We began The Ten Commandments at Newport Anglican while the rector was on holidays, and it was a privilege to be trusted to kick off the series.

The first commandment sounds simple: “No other gods.”
But it quickly becomes a hard question, because it isn’t just about statues — it’s about allegiance. Exodus 20 begins with grace (“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out…”) and then calls for exclusive worship.

We also look at the rich young man (Mark 10:17–31) as a case study in outward obedience with a rival god underneath — and we bring the whole question to the cross, where Jesus fulfils what we fail.

Bible readings: Exodus 20:1–3; Mark 10:17–31
Preached: Newport Anglican — 1 May 2016
The 9012 Project

This sermon was preached while providing "Sunday Supply" (relief) at Newport Anglican Church on 17/04/2016.

In Mark 6, rejection isn’t a detour — it’s the road.
Jesus is dismissed in Nazareth, the Twelve are sent out into a world that will often refuse them, and John the Baptist’s death shows what fearful power does when God’s kingdom threatens its grip.

These scenes work like “half-time pictures”: previews of the endgame — the cross, the cost of faithful witness, and the unstoppable forward movement of the kingdom.

Bible text: Mark 6:1–29 (check against NIV 1984)
Originally preached: 17 April 2016 (Newport Anglican)
The 9012 Project

Titus 2:11-15

A preached sermon from 18 September 2016 at Mona Vale Anglican.

Jonah isn’t a kid’s story here — it’s a mirror.

This message looks at the three fears in the text:

• the fear of Nineveh — cruelty so extreme it shaped Israel’s nightmares,

• the fear of the sailors — terror that turns into worship,

• the fear of Jonah — not of dying, but of God showing mercy to people he despised.

A text that exposes our own reluctance, our own limits, and our own prejudices — and drives us back to the God who shows mercy to whom he will show mercy.

(Scripture: Jonah 1; 2 Corinthians 3:7–18)

Gentleness isn’t weakness, softness, or avoiding hard truths. In Galatians 5 it’s the surprising strength of a life carried by the Spirit — the steadiness that flows from belonging to Christ rather than performing for him.

This talk presses into what gentleness really is: not how we get into the kingdom, not how we stay in the kingdom, but the Spirit-shaped character that grows because we already belong to Jesus. It’s a realism about ourselves, a patience with others, and a confidence in the God who holds us.

A short, clear look at gentleness that lands where real people live: conflict, pressure, family life, fatigue, and the moments when our own strength runs out.

Psalm 90:12 isn’t a slogan or a mission statement. It’s a prayer — a plea for wisdom in a short life under a sovereign God.

As the first episode of The 9012 Project, this talk sits where the project itself sits: in the tension between God’s eternity and our limits, between the work we do and the days we’re given. No launch hype, no grand announcements — just the psalm that steadies the whole thing.

A short reflection on numbering our days, receiving mercy, and living wisely in the light of Christ.