After Christmas services, thats a big after, lots of work to do yet,
The Edwards family are off to here!!
guess where??
Can you guess?
I have tried to pick obscure photos that tell the story, without the details.....
Friday, December 22, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Merry Christmas to all my blog readers, thank you for your comments, and taking time to read my musings.
If your in the area, and want a photo opportunity for your family, come down to Bedford Baptist Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. (105 Rosebery St Bedford Perth, WA)
7pm - 9pm
We have set up a Nativity Scene, we have costumes and good coffee!
You and your children can dress up as Mary Joseph, Angel, shepherds, and get a photo for prosperity.
Gold coin donation only, a professional photographer will be available on Friday night if you would prefer, but feel free to bring your own camera.
If your in the area, and want a photo opportunity for your family, come down to Bedford Baptist Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. (105 Rosebery St Bedford Perth, WA)
7pm - 9pm
We have set up a Nativity Scene, we have costumes and good coffee!
You and your children can dress up as Mary Joseph, Angel, shepherds, and get a photo for prosperity.
Gold coin donation only, a professional photographer will be available on Friday night if you would prefer, but feel free to bring your own camera.
Steve Jacob's too slow
The Techno world is waiting with baited breath for Apple to introduce a line of mobile phones.
Steve Jacobs is expecetd to make an announcement about the company's move into mobiles at the annualo MacWorld Expo in San Fransisco on January 9th.
What would you expect Steve to name their new phone, mmmmmm,
I-Mac, I-Pod, I-Tunes etc etc.
Maybe they will call it an "I-Phone".
Bad luck Steve, too late.
Linksys, a division of Cisco, released the "Iphone" on Monday.
There will be no issue with copyright as Linksys has previously released a phone under this name in 1997.
spotted
Steve Jacobs is expecetd to make an announcement about the company's move into mobiles at the annualo MacWorld Expo in San Fransisco on January 9th.
What would you expect Steve to name their new phone, mmmmmm,
I-Mac, I-Pod, I-Tunes etc etc.
Maybe they will call it an "I-Phone".
Bad luck Steve, too late.
Linksys, a division of Cisco, released the "Iphone" on Monday.
There will be no issue with copyright as Linksys has previously released a phone under this name in 1997.
spotted
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Just Walk Across the Room Part Three
Third and final in three part series.
Talking about a Grand Vision.
If anyone wants the ppoint, let me know
The Nativity Movie
Appearing at a cinema near you.
Initial reports state it is well made and historically accurate.
I have downloaded 8 scenes from the movie, which the distributor had made available to Pastors for use in churches. Just in time for Christmas Services!!
Interesting that the film, while heavily advertised, has not had much of an impact at the box office. The Passion may have paved the way for such films to be financially succesful, but the film itself must engage the market. No controversy, no ticket sales??
Phil Cooke has put his spin on it, and there is an interesting discussion going on. He seems to be pruporting that we should go and see it to support Christian filmakers. I dont agree with that. This is a secular market, and a film needs to do something special to earn my $8-$12. I dont agree Christians should support it just because its a Christian movie.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Iced Coffee
Isn't it funny how someone can mention a particular drink, and all of a sudden, we just must have one?
Reading the latest issue of The Baptist Theological leaflet, a mate of mine from Mandurah Baptist, Hans Van Asselt, mentioned that he is now in training for a bike ride in Canada.
Apart from having to squeeze into lycra, he is going to have to give up one of his favourite pastimes, drinking Ice Coffee on the Mandurah foreshore.
Thanks for the tip Hans, off to get a cold Ice Coffee myself, may make my own actually!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
arrogance and unconfirmed Cottesloe incident
This is a very interesting article published in todays Age.
Quite a serve given to the Eagles, and their treatment of the media and perceived arrogance.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/12/16/1166162364371.html
"Covering a two-team town can have its special challenges, as Duffield found out when, after the booze bus incident, he said Cousins should stand down from the captaincy or be relieved of it by the club. Many Eagles fans didn't like the media taking on a favourite son. Rather than criticise Cousins, some talkback callers blamed the police for setting up the booze bus and the media for its wide coverage.
Everywhere Duffield went - in the street, in taxis - he was deluged with pro-Cousins supporters to the point where he decided to stay out of circulation. "I went out twice in three months," the reporter says.
In trying to understand Cousins, it's helpful to consider the culture from which he sprang. He is a product of a club that is rich, powerful, used to success and intimidating. "A lot of the media are frightened to take them on," Duffield says of the Eagles. "You are not just taking on a football club, you are taking on the big end of town."
They are bred tough, from the coach down. In March 2006, as a media gathering prepared for a boundary-side conference with Fremantle assistant coach Michael Broadbridge, Worsfold ran 70 metres across Subiaco Oval to call the media "f---ing spastic". Worsfold was angry that reporters had breached an Eagles club directive that bans them from standing inside the fence, a move instigated after The West Australian reported Worsfold's dressing down of players after player Beau Waters was hit by a taxi in the early hours of the morning.
On another occasion, Worsfold turned on West Australian reporter Craig O'Donoghue. O'Donoghue approached Worsfold after a press conference, during which the coach had said he had no problem with Waters getting hit by the cab, even though he'd taken a harder line on the issue with the players. O'Donoghue told Worsfold he'd be reporting the coach's comments to the players.
"Half the team stood there watching," O'Donoghue remembers. "I got the famous Worsfold stare as he questioned my professionalism, morals and ethics over and over again. He reminded me that he worked for the West Coast Eagles and I worked for a 'sh#$t newspaper'. It was confronting."
