Author: Peter
-
Shopping for the Future
Where would you go on a shopping spree? I’m not much of a shopper. I buy what I need, but I rarely find myself dreaming of more, which means I can be slow to replace things even when they are clearly wearing out. Shirts can get frayed before I finally do something about them, and…
-
When No One Sees – Matthew 6:1-18
She was raisedto think often about righteousness.Her father was a Pharisee.She learned to do what was right,and she did it well. So when the rabbi said,Be careful,she was startled. What danger could there bein righteousness? Then he named it:doing holy thingsto be seen. Giving to the poor—the law had always made roomat the edge of…
-
Grace in the Middle
What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance? My middle name is John. It was not passed down as a family tradition; in fact, my father has no middle name. I suspect my parents chose it simply because it was a name they liked. But I have come to value it for…
-
A Small Act of Welcome
What is the last thing you learned? Every year we welcome students from all over the world, and this year they arrived from 35 different countries. One of the small disciplines I try to keep is learning their names, not just acknowledging them when we pass in the corridor, but greeting them as accurately as…
-
The Question on Repeat
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain. My current most-hated question is, “So—when are you going to retire?” My father asks it every time I see him. He’s ninety-six, and he asks it with the casual confidence of a man who thinks this is a normal question, like commenting on the weather.…
-
What Failure Taught Me About Success
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? What felt like one of my greatest professional failures at the time turned out to be one of the most important turning points in my life. I had applied for a lecturing role in another state that seemed perfectly suited to my…
-
More Twists Than I Expected
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? My opening sentence would be: I grew up thinking life would be straightforward; it rarely was, and that turned out to be a gift. I once said to a friend that almost nothing in my life had gone the way I expected, and I did not mean…
-
Three Objects, Three Values
What are three objects you couldn’t live without? The three objects I couldn’t live without are not glamorous, but they do tell the truth about me. The first is my laptop. It is my library, office, writing desk, research assistant, and communication centre all in one. So much of my life runs through it. It…
-
The Loss That Changed Me
What experiences in life helped you grow the most? I grew a lot the day I realised I had been scammed. I was older when I bought an apartment as an investment, and I trusted advice that seemed sensible at the time. A friend had recommended a financial adviser, and he showed me a number…
-
Kingdom Life in a Broken World – Matthew 5:33-48
When Jesus spoke of oathsI think he was speakingto that part of usthat likes to stand near truthwithout stepping inside it,that part that saysby heaven,by earth,by anything bright enoughto make our words look holy,while the heartkeeps one handon the latch. He had already saidhe came not to abolishbut to fulfil,and the old worldwas still humming…
-
The Farmer
Listen—not all ground is broken the same.The farmer knows this.He runs his hand through the soil,presses it between thumb and palm,waits for the windbefore he lifts the plough. He does not thresh dilllike he threshes wheat.Black cumin is not crushed by a cartwheel.Each seed has its way,each time its season. So too the Lord—sometimes a…
-
More Than Destiny
Do you believe in fate/destiny? I don’t believe in fate, at least not as some impersonal force that fixes every outcome in advance. But as a Christian, I do believe in the presence and guidance of God. Fate suggests that everything is locked in and life simply unfolds as it must. Faith says something quite…
-
A Season of Easy Belonging
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to. It surprised me how hard it was to leave high school. I enjoyed those years. My world was small, familiar and full of good friendships, and many of those people are still part of my life. University was the opposite. It was big,…
-
If Only for a Day
If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why? I spend my life working with words and people, so if I could be someone else for a day, I would choose someone whose gift is to bring beauty into the world in a completely different way. Dale Chihuly is…
-
Built with Words
Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on I’m not much of a DIY person. I admire people who are, and part of me wishes I could do projects like that. My father was an engineer and, over the years, put four extensions on our family homes. He likes knowing how things work,…
-
The Word I’d Ban (For Now)
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage,which one would it be? Why? It’s just a word, right? A throwaway word.A quick word.A word people use all the time and think nothing of. So why get worked up about one word? Because words are not nothing. Because words shape what we see.Because words…
-
What Leadership Looks Like Right Now
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months? The next six months will bring plenty of obvious challenges: new student accommodation opening nearby, close to 2,000 extra beds coming into the market, newer buildings with better amenities, and the pressure that puts on occupancy, budgets, and planning. These are being…
-
What He Needed Wasn’t a Lecture
What advice would I give my teenage self? I don’t think I’d give him a grand speech. I’d try to be a person he could trust. Older me: You don’t need a lecture.Teenage me: Then what do I need?Older me: People who will listen properly. People with wisdom. People who take you seriously and help…
-
Blessed in the Dust – Matthew 5:17-32
Jesus sits downand says to burdened people,Blessed. Blessed?Under Rome?Under law?Under shame?Under the endless need to prove ourselves? They know the weight of commandments,the crushing pressure of getting it right.And Jesus says:I have not come to abolish the Law,but to fulfil it.Not a dot will be lost. No wonder they slump in the dust. We know…
-
What bores you?
I don’t mind repetition. In fact, a lot of good life is repetitive: walking the dog, making meals, showing up for work, checking in with people, paying attention, doing the next right thing. Repetition can build trust, skill, and steadiness. What I struggle with is a different kind of boredom — the kind that shows…
The Afterword 