There are few books devoted to people facing infertility. Fewer still address issues of faith, and even fewer are written with both men and women in mind. That’s what makes this book so special: it achieves all three. Praying Through Infertility is a unique book that seeks to reach out and comfort men, women and couples […]
hope
Flares, Flowers and a Big Pile of Manure
I had a flare-up this week. Before you ask, everything is OK, but at one point it was so bad it landed me in hospital. Flares can be scary. Chronic illness is painful enough, but when your symptoms flare from smouldering into flame, or when terrifying symptoms strike out of nowhere, it can bring your […]
Will You Be Part of World Childless Week?
Next week the topics for World Childless Week 2023 will be announced and I can’t wait! I’m already drafting ideas for World Childless Week. I’m determined to submit something, even though I’m not sure what it will be yet. I’m still in the brainstorming stages, and I’m sure the topic announcements next week will help […]
Anniversary of a Furbaby
Portia died one year ago. It seems fitting to commemorate such an occasion with the sweetness of words, although I must acknowledge how far words fall short when it comes to capturing those we have loved and lost; their beauty, their quirks, and the empty places they leave in our hearts. This is not a […]
The Voice of Parliament
As Australia moves on from Easter and into national debates around the Voice of Parliament, we cannot help but contemplate affliction. The affliction of our First Nations people is in our faces, confronting us with the brutal reality of their mistreatment, abuse and abandonment. Stan Grant, Q+A presenter on the ABC and Aboriginal Christian man, has felt […]
His Disfigurements
‘We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed […]
Not Alone and Other Stories
I recently read the Stories of Life anthology, Bones and Blue Eyes,* mostly because (shameless self-plug alert) I had two stories published in it, but also because I was genuinely interested in other people’s stories of everyday faith. The book was a blessing. There was a vast mixture of stories short and long, telling tales when […]
How ‘Two Sisters and a Brain Tumour’ Helped Me
I recently read Two Sisters and a Brain Tumour, a memoir by author friend Emily J. Maurits. Even though it was about a brain tumour, I enjoyed reading it—probably because it was about so much more than that. The author takes us on a journey through her relationship with her sister, with all the tension and […]
Unto Us a Child is Born…
‘Unto us a child is born…’ (Isaiah 9:6) Such a beautiful, inspiring verse. What does this verse mean for those who are childless? ‘Unto us a child is born…’ It’s a bold anthem of hope for the people of the world, that Christ our Saviour has come to us. ‘Unto us a child is born…’ […]
Why Diagnosis Was a Relief For Me—and When Getting Better is Hard
Being diagnosed with a lifelong condition is a source of grief for many people. But diagnosis was actually a relief for me—and my grief sometimes gets worse when I get better, not just when I get sicker. I am unfortunate enough to be living with an absolute monster of an autoimmune disease commonly known as […]