Bruce Staley

Have you taken the plunge with simply the bungee rope saving you from certain death as you dropped from the launch platform? Bungee jumping is a popular adventure activity and while I haven't taken the plunge I can imagine the experience is exhilarating. The whole experience of being baptised is also exhilarating and while initially there may be anxiety, even fear if you are afraid of water, baptism is an important step in the faith journey. In the sacrament of baptism we identify ourselves with the death and resurrection of our Saviour and God performs a miracle. The Apostle Paul in Romans 6;3-5 describes it this way, " ...don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in death like his, we will certainly also be u

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 states, " For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God ." By his death Jesus paid the price for our sin. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). However, the Christian message doesn't end at the cross. There is the resurrection miracle! God not only demonstrated His mighty power in raising Christ from the dead He placed His stamp of approval on the saving work of Christ on the cross. The resurrection confirms the hope we have in Christ. Returning to the disciples on the first Easter morning Mary Magdalene announced, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" (John 20:2) "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

The message of the cross is foundational to our Christian experience. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 states, " For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God ." Rather than the opposite of foolishness, which is wisdom, Paul chooses the term, power of God . The Gospel or Good News is more than good advice, telling us what we need to do, nor is it simply information about God's power, it is God's life-giving power! In Romans 1:16 Paul declares, “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes .” The gospel is more than head-knowledge; it is the amazing power of God that radically transforms people's lives. A wonderful illustration of the miraculous transforming work of the gospel is the Lake Eyre Basin, which is one of the largest drainage systems on a global scale. The Basin covering an arid and semi-arid part

As well as books I have used films as sources of inspiration for my posts. However, the inspiration for this post comes from a personal friend. Family dynamics can prove to be a rich source of material. Robert mentioned a conversation that he had with his younger sister in regard to the family. Robert: And who is your rock? Younger Sister: You are. Robert: And do you know who is my rock? Jesus. Robert has an elderly mother, living on her own in Melbourne, who regularly phones his younger sister to offload her troubles and woes. The younger sister already weighed down with Mum's woes has an older sister who also rings and offloads her burdens. Robert, the older brother, likes to call his younger sister to chat and listen. You know how it is in families. One person among the siblings is seen as the rock. And, on this particular occasion Robert, who is often the final person in the chain of family conversation, chose to declare Jesus as his rock. This was no idle declaration on Robert

During my time consulting with people in management I rarely came across a management book that mentioned forgiveness. However, I did stumble across Paul Hanna's book, You Can Do It! More than likely I was browsing in bookstore at the time. Paul left Qantas Airways in 1988 to start his own management consultancy and by the late 90's was regarded as one of Australia's leading motivational speakers. In chapter nine, Forgive - and Heal Your Life , Paul covered the following topics, The person with the higher self-esteem apologises first, When you apologise, you discard your anger and make room for happiness, Regrouping after divorce, Dis-ease and unease toward others, Forgiveness and how it heals us all, Forgiving your parents for being human and When you blame someone, you give them power over you. Quite a list to cover in one chapter however, Paul does it well prompting the reader to consider the act of forgiveness more deeply. Dale Carnegie in his all-time classic, How to

Early Morning, Olympic Rings, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat While continuing my thoughts from films allow me to introduce Eric Liddell. Some of you may recall Eric was featured in the award-winning film, Chariots of Fire . While the film focuses on Eric's distinguished athletic career he gave it up at its high point to become a missionary to China. His decision became visible after the 1924 Olympic Games where he refused to run on a Sunday then afterwards winning gold and creating a world record in the 400 metres. Twenty-one years later, at age 43, Eric was nearing the finishing tape in his final race on earth. During his time as a missionary Eric wrote three religious works, two pamphlets and a longer work, A Manual of Christian Discipleship , which circulated in manuscript form in a Japanese internment camp, in his beloved China, where he died of a brain tumour on 21 February 1945. In his longer work, now published under the title, The Disciplines of the Christian Life , Eric explains

Recently, Ian, one of my nephews, had his fifty-fifth birthday. I can still recall Ian staying a few days with our family when he was a lot younger. Before leaving to go back home he presented us with a lovely piece of pottery he had crafted and inside the vase he had placed small hand-written notes to each member of the family with another note to all the family. The note to me read,  “Spring is at hand the very moment you realise it’s winter.”  It brought a tear to my eye. I recalled that during one of our chats during his stay I had mentioned that I was in the midst of a personal winter. You can see from the photograph we still have the vase, which is now used as a pen holder. As well as the pens the vase still holds the personally-penned notes from Ian. Seasons or ‘wilderness experiences’ are common to the Christian journey. In Song of Solomon 2:11-12 we find, “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” Just a

Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz in Budapest, later Ehrich Weiss or Harry Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted notice as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged different police forces to try to keep him locked up. This revealed a talent for gimmickry and for audience involvement that characterised all his work. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and to holding his breath inside a sealed milk can. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini) There were two things that set Houdini apart, firstly KNOWLEDGE of what he knew to be true and secondly, ENTHUSIASM, the capacity to persevere in the face of great odds and to overcome the temptation to quit. Enthusiasm is a passionate eagerness in any pursuit. Enthusiasm is a sign of responsible living, the sign that you are able t

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him - that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognising and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers]: and that I may so share His suffering as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death. That's it, everything in one grand statement... This passage, which takes a bit to get your head around, is taken from the Amplified Version of Philippians 3:10. Charles Swindoll personalises it this way, "I want to know Him. I also want to model the power out-flowing from His resurrection. And I certainly want to be continually transformed into His likeness...which requires accepting my share of suffering." This gives us a whole new perspective on life and its difficulties, its crises. All sorts of

In Acts 20:22 Luke records the words of the Apostle Paul,   And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, NOT KNOWING what will happen to me there. Again, the author of Hebrews in 11:8 writes, By faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did NOT KNOW where he was going. The responses of Paul and Abraham can be seen as contrary to the common human response which says I want to know what is ahead before I commit myself. The follower of Jesus however, knows that the bottom line, when called by God or compelled by the Spirit, is to trust and obey even though we may not know what or where. Here's a brief checklist to confirm that it is of the Lord. Is the action consistent with the Scriptures? Is my motive unselfish and pure? Will my action injure others or my testimony? Seek wise counsel We are strangers and pilgrims in a foreign land, people on the move, unencumbered, ready to respond to the compel

I wrote this Word of Encouragement on Friday 21 June 2013, the shortest day, shortest in terms of daylight hours. I’m not making a case for finding more time to rush around doing more. Rather I’m calling for the wise use of time. Each of us has the same amount of time as the next person. Last year I noticed a newspaper article announcing that Stephen Covey had died as a result of complications arising from a bicycle accident. Stephen was considered the pioneer of the self-help genre that aims at helping people live more productively. His most notable publication, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, was published in 38 languages and sold over 20 million copies. Covey proposed a fourth generation of time management that recognised the challenge wasn't to manage time, which we cannot do, but to manage ourselves. And one key to effectiveness is to give attention to our relationships. In the light of Covey it’s interesting to note the response of Jesus, in Matthew 22:36-40, to

I stood there for a few moments, it was cold and the ground damp, however, I noticed the last of the autumn leaves clinging to the branches of two of the four ornamental pear trees in our backyard. I had just finished putting the green waste in the compost bin as I do each day. There was still a colourful display of green, gold, bronze and burgundy leaves. The other two pears had already shed their leaves. The Manchurian Pear in the back corner, the first to lose its leaves, always has an amazing display of colourful leaves each autumn. The pause as I mentioned was brief however, I was acutely conscious of this cycle of life in the face of winter's cold blast, but more than that I had a deep sense of the presence of God. He was gently whispering to me about His creation. It was a privilege to be assured by God, the Creator, of His presence in all and through all. I looked around and the bulbs in the bulb garden had begun sprouting healthy  green shoots, daffodils, jonquils and hyac

Recently I had the exciting privilege of attending a Citizenship Ceremony at the Ballarat Town Hall. The candidates for citizenship came from Canada, China, Ghana, India, Iran, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Togo, United Kingdom and the United States. I was particularly excited because I had been invited to attend by my friends, a family from the Philippines. The husband and their two daughters were candidates for citizenship. The ceremony conducted by the Mayor, Cr John Burt OAM, was impressive. The welcome from John, the candidates' pledge, the address by Cr Belinda Coates, presentation of citizenship certificate and the singing of the Australian national anthem led by a student from Damascus College all contributed to the occasion. Belinda during her address acknowledged that for some the journey toward citizenship of Australia was relatively easy while for others it had been fraught with hardship. However, whatever the circumstances, new life in Australia now held the pr

