What's your main reason for writing Journey of a Princess? Is there a particular event which inspired you to write it? 

     "So many of our heroes are based on their Hollywood status; the dress size they squeeze into; their lip size; the brand of hand bag they carry - and there are so many amazing heroes all around us who are incredibly inspiring and are doing things that impact our world and are changing the course of history - but if we don't know about them, how can we be inspired by them? Journey of a Princess is a book that I wanted to read but couldn't find on the book shelves. There are some great books out there but I wanted a book on girls who had done and were doing things that I could relate to; not necessarily a girl who grew up wanting to be the prom queen or the college cheer leader."

     Australian Carolyn Donovan is an internationally known model, writer and speaker. Released last year, her book, Journey of a Princess, features a range of women - including Olympic swimmer Jessicah Schipper, performers Marina Prior and Darlene Zschech, surfer Tara Ryan and the indigenous art world’s Heather Blacklock - sharing where they find inspiration and how they have achieved success. She speaks with CHARLOTTE DURUT...  | more...|

The natural historian Sir David Attenborough this week explained why he does not mention God in his award-winning TV programmes.

     The revered presenter of such groundbreaking series as The Living Planet and producer of the classic Life on Earth, told The Times: "I tend to think of an innocent little child sitting on the bank of a river in Africa, who's got a worm boring through his eye that can render him blind.

     "Now, presumably you think this Lord created this worm, just as he created the hummingbird. I find that rather tricky."

     Attenborough has, of course, touched on one of the great dilemmas facing people who believe in God - and perhaps particularly Christians, who believe that God is love.

     How can a wise, just and above all compassionate God allow a situation in which such injustice can occur?

     There are no easy answers to this conundrum. However, it is worth noting that atheism offers us no explanation for the presence of evil in the world or any hope for the eventual redemption and restoration of the natural order - both of which Christianity does.

    MAL FLETCHER says that while people have grown up believing science to be the "bastion of atheism and naturalism", for a sizeable number of scientists today, the complexity of our universe is pointing to a "creator of some kind"...  | more...|

Celebrating a 60th birthday for some is a milestone marked by visions of retirement - celebrating achievements and dreaming of new endeavours. The World Council of Churches (WCC), however, on its 60th "birthday" in 2008 does not want to rest on past feats as it looks ahead to the challenges of the 21st century. The largest, most inclusive fellowship of churches in the world, and the pre-eminent face of 20th century ecumenism, is grappling with a very different world today - politically, economically, religiously - than the one it faced following the Second World War.

     The WCC came into formal existence on 23rd August, 1948, in Amsterdam, where the delegates of 147 churches from 44 countries met to participate in the first and founding assembly. While the gathering was impressive for its unprecedented diversity, with representatives from Anglican, Old Catholic, many Orthodox and nearly all Protestant churches, the inauguration was also notable for the absence of the world's two largest churches, the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.

    SARA SPEICHER reports...  | more...|

ESSAY: AUSTRALIA, ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES. NOW THE REAL WORK BEGINS

It is a rare sight to see the Australian people - and, with some exceptions, the Australian Parliament - so united. But this is an issue that will not go away; an issue that Australia as a nation must - must - address.

     Wednesday morning’s apology was a watershed moment in Australia: for the first time we had a Prime Minister apologise to the stolen generations for the injustices they, and the indigenous people of Australia as a whole, have suffered.

     “To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry,” Mr Rudd said in his speech. “On behalf of the Government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification.”          

     DAVID ADAMS reflects on this week's apology... | more...|

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SAY SORRY? REACTIONS AND COMMENTS...

“It is a day that Australia has an opportunity to come of age. Symbolic reparation is important in dealing with the past. A formal apology which recognises and expresses sorrow for the deep pain and hurt of Indigenous children who were removed from their families, and for the anguish of families and communities who were traumatised by the removal of their children, provides the opportunity for a process of genuine healing to begin."
      - Dr Philip Freier, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne.

We asked a range of prominent Christians why it's important to say sorry. Here's their responses and some more general reaction to the national apology... | more...|

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE APOLOGY AND SPEECHES BY PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD AND OPPOSITION LEADER BRENDAN NELSON? HAVE YOUR SAY HERE...

