Thoughts on faith, culture, and public life.
Invocation + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Pause for reflection Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;his faithful love endures for ever (Psalm 106:1). Good morning, heavenly Father.We worship you, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Good morning, Lord Jesus.We …
Continue reading "Morning prayer for Wednesday 7 October 2026"
Marco Basaiti (1470-1530), "Call of the Sons of Zebedee" (detail), 1510. Now and then in the Gospels, we stumble upon the most extraordinary and unexpected interactions with Jesus. One of the most unexpected and divisive is recorded in Mark 10:35-40. Presumably, the twelve disciples were together, until they weren't. James and John, the sons of …
By Rod Benson A society’s deepest convictions often reside in the connections it takes for granted. Who counts as a neighbour? What makes authority legitimate? When does suffering become sacrifice, or possession become entitlement? Such judgements depend on patterns of meaning that precede arguments. A counter-grammar challenges those patterns, exposing the rules by which an …
Continue reading "Language, power and the possibility of theological renewal"
By Rod Benson Just after sunset on 1 October 2026, I watched a swarm of thousands of moths making landfall at Barrenjoey Point, on Sydney’s northern coastline. They were generally flying westward from over the South Pacific Ocean, presumably after having been swept out to sea by prevailing westerly winds from their fragile breeding grounds …
Rick Warren planted Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, California, in 1980. By Rod Benson Rick Warren’s IMPACT model, developed at Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, California, is a practical method for sequencing songs within a worship service. Its historical importance lies in the way it brought Southern Baptist revivalism, charismatic musical …
Continue reading "Exploring Rick Warren’s IMPACT model for designing worship services"
