Category Archives: Personal

A hint of a silver lining…

Welcome to Australia – unity and diversity « Call to radical discipleship. The melancholy cloud that began my week re Australia’s asylum seeker treatment got a hint of a silver lining this morning when the above post from my nephew, Mark, lit up my screen. It showed what is still possible when we operate onContinue reading “A hint of a silver lining…”

Accessing the Good Book

        Bibledex – Expert videos about every book in the Bible. A colleague just posted a link to this fascinating site that offers a quick video intro to each book of the bible that is intelligent and non-condescending. Produced by the University of Nottingham, the series succinctly surveys the theme of eachContinue reading “Accessing the Good Book”

Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy

Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy. Some have already dismissed the above referenced article because it is written by a former prime minister whose approach to immigration was more draconian than now. Some folks are tired of me posting and referring to articles on this topic. “Give it a rest,” they say.Continue reading “Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy”

Plagued by mice and climate change deniers – Eureka Street

Plagued by mice and climate change deniers – Eureka Street. I recall the mouse plague of ’75 in the same area – stretching 100s of kms from Eyre Peninsula across the Nullarbor to Eucla. I was driving with my brother across to Perth to take up my first ministry post. We left Ceduna at dusk.Continue reading “Plagued by mice and climate change deniers – Eureka Street”

Jousting with the evil printer monsters…

… I thought I had it licked – that small office laser printer we bought for a song a couple of years ago that is so cartridge hungry. It sits alongside the donated but too-obsolete-to-fix multifunction photocopier that occupies half the utility room. We sourced an interstate toner company that, when buying in bulk, keptContinue reading “Jousting with the evil printer monsters…”

The Golden Rule – how ubiquitous!

“Treat others as you want them to treat you!” That’s the burden of this morning’s Christian Religious Education lesson emerging from the controversial (in Victoria) Access curriculum. Although a pithy sound bite from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, similar wisdom is found in sacred texts preceding Matthew 7:12 in Judaism, Buddhism and Confucianism as wellContinue reading “The Golden Rule – how ubiquitous!”

Climate change rallies around Oz today

News feeds are starting to come in as Australian state capitals host “Say yes” rallies in support of the government’s proposed carbon emissions tax. Here’s one feed featuring a speech by World Vision CEO  Tim Costello:  Australia ‘seen as climate freeloader’. The timing of the rallies clashed with this morning’s church services, but we finished givingContinue reading “Climate change rallies around Oz today”

A teaser from tomorrow’s harangue…

We can try and create events that proscribe the words of Jesus’ deepest and most intimate prayer. We set up councils and events and programmes to “promote” Christian unity. This is good and necessary work, even when frustrations put stumbling blocks in the way. It is not through the structures we create, however, but itContinue reading “A teaser from tomorrow’s harangue…”