thinking honestly about life and faith
This week I have been at several retreats, one with the staff and another with students. A good time.I’ve also been working hard, especially internally, on a strong sense of new directions which has come to me, and which now … Read More »
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 »
It is months since I posted. I’ve been deluged with work, pressures and a feeling that I am just not able to write for this blog.That’s been my reality, frankly. But now it is Advent, and I really do feel … 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 have at last finished Barry Jones’ memoir, A Thinking Reed. In this blog, I want to write about the chapter in which Jones describes the religious convictions which have guided his life. I’ve chosen the title ‘Faith in Politics’ … Read More »