I belong to a very ordinary Australian family, albeit with two obvious differences. First, compared with the stereotypical sports-loving, tough Aussie, some of us are quite weak and physically frail, thanks to a mutant gene. Second, my family has resisted the secularism that is a dominant feature of modern Australian life.

"But how insensible and unmoved are most men, about the great things of another world! How dull are their affections! How heavy and hard their hearts in these matters! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small.

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We need to learn and grow from God’s Word. As that happens our faith will be active in our lives. But it isn’t easy for that to happen. Our Bible reading and meditation are becoming less and less important to us. We hear too many sermons that only describe the gospel and do not bring it home in our lives.

The Problem: Once children pass the Sunday school age of about twelve, little by little they trickle away from the church. Pressures from the world mount up, including tuition classes to excel in studies and night courses to move up in the career ladder and financial income.

As Christian believers we share together the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s ministry in bringing Jesus into our lives today—but where each one of us is in life very different. We have differing challenges, many so deep that we have to rethink and re-evaluate just what our faith means to us now. Unity with diversity, that’s more than a philosophical or social concern, that’s where we are in our Christian faith.

 It is always challenging to approach a new year and to realize again and afresh that our days upon this earth are so rapidly passing. Here is the full text of Dr. Buys' 2016 New Year's sermon:

 The Pope: I know what the Pope represents to Roman Catholics, and I appreciate what the current Pope brings to the office in terms of an apparent servant attitude, a willingness to talk about Jesus, and to lead local priests and congregations in that direction.

What do you think “the joy of the Lord” means? As in Nehemiah 8, “the joy of the Lord is your strength?” My grammar is rusty, but isn’t that “subjective or objective genitive?” Is it the joy the Lord himself has, or the joy we have in him or because of him? That sounds nitpicking but when you know how weak you are, and I do, then knowing where your strength is, now that’s important.

Pentecostals remind us of the work of the Holy Spirit today. We may disagree about the prioritization and emphasis placed on specific spiritual gifts, but we don’t want to limit the Spirit’s work just to be merely the opening God's Word to us right now.

Call it Covenant, that the Lord has made solemn promises to us. His character is on the line, he glories in what he commits to do for us. But wait a minute, those kind promises still have an ‘if’’ in them, if we do what he tells us. That’s the way life is, isn’t it? Over here is our only hope, the Lord and his promises. Over there is our ‘if’ part. How can they fit together?

How can the gospel be more meaningful? Is it enough that we think about it once a week for an hour or so, while the rest of the time our thinking and acting is driven by our secular culture?

Utah State was leading Oregon 7-0 early in the second quarter on Saturday evening, November 8.  Utah’s quarterback dropped back and lofted the ball long to wide receiver Kaelin Clay who caught it wide open and ran untouched for a 78 yard touchdown.  Fans screamed.  The announcers were ecstatic.  It was perfect.   Beautiful!  One problem: the referee did not signal “touchdown.”