On a sidenote, there are unonconformed reports that some Eagles players have been out late last night drinking, causing fuss and vandalising some cars and other property.
Quite a serve given to the Eagles, and their treatment of the media and perceived arrogance.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/12/16/1166162364371.html
"Covering a two-team town can have its special challenges, as Duffield found out when, after the booze bus incident, he said Cousins should stand down from the captaincy or be relieved of it by the club. Many Eagles fans didn't like the media taking on a favourite son. Rather than criticise Cousins, some talkback callers blamed the police for setting up the booze bus and the media for its wide coverage.
Everywhere Duffield went - in the street, in taxis - he was deluged with pro-Cousins supporters to the point where he decided to stay out of circulation. "I went out twice in three months," the reporter says.
In trying to understand Cousins, it's helpful to consider the culture from which he sprang. He is a product of a club that is rich, powerful, used to success and intimidating. "A lot of the media are frightened to take them on," Duffield says of the Eagles. "You are not just taking on a football club, you are taking on the big end of town."
They are bred tough, from the coach down. In March 2006, as a media gathering prepared for a boundary-side conference with Fremantle assistant coach Michael Broadbridge, Worsfold ran 70 metres across Subiaco Oval to call the media "f---ing spastic". Worsfold was angry that reporters had breached an Eagles club directive that bans them from standing inside the fence, a move instigated after The West Australian reported Worsfold's dressing down of players after player Beau Waters was hit by a taxi in the early hours of the morning.
On another occasion, Worsfold turned on West Australian reporter Craig O'Donoghue. O'Donoghue approached Worsfold after a press conference, during which the coach had said he had no problem with Waters getting hit by the cab, even though he'd taken a harder line on the issue with the players. O'Donoghue told Worsfold he'd be reporting the coach's comments to the players.
"Half the team stood there watching," O'Donoghue remembers. "I got the famous Worsfold stare as he questioned my professionalism, morals and ethics over and over again. He reminded me that he worked for the West Coast Eagles and I worked for a 'sh#$t newspaper'. It was confronting."
On a sidenote, there are unonconformed reports that some Eagles players have been out late last night drinking, causing fuss and vandalising some cars and other property.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Not as straight forward as all that
Someone I know well, recieved some fresh water from someone at their staff party.
What I mean is that someone, instead of forking out $10 for a pressie for this person, they payed for some fresh water at a village on this persons behalf.
Interesting.
I know some friends who asked people to do this at their wedding. Thats nice. Instead of buying them junk they dont need, or even stuff they might use, help someone less fortunate on their behalf. I like that. They have asked you to do it.
However in this case, there is something different. This person did not ask for the fresh water to be given to the villager. The act of generosity was foisted on them. Now this person is happy about it, and is a very generous person, and does not need another trinket, or bottle of wine.
But I cant help escape the uneasy feeling I have about this.
The idea of the staff party was to give a present to the person, which this person did. They researched it, and bought them something they would like.
I cant help but feel that while it is okay, in fact great, to make these choices for ourselves, there is something, just weird, about doing it for someone else, without them having asked you to. Its almost arrogant. I dont know, maybe I am thinking about it too much. Seeing George Constanza latch onto the idea and use it for his own ends was another story altogether.
Having said all that, I think Tear are fantastic, and do a great job, and I have supported them financially and in other ways myself, and will continue to do so.
What I mean is that someone, instead of forking out $10 for a pressie for this person, they payed for some fresh water at a village on this persons behalf.
Interesting.
I know some friends who asked people to do this at their wedding. Thats nice. Instead of buying them junk they dont need, or even stuff they might use, help someone less fortunate on their behalf. I like that. They have asked you to do it.
However in this case, there is something different. This person did not ask for the fresh water to be given to the villager. The act of generosity was foisted on them. Now this person is happy about it, and is a very generous person, and does not need another trinket, or bottle of wine.
But I cant help escape the uneasy feeling I have about this.
The idea of the staff party was to give a present to the person, which this person did. They researched it, and bought them something they would like.
I cant help but feel that while it is okay, in fact great, to make these choices for ourselves, there is something, just weird, about doing it for someone else, without them having asked you to. Its almost arrogant. I dont know, maybe I am thinking about it too much. Seeing George Constanza latch onto the idea and use it for his own ends was another story altogether.
Having said all that, I think Tear are fantastic, and do a great job, and I have supported them financially and in other ways myself, and will continue to do so.
Luecke
Here's another picture of Luecke, taken directly from Google earth, panned out a little to show the scale
Thursday, December 14, 2006
David Luecke
You reckon you've got problems with your significance.
This guy has more. He is a wealthy landowner outside Austin, Texas who decided some trees on his large property needed clearing, and so he spelt his last name out. The name is 13,720 feet long and 3,100 feet high, which is probably the biggest name on earth.
Shame about the trees though, high price for vanity!
If you have Google Earth you can find it. Close to Buescher State Park near Smithville in Texas.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Pavlich to lead Dockers to Premiership Glory
In the greatest story known to the football world, Matthew Pavlich is to lead the Dockers to their premiership glory in 2007.
"No it wasn't (automatic). I spent a good 10 weeks over the break and over the first few weeks of the pre-season thinking it over and talking to a few people," Pavlich said. " (I was) assuring it was the right thing for me, and the whole club. I sounded out Josh, Peter and few other players a lot to make sure that it was the right thing.
