This is a story of two people who meet at a place of refreshment. Both are weary and searching for something more. He is physically tired and looking for a drink to ease his thirst. She is tired of life and its judgments and is seeking to become invisible. They meet, look at each other,…
DetailsIt’s all a matter of perspective. There is value when we look beyond the crowded scene of the moment to the wide sweeping vista of the horizon, it can bring clarity and direction. Here and now is important; life is to be lived in the present, responsive to the tasks at hand but sometimes we…
DetailsIt all started with a story about beginnings, everything’s beginning. A story of darkness and light, of things coming together, of life and hope and goodness and connections. God and humanity and the rest of the universe interwoven and interrelated. Then the story moves from the grand arena of cosmic proportions to focus on two…
DetailsThere are always great surprises in our natural world, it seems that God delights in the unexpected. One such example is the transformation of caterpillar into butterfly. It challenges logic to imagine the connection between a ravenous and chubby crawling leaf eater to the delicate slender colourful nectar drinking, flower pollinating flying insect. Yet metamorphosis…
DetailsMatthew 5 & 1 Corinthians 3 bring challenging words from Jesus and Paul. As humanity, we are all different, have different journeys and yet the central core of the Gospel unites us. The grace and love of God discovered through Jesus enables us each one to grow on our path of redemption. We are all…
DetailsMe: God, thank you for this day. Be with me in all the things I will do today. Bless my family, and guide me that I do all things right. God: Hush. Pause. Me: Huh, What. Is that you God? God: Yes. Me: Wow, this is amazing. God, You are so good. Hear my prayer.…
DetailsCourage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard. This might make us laugh and yet the reality is that we face many challenges though our lives. We do the best we can with what we have. And we learn from our mistakes. Life…
DetailsFamilies are complicated. I spent Tuesday with my brother celebrating his 70th birthday. We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, reminiscing over the good times and bad times of growing up in the Rawlings family. I discovered some new things and I shared a couple of never-before-told stories. There was laughter and sadness over blessings…
DetailsEver been disappointed?? Yes, we all have been. All of us at some point in our lives have found that our expectations have not been met. That’s how life is. We all find ways to cope with our disappointments – sometimes we protect ourselves by keeping our expectations small; sometimes we isolate ourselves so that…
DetailsWe’re all in this together. Roman, Jew, Old, Young, God and Grace all get mixed together in this healing story of Jesus. Boundaries are defined, gaps exposed and Divine flow gets messy as Jesus blesses faith and obedience in places where it was not supposed to be. Here is evidence of generosity, faithfulness and discipline…
DetailsIt turns out that God has been outside all the time. As a young Christian growing up in Australia, I was led to believe that my task was to take the Lord Jesus Christ out into the world. This task was commissioned by my church leaders for me to be a witness of and servant…
DetailsWe are complex individuals together in one unique worshipping community. The unique Journey of Brighton Uniting Church has many components and connexions that define who we are. One significant contributor to our identity is our past. All of the influences and decisions we previously have made, the events that have shaped our church, the history…
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