Windows On The Soul

This was one of those verses that stopped me in my tracks. Surely Christ's suffering was completed at Calvary, the redemptive death for the sins of all mankind? But no: Paul writes to the Colossians, that through his own suffering, he is helping to finish the remainder of Christ's suffering. When we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus, the suffering of cross carrying is not just some unfortunate side-effect. We are called as partners in Christ's redemptive plan of love to the world. Suffering is the work . We are to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and face persecution. To comfort mourners requires feeling with them. To be a peacemaker requires stepping between warring factions. This is citizenship of the Kingdom. ---xxxXxxx--- Col.1:24 "Part of my work is to suffer for you ... for I am helping to finish up the remainder of Christ's suffering for His body, the Church" Rom.8:17 "Joint heirs with Christ...that we suffer wit...

"The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude" Dr.Charles Swindoll, "Strengthening Your Grip" ----xxxXxxx---- Matt.5:3,5 "Blessed are those who have a humble and meek attitude, for the Kingdom of God is given them" Pr.16:19 "It is better to be humble and stay poor, than to be one of the ...

In our years of “coffee shop” youth out-reach work, we put up with being sworn at, occasionally spat upon, and personal property damage. But I can’t think of any time when we felt in bodily danger. However, a week ago, such an incident did arise. In our 26 years of fund-raising for the Royal Children’s Hospital, we have volunteered our services to sell the Herald-Sun ‘WEG’ Premiership posters. Unfortunately, this year, the ‘out-of-towners’, Adelaide, won, and we were faced with trying to sell Adelaide premiership posters in the face of a rather angry, parochial crowd. Football crowds have always been a noisy fickle lot, but this was the worst I have ever endured. A boozed load-mouth slew our stock off the table, and as I turned, a swinging fist caught my cheek. I must confess, that my immediate thoughts did not include offering him my other one. Fortunately, his cohorts dragged him away and the incident was over as quickly as at started, but leaving my onlooking...

“ I ask... that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ” ( John 17:20,21 ). The squabbles in the church must sadden our Lord who prayed that his followers may be one. If the church worldwide were united (in spirit, not necessarily in one organisation), the world would take notice. As it is, critics of the church are constantly mocking us for our sectarian divisiveness. The church is both human and divine. It comprises fallible humans, and has yet to be perfectly redeemed. It is divine - the Body of Christ. So we need to be patient with an imperfect church. Henry Scott Holland put it this way in 1914 when the Bishop of Zanzibar wrote a pamphlet asking where the church stood. Scott Holland said that it did not stand at all, but 'moves and pushes and slides and staggers and falls and gets up again, and stumbles on and presses forward and falls into the right positi...