"It is very important the decision was ratified by everyone, the club, the players and myself before it was accepted."
Pavlich becomes the club's seventh captain, having played 153 games for Fremantle, the last 122 consecutively, a club record.
A vice-captain since 2003, Pavlich has been the Dockers' leading goal kicker the last two seasons, while off the field he is studying medical science at the University of Western Australia.
"It is very important the decision was ratified by everyone, the club, the players and myself before it was accepted."
Pavlich becomes the club's seventh captain, having played 153 games for Fremantle, the last 122 consecutively, a club record.
A vice-captain since 2003, Pavlich has been the Dockers' leading goal kicker the last two seasons, while off the field he is studying medical science at the University of Western Australia.
Story
Bill Gates for President
Oh boy, I think this site is at least somewhat satirical, but when you have Arnie postulating around and being Governor of California, who knows?
and its gathering steam, this quote from Dilberts blog,
"I think that in an election cycle or two you will see an atheist business leader emerge as a legitimate candidate for president. And his name will be Bill Gates" (Scott Adams)
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Are you ready to Rumble!!!!!
The Dockers have picked up some handy looking types in the Rookie draft.
This rookie draft thing looks a bit of a scam to me. Freo have picked up some awesome players in the past, forgoing the national draft. They seem to have hidden players in the past, and used it their good effect. It is something the poorer clubs are unable to do, because they cant afford the player payments, on top of the regular salary cap.
One that took my eye is Darren Rumble. I watched the WAFL GF live, and this guys looked like a ready made player to me.
This rookie draft thing looks a bit of a scam to me. Freo have picked up some awesome players in the past, forgoing the national draft. They seem to have hidden players in the past, and used it their good effect. It is something the poorer clubs are unable to do, because they cant afford the player payments, on top of the regular salary cap.
One that took my eye is Darren Rumble. I watched the WAFL GF live, and this guys looked like a ready made player to me.
"A key member of the 2006 Premiership side which completely pantsed the Bulldogs in the Grand Final. At 22, Rumble goes onto the Mature Age Rookie List. He's held down the full back position at Subiaco as well as for the WAFL State side. "
(Dockerland.com)
Jer 23
“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.
2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. 3 But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!
Read that as a pastor and not be convicted.
Huge responsibility being a leader.
Recently I have asked the church to take some big faith steps. But these steps mean I too must be committed, really committed.
Lets go!
2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. 3 But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!
Read that as a pastor and not be convicted.
Huge responsibility being a leader.
Recently I have asked the church to take some big faith steps. But these steps mean I too must be committed, really committed.
Lets go!
Walk across the room Part Two
Stay tuned for the next exciting instalment!!
Download or just listen online for this message on the "Power of Your Story"
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Going to meeting
Had a church meeting today, after church.
Discussing our future plans.
What a great church we have, happy, courageous, ready to go.
Its taken a long time, but we are ready to take some significant steps of faith.
Discussing our future plans.
What a great church we have, happy, courageous, ready to go.
Its taken a long time, but we are ready to take some significant steps of faith.
English Cricketers
Cant wait!
Here is something that I found amusing which is kicking around on blog land.
Q. What do Geraint Jones and Michael Jackson have in common?
A. They both wear gloves for no apparent reason
Q. What is the height of optimism?
A. An English batsman applying sunscreen.
Q. What does Ashley Giles put in his hands to make sure the nextball almost always takes a wicket?
A. A bat.
Q. What would Glen McGrath be if he was an Englishman?
A. An allrounder.
Q. What advantage do Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Strauss and GeraintJones have over the rest of their team-mates?
A. At least they can say they're not really English.
Q. What is the English version of a hat-trick?
A. Three runs in three balls.
Q. What do you call an Englishman with 100 runs against his name?
A. A bowler.
Q. What is the most proficient form of footwork displayed by Englishbatsmen?
A. The walk back to the pavilion.
Q. Who has the easiest job in the English squad?
A. The guy who removes the red ball marks from the bats.
Q. Why is Andrew Flintoff the unluckiest English player?
A. Because he was born in England.
Q. What does "Ashes" stand for?
A. Another Sad Horrific English Series.
Q. What's the English version of LBW?
A. Lost, Beaten, Walloped.
Q. Who spends the most time on the crease of anyone in the Englishteam?
A. The person who ironed the cricket whites.
Here is something that I found amusing which is kicking around on blog land.
Q. What do Geraint Jones and Michael Jackson have in common?
A. They both wear gloves for no apparent reason
Q. What is the height of optimism?
A. An English batsman applying sunscreen.
Q. What does Ashley Giles put in his hands to make sure the nextball almost always takes a wicket?
A. A bat.
Q. What would Glen McGrath be if he was an Englishman?
A. An allrounder.
Q. What advantage do Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Strauss and GeraintJones have over the rest of their team-mates?
A. At least they can say they're not really English.
Q. What is the English version of a hat-trick?
A. Three runs in three balls.
Q. What do you call an Englishman with 100 runs against his name?
A. A bowler.
Q. What is the most proficient form of footwork displayed by Englishbatsmen?
A. The walk back to the pavilion.
Q. Who has the easiest job in the English squad?
A. The guy who removes the red ball marks from the bats.
Q. Why is Andrew Flintoff the unluckiest English player?
A. Because he was born in England.
Q. What does "Ashes" stand for?
A. Another Sad Horrific English Series.
Q. What's the English version of LBW?
A. Lost, Beaten, Walloped.
Q. Who spends the most time on the crease of anyone in the Englishteam?
A. The person who ironed the cricket whites.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Jeremiah 33
6 “Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. 8 I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. 9 Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
What a wonderful promise God gave to His people.
