Why is it that incompetent individuals are confident of their talents and abilities in a certain area and overstate their skills? I have encountered this more times than I care to think about. It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect. By the same token, those who are competent in a subject area tend to think less of their own skills. People oblivious to their incompetence are often the loudest at proclaiming their capabilities and proficiencies. Perhaps Liz Truss is a recent exa

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16-18 NKJV). God so loved the world. John used a word to describe humanity without God, the fallen world. It refers to a system that developed to cover our imperfections. It’s the root of the word ‘cosmetic’ – a system of adornment to cover our blemishes. So intense was God’s love for us sinners that He sent Jesus to get us out of

“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:13-14 NKJV). As I lie on the beach, listening to the waves and soaking in the sunshine, my mind turns to the oceanic Divine love that was made incarnate among us because God yearned for you. He didn't yearn for the you on your best

Jesus came and kept the law in every respect so that He was said to be without sin. He was pure in mind and heart, yet the whole time He was on this earth He didn’t hang around the lovely, the good, the “holy” – he hung out with the worst of sinners, the “unimaginable and egregious” abusers of mankind (to use a phrase in today’s news). We aren’t pure yet we recoil in horror from such wicked characters yet here was Jesus being affectionate towards them, a “friend of sinners” (

The fact that God’s grace is crazy and unfair was brought home very strongly to me recently. I was in a conversation with a fellow student from my old high school. The conversation revolved around Australia’s most notorious serial killer and his turning up uninvited at parties and the yet unsolved crime of the suspicious disappearance of one of the girls from the school at the time the serial killer was living across the road from the school. We then talked about one of the s

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ” (John 1/16-17). We were down at the beach yesterday teaching our grandchildren how to ride the waves with a boogie board. We showed them how the waves came in sets and to look out for the one that had enough energy to give them a good ride to the shore. Living the Christian life is like those wa