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My letter to the Editor of the Sunday Tasmanian   31st January 2010 (ST credit for header)
 I am writing to provide balance to the one-sided story published on the front page last Sunday (“ Bishop’s ‘happy clappers’ anger old guard”, Sunday Tasmanian, January 24).
 The story highlighted unsubstantiated claims from a small minority without testing those claims.  The [...]

At the Opening of the Legal Year Service at St David’s Cathedral today there is a most solemn re-dedication by Members of the Legal Profession. I have the privilege of leading this solemn segment of the service this year.

The Act of Dedication
Led by The Right Revd John Harrower, Anglican Bishop of Tasmania
 As members of the Legal [...]

In an earlier reflection on friends’ 40th Wedding Anniversary, ‘Forty years! Doesn’t happen much today.’, I commented,
The character of Christian love. Christ’s way, the way of self-giving love is for every one of us, in all of life, in all of the 40 years of married life.
A passer-by (at their celebration) commented upon hearing of [...]

From the Very Reverend Richard Humphrey, Dean of Hobart,
Dear Friends
You have shown an interest in the part of the homily that I read at the Nine Lessons and Carols Service on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral.
The part I read from was the final section of AN HOMILY OF THE NATIVITY AND BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR [...]

GOOD NEWS!! Since my post last week on Bible verses on combat rifles?!, and two days after THE AGE report (20 January 2010) , US troops use combat rifles bearing Bible verses, the manufacturers have promised to stop stamping references to Bible verses on combat rifle sights.
An American defense contractor will voluntarily stop stamping references [...]

MOST parents who are worried that their children spend a lot of time on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace can relax.
A new study has found that it is well-adjusted young people who are more likely to use social networking.
Well, that is the conclusion from the USA.  Is it true of Oz?
Speaking as [...]

A front page article in our State’s major newspaper today illustrates some of the challenges of following Jesus in today’s Tasmania. 
Newspaper article here, Anger at ‘happy clappers’. Some brief notes:
1. We live in challenging times. Making the Good news of Jesus Christ relevant to the diverse people and cultures of our State requires a diversity of worship [...]

Yesterday’s dedication of the extensions to the St Stephen’s Smithton church building was a fantastic celebration of God’s goodness and the fruition of the dreams and labour of God’s people. As I have said so often, Good facilities facilitate good ministry.
The extensions are both beautifully finished and much bigger than I had imagined. The extension of the worship area [...]

Major Nidal M. Hasan’s Jihad Seminar Explained by Mark Durie is a thorough and fair analsis of Major Hasan’s thinking. The conclusion in part,
It is essential to grasp that the views which Major Hasan describes in his seminar are not obscure, extreme or marginal.  They are integral to Islamic tradition and the Koran’s teachings on warfare and justice.  These [...]

Incredulous! Dumbfounded! Bewildered! Frustrated! Angry! Pleading! Somebody, please tell me it’s not true!
All of the above describe my reaction to the terrible news that Bible verses are inscribed on the sights of combat rifles. The verses refer to Jesus as the light and I guess reference the sights giving ‘light’ so that they can target their enemy soldiers day or [...]