A very personal story of faith discovery, challenge and growth warmed hearts on a cold Hobart morning. Tim Costello wove conviction, compassion, curiosity and commitment in a challenging breakfast address.

I particularly appreciated his biblical wrestling and consequent commitment to the convictions there gained. I see Tim live this out from my role as a Board Member of World Vision Australia of which Tim is the CEO.

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has featured in many a conversation over recent months. However, the World Bank’s estimate that 400,000 additional children will die this year because of the GFC had not been part of those conversations. Tim placed it firmly on our agenda. The World Bank has also estimated that some 150 million people will fall back below the poverty line (approx. less than $2 per day) as a result of the GFC. Tim spoke of another ‘GFC’, the Global Food Crisis.

Millions of our neighbours are doing it tough, really tough, really dying. Jesus said and did stuff about neighbours; about loving neighbours, practical loving, sacrificial loving, about setting the world straight, about our doing justice and loving mercy and walking humbly with God .

It is hard to square this overwhelming sum of human suffering with the previous day’s post budget front page headline ‘Wayne’s world of pain’ in the ‘Mercury: The Voice of Tasmania’ newspaper. It makes you think . . .