Signs of the Times
December 2005
A Gleam of Truth
The Lion all began with a picture of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my head since I was about 16. Then one day, when I was about 40, I said to myself: ‘Let’s try to make a story about it,’” C S Lewis reflected in a piece published in the Radio Times in 1960, 10 years after the first publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Kel Richards: He Speaks Their Language
It’s easy to forget how being “Australian” really is a very special thing (with apologies to my international readers). While we share many characteristics in common with our neighbours, essentially we’re an island set apart. Kel Richards, renowned writer and ABC Radio presenter from Sydney, recognises this fact and the need to embrace our Australian-ness and all that entails in his most recent book Aussie Yarns
God’s Golden Acre
Africa is fighting a losing battle against HIV/AIDS. Among the casualties are innocent children, whose parents have died of the disease or who have been infected by predatory adults. South Africans Heather Reynolds and her husband Patrick live in the Zulu country of South Africa on a property they’ve christened “God’s Golden Acre.” There, through perseverance, faith and miracles, she brings life, healing and hope to AIDS orphans.
Our Future in the Past
Man has 100 years left, says top NZ scientist,” the front-page headline of Wellington’s Dominion Post (November 17, 2004) warned. Said the story, “One of New Zealand’s top researchers has used a prestigious award ceremony to warn that humans are on track to extinction by the end of the century.
Keeping Christmas Simple
My wife and I try to find a balance between the hype and real hope that can be communicated at this time. Here’s a short list of things we’ve done to keep Christ in Christmas—and to keep it simpler
How to Cope With Christmas
Going home for the holidays is a custom of long standing. Yet, these days it isn’t so easy, despite cut-price airline tickets and smaller families. The family structure has changed in recent times, with blended families and divorced parents almost the norm, and families with differing religious and cultural backgrounds much more common. Added to this is the perennial problem of: Whose “turn” is it this year?
Award-winning Summer Reading
It’s a sign of the times, perhaps, that in the past few years the Australian Christian Book of the Year Awards for 2005 went to books that look outward, particularly to other faiths and other versions of spirituality. This has been particularly strong post-September 11, with 2003 winner Islam in our Backyard, published by regular gong-grabber Matthias Media.
Means to an End
Mother Theresa often confronted Christians who live affluent lives. She wrote, “I think that the work of the church in this developed and rich western hemisphere is more difficult than in Calcutta, where the needs of the people are reduced to a dish of rice to curb their hunger—something that will show them that someone loves them.
Chasing Dreams
Imagine being unable to read to your child. Imagine the horror of accidentally overmedicating them because you are unable to read the dosage. And, worse, imagine carrying shame because you can neither read nor write. This is life for more than 40 per cent of women in rural Papua New Guinea, who are treated as outcasts because they’re illiterate. There, 37 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Last Ones Standing
The world’s magnificent cathedrals echoing the sublime hymns of yesteryear with the empty pews of this third millennium. Ironically, and some say ultimately prophetic, this timely and disconcerting condition may be a portent of earth’s final days. To understand why, we need to see what the Bible says about church attendance and “the end of days.”
Prophecy of the Messiah
Daniel chapter 9 contains what many consider to be the most sublime prophecy of the Old Testament—a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Amazingly, not only did this prophecy reveal the purpose of His incarnation as a child, but it also specified when His ministry would begin and when He would die.
“I Really Am a Nice Guy”
I was in a hurry as I drove into the shopping centre car park. It was one of those hot summer days that seem to get hotter as the preparations for the holiday season kick into overdrive. The car park was crowded. Anxious drivers repeated their loops in search of that elusive parking space.
Signs of the Times Regular Columns
Trends:
Judas and His Children
Lifeguide: Orientation Day
With Counsellor Deanna Pitchford
Our Times:
virtual books, cheese-aid, cars take control, roo-nap and more . . .
Bible Discovery:
How to Live in a Hostile World
Food Matters:
Nature’s Pure Drop
Food Matters Recipe:
Refreshing Summer Tea
Medical Hotline
With Dr James Wright
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