Posts by John Staiger

With marriage came a ban on motorbikes. Thus, for the best part of 30 years I have not been on a motorcycle…until today. Since I had spent the last three decades on four wheels, I wondered if I could stay upright on two wheels again. It was history repeating itself. At 15 I rode my 150cc Suzuki for the very first time. Today I rode Laurie Ryan’s 150cc Honda for the very first time (and the last). The main difference…

The older I get, the more I look back and see the extent of God’s providential care in my life and the lives of my brethren. God knows what he is doing, and we are well advised to cry out for more insight into His workings. Since our first parents were expelled from the Garden, life has been tough. All of us have had our struggles and anticipate more to come. The beautiful thing, of course, is that Jesus has…

As far as many Jews were concerned, a tax collector was just a ‘Resident Samaritan.’ And it was because of this built in prejudice that Jesus used a Tax Collector and a Samaritan as the godly characters in two of his parables. In The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus openly presented The Pharisee as the ungodly character. In doing so, we can easily imagine the rage of the local Pharisees as Jesus wrote them…

There is an old joke about a Russian car manufacturer who went to visit a French car plant. “What are the working conditions here,” asked the Russian. “Well,” said the French plant manager, “my workers start at 8am, they have 15 minute coffee breaks at 10am and 3pm, an hour lunch break at noon, and then knock off at 4pm.” The Russian replied proudly, “Russian men start at 6am, have half an hour for lunch at noon, and then work…

It goes without saying that there are a lot of issues to complain about without having to look very hard. Inconsiderate workmates, loud neighbours, erratic drivers, and those road cones that stretch for miles with no obvious purpose, are but a few things that will get under your skin if you let them. When giving serious thought to reaching out to the lost you realise that you disadvantage your cause when distractions prevail. All those petty annoyances get in the…

A young brother once went to a Bible College. While there he received a good and uplifting Bible education. He enjoyed his time with the brethren in the local congregations and was looking forward to taking his newfound knowledge and skills home with him. On arrival he was asked to preach a few Sundays in a row at his homechurch, and all seemed to be going well. Understandably, he was somewhat taken aback when an old brother told him that…

In the early years of my walk with Christ, I had the honour of doing door-to-door evangelism with some of the most dedicated Christians you will ever meet. It was hard work and tested one’s faith and resolve in every way imaginable. It was on the first ‘Campaign for Christ’ that I learned a song that I remember by heart to this day. After our morning meetings, before we all went forth to go door-to-door, Rod Kyle would lead us…

If we knew just how infectious joy really is we would never let its tide go out. Admittedly, I have met some matter-of-fact type people who, despite their lack of obvious joy, have brought upliftment wherever they go. However, I wouldn’t exactly recommend your average armchair stoic as the best example of the joyful at heart. As a rule, joy overflows. It shows on your face and it radiates from your very presence. When Paul and Silas were in the…

A wise man once said, “Anger is the devil’s cocaine.” There is a lot for a Christian to get angry about these days. The most obvious of these is the media’s incessant promotion of every sin known to man. Not content to stop with, “Consenting adults should be able to do as they please,” they actively seek to groom our children to participate in their lusts. Christians must know what’s going on around them and quit buying into the lie…

We have all heard the heartbreaking stories of spouses waking up to find that their significant other has given away all their savings to scammers. When confronted with proof that they were being scammed, many refused to believe that the person they were sending money to was anything but the kindest and most generous person they knew. False teachers are just another brand of Scam Artist. If bitten, it is not unusual for congregations to be ever on high-alert for…