Opinion

The Christmas season has only just ended with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus last Sunday. During that season we joyfully celebrated the incarnation of Jesus Christ and were reminded that Emmanuel meant, “God with us”. Now the importance of holding onto this doctrine becomes significant. About 70% of our state has been inundated; some have lost loved ones; ...

One of the consequences of Christmas coming at the end of a year with all the frenetic activity that surrounds it, is that we can lose the hope, joy and power of this event. For Christians this Advent and Christmas season is not just a time for remembering the birth of the baby Jesus long ago in a shed. It ...

AT THIS time of year thoughts move to the list of gifts to purchase for family and friends for Christmas. Reflecting on what is the best gift that I have received, I would have to say it would be the birth of our son sixteen years ago. On the day he was born, the Sister of Mercy commented to my ...

IN OCTOBER this year I had the pleasure of visiting a World Vision Aid and Development Project at Lam Thap in Southern Thailand. There I got to see just what our donor dollars achieve in developing nation situations. Out of the four projects I visited, one was particularly impacting; a home goat farm that now has around 40 goats. The ...

This Christmas let us be prayerfully mindful of all who currently await assessment of their applications for asylum in Australia. Seeking to escape persecution and death they live in a difficult limbo space waiting to see if this country will accept them. Early this year I visited Christmas Island Detention Centre to see firsthand the situation facing this vulnerable group ...

WHAT TO buy for Christmas? The way people choose Christmas gifts for their family and friends is rather fascinating. Some seem to have no trouble at all. These are the ones who rush out to the Boxing Day sales and buy what they want for the next Christmas. Others simply settle on one idea and buy a dozen, one for ...

I KNOW I have said it before but I am not much of a gift-giver. Don’t get me wrong, I love thinking about and finding a really special gift for someone one I know they will love. But I usually fall down when it comes to getting them the gift in time for Christmas or their birthday. So in this ...

I have a 49-year-old body and a 15 year old Mazda campervan. There are similarities beyond the mileage on the clock. Sadly, there are also some big differences, but blokes like me are not smart enough to see those until we start blowing smoke, our suspension sags or we run out of puff going up hill. I’d love to have ...

MAYBE IT is the result of recovering from open heart surgery, but I wonder how Adam felt about having his chest ripped open so God could take a rib to make his helper. This story in Genesis 2 teaches us that from the very beginning a man was not supposed to go it alone. However as a general rule most ...

Well for a start it is big and it covers an area of 100,000 square kilometres. It is not confined to any particular building but enjoys many. It is not hung up on denominations but shows inclusiveness and respect for all. It doesn’t meet regularly but meets often, that is, unless something else comes up. In 2008 my wife Sally ...