Greetings from Auckland!
I’m sure that like me you have been fascinated by the new photos from the James Webb Space Telescope. For over three decades, the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed wonders beyond what our ground telescopes could detect, and now this fantastic new telescope is extending those discoveries even further. A Christian observer (Deb Haarsma, President, BioLogos) comments “Space is not empty–it is filled with wonders. Psalm 19 begins 'The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands.' In these pictures, everyone can see that glory. As Christians, we believe that glory points to something more—the galaxies point beyond themselves to their Creator. The universe didn’t arise on its own, or from some impersonal force; the universe was created by a Person. Humanity is not on its own; we are held in the hands of a loving, powerful Creator. When we consider the heavens the work of God’s fingers, we can proclaim with the psalmist David (Psalm 8): 'O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the universe!'” Festival: With only two months to go before we meet in Ngongotaha, it's time to be finalising your travel plans! If you have not yet returned your registration form, please endeavour to do so as soon as you can. A big thank you to those who have already returned their forms. Inside Life: A new copy of our evangelistic magazine has been printed and is in the process of being distributed to 15,000 households via letterbox distribution, and mailed to all members. It has also been posted to the Inside Life website (insidelife.org.nz) The lead article this time is from Dennis Gordon, discussing the way that the foundations of our democratic western society originated in the Bible, rather than in ancient Greece as is commonly believed. Amongst other shorter articles, the magazine contains a longer article I wrote on "Is there a God?" There was so much material this time that we ran to a bumper issue of 20 pages, rather than the usual 16. Special thanks to Phil Baldwin for a brilliant job in putting together the striking graphics that enhance the publication.
Your prayers are appreciated that God will work with those who read the magazine, that they will find it uplifting and helpful in bringing them to greater knowledge of him, causing them to see that Christianity has something to offer the world in this increasingly materialistic, God-rejecting and troubled society.
Warm regards to all, Rex