If this is what God's heart is like for His people, there is nothing for us to fear.
I hope and pray my church takes this attitude, let us see what marvellous things God will do for us, in expanding His Kingdom.
What a wonderful promise God gave to His people.
If this is what God's heart is like for His people, there is nothing for us to fear.
I hope and pray my church takes this attitude, let us see what marvellous things God will do for us, in expanding His Kingdom.
Suzuki Vitara Starter motor
The starter motor of the trusty Suzuki Vitara is gone. This has meant the embarassing sight of me hitting something under the bonnet with the tyre wrench to get the thing to work. I have changed starter motors on just about every car I have even owned. Its not a hard job, usually, although you get covered in grease and need to be able to yank off a few bolts.
Not so easy in my Vitarara, in fact darn near impossible. Ever tried to remove a 12 mill nut with a small 12 mill spanner, and about 2 inches to work in? After 1 hour of getting off everything I could around it, I cant get it off.
Down to my local mechanic with my tail between my legs. Luckily he is a really nice guy and is going to fix it for me on Monday. I know how the trade works, having sold exhaust systems for 3 or 4 years in a former life. The mechanic makes his money from selling his time, and selling parts. He buys parts for trade price and then sells them to you for retail. Because I have already got the starter motor (at trade price!) he had every right to not want to do the job, but he does most of the 'big' work on our cars, so no problem.
Came home, changed the spark plugs, oil, filter and coolant. Yes, no real issue with those jobs, thank goodness!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Green Lantern
Your results:
You are Green Lantern
You are Green Lantern
| Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination. |
http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/
I dont know how supergirl got that high, thats a bit of a worry,
but the Green Lantern was my favourite superhero, so thats a bit ironic.
(ta to Jarrol for this link)
My wife the cook
My wife is a seriously good cook. Its a bit of a problem.
1. I eat too much good food, and get overweight
2. Often when I go to a restaurant its dissapointing. I pay $$ for food which is not as good as Melindas.
There are some things I can cook better than her
Steak, Pizza, Coffee, cold beer
Okay the last one does not count.
But I choose the brand, put it in the fridge, grab it out when its ice cold and put it in the stubby.
If ever you get the chance to eat Melinda's pumpkin soup, don't say no. There is no better pumpkin soup in the world. I know it sounds arrogant, but its not, its just the truth. That and that fried chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and dribbled with tangy orange and cranberry sause. Seriously, I lick the fry pan afterwards.
I am a blessed man, in so many ways. Don't know what I did to deserve her, but there you go.
1. I eat too much good food, and get overweight
2. Often when I go to a restaurant its dissapointing. I pay $$ for food which is not as good as Melindas.
There are some things I can cook better than her
Steak, Pizza, Coffee, cold beer
Okay the last one does not count.
But I choose the brand, put it in the fridge, grab it out when its ice cold and put it in the stubby.
If ever you get the chance to eat Melinda's pumpkin soup, don't say no. There is no better pumpkin soup in the world. I know it sounds arrogant, but its not, its just the truth. That and that fried chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and dribbled with tangy orange and cranberry sause. Seriously, I lick the fry pan afterwards.
I am a blessed man, in so many ways. Don't know what I did to deserve her, but there you go.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Too busy
I need a holiday, badly
and not a two or three day break, something where I can relax,
all I seem to be focused on and thinking about is church stuff, and its not good for anyone
fishing, drinking, eating, swimming, enjoying my family..... not worried about other things
a distant memory at the moment.....
Christmas is when everyone else slows down, but us Pastors rev up.
This past week has been so wonderful for our church, in so many ways, but I am beat.
and not a two or three day break, something where I can relax,
all I seem to be focused on and thinking about is church stuff, and its not good for anyone
fishing, drinking, eating, swimming, enjoying my family..... not worried about other things
a distant memory at the moment.....
Christmas is when everyone else slows down, but us Pastors rev up.
This past week has been so wonderful for our church, in so many ways, but I am beat.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Dockers need to be on their best behaviour
Freo is continuning its recent good form of attracting top line sponsors with news today that they are to be sponsored by the "State Government health body the Drug and Alcohol Office"
In line with other similar deals, players will be expected to provide education and support to the community. story
Gee, I wonder why they did not ask West Coast if they could sponsor them?
Podcast Walk across the room part one
This is the first part of my three part series, based around Hybels book. If you missed it, or want to hear it again, you can hear it here, download it, or listen to it online. You may also want to have a look at the powerpoint slides, which I uploaded as well. Someone who lives a long way away asked me for this, and I am happy to oblige!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Caught reading Jeremiah 18
Ever been caught reading your bible by a member of your family?
This morning I was continuing my devotions from Jeremiah. Man, this is one depressed prophet. He has to give a message of doom, he has to, it is burning within him. Look at how the people react,
" 12 But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires."
Thats pretty blunt. Imagine if people in our churches and community were that blunt to us! We might be a bit depressed ourself. In fact maybe they do do this to you.
God's reply does not pull any punches either!
"I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity."
If anyone does not think God is not blunt, sarcastic and downright funny, in the midst of tragedy, this book will change your mind.
