PERSEVERING
Hard physical work falls to many people, but women I have taught in east Africa have taught me to persevere, even in easier Australia.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?
Whether we call it artificial or super intelligence, there is no doubt that AI is the issue of the moment. But what now does it mean to be human. Jesus is our model in relationships, empathy and authority.
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ROPED TOGETHER
Family formation is more important than home ownership. Roped together (from our climbing adventures) is a good picture of doing life in a committed relationship.
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ADOPTING A CHILD
Adopting a child. Does that have a warm feel for you? With three sons, in the 1980s my husband and I briefly explored adopting a baby girl while we were living in a third world country. Now I think about it, our motives at the time were pretty selfish. Fortunately or otherwise, we were not […]
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THE BY-STANDER EFFECT
Are you the kind of person who rushes to help when someone falls? I once mistook the height of a curb in suburban Darwin and fell flat on my face on the footpath. People crossed the road to help me get up and supply Band-Aids. A couple left their coffee on an outside table of […]
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THE PRODIGAL COMES HOME
Do you recognise this painting? Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal explores Jesus’ story about an errant son coming home. Within a dark setting, Rembrandt represents the father’s warm love by his dramatic red cape and the light cast on his face and hands as he embraces his ragged son. The father’s welcome is unexpected. The […]
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CROWD ENERGY
I’ve had some great experiences in crowds. Football games when Eagles were winning! Joining a throng following giant French puppets through the streets of Perth a few years ago, along with a multitude of people also fascinated by them. In the London crowd during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee as she and the royal family appeared […]
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PARTNERS IN DIVERSITY
Do we want to live in a monoculture? A friend recently surveyed his local food court and observed that without foods from immigrant cultures, the selection of dishes would be very restricted. And sports writers are commenting on the increasing ethnic diversity of football (soccer) teams in the World Cup. Out of a squad of […]
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THE WEDDING SONG
“Darkness is my closest friend.” What despair these last words of Psalm 88 express. God has taken away his friends and neighbours and left him desolate, the writer cries. Many biblical psalms shout anguish, but not all end in such dark lonely suffering. Most encourage us to bring our fears and pain to a listening […]
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ROOTS DOWN DEEP
In my favourite part of Australia, we hiked one year along a dry riverbed in the Flinders Ranges. Magnificent gum trees stretched overhead, seemingly growing without water. Though there was no evidence of it above ground, we knew that underneath was the water table, a river that fed and sustained these gums through long periods […]
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