Entries by lisamcintosh

Are we falling for the beauty myth?

Many of us have heard the saying ‘beauty is only skin deep’ or the notion that having a good personality is more important than being good-looking. But do we really believe that? Do we spend an unhealthy amount of time, energy and money on our physical appearance, or do we want to look our best simply because our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit?

New life in old stamps

There’s special symbolism in a small wooden Christmas tree sitting in the local Lutheran church in the regional Victorian town of Nhill. Not only does it remind us of the birth of Jesus Christ, but this tree’s peculiar decorations also remind us of the new life Jesus brings. This is because the adornments completely covering the tree’s trunk and boughs are damaged, used postage stamps.

NSW-ACT District provides oversight for LCNZ

With the Lutheran Church of New Zealand unable to elect a bishop at its 2023 Synod, the LCANZ’s College of Bishops has asked the NSW and ACT District to provide oversight for the LCNZ until the next synod in two years, including the NSW-ACT bishop making two-week visiting tours of all New Zealand churches twice yearly.

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The power of Christian community

Dietrich Bonhoeffer described Christian community as ‘a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate’. ‘The more clearly we learn to recognise that the strength of all our community is in Christ alone, the more calmly we will think about our community and pray and hope for it’, he said.

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In from the wild

The warble of native birds, the rustling of nature, the sigh of a light breeze… these are the sounds that brush my ears when I make contact with Margaret Curnow. She’s on Queensland’s Moreton Island with her grandchildren, whose unfledged voices sweep into our conversation and away again, like the cormorants who dot the bay.

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The harvest is plentiful, so pray!

The first step in vibrant, joyful mission is learning from what Jesus said in Luke 10:2. Mission doesn’t begin in action. When Jesus sends out 72 local missionaries to proclaim the kingdom of God, what he says is unexpected and surprising. ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. So pray.’ The praying precedes the going.