THE CORE way I live out my faith is by trying to love others in every situation, following Christ’s example, and thus trying to live out the Kingdom. I have a particular passion for social justice issues and a vision for a just and compassionate world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. My faith ...

This year Journey explores questions from the pews, namely from a (fictitious) person exploring faith and the Uniting Church. This month Nova B Lever asks: Where is the joy in church?I FEEL sorry for our minister. She’s a happy person, and certainly reflects a lot of joy whenever I speak with her. She asked me to help one Sunday morning ...

IS SIMPLY being happy too much to ask? There are plenty of preachers who tell me it’s not enough, but that’s not the question. Happiness is a big deal. It’s the subject of innumerable clichés, jokes, books and grandmotherly pieces of advice. When my career bores me, when my marriage is hard work, when I need one day off to ...

LOUISE TOWLER is a Christian comedian based in Perth. When she first came to Australia from the UK the mother of four lived next to a young woman with depression. “I used to sit with her to try to make her laugh.” One of these stories became her show Big Purple Undies which she wrote about a lady she used ...

By Rob Moll, IVP Books, 2010, RRP $21.95 Reviewed by Rev Brian Lee. THE 20TH century saw a move in the western world to make death normally a hospital experience where the dying person was often lonely and sometimes unwillingly kept alive because of access to high levels of medical care. Now in the 21st century it seems more people ...

STANDING IN a worship service, surrounded by people singing joyful songs to the Lord while feeling like you are in a pit of despair is not an uncommon feeling amongst our congregation members. For June Wood, and many others, it threw her faith and understanding of God into disarray. Diagnosed with depression 20 years ago, Ms Wood’s long journey has ...

Canadian Edition 2010 Archdiocese of Chicago/Concacan Inc. Mary A. Ehle, Phd & Margaret Nutting Ralph, Phd CCCB Publications, 2010 RRP $21.95 Reviewed by Alan Renton, who, after 60 years of preaching, tried something new. The first nine pages of this book should be compulsory reading for all who take part in leading church services. The other 294 pages have a ...

DR DENNIS Shanks is one of sixteen lay preachers commissioned in the Moreton Rivers presbytery in recent months. Dr Shanks, a retired U.S. military officer, represents the variety of people engaged in the lay preachers’ course. Presbytery Education Officer, Dr Aaron Ghiloni, said candidate numbers have surged. “At present we have approximately 50 women and men,” he said. “They came ...

By Richard Harries, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2010, RRP $36.95 Reviewed by Karyl Davison. DO WE WANT to leave politics to the politicians? It seems that in recent years the predominant answer would be “Yes”. The general public seems to be increasingly disengaged from the political process and increasingly disillusioned with the motives of our political leaders. Yet, as Mr ...

By Krish Kandiah, Monarch Books U.K., 2008, RRP $16.95 Reviewed by Con Graves who, after a fast-paced corporate lifestyle, switched to a life of voluntary simplicity aimed at reducing his impact on the earth and reducing stress in his own life and the lives of those around him. He worships at Newlife Uniting Church on the Gold Coast. LIFE SWAP ...