When a terrible thing happens to another human being, and the community at large rallies around them and speaks up on their behalf, it warms the soul. It happened just this week, when 21 year old James Milne was refused entry to a JB Hi-Fi store. The rationale given to James and his dad by the security guard was that James was banned for shoplifting. … Continue reading When we rally for one another
I remember it like yesterday, even though it wasn’t. The nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not being sure what to say to him. Feeling out of my depth. After all, he was the Attorney-General. Strangely, this was the memory prompted when the Ashley Madison affair came to light this last week. For those fortunate enough to have been out of internet range this week, Ashley … Continue reading How the Ashley Madison affair exposes us all
Living and working in western society brings with it all the usual to do lists on a weekend. Groceries. Washing. Sorting. Paying bills. Querying bills. Dentist appointments. Pet supplies. Life admin, as a good friend calls it. But news reports make it difficult to go about my business today. France. Kuwait. Tunisia. Bloodshed at the hands of terrorists. A factory manager. Tourists. Those at prayer. Moments … Continue reading Today I am sad
I believe that there is right and wrong and that we are responsible for our choices. I believe that there is right and wrong and that we can repent of our choices. I believe in the redemption narrative. It weaves its way through history, taking the hardest of hearts and simultaneously softening and strengthening. It takes the worst of behaviour and turns chaff into gold, ashes into … Continue reading And with mercy, redemption
It has been a torrid week. As tragedy rolled in waves off our television screens, the numbing disbelief it brought melted quickly into heartbreak and tears. They were just getting a coffee. Simply going to school. Only being at home. The Sydney Siege. The Pakistan school massacre. The Cairns tragedy. Hostages. Children. Victims. We watched on and saw strangers like us engulfed in pain and grief. … Continue reading In a week of grief, what tidings can there be?
No. It’s not okay. And it’s not just a game. The new first person interactive mode released last week by Grand Theft Auto allows players to dictate a sexual encounter and then murder the woman – in first person interactive mode. A particularly jarring juxtaposition is that this product was released adjacent to White Ribbon Day, in which men across the nation swear ‘never to commit, excuse or … Continue reading Why it’s not just a game – the new Grand Theft Auto and White Ribbon Day
By Ruth Limkin The contrast was stark. I was jogging on the treadmill, on the last night of a long and busy week. The music was humming and the fluorescent lights of the gym were overhead. (Why it’s fluorescent and not soft and gracious lighting I will never know.) It had been a long week but a good one – filled with hard work and … Continue reading For their mothers, who weep