The colloquial phrase,  "The greatest come back since Lazarus"  remains in use today. It may be used by a commentator, or reporter in the sports media to describe a seemingly miraculous turnaround by a competitor or team facing defeat during a sporting event only to overcome enormous odds to pull off a win. The phrase comes from the account of the miraculous raising of Lazarus by Jesus described in chapter 11 of John's gospel. Allow me to encourage you to read it this Easter. Just imagine Lazarus, who had died and had been in the tomb for four days, could have been among the crowd that had gathered a few days later for the Passover festival and celebrated Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem by waving a palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" This same Lazarus, was dead is now alive fully participating in life once again. The stone blocking the entrance was removed and in response to the c

Biblical Tips for Mastering Money is a brief summary of a sermon given at one2one Church of Christ on Sunday 21 July 2013. 1. Honour God Proverbs 10:22, 30:8-9, 3:9-10 Deutoronomy 8:1-18 2. Seek Wisdom Proverbs 2:1-22, 8:19 & 16:16 3. Work Hard Proverbs 10:4, 20:13, 13:11 & 21:5 Make plans and save Give 10%, save 10% and live off the rest 4. Help Others Proverbs 28:27, 29:7 & 14:31 1 John 3:17 Micah 6:8 God helps those who help others

The number of text messages between me and Vic is now in the seventies. Fortunately my phone plan is very accommodating and I can send substantial messages covering the Seven Commands of Jesus, Seven Stories of Hope and Seven Miracles in John. In reply to the question, "If God could perform a miracle in your life what would it be, what would it look like?" Vic responded, "Peace and someone to love me as I am unconditionally." We have started reading the book of Acts together taking it two chapters at a time. This has allowed me to include some brief commentary and words of encouragement. As always God is transforming us from the inside out, for He can be trusted to bring to completion the work He began in us the day we decided to follow Jesus.

Vic had seemingly turned up unannounced at the church office. He wanted to talk to someone about getting back to God. A person in the office listened to Vic's story and explained how he could return to God. I was invited to give Vic a follow up call. After several attempts I was able contact Vic and arrange a time to catch up. As I listened to Vic's story I waited on the prompting of God's Spirit. Vic's world had come crashing down around him and he wanted to get back to God. I invited Vic to read aloud the story of the lost son, Luke 15:11-32. It didn't take long, tears welled up in Vic's eyes, and I was moved to tears. I explained to Vic that he didn't need to wait, that before he left he could be sure he had returned to God. Vic followed me and prayed aloud to commit himself to God. Since then we have communicated by text message with Vic expressing his appreciation of the Scripture passages I've provided. I've been thrilled to observe the growth

The remarkable little book He Leadeth Me , by Walter Ciszek, shows childlike faith exercised in the most demanding of circumstances. (I'm looking forward to reading my copy when I have have finished Steve Addison's, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World .) Ciszek, raised a devout Catholic in Pennsylvania, joined a Jesuit mission and volunteered for service in Soviet Russia at the height of its militant atheism. To Ciszek's consternation, his superior assigned him instead to a mission in Poland. A few years later, war broke out and Hitler's army invaded Poland. In the horde of Polish refugees fleeing toward Russia, Ciszek saw a providential opportunity. Disguising himself as a worker, he joined the refugees and sneaked into Russia, where he had always wanted to serve. His prayers had been answered so he believed. Not long afterwards, though, the Soviet secret police arrested Ciszek. The next five years, he was kept in Moscow's notorious Lubiank

If we live to please God alone, we set ourselves free from the cares and worries that press in on us. So many of my own cares trace back to concern over other people:whether I measure up to their expectations, whether they fine me desirable. Living for God alone involves radical reorientation, a stripping away of anything that might lure me from the primary goal of pleasing God, far more than pleasing me. I know a hand surgeon who specialises in reattaching fingers that have been partially or totally severed in accidents...Once my friend got an emergency call at three o'clock in the morning and could hardly face the prospect of beginning such an arduous procedure. In order to add incentive and focus, he decided to dedicate the surgery to his father who had recently died. For the next few hours, he imagined his father standing beside him, his hand on his shoulder offering encouragement. The technique worked so well that he began dedicating his surgeries to people he knew. He would c

Today I visited a welfare agency store that sells recycled goods to the public. Low and behold I bumped into another ex-student, Martin, who works there. We chatted and Martin explained with a smile that after a long time he now had access to his two children and was appreciating their company. I asked Martin, "If God can do a miracle in your life today, what would it be?" Then I asked, "Can I pray for you?" He looked at me and said, "Not here." We were standing at the front of the store near the service desk. So we moved to the rear of the store and Martin invited me into his "office," a second-hand sofa surrounded by other second-hand furniture. Martin didn't hesitate, he asked that he would express positive and encouraging words toward his children and avoid putting them down. So sitting on the second-hand sofa, and with heads bowed, I prayed for Martin that he would indeed have the right words to say to his children.

