“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” In its essence, it’s a perennial question. Wrapped in different words and phrases, it has been asked in various forms since humanity developed the ability to reason. The existence of suffering has always been seen as something irrational, illogical and undeserved, so people have always tried to make…
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I realised a long time ago that I lack the talent and skills to work effectively with children. I could barely hold their attention for a few minutes before they became distracted, bored, or fidgeted and yawned. I didn’t blame them; that’s just how children are, with their innocent and unfiltered honesty. So, it was quite surprising to discover later…
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How do you get yourself ready for a journey? I guess the most obvious answer is ‘it depends’. Before you start planning, you have to know a few basic facts, like where you’re going, for how long, what the purpose of your trip is, and who you’re going with… Only then can you start thinking about bookings, means of travel,…
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Every now and then, an article about aspects of Christianity or events in Christendom appears in the secular newspaper I regularly read. Since it’s a digital version, not a printed one, I can also read comments from other readers, which provide an interesting, albeit unrepresentative, insight into people’s perceptions of our faith. Unsurprisingly, the loudest voices tend to be those…
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Forty-two years ago, Ash Wednesday fell only two days earlier than this year’s. In Australia, 16 February 1983 dawned as another unrelentingly hot, dry day until 11:30 am, when the first fire was reported south of Adelaide, followed quickly by multiple reports of new fires that soon deluged local emergency services. In Victoria alone, 180 fires were reported, eight of…