Author Archives: The Briefing
Unmasking greed
Thought
With many Western economies showing strong and continued signs of growth, the outlook has never been better for our standard of living. Christmas retail sales are at record highs, the property market is strong, Wall Street marches on in triumph. What do we have to worry about? Plenty, says Brian Rosner.
The Hard Ask: Going to the Mardi Gras
Overcoming the darkness: An interview with Philip Mitchell about depression
A black and white view across La Perouse Bay on a gloomy evening, the sea vast and incomprehensible, the shoreline harsh. The old photo on Professor Philip Mitchell’s wall in his office at the School of Psychiatry, Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney, reflects something of the experience of being depressed. The future seems bleak, dark, vast and unreachable; the situation seems hopeless; loneliness presses in.
Devotions and dads
The talk no-one wanted to give
I asked several men in our church if they were willing to speak on the topic of ‘leading your family spiritually’, and I got the same reaction from everyone: “Why me? I don’t know if I am qualified to speak on that. Our family Bible reading and prayer times are well, er, erratic. I need to come and listen, not talk on it!”
The Spirit’s illumination
Thought
Four funerals and a prize
What would Jesus buy?
How to face the future
Interview: The pursuit of a lifetime
The garden and the bush: Two ways to read the Bible
Life
So which would you prefer? A pleasant bush walk through a national park or a leisurely stroll through an extensive botanical garden? (more…)