This Sunday is “Vision 20-twelve” at SHBC. The Chambers dictionary defines vision as “the ability to perceive what is likely and plan for it.” This is largely task of our Pastors and leaders in the church – not to demand things be done a certain way, but under God’s guidance, to discern the ways we can move forward and seek to gently lead and guide others towards what we believe are God’s goals for His Church.
As you travel through the Australian outback, you will see drovers guiding their flocks of sheep down the “long paddock”. Long paddocks arethe very wide verges along the highway where the fences are set back some distance from the road. Anyone is free to drove their stock on these routes. It may, at first, appear the flocks of sheep are making no progress on their journey. But drovers are required to cover 10kms each day and, if we drove past them later in the day, you would indeed notice they had been moving all the time. The sheep are not aware of that they are moving – they’re just interested in the next patch of grass. But the drover has a vision of where he wants to be and slowly, gently he directs his flock to their destination.
As I see my Akubra hat hanging on its rack I am reminded of the ‘pastoral’ role of church leaders to lead in much the same way as a drover. We need to be gentle but deliberate, even firm at times, as we ‘equip the saints for works of service’ (Eph 4:12) among church folk and the wider community and encourage each other in the Christian faith. That’s my vision…
Pastor Bob

This week school is back. How do I know? The summer breeze of driving to the office on open roads is over! Now it’s back to the crawl past schools as mothers in four-wheel-drives devolve their children onto hapless teachers for the day. When I was a boy we used to walk a (whole) kilometre to school. It seemed further at the time, but often was the most interesting time of the day as we explored new building sites on the estate, dropped in to Mrs King’s for a biscuit, threw stones at the rats down at the waterfall, explored Mr Pedder’s farm or stole apples from Painey’s orchard. Somehow the class room did not have the same attraction…
I was delighted to see the comments of some young people returning to school: “Year 11. Bring it on!” and “Year 12 will be grand!” Maybe it’s the computers that brighten their day or so many study options from which to choose. Or maybe it’s just getting back together with good friends. Whatever the reason, life goes on and we look forward to seeing our young people growing through life this year.
It is exciting to see so many young children running around our church complex and to think of the potential within our Youth Group. It must gladden the heart of every adult in our church to see this wonderful legacy of faith. We do well to encourage our younger ones, to pray for them and do everything we can to see them grow into maturity in Jesus Christ. Let’s also remember in prayer our children and youth leaders as they commence another year of service within the church. Together this will be a great year! Bring it on! Pastor Bob

On 26th January we celebrate Australia Day commemorating the arrival of white settlement in this land. In his remarkable book, “A Commonwealth of Thieves”, Thomas Keneally tells the story of the birth of this nation through the arrival of the First, Second and Third Fleets. Most of those sent to a land 17,000km from England were simply so impoverished by the class system they were forced into stealing in order to eat. Keneally tells of the horrors of the sea trips, with over 30% of the convicts on the Second Fleet dying due to poor care during the sea voyage. Nonetheless, the convicts, and later free settlers, most from the cities of Britain, tamed much of the ‘Sunburnt Country’ with its contrasting ‘droughts and flooding rains’.
Today we live in the finest country in the world. Our government has been built on Judaic-Christian principles, with equality for all citizens and we welcome those from other lands seeking a new life free of persecution and war. We may not always get things right but one need only travel abroad to realise how fortunate we are to live as we do. This week take some time to reflect on God’s goodness to us in this great land of Australia. So, let’s hear it, “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”
Pastor Bob

I have recently heard a disturbing trend in the USA – many who claim a Christian faith are becoming addicted to ‘electronic’ church. The USA has almost 100 TV stations broadcasting exclusively Christian media. While this may seem at first a good thing, it seems to be producing a new type of Christian – one totally dependent on the medium of television to provide their ‘worship’ experience.
The problem is made worse as folk no longer venture out into the world of real people and things. ‘Live’ church cannot compete with the spectacular effects that vast amounts of TV money can provide. However, it is difficult to see the difference between an addiction for TV soaps and this new addiction as fact and fantasy narrows.
God encourages His children to remember we are part of a family. While it is not always easy to live together families enable growth as we share ideas and support one-another. We cannot make it on our own – we were made for one another (Eph 3:18; Heb 10:25). It may be easier to worship in the comfort of our living-rooms, but our community needs the Church to serve openly, encouraging one another and inviting people to Jesus by word and deed.
Pastor Bob

Friends of ours have a tradition of giving us a jigsaw puzzle each Christmas. Normally the challenge with a jigsaw is to make the picture on the front of the box. On these gifts, however, the picture on the box is only a clue to the picture we are to make. The details are not on the picture we are given on the box!
Starting off is easy – simply find the four corners, then the sides and soon we have a frame. From then on it gets complicated as we collate colours and form ideas. Often we look for a piece of the jigsaw, calculating what it should look like, only to find the piece we need is quite different. Likewise we think we know where pieces go, but as the jigsaw progresses, we find out just how wrong we were! Eventually, however, we end up with the finished product.
Life can be like a jigsaw puzzle, at times. We make our plans believing we know what needs to be done, but often circumstances turn out to be quite different to what we expected. At the start of a New Year it is good to be reminded what God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11; see also Ps 3:4 & 5). Let’s commit our way to Him and trust Him for our future.
Pastor Bob