This morning I was continuing my devotions from Jeremiah. Man, this is one depressed prophet. He has to give a message of doom, he has to, it is burning within him. Look at how the people react,
" 12 But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires."
Thats pretty blunt. Imagine if people in our churches and community were that blunt to us! We might be a bit depressed ourself. In fact maybe they do do this to you.
God's reply does not pull any punches either!
"I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity."
If anyone does not think God is not blunt, sarcastic and downright funny, in the midst of tragedy, this book will change your mind.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Ben here before, probably ben here again
Once again, the 'spiritual captain' of the budgies has found himself embroiled in controvery, having being arrested for public drunkeness in Melbourne.
Apparently he was drinking until 4.30am with serial offender, Michael Gardiner (betcha the Saints are glad they picked him up)
Now if my maths is correct, this is his third 'last chance'. Lets see what spin the Weagles put on his latest indiscretion.
Carols in the Sun, best ever
We had our best ever Carols service last night.
The sun was shining, the kids were having a great time in the bouncy castle,
the people on the sausage sizzle did a great job, distributing over 700 sausages and buns.
We had the biggest crowd ever, about 750 - 800.
Our choir was fantastic, including some members from the community, and they were excellent.
The band was not big, but with Eliot, Dale, Jim, Mark and Yonna, they sounded great.
The Inglewood Primary School Choir were great as well.But the crowd was the real story. They did not want to go home! It was such a beautiful evening, the kids were having a great time and we really sensed it was great for our church to serve the community in a way they really appreciated. I had numerous unsolicited comments from a number of people afterwards, people I didn't know.
Huge thanks to all those involved, especially the set up and pack away crew! What a great effort.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Throw a party!!!
Throw a party this month!
Matthew 18
16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs,
and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn’t mourn.’
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
What results is Jesus talking about here? What is the conflict?
Well it seems the religious leaders of Jesus;’ day were getting very upset because Jesus was going to lots of parties, drinking and eating.
They did not like that Jesus was ‘hanging out with’ a whole bunch of sinners, and seemingly enjoying Himself!!
Yet Jesus replies, “wisdom is show to be right by its results”. In other words, what Jesus was doing would be proven right if it had good results. I reckon the results Jesus was talking about was people becoming Christians.
As Christians we can get very comfortable in our “holy huddles” . I know I can! Do you ever find yourself wondering if you have any non church friends? Maybe its time to make some!!
Throw a party!
Melinda and I are throwing a street party this year, and I dare say there will be lots of drinking and eating. Pray there are also some wonderful results. Maybe you could think of something you could do for your friends this year?
Matthew 18
16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs,
and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn’t mourn.’
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
What results is Jesus talking about here? What is the conflict?
Well it seems the religious leaders of Jesus;’ day were getting very upset because Jesus was going to lots of parties, drinking and eating.
They did not like that Jesus was ‘hanging out with’ a whole bunch of sinners, and seemingly enjoying Himself!!
Yet Jesus replies, “wisdom is show to be right by its results”. In other words, what Jesus was doing would be proven right if it had good results. I reckon the results Jesus was talking about was people becoming Christians.
As Christians we can get very comfortable in our “holy huddles” . I know I can! Do you ever find yourself wondering if you have any non church friends? Maybe its time to make some!!
Throw a party!
Melinda and I are throwing a street party this year, and I dare say there will be lots of drinking and eating. Pray there are also some wonderful results. Maybe you could think of something you could do for your friends this year?
Friday, December 01, 2006
Results are all that matters, when?
The last post on this subject went a little off skew, perhaps because I like to stir.
In an Aussie context, what do we mean by results?
Surely the key is leading people to Christ.
But how long will that take?
Some people say as much as 5 years, maybe more.
I do know this. If people are going to follow Christ, we need to befriend them, and that takes time.
Jesus, in the passage listed below, went to a lot of parties, and threw a few Himself, including supplying the drinks (no skippers required in Jerusalem though!)
Maybe we should do the same. Maybe the focus of our efforts should be borne out of love and friendship, not programs.
Programs can and should facilitate relationships. But having the best programs in the world wont do squat if people aren't prepared to get out of their shells and make friends. I find that tough.
In an Aussie context, what do we mean by results?
Surely the key is leading people to Christ.
But how long will that take?
Some people say as much as 5 years, maybe more.
I do know this. If people are going to follow Christ, we need to befriend them, and that takes time.
Jesus, in the passage listed below, went to a lot of parties, and threw a few Himself, including supplying the drinks (no skippers required in Jerusalem though!)
Maybe we should do the same. Maybe the focus of our efforts should be borne out of love and friendship, not programs.
Programs can and should facilitate relationships. But having the best programs in the world wont do squat if people aren't prepared to get out of their shells and make friends. I find that tough.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Results are all that matter - Jesus
Matthew 11
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man,[f] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man,[f] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
How rich are you?
I am the 107,565richest person in the world!
You may need to go here first
http://coinmill.com/AUD_USD.html
to convert you Aus dollar salary into US,
then go here
http://www.globalrichlist.com/
and find out where you stand on the scale, you are probably a lot richer than you think, it all depends on who you compare yourself too.
You may need to go here first
http://coinmill.com/AUD_USD.html
to convert you Aus dollar salary into US,
then go here
http://www.globalrichlist.com/
and find out where you stand on the scale, you are probably a lot richer than you think, it all depends on who you compare yourself too.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Just walk across the room
Starting a three week series based around Hybels book, "just walk across the room" If you are into emerging church thoughts, and are not really a fan of Hybels, I encourage you to read this book. It might be a real challenge and encouragement to you.
