Rites of Passage part 1

”A rite is the beginning and ending. It marks the closure of an important time while signifying the beginning of another…rites are often bigger than ourselves…a rite brings the "star" into a community experience. This passageway is not to be done solo, but is celebrated together with loved ones, family, and friends….”

                                                                                                                                          David Olshine

Lately I've been thinking a little about rites-of-passage. Christmas is coming, the end of another year is almost upon us and a new year is soon to begin.

A rite of passage can simply be defined as a ritual event that marks a person’s progress from one phase of life to another, for example; the leaving of childhood and the entering of adulthood.

The idea of a rite of passage is certainly not new. It was and still is a key component of the Jewish faith and other traditional cultures.

I’ve been doing some reading on this topic and discovered that Arnold Van Gennep wrote a book in 1902 entitled The Rites of Passage. In this he identifies rites of passage as having 3 distinct phases – separation (from a previous world), transition (threshold between the old and the new), and re-incorporation (into the new world).

As a father of four children (including three sons), all still living at home, I’m wanting to be intentional about developing some relevant rites of passage practices that will serve each individual child and our family community well.

Two years ago, as our eldest son Scott was transitioning from leaving primary school ('old world’) to commencing high school ('new world’) I decided to take him out for some quality father-and-son time. We shared some food and drink and we talked about things such as expectations for the new year and the new school. We also talked about faith, responsibility, physical development and parental support. It wasn’t a particularly lengthy conversation, but I believe it was certainly worthwhile - I'm pleased we could do this together. I also gave Scott a book at the time, written for teenagers by a local Christian author.

Our second son Tim will soon be finishing up at his local Primary School before commencing high school in the new year. I plan to take him out and have a conversation in a similar vein to what I shared with Scott. I'll get a book to give Tim as well – have to say that I’m looking forward to practising this simply family ritual, again.

In my next post I hope to share a few thoughts about rites of passage and youth ministry – stay tuned.

Try the other side!

”Then he [Jesus] said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.”
John 21:6 NLT


The text for this week’s sermon at our local church was John 21:1-14. For much of this year we have been chronologically working our way through John’s Gospel, and here towards the conclusion of the book the narrative introduces some very familiar characters - Peter and a few other disciples, doing what came naturally for them – fishing from a boat.

You may well be familiar with the scenario here – Jesus has been raised from the dead and has already appeared to his closest followers on several occasions. After Peter and Co had spent the night fishing with nothing to show for it Jesus turns up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and engages with them from a distance; still close enough to be heard.

When Jesus hears the disciples had caught nothing all night he encourages them to throw their net off the right side of the boat to see what might happen.

The disciples (surely they were tired and well and truly over their all-night fishing adventure by now?!) decide to do what Jesus suggests and we know the result – there are so many fish in the net that they are unable to haul their miraculous catch into the boat.

Peter, recognising Jesus, leads the group with the catch of fish in tow back to shore where they are treated to a freshly cooked breakfast with Jesus.


God  has been catching my attention through this passage - I’ve been pondering over the emerging insights and expect I will continue to do so for some time.

Here’s what I’ve come to conclude thus far;

There will be times in our own experience when we will find that the combination of our hard work, experience and skills for some unexplainable reason bring us nothing in return; when, despite our best efforts we are unable to achieve the desired outcome we are seeking.

It is on such occasions that we need Jesus to break-in to enable us to break-through to achieve a tangible result. For, unless Jesus turns up to intervene, we have no hope of seeing break-through come about.

Furthermore, I would suggest that we need more than the presence of Jesus to see break-through in our circumstances – we need (as Peter and friends experienced) the voice of Jesus to direct the work of our hands. Jesus told the disciples where to throw their nets. The disciples responded promptly to his directive and saw an undeniably tangible result in their midst.

The disciples, after their night of fishing didn’t have to do a lot of things differently to see a different result. Nor did they have to leave their boat to achieve a better than expected outcome (153 fish seems like a lot of fish – more than enough for a hearty breakfast feed!).

