Why I Left the Church of Rome

“I grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family and attended private Catholic schools for both my primary (St John’s Riverstone) and secondary education (Oakhill College, Castle Hill) both in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, NSW. While nothing is perfect, I really enjoyed my upbringing and even aspired to becoming a De La Salle brother, which is kind of like a ‘teaching monk’.

All that changed though when I received a sporting scholarship to the United States to play tennis on the college circuit. In the providence of God, I ended up in a Missouri Synod Lutheran University in Southern California, formerly called ‘Christ College Irvine’ but is now Concordia University. My world was about to be turned upside down. …”

– At AP, Presbyterian minister Mark Powell shares the wonderful news he heard, and how it changed his life.

New Year, New Habits?

“We are creatures of habit. Our bodies thrive on routine—we get hungry at roughly the same times, we generally like routines, and we naturally form habits. This is by God’s design. Neuroscience confirms that repetition ingrains behaviours, creating neural pathways that make actions automatic.

While we wait for our eternal home in the new creation, we want to harness our natural habit-forming tendency—for good. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Bronwyn Windsor writes to encourage us to consider what sort of people we should be.

“100 Ministry Stories from Moore College” — Peter Sholl

Moore College is featuring this brief video from Peter Sholl, International Director of CMS Australia as part of its “100 Ministry Stories”:

“God used Peter’s time at College to equip him with a solid foundation in theological thinking and a heart for mission, preparing him for service as a CMS missionary.

Now serving as the International Director of CMS Australia, Peter supports missionaries around the world, encouraging gospel work across cultures.

Peter’s story attests to how God uses theological training to prepare men and women for global ministry.”

Cross-cultural ministry that seeks to connect

“In our part of Sydney, Chinese migrants come from very diverse backgrounds. Their occupations range from working on construction sites as builders, to running their own businesses, to working in offices as white-collar workers. There is a real mix of people in Lidcombe since it is now an important transport hub in Sydney, and it attracts many Chinese migrants who settle here. …”

– At the Moore College website, Danny Au Yeung, Rector of Lidcombe Anglican Church, shares some points for prayer in a strategic part of Sydney.

Holding out the good news to multicultural western Sydney

“Minchinbury is a suburb in the heart of western Sydney located just south of Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill. The local area is a melting pot of nations, with only 53 per cent of people in the catchment born in Australia. (It’s 70 per cent across New South Wales.) If Minchinbury was a street with 100 people living in it, 10 would be Filipino, four Indian, 81 would speak more than one language, 12 would be Islamic, 33 would be Catholic, and only 15 people would have no religion. …”

– Moore College has published this encouraging report from Mike Smith in the parish of Minchinbury.

Earlier the College published this ministry story from David Misztal at Wentworthville.

The Lost Coin

“In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a woman who has lost a coin and sweeps her entire house looking for it. It’s clearly not a large coin. It’s clearly not laying in the middle of the floor. It’s probably a smaller coin – somewhere in a corner.

Reflecting on that lost coin, I am left wondering about the lost souls in the world today. Particularly those whom none of us are trying to reach. …”

– 9Marks has republished this article by Mark Dever which encourages us to think about how we might reach those in minority language groups.

Related:

A very useful resource – the 5Fish app – from Global Recordings Network.

Hoping Christmas is Good News

“If you regularly preach at this time and if, like me, you have been at it for forty years there aren’t too may Christmas-type verses left to preach on.

For all that, it is hard to beat the account of the announcement to the shepherd by the angel of the birth of the Lord Jesus. …”

– Short but sweet classic advice from Chappo – at The Australian Church Record.

Related:

“Do you really believe the gospel can convert your friends?” – John Chapman.

Photo: Matthias Media.

New edition of “The Link” from Armidale — Dec 2024-Jan 2025

The latest issue of Armidale Diocese’s magazine The Link is now available for download form their website.

On the cover is the Rev. Julie Cook, just announced as the new Diocesan Deacon for Women.

Download your copy here (PDF file) – and do pray for the continued ministry of the gospel in the Diocese of Armidale.

That You May Believe

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)

“I feel so strongly that among those of us who have grown up in church and who can recite the great doctrines of our faith in our sleep, and yet who can yawn through the Apostles’ Creed — that among us something must be done to help us once more feel the awe, the fear, the astonishment, the wonder of the Son of God, begotten by the Father from all eternity, reflecting all the glory of God, being the very image of his person, through whom all things were created, upholding the universe by the word of his power.

– In the Desiring God devotional for Sunday 22nd December, John Piper wants to encourage us to recapture the wonder which we may have lost.

Image: John Piper via Desiring God.

The Astronaut who left NASA to help support healthy churches

“In spring 2021, Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) in Washington, DC, had nine pastoral interns. Eight were 40 years old and under. Seven were coming out of—or would head into—seminary.

And one was NASA’s former head astronaut. Pat Forrester was 63 years old. …”

– Sarah Zylstra has this encouraging story at The Gospel Coalition.

12 Fresh Ways to Read your Bible in 2025

“A new year offers a new opportunity—an opportunity to rethink and refresh the way you read your Bible.

While some have found a pattern or habit they love and will never deviate from, others like to look for new ways to read, digest, and apply the Word.

For those who may be interested in trying something new, here are a few ideas that may be worth considering. …”

– Tim Challies shares some great ideas to help you read your Bible in the coming year.

A Devotional on the Most Glorious of Birthdays by Charles Spurgeon

“The angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10)

The birth of Christ should be the subject of supreme joy. We have the angelic warrant for rejoicing because Christ is born. It is a truth so full of joy that it caused the angel who came to announce it to be filled with gladness. …”

– Crossway has republished this excerpt from an 1976 sermon by Charles Spurgeon, plus some commentary by Leland Ryken.

(It’s to raise awareness of a new book of classic Christmas devotions.)

Prepare Him Room

“We all know that Christmas is a great evangelistic opportunity. Yet with the gun going off to tie up work, attend all kinds of events, plan gatherings, buy gifts, and somehow still function after it all … how could I ever add evangelism into the mix?

Rather than tell you simply to ‘share the gospel’, I want instead to spend a moment together pondering the glory of Christmas. Because before Christmas is a time of proclamation, it is a time to make room in our hearts for adoration. And it’s from a full heart that our mouth will speak. …”

– Callan Pritchard writes with this encouragement at The Australian Church Record.

An interview with Jocelyn Loane

At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay catches up with Jocelyn Loane to find out about her new book Motherhood — How the gospel shapes our purpose and priorities.

Dear Pastor, Keep This in Mind When There is “Too Much to Do”

Crossway has published this article adapted from Letters Along the Way: From a Senior Saint to a Junior Saint by D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge –

“I’ve been asked if I have any suggestions for sorting out how to live when there is ‘too much to do.’ With the preface in mind that the ‘preacher practiceth not what he preacheth,’ here are a few thoughts …

My father was once conversing with me about how he had lived his life. Almost poignantly, he said: ‘Son, I wish I had done fewer things better.’ I was young then, and I did not really understand what he meant. …”

– See the eight pieces of advice for those who feel overwhelmed in ministry with ‘too much to do’.

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