I’ve worn glasses since I started school at aged four.

From the moment they go on in the morning, I'm almost entirely oblivious to them. I don't think about them. I don't see them.

I see through them.

A worldview is like a pair of glasses. It’s not what we see, it's what we see the world through.

We live in a culture that pressures us to be simultaneously authentic and yet constantly trendy. We are told to find our "true self," but we are expected to package and market that self for social media, jobs, or social circles, forced to chase ever changing milestones.
 
It’s incredibly exhausting to navigate.

Last week Apple launched the latest in their innovative products - a foldable phone. 

They’re not the first, but they’ve become the biggest company in the world designing some of the most innovative technology products. 

It’s an interesting word: design.

I promised to share the list from my sermon on Sunday of the life ‘renewals’ from people who have suffered a near-death experience. They are compiled from a range of studies such as this one. 
 
People who get a second chance tend to:

Imagine you had to be tried in court for something serious, and the evidence was genuinely open to interpretation: would you rather your fate be decided by one judge or by a jury of twelve ordinary people?

For the moment ignore the circumstances and ponder the choice: judge or jury?

Last week I had to pop to Sydney for a few days.  

One thing struck me again about Sydneysiders: they’re fantastic drivers. 

They cruise around their swirly, complex city with speed and efficiency. And they’re unfailingly polite. I only had to think about turning, and the car behind was pulling back, ready to let me in. 

They’re funny terms really: Sydneysiders. Melburnians. Brisbanites.

I wonder if you think of yourself as primarily Adelaidian or South Australian? Perhaps it's swayed by whether you grew up rural or in the city?

A few weeks ago, I shared about my new role as Minister of Public Theology at Uniting Communities. I mentioned a new project and I’m now pleased to share it with you.
 
It’s a radio show/podcast called The Human Kind: Conversations with people serving the common good about meaning and belief. 

What’s your favourite statue in Adelaide?
 
Sir Donald Bradman, driving the ball next to Adelaide Oval? 
 
What about Charles Sturt, looking across Victoria Square? Or Queen Victoria regally standing in the middle? 
 
Or Douglas Mawson and Matthew Flinders on North Terrace? Or Dame Roma Mitchell, relaxing in her chair alongside?
 
Or Barrie Robran taking a mark, or Malcom Blight about to kick a long goal?
 
There are statues all over our city. The first was of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, unveiled in 1894. 

I turned 50 a few months back. 
 
Since then, I’ve had people asking if I feel different? The truth is that I do. 
 
I don't recall feeling this after other birthdays, but somehow leaving my forties behind suits me.
 
In a peculiar way, I feel like I’m arriving in myself. I do feel older, and I like it.