The Two Wisdoms

From Phillip Jensen –

“Dear friends,

We do appreciate comments and feedback, and even questions from our many subscribers.

Sadly, we haven’t got the time or resources to be able to answer each question; however, two of the comments that came in to us on the Acts 17 passage we thought would be very helpful to air in this episode of Two Ways News, before we look at the two wisdoms contrasted in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.”

– Listen here. And, as always, thoughtful, helpful and informative.

Castle Hill’s historic Lober House celebrates a century

An interesting bit of history –

“An historic house in Sydney’s north-west, which went on to become Australia’s first retirement home, is celebrating 100 years.

Lober House, now the social heart of Anglicare’s Castle Hill villages, was built in the 1920s as a private residence by Robert and Eva Dixson and originally known as Elwatan.

Purchased by the Anglican Church in 1958 and opened the following year, it was the launchpad for a new model of retirement living shaped by two influential women — Dorothy Mowll and Dame Pattie Menzies — who pushed for aged care that supported retirees to live independently. …”

– This article at Australian Seniors News has some background on the key building at Anglicare’s retirement villages – otherwise known as Mowll Village – at Castle Hill.

Image: Paintings of Dorothy Mowll (artist unknown), Archbishop Howard Mowll (by Alfred G Reynolds, 1958) – both at one time on display in Lober House – and the plaque commemorating their vision – also at Lober House.

The plaque reads –

“THIS VILLAGE IS ESTABLISHED AS A
DIOCESAN TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND WORK
OF
HOWARD WEST KILVINTON MOWLL
C.M.G., DD.

BORN 2nd FEBRUARY, 1890       DIED 24th OCTOBER, 1958

ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
METROPOLITAN OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW SOUTH WALES
1933-1958

PRIMATE OF AUSTRALIA
1947-1958

AND OF HIS WIFE
DOROTHY ANNE MOWLL
O.B.E., F.R.G.S.

BORN 18th JUNE, 1890       DIED 23rd DECEMBER, 1957

“Workers together with Him”
2 Cor. 6:1

THE MAIN HOUSE WAS OPENED AND DEDICATED
BY

THE MOST REV. HUGH ROWLANDS GOUGH
O.B.E., D.D
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
ON
24th OCTOBER, 1959.”

Anglican Heroes: Hugh Latimer — Church Society podcast

From Church Society –

“James Cary talks about the life and faith of Anglican reformer Hugh Latimer, to Ros Clarke.”

Listen here.

Also at the Church Society link –

Hugh Latimer’s sermons.

James Cary’s documentary on Latimer.
(Image from the documentary, which is worth watching and sharing. 48 minutes..)

Understanding Evangelism

From Phillip Jensen –

“We do appreciate comments and feedback, and even questions from our many subscribers.

Sadly, we haven’t got the time or resources to be able to answer each question, however two of the comments that came in to us on the Acts 17 passage we thought would be very helpful to air in this episode of Two Ways News, before we look at the two wisdoms contrasted in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.”

They begin by clarifying some things about anti-semitism and then go on to speak about the vital topic of evangelism.

– Listen here. Most helpful.

Preaching When Opportunity Knocks

“Some years ago now, John Chapman, Sydney Diocesan Evangelist, came to Melbourne to lead a workshop for preachers. As you would expect, it was absolutely loaded with good advice conveyed with machine-gun-like speed and precision. …

Of all the standouts from that day, one thing still comes to my mind each year as Christmas and Easter approach. …”

– Bob Thomas, retired Presbyterian minister, shares brief encouragement at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Also new at their website:

Preaching Wisdom –

“The wisdom books of the Bible are Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Songs and there is a wisdom category of the Psalms, Psalm 119 being an example of a Wisdom Psalm.

The preacher of these books will never be accused of being anything but contemporary, down to earth and practical. …”

– David Cook shares opportunities to develop skills in preaching these books.

Reading the Bible In Church

“Looking for people who can read the Bible out loud in church? Trying to fill the Bible reading roster? Building a team of Bible readers? Then let me ask you, what qualifies someone to be able to read the Bible? Do they need to have a background in performing arts? Or perhaps have been a newsreader in a previous life?

Should they audition for the task? Or complete a training course for reading in front of others? Is volunteering enough or is vetting needed?

What makes a good Bible reader? …”

– Dave McDonald writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

Lord, Open the King of England’s Eyes – William Tyndale’s Life and Legacy, part 3

Just released – Part 3 of the Tyndale House podcast on William Tyndale –

“In this series we are exploring William Tyndale’s life, Bible translation and legacy, including interviews experts in the sixteenth century. In this third episode, we explore William Tyndale’s life after his publication of his translation of the New Testament into English in 1526.

