March-April 2024
Praise
When I was in Perth I was walking early one morning and found on the ground a beautiful small white five-petalled flower with a splash of vivid yellow at its heart. I nurtured it for a few days, until it began to decay. I saw it as a sign that one day God will restore the cosmic beauty and purity of this world when Christ returns, and that we will see the beauty and purity of God’s glory. As every believer is a sign of the ‘multitude, whom no one can number, gathered around the throne and the Lamb’. Praise him for beautiful signs of hope in our daily lives!
Thanks
Join me in thanking God for his daily gifts of human life: air, water, tasty food, bodies, words, minds, memory, digestion, other people, family, community, neighbours, love, kindness, justice, and generosity, etc. All are God’s gifts of common grace!
Prayers
Please join me in my daily prayers for myself:
- You have blessed and enriched me: help me to bless and enrich others freely and generously.
- Help me to stand in your grace, live in your love, trust in your truth, grow in your wisdom, walk in your ways, and serve in your strength, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and for your glory.
- May this day be my best day of trusting, honouring, loving, serving you.
- Please hear all these prayers from the lips of Jesus Christ, your Son, whom you have made our High Priest, Intercessor, and Mediator. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Please join me in praying for my ministry over the next two months.
- Sermons and talks.
March 8-10, Grace Community Bible Church weekend at Phillip Island, talks and sermon on Prayer.
March 17, Sojourners Church Werribee, sermon on John 17.
March 29, City on a Hill, Melbourne, sermon on the cross.
April 21, Mentone Baptist Church, sermon on Hebrews 8.
April 27, Speak at Ridley Graduation.
2. Training: Ridley College Lectures in Preaching, and Five Prayer Training Groups, and Four Preaching Training Groups.
3. Mentoring, advising, and praying for ministers.
4. Ministry at St Jude’s. I have been appointed to a ½ job at St Jude’s, which began on March 1st. Here is John Forsyth’s description of it.
I am delighted to announce that Peter Adam will be (re)joining the staff team this Sunday. As well as being our vicar emeritus, Peter will step into the part time role as ‘Theologian in Residence’. It may seem like an unusual title, but it is a way of recognising Peter’s significant international influence as a theological leader and published academic. As well as assisting with preaching, leading and pastoral care, Peter will be helping direct and grow the prayer life of our church as well as providing theological resources for discipleship in different contexts.
5. Writing. Slow progress: think of a lazy tortoise. But still finding new tasty leaves to chew!
6. Research Students: Kay Hoe, and Christine [Malaysia], both soon to finish, and Steve [USA].
7. Leadership. I chair the New Cranmer Society. We have planned two Reimagining Conferences, to help ministers and lay people in Melbourne work together to get a new vision for Biblical and gospel ministry. The first will be on March 23rd. You can find details at https://www.trybooking.com/CPLCA
Thank you so much for your fellowship and support in prayer.
Yours,