The whole idea of a "Matthew Party" which Bill spells out, sounds remarkably similar to the 'best ideas' I see coming out of the Emergent voice. Some might think it is ironic that it would come from the originator of the "Seeker Sensitive" movement.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Peer Group
I have a peer group, a group of fellow Pastors.
We meet every month or so, probably when one of us gets our act together and organises it.
Without this group of friends who have encouraged me, told me off, exhorted me, prayed for me, prayed over me......
I would not still be in ministry.
I think friends are very important, but as I journey in ministry, there has been few things as important and needful to me as these guys.
We meet every month or so, probably when one of us gets our act together and organises it.
Without this group of friends who have encouraged me, told me off, exhorted me, prayed for me, prayed over me......
I would not still be in ministry.
I think friends are very important, but as I journey in ministry, there has been few things as important and needful to me as these guys.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Ignite Community
Its nice meeting people online. Its like circling at a party, and finding you have stuff in common.
There is something about being a minister, a pastor, a spiritual leader of some sort. Its a bit like a war out there sometimes, you stick your head up, and someone is ready to shoot you down. Thats why its nice to 'meet' someone good humoured who is 'in the job' as well.
Andrew 'Roo' Patrick is a youth pastor out at Carey Baptist. SUCKED IN BIG TIME Andrew, you have to work with Steve Izett :) :) :)
Not really, Steve is a great guy, and is a real believer in empowering people to lead, so I am sure your creativity is allowed to flow freely.
Andrew has a great blog, check it out sometime.
http://ignitecommunity.blogspot.com/
The other thing about Andrew is that he is a Geelong Supporter. Oh dear. No wonder him and Gareth are mates, they both have the same sort of persecution complex that drives them to support teams which will always be "almost there". Unlike the mighty Dockers, who never leave you guessing and this year will go one step further.
There is something about being a minister, a pastor, a spiritual leader of some sort. Its a bit like a war out there sometimes, you stick your head up, and someone is ready to shoot you down. Thats why its nice to 'meet' someone good humoured who is 'in the job' as well.
Andrew 'Roo' Patrick is a youth pastor out at Carey Baptist. SUCKED IN BIG TIME Andrew, you have to work with Steve Izett :) :) :)
Not really, Steve is a great guy, and is a real believer in empowering people to lead, so I am sure your creativity is allowed to flow freely.
Andrew has a great blog, check it out sometime.
http://ignitecommunity.blogspot.com/
The other thing about Andrew is that he is a Geelong Supporter. Oh dear. No wonder him and Gareth are mates, they both have the same sort of persecution complex that drives them to support teams which will always be "almost there". Unlike the mighty Dockers, who never leave you guessing and this year will go one step further.
Mc Gill
I know he is not fashionable, but I would love to see Stuart Mc Gill get a cap for the upcoming test in Adelaide. You have to feel for the guy, who would be a walk up start for any other team in the world.
As well as that, he has managed to keep his private life just that. He also seems to be an intelligent and well versed commentator on many topics. I especially aprreciated the stand he took with the Zimbabwe tour.
"MacGill is the first Australian to tell selectors he could not in good conscience tour Zimbabwe since its cricket union imposed a new selection policy that's seen 13 white players refuse to play in protest" Story
He is also a proven wicket taker, often achieving breakthroughs when other players havestruggled. With the Poms starting to stand up for themselves, and with the Test at Cricket friendly Adelaide, I'm hoping he gets a call up.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Wayne Field and good use of Carols
This will probably appear on Ra'ah, but deserves an airing here as well.
Expect a fun night of carols and family entertainment at this year’s Australind Carols in the Park Tornado Benefit. The event will be a special end to what has been a difficult year for the Leschenault community which was hit by a freak tornado in August.
Carols Director Mark Belton of Australind Baptist Church said that, “Proceeds from the event will be directed towards the Settler’s Community Hall rebuilding project.”
Expect a fun night of carols and family entertainment at this year’s Australind Carols in the Park Tornado Benefit. The event will be a special end to what has been a difficult year for the Leschenault community which was hit by a freak tornado in August.
Carols Director Mark Belton of Australind Baptist Church said that, “Proceeds from the event will be directed towards the Settler’s Community Hall rebuilding project.”
Only $40 a month
For $40 a month you can get 26 channels, seven sports channels. "Ongoing packages range from $36.95 to $101.95 per month." www.foxtel.com.au
Either that or you can potentially save a child's life, give him or her hope for their future.
This morning our family adopted a little boy. (Well sort of!)
We are sponsoring a child through Compassion. No father, living in Hondorus, speaks Spanish.
Sure makes me feel better about myself than the prospect of watching more TV, especially since Fox lost the footy :)
Either that or you can potentially save a child's life, give him or her hope for their future.
This morning our family adopted a little boy. (Well sort of!)
We are sponsoring a child through Compassion. No father, living in Hondorus, speaks Spanish.
Sure makes me feel better about myself than the prospect of watching more TV, especially since Fox lost the footy :)
Friday, November 24, 2006
Carols Sunday Night the 3rd
We hold this at the local Primary School, normally get about 600 there,
love to see you there!!
Free sausage sizzle for all Markedly readers!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Lester Sutton this week
Lester Sutton from Compassion speaking this week, following on from three weeks on Parenthood.
