Recently a couple of well known bloggers have been asking the question about critiquing the church. I sometimes feel like I am hijacking their threads, so rather than do that, here are some of my thoughts. They are not meant to be a reflection on those guys, who I have the utmost respect for and count as friends.

Humbleness is the quickest way to get close to God, pride/self righteousness is the quickest way to get closer to the other guy.

God has given us incredible grace, freely give as it has been given to us

Dont throw out the good with the bad. For instance Hillsong has it problems, think them up yourself, but it has also had an incredibly positive effect on contemporary church, in helping us to work together, be relevant etc.
When critiquing, remember what they are doing that is really good

Ask yourself the queston, do I need to get a life? In other words am I worrying about what such and such is doing while my neighbour is going to a Christless eternity. Is it worth your time, the time God has given us? Try this exercise. Google some well known Christian leader. Find out how many people are wasting time energy and probably money that could be better spent trying to help someone find Christ.

If you are going to critique, have the courage and integrity to do what Jesus did and told us to do. Go to the person and speak to them face and face. The internet has become a wondeful tool in the hands of gutless wonders.

Can you imagine a forward line with
Pavlich, Tarrant, Farmer, Ryan Murphy
Then Longmuir and Sandilands dropping back when needed?

Seriously who is going to get the oppositions best defender??
Can you imagine being a 2nd or third string defender are finding yourself up against Tarrant??

If you are interested, my final message on Emotional Baggage, part three, can now be listened to or downloaded.

go here

http://www.archive.org/details/MarkEdwardsEmotionalBaggageWeekThree

and choose your format

or just right click the below link and "save Target as"

http://www.archive.org/download/MarkEdwardsEmotionalBaggageWeekThree/Emotional_Baggage_3_vbr.mp3

The file is 26 megs big, for those of you with dial up.

For those Pastors out there, soon I will post on Aussie Pastors Blogspot how to do this.
As we develop our church website, we will post the messages on there every week.
But in the meantime, I will post them here.

Following on from their best season ever, the Fremantle Dockers look to have a great start to their 2007 campaign. The AFL today released the 2007 fixtures which see the Dockers first three games against teams they easily disposed of last year. Port Adelaide, who they beat twice, including a decisive victory at Aami Stadium, Essendon and last years premiers, West Coast, who they thrashed in the last derby of 2006.
Unlike last year, the Dockers do not have to travel to Tasmania. That dubious honour is given to West Coast who have to face up to Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium.
Fremantle will play 5 games in Victoria, the least of any Afl side, but will have to travel to Adelaide twice, Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin. Someone in AFL House must have listened to CEO Cameron Schwab's call from last year, as the Dockers only have to twice deal with six day breaks between matches.

Got my membership in the mail the other day, can't wait!!

I have been watching a very interesting and insightful video by the author of the very succesful book, "The Tipping Point".

In this groundbreaking book, the author details what makes great service in a company.
In the video he makes the assertion, and backs it up with real stories, that asking people what they want is the last thing a succesful business should do. For example if you ask someone what sort of coffee they like, they would probably say something like, "I want a dark rich roasted coffee". However most people actually want a milky sweet weak coffee. Thats the truth!

He talked about the most spaghetti sauce manufacturer in the USA. He found out that while people said they wanted an authentic Italian Tomatoe sauce for the Spag Bog, they in fact wanted a chunky sauce, totally inauthentic (like their favourite pizzas, which have little relation to real Italian Pizza).

Its like Chinese. Friends who have been to China say that real authentic Chinese food is a definete "aquired" taste. Yet ask someone what they want, and they will say, I would want to eat authentic chinese food.

What relation does this have to the church and leading?
NCLS have this statement on their website, "As many as half of Australia's church-goers also thank Mum for the positive influence on them becoming a Christian, at least within Anglican and Protestant congregations. While important, fathers are less influential in faith development."
(http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=4274)

I DONT GIVE A STUFF WHAT THEIR RESEARCH SAYS (Yes I am shouting)

They are dead wrong.

There is a lot more I could say about this. Their conclusions are since mums generally lead their children to Christ, they are more important. CRAP
The reason more mums are leading their kids to Christ is that more mums are Christians.

The single most important thing we as churches have to do to get our churches, our families and our churches back on spiritual track is see dads come to faith in Christ.

We have to lead, not be lead by what is.

A Few friends and myself have started a blog specifically for Aussie Pastors.


check it out

http://australianpastors.blogspot.com/

"Preaching is a lot like singing.
You may sound great by yourself in the shower (or in your head),
but it may not be so great outside the shower (or outside your head)"

"We think if we can disperse adequate information, people will be convinced that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and turn to him. Those methods don't work any longer. I'm not sure they ever did. People aren't looking for information about God. They want to experience God, himself. Information leaves them bored, uninterested. Experience, especially the ultimate experience any human being can ever have, leaves them breathless. And that's exactly what we have to offer."

Here is a blog for Christian multi media by some guys from Parkerville Bapo's.
Some good stuff and helpul stuff here.

(Apart from their use of media shout :) )

Digtial Church
"Share our journey as we explore digital technology for church and worship, in Perth, Western Australia"

Having an online discussion with a Pastor from an overseas church.
His board have witheld his salary after months of squabbling, despite the church overwhelmingly supporting him and his call.

The board have the constitutional power, and yet he believes he needs to stick it out. Other people think he should give up and start new church somewhere else.
Are there any principles about staying and persevering, or cutting your losses and moving on?

I am a pretty 'stubborn' person, and I dont think we should let people do what is wrong, just because they think they can, and have always done. Negative caustic behaviour needs to be addressed.

Speaking personally, if my family started to suffer unduly, I would be gone. They come first. But apart from that, I reckon sticking it out will eventually bring rewards.

I dont know much about the players about to try their luck in the AFL draft, but I hope Freo pick up Leroy Jetta. From what I read in the Sunday Times today, the kid has the right attitude.

"I would like to stay in Perth if I got drafted by the Dockers, I hate the Eagles"

now there is a young man with his head screwed on right!!!

Here is the flyer I have done up for our spring fair.
This annual event is well organised and a big event on our church calender. Probably the biggest thing we do and the most strategic in 'gathering' in all the people who come to our various community programs.

well......
that's the footy season over.
I copped some well deserved ribbing this morning at church, and managed to weave the GF into my children's talk at church.

Well done weagles, after the dissapointment of losing both derbies this year, it was good to see them win something.

Worsfold, to his credit, coached well, probably outcoached Roo's, with some creative and quick moves.

Barry Hall had a shocker, and probably was one of the reasons they lost, but Kerr and Embley played out of their skin.

Roll on 2007.
Brett Peake for Brownlow, Freo for Premiers.