THE NATIONAL APOLOGY

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

     "We reflect on their past mistreatment.

     "We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

     "The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

     Read the full text of the historic national apology read in the Australian Parliament on 13th February plus links to both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader's speeches... | more...|

HOPES THAT SAYING SORRY TO THE STOLEN GENERATIONS IS 'JUST THE FIRST STEP'

“An awakening of the Australian conscience.”

     That’s how Graeme Mundine, executive secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) - the peak ecumenical indigenous body in Australia, characterises the national apology to the stolen generations that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd read in the nation’s Parliament House last week.

     “It’s something that’s been long overdue. It’s an awakening of the Australian conscience about what took place for Aboriginal people - specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the stolen generation; that these things did take place and that Australia is beginning to recognise and accept that wrongs were committed in the past.”

     DAVID ADAMS speaks to Graeme Mundine, executive secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC), about what the national apology to the stolen generations means...  | more...|

FOR MORE ON THE NATIONAL APOLOGY TO THE STOLEN GENERATIONS...

ESSAY: THE HEARING OF 'SORRY'
It is now ten years since the release of Bringing Them Home, the report of the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Prime Minister Rudd now intends to apologise to members of the Stolen Generation, in contrast to former Prime Minister John Howard’s response, which the Labor Party has always considered to be inadequate.

    In a paper written for the Social Issues Executive at the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, ANDREW CAMERON, ANDREW FORD and LISA WATTS examine why it seems so important for ‘sorry’ to be heard from the lips of the nation’s leader, and what the sticking-points against saying it are...  | more...|

ESSAY: MARTIN LUTHER KING - THE POWER OF PROMISE OVER REJECTION

As we mark the death and remember the work of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, it does us good to ask what it was about him that has made his legacy so enduring.

     This son and grandson of Baptist ministers became the pastor of a local church, little dreaming in his early pastoral days that he would soon be leading a movement of black Christian leaders - and later people of all races - who would inspire radical change to America's long-standing racial divide.

     Most people think of King as a great activist, a campaigner for  human rights. However, he was, by his own admission, first and foremost a man of God, a minister of the Christian Gospel.

     MAL FLETCHER reflects on the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr... | more... |

INSPIRING LIVES: MARTIN LUTHER KING - AN UNFORGETTABLE FIRE

On 4th April, many people around the world, and in the south of the United States in particular, will observe the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

   When I first began to explore Dr King’s life in my late teens, I saw a man whose passion, faith and conviction I wanted for myself. Here was a man who gave his life to the kingdom of God, who from the bottom of his heart was totally committed to what was right. In the spirit of Moses of old, he boldly confronted the powers that be with the cry ‘let my people go’.

     Dr King drew his inspiration from people like Gandhi, as well as from Jesus himself. His conviction that it was redemptive non-violence that would save his nation and bring justice to his people was what drove him to his dying day. That and his faith in the power of love, a love both inspired by the example of Jesus and driven by the power of the Spirit.

     In the first of a new column on inspirational people, NILS VON KALM reflects on the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, as the world marks the 40th anniversary of his death... | more... |

A thousand people from the ranks of Australia’s “best and brightest” gathered in Canberra on the weekend and talked. And talked. And talked.

     And, at the end of it, the Government was given a list of “big ideas” which included everything from creating a ‘community corps’ to allow university students to reduce their HECS debts through voluntary work to developing a bionic eye, holding a comprehensive review of tax laws and becoming a republic.

    As the dust from the summit settles, the inevitable criticism has come - some delegates voice complaints about not having their ideas heard while senior Liberal figures dismiss the event as a stage-managed ‘Festival of Kevin’. Others, however, are united in seeing the experience as a worthwhile undertaking, not only for those who were at the summit but for the nation.

     DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

They’re not your average couple. Well, she routinely saws her husband in half using a chainsaw, for a start.

     Meet Tim Ellis, 45, and Sue-Anne Webster, 43, two of Australia’s most high profile performing magicians.

     Mr Ellis has been working in the industry for more than 30 years and his wife for more than 22. While their faces may be familiar to many thanks to their decades of work, not to mention Mr Ellis’ more than 80 TV appearances, what you may not know is that they are both committed Christians.