Idea being that we open our eyes to the rest of the world, and broaden the scope of our own family a little.
Have prepared a great opening multi media for the service, lets hope we all enjoy it and are challenged.
Parenthood Part Three
Third part of message,
dealing with what to do when kids go bad!!
Hope you enjoy it,
Parenthood part three
Really enjoyed this series, and taking Parenthood beyond the traditional constraints of the family.
dealing with what to do when kids go bad!!
Hope you enjoy it,
Parenthood part three
Really enjoyed this series, and taking Parenthood beyond the traditional constraints of the family.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Facing the Giants
This is a pretty amazing story.
Alex Kendrick teamed with his brother Stephen to write Facing the Giants. The cast is comprised of volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church, located in Albany Georgia. , as well as others from the surrounding area. The Kendricks hired five film pro's to fill the technical positions on the motion picture. Church members and community volunteers helped to keep production costs down by supplementing the professional crew.Wiki
This very ordinary church has made a movie with a budget of $100, 000.
The kicker to the story?
The film has grossed over $5,000,000 as of late October, 2006.
The film is maintaining a respectable $2,400 per theater average in its third week after release. Opening weekend's average was over $3,000 per theater, grossing over $1,300,000.
The film is maintaining a respectable $2,400 per theater average in its third week after release. Opening weekend's average was over $3,000 per theater, grossing over $1,300,000.
The church made the film to portray the gospel in a contemporary way, hoping to show it in the local theatres!!!!
Here is something from the Rotten Tomatoes site,
"I have to say, that in an age of super budgeted feature films where most come and go in a couple of weeks after tanking, Facing The Giants outshines and out classes a large majority of those Hollywood giants. Maybe that's another message the film makers didn't intend to be communicated through their film but is there anyway. Watch out Hollywood. If you won't make family friendly films which portray Christian people in a positive, realistic way, then they will. And people will come and spend their money to see them"
Media get it wrong over Wilmots
Dear Friends,
Malawi is a country with about 12 million people and there really are 1 million orphans. Constantly our Malawian friends are living with death; last week the director of Total Life Care lost his 6 month old daughter. 1 in 4 children really do die before the age of 5. Mother’s and Father’s really do wonder if they will have enough food to feed their families, HIV infected people really are as high as 1 in 3. Despite this Malawian people continue to inspire us with their human spirit, resilience and warm hearts.
As you know Madonna has put Malawi on the map, somehow though, we have found ourselves embroiled in media hype surrounding Madonna and adoption. So we thought it may be helpful to clarify a few things. We are at present going through the process to adopt a beautiful little girl, Jessica. This is something that, because of its personal nature, we have chosen to keep confidential until things were official and our family and organisation were informed. I guess it is no longer confidential. And we do apologise to those people involved in our life who are reading about such a sensitive and personal issue in the paper; like members of our family.
The article is not true and the quotes attached to Angela are also not true. My understanding is the “human rights charter for children” should protect their identity, so we are disappointed at the article and feel that it is a violation of Jessica’s rights. We did speak to a journalist, over the phone, but are upset that this is the slant they put on the article. In contacting us we were given the impression that because he heard of us adopting children, he wanted to highlight orphans and poverty. It was later he brought up our present adoption process, which we were quite surprised by, due to the confidentiality. Unfortunately we are being used to create a story and we naively went along with it, allowing pictures to be taken of our family. My understanding is they are using all people quoted to create a story.
We are not involved in a ‘tug of war’ with Madonna. During Madonna’s time in Malawi she did visit the orphanage were this little girl is currently being cared for. Jessica was one of many children that Madonna spent time with and she has no intention of adopting Jessica, but that’s about where the story begins and ends. We are very sympathetic to and supportive of Madonna and appreciate her desire to respond to the world she lives in. We wish her, her husband and her children all the best in their adoption. It is not an easy journey to decide to adopt or to travel the road to adoption and we are just thankful our lives are able to go on without the scrutiny of press she is subjected to.
Thanks guys for your continued support of us. Poverty is a chronic problem and won’t end overnight, please don’t tire of hearing about it, praying for it and standing against it. Our lives really do make a difference.
We are not giving any further interviews, as our commitment to these beautiful people in Malawi and our duty of care to our children is one of dignity, empowerment and uplift and not for manipulation for the sake of a story.
Warmest regards
John and Angela Wilmot
(Michael, Shaun, Grace, Martha, Brian, Ruth and one day Jessica)
Malawi is a country with about 12 million people and there really are 1 million orphans. Constantly our Malawian friends are living with death; last week the director of Total Life Care lost his 6 month old daughter. 1 in 4 children really do die before the age of 5. Mother’s and Father’s really do wonder if they will have enough food to feed their families, HIV infected people really are as high as 1 in 3. Despite this Malawian people continue to inspire us with their human spirit, resilience and warm hearts.
As you know Madonna has put Malawi on the map, somehow though, we have found ourselves embroiled in media hype surrounding Madonna and adoption. So we thought it may be helpful to clarify a few things. We are at present going through the process to adopt a beautiful little girl, Jessica. This is something that, because of its personal nature, we have chosen to keep confidential until things were official and our family and organisation were informed. I guess it is no longer confidential. And we do apologise to those people involved in our life who are reading about such a sensitive and personal issue in the paper; like members of our family.
