Chapel Articles
Take some time to browse through our articles.
I am a preacher’s kid. We are a strange breed, and there are many of us around. Some, like me, have met the Lord and are following Him. Many, sadly, are not walking with the Lord, perhaps hurt or bitter.read more
As a mother of two active boys I’m often surprised at how busy life is. It’s funny, but when you’re in the work force you think you’ll have so much time on your hands once you’re at home with kids. Coffee shops, decorating, gourmet meals, gardening … Then once you have a baby it becomes, “Well when they’re toddlers it will be easier…” Once they’re at kinder we think we’ll hit the shops when they go to school. … Sound familiar?read more
This trip could not have come at a worse time. Firstly there had been the shock of realizing that his fiancé was pregnant! How could this be? Who was the father? Then, to his amazement, she had made the unbelievable claim to be still a virgin! This had added to his turmoil. He loved this girl, and had no wish to hurt her, but this was all too much to deal with. Should he break off their engagement and leave her to her father’s devices?read more
As Christmas approaches we are accustomed to hearing much about Mary. But what of the man Joseph, and his faith to father the Christ child?read more
The freedom to walk in the light and find the will of God is available to all who confess Christ. What then are the impediments? If we are honest, we will have to admit that the right to hold onto our own assessments of life is a right we desperately do not want to relinquish. It is the last kingdom we feel we have. There we can still retreat to the exclusion of all other voices. There it is that our own decrees reign supreme—our judgments, our ideas, our perceptions of God.read more
For most of us, including the scientific community, life in nature is a mystery. We can discern where it is, and can observe its characteristics and the conditions under which it can exist and multiply. But we cannot create it nor fathom its mysteries. read more
It is difficult to describe the pain of separation and sense of aloneness. You feel as if your heart is being torn from your body – no wonder it is sometimes referred to as ‘gut-wrenching’. How can we feel the presence and the comfort of the Holy Spirit during these sad times?read more
Samson’s mother was told by an angel that she would bear a child who would be a Nazarite for life. A Nazarite was a devotee who did not cut his hair or drink strong drink. His mother supported Samson’s identity from the womb in that she also did not drink wine or eat anything made from grapes. Samson had a special responsibility. He would be instrumental in defeating the Philistines who had oppressed the Israelites for 40 years.read more
Recently, my eldest child started kindergarten. Though an emotional time for me, she was quite content with the whole arrangement and was quick to inform me in the first few minutes after our arrival that I could go now. As I stood around looking bewildered, not quite ready to leave, but knowing there was no reason to stay, I began chatting with some of the other mums.read more
Have you ever felt confused and uneasy about your identity, feeling a little lost and lonely in the midst of a revved up community where all are frantically trying to make sense of who they are? So what do we usually do?read more
‘Who am I?’ Have you ever asked this question of YOURSELF? Maybe the question came in a different form. ‘What in the world is my identity?’ or ‘what is the meaning of life from where I stand in this world?’ Have you ever then gone about chasing the answer to that question? How did you go about it? What was your starting point? read more
The Bible speaks of God’s word and His life as being like a seed. Matthew 13. I love this concept of the seed because it helps me in living as a Christian. read more
The Psalmists often wrote about times of deep need and calling on the Lord for help and comfort. But some of our older loved ones are now beyond language. Also, I know myself that there have been times in my life when anguish and grief found me living on ‘autopilot’, with little strength for even crying out to God.read more
Sometimes we can have a very rosy view of the way life ‘should’ be. Christians particularly can fall into this trap. After all, if we have a personal relationship with the God of the entire universe, surely He should look after me. Right?
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Have you ever noticed that television mums are nearly always drop-dead gorgeous, look like they have spent three hours working on their hair and make-up, even though they have had a hectic day at work, kept their houses absolutely immaculate (kitchens and bathrooms always seem to be white and incredibly clean) and juggled family life with an amazing level of tranquillity and organisation.
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There are many things that we can be afraid of. According to Laurie Panlik-Kienten, the nine most common fears are:
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I have always pondered the words of Jesus. As a mother and a primary school teacher I have come to realise that there are many aspects of children that in some ways reflect the adults in their lives.
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The sun has gone down on yet another ANZAC Day and once again people have been surprised at the great upsurge of interest in this occasion, especially by the young.
