blog

Is Cleanliness Next To Godliness?

28.05.2021 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

I’ve been watching a show called, “Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners,” and let me tell you, they are obsessive. The people on this show vacuum their homes many times a day. They have kitchens that are never used so they can’t get dirty, but they clean them anyway. They have toilets that are so clean that they say they will drink the water in them, and they do.

Honour, Aspiration, and Inspiration

25.04.2021 Categories: All | Anzac Day Written by: Neil Percival

Anzac Day is not about glorifying war. I suppose one negative of celebrating Anzac Day could be that it reinforces the view that violence is the way to resolve conflicts. As has become evident over recent months with a surge in cases of domestic violence and allegations of sexual abuse amongst prominent people, we have far too much of that already in our society. However, I would suggest that Anzac Day is actually about two quite different things.

I Need Proof

16.04.2021 Categories: All | Easter Written by: Neil Percival

One of the issues raised by Easter is the relationship between faith and evidence. The big example of this in the Easter story is Jesus rising from the dead. No one can prove it, but Christians believe it.

Tags: Faith, Evidence, John 20:25-29

A Bridge to Safety

27.03.2021 Categories: All | Easter Written by: Neil Percival

Easter is almost upon us. Hot cross buns have been in the shops since Boxing Day. Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and chocolate bilbies line the shelves. But are these what is Easter really all about?

Tags: Ephesians 2:12-18, Rescue

Better Late Than Never

05.03.2021 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

When I was in high school, every PE lesson began with a cross-country run. In Year 7, it was 2km. The distance increased each year. There was also a minimum time set for each distance but I won’t say what that was…

God With Us

04.12.2020 Categories: All | Christmas Written by: Neil Percival

The bible describes the birth of Jesus like this…

All of this occurred to fulfil the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God with us.”’ (Matthew 1:22-23).

God Is On Our Side

20.11.2020 Categories: All | Advent Written by: Neil Percival

In a week, we’ll enter the Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation for our celebration of Christmas and the coming of Jesus into the world.

Tags: Celebration, Luke 4:18-19

How Much Knowledge Is Too Much?

06.11.2020 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

We live in a world where we have easy access to information. A few keystrokes and we can find out almost anything we want to know. But how much knowledge is too much?

The Bible is Not a Self-Help Book

16.10.2020 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

We recently had problems with our stove. I googled our model of stove, found what seemed to be the most likely cause of the problem, found a step-by-step guide for fixing it, ordered some replacement parts on eBay, and confidently told my wife, “We don’t need a new one. I can fix it…”

Tags: Bible, John 16:33

Control, Self-Efficacy, and Resilience

04.09.2020 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

A few weeks ago I shared my thoughts about the importance of having a clear sense of meaning and purpose when it comes to our resilience in the face of the natural disasters we have faced as a community over the past year. A few people asked if I could say more about this.

Tags: Resilience, Control, Romans 8:28

Meaning, Purpose, and Resilience

21.08.2020 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

After many mornings of crossing my frost covered lawn, feeling the grass crunch under my feet, I never cease to be amazed at how quickly the grass recovers when the sun hits it. The word for this is ‘resilience’, or the ability to bounce back from a difficult situation.

The Danger of Conventions

07.08.2020 Categories: All Written by: Neil Percival

My daughter recently said to me, “Dad, you’re old because you use punctuation.” At first I felt proud to be thought of as a good punctuator, but then I realised that I was just confirming her point. We come from very different generations.