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What we call Dark – a poem by Matthew Pullar

What we call Darkis often what we don’t understand, or cannot yetexplain. Dark as in: unseeable; not observed.The inside of the box. Beyond the boundary.The energy stretching the universefaster than reason can catch. The matter that,unseen, drives gravity mad.But these too are dark: the consciousnessthat torments itself with unknowable things;the inside of the apple; theContinue reading “What we call Dark – a poem by Matthew Pullar”

Interview with SparkLit

It was a great pleasure to be interviewed by an old friend, and filmed by another, for the 2025 Australian Christian Book of the Year awards night. Congratulations to the nine other books that were shortlisted for the award, especially to Stephen Driscoll for his award-winning book on AI, Made In Our Image. You canContinue reading “Interview with SparkLit”

A year in books: 2023

I recently saw a meme containing the caption, “My life is a series of things keeping me from reading my book.” Sometimes, I must admit, I feel like this. Though when I look over the 120+ books I have read this year, I’ve clearly managed to read somehow. My identification with that meme says muchContinue reading “A year in books: 2023”

On the third day of Christmas…

Many people in churches this week will hear the stories read of those who first saw Jesus and knew that He was the saviour sent to earth. But what about those who knew Him on earth, walked with Him, saw Him die and rise again, then went on to live waiting for Him to return?Continue reading “On the third day of Christmas…”

On the second day of Christmas…

As a child, I used to assume that Boxing Day meant one of three possible things: 1) It was the day we boxed up all our presents to take them home from our grandparents’. (We never did this, so it probably wasn’t option 1.) 2) After a day of celebrating together, we were now sickContinue reading “On the second day of Christmas…”

Waiting 8: Zerubbabel (For Christ the King)

He took mein his hand and said,”You are my signet ring,son of David.”And warm thoughhis ancient loving voice,I gulped dust at the sound of my ancient father’s name,swam in the expanse betweenhis day and mine, choked onthe bitterness of dead promise.”You are my signet ring,” he said,”I will scorch you as wax and youshall sealContinue reading “Waiting 8: Zerubbabel (For Christ the King)”

40 Days of Mercy Week 3: Mercy for the safe

This week I lost NBN connection and was locked out of my Google account while trying to buy an eBook of Ilya Kaminsky’s “Dancing in Odessa”. Today I found myself in the impossible position of trying to convey to an Optus consultant why it was no use telling me to download the Optus app toContinue reading “40 Days of Mercy Week 3: Mercy for the safe”

Ordinary Wednesday: Healing Home

In early primary school I remember composing the beginnings of a poem in my head. It went: I was born in Ballarat, some miles away from Melbourne,People always said to me, “Oh my, you must be well-born.” While I chose to prioritise rhyme and rhythm over truth (no-one has ever called me “well-born”, it showsContinue reading “Ordinary Wednesday: Healing Home”