Feb2016
Shining light on truth
by Mark Hadley
Spotlight DISTRIBUTOR: Entertainment One RELEASE DATE: 28 January 2016 RATING: M Spotlight tells the story of the one-in-a-million article that made a worldwide difference. When an investigation by reporters at The Boston Globe uncovers unusual patterns revealing systemic protection of paedophile priests, they not only shock the world, they also provide the seeds for a… Read more
Dec2015
Ready, willing and available
by Reid Matthias
The phone startled me. I wasn’t expecting the phone to ring while we were on holidays a few days before General Convention at Rochedale. His voice was soft, with a trace of an accent—German, I think. ‘Hello, Reid, this is Matthias Prenzler.’ After a few brief pleasantries, Matthias reached the apex of why he was… Read more
Dec2015
Christmas blows away fog about God
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
You can’t focus on fog. Many have rather foggy ideas about God. For some, God is vaguely tied up with our religious feelings. For others, ‘god’ is an impersonal force that works through all religions to bring peace on earth and goodwill among people. Even the Australian prime minister (at the time of writing) has… Read more
Nov2015
An answer to 43,903 days of prayer
by Rachel Kuchel
A current of energy ran through the air, for it was a much-anticipated day. It was 120 years, two months and thirteen days in the making, or (if you like) 43,903 days. Much prayer had gone into the day, you can be sure of that. Seventeen years of joint prayer, according to Everard Leske’s history… Read more
Nov2015
The artist speaks
by Reid Matthias
On the western edge of the Lockyer Valley, the Toowoomba Range stands as a silent sentinel. Throughout the day, the hills reflect different hues from the sun. It is an amazing thing to see them redirected from the early morning greens to the afternoon browns and then the lavender that springs across the ridges in… Read more
Nov2015
Set free
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
‘I slept in and so didn’t get to do my 20-minute personal devotion this morning. I feel like God is disappointed with me.’ When I was a young Christian in high school and university, I understood that God’s law convicted me of my sin. Then at some point in confirmation class I got it. Jesus… Read more
Aug2015
The church that followed its people
by Janette Lange
What do you do when you have a large family and no local Lutheran church? Build a church on your own farm, of course! And when those children move off the farm to town? Take the church building with you—brick by brick. That’s what happened in the remarkable story of the Trinity Lutheran Church in… Read more
Aug2015
The origin of worship
by Reid Matthias
The annual State of Origin Rugby League contest captured my interest again this year. As I viewed the football matches, and the various traditions associated with them—the costumes, the sounds and the (almost) charismatic fervour stemming from the pre-game rituals—I pondered how the rituals of Origin and the worship service tell a similar story. Because… Read more
Aug2015
Dare to be different
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
When we engage with non-Christian family, friends and neighbours, we often run into attitudes that are very different from our own. People may have opinions about issues such as refugees, homosexuality, morality, abortion, euthanasia, evolution, the Bible and racial matters that make us feel uncomfortable. That is not surprising. How do we respond? Often, both… Read more
Jul2015
A bridge and a beacon
by Rachel Kuchel
This is the story of a church for the nation. St Peter’s Canberra: built from contributions of church groups, congregations and people from all over the country and still filled with a global membership, it is now a story that belongs to the church—across the nation and across the seas. In 1960, Max Lohe, president… Read more