We’re very grateful for contributions from:

Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School …

Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham …

Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh …

Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida.”

– Watch here.

Thoughts on AI — A helpful resource from Crossway

At AP, The Australian Presbyterian, Cooper Rispin shares some brief reflections on resources around AI –

“Should we be afraid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it is influencing our world, or should we be embracing it? If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably felt unsure or overwhelmed by all the rapid developments.

That said, Large Language Models (LLMs), often referred to as AI, have already been a wonderful asset, but not without their concerns. I am particularly thankful for how quickly tools like Grammarly have improved, helping me with my daily job of writing emails, talks, etc. It’s an example of how these tools have been a great asset to humanity.

If you want help thinking about AI/LLMs for you, your family, and your church, I want to recommend a two-part series from the Christian publisher Crossway, along with books by some of the hosts of these episodes. …”

– He reminds us that technology is never neutral.  Worth checking out.

Children’s Bibles are helpful—but they’re not enough

“When I ask parents if they read the Bible with their children, they’ll often respond enthusiastically and say something like, ‘Yes! We read them a chapter from a children’s Bible before bed every night!’

And that’s so encouraging to hear! But it’s not what I meant.

What I’m really asking is: ‘Do you read the actual Bible with your children?’…”

– At The Australian Church Record, Leah has a point.

Boasting in the Cross

From Phillip Jensen –

“Is pride a virtue or a vice? Is it right or even wise to boast of oneself? Traditionally, modesty has long been commended and pride decried. But today, we encourage the young to be proud of themselves, and we hear celebrities of all kinds proclaiming pride in themselves and their achievements. What place, then, does pride have in the Christian life? Should we be proud to be Christians?

The ancient world, as with the modern, places great emphasis on learning, education and wisdom. The human ability to think deeply is one of the great distinctive characteristics of our species. But does God set limits on human wisdom? Can we judge God or even know him by our wisdom?

The gospel always undermines human pride in ways we never expect, and so I hope you enjoy our discussion in this episode. Thank you to those who have inspired conversations by contacting us and providing feedback; if you want to do the same, please write to us at respond@twm.email.”

– Phillip and Peter Jensen discuss at Two Ways News.

Church Society podcast — 1 and 2 Kings with Nathan Lovell

At Church Society’s podcast, Lee Gatiss learns about 1 and 2 Kings from Nathan Lovell, author of the Hodder Bible Commentary on these books.

Encouraging and well worth hearing.

As many of our readers will know, Nathan serves at George Whitefield College in South Africa.

The commentary is available now, including at The Wandering Bookseller.

No Other Name

In his Minister’s Letter for 19 February 2026, Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, Sandy Grant, shares some thoughts on freedom of religion and a timely reminder of what  Christians believe –

“Dear Friends, religion has been much in the news lately. Australia is struggling to know how to accommodate freedom of religious expression, alongside those who don’t like some – or any – religions being expressed.

As Christians we believe in praying for our leaders so that they can provide and defend a society where ‘we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

On another occasion, the Christian leader Paul the Apostle, writing by the ‘humility and gentleness of Christ’, reminds us that ‘the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world’. That rules out deceit, media manipulation and name-calling, as much as it does abuse, threats and actual violence. …”

– Read it all here.

William Tyndale: The Necessity of the Word

How did God God work in William Tyndale’s life to lead him to translate the Scriptures into English and place His Word into the hands of the people of England?

For the 500th anniversary of the publication of Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament, this documentary has been released on YouTube by missionary.com.

Includes input from John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Mark Dever, Rosaria Butterfield, Conrad Mbewe, Ian Hamilton and Michael Reeves.

The Joy of Enough — Mothers Union Sydney annual seminar

The Mothers Union Sydney annual seminar for 2026 is coming up next week – Friday 27 February – at St. Andrew’s Cathedral OR via Livestream. It’s a free event!

Details at the Mothers Union website.

Can AI Preach my Sermon?

“We have crossed a strange and significant line. For centuries, those who gathered to hear the preaching of God’s Word could safely assume that the messages they heard were prayerfully prepared by a human pastor. That pastor was someone called by God, shaped by Scripture, and burdened with the task of proclaiming it. In 2026, that assumption can no longer be made.

Recent polling confirms it. …”

– Caleb Phelps at the Proclaim and Defend blog encourages preachers to do the hard Spirit-enabled work of sermon preparation themselves.

He reminds his readers that, “Pastors do not need to lead the charge in technological advancement. We need to give ourselves to the Word. We must study it until we know it, know it until we love it, and then preach it for the spiritual good of God’s people”.

(Link via challies.com.)

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