     Mr Ellis, who grew up in Melbourne, first encountered magic when he was about 10-years-old and his grandfather gave him a magic set.

     DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

NEW HOPE FOR AID DISTRIBUTION IN BURMA

Relief agencies have joined with governments around the world in cautiously welcomed news Burmese authorities have agreed to open up the nation to international aid assistance.

    Late last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the country’s leader, Senior General Than Shwe, had agreed to allow international aid workers into the worst affected areas within the country.

    “I am encouraged by my discussions with Myanmar’s leadership in recent days,” Mr Ki-moon said on Sunday. “They have agreed on the need to act urgently. I hope and believe that any hesitation the Government of Myanmar may have had about allowing international humanitarian groups to operate freely in the affected areas is now a thing of the past.”

     DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...| 

SOUNDBITE: 22.5.08 - Phil Wilkerson, associate overseas program coordinator at TEAR Australia, was in Burma the week after the cyclone struck. He talks to DAVID ADAMS about the situation in the country then and now. Click here to download the MP3 file (17 mins/3.9 MB)... | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN BURMA... | more...|

In Dublin between 19th and 30th May, 110 governments negotiated a new international treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, that will ban cluster munitions that “cause unacceptable harm to civilians”. Australia was part of the negotiations.

     While not perfect, this treaty will help on the path to getting rid of a class of weapon that has resulted in thousands of civilians being killed and maimed. The next step will be to get as many countries to sign up to the treaty as soon as possible.

     The Rudd Government is to be commended for its support in developing the new international treaty. It is hoped the Australian Government will be amongst the first to sign the new treaty when it is opened for signature in December in Oslo.

     Dr MARK ZIRNSAK, national co-ordinator for the Australian Network to Ban Landmines and the director of the Justice and International Mission Unit, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Uniting Church in Australia, examines what the new treaty means...  | more...|

"DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SAY 'YES' TO JESUS" - POPE CELEBRATES FINAL MASS IN SYDNEY

The week long celebration known as World Youth Day came to an end Sunday as more than 400,000 pilgrims packed into Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse to see Pope Benedict XVI celebrate the event’s final Mass.

     It was the largest Catholic Mass ever held in Australia and, while initial expectations had been for 500,000 people, organisers said they were thrilled with the turnout with one church leader reportedly describing it as a “tsunami of faith and joy”.

     DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

GLOBAL TV AUDIENCE OF UP TO A BILLION PEOPLE JOIN WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS IN SYDNEY TO WATCH THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS CHRIST

About 80 performers took part in the three hour Stations of the Cross on Friday as part of the World Youth Day celebrations. See a gallery of images by RAMON WILLIAMS here... | more...|

POPE BENEDICT'S FIRST MAJOR SPEECH IN AUSTRALIA

"Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division,of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!"

     After crossing Sydney Harbour in a glittering boat-a-cade on Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI delivered his first major speech in Australia in which he tackled issues as diverse as the problems of relativism, environmental degradation, and the 'poisons' in modern life which threaten to corrode what is good. Read the full speech here (external link)...  | more...|

PREVIOUS GALLERIES:

WORLD YOUTH DAY: 150,000 PILGRIMS GATHER FOR OPENING MASS

Tens of thousands of pilgrims from more than 170 countries joined in celebration at sites centred on Barangaroo in Sydney to celebrate World Youth Day's Opening Mass earlier this week. RAMON WILLIAMS was there... | more...|

WORLD YOUTH DAY CROSS ARRIVES IN SYDNEY

RAMON WILLIAMS was present when the giant World Youth Day Cross arrived in Sydney on Monday. Crowds cheered, wept and sang as the Cross ended its year long journey through Australia. Follow the link for more images...  | more...|

STAGE IS SET AS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE DESCEND ON SYDNEY

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Sydney and so have the tens of thousands of young people from around the world. The stage is set for World Youth Day - the largest gathering of young people in the world - which officially kicks off on 15th July and runs through until Sunday, culminating in a final mass at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park where up to half a million people are expected.