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We often hear folk say, ‘how does a God of love allow suffering?’ This is a hard question to answer with any integrity, especially if we are not the one suffering.
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In the scheme of things, I would consider myself as someone who knows a little bit about technology. I can e-mail, text message, blog, shop on e-bay, and surf the net.
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God’s desire is to bring us into His light, into relationship with Him, so that we can live just as He lives! Can you imagine a world living just as God lives? Can you imagine a world where people truly love, truly give, who genuinely have a heart for one another and actually share?
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Have you ever searched for something in your life, and did not quite know what it was you were looking for? You knew that within you was an emptiness and dissatisfaction – life just did not add up. But you could not put your finger on it.
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My work involves giving support and services to those in need at a particular time in their lives. These needs may be due to physical, psychological, financial or relational difficulties. Over the years I have observed that the willingness of people to receive help from another varies greatly. However, God sees us all as poor and needy, whether we have wealth, health, or happy relationships.read more
Parents often wonder why their teenagers and young adults leave the church. Having faithfully brought up their children in the ways of the Lord, parents can feel powerless to stop them leaving between the ages of 16 to 18.
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There are three girls in my family. One of my sisters and I talk a fair bit (our husbands might say that we talk a lot, but it’s all a matter of opinion!) My other sister talks when there is something useful to say.
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God is love. The bible also says that God is Spirit and Light. When we speak of God, we know that there are three persons within God – ie God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
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Don’t chocoholics just love the notion that dark chocolate is good for the heart? The same can be said for red wine drinkers! We have heard the news that those two items contain antioxidants that help in the fight against free radicals, and of course, we are against radicals of any kind, so let’s eat, drink and be merry!!
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The well known West Lakes Function Centre, built on the site of the former Hendon Aerodrome, is set to take flight once again, but this time as a centre for the activities of Citywide Christian Fellowship.
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The bombs were raining down on the city of Surabaja on the island of Java, Indonesia, as the missionaries scrambled frantically aboard a ship in the nearby harbour. This was the last ship to leave the port before the Japanese took control of Indonesia during the Second World War. But the threats facing the refugees were not yet over.
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Yet in reality many of us are already blind in a different and devastating way – spiritually blind. Jesus highlighted this when He walked on the earth. He told many of His hearers that they were blind, and they became offended because they felt they had perfect vision. Jesus said several times that offences ‘must come’.
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Have you ever heard this phrase muttered in exasperation? I was born in 1979, so whether I am a ‘young person of today’ probably depends on your perspective. At my age, I fit somewhere between two younger generations - Generations X and Y. read more
What do you want to be when you grow up? This is one of the most common questions children are asked. These days more and more emphasis is placed on the child deciding all aspects of their life.read more
After their escape from Egypt, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. As they were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses died and Joshua assumed the leadership. He gathered all the tribes of Israel together and asked them to decide who they would serve. He understood that we all serve something, so he identified three major cultural influences in Israel’s history.read more
I recently heard a man testify to God’s faithfulness, and something he said impressed me. He said, ‘I went to gather blackberries, so I took along a kerosene tin’. He expected to get some black berries - not just a few but a kerosene tin full!read more
There is a little passage in the Scriptures that simply says that the love of God surpasses knowledge. Eph 3:19. Lately, I have had an overwhelming sense of the love of God.read more
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. He evidently understood something about Jesus for he considered himself unworthy to baptise Him. Jesus and the Baptist were cousins and yet, according to John’s own testimony, he did not recognise Jesus as the new creation until he saw the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him. After this illumination, he could testify with absolute certainty that this was the Son of God. He proclaimed to all who stood by, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ John 1:29.read more
Are you a person who sets goals? From the youngest years, we can begin to set goals for school, music, hobbies, sport and even our careers. The same applies to our Christian life. We can set goals at every turn throughout our life-long walk with Christ. When we set goals we begin to find purpose and motivation for our journey. In the Bible, we read that ‘where there is no vision the people perish’. Proverbs 29:18.read more
When I got married many long years ago (forty-three to be exact) I thought I was just a wife and a mother. What I did not realize, then, is how much my attitude and way of life would affect and contribute to building a strong, safe place where my husband and children could be nourished both naturally and spiritually. Neither did I realise that I could also create a place of confusion (which, at times, I did).read more
The heart of God the Father is filled with love for you and me. The apostle John asserted that ‘God is love’. What an amazing declaration. 1 John 4:8. Yet, the gospel story, though it includes us, is not firstly about us. It is about the relationship within the Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that reached out to create us and then include us in Their loving fellowship.read more
How is life preserved beyond the grave? We are not talking about our mortal bodies and the breath in our lungs. How is the substance of who we are, spirit and soul, preserved into eternity? What is the quality of faith needed? read more
Have you ever found yourself asking these questions? ‘Is there a purpose to my life?’ ‘Is there a destiny or a plan for me or am I just an accident of some kind?’. We all experience times of insecurity when we long for a true sense of belonging and acceptance. We often look for affirmation from those around us, or we work hard towards being successful in some way so that we feel valid and worthwhile.read more
Come back with me, 2000 years ago to the scene of Jesus hanging and dying on the cross.