What Jesus asked them to do was to simply attack the problem from a different angle; from the other side of the boat. Peter and friends remained in the same boat, in the same body of water, using the same net. The only thing we’re told was different was that they cast the net from the opposite side of the boat – it was a 180 degree turnaround that immediately netted a different and distinctly measurable outcome.


Perhaps you are presently at that place of feeling tired and over your seemingly unsuccessful pursuits having laboured through-the-night with little or no return…you’ve been working hard, applying your experience and skills to achieve a desired outcome, yet for some unexplainable reason you are not seeing the results you’re hoping and praying for.

For those times when this is our present reality, then I hope we will choose to remain in the boat, in close proximity to our co-workers and our intended objective (eg catching fish); listening for the voice of Jesus, ready and willing to follow His instructions…it might be that all it will take is to simply turn around and cast our net from the other side of the boat.

What does the other side of the boat look like for you?

No turning back!

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.”

Hebrews 11:13-15 NLT

Today I headed out to a rather unique location for some personal retreat time – a local memorial cemetery! I have cultivated this practice in the past, when living in Perth and Sydney. I’ve found such times to be sobering and helpful, enabling me to take stock of my life and my faith; to gain perspective about what really matters; to be reminded of my own mortality, and to seek God for fresh or timely insights…

Today at the cemetery I was reminded of something that has become a very common theme for me over recent months – the Christian journey of faith and obedience.

I was drawn to consider the life of Abraham and what is written about him in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 11:8 says; “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

I’m amazed how Abraham and guys like him seemed fully content to trust God, with literally no earthly place to call home - they could somehow through eyes of faith see beyond the physical realm, glimpsing a better country on the horizon.

Hebrews 11:15 says that if such people had been mindful of their earthly country (ie Ur of the Chaldeans for Abraham), then they might have easily returned.

This begs the question for me; Could Abraham and his family have gone back to the country where they came from? Well, I suppose they could have - but they chose not to.

God had called Abraham and Co to leave what was familiar to them - to pay the price - to move on. I think it’s reasonable to suggest that to return would have been to refuse to do what God wanted (and therefore miss out on the future blessings God had in store for them?).

Surely Abraham’s family would have thought about all they had left behind? They may well have thought about it and they may well have brought a collection of memories with them, but Scripture testifies that they didn’t long to return – it seems that Abraham was somehow able to discipline his mind not to dwell on such thoughts and such geography. He was able to look ahead, leading his family to a new country through trust and obedience – no turning back.

Scripture and experience tells me that there will be times for us as God’s people today when the Lord will capture our attention, we will hear His voice and we will wrestle with His call to move on. And then, if we are serious about obedience this will lead us to enter into a process of re-alignment, which could well result in a geographical relocation (as it has on several occasions for Judy and I and our family), or it might require a relocation of priorities or roles or something similar.

I think that one of the challenges for us when faced with such choices will be to have enough faith and Spirit-led resolve not to long for whatever God may be calling us to leave behind.

I'm thankful that my time at the cemetery today has provided me with a useful reminder that a far better country waits for me beyond my earthly country, beyond the grave.




“I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country…I must make the main objective of my life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.” C.S. Lewis

busy and rushed?

“The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.’

Hudson Taylor


Our local church pastor Matt spoke recently about God’s creation and our responsibility as God’s people to be good and wise stewards of our environment. He also said how it is important for us to take time to regularly slow down enough to appreciate God’s creation, where we might have opportunity to receive a fresh revelation from God as we look, listen and ponder the beauty and uniqueness of what God has designed for our enjoyment and appreciation.

Matt also spoke about the challenges associated with the busyness of life and how we can so easily become people who are hurried and rushed and who worry too much about what’s before us and what needs to be done. As I’ve thought about these comments I’ve been reminded that when I consider the life of Jesus as portrayed in the N.T. gospels I see someone who was consistently busy; often on the go, often teaching and helping others, often in demand.

Jesus, it seems, had very little time to himself and even then he made it his priority to get up early or to get away to a solitary place where he could be alone with His Father.