     The idea of World Youth Day goes back 23 years to 1986, when, inspired by the massive gatherings of young people in Rome to celebrate the Youth Jubilee in 1984 and the United Nations International Year of Youth in 1985, Pope John Paul II called the youth of the world to gather with him to celebrate youth and faith. They have since been held in Rome and in other host cities around the world including Manila, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Denver, and most recently, in 2005, in Cologne, Germany.

     There are more than 400 free events - including a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, concerts, dramas, and art installations - scheduled for the six day event which is aimed at young people aged between 16 and 35-years-old.

    DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

Sport has always been an important part of your life, hasn’t it?
“Yeah. I started off in Little Athletics when I was about six or seven years old - that’s sort of how my career started. I started training for throwing events a little later on - when I was about 12, 13 or 14 - and got picked to go over to Holland to the ‘99 inaugural World Youth Championships and that’s where I got my first taste of international success: I came third in the world. Then, when I came back, I took up weightlifting so I could get stronger and be a better discus thrower and hammer thrower. And that’s how it started. So, yes, pretty much I’ve been doing sport for as long as I can remember.”

     What was it that led you to stay in weightlifting?
“Well, as I started to get better and better, I actually then got selected to go to the Commonwealth Games in 2002 for the weightlifting...so it was sort of that point that I decided to continue on with the weightlifting and see how far I could go. And when I came back with three silver medals from Manchester in 2002, that’s when I sort of realised that I probably had a bit of a talent for it and if I kept on going, I could get better and better.”

     Weightlifter Deborah Lovely, 25, won three silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and then went on to win the gold at Melbourne in 2006. Having come 12th in her class at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as Australia's sole female weightlifter, she is now heading to Beijing to once again represent the nation on the Olympic stage and hopefully break a few Australian records. Ms Lovely spoke to DAVID ADAMS about her weightlifting and her Christian faith...  | more...|

Robert, why don't you tell us a bit about your love affair with comics. I know you worked in mainstream comics and even owned a store at one point. Why have they always been a constant in your life, as opposed to other forms of entertainment?
     "It's not that other forms of entertainment haven't also been a constant - such as movies, TV, music, pro-sports - but I would guess most people leave their love of comics behind when they get to high school. For me the attraction went beyond mere entertainment. I was in love with the artform itself and its potential to combine the written and illustrated word to create a story more powerful than either forms on its own. It's that potential that I feel the industry is just now exploring by focusing attention on more than just the standard super-hero titles here in the US."

      KRIS BATHER says he was "blessed" to meet Robert Luedke (right) from Head Press Publishing at the recent San Diego Comic-Con where Luedke was unveiling the most recent release in his Eye Witness graphic novel series, Rise of the Apostle...  | more...|

They came in their tens of thousands from more than 160 nations over the world. For a week, the World Youth Day pilgrims turned Sydney upside-down, their enthusiasm on display as they attended public masses, teaching sessions, and scores of other events including a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross.

     But what was it that led them to the harbour city? Just what were these pilgrims looking to get out of World Youth Day?

     The Australian Catholic University and Monash University have released the results of a survey conducted before World Youth Day which involved an online survey of 12,275 registered English-speaking pilgrims from 164 countries as well as some interviews and observations made at the event itself.

      DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

Thirty-one years ago, a 17-year-old woman went to have an abortion at a Los Angeles County abortion clinic after around seven-and-a-half months of carrying the baby.

     For 18 hours, the baby was burned in the womb by a saline solution but despite the saline treatment, survived and at around 6am on on 6th April, 1977, was delivered alive, weighing less than a kilogram.

     The abortionist was not yet on duty given the early hour (if they had been, it was then common practice to strangle or suffocate the baby), so an ambulance was called and the baby was transferred to a hospital and placed in an incubator.

     “They cared for me but they kept thinking that I would die,” the now 31-year-old Gianna Jessen recalls. “But to everyone’s great shock I kept living.”

     Given her remarkable story, it's not surprising that Ms Jessen, who now has mild cerebral palsy as a result of the abortion, calls herself the “human face” of the abortion debate.

      DAVID ADAMS speaks to abortion survivor Gianna Jessen...  | more...|

“Everyone along the river is very, very aware of the need - a lot of farmers haven’t had irrigation and water for three years,” explains Warwick Marsh, recalling conversations he’s had with people along Australia’s Murray-Darling river system.