He has laboured over His disciples and followers, poured His heart out to them, helping, calling, healing and speaking to them. He prays for them and watches diligently over them. Then at His darkest hour, His friends desert Him. The people He has been reaching out to have turned on Him, accused Him and cursed Him. But Jesus did not argue, though the mental and physical strain of the beatings and abuse would surely have hurt. read more
Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria that the Father is seeking ‘true worshippers’. (Jn 4:23) What is a true worshipper?read more
Righteousness is an interesting word. A lot has been written about it, but it is not well understood. Many of the reformers made it a judicial position before God. However, I think we can prove unassailably from the book of Romans that the gift of righteousness is the authority of God to be who you were called to be. It is the authority to be the person that the Father predestined you to be.read more
What should the relationship be between the church and the families within it? How much input, if any, should leaders in the church have directly into families?read more
Sometimes we can feel like nothing more than a number on a sinking ship. We feel insignificant and unsure whether anyone really knows our situation. And yet, we can be assured that the Lord never looks at us like a number lost on the sea of life. He knows our names and He calls us by name.read more
In many churches today we have the phenomenon of incredibly loud sounds taken from the styles of many of the current rock groups in the secular arena. Some dare not call it music, while others revel with great abandon in its vibrations. So we must ask the question, what is worship?read more
We read in Scripture that this earth and heaven as it is now will burn up and no longer exist. So what is ahead if we continue to follow the Lord and eventually enter the new heavens and the new earth? It is tempting to think that we will be able to do whatever we want…forever. Surfing? Lying around in a hammock reading a good book?read more
How easy this is to say when all in our life is going well. How easy is it to praise the Lord for all that He has given when our health, finances and our relationships are all thriving. But can we still thank the Lord for the boundaries in our lives when our hopes, dreams and expectations are not met?read more
I bent down to help my infant grandson do a simple task but was pushed away amid his cries, ‘I do it! I do it!’ His demand to ‘do it’ is partly his desire to experiment and learn. This is both cute and instructive for him. But this same demand also reveals a self-centred desire for independence. He wants to do his thing his way! The urgency of his voice also reveals a fear of weakness for he wants to be empowered by his capacity. This is the pattern for the whole human race.read more
Political leaders are spending up big, and trying hard not to mention the ‘R’ word, and even Christmas spending indicated that people were still making hay while the sun was shining. So are happy new year revellers fooling themselves while enjoying being party animals, or are they filled with a real hope for the future? And as Christians, how do we face the new year, and what is our hope?read more
We recently saw the movie, ‘Amazing Grace’. I learnt about the powers behind slavery in the 18th century and the incredible fight of one politician, William Wilberforce, to call the slave trade to account. Woven through this story was the way in which the song ‘Amazing Grace’ came into being. The song was written by John Newton, a slave trader and truly wretched man, saved by the amazing grace of God.read more
Many people would readily concur that our lives often feel like pressure-packed cans. To the best of our abilities we absorb the pressures of life and compress our emotions. However, often we feel like we are constantly living on the edge of our nerves.
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We are promised in the book of Isaiah that God will not let our dimly burning lamp be put out. Even when we are feeling bruised, He promises that He will not forsake us. More than this, He wants to pour more oil into our lamp so that we can shine brightly again.
