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ABOUT US
Sight Magazine is an editorially independent, Australian-based website covering local and global news and issues from a Christian perspective.
Our mission is simple - "to open the eyes" of people
not only in Australia but around the globe to how Jesus Christ
is actively moving among his church today and to encourage
Christians from all denominations to share how God is moving
in their midst.
DAVID ADAMS,
editor
A
freelance journalist, David has written for national news
publications in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Married
to Linda with two wonderful children - Kyle and Clare - David
lives in Geelong, Victoria.
Ann
is your average human being, who loves Jesus, and is interested
in everyone and just about everything. She is happily married
with two kids and sometimes gets to do web art for Sight.
ACTIVE CONTRIBUTORS/COLUMNISTS
KRIS BATHER
Kris lives in Perth and in a constant state of amazement. God and pop culture are two of his passions and he makes sure not to separate the two. He also loves coffee, chocloate, cheap XBOX 360 games and free
food. He has worked as a DJ on community radio, sold mobile phones when they were bricks and has generally made a fool of himself to make others laugh in his various short films. The former comics books editor at Infuze likes to think that he is the geekiest person in the room. Usually, he's right.
CHOE BRERETON
Choe is a biological scientist by trade who has worked in forensics and more recently with many of the top scientists in the field of HIV research. Her writing career sprouted wings after she kicked science to the curb in August 2006 and fast-tracked a diploma in creative writing. She has since written for a number of publications. Married and living in New South Wales, she hopes to soon embark on a masters degree in journalism or communications. For every good thing that she has, she gives all glory to God.
CHRISSI
ELLANKOON
Chrissi
has recently discovered the secret joy of writing. She is
passionate about seeing people equipped in order achieve the
potential that God has placed in them. She is also actively
invovled in a young adult ministry focused on 26-35 year olds
and is also enjoying a career in the financial industry.
MAL
FLETCHER
Mal
is a TV and radio broadcaster, social commentator
and author whose books have been translated into five languages.
He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker and lecturer
who equips leaders and major organisations to deal with change
in a proactive way. He appears regularly in various media
and speaks to audiences around the world. Mal is the founder/director
of Next Wave International, a Christian mission to Europe,
based in London. His EDGES TV programmes are seen around the
world. For much more, constantly updated material, go to nextwaveonline.com
and edges.tv.
NICK
HODGSON
Nick
is a 1990 Chiropractic graduate of the Phillip Institute of
Technology (now RMIT University). He has been practicing full-time
in Ocean Grove for the last fifteen years and runs the longest
established and largest natural health practice on the Bellarine
Peninsula. Nick is a Fellow of the Holder Research Institute
(F.H.R.I.), and is a member of the Chiropractors' Association
of Australia (CAA) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA),
and sits on the WCA's International Board of Governors, and
the WCA Council on Addictions and Compulsive Disorders. Nick
has also been actively involved in leadership roles at the
Ocean Grove Baptist Church; leading small study groups including
Alpha, singing in the worship team, and coordinating the church-wide
"40 Days of Purpose" spiritual growth campaign.
ADAM
KELSALL
A
former youth worker at Youth For Christ, Adam is studying
youth work and doing a masters in wilderness therapy. He is
passionate about communication and the fuzziness between what
we say and what people hear. Adam likes climbing rocks and
eating food provided by multinational burger and sandwich
chains.
JUSTIN
MICHAEL
Justin
fills a number of roles - his current fulltime gig is as a
music director/worship pastor at Kardinia Christian Church
in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Justin performs with the
Aussie band Compliments of Gus - check www.complimentsofgus.com
- and somehow, has found himself doing solo stuff - www.justinmichael.com - as well as singing with the Melbourne Gospel Choir over
the past few years. He is married to the very beautiful Jodi
and they have a spectacular little man named Noah who keeps
them busy. Justin says it's fun being a muso and that it’s
crazy being all of the above things, but he wouldn’t
have it any other way!
CHRIS PIPER
Chris
originally hails from England so has that Tony Blair-type
accent, and met his wife, Marilyn (who is a Geelong gal) in
Somalia. He teaches part time at Deakin University on their
graduate International & Community Development program,
and also runs his own overseas aid consultancy, TorqAid. Chris
& Marilyn live in Torquay, and have four children.'
DEAN
RANKINE
Dean
has been branded a heretic but he's trying not to take it
personally. He likes Indian food, coffee and watching kung-fu
movies. His dislikes include making small talk, roller-blading
and being eaten by sharks. He works part-time as a community
development worker with a needle and syringe program and part-time
as a cartoonist. His comics have been published worldwide.
You can see more of his work at HOLY
COW! Christian Comics.