Whilst Jesus was often busy he never really appeared to be hurried or rushed.

My wife Judy and I have been chatting about this during this past week. I think we often feel both busy AND rushed…

I know that Judy craves the warmer weather and the longer hours of daylight, for it is then that she can take some regular time to get outside into our garden, to retreat from the busyness of life, to appreciate the beauty and diversity of Gods creation; to quite literally smell the roses.

This morning I did something a little unusual for someone who is not know for his spontaneity! With the local weather forecast predicting the likelihood of snow falling on nearby Mt Dandenong (an unusual event in itself) I bundled the kids up and we headed out the door at 7.00am, in search of snow.

Once on the mountain we parked the car and hiked up towards the highest point. We were the only ones there at the time (it was still pretty early!). The kids loved the sense of expectancy and adventure. I also appreciated the majesty and beauty of God’s creation in our midst, including numerous tall trees, crisp clean air, sunlight through fog and more. We did find some snow – not a lot, but enough for the kids to gather in their hands and to make into a few snowballs to throw at each other – it was such an easy, inexpensive and memorable thing to do on a chilly Saturday morning with people I love.

May God help each of us in the midst of our busy lives to take the time to appreciate His awesome creation, to be a little more spontaneous, to be less rushed, less hurried, to rest in union and communion with Jesus, the vine.


“Remain in me, and I will remain in you…’ John 15:4

Shared Leadership

Last week I was privileged to join with a group of key leaders from Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands for our biennial Oceania Leadership Summit, held in picturesque Kurrajong, NSW.

The theme for the week was Shaping Our Future Together, addressing some of the key areas requiring change in our prevailing organisational culture.

I appreciated the transparency and insights from the leaders who presented sessions during the Summit – it was refreshing to hear about a willingness to confront the need for change in order to be more effective in seeking to fulfil God's Great Commission vision. I was also greatly encouraged by the honest and robust dialogue we entered into across the course of the week.

One of the topics we considered was the issue of shared leadership. I found this to be a really important topic to engage with. Shared leadership means that leadership cannot be left to the few; it must be entrusted to others - the responsibility for the mission-critical work has to be shared; each person owns the whole (vision/plan); individual initiative is encouraged; various gifts and roles are utilised well.

CCC’s Steve Sellers spoke of our need to move away from the more traditional Old Testament hierarchical/directive model to embrace more of a flat-level/guidance model as seen in the New Testament. Steve reminded us that when Jesus left the earth and ascended to heaven he did so without leaving one leader in charge, but rather he entrusted His mission to a small team of dedicated apostles left to carry on His kingdom work together, under His authority, empowered by His Holy Spirit.

Steve raised a few more shared leadership principles which I found particularly insightful. He talked about the meaning of the term Peloton; a French word used to describe a group of cyclists who ride closely together to achieve victory through team effort and efficiency.

From this we can learn that;

1) you can go further and faster if you go together

2) if you’re always in the lead then you’re going to face the most resistance and therefore become the most fatigued.

Now, I’m certainly no great cyclist or road-racer, but I like what the example of the peleton can teach me about traveling the journey with others as an integrated unit (like birds flying in formation), with each rider sharing the load and making the necessary adjustments in response to the riders around him.

Surely this is the better way to go in leadership...in ministry...in building spiritual movements; enabling more of us to go the distance and reducing the level of fatigue we so often have to confront in the team-work of building God’s kingdom.


“Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Acts 14:23 NLT

Youth Spirituality & Narratives

This week I had the opportunity to participate in the Christian Research Association (CRA)’s Shaping Australia’s Spirituality Roundtable in Melbourne.

The theme and session topics for the Roundtable were informed by recently published research conducted by Dr Philip Hughes and CRA, providing a broad ranging overview of the spiritual dimension of Australian culture and an evaluation of Christian ministry in an Aussie context.

