Bruce Staley

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 wo...

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 ...

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...

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 c...

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."