Leo Tolstoy, who did not disdain adding a moral lesson to his stories, ended his short story "Three Questions" this way: "Remember then: there is only one time that is important-Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. A record of God's faithfulness in the past combines with hope in a better future for one end: to equip us for the present. As Tolstoy said, we have control over no other time. The past is unchangeable, the future unpredictable. I can only live the the life directly before me. Faithful Christians pray, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," and then proceed to enact God's will-love, justice, peace, mercy, forgiveness-in the present on earth.; Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God Passing through the checkout at a large department store I came face to face with Davy. Davy is a former student of mine from over forty years ago. Every now and then I bump into Danny who loves a cha

I started following the daily readings in Eric Liddell's book, The Disciples of the Christian Life , on Tuesday 11 October 2011 finally finishing the year-long reading plan on Wednesday 13 March 2013. Awareness of Eric Liddell and his accomplishments in the Olympic arena became more widespread with the screening of  award-winning film, Chariots of Fire. Lesser known is Eric's work as a missionary to China. Following the occupation of China by the Japanese Eric was placed in an internment camp where he died of a brain tumour on the 21 February 1945 aged forty-three. A manuscript of Eric's,  A Manual of Christian Discipleship,  that was known to be circulating in the internment camp was finally published in 1985 under the title, The Disciplines of the Christian Life.

I recently finished re-reading, Lazarus Come Forth! , The book published in 1963 is Paul Taine's remarkable personal story of a Jewish man, who was raised from the dead to the glory of God .

Over lunch Steve and Michelle Addison from Movements, , introduced forty people from one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ to the Following Jesus, Fishing for People training that Steve will be conducting at the church starting Saturday 20 April. Copies of Steve's book, Movements that Change the World , and his more recent book, What Jesus Started , were made available. More information on Movements and Steve's books can be found at http://www.movements.net/. There are other useful resources on the website that are available to download. As a result of Steve's arrival and training program across April, May and June In the Deep End is in recess. However, this will be reviewed in the light of Steve's training and may be reinvented to further compliment the training.

Bruce: How come you started attending one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ? Shaun: A few days before Christmas 2011 I attended hospital for some treatment. While there I struck up a conversation with one of the medical staff and inquired what they might be doing over Christmas. The common response of spending time with the family was given but along with that was an explanation that they would be attending the 11.00 pm Christmas Eve service at one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ. Furthermore the person extended an invitation to me to come along and I would be most welcome to join in. After leaving hospital I didn't give the invitation much further thought. However, as Christmas Eve approached I gave it serious consideration. The 2011 Christmas Eve service at one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ was the first time I attended and I have been a regular attender at the Sunday evening services ever since. Bruce: Shaun you've got cerebral palsy, can you tell us what it h

6 years ago I was a lost sheep ... Wandering through my life.  I was lonely, depressed, and wondering if this was all life had for me.  Sure I had things to be thankful for - my loving husband and a beautiful 2yo boy who brought much joy to my world - and I was pregnant with a beautiful girl - another blessing!  But yet something was missing in my life.  I couldn't put my finger on it.  I yearned for more but deep down I knew the world could not fill it - no amount of shopping, eating or chasing after success could satisfy that part of me that felt empty. About this time I had been going along to Mops (Mothers of Preschoolers) here at one2one.  It was such a lifeline to me.  As a first time mum I was so lonely.  I enjoyed being a mum yet at times it was overwhelming and no-one in my normal circle seemed to know how to help me.   It was the love of the Mops mums that kept me sane.  Indeed, the Mops leaders (Patsy, Tanya, Sally, Helen, Karen and many others) were wonderful.  They car

