deuteronomy 5 at our church. (audio. video.) It’s a fantastic passage where Moses takes the 10 Commandments, given to the first generation of Israelites out of Egypt, and applies them to the second generation. There was lots to say but I found what Moses does with the Sabbath command particularly interesting. Read more
Aug 21
Of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect translation, or even an ideal translation. Every Bible translation is good for a different purpose, as Bible translator Donna explores. There are several different translations that I like to recommend.
But of all the modern English versions, I find the NIV the most versatile. Read more
Jul 15
We need to renew the way we read the Bible. I’ll be writing more about this in the months to come, but tonight I was particularly struck by one of the reasons why.
In the story of King Solomon (1 Kings 1–12), we read about a mighty ruler with the world at his feet. If you open a Bible, you’ll find that this story comes with headings, a bit like chapter titles. Helpful, right?
May 24
The vocabulary of dying to sin is most explicit in 1 Peter 2:24: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed” but the idea pops up all over the place. For example, while Paul calls Christians to ‘put to death’ sin in Col 3:5, in a parallel passage only 3 verses later, he tells them to ‘rid themselves’ of sin (Col 3:8). Paul is not identifying two different actions here but using different vocabulary to refer to the same thing. Other examples of this include when Paul tells the Ephesians to ‘put off your old self’ (Eph 4:22) and speaks to the Galatians of having crucified the sinful nature (Gal 5:24).
Tonight a girl from our Melbourne church asked me how a feminist can read the Bible. In particular, she wondered why the Bible treats women so negatively, as the ones who do the wrong thing.
I thought it was a good question and it expresses what I think is a common perception of the Bible. For that reason, it’s worth reflecting on more. I said to her that I’m not convinced that the Bible does have a negative bias towards women. Here’s why. Read more
Feb 21
This is our final year of theological college (third year of the MDiv) and our last 18 months in Melbourne. What will it mean for us to flourish?
Space to thrive. We took on heaps last year — ten college subjects is a lot! Having overloaded, we’ve got a bit more room. Now we need to make sure we resist the temptations that come with the space: laziness for me; overcommitment for Tamie. There is much we hope to learn because of the extra space. We want to rest well, which means working hard, and cutting down filler activities that are neither work nor rest.
Scripture by immersion. As a Westerner, I feel well and truly an expert at technocratic Bible reading. Western devotional methods have been useful, but my experiences with Sudanese Christianity have encouraged me to explore other ways of reading and knowing, and boosting my verbal memory. I’ve begun using this approach, which heightens my imagination and creativity while decreasing the pedantry and guilt that can so easily emerge in ‘quiet time’. The challenge will be connecting it with prayer.
Morning walks. Melbourne winters seem to last from April till November! Towards the end of 2009, we felt like we’d been getting a bit SAD. We’ve adjusted somewhat since then, but a walk first thing in the morning will improve things, getting some sunlight into us, helping lift moods and regulate sleep.
Mentors. We get to start our CMS mentoring a year early! Neither of us have had formal mentors before, and we’re relishing the opportunity to share regularly with friends who are older and wiser.
2 for 1 drinks. We love going out but we’re on a student budget. We spend a lot of time together at home, but much of this is parallel time as we read and study. Small outings will give us intentional face-to-face time. The Entertainment Book makes it easier.
Internet kill switch. It’s all too easy for me to fritter away hours in blog reading and social networking. Each night I’m switching on SelfControl, giving myself an internet-free start to the next day and only 4 hours of internet access in the early evening — more than enough!
