Our minds are always active. We analyse, reflect, daydream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is “unceasing.” Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears. […]

Listen to Jean Vanier  Click here to listen as Jean Vanier chats to Nicky Gumble: “The Kingdom of God is a place where those who are the poorest and the rejected come together to celebrate their joy – their joy because they discover that they are loved….by the people around them….by Jesus.”      

This is the first of a series of memes about my vision of Heaven On Earth. Dave Andrews

It’s a fateful moment in history. We’ve seen divisive elections, divided societies and the growth of extremism — all fuelled by anxiety and uncertainty. “Is there something we can do, each of us, to be able to face the future without fear?” asks Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. In this electrifying talk, the spiritual leader gives […]

If religious teachers told their parishioners about contemplation, where individuals can experience the mercy of God for themselves, they would not be so dependent upon the clergy. Although this codependency is not engineered maliciously, it does create job security. We all have a hard time doing things that essentially work ourselves out of a job […]

What does it mean to pray for our enemies? For the terrorist taking many lives in response to other grave wrongs, for the known or unknown assailant afflicting apparently senseless violence, for the thief who breaks into your house in the middle of the day and steals your things and sense of safety, for the […]

In the early 1990s, Terry Waite, a lifelong Anglican and a hostage negotiator for the Archbishop of Canterbury, was himself captured by terrorists in Lebanon. He was freed after nearly five years alone in the dark, blindfolded and chained to a radiator. Since his return to England he has written about his ordeal. His latest […]

ABC RELIGION – In an age when knowledge of the Bible seems to be fading, many Indigenous Australians claim it as an important game changer in their lives. Among the 73 per cent of Indigenous Australians who claim Christianity as their faith — more than the general population — Max Conlon, artist and Christian minister […]

In response to the ‘Christian Century’ request for essays on ‘enemy’, they received many compelling reflections. Here is a selection.  https://www.christiancentury.org/article/enemy-essays-readers I had boarded the plane and was settling in my seat when I heard voices from several rows behind me. The dialogue was emphatic, even explosive. Were the words being thrown back and forth […]

BY PARKER J. PALMER (PARKERJPALMER), COLUMNIST I first heard about “the soul” as a child. For years, I thought of it as a wispy spirit within me, well-intentioned but too frail for life’s rough-and-tumble. Then I had my first experience of depression, a darkness partly of my own making.* During my long months underground, the […]

‘Bridge of Love’ by B. J. Thomas is an old favourite of mine and its message is as true and as relevant as ever. Dave Andrews There’s a gap in the world Only love can fill And we can bridge that gap If we have the will No it won’t be easy We’ll need help […]