One of my jobs on a Sunday, after I get back from church, is to get the fires going. Firepits are a feature of our cellar door and over winter they are a vital accompaniment to conversation, music and a glass of wine or beer. Standing around a fire, watching the...
In the bustling narratives of the Gospels, particularly the Gospel of Mark, we encounter a Jesus who is always on the move, always in a hurry. The term “immediately” or “straight away” appears with striking frequency in Mark’s account,...
In the gentle stillness of dawn, as the first light casts a soft glow over the bare canes of the vineyard, a profound sense of peace prevails. The rows of grapevines, many already pruned back to just a few buds, remind me of the resilience needed to thrive and bear...
The Beauty of Idiosyncrasies In the film “Good Will Hunting,” a poignant scene unfolds where Robin Williams’s character, Sean Maguire, shares a personal story about his late wife with Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon. This conversation becomes a...
One of my jobs on a Sunday, after I get back from church, is to get the fires going. Firepits are a feature of our cellar door and over winter they are a vital accompaniment to conversation, music and a glass of wine or beer. Standing around a fire, watching the...
“When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!” This age-old adage speaks to our instinctual behaviour in challenging situations, however, it seems that many people have adopted a different approach, akin to a scene from The Simpsons. In an episode of...
Reflections on loss and life. The price we pay for love is grief. The death of a long-term friend raises lots of questions and challenges. Although I am now in the “My Aged Care” generation, I like to think of myself as being in midlife, provided I live to be 140! As...
It’s a long time since I tried to sleep the night sitting up in the front seat of my car. Actually, I had no intention of doing so. It was just one of those occasions when one hour leads to two, two hours leads to four, and so it went on, until, in the early hours, I...
If I received ten dollars every time someone said to me, “The roof will fall in if I come to church.” I’d have no fear for the future finances of the little congregations that I care for. I hear the statement many times every year during my work as a minister, or when...
We were sitting around having a cuppa after church, when the conversation among some of the men turned to the subject of underwear. One chap announcing he had just re-stocked his supply of underwear, saying it had been a difficult decision as the old underpants were...