     “I talked to one man who had a beautiful dairy - it had been in his family for three generations and they’re farming on the river with irrigation...and they watched $300,000 worth of assets drop down to $30,000 over a three year period and that man had to sell that. It’s a pretty heartbreaking situation...

     “A lot of farmers are facing those situations and the sad thing, of course, is that many are committing suicide...and a lot of that is do with the drought and pressures being put on families.”

     DAVID ADAMS speaks to Warwick Marsh, of Australian Heart Ministries, about an upcoming pilgrimage along the Murray River aimed at inspiring people to pray for the stricken region...  | more...|

ESSAY: FINANCIAL CRISIS - A TIME FOR CAUTION, NOT FEAR

This is undoubtedly a time for caution and reassessment; but it is not a time for crippling fear.

     The cover of this week's European edition of TIME screams 'London's Sinking', with a warning that the global economic crisis threatens to 'overwhelm' Europe's financial capital.

     Meanwhile, trillions (yes, trillions) of dollars have been wiped off the value of stocks and shares worldwide in the past week or so.

     One TV financial advisor says that we've seen two big emotions in all of this market turmoil, greed and fear. 'We've seen the greed over the past five years,' he adds, 'now we're seeing the fear - and the fear is much worse.'

MAL FLETCHER says that while it's wise to exercise caution in the current global financial crisis with many people facing significant financial losses, fear can be crippling and might even blind us to opportunities to improve our situation...  | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS:

ESSAY: CREDIT CRUNCHES, GREED AND DISCONTENT - WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

Credit crunches and bank collapses - is there anything you and I can learn from the rapid downturn in Western economies?

     The British government this week announced that another UK bank will be nationalised in the face of growing pressure on international economies. The Bradford & Bingley bank becomes the second bank to be nationalised, after Northern Rock received similar treatment last year.

     Meanwhile, the US government has agreed on a $700 billion rescue package to prop up its ailing economy after the collapse of several major Wall St firms.

     Writing from London, MAL FLETCHER says the global economic crisis represents a chance for us all to reflect on our own priorities...  | more...|

Twelve years ago, three Aussie nuns decided they were needed in the crowded slums of Lima.

     Tens of thousands of Peruvians had fled to their capital to escape the depredations of the Maoist Shining Path terrorist group, or simply to find work.

     The refugees were wary of one another and suspicious of strangers as they existed in desolate shanty towns like Cerro Candela (the Hill of Candles), and Cerro Choclo (Corn Hill).

     At an age when most Australian women are counting their super and looking forward to retirement, Sisters of Mercy Tricia McDermott, Joan Doyle and Jacqueline Ford are working on.

     Sister McDermott turned 64 last week, Sister Doyle, is 57 and Sister Ford will be 70 next month.

      In an article first published in The Age newspaper, BRENDAN NICHOLSON looks at how three Australian nuns are helping to transform lives in the slums of Peru...  | more...|

It was during his first visit to Australia last year that Willie Dengler - a South African pastor who runs a prison ministry in the troubled nation - was approached by an elderly couple.

     Having come to Australia from South Africa, they related how their son, a maths teacher, had been murdered at the college in Johannesburg where he taught. It took three days for the body to be found and a year for the killer to be apprehended.

     The couple asked Pastor Dengler whether he ever visited a particular prison and when he said he could go there, they asked him to deliver a message to the man who had killed their son and who was incarcerated there.

     “They said we want you to take a message to tell him that we forgive him and that we would love him to come to Christ,” recalls Pastor Dengler.

      DAVID ADAMS speaks to South African pastor, Willie Dengler, about his ministry in the nation's jails...  | more...|

ESSAY: WHAT THE NEW PRESIDENT MUST DO NEXT

Finally, after the longest pre-election race in US history, the world knows the identity of the next incumbent to the American presidency.

     Barack Obama will become the 44th US president and the first African-American to hold that high office. He is also, at the age of 47, the first member of the so-called Generation X to fill that role - but more on that shortly.

     President-elect Obama will take office at a time of great uncertainty in his nation. It faces a debt of something like one trillion dollars, is fighting a war on two fronts and is almost certainly approaching a recession.