The theme for the day I attended was The Spirituality of Youth. It was a very informative day, with some of the major research findings highlighted and discussed. Participants engaged openly around the material presented. I was greatly encouraged to be amongst such a diverse selection of God's people (Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Uniting Church, Lutheran, Christian Schools, chaplaincy providers and para-church groups were represented). I was also encouraged by the genuine desire amongst those present to be better informed and to be willing to ask some tough questions about how the Australian Christian community can more effectively address the Spiritual needs of Aussie young people.

Research findings

Here are some key points which stood out for me amongst the research findings and responses provided on the day;

^Aussie youth, many of whom are experiencing increasing lower levels of identification with churches and religion, have no conscious awareness of their need for God or genuine spiritual formation.

^one of the greatest ‘sins’ identified by the younger generation is inauthenticity, ie you don’t believe in something simply because you are told to believe it. Young people are determined to make up their own minds – they believe they will find through experience what works for them.

^the major influences on their lives are relationships (friends and family), music (entertainment and self-expression), media (visual and digital) and education/employment (a complexity of options and pathways today). These aspects combined, help young people to frame their own identity and what represents a healthy lifestyle for them - they are actively constructing their own lives but are not sure what to believe.

^there is an increasing rate of mental illness evident amongst Aussie youth.

^many young people do not have many suitable forms of community to ‘grow into’ beyond school.

^4-5% of Aussie youth regularly engage with the Bible.

^there is an increasing acceptance of the role and value chaplains can have in Govt schools.

^young people can benefit from having a personal “immersion” experience, where authentic community can be experienced in an environment enabling them to engage in dialogue (rather than being preached at or taught specific content), where space is created to help them explore spirituality and where they can think through life’s big decisions in a constructive way. Camps and retreats were emphasised as ideal places for this to occur.


Midi & Meta Narratives – the stories of our lives.

CRA reported from a 2006 study of spirituality of young people in Britain (Savage, Collins-Mayo) which concluded that young people had no “meta-narrative” or big picture of the universe and their place in it. There was found however to be a very common story amongst young people as to what their personal lives were about. Researchers described this common personal story as a “midi-narrative”.

CRA assert that this is equally true for contemporary Australian young people; life through their own eyes is all about enjoyment, feeling good about oneself, sharing excitement, having good friends. They want a sustainable and secure environment, value helpfulness and when bad things happen they often turn to music, friends and sometimes God.

The issue of the midi-narrative came up numerous times throughout the day of the Roundtable gathering. I found this fascinating and affirming. Why? Because it highlighted something that more and more of my ministry peers have been talking about for the last few years; that we desire to help an emerging generation discover for themselves that (their) life finds it’s purpose and meaning only when understood within the context of a greater Story…God’s Story, as found in the Bible.

And so I was able to come away from my day at the CRA Roundtable with a positive outlook, convinced that the Australian Christian community can do something that can help to inform and shape the spirituality of young people in our communities, across our Nation. We can be intentional about creating environments and experiences that can enable a generation to understand and self-discover God’s Story for themselves, to explore spirituality, to contemplate life, to find their place in His Story, and to be transformed by a truly personal encounter with Jesus Christ.


“Great things are often achieved by small grass-roots movements.”
Kath Engebretson, Australian Catholic University

God's additions

“Sharing what God is doing in your life may help someone else encounter God in a meaningful way.” Henry Blackaby


I really enjoyed sitting in on today’s New Missionary Orientation sessions at the Campus Crusade for Christ [CCCA] National Mission Centre here in Melbourne.

It’s always refreshing to meet some of the new people God is calling to join the Movement, often from a variety of backgrounds and locations. I appreciate hearing their stories and gaining some insights into how God has been working in their lives, to the point where they are convinced of His calling and are willing to trust Him to provide to meet their needs as they serve and follow Jesus.

I was reminded today of something Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God study series) has said;

“I pay close attention to the people God adds to the body.”

Blackaby suggests that God doesn’t add people to any local expression of the body of Christ accidently. He further contends that God builds the Body to match His specific assignments.

With this in mind I wonder what God might up to with these new members of the CCCA body, and what assignments He intends for them to help complete.

Also, I pray I will pay close attention to any new additons God may be introducing to the expressions of team and local church I'm associated with.


“So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12:5