“While so many people treat prayer to “solve” their problems, the passenger sitting beside me on the plane had a different perspective. Prayer was not just a tool to reverse a troubling circumstance – because the flight attendant's situation was not likely to be changed – but prayer was the fundamental tool he used even when he didn’t expect any answer.”

“The spoken word was of primary importance in the ancient Near East of the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament. I have found that in recognising this, I have been better able to focus on the authority vested in Jesus as the Word of God, while acknowledging the written text as the medium of transmission to us of the words spoken.”

“I want to talk about what happens when someone chooses to leave. I would like to share my experiences and the experiences of those close to me and highlight some things that have both helped and hindered this transition…. I do not believe that a shift in belief systems should equate to the breakdown of social connections, but all too often in our community, this has been the case. After watching countless families suffer, and struggle to communicate with each other, I hope these experiences will help us all to bridge the gap.”

“Jesus came to show us how God loves everyone, including the oppressed, the marginalized, and the misunderstood. And how powerfully he did so. For me, his examples the most powerful reason for looking again at how we treat women today.”