PHIL SMITH
Phil is a graduate in journalism and media from Central Queensland University. An award-winning journalist, he has filed radio and television stories from throughout South East Asia, Australia's "Top End" and the South Pacific. His credits include an ABC TV documentary on the rebuilding of East Timor. He hosts the ANZAC Day telecast from Brisbane each year. As a recipient of the Prince of Wales Award, Phil worked in San Francisco as Associate Producer at KGO, the top rating talk station in the US. The owner of Spun Yarns, Phil has covered matters of faith and Christian events for a wide range of faith-based and secular media, including the History Makers radio programme. As a guest speaker, Phil can draw on experiences as a Squadron Leader in the RAAF Specialist Reserve. He has served as a Peace Keeper in East Timor and Bougainville. He's also been operational in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Indonesia. His stories include aircraft carriers and the Aceh tsunami, providing insight for teens to management teams. Married to Kayleen and father of Rebeccah and Jessica, Phil is involved with his local community through Pine Rivers Uniting Church. He lives near Lake Samsonvale and is writing an eco-thriller under the working title Slick. Phil's website is www.philsmith.com.au.
RUSSELL
STUBBINGS
Russell
is a church planter, teacher, and Bible college lecturer with
a keen interest in exploring the place and function of the
church, as a missional yet Biblically faithful entity, in
contemporary society. Russell is beginning studies in the
counselling field in an effort to be more effective as a pastor
and develop a life coaching approach from a Christian perspective.
He enjoys all things sporting and has had extensive involvement
in the coaching field. Possibly his greatest achievement has
been maintaining his sanity whilst raising teenage children
with his wife Rhonda, to whom he has been happily married
for 20 years.
NILS VON
KALM
Nils
is a born-and-bred Melbournite with a passion for making the
Gospel relevant to the everyday person. Married to Nell, he
has an honours degree in sociology as well as an accounting
degree. During the week he works as a grant coordinator at World Vision. Currently
a deacon at St Martin's
Community Church in Collingwood, Nils regularly writes
articles for the church bulletin and preaches occasionally.
An avid reader, Nils' interests are early Christianity, the
person of Jesus, the question of God and apologetics, and
communicating how Jesus and the Gospels relate to every aspect
of life. He has recently launched his own website called Soul
Thoughts.
BRUCE
C. WEARNE
A
doctoral graduate from LaTrobe University (1986), Bruce lives
and works from Point Lonsdale. He is currently working on
a Christian sociological study of what it means to walk, as
part of what it means to live as those who follow Jesus in
this world. He thus also does a lot of walking along the coast
to stimulate his research which also includes theoretical
sociology and the production of stories explaining Christian
life for children which are composed to be read with profit
by their parents. He is married to a social policy researcher
and has two grown up sons.
SIU FUNG WU
Originally
from Hong Kong, Siu Fung has been in Melbourne since 1989.
He was a pastor, and is a visiting lecturer at two theological
colleges. Siu Fung studied computer science, economics and
transport planning, and worked in IT for years. But his passion
is the Bible and its relevance to the world today. After completing
a degree at a Pentecostal college, he went to an Anglican
college in England to do an MPhil in biblical studies. Having
grown up in a working class family, Siu Fung knows first hand
what it means to be poor and powerless. He works part time
as Global Education Officer at World
Vision, and seeks to encourage the church to embody the
Gospel in
every sphere of life.
FORMER
CONTRIBUTORS
TANYA
BENNETTS
Tanya’s
background, predominantly in the NGO sector, ranges from communications,
marketing and PR through to sponsorship and fundraising, in
both Australia and South Africa with organisations such as
the Heart Foundation of Australia, World Vision South Africa
and the Cancer Association of South Africa. She has an incredible
passion for people and currently works full time for a multi-national
corporation. Tanya, her husband Grant and their two children,
Bryce and Kendra, live in Johannesburg, South Africa.
GAVIN BOX
Gavin is a journalist based in Geelong, Australia. He and wife
Jenny have two young children. At 40, he says his wife
and children keep him young, although his receding hairline begs
to differ.
SALLY HOLT
Sally
has been a print journalist for over 15 years and has also
been involved with a Christian radio station in several 'on'
and 'off'-air roles.. Married with three children, she now
works as a public relations writer within the university sector
and is currently undertaking a Masters degree in Professional
Communication.
JO HOPPING
Jo
enjoys living vicariously through other people’s adventures
while editing manuscripts and other bits of paper. Married
to Rod, they have four daughters who keep the ‘mountain
of wonder’ topped up in the laundry and spend too much
time chasing their overgrown German Shepherd puppy out of
the neighbour’s yard. Luckily there’s lots of
space for shouting at him in their paddock on the Sunshine
Coast. Grammatically-challenged readers can contact her via www.editonline.com.au.
JOE
MONTAGUE
Joe
is an internationally published writer and photographer whose
work has appeared in Europe, Australia and the United States.
His articles and reviews regularly appear in Christian publications
and mainstream music magazines. He currently resides in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada. Joe’s writing is dedicated to the memory
of his late son Kent Montague who died suddenly at the age
of 18. Joe is also the publisher of Riveting Riffs, www.rivetingriffs.com.
