This Thursday, Nana Gwen reflects on religious stereotypes, tradition and the false images of God by using Jesus and the Gospels as our lens.

A Photo Essay by Gwen Leane

Digital photography has changed the way we snap our photos.  My wife takes photos, many photos and I cry, ‘The cost, the cost, the cost!  What about the cost of film and development?’  But she laughs, and says, ‘This is the digital age, don’t you know.’ and continues on her way happily snapping.  If the snaps aren’t good she just deletes them and that is that. 

‘Look that’s a lizard isn’t it, sitting on the guide’s shoulder?’ The children stared in fascination and amazement, having never seen such a creature before. Drago is an Inland Bearded Dragon and looks like a miniature dinosaur. He doesn’t look very handsome and is downright fearsome when he puffs out his and body and beard.

A heartfelt reflection of the masks we wear to hide our pain, and how God calls us to live unmasked and truly known.

My daughter, Diane, found a picture of a patchwork quilt and loved it, many years ago. The feature of the quilt consists of twelve crocheted squares, twelve inches square. Diane did not crochet but I did and so I made the squares for her.

A heartfelt reflection on the span of eighty years compared with eternity, and how our choices shape where we spend forever. Gwen reminds us that five months of prayer and church in a lifetime is not enough — true life is found in a living relationship with Christ, who offers us everything as joint heirs with Him.

A reflective Thursday Brew with Gwen about her 1978 writing class — faith, free will, and why God allows suffering. A testimony of how everyday encounters can strengthen faith and inspire writing.

Set against the vast Australian outback, Gwen’s short story follows Jacki, a girl raised in secrecy by a boundary rider. When tragedy strikes, her hidden identity unravels, leading to a powerful moment of survival, revelation, and hope.

Reading was my passion, and winning a Red Cross competition at school set me on a path that would last throughout my life.  The book I won was about one of the first nursing posts established at Innamincka by Rev. John Flynn and his dream of helping people in the bush.

Click went with my camera. I waited, expecting the bird to fly off, scared by my presence and the camera click. Instead, the New Holland Honeyeater hopped onto another flower.

‘Where is my boob?’ I looked with consternation as my granddaughter Natalie pulled a pair of bras from the shopping bag in which she had brought me a set of clothes. I had spent two days in hospital with a gastro bug and felt that to go home fully clothed rather than in pajamas and dressing gown would help my self-esteem considerably.

Maureen, not her real name, discovered that a diamond was missing from her engagement ring.  Maureen was very upset. The loss was so great it felt as if her left hand had been cut off. Maureen and her husband turned the house upside down...

The taxi pulled up before the Maid and Magpie Hotel. The cab door open and David Anstey alighted. ‘Don’t worry too much, mate. It will work out for you,’ the cab driver said as he handed David some change.

The election maybe over but we are still being bombarded with the jubilation of the winners and the angst of the losers.

Over a pie, honey log cake and custard slice, I and my family sat in a café after church, discussing the sermon we had just heard. The question arose about revelation of truth, that moment when a camera flash went off in the mind and you thought, wow!

A secret Life… It seems everything has a secret life, even plants. A curious scientist is needed to unravel those secrets. The gardener may have certain suspicions about the secret life of plants, trees and water. We never document those suspicions thinking they are granny's tales and fearful of being considered crazy.