CHRIS MACLEAVY Posts

The word advent means “coming”. Christmas is a time when we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world, and the reason for his coming – to seek and save the lost. Similarly, Advent is a season for remembering that God is on a mission. He is sending, pursuing, searching, and saving. Two times in 1 John 3:1-10 we are told why Christmas happened – Christ came into the world to take away sin. The greatest glory that the world would ever see is when the Son of Man (Jesus’ favourite designation for himself) was lifted up on a cross to die for sinners, destroying sin. The story of the Son of God coming into the world is so much more than historical fact. It…

Open up YouTube and play almost any music video without sound. There are plenty of arms moving and lips pouting but you can’t tell the rhythm, you can’t follow along with the tune, and you can’t discern the message conveyed through the lyrics. It doesn’t make any sense on its own and ends up looking silly on top of being meaningless to the viewer. At best, you’re likely to lose interest well before the song is over and find something better to do with your time. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote ‘those who hear not the music think the dancers mad.’ These words struck me recently as I sat with some young adults in a discussion about living out their Christian faith. Dependence on God; devotion expressed…

Prolific at present (and not only in America) are the false “Christian” teachings that promote a ‘name-it-and-claim-it’ faith that guarantees health, wealth, and happiness (if you do it right) and the notion that God doesn’t want his children to suffer but that sickness and trials must somehow be outside of his will or control. False teachers are not a unique product of America, nor are those who have fallen for this message that parades around in Christian clothing, but is actually nothing of the sort. Enter American Gospel: a film by Brandon Kimber in which he presents a well researched, brilliantly executed, gloves-off critique of those ‘different gospels’ which continue to deceive thousands. Kimber doesn’t shy away from calling out the charlatans (the likes of…

Mothers Day in Australia has come and gone. For a day, we broke from normal routine in order to celebrate the endless, selfless investment that our mothers have sacrificially poured into our well-being on a daily basis since the day we were born. We made breakfasts, gave gifts, and showed our appreciation in creative and caring ways. Life has returned to routine again, and the mothers in our lives continue their faithful service to their families. Yes, Mothers Day is over for another year, and our mothers march on through what is undoubtedly both the best job and also the hardest job ever. Motherhood brings with it indescribable joy; but it also pushes to breaking point physically, mentally, and emotionally. The truth is that the…

Kevin DeYoung recently taught an intensive at Queensland Theological College on three things we must know in ministry. These things aren’t intended to be limited to those who preach and pastor, but rather they are an exhortation to all of us as fellow ministers of the gospel in the community of faith that God has placed us in.This following post is based on my notes from session one. The Rock on which the Church is Built Those who are called to church leadership in its various forms feel the weight of shepherding the people of God faithfully. Whether it be through careful selection of songs with lyrics that take focus off of self and make much of Christ; teaching and exhorting through faithfully expounding Scripture;…

Crescendo by Jackie Hill Perry Released on Jan 18, 2019, this is the newest addition to my playlist, so I’m still getting the full feel of it. It boasts solid lyrics; is easy listening; and is (in my opinion) what realistic, Scripture-rich worship looks like. In a recent interview, Miller said: The Psalms have been my daily bread. The realness there of men who weren’t afraid to give a voice to their hurts.” I think Jesus is honored in that kind of honesty and that’s probably where some of the most beautiful worship comes to life.”  The Perfect Love of Christ by Immanuel Nashville This album isn’t new (2016) but I recently discovered it when the title track featured at Together for the Gospel in…

Some people scoff at making resolutions. Others simply give up on goal-setting before they begin; pessimistically acknowledging that it always peters out by March or at best, May. I’m not a pessimist, but I’m not—I hope—legalistic about making and meeting goals either. Rather, I appreciate a milestone moment such as the transition to a new year as an opportunity to evaluate the year that was, and re-focus on what matters most. This past Sunday, the first Sunday of 2019, our people were encouraged to take this step with regard to choosing a Bible reading plan. I’m continually grateful to be part of a local body of believers that places such high value on intentional discipleship. So I’ve been thinking about what matters most. Last year…

Rather than subject people to yet another “Top Ten Whatevers of 2018”, I thought I’d simply contribute a compilation of my favourite things from the year that was. So whether you enjoy podcasts or pictures, perhaps there’s something in this list of recommendations for you to enjoy. Books It’s a predictable place to start, but I read a lot of books. Books for pleasure, books for growth, books to rest with, and books to equip me to be a better husband/father/employee/disciple/friend. For a longer list of what I’ve read (and what I enjoyed reading the most) head to my page on Goodreads. Here are a few highlights. A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L’Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Sarah…

I‘m going to be taking a break from regular blogging for the remainder of 2018. There are a couple of really good reasons for this: First, our family of five will be moving house in late October. While we hope that this will be a good thing for us in the long term, it does mean that while we’re busy searching for our next property our lives are slowly being packed into boxes, and we get to experience all the fun that goes with that. Second, I’ve decided to take on a major learning project for myself (the details aren’t important), and I so wanted to free up other self-imposed deadlines in order to make space to read, write, and focus on this specific thing.…