The eagle has landed
After many months of thought, preparation and transitions, we are finally at our ‘destination’. in NZ In a new city, and a home of our own (our first family home) With a new (third) son (less than 2...
11 April, 2011
Ministry Tag
Why wise courage may need ‘foolish’ friends
In That Leaders Might Last, chapter ten, there is a chapter titled ‘A Courageous Love’. In it I wrote of the confrontational nature of Jesus, fearlessly causing trouble in a great many places - all...
27 March, 2011
Utopian ideologies
It may be that no one actually reads this - but here are some thoughts on a few utopian ideologies, based off what I emailed to someone today. This may be a bit too heavy...
01 March, 2011
Partnership is the way forward
One of the core values of this ministry is that partnership is the way forward. This is simply to say that through working together we can accomplish more than were we to stay only in...
23 February, 2011
Impossibilities do not exist
That impossibilities do not exist is one of the core values of this ministry. What this means is that the projects that this ministry undertakes will not be determined by what has or has not...
25 January, 2011
Why I seek your partnership in prayer (personal reflection)
- - - - - - - - - - - - Why I seek your partnership in prayer - - - - - - - - - - - - To share my heart...
23 January, 2011
What on earth is REVERSE culture shock? (personal reflection)
As I understand it, culture shock isn’t really a ‘shock’ like an electric shock. Rather it is that niggling ongoing adjustment to changes when there are a lot of them. Take for instance this morning. I...
17 January, 2011
Is the gospel a ‘product’?
In setting up this website I put a catch-phrase under the ministry’s name: Shining Lights.co - Helping the Church see afresh what a great ‘product‘ it has. It was suggested by some that the use...
11 January, 2011
Today we fly (a personal reflection)
(Pic: Jon, Ethan and friend Janelle - in a ‘playground’ helicopter) After about eight and a half years in Singapore, today we return to NZ for a new chapter in our lives. As I awake (miraculously...
01 December, 2010
Why we are leaving pastoral ministry and Singapore (personal reflection)
Click ‘play’ on the song to the right...
05 November, 2010
Book launch: ‘That Leaders Might Last’
Yesterday was an exciting day for me. My first book was officially launched, being published by Campus Crusade for Christ, Singapore (and the place looked good, thanks to my wife, heather, plus the food good,...
05 November, 2010
Ephesians 4 and the local Church
As a brief addition to the previous blog, which addressed the ‘macro’ perspective of the five ‘offices’ discussed, I reflected that at a local Church level this has significance also (a brief reflection here only). If...
26 October, 2010
What is it that the Church of today lacks?
Preamble What an interesting question. I’m sure there could be a good variety of answers (I may request answers from ministry friends on this question to place in this blog at a later date). Here are two answers 1....
17 October, 2010
Peter’s gospel preaching and our shame
What kind of things could we say when we preach the gospel? What things should we say? And how should we say them? An easy answer is found in Acts 2 and 3, looking at two...
09 October, 2010
How we use God’s Word
A thought about urgency and the gospel, as it is related to end times prophecy (a topic many are scared of). So, the next question would be...
02 October, 2010
Urgency of our times, Part II (Core Value #3)
A thought about urgency and the gospel, as it is related to end times prophecy (a topic many are scared of). So, the next question would be...
25 September, 2010
Urgency of our times, Part I (Core Value #3)
The need for a sense of urgency in the spreading of the Christian message is another foundational value we want in this ministry. Before discussing it, it’s no new revelation. Firstly, we never know when...
24 September, 2010
Equipping the Members (Core Value #1)
The equipping of the members by pastors is a foundational value for this ministry - I’m banking on pastors (reverends, vicars...
22 September, 2010