     MAL FLETCHER on what US President-elect Barack Obama's priorities must be...  | more...|

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COMMENT

"It is of course wonderful that African-Americans are able to see one of their own as President and proof positive that America has moved on from its divided and racist past. Christians, though, will be watching with both expectation and a little trepidation the “change” that Barack Obama will bring."

     JIM WALLACE, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, gives his thoughts on the US presidential election result...  | more...|

OBAMA ACHIEVES DECISIVE VICTORY

Senator Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States of America, the first African-American to hold the post. Celebrations have begun in the USA and across the world for what is seen as a moment of historic change.

     The victory became clear at 11pm US time (4am GMT), after projected victories in California and Washington State on the West Coast. A record national electoral turnout was achieved.

     The Rev Jesse Jackson joined civil rights campaigners in celebrating the advent of president-elect Obama, who claimed victory in Chicago while rival Republican candidate Senator John McCain conceded defeat in Phoenix, Arizona

      Ekklesia reports on Barack Obama's historic win in the US presidential election...  | more...|

YOUR SAY: What do you think of the US presidential election result? What will it mean for the US and for the world? Have Your Say here...

Kibati camp, on the outskirts of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo is crammed with people looking for shelter and food. There are new arrivals walking on the tarmac road, terrorised and distressed. They have fled fighting in their villages less than 50 kilometres away and they are looking for refuge from a war that has already displaced more than 1.4 million people. In the past month 250,000 more, many of them children and elderly have added to this number.

     A ceasefire month ago has failed. So has the peace agreement signed earlier this year by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, Rebels have control of the surrounding mountains and their is gunfire in the distance. It is unnervingly close at times.

     Kibati is a scene of desperation and chaos. Before the recent fighting thousands of people already lived on the brink here, in crumbling overcrowded homes without running water or sanitation. About 65,000 people have arrived since last month. That's on top of the local population.

      World Vision's MICHELLE RICE reports from Rwanda on what she saw in the strife torn neighbouring nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...  | more...|

Christian Surfers has launched a new edition of it's Surfers Bible. Why is there is a need for a Surfers Bible and how does the new edition differ from the existing Surfers Bible?
      "We recognise that surfers are their own unique subculture, and a very strong and popular one. We wanted to provide God's word to that culture in a relevant way that broke some stereotypes and felt like it belonged to to them. The new version contains new testimonies and a surf DVD of a `faith in action’ trip we did with some of the surfers in the Bible doing aid work in Sumatra. We reckon is looks better as well and sadly people do judge a book by its cover."

      It contains surfer's testimonies. Is there one particular testimony which has really impacted you?
     "I think Bethany Hamilton’s story of recovering from her shark attack (Bethany had her arm bitten off) as a young teen and how God has grown her into one of the world's best know surfers, and Christian surfer, is amazing. It inspires me to know that despite what may happen in life, with Christ at the helm, there can be purposes achieved I would have never imagined. Interestingly, we have another shark attack victim Shannon Ainslie, and he was hit by two great whites and only has a small scar on his little finger!"

      Founded in Australia more than 30 years ago, Christian Surfers has grown to an international movement operating in 17 countries around the world. DAVID ADAMS speaks with Brett Davis, the organisation's international director, about Christian Surfers new Surfers Bible and their ongoing mission to "link the beach and the church"...  | more...|

“NeHalang lemene tau tote hehei pe hana nga ich nei. Pomalam tung hote tuna elle mana nem. Pe iri nenge leteria manmanna nge i lape te mene maulinga ke koko. Te mete sapele ero.”

     It might not be immediately recognisable to most of us but the above passage - a translation of John 3:16 - into the language of the Lote people of Papua New Guinea is just small part of a 23 year project which has resulted in the entire New Testament being made available to the Lote people in their own language for the first time.

     The idea for the translation project was sparked after a letter was sent to the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) in Papua New Guinea, asking for someone to come and translate the Bible into the language of the Lote people.

     Americans Greg and Mary Pearson, then only 26, answered the call in 1986 and were sent by Wycliffe Bible Translators to work for SIL alongside a team of local translators and checkers with the aim of producing the New Testament in the Lote language - a task which they finally completed earlier this year.

     DAVID ADAMS reports on the end of a 23 year journey...  | more...|