By: Laura Bennett
Storytelling is one the oldest forms of communication there is. From ancient oral histories that inform cultural identities to the narratives of the Bible that form the backbone to our Christian faith, stories are a powerful conduit for meaning and belief. Read more
In Australia, two-thirds of parents are both working and raising young children. And many of those families are turning to grandparents to fill the vital role as carers for their kids. Read more
By: Sheridan Voysey
I recently heard a fascinating story about a heart surgeon. At the end of one operation, he returned his patient’s heart back into the chest and began gently massaging it back to life. But the heart wouldn’t restart. Read more
By: Michael McQueen
I’m sure we have all at some point felt the effects of bad conversation. Awkwardness, offence, miscommunication are all rooted in conversations that didn’t achieve what they were supposed to. Read more
By: Robert Garrett
In Braving the Wilderness, author Brené Brown says, “In philosophy, “you’re either with us or against us” is considered a false dichotomy or a false dilemma. It’s a move to force people to take sides. [However] the ability to think past either/or situations is the foundation of critical thinking, but still, it requires courage. Getting curious and asking questions happens outside our bunkers of certainty.” Read more
By: Susan Sohn
I was born in 1970, smack in the middle of Generation X births. Read more
By: Robert Garrett
“Just pick up the phone and call them!” I say to my teenagers. They’ve texted one or more of their friends to make plans, and all other activity is suspended as they wait impatiently for a response. It seems they would rather endure the frustration of waiting than having a verbal conversation with a friend.
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By: Rachel Doherty
Social skills are a set of actions we need to get on with others and navigate life. Parents, youth workers and school chaplains are well placed to help children and teenagers not only develop them, but keep them too. Read more
Vicky sat at the kitchen table, stunned and hurt. Her four-year-old marriage to Alex, on which she had pinned so many hopes and dreams, seemed false. She had just heard from a friend that Alex had been seen lunching with an old girlfriend. Read more
Note: This article has been written from the perspective of women in the context of marriage, but applies to both men and women in friendships and dating included!
Showing disrespect has become a modern marriage pastime. We laugh as our favourite on-screen wives make fools out of their husbands, and before long we’re talking like these leading ladies. Read more