JIM REIHER
Jim
is a husband, a father of four, and a grandfather of four
(but soon to be six). Since finishing high school in 1974,
he has been an ambulance officer (four years), a highschool
teacher (eight years), and a Bible college lecturer (12 years:
five years at Harvest Bible College in Melbourne, and seven
years at Tabor, Victoria). Jim teaches church history and
New Testament studies. He began the Berwick campus for Tabor,
Victoria, and currently lectures there and in the Ringwood
North campus. Jim is also a keen writer with published books
including The Eye of the Needle: Discipleship and Wealth and Women, Leadership and the Church. Jim has a Bachelor
of Arts, with a double major in history, a Diploma in Education,
and a Masters in Theology with honours. He is actively involved
in politics, and stood as a candidate in the 2004 Federal
Election, and more recently in the 2006 Victorian State election.
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"We'll still get some nasty weather but we've dodged a big-time bullet with this one."
- New Orleans stockbroker Peter Labouisse, speaking after Hurricane Gustav weakened to a tropical storm before hitting the US city on 1st September, 2008 (as quoted on www.reuters.com.) For previous 'They said it'...| more... |
THIS WEEK ON THE WEB
A new weekly section where we provide a link to a particularly good article or video we've come across on the web.
This week - Mal Fletcher, of Next Wave Online, talking about 'What to do when leaders fail'. Click here to go to the Next Wave Online website and hear what Mal has to say...
DID YOU KNOW? NEWS BRIEFS
THE
STATISTIC
Number of people displaced from their homes by floods in India in August and early September, 2008
One of the architects of the modern EU, Francois Mitterand, once said: "I'm afraid that when Europe's body is reunited it may lose its soul." Some people feel that is happening right now -- and that immigration is largely to blame.
Immigration has been called the most potent political issue in Europe today. It can certainly be a very emotive one.
On one side, there are people who argue for a very open handed approach to immigration. On the other are people who call for tighter immigration laws because, they claim, immigration may bring higher levels of crime or jeopardise traditional values.
MAL FLETCHER takes a look at the often vexed issue of immigration...| more... |
Click here to go
to the forums to have your say...
FORUMS THIS WEEK
SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT
Two thousand people are already believed to have been killed in a conflict which has broken out in South Ossetia, a part of Georgia that broke away in 1992 after Georgia earlier gained its independence following the collapse of the USSR. Russia has reportedly sent troops, tanks and bombers into the region where they have clashed with Georgian forces, sparking fears of a wider war breaking out in the region. What's your view on the conflict?
SIGHTPOLL: SHOULD SPORTS STARS BE VIEWED AS ROLE MODELS?
With Victorian AFL club Collingwood suspending two players for the remainder of the season following a car crash which allegedly involved drink-driving, the role of sports stars - whether they should be viewed as role models and what this means - is once again up for debate. What do you think?
OLYMPIC MOMENTS
The Olympics have hosted some of the world's greatest sporting moments - from Jesse Owens' emotionally charged four track and field medals at the 1936 Berlin games (a feat equalled by Carl Lewis in 1984) through to Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at Montreal in 1976 and Cathy Freeman's emotional win in the 400 metres at Sydney in 2000. What's your favorite Olympic moment?
OF FAMILY HISTORIES
Seventh generation Australian, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been presented with a detailed history of his ancestors, who included convicts (one of the earliest was a 12-old-girl, Mary Wade, who arrived on the Second Fleet) and free settlers. Researching family histories has become an increasingly popular pastime in Australia. Have you done so? What do you know about your families past and have you ever unearthed any skeletons in the closet? Is it important to our own identity to know about our past?
Click
here to go
to the forums to have your say...
It’s interesting to see how different the gospel of Jesus is to much of Christianity today. I think the following from Tim Keller on the difference between religion and the gospel has alot to say to all believers.
NILS VON KALM'S blog on faith, life and how it all might fit together...|
more... |
STRANGESIGHTS:
OF JESUS AND CRICKET, BOUNCY CASTLE CHURCHES AND 'MANTIHOSE'
Jesus played cricket? An Armenian scholar, Dr Abraham Terian, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reportedly says that an ancient manuscript - the Armenian Gospel of the Infancy (translated into Armenian in the 6th century from an older Syriac document) - contains a passage in which Jesus played a game with a club and ball which could be considered a precursor to cricket. Experts say that games similar to cricket are known to have been played in the Punjab region as early as the 8th century.
DAVID
ADAMS writes about the odder side of life...|
more... |
FOR
SIGHT'S BLOG LINKS, HEAD TO OUR BLOGSPOT PAGE...
SPOTLIGHT
Why are you holding a 'Dr Who and Spirituality' Day?
Sight's
trial podcast is now available to download online. The first of what we
hope will become a monthly feature, the podcast features discussions on
The Da Vinci Code, giving donations as presents, Wow! featuring
Switchfoot and a "live" cooking demonstration by "celebrity
chef" Jamie Crookiver.
• Grammy Award winners in the Gospel categories;
• Delirious? set to release final album with Stew Smith as drummer;
• Hillsong United to release iHeart Revolution : With Hearts As One project; and
• Newsboys win honors, ready for Rezfest... |
more... |
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