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Some of us just love meeting new people. However, many others find introductions a confronting experience. Of course, the difference in these two responses has a lot to do with personality. The sanguine person will come into a room full of people with a demeanour that says, ‘Oh, there you are! Tell me about yourself’.
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Not many years ago an alternative heir of the throne of England was discovered in the back blocks of New South Wales. Evidently, his lineage runs back to an earlier century when the throne changed hands in unusual circumstances, so that His forebear would otherwise have been king. Now I am no student of British history, but it made me wonder how many other pretenders to the throne are scattered amongst our community.
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I love being a mum…most of the time. However, I have found being pregnant again has brought many physical challenges that have been compounded by the fact that my youngest child still is not walking and is becoming heavier to carry.
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Have you noticed the difficulty in pulling up weeds lately, because they so closely resemble bulbs and their leaves? It is vital to take extra care when weeding, to make sure you do not pull up the good with the bad. This will take longer but, believe me, it is well worth it.
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I was a teenager once - a scary thought now that I am in my mid sixties. It seems like it took forever to get from kindergarten to high school, but only five minutes to get from high school to pension age. What happened?! Where did all the time go? What did I want out of my life when I was young? (I was not the forward planning type so I’m not sure I knew.)read more
The psalmist said that our children are like tender plants within our house and that women are fruitful vines. Psa 128:3. King David also called our sons ‘grown-up plants’ and our daughters ‘corner pillars fashioned as for a palace’. Psa 144:12. How can we ensure that our children grow spiritually straight and tall? read more
When we are right in the middle of deep grief or depression, it is very hard to know what is real. Is everything really as dark and confused as we feel it is? Is God angry with us or does He even care? Are we without hope? These can be very real concerns, and grief or depression can leave us confused and overwhelmed.read more
The Old Testament is filled with prophetic scripture, key phrases, terminology, and events that clearly portray the time of the end. When we combine these scriptures with Jesus’ ministry on the time of the end in the Gospels, and with the book of Revelation, a detailed and cohesive picture begins to take shape. read more
Recently life, for my husband and I, was distinctly not nice. As a result, we were faced with a crisis about who God is. ‘Could He really allow bad things to happen when He declares that He loves us? Maybe God does not really care. Maybe He does not love us. Maybe we do not deserve His love.’ These are thoughts that are common to many of us in the midst of trouble, grief and stress.read more
Six thousand years ago a battle raged in the garden of Eden. It was not a battle with swords and spears, but it was nevertheless a battle for control, and the weapons were lies and temptation. So let us set the scene. read more
I love presents. Who does not? I love new gifts that replace old, torn ones. But the reality is the shine of a new present will eventually fade. It will quickly become worn and perhaps fall apart. However, there is one gift that I received a number of years ago that has still not lost its vitality. In fact, it is the most amazing, precious gift that I have ever or will ever receive. It was a gift from God. It was the gift of God’s own life.read more
Have you ever prayed for a better job, a happier life for you or your children, or for success in general? We probably all have outcomes we hope for in various areas of our lives. How many of us have thought at some point that faith is striving to believe for something that is missing from our lives?read more
John (approx 70AD) writes that God is light and that God is love. (1 Jn 1:5; 4:8) Can we learn from the nature of light about God and love? Can we learn anything from created light that points to something of the nature of God Himself? Yes we can. read more
Many volumes of books have been written on what life is. Most poems or songs are reflections on life and its purpose. It is quoted that the former Beatle, John Lennon said ‘life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.’ There never seems to be enough time to do what we want and even what is important seems to get neglected.read more
How do we find out who we are? Can we choose our own path, or make ourselves into whatever we want to be? Or is our destiny set and unavoidable? read more
Have you ever done a personality test? I have done several over the years, and I usually come up the same - I like to do well and do things well. For example, when I hang out the washing all the socks need to be hung in pairs and the tee shirts hung from the seams so no peg marks show. This can be irritating to live with but the job gets done well! read more
If we were asked, most of us would answer immediately: family, friends, health and a roof over our heads. Having said that, for many of us, trivial things distract us and take more focus than they should and we begin to lose focus of what’s really important because we have ‘more pressing issues’. Families and couples drift apart from each other because everyone is ‘too busy’ pursuing their own agendas. read more
