Ashley Thompson Archives - JourneyOnline

Film review: Hacksaw Ridge

QLD Synod Webmaster — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 03:32:05 +0000

Mel Gibson’s personal transgressions are easily forgotten when witnessing his extraordinary ability to communicate the Christian faith in Hacksaw Ridge. Ashley Thompson reviews. Like Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson can be an easy personality not to like. Like Cruise, Gibson’s controversial personal life is no barrier to profoundly appreciating his talent and contribution to filmmaking. And ...

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Only the shrewd survive

QLD Synod Webmaster — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 06:21:02 +0000

Aspiring to good morals does not win you Survivor, as Tess Lynch from Grantland points out, in this game “integrity and honesty is nothing against manipulation and well-executed lies”. Trust, dignity and respect: This was ex-cricketer Lee Carseldine’s mantra since day dot on the island of Samoa—the unforgiving location for Network Ten’s Australian reboot of Survivor, ...

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Fostering family fun at Stanthorpe

QLD Synod Webmaster — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 06:11:54 +0000

Sometimes little acts of hospitality go a long way to strengthening the community. Ashley Thompson talks to Granite Belt Uniting Church minister Rev Kaye Ronalds and Stanthorpe Uniting Church member Jean Pyle about their efforts to reach out to young families. Since Easter last year, the Stanthorpe congregation has been providing weekly hospitality to the ...

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Letters from Longreach

QLD Synod Webmaster — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 02:12:23 +0000

Hope was on the horizon when winter rains brought smiles back to the faces of western Queenslanders. Ashley Thompson checks in with Longreach Uniting Church minister Rev Jenny Coombes. Although 80 per cent of Queensland remains drought declared, the Longreach community has had their spirits lifted by the wettest winter on record. “Since the rain ...

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Film review: Jack of the Red Hearts

QLD Synod Webmaster — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 21:47:40 +0000

A surprising number of films depict characters on the autism spectrum but few accurately illustrate how the neurodevelopmental disorder impacts family like Jack of the Red Hearts (2015). From the classic Rain Man (1988) to the recent The Story of Luke (2012), many filmmakers have grappled with autism as a central plot device but few ...

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Three online tools to assist your ministry

QLD Synod Webmaster — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 03:33:14 +0000

The following text has been adapted from an acceptance speech delivered by Ashley Thompson for the 2016 Ramon Williams Australasian Religious Press Association Scholarship award. When I was five I wanted to be a writer. More specifically I wanted to be Anne Shirley, Jo March, Betsy Ray and later, Rory Gilmore. As the daughter of two ...

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Superhuman singer: Tony Dee

QLD Synod Webmaster — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:41:32 +0000

Behind the jaw dropping feel-good anthem of the 2016 Rio Paralympics is local Brisbane musician Tony Dee: Queensland Baptist client service officer by day, superhuman singer by night. Ashley Thompson talks to Tony about faith, music and disability inclusiveness. Launched in July, United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4’s promotional trailer for the September 2016 Paralympics “We’re ...

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Unmasking masculinity

QLD Synod Webmaster — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 08:22:22 +0000

Is the overwhelming dominance of hyper-masculinity in media harmful to not only the male psyche but community safety? American documentary filmmaker director Jennifer Siebel Newsom would have you believe so. Following The Representation Project’s 2011 documentary Miss Representation—Jennifer Siebel Newsom is back exploring how limited gender stereotypes in media also contribute to a wide range ...

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What’s in a name change?

QLD Synod Webmaster — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 03:20:08 +0000

On 24 August, community-service provider Wesley Mission Queensland hosted a launch event on the Wesley House rooftop in Brisbane City to celebrate its name change from Wesley Mission Brisbane. But what’s in a name change and why does it matter? Journey reports. For over 100 years Wesley Mission Queensland (WMQ) has reached out to Queenslanders, ...

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The minister’s partner: life beyond the fish bowl

QLD Synod Webmaster — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 02:32:33 +0000

It’s 2016, the working world has changed and “traditional” marriage roles no longer exist. Ashley Thompson explores what it means to be today’s face of the minister’s partner. It was difficult to find people willing to speak to Journey about the challenges of being a minister’s spouse. Understandably, those who aren’t retired were not comfortable ...

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