It’s Palm Sunday, and so begins the final week in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Not many people in history have had the last week of their lives covered so thoroughly or in such a dramatic way. And it is a week full of political and theological drama. It all comes to a head…
I’m writing this article while sitting on my favourite bench overlooking the bay. It’s 8.30 in the morning. I came here almost everyday during ‘lockdown’. It’s where I gave birth to many ideas for articles, themes for online worship, and topics for study. It became a very fertile place for the imagination during an unimaginable…
My granddaughter stood looking at all the books on my shelves and said,”Which 3 books did you like the most granddad”? Books 1 and 2 came to mind quickly but number 3 took a bit longer. But not much – a few seconds. It’s an interesting exercise if, like me, you’ve spent a great deal…
During COVID, I have stayed in touch with a young Thai man whom we first met over 13 years ago in Thailand. He’s a taxi driver who picked us up from Phuket airport one time and gave me his card. Since then, our friendship has grown, and our conversations have evolved from talking about the…
I’m writing this just as Premier Andrews is announcing that our 5-day lockdown is over. Our new COVID ‘normal’ was interrupted by a different kind of COVID normal – an outbreak that needed to be contained. I suspect that these 2 things together will be our new normal for the foreseeable future. It does pose…
Having publicly announced my intention to retire around July this year, the implications of that decision are kicking in already. Some of them have been brought to my attention by others who have retired already from vocations that had consumed their head and their heart. I am grateful for their input. Their insights have been…
My good friend Larry and I spent a good part of last Monday standing on a small jetty on a bend in the Maribyrnong River at Essendon. Actually, we weren’t just standing. We were having a go at what is strangely named Plein air painting. This form of painting was developed by a French artist…
As you know I have been on a few weeks leave. I took the opportunity to visit Victoria; spending a few days in different places. Ocean. Lakes. Forests. Rivers. Mountains. Beaches. We certainly live in a beautifully diverse land and it was great spending time appreciating it. But two images, in particular, have embedded themselves…
At the top of my favourite Christmas song list sits John Lennon’s ‘War is Over’. So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over And a new one just begun I’ll tell you why it’s my number 1 shortly. I quite like some of the traditional Carols: my favourite carol being In…
What a privilege and opportunity to speak with someone from another culture. Our conversations began over six months ago, and we have been in contact ever since. Ryon, whom you will meet in this morning’s worship, is a teacher in the Black Pearl Network’s English-speaking program. She and fourteen other teachers are involved in teaching…