thinking honestly about life and faith
All those ‘blessings’ at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5. 1 – 12 is the reading for today …) have always been a puzzle to me.I preached on this passage for the induction of a pastor, … Read More »
It’s a new year, and I’ve started back at work after an excellent break. Now, I have some positive and hopeful things to share on my blog. The new Australian government has announced that in just 13 days time, the … Read More »
It’s Christmas, and that for me is the celebration of a presence: the presence of God in the midst of ordinary life.This is the astonishing thought at the heart of the Christian faith.Life is not meaningless, valueless, or inconsequential.The world, … Read More »
Right now, in the Advent and Christmas seasons, there is a lot of talk about Christ being born: about God becoming a human person, appearing in human form and so on.Making some sense of the reality of this claim is … Read More »
I was astonished yesterday to read in the newspaper about Brad Pitt, the actor, who has committed himself and a lot of his own money, to a re-construction project in New Orleans. Apparently Pitt came to love the city when … Read More »
I am once again ashamed to be an Australian.Yesterday, the Immigration Minister in our country announced that the government has decided that it will allow no more Africans into the country. Notwithstanding the huge number of African refugees in camps … Read More »
Today I received the regular email news from the Washington head office of the Baptist World Alliance: but for once this was exciting. We have a new General Secretary, Neville Callam, who is from Jamaica, and in this his first … Read More »
I’m reading the autobiogrpahy of Barry Jones (born 1932), called A Thinking Reed.It’s interesting in a lot of different ways, and I think I will write several posts about it.But first I want to note again the value of stories, … Read More »
I have to admit it: I have not succeeded with my plan to post, chapter by chapter, on Luke’s Gospel.No excuses. But I am still following the Year of Luke, in my preaching and reading, so here is something from … Read More »
At last I have had some time to finish Marilynne Robinson’s book Gilead.It is a beautiful tale, and the theme I noted in an earlier post continues to the end.The pastor, John Ames, is a man of deep, reflective faith, … Read More »