I’ve always thought it a little ironic that, just as the Christmas season gathers momentum and we get busy with present-buying and food shopping and calendar-juggling and work deadlines, we are invited, perhaps challenged, to focus on Peace. For many people, Christmas is not a particularly ‘peaceful’ time – fun, certainly, but hardly peaceful as we manage children, end-of-year break-ups, family gatherings, traffic, over-eating, and everything else. All that in the context of a wider world riven, in so many places and dimensions, by war and conflict: it may feel quite incongruous to be announcing peace in this Advent season. In this second week in Advent, we focus on Peace – shalom– turning our minds and hearts towards claiming that deep serenity, harmony, wholeness that will be one outworking of the Spirit of God within us.
Background music in this podcast is by E's Jammy Jams.
12 Dec 2024
Advent 1 Hope
A reflection for the first Sunday in Advent. The hope that is proclaimed on the first Sunday in Advent is not a hope that some future miraculous event will save us from the impending doom we sense and fear. Rather, the hope that is proclaimed as we begin our journey toward Christmas is a hope that, having glimpsed a better future, having glimpsed a present redemption, having glimpsed that for which we yearn, reaches out to drag a little of that future back into the present! It’s a hope that is not focussed on some future miraculous rescue but is focussed on present action to give effect to that which is hoped for. That's the sort of hope I reflect on in this podcast.
If you would like to listen to the song Fragile by Sting you can find it HERE.
Background music in this Advent series is by DJ Williams.
5 Dec 2024
On Building a Legacy
Does the person create the journey, or does the journey create the person? In this podcast I want to encourage you to affirm that it does matter how you make the journey, to reflect on the grace and generosity of those with whom we take that journey, and to consider (without being too morbid) the legacy you are building: how will you be remembered when you are gone?
This episode concludes with a brief reflective practice in which you are invited to particpate.
30 Oct 2024
Tread Gently or Stamp My Feet
How might we hold and express strong opinions in the context of diverse perpectives? Does this tension mediate against us taking a stand for what we believe in complex situations? How can we avoid the trap of dualism, of believing things are either right or wrong, good or bad, true or false? These are some of the questions with which I grapple in this podcast.
Thanks to Jem Herbert (and Chopin) for the background music in this episode.
10 Oct 2024
Does It Really Matter
16 Sept 2024
Am I a Christian Atheist?
I didn't even know that Christian atheism was a thing until I read about it recently! Is it real or is the term an oxymoron? Here's my take on the nature of God.
30 Aug 2024
Good Friday and the LGBTIQ+ Enigma
This blog reflects on the recent Federal Government decision not to take account of the LGBTIQ+ community in the 2026 Census, and on the potentially concerning influence of conservative Christian lobby groups in this process.
23 Aug 2024
Me and My Shadow
I could never see myself voting for Donald Trump but I can learn from him about the shadow side that lurks within my psyche! In this podcast I reflect on strategies to keep that shadow side in check, strategies like curiosity, stillness, wonder and more.
19 Aug 2024
To Be Filled With Light
An invitation to wonder at the beauty of creation, inspired by the beauty of the Nagambie Lakes (Victoria, Australia) and featuring Mary Oliver's poem When I Am Among The Trees. Check out www.oldsoul.blog for some photographs of the Nagambie Lakes.
11 Aug 2024
Australia's Forgotten Hero
I want to take you back almost 56 years to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City to recall the story of another Australian Olympic hero. The story of Peter Norman is one of the inspirational stories of Australian sport and stands as a reminder of the importance of holding firm to our values, taking a stand for the cause of justice, and lending our voices in solidarity with those who are oppressed or treated unfairly, even if it appears that no-one is listening.
Resources referenced in this episode are ANTAR and Common Grace. The music in this episode is The Blessing by Rivertribe.
7 Aug 2024
Lamenting the Loneliness of Humanity
Like many families, our family has a social media chat group that we use to share news, arrange family gatherings, and post photos both cute and embarrassing. This past week the chat became momentarily heavier, as various family members discussed the apparent escalation of youth crime in our area. In the midst of my rumination, Issue #295 of Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files landed in my inbox and I read this: Loneliness is the breakdown of the overarching structure of things, a feeling of separateness or exclusion from the sum and substance of the world. I was reminded of an article I wrote during the COVID years under the heading The Deep Loneliness of Humanity, and I wondered: could it be that loneliness is a factor in the inappropriate ‘acting out’ of young people? And not just young people: could it be that the deep loneliness of humanity is at the heart of many of the aberrant behaviours, addictions and anti-social attitudes of (at least) western cultures? That's the question I explore in this podcast.
29 Jul 2024
Less 'But', More 'And'
Can a small, seemingly insignificant word like 'and' empower the emergence of a world of human dignity, equality and justice for all? I believe so! Listen to the latest episode in the Old Soul Podcast to hear why. If you prefer the print version it is available at www.oldsoul.blog.
22 Jul 2024
Save the World or Savour It
How we view the world will help determine how we choose to live within it. In this podcast I contrast the traditional 'original sin' perspective on the world with my prefered 'original blessing' perspective on the world. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
15 Jul 2024
Navigating the Times: Courage and Hope
Here’s my take on how we might respond constructively to the all-too-evident signs of destruction and despair that assail us. Rather than throw up our hands in hopeless or helpless resignation, we are invited to look beyond the signs of destruction to the signs of hope and courage that are also always evident.
3 Jul 2024
The Three Pillars
It is a strange time we live in. Wars and rumours of wars, excessive wealth juxtaposed with increasing poverty, beautiful seascapes threatened by rising sea levels, brilliant advances in science and medical research one hand and feigned ignorance or outright opposition to empirical evidence on the other, inspirational stories of human resilience and compassion alongside instances of inhumanity and violence. The contrasts are stark and numerous. Which way will we go? What wisdom can we offer to those who follow? Can we build the better world for which we yearn? Absolutely we can! Here’s my take on our pathway to that world.
29 Jun 2024
Words Words Words
In a noisy world where we are bombarded with words, words and more words, it is good for us to be reminded that simply filling the space with words is less important than getting on with just action! Words will be necessary, of course, but it will be in the action they drive that words will ultimately derive their value. In this podcast I reflect on the need to pay less attention to the words we say and hear, and focus more on the actions we take and the behaviours we witness in those around us.
28 Jun 2024
Old Soul Trailer
Exploring spirituality and life, the Old Soul podcast reflects on issues that matter in our world. Check out this trailer for more information.
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