The Afterword

Author: Peter

  • Writing for Discovery

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What are your strategies for SEO? SEO is one of those things I understand in principle but have never really thought about in relation to my blog. In my professional life, we certainly use it. We want to connect people who have particular needs with the services we provide. It makes good sense. But my…

  • The Despised – Luke 19

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    ‘At The Table With Jesus’Stories of encounters between Jesus and those considered ‘marginalised’. There are peoplewe would rather Jesus did not love. We know what they have doneThe harm they caused,the lives they broke,the trust they betrayed.We know where they belong.Outside. Justice matters.The wounded must be heard,the vulnerable protected.But what happenswhen the one who caused…

  • The Advice I Wish I’d Taken

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s one thing you know now that would havesaved your younger self a lot of pain? If I could go back and give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to get some good financial advice early in life. We’ve lived a rather unconventional life. For most of our married life, we’ve…

  • The Weirdest Movie I’ve Ever Watched

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s the weirdest movie you’ve ever watched? The weirdest movie I remember watching was Arachnophobia, a 1990 horror comedy starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. What can I say? It sounded weird. It was weird. And to this day, I have no idea why I thought it was worth watching. It wasn’t. With Jeff Daniels…

  • The First Part of the Day

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Tell us about your morning routine. I never set an alarm in the morning. I don’t need to. My body clock wakes me in the early hours each day. So my morning routine is really about protecting the first part of the day, especially the hour and a half between five and six-thirty. There are…

  • More Than Memories

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s the best way to meet new people while traveling? We’re the kind of people who are more interested in ongoing relationships than casual ones. So when I think about meeting people while travelling, I’m less interested in how many people we meet than in what happens afterwards. In recent years, we have increasingly travelled…

  • The Same Mistakes

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    If aliens arrived tomorrow what’s the first thing you’d ask them? If aliens arrived tomorrow, I think the first thing I would ask them is: Did you make the same mistakes we did? It sounds slightly whimsical, but it is really a question about ourselves. If they had managed to reach Earth before we had…

  • The Skill That Looks Effortless

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s the most underrated life skill? I really admire people who are strong in empathy. They are often the people I am drawn to most. They seem able to sense what others are feeling and understand what someone may be experiencing before that person has even found the words. They hear the unvoiced questions. They…

  • Leave Room for Grace

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by? “Leave room for grace” is one of the personal philosophies I try to live by. As the principal of a university college, I regularly find myself dealing with complicated situations. Young adults make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes come from immaturity or naivety. Sometimes from irresponsibility. Sometimes…

  • Jesus and Foreigners – Matthew 8:5-13

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    ‘At The Table With Jesus’Stories of encounters between Jesus and those considered ‘marginalised’. We are always drawing lines.Who belongs.Who does not.Who was here first.Who speaks like us.Prays like us.Understands the way things are done. And then a foreignerwalks toward Jesus.A Roman centurion.A man wearingthe uniform of occupation.He comes with no claim to belonging.Only need.Lord,my servant…

  • First get oriented. Then wander.

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s the best way to explore a new city? People often say that the best way to explore a new city is simply to wander. I admire people who can do that. I’m not really one of them. When I arrive somewhere new, I like to get a cognitive map in my head. I want…

  • Very Small, But Never More Alive

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive? This is me in my happy place, standing on an ice floe in the Southern Ocean. It was day one of our expedition to Antarctica. The air was cold, but not unbearably so. Around us, ice, ocean and sky seemed to stretch forever.…

  • If I Had One Wish

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    The genie grants you a wish. What is it? If a genie appeared and offered me one wish, I don’t think I’d need much time to decide. I’d give the wish away. I already have enough. I’ve lived a fortunate life. Of course there are things I could wish were different, but I don’t feel…

  • Meaning-Making

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What are your favourite side-hustle ideas? A lot of people have a side hustle. Usually it means paid work done alongside your main job. Sometimes the reason is economic. A person’s main income may not be enough to cover housing, food, education, debt or family responsibilities. For others, a side hustle provides some extra money…

  • How to Get Fit While Watching TV

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What are five simple exercises to do at home? When I was younger, I knew a guy who seemed able to do push-ups forever. I watched him one day. He just kept going and going, with no obvious sign of getting tired. “How do you do that?” I asked. His answer was surprisingly simple. One…

  • The Long Mirror

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself? Marriage is a long mirror. It involves the slow discovery of who you are through decades of shared life. You learn your habits, blind spots, strengths and loyalties. You also discover the difference between loving someone in theory and adjusting your life around another person in…

  • Preserving Stories that Matter

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    If you could start a new business right now, what would it be? Years ago, when I was working in a church, I wrote a course on how to write your life story. It was really just meant to be a community service. I thought we might get half a dozen people. We did a…

  • Things We Forget – Exodus 17

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    There are thingswe forget by accident.And there are other thingswe forgetbecause fear has become louderthan memory. Israel is thirsty.It is a real thirst.Desert thirst.Three-days-and-you-die thirst.And suddenly Egyptlooks different in the rear-view mirror. The sea has been crossed.The chains are gone.Manna lies on the ground each morning.Cloud still moves before them by day,fire still burns by…

  • Simple Habits, Healthy Eating

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What are your best healthy eating habits? I don’t follow a complicated diet. Most of my healthy eating habits are quite ordinary. One of the simplest is that I try not to eat something just because it is there. Rice, for example, is served with almost every meal in our Dining Hall. I like rice,…

  • My Anti-Life-Hacks

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    What are some life hacks that you practice? Most life hacks are designed to make life easier. Mine often do the opposite. I don’t have a bin in my office. This occasionally surprises people, especially new cleaners. It isn’t an oversight. It is deliberate. If I want to throw something away, I have to get…