If we have the opportunity to travel, there is one thing that soon becomes clear. There is a lot more happening in the world than what is reported on our nightly news. Very rarely are we aware of the full extent of the natural disasters that occur around the world. In many ways, we do live in quite an isolated and incubated society. Our media deems this to be so. How do we get a wider world-view?read more
Yesterday I used the MP3 player on my mobile phone. My technically advanced husband had downloaded some interviews from the radio onto my phone (who would have known that a phone could also play music and so forth from the internet!), and on my way to work on the train, I put in the earphones and voilá! It was quite an amazing experience. I felt a lovely sense of isolation from the hussle and bussle of the world.read more
Abraham is recorded in the Scripture as being the father of all who believe. (Rom 4:11) He was a man of exceptional faith. However, his faith was not mystical. It was birthed in him by the word of God. It was established by the Lord when He spoke to him at strategic points in his life. On one of these occasions, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. Yahweh Son said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward’. (Gen 15:1) What did this mean? read more
Christmas can be a most wonderful time of year for many families. But sadly, this is not always the case. For some families, Christmas, like weddings and funerals, highlights stress and sorrow. Loneliness and alienation are often experienced where, due to relational disharmony, family members are excluded from celebrations. And for those who have lost a loved one close to Christmas, or who no longer have family connections, isolation and sorrow are constant companions.read more
A few years ago in Switzerland I walked into a hall of mirrors and found myself totally lost. There seemed to be doors where there were none, and multiples of myself on several sides. I walked towards my wife, only to collide painfully with a pane of glass. It was most disconcerting. What I thought I saw was not real. How easy it is for us to be deceived!read more
My mum passed away just over a year ago, and I remember sitting down together with my brother, my sister and my dad and we started to reflect upon her life. We wrote all that we remembered about mum and we put together a story about her life based upon our memories.read more
Have you ever prayed for a better job, a happier life for you or your children, or for success in general? We probably all have outcomes we hope for in various areas of our lives. How many of us have thought at some point that faith is striving to believe for something that’s missing from our lives?read more
Centuries ago, in the time of King David, a songwriter penned these words in reference to the coming of Jesus Christ. ‘The entrance of Thy Word gives light. It gives understanding to the simple” Psalm 119:130. The psalmist employs the word ‘simple’ but was not aiming this tune at any particular intellect. The ‘simple’ truth is each of us needs external input if we are to gain ‘understanding’ in just about every area of our lives. read more
Illumination is a great key of deliverance. John the Baptist said of Jesus, ‘there was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man.’ (Jn 1:9) This is absolutely a key verse, for it declares the reason that the Lord has revealed Himself among us.
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The other day I met my friend in a playground. A few years ago we met in cafes – something with a bit of atmosphere and good coffee. Now of course we meet in a park with a fence and a toilet close by, and we bring a thermos and a lunch box. Of course, motherhood brings a few changes!!
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They may not realize that they are quoting from the Bible. Sadly, they miss the point of Jesus’ words. What newsmen mean by the word ‘truth’ is ‘correct information’. However, information, in itself, does not set us free, no matter how clearly it describes injustice or oppression.
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On Saturday and Sunday September 20th and 21st Adelaide’s premier performance of this beautiful Christian musical will be presented at Chapel on the Boulevard by an accomplished group of singers and orchestral ensemble.
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The Old Testament contains much about sacrifices and offerings, which were numerous. Every day multitudes of animals were sacrificed on the altar in the temple. The New Testament declares that Jesus Christ encompassed all these offerings in His one offering on the cross.
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Crimson, gold
Their riches fall and flutter to the ground,
A blend of perfect colours -
Orange, yellow, red and green
Are splendorous in the sky.
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Nothing is impossible with God! What reassuring words! However, what do they mean? Is it more than a way of saying that God is all powerful? Is it more than something we recite to ourselves when facing difficult problems? It certainly is, when we look at the use of this phrase in the Scriptures. It compels us to believe in the capacity of God’s word to us.
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Spiritual hearing is indeed a remarkable sense. Many times in the scriptures, the Lord admonished His people because they had become dull of hearing. It seemed their ears were stopped-up.
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