Just a short one today…

Feeling a bit weary but satisfyingly so. From brief holiday to church camp to annual ministers’ retreat – and now some looming presentations and workshops to prepare. It’s been fairly people intensive for a few days – stimulating yet taxing for an introvert like myself. Need some still time and space to process connections, awarenessContinue reading “Just a short one today…”

Dilemma dealing

Here is a renewed attempt at cartooning. It is replicated from an adolescent memory of a cartoon I saw in some forgotten magazine. Of course, the caricature caught in unflattering circumstances is myself! I think it denotes my native predisposition. Black and white solutions to complex issues rarely satisfy me, especially when they are theContinue reading “Dilemma dealing”

No government funds, please: we’re Christians! – ABC Religion & Ethics – Blog

Storm in a teacup or point of no return? As an advocate for chaplaincy and stakeholder with my state provider (which, by the way, was formative in crafting the guidelines that made the whole thing workable before and after the complication of government funding), I find sense in the view expressed here: No government funds,Continue reading “No government funds, please: we’re Christians! – ABC Religion & Ethics – Blog”

Charter for Compassion

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf This TED talk is the basis for this morning’s church camp exploration on compassion as an ingredient for creative communities of hope. Noting the peculiar features of a postmodern environment, we will be asking what the particularity of the incarnational faith of Christianity contributes to the conversation in practical and ideological terms. I haveContinue reading “Charter for Compassion”

Creating Communities of Compassion and Hope

Our church is in camp this weekend. It’s our annual pilgrimage to Landsdale Farm School, a state education department residential facility about 20 minutes from home. We hang out, eat, converse and have fun. There are lots of animals to keep the kids enthralled and we have a couple of group sessions around a themeContinue reading “Creating Communities of Compassion and Hope”

1000 extra chaplains to be dispatched into state schools | Adelaide Now

Lots of Budget news to ponder, but this one caught my eye. 1000 extra chaplains to be dispatched into state schools | Adelaide Now. A bold move in light of the current High Court challenge. I support school chaplaincy but predicted controversy when the Howard government, followed by the Rudd and Gillard governments, stepped inContinue reading “1000 extra chaplains to be dispatched into state schools | Adelaide Now”

Sunday session drinking is sinking…

Alcohol related violence in Perth has escalated to the point where a weekend scarcely passes without death or serious injury. The latest incident, described in the article, Ocean Beach Hotel Death | Sunday session drinking, caps the concern. Ironically, a lot of binge-drinking seems to be stimulated by either having too much money or not enough! ManyContinue reading “Sunday session drinking is sinking…”