I ventured out today

I finally ventured out today. It's hard to accept how much the world has changed in such a short period of time. I revisited places where I used to hang out, places suddenly emptied of people. Those I did run into had the same cautious look in their eye, as if to say, don't come …

FML17: A person in all but name

I need to know the identity of FML17. Not for any particular reason. He’s nothing to me. Not now anyway. He’s dead. Died on Friday, after falling from his bunk bed. Who does that? Falls from a bunk bed and dies? My daughter fell from a bunk bed once. We were watching a movie in …

Shut up and listen: a ‘Christian’ response

What's an appropriate 'Christian' response to the white supremacist attack on the mosques in Christchurch on Friday — I mean, apart from our grief, or our support, or our kindness to those who are suffering as a direct result of the attack, or even those traumatised by it from a distance. Behind my question is the …

We are not like this: No?

I apologise beforehand for any offence. This is just rage.   I gotta be honest though, I hate the fucking Facebook profile sticker that says, This is not who we are. Sure, we’re not America, we don’t do this every day, it’s not a pastime or a sport or a way to fill the news …

They are us: sharing the darkest days

I wrote this for The Australian Newspaper today: Days like this don't happen in New Zealand. We're not this violent. We don't hate like this. We pride ourselves on welcoming immigrants and refugees. Part of the mythology we hold onto is that we are the people who welcomed refugees from the Tampa when the Howard …