Musings Tag

So yesterday was my first real 'work' day of tour. I had a 15 minute slot at the South Australia Synod of the Uniting Church. About 300 ministers and church leaders were gathered, and I got the final quarter of an hour before lunch, a greatly coveted time slot ;). Later that day I had a music practice with the musicians I will be working with on Sunday at Hope Valley Uniting Church.At the Synod...

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So I've been musing on Luke 15 again. Since I first posted this reflection, I've written this song to go with it. Now you can listen and read at the same time! Multi-sensory theology - bliss.I am all for youWe are all familiar with the story of the lost sheep, and the shepherd who leaves behind the 99 to go and rescue it. Jesus is not all that shy about calling himself 'the Good Shepherd',...

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For sometime now, Ness, Sam and I have taken Saturday as our family Sabbath. Today as part of it, we went for a walk down Tuapiro (a little harbour side settlement 5 minutes from our place) to collect some pine cones and read the Bible together. This was our pulpit. Not a bad spot. Perhaps a little reminiscent of St Francis preaching to the birds!The reading was this week's gospel passage, Luke 7:1-10 - the story...

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Success does a funny thing to you. Our of nowhere springs this desire for more, of the same kind.Yesterday we had another amazing album release gig. This time in Tauranga. I played to my adopted 'home crowd', and a big one it was too. It was a truly wonderful afternoon, with many old friends from Katikati coming to share in the celebration. It was also very special, because Ness (my wife) sang with me. This hasn't...

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Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn't God just forgive?Part OneI must confess, this is a question I have struggled with for most of the last ten years. Its actually a little awkward to admit, but if you look at my albums (which you can here and here) you won’t find a single song about the cross there. I mean it crops up in songs like 'One Voice', 'May we grow' and 'Break the...

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Today I went to the final lecture in a series by Rev Prof William Willimon, an American Methodist Bishop. I was made to read one of his books during my training to be a minister. I went back and read it again when I got out into the parish once I realised he knew what he was talking about.His final lecture was entitled 'The end of the world'. I hadn't paid much attention to the...

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