Category Archives: Ministry

Discovering old journals

Packing to move house is like an archaeological dig. Every now and again as you negotiate the “toss” and “keep” piles of stuff, you come across something that says “pause”. Today I discovered a journal I began to keep when I was considering acceptance of the call to train for ministry. It nearly went onContinue reading “Discovering old journals”

In Between Times

I’m at work in the church study. It is eerily quiet on a day that would normally be abuzz – the rooms full of people going about their art and craft activities, sharing stories, encouraging, commiserating, inspiring. This is an “in-between” time – a space of silence affording me time to do a little extraContinue reading “In Between Times”

Gluten intolerance – fad, fact… and faith?

I continue to leaf through the science magazines stacked on my desk and selecting lead articles to pass a parson’s comment on. New Scientist (12 July 2014)  treads bravely into a minefield with the tagline “Wheat intolerance is more about psychology than physiology.” “Is it plausible that something that has been a staple food for centuries canContinue reading “Gluten intolerance – fad, fact… and faith?”

Multiverses and God

The lead story in New Scientist (22 March 2014) explains the physics behind the concept of multiverses and how such an understanding might be enhanced by the discovery that week of a method of peering even closer into the slivers of a second after the big bang . My poor head spun as I tried to getContinue reading “Multiverses and God”

A Million Year Mind

Let’s kick off the Physicists & a Parson Parley series with a look at the lead article in New Scientist (1 March 2014) – “Your Million Year Mind.” (I keep catching myself reading it as “your million dollar mind” – how conditioned am I by the prevailing culture of economic rationalism?) In summary, the piece explores how the measurableContinue reading “A Million Year Mind”

Physicists and a Parson Parley

There’s a heap of New Scientist magazines on my desk. Scientists of various disciplines, some at the peak of their field, have always been present in the various faith communities I have served. To varying degrees, conversations between faith and science have been mutually rewarding. All have eschewed the alleged dichotomy advanced by fundamentalists of either religiousContinue reading “Physicists and a Parson Parley”

40 years ago today…

… I knelt on a Melbourne platform and was ordained a minister of Churches of Christ in Australia.  Today is an occasion of reflection of what it has all meant. Historically my tradition has had an ambiguous stance towards the matter of “setting apart” or ordaining clergy. After all, are not all ordained and set asideContinue reading “40 years ago today…”

Out of Zimbabwe

It’s now a few days since completing a three week stint working with Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe as part of a volunteer team from Australia and New Zealand. The dust has started to settle, the Africa in our veins is distilling to something quieter and more reflective. The next few posts will describe someContinue reading “Out of Zimbabwe”

Vocational Wisdom

My peers agreed it would be an excellent focus for our small discussion group – Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer, Sam M. Intrator (ed.), (Jossey-Bass, 2005). I had not previously heard of Parker J Palmer, but was attracted to his deliciously alliterative name. Google led me to discoverContinue reading “Vocational Wisdom”