They went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone. They were afraid, because … (Mark 16:8)

Easter morning 2020. Pre-dawn, Peek Wurrung country. A group of women appears, walking; one carries a bag with liturgical supplies. One by one, cars roll up, park, and turn off their lights. Figures emerge, hard to see in the shadows. Voices are hushed as people pick their way towards the nature play area, flitting between shadows and trees. Continue reading “dawn | botanic gardens | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together … (Ecclesiastes 3:1-5)

One of my favourite places to go for some alone time, to contemplate, to reflect, to sit and think, or sometimes just to sit, is Childers Cove. It is part of the Bay of Islands State Park, but being to the west of where the Great Ocean Road joins the Princes Highway it is not often visited, good for solitude. Continue reading “40 | childers cove | kirrae whurrung country #Lent 2023” →

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28)

I tried to write this four times during the service, and I kept having to delete it because it kept coming back to the same place. I had never encountered God in a physical place. I did not feel connected to place. I did not feel connected to God. Continue reading “39 | school and all the places | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

Consider the wildflowers: they don’t work or weave, yet have you ever seen such colour and design? The best-dressed folk have nothing on them! (Matthew 6:28-29)

J’aime beaucoup les fleurs. Ils sont incroyables et très, très beaux. Toutes les plantes sont magnifiques, et je les adore.

Mon jardin est très joli. Quand il y a trop de bruit, j’y vais. Dans mon jardin, c’est bruyant mais calmant. Continue reading “38 | garden | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now … (Romans 8:22) + And straightaway the spirit drove him out into the wilderness. (Mark 1:12) 

We often think of the wilderness like a modern day national park, that is, somewhere without people. But this is a colonial view. Whether it’s the Amorites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites or the many peoples of the Eastern Maar nation, saying any land is empty erases the Indigenous peoples who have always walked and tended the earth; it is an act of genocide; it forgets that even national parks have been violently emptied. Continue reading “37 | industrial estate | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and mature. (Romans 12:2) 

My home base in Port Elliot, South Australia, is a small and cosy cottage on a sandhill which enables contemplative conversations and regular practice of being grounded in and centred in Omega. In normal times, the sea view from my window is a translucent aqua blue and the sand a warm off-white colour that invites a stroll along the beach. This centring down which comes whether in stillness or in motion flows into my days as I mingle locally with other contemplatives and join electronically the vast array of similar seekers across the globe. Continue reading “36 | boomer beach | ngarrindjeri country #Lent 2023” →

Two perspectives.

1. O God, what are we that you should care for us? mere mortals, that you should think of us? We are like a puff of wind; our days are like a passing shadow. (Psalm 144:3-4)

I have walked along the cliffs for years.
They absorbed my lonely thoughts, inspired exhilarating breaths,
and the coastal tracks created a path for my plodding, non-eventful days.
Hearing the deep rumble of the surf tumbling, soothed me at night. Continue reading “35 | thunder point | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples didn’t know it was Jesus … (John 27:4)

When I’m down at Sandy Bay or Childers Cove, I feel free and happy. Even if there are howling winds, I feel a sense of peace and calmness. It’s like all my worries wash away. Continue reading “34 | sandy bay, childers cove | kirrae whurrung country #Lent 2023” →

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: see! everything old is passed away and everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Picnic Cove is in between Pickering Point and Thunder Point, on the coastline in Warrnambool. Spending time there I marvel at the way the sea moulds the coastline and shapes rocks. The coastline with softer composition is eroded faster than that with a solid composition. Continue reading “33 | picnic cove | peek whurrong country #Lent 2023” →

God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God’s steadfast love. (Psalm 33:5)

Mum: Are there any places that make you think about God?

Yeah, so many! I think about how when I am a grown up, I want to visit a jungle. But jungles will be scary, so I am lucky that God will always keep me safe. Continue reading “32 | everywhere! #Lent 2023” →