Books
There have been a number of books that have been important on my journey.. hope they might be useful for you.
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You Are Not Your Feelings: Finding Emotional Maturity
Our culture encourages us to trust our feelings above almost everything else. But what if our feelings aren’t telling us the whole truth? Drawing on Scripture, Viktor Frankl, Arthur C. Brooks and the example of Jesus, this article explores what emotional maturity looks like and why followers of Jesus can acknowledge every feeling honestly without allowing those feelings to become their master.
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Getting the Life You Want: Why Happiness Isn’t the Goal
Most of us want to be happy, but what if we’ve been aiming at the wrong target? Drawing on our everyday experience, the timeless wisdom of Scripture, and insights from Arthur C. Brooks’ Getting the Life You Want, this article explores why happiness is not simply the absence of sadness, pain, or struggle. Instead, it points us towards something richer—a life marked by enjoyment, purpose, satisfaction, and hope. If Jesus really came so that we might “have life, and have it to the full,” perhaps it’s time to stop chasing happiness and start discovering the whole life he offers.
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Six Ways We Structure Time — And Why It Matters.
We structure time in six basic ways — withdrawal, ritual, pastime, activity, psychological games, and intimacy. Most of us move between them without noticing. But these patterns shape our relationships, our church life, and even our sense of hope. Which one dominates your life? And what would it take to move toward real intimacy?
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Books I read in 2025
This year’s reading traced a clear thread—from the person of Jesus, to the life of the church, to the cultural forces shaping our shared reality. These books challenged easy assumptions, deepened discipleship, and helped name the moment we are living in, with clarity, humility, and hope.
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Why Nations Rise and Fall
The Glory of God is not a fleeting light; it is the weight that sets the world right. Systems built on greed and oppression will crumble, but those shaped by justice, mercy, and compassion endure. In every act of fairness and care, we reflect His Glory into a broken world
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Faith is the key to your willpower.
It seems to me the role of faith in the formation of willpower and emotional health is one of the strongest arguments against Atheism. Paul was right when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:24: "It is by faith you stand firm."
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Lets stop settling for desires far below what we were created for.
Recently I spoke about the fact that words like Peace, Love, Hope and Joy express deep longings we all have, but that we end up settling for “stuff” that promises to deliver these longings but never does. Over the last couple of nights I have been reading a book that has given me new language to understand just how profound that settling for less actually is. Regular readers of Faith Reflections will know how much the books of N.T. (Tom) Wright have had on my heart and mind. There has been a deep relief as I encountered his writing because I found him expressing the truth of the bible in a…
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The role of faith in the formation of willpower and emotional health is one of the strongest arguments against atheism
One of the core questions I have been wrestling with for the last three years is how a person actually changes. I have been wrestling both for myself and for those I am responsible for in the church. At the core of the question is how it is possible for a person to make choices and not simply be determined by their circumstances or feelings. I agree with Roy F. Baumeister who wrote “Self-regulation failure is the major social pathology of our time” I have just finished reading the New York Times best-seller Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierny. One of the interesting things that emerge in the…
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Moments of inspiration are wonderful, but it is the system I build into my life that determines my actions.
When you have space to think and rest it’s much easier to have perspective. It’s much easier to see how things can change and what forward looks like. When things are busy, it’s easy to get caught in the current of life. I actually have only been back at work since Tuesday, and as I sit here on Friday and reflect on the past few days I can see that one of my biggest challenges in implementing the goals I set myself a week ago will simply be getting stronger at swimming against the current. in 2008 it felt as though God kept bringing me back to Matthew chapter 10, particularly in…
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In a world full of points of view, how can you possibly know what is true?
Its been a bit longer than I hoped since my last reflection. Things have been a bit crazy but it feels like the pressure is finally easing off a bit and I’ll have some more space to do life. I was told last week that I would receive credit for the work I have done with Fusion and Arrow towards my Masters in Theological studies which means the current two courses I am doing will be my last. Its a good feeling to see the end in sight! One of the things that has really stood out to me during my studies is the plethora of different points of view…
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The life of half-faith, faith mixed with fear and doubt
I’ve been meaning to write a reflection every day for the past couple of months. It’s been such an eventful time. I’ve been learning so much, and I have been stretched so far, but I haven’t found the emotional energy to be able to put fingers to keyboard. I’ve been travelling the journey of the last couple of months in the company of N.T. Wright and his commentary/devotional Matthew for everyone. For the last few years I have felt like Tom Wright has been a bit of a mentor as I have consumed books and listened to podcasts. He has a very helpful way of putting the bible in context and explaining…
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The Question of God is not extrinsic, and if it is, it is unhealthy!
I have just reading four different books for a class I am taking on the Christian worldview. All four were thought provoking but one in particular was both challenging and affirming at the same time. The book is called The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life. I think what has been so helpful for me personally is that both Freud and Lewis have been a big part of my referential system, and having someone put both their worldviews and their lives side by side. The Author, Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr., is a Professor of clinical Psychiatry at Harvard…
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Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.
We went to see Les Miserables today. I thought I was doing well in managing my emotions until Jean Val Jean died in the arms of his daughter, and then the final lyrics hit me: Do you hear the people sing Lost in the valley of the night? It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light. For the wretched of the earth there is a flame that never dies. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord. They will walk behind the ploughshare; they will put away the sword. The…
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The Gospel according to Bono
Regular readers of Faith Reflections will know that one of my heroes is the lead singer of the band U2, Bono. On the weekend I came across an excerpt from the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas. It seems clear that he has both thought and read widely, and perhaps been particularly impacted by the work of C.S. Lewis and Philip Yancey in the way he unpacks what he believes. I found what he had to say helpful, so I edited out the voice of the interviewer and simply let Bono’s words speak for themselves. Have a read and see how you are affected:
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Leadership that works in Australia
I’ve been busy getting ready for the publication of my new book and the launch of a new website. In conjunction with the new website, I have set up an online bookshop using amazon for the books and dvds that were the source material for the new book.. You can check out the new bookstore at http://astore.amazon.com/faithreflections I have been meaning to share this remarkable piece of research about leadership in Australia for quite a while. A report (you can find it here) has found that leadership in Australia is quite different to other countries. Here is what they say: Australia is a country of ‘Fair Dinkum’, ‘Fair Go’ and…
