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The forecast was terrible. 80km winds and heavy rain. But we took the 4hr drive from Auckland anyway. State Highway 1 to Route 10. Then just past Kerikeri it is right onto Kapiro Rd and then left on to Purerua Rd and then finally another left onto Rangihoua Rd. A 25min walk down through a…
READ MOREThe TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has thrown up another delightful story. A year ago I posted the clip with little Andrew Johnston (Watch and Weep – 17 April 2008) and now Susan Boyle has arrived. Susan surpasses Andrew in that when Andrew opened his mouth everyone was with him – when Susan opens her…
READ MOREThis week my daughter Bethany introduced me to a website which reviews movies with an eye on children. It is called kids-in-mind. While it does not appear to be explicitly Christian, I am sure it has a huge following among more conservative Christians. The site reviews movies according to three criteria: (a) Sex/Nudity; (b) Violence/Gore;…
READ MOREI pretty much imbibed the Great Commission with my mother’s milk. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know about Jesus’ command to ‘go into all the world’ – and that he expressed it on five different occasions in the New Testament. But here I am at 49 with a global mission role beckoning…
READ MOREWhile it will not be everyone’s cup of chai I did enjoy reading Ramachandra Guha’s A Corner of a Foreign Field (Picador, 2002) on a recent return flight to the UK. As seems always to be the case, the sub-title says it all: “The Indian History of a British Sport”. The book tells the story…
READ MOREHave you ever wondered about what the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, and Madagascar 2 have in common? Probably not – so let me enlighten you… On flights to UK this week I discovered a more limited choice of movies and so these two received a re-run. And in both films the ‘baddie’ is…
READ MOREAfter twice standing in queues watching ‘sold-out’ signs go up in front of me, I finally was able to see Slumdog Millionaire last night. I loved it. The last time I soaked like this in a movie experience was probably Amazing Grace. I soaked in the realism in its depiction of India.From Amitabh-fever (which has…
READ MOREWanting to keep in touch with people as my life faces a shift in focus, I have joined the social-networking site, Facebook. It gives you the opportunity to fill in a ‘Profile’ with one of the questions being ‘Religion’. What do I write? I am not sure ‘Christian’ is that helpful. The word is too…
READ MORESo last night the rain robbed us of a series win in Australia – ugh! Our weakest cricket team in a generation was a few raindrops a way from knocking off the world champions in their own backyard – double ugh! How frustrating… Maybe a cathartic spleen-venting reflection on other sporting frustrations will help me…
READ MOREIf you are committed to the ministry of biblical preaching in New Zealand please read on… As I shift into a role with Langham Preaching and devote myself to helping nurture biblical preaching movements in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, I have been reminded of how helping to facilitate such a…
READ MOREAbout Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.