Gungahlin Uniting Church

Welcoming of the stranger. Inclusive of all people. Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community..

Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community.
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Bless This Mess: A Modern Guide to Faith and Parenting in a Chaotic World

04/02/2020 by Darren Wright

Title: Bless This Mess: A Modern Guide to Faith and Parenting in a Chaotic World  

Author: Ellen O’Donnell and Rev. Molly Baskette

Pages:  310

Themes:  Parenting, Generosity, Faith, Community, Service, Money, Rituals, Conflict, Family, values

Audiobook: We do not have this book on audio, but it can be accessed through Audible.com.au

Group Reading Guide: The authors have written a reading guide for groups with conversation questions, scripture, activities for families etc https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxsZvSoHlzJSY1JobmdiU0dPMW5helR5dWFHSGpvUzhfNllR/view?usp=sharing 

Description

I (Darren) love love love this book, I’ve explored parenting books for a while now, and have struggled to find parenting book that comes from a faith perspective that has come from a progressive faith stance.  

And suddenly I have two!

Bless This Mess is written by a pastor and a child psychologist, who after noting the dearth of progressive christian parenting resources decided to write one of their own.

The book explores family rituals, spirituality and parenting, sexuality, ethics, gratitude and many other areas of faith and family life. Offering practical resources, story telling, humour and truth telling alongside research based understanding the authors have written a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to all parents, carers and grandparents.

Get to know the authors: 

Website: https://www.blessthismessparenting.com

Podcast: 

Molly & Ellen speak to the Pulpit Fiction Podcast about the book Bless This Mess

Ellen & Molly speak to Scott Jones on the Give & Take Podcast about the book Bless This Mess

Video: 

Molly leads the congregation at First Church Berkely, CA. Her sermons are regularly uploaded to the church youtube page.

Filed Under: Faith Formation - Books

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Recent Posts

  • The Hiding Place Behind the Locked Door
  • Bulletin: 12 April 2026
  • Every Day Easter
  • Bulletin: Easter 2026
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Apr 19
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

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Apr 22
10:00 am - 11:30 am

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Apr 28
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

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May 2
2:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Canberra Region Youth Worship Service

May 13
10:00 am - 11:30 am

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RSS Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day

  • Romans 10:9-10
    “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

About GUC

We are a community on a journey. We’ve grown from a small faith community planted in Ngunnawal in the early years of Gungahlin’s development to a thriving intergenerational and multicultural community located near the Gungahlin town centre.

Gungahlin Uniting Church is an open and inclusive community.  You are welcome to join us and participate in the life of our community as we experience life, God and seek to follow the way of Christ.

Find out more…

Worship With Us

Every Sunday, 9:30am
Gungahlin Uniting Church and Community Centre
108 The Valley Avenue
Gungahlin, ACT, 2913

Worship is for all ages, (0 to 93!) and seeks to be meaningful in different ways for us all.

In Jesus Christ we see how he drew near to each and all and so we hope our worship expresses this nearness too.

Finding us

We worship at the Gungahlin Uniting Church & Community Centre.
Find us on Google Maps here

Car
Free parking is available in our on-site car park.

Light Rail
We are less than a 5 minute walk from the Gungahlin Place Light Rail Station.

Bus
The ACT has a number of bus options for people travelling around, or to Gungahlin. Timetables available here.

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