Brief Biography
Status:
By the grace of Christ Jesus, a child of God.
Ministry:
Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. Ordained 1955, served in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.
Focus:
A bearer and sharer of the Good News.
Key interests over the years:
Social justice, theological education, contemporary liturgy, spiritual formation.
Present ministry:
Officially retired. Actively writing and enjoying relaxed prayer/meditation.
Pet dislike:
Preachers who appear bored with their own sermons.
Influential friends:
Wife Marie, a daughter and two sons, and eight grandchildren. All good at hugging.
Relaxation:
Swimming, classical music, bushwalking, cannoing, wood turning, and watching the bird life on the small lake next to our present home.
ABOUT THIS MATERIAL
The bulk of it is in the form of prayers, poems and psalms in a contemporary Australian context.
Psalms:
In some cases, Biblical psalms are transposed from pre-Christ to post-Christ and from ancient Israel to the present day world/Australia. These are not translations.
In other cases entirely original psalms are written in the Biblical spirit or New Testament material is reshaped into a psalm form..
Prayers.
For my own parish ministry, I have drawn heavily on the rich historic heritage as well as from a many ecumenical, present-day sources. The prayers presented here are only one segment of a varied and balanced diet.
Most of these can be offered by a single voice, or two voices, or one voice with congregational response. Adaptation to local needs is encouraged.
Sermons.
In this Cycle "C" of the RCL, the sermons are based on the Gospel lessons. God willing, the next time round they may be based on the Old Testament lessons.
Borrowing from a New Testament description of gifts, I would classify my preaching as that of a pastoral "exhorter". It is in my bones to try and encourage and inspire. The sermons are intuitive rather rather than scholarly.
Poems.
The poems included here, arise from the Gospel readings.
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