Category: Daily Prompt
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When I Think of Success
When you think of the word “successful,”who’s the first person that comes to mind and why? The first person who comes to mind is Paul Barnett, who served as the second Master of Robert Menzies College from 1980 to 1990 before becoming the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney. He recently turned ninety, and though his…
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Through Many Moves
What makes a good neighbour? I’ve moved a lot. Different streets, different locations. Each one teaches you something about people and how we live near each other. When I was a kid, our street was full of children. We were in and out of each other’s houses all the time. There were small irritations but…
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Friendship at This Stage of Life
What could you try for the first time? I know it sounds strange, but I’m going to try something that comes innately to three- and four-year-olds. Something my dog does without thinking. I’m going to try to be more intentional about friendship. That might sound odd for someone who already has friends — some going…
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Psalm of Small Obediences
What principles define how you live? Teach me, O God,not to win, but to walk.Not to fix, but to stay faithfulto the quiet work of right and mercy. You have shown us what is good:to act justly —not only in grand momentsbut in the slow, unseen fairnessof listening well,of keeping promises,of saying the hard truth…
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What I’ve Been Putting Off
What have you been putting off doing? Why? Here’s a list of things I’ve been putting off: At first glance, it’s just a list of chores. But they form a quiet constellation — pieces of life I’ve postponed because they each deserve more than a rushed hour squeezed between meetings and errands. The boxes hold…
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The First Car
When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)? The first time I felt like an adult wasn’t marked by a big moment. It was practical and ordinary. It happened when I bought my first car. I was still living at home and had just started my first full-time job.…
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The Ripple Effect
If I had a million dollars to give away, I know exactly where it would go.It would go to people who believe — as I do — that education changes everything. I’ve spent my whole adult life helping people grow. It’s the thread that runs through everything that has mattered to me: seeing people develop…
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If I Couldn’t Fail
If I couldn’t fail, I’d buy a patch of land — a tired stretch of soil and scrub — and try to bring it back to life. I’d plant local eucalypts and grevilleas, wattles and banksias, enough variety to invite the birds back and coax the insects home. I’d watch the contours of the land…
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The Hardest Goal I Ever Set
What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself? It began with an idea.A flicker really — a connection I started to notice between my interest in creative writing and my practice as a preacher. Both, I realised, were about shaping meaning, holding attention, and opening space for discovery. I thought a doctorate might…
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The Ones Who Stay With Me: John Coburn
When I think about my favourite artists, I don’t immediately picture a museum wall or a famous exhibition. I think of the painting that hangs in our home — one that has moved with us from house to house, always finding pride of place. It’s by John Coburn, the Australian abstract painter whose work captures…
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Why I Write
What is your favourite hobby or pastime? There are many ways to listen to life — through conversation, through silence, through the pages we fill. For me, writing has become the way I pay attention. It’s how I make sense of what lingers, and how I learn to live awake. Ink.Quiet.A thought takes shape. A…
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Nothing to Lose, Everything to Give
What would you do if you lost all your possessions? It’s a confronting question — one that sounds hypothetical, except it isn’t. For me, it came close to reality. I was caught in a scam. What I thought was a small, trustworthy investment turned into a complex trap. Over time, what had seemed solid dissolved…
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When “Black Tie” Didn’t Mean What I Thought It Did
I feel very embarrassed when I look back on it. I was a broke uni student when the invitation arrived: a 21st birthday party in one of Sydney’s more affluent suburbs. The card read simply: Black Tie. Perfect, I thought. I didn’t own one, but I knew a mate who did. A quick borrow, and…
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A Day in the Diary
Your life without a computer: what does it look like? 7.00am. The desk feels emptier without a screen in front of me. Essays take forever. My pen scratches against the page, and when I need a reference, I head to the library, combing through indexes and card catalogues. Progress is measured in hours, not minutes.…
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Breathing New Life into the Old
What skill would you like to learn? I would love to learn how to restore old furniture. There’s something wonderful about taking a table with wobbling legs, a chair with faded upholstery, or a dresser that’s been pushed to the curb — and seeing more than just its brokenness. With a bit of imagination and…
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The Hidden Economy of Friendship
I was talking recently with a friend who noted that loneliness is a major issue for Australian men. Maybe less so for women—I’m not sure. I sometimes wonder if busyness simply covers it over. Being the boss at work comes with its own kind of solitude. Responsibility sits with me, and for now, people seek…
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My #1 Priority Tomorrow
What’s your #1 priority tomorrow? My top priority tomorrow is participating in a week-long conference of university colleges. It’s something we do every year, gathering colleagues from across the country to talk about the things that matter most in our work. This year, the number one item on the agenda is both urgent and long…
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The First Time I Learned Hard Work
In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? I was fifteen the first time I met hard work face to face. Not chores, not the jobs around home that I already knew. This was something else—intensely hard work, the kind that strips you back, leaves you empty, and then fills you with a…
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Risk and Waiting
What’s the trait you value most about yourself? What I value most about myself is not a single trait but a paradox I live with. I am both daring and patient. I will risk everything when the cause is right, and yet I will wait years if the time is not ready. It’s a strange…
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Three Jobs if Money Didn’t Matter
List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter. If money were no object, I’d choose work that feels less like a job and more like a way of honouring what matters. Each of these roles is about restoration—of stories, of people, of things we might otherwise lose. The Story GathererI imagine a workstation…
The Afterword 