to be frank

After the Tsunami (3) Another time of life

I began this post more than two months ago. Other things have overwhelmed me since then. It is now time to share some of what all this has meant to me. It really is another time of life.

Good for a laugh ...

There are a few funny things I've been saving up for a while. Not sure why, really. Here's one of them: 10 Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained.

After the tsunami: 2. What the wave brought me

A tsunami is a sudden tide of water: but with that tide of water there came so much more. Literally, rubbish of every imaginable kind, including plants, coral, smashed up buildings, furniture, people's belongings, and the contents of the sewerage and drainage systems. This is why infection is such a huge issue for those who have survived.

More than all that, the wave brought its own tide of emotional and social experiences and frankly these are much more long-term and difficult to deal with, or even describe.

After the tsunami: 1. Death comes to paradise

Samoa is a beautiful place. It has been called 'paradise' because it and its people are so beautiful. But for us, death and destruction came to paradise. How can this be?

The Tsunami Story

It's been one hell of a year.

Here, in brief, is the story of what happened when we went for a holiday in Samoa. I want to write a series of reflections on this experience, but here first of all is the basic story.

Rugby League Redemption!

In the past year or two, one could be forgiven for asking, (to paraphrase a gospel text), 'Can any good thing come out of Rugby League?'

Sex scandals and all kinds of violent acts, reported with such relish by the media, but then also the feeling that League officials have in fact covered up an awful lot: we have to wonder if this is not a really sick culture.

But now comes this wonderful story of a young man's redemption.

The Gift of Life

After months of silence, I am now writing to share a truly extraordinary experience. It has taken me many weeks to process it, emotionally and spiritually. There was some physical effort as well!
It has been my privilege to save another person's life, in a way I never imagined possible.
This all happened in truly surprising and wonderful ways.

'God is back’: religion and politics down-under.

It’s some years now since I reviewed Marion Maddox’s study of the influence of religion and religious values on the second Howard government in Australia. (Marion Maddox, For God and Country: Religious Dynamics in Australian Federal Politics, 2001.) Since then we have had a major shift in world politics, elicited by the Bush Administration’s response to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. (Think of what that very name implies!)
This week, the newspapers carried the findings of an interesting study of our federal parliament (in Australia) and the references to God, to faith and to the Bible, during speeches in the house.
God has made a big come-back. Indeed, in Australia, it seems acceptable to speak of faith in ways that have perhaps never before been acceptable.

Leadership: reaching for the possible future

Leadership: reaching for the possible future

Last year I heard this definition of leadership and it made a lot of sense to me.
Leadership is so much more than management. Managing makes things happen, but within the existing frame of expectations. Leadership reaches out for what is possible, with the resources and people we have, and the situation before us. It is possible, but only because we have leadership to take us there. That’s the kind of leader I hope to be, too.
In the last week, I have read several articles about leadership which provide some helpful insights.

Wisdom from Home (2)

One of the superb insights I found in Marilynne Robinson's latest book Home (London: Virago Press, 2008) concerns the character of a life of faith.
I mean here to make a basic distinction between the many activities which are called 'faith' or religion, and the character of a person who truly and authentically is faithful: to themselves, to others and to God.
In this novel, there's a lot about being religious, and there are some truly faithful characters. They are not the same people!