On Sunday afternoon I will ring a bell, be let in through the security gate, sign in, put on the required name tag and be escorted to the gym for my allotted hour. The generic name tag simply says “Clergy” but as the residents at the felony DUI incarceration and treatment center file in,...

“Well, I gotta be moving on. I’m needed up in Chesterton. A couple of girls up there think they’re vampires. This Twilight thing has gotten out of hand…” I laughed before Rev. Tim Tom finished telling Sue why he had to run off . I had just started watching The Middle this season, and...

  This week, I went to church. Well, I went to a church. This church. It’s Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in my hometown, Newcastle, Australia. I’ve been going to visit this church for a few months now, usually when I need some time to clear my head and sense God’s presence close...

Right up until just a few years ago, I had no idea what Gods perfect will for my life was. Like most Christians, I prayed about it a lot. I listened to sermons on it in church, and read books about how to find out what it was. One thing I do know, actually trying to do Gods will is really confusing. It’s...

Sometime in the quiet week between December 25 and January 1, our brains get back inside our heads again. Our eyes begin to turn from end-of-year craziness and at some point they fall on the cool, delicious, blank canvas of a whole new year. Anything seems possible – and in fact, anything is. It’s...

The Christmas Eve service was beautiful last night. Lights were twinkling, carols were playing, candles were burning, people were singing and smiling and laughing and hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Excited children crowded to the front when the pastor told the children’s story. The...

  I am fairly new to the tradition of lighting candles for advent and have had a few confusing moments. Do you light the “joy” candle before the “love” candle – and where does “peace” figure in? For that matter, flaming candles in a wreath of laurel seems like a recipe for...

When I was a kid growing up, Christmas was a big deal.  Well, I should say that  presents were a big deal.  We were given a lot of gifts by my parents – some practical things like socks and pajamas, and some fun things.  But without fail, my sister and I were always given one big gift each year...

In the first half of A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink establishes the basis and rationale for his suggestion that right-brain aptitudes are increasingly necessary in our era, which he terms the Conceptual Age. Without negating the value of left-brain reasoning, Pink suggests six specific proficiencies:...

Does Christmas music make anyone else crazy? At a certain time of year, we just can’t escape it. From Black Friday to White Christmas, it is all a distraction, and the soundtrack to the season seeps everywhere. Love them or hate them, these songs have little to nothing to do with the original Christmas....