I ventured into Perth’s CBD this morning, on leave from my pulpit and looking for a church service to sneak into. For the first time, I saw the new street decorations, unashamedly and unabashedly telling the story of the Incarnation, from the Annunciation through to the Flight to Egypt. The replicas of medieval paintings enthralledContinue reading “Incarnation strikes retail hub”
Author Archives: wonderingpilgrim
Van Tuong Nguyen
A single flower in the church courtyard fountain measures the strength of community feeling over this morning’s execution of convicted drug mule, Van Tuong Nguyen. It is understated but eloquent, for indeed, community feeling is divided. Public debate, emotive as it is, lines up as retribution vs rehabilitation. The apparent rehabilitation of Nguyen, enhanced byContinue reading “Van Tuong Nguyen”
God’s surprises
Two weeks away from blogging is far too long! Sometimes life’s events take over, however, and there is not enough time to stop and smell the roses – that’s if you can find any. What a gift to find 24 hours to spend with my son and some ministry colleagues. We went bush – andContinue reading “God’s surprises”
Consider your verdict
My regular Sunday morning harangue evoked more feedback than usual. It involved a reversal of role for the third servant in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Consider your verdict! Perhaps the parable of the talents has had a lot of airplay lately. I doubt anyone has missed the huge advertising campaign byContinue reading “Consider your verdict”
Oranges; No Lemons!
Lots and lots of oranges have been boosting some of our local church fund-raising projects. One church family decided life was not busy enough, so invested in an orange orchard near Bindoon, about 100 kms north of Perth. Since then, the whole congregation and beyond has had regular access to a healthy dose of VitaminContinue reading “Oranges; No Lemons!”
Is King’s Park a thin place?
I led a group of theologs in addressing this question earlier this week. King’s Park is a popular tourist spot overlooking Perth. It contains a large number of hectares of natural bushland, the state war memorial, botanic gardens and picnic areas. It is a place of great spiritual significance to the Noongar people. Our particularContinue reading “Is King’s Park a thin place?”
What are weasel words then?
Don Watson, author of Death Sentence of the English Language, has published Watson’s Dictionary of Weasel Words: contemporary cliches, cant and management jargon. Like a weasel sucking the yolk from an egg while leaving the shell intact, the champions of “weasel words” suck the meaning out of a word. I received my 2006 diary fromContinue reading “What are weasel words then?”
How would the great commandment sound in weasel-wordese?
Perhaps something like this: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” “Persons shall adopt measures of high positive regard to the primal executive consultant with maximised internal resources, including all material and notional sources of motivation, and all intellectual capital. This is the prime and initial directive. In addition, a non-primal directive carriesContinue reading “How would the great commandment sound in weasel-wordese?”
Saying What I Mean
This has always been a challenge – finding the words to say what my mind is churning over at a very rapid rate! This is when it’s so easy to lapse into jargon. And the reason I’m thinking about this is because of another strange conjunction of several episodes today – another instance of synchronicityContinue reading “Saying What I Mean”
Reckless Generosity
I like this quote from Dorothy Day: “To attack poverty by preaching voluntary poverty seems like madness. But again, it is direct action….To be profligate in our love and generosity, spontaneous, to cut all the red tape of bureaucracy! The more you give away, the more the Lord will give you to give. It isContinue reading “Reckless Generosity”
Wondering Pilgrim 