I grew up in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne in an area known as Hartwell. During that time the family, my parents and five older brothers, moved house twice. Initially the family moved from a home on a residential block to a home in the Hartwell shopping strip. Alongside the home was an operating dairy and at the front a milk bar. After several years the family moved again to a home on a residential block around the corner in Summerhill Road. All this time, and while I was completing my primary and secondary schooling, the family worshiped at the Hartwell Church of Christ where my father was church secretary and my mother, who had a lovely soprano voice, sang in the church choir and prepared the flower arrangements for the Sunday services. The evening services were traditionally known as the Gospel Service where the minister on finishing his sermon would give an altar call for anyone, who wanted to commit their life to Christ, to go forward to the front of the chapel. I recall whe

Share Jesus Easily... is a heartfelt call to individual personal work in response to the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-21, the parables of Jesus, about the lost son, the lost sheep and the lost coin, found in Luke 15 and the statement of Jesus,  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,"  found in Luke 19:10 following his encounter with Zacchaeus. The Photograph... was taken by my friend Michael Kavanagh, who provided it for my Weekly Word of Encouragement e-mail that I started writing at the beginning of 2012. It reminds me of the words of Jesus in Luke 5:1-11 where he speaks to Simon in verse 4, "Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." and again in verse 10, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."

Six people attended the second session of In the Deep End on Monday evening 18 February at one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ. Four others tendered their apologies. For three it was the first time they had attended so I invited them to share their stories about how they became associated with the one2one congregation. Their experiences highlighted the importance of extending an invitation to people to consider attending church, join a Bible study group or participate in a course on Christianity. I had invited one of the three to attend the evening specifically to share his story. As he did so he acknowledging the wonderful changes that have occurred in his life since he first attended a Christmas Eve service at one2one in 2011. His first time attendance was in response to a personal invitation that came very naturally from someone who cared. There were two other aspects that were highlighted during the evening. Firstly, while not excluding others, we have an amazing opportunity to

Bill Hybels in his book, The God You're Looking For , pp 116-118, recounts a story under the heading of The Scandal of Grace, I once had lunch with a business executive with whom I'd been building a relationship. I asked for his napkin and his pen. The pen looked as if it cost at least two hundred dollars, so I knew I'd have his undivided attention if I used his pen instead of mine. He wasn't about to let it out of his sight! Taking his pen. I wrote GOD at the top of the napkin, then drew a line pointing down. Pointing to the word GOD, I said, "here's God's standard of holiness. Here's a line." and following the line downward, "and down here are the bad people of the world. Put and X somewhere on this line where you belong on the morality ladder." He did, and then I continued, "The gap between you and the holiness of God is the problem. You have fallen short of the standards of God's holiness by your own admission. That gap is wh

AGENDA, 18 February 2013 1. Welcome 2. Review In the Deep End (1) Our Values, Our Vision, Our Mission (see Matthew 9:35-38),Our Training Our  Principles Prayer 3. Our Stories Shaun's Story 4. Person of Peace - Handout 5. Share Jesus Easily - Handout 6. Steve Addison 7. Prayer

AGENDA, 21 January 2012 1. Welcome Our Vision: Acts 1:8 Our Character: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Our Training: Handout 2. Introduction People: Name, How long have you been associated with one2one, How long have you been a Christian? Purpose: The principles and practice of conveying the good news of Jesus one-to-one Prayer: Heavenly Father, guide our thoughts this evening. 3. The Holy Spirit Acts 21:1-16 Acts: 20:22-25 Acts: 8:26-39 4. What are the principles we have identified thus far? Prayer - Seek God's direction through Prayer Prompting - Trust the prompting of the Holy Spirit People - Build relationships with People Purpose - Be Purposeful Partner - Partner with others Know your Bible Seek first to understand then to be understood Know the signs of a "God-fearing" person 5. Share Jesus Easily Briefly discuss the Share Jesus Easily handout 6. Prayer Heavenly Father, across the course of the next few weeks help us to be aware of your Spirit, to be purposeful and to dive i

This series of comic strips from The Swamp caught my attention for two reasons. Firstly, Mort's wonder an awe of the heavens in the night sky. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by all things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,..." and the Psalmist in Psalm 8, "Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,..." Secondly, Mort's deep sense of concern when he  NOTICES a star is missing. While this same concern is obviously not shared by Wart Mort still leaps into action. I'm reminded of the parables of Jesus, recorded in Luke 15, about the lost son, the lost sheep and the lost coin. The stories were told by Jesus in response to the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes who were sayi