Posts by authentic
God on the Throne of a Broken World
There’s an argument which says that if God were good, He would want to make His creatures happy – and that if He were all powerful, He would be able to do what He wished. But, as this argument reasons, because His creatures by and large are not happy, God is either not good, or…
Read MoreHonour – Is it Lost?
I was thinking about the commandment to honour your father and mother. Both my parents died when I was young, and before I became a Christian – so I had no opportunity to honour them in life. I do remember, however, that as children we were taught to honour and respect people in various situations.…
Read MoreJay Geldard’s 24-7 Calling
“As a father, one of the questions I ask myself is this, ‘…what kind of world do I want my kids to grow up in?’” When Christchurch’s Jay Geldard expresses his heart for his own family, as leader of 24-7 YouthWork (24-7YW), he is also asking this same question for Aotearoa’s young people. “Truthfully, my…
Read MoreCloser than a ‘Brother’: Tyree Tautogia’s Journey to Jesus
From the outside looking in, Tyree, or TY, Tautogia achieved everything he’d ever wanted – money, fame, devoted fans and a chart-topping, record-breaking hit. An “amazing journey far exceeding all my expectations.” With his own solo music career already reaching stellar heights, he and his good mates – Sid Diamond and Deach, Fred Faafou, joined…
Read More‘Buying’ Into The Vision: A Chat With Craig Johnson
Speaking to a group at Lake Taupo Christian Camp, Craig Johnson had a “God moment”. For several years, he’d regularly prayed, “…Lord, I know You have a purpose for me, but I don’t know what it is…” Yet, in those moments – as the group of chefs and kitchen staff from several Christian camps discussed the varying costs of a tin…
Read MoreThe Romans Road to Salvation
Many years ago, our church held a series of meetings on soul winning. Following one of the lessons, a lady came up to me and voiced concern. She was recently saved and was convicted to witness to her family and friends. “It’s all right for you,” she said. “You know all the scriptures, but it’s…
Read MoreI Will Not Believe! – Is ‘Seeing’ Believing?
In the Gospel of John, we come across “doubting Thomas” – but, in reality, Thomas was not ‘doubting’. Rather, he was totally sceptical about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the…
Read MoreThe Need to be Born Again
What’s the Gospel? What does it mean to be reconciled to God, to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and be the recipient of eternal life? In John chapter three, one of the most important conversations in the New Testament takes place between a Pharisee called Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus was professor of theology at…
Read MoreDoing a New Thing
Communicating God’s Heart Through Creativity and Technology Futurist Ray Kurzweil once said, “…when I was an undergraduate, we all shared a computer at MIT. It took up half a building. The computer in your cell phone today is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful. That’s a billion-fold increase in both the…
Read MorePeter Dobbs: A Man on ‘His’ Mission
If one word describes Peter Dobbs, it’s most likely ‘missional’. It makes sense too – a key aspect of his roughly eight years in the New Zealand Army centered around mission command – and the question, “…how do you analyse, define and fulfill a mission?”These days, that mission-focussed foundation motivates him – he keeps it…
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