The article is not true and the quotes attached to Angela are also not true. My understanding is the “human rights charter for children” should protect their identity, so we are disappointed at the article and feel that it is a violation of Jessica’s rights. We did speak to a journalist, over the phone, but are upset that this is the slant they put on the article. In contacting us we were given the impression that because he heard of us adopting children, he wanted to highlight orphans and poverty. It was later he brought up our present adoption process, which we were quite surprised by, due to the confidentiality. Unfortunately we are being used to create a story and we naively went along with it, allowing pictures to be taken of our family. My understanding is they are using all people quoted to create a story.
We are not involved in a ‘tug of war’ with Madonna. During Madonna’s time in Malawi she did visit the orphanage were this little girl is currently being cared for. Jessica was one of many children that Madonna spent time with and she has no intention of adopting Jessica, but that’s about where the story begins and ends. We are very sympathetic to and supportive of Madonna and appreciate her desire to respond to the world she lives in. We wish her, her husband and her children all the best in their adoption. It is not an easy journey to decide to adopt or to travel the road to adoption and we are just thankful our lives are able to go on without the scrutiny of press she is subjected to.
Thanks guys for your continued support of us. Poverty is a chronic problem and won’t end overnight, please don’t tire of hearing about it, praying for it and standing against it. Our lives really do make a difference.
We are not giving any further interviews, as our commitment to these beautiful people in Malawi and our duty of care to our children is one of dignity, empowerment and uplift and not for manipulation for the sake of a story.
Warmest regards
John and Angela Wilmot
(Michael, Shaun, Grace, Martha, Brian, Ruth and one day Jessica)
John and Angela Wilmot and Madonna adoption controversy
John and Angela Wilmot, John being a friend I studied with at BTC, have made the third page of the West. I suspect this story could grow, and we might see John and Angela on TV. It appears they are in a adoption row with Madonna. Angela and John have already adopted four boys and where well down the track of adopting Jessica when Madonna spotted her and expressed her desire to adopt her.
Angela has stated that Madonna has done the right thing in adopting David, the child in the middle of the previous controversy.
Story
The singer — who faced a public backlash when she took a 13-monthold boy from Malawi to Britain — is thought to be returning to the impoverished African country to adopt an 18-month-old girl called Jessica. However, the youngster, who was found abandoned under a bush, could find herself caught in a dramatic tug-of-war battle. Australian missionaries Angela and John Wilmot have spoken of their fears that their plans to adopt the little girl could be thwarted by the pop queen. In an interview with Closer magazine in Britain, Mrs Wilmot, 34, said: “We heard that Madonna was interested in a child, who we now hear is Jessica, but we are quite far down the line with our adoption.” The Wilmots said they were already in the process of adopting Jessica when the 48-year-old singer expressed interest in taking her to Britain and made a follow-up visit to the orphanage to see her. The couple, who already have two sons and four adopted children, moved to Malawi seven years ago. Madonna met Jessica at the Kondanani Orphan Care Centre at Blantyre earlier this year. She then “fell in love” with David Banda at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji and took him to London amid a storm of controversy, with some critics claiming the move was not legal. “We knew Madonna was at the orphanage and she’d met all the kids, but we were already in the process of adopting Jessica and we hope we’ll be successful,” Mrs Wilmot said. Kondanani Orphan Care Centre’s Cherrie Martin said: “Madonna is a lovely lady. Very down to earth and very caring. She really loved Jessica when she met her.” Despite their concerns for Jessica, the Wilmots said they backed the singer’s planned adoption of David.
KATIE HAMPSON
Angela has stated that Madonna has done the right thing in adopting David, the child in the middle of the previous controversy.
Story
The singer — who faced a public backlash when she took a 13-monthold boy from Malawi to Britain — is thought to be returning to the impoverished African country to adopt an 18-month-old girl called Jessica. However, the youngster, who was found abandoned under a bush, could find herself caught in a dramatic tug-of-war battle. Australian missionaries Angela and John Wilmot have spoken of their fears that their plans to adopt the little girl could be thwarted by the pop queen. In an interview with Closer magazine in Britain, Mrs Wilmot, 34, said: “We heard that Madonna was interested in a child, who we now hear is Jessica, but we are quite far down the line with our adoption.” The Wilmots said they were already in the process of adopting Jessica when the 48-year-old singer expressed interest in taking her to Britain and made a follow-up visit to the orphanage to see her. The couple, who already have two sons and four adopted children, moved to Malawi seven years ago. Madonna met Jessica at the Kondanani Orphan Care Centre at Blantyre earlier this year. She then “fell in love” with David Banda at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji and took him to London amid a storm of controversy, with some critics claiming the move was not legal. “We knew Madonna was at the orphanage and she’d met all the kids, but we were already in the process of adopting Jessica and we hope we’ll be successful,” Mrs Wilmot said. Kondanani Orphan Care Centre’s Cherrie Martin said: “Madonna is a lovely lady. Very down to earth and very caring. She really loved Jessica when she met her.” Despite their concerns for Jessica, the Wilmots said they backed the singer’s planned adoption of David.
KATIE HAMPSON
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Scrapbooking
Having a mad keen scrapbooker for a wife has its advantages!
Beautiful story books to hand on to our kids one day,
interesting journalled photo books to reminesce over.
I have set up a blog for my wife's, and our churches, scrapbooking club.
I don;t think it will get many entries, maybe once a month,
but here it is anyway.
www.bedfordscrapbooking.blogspot.com
Beautiful story books to hand on to our kids one day,
interesting journalled photo books to reminesce over.
I have set up a blog for my wife's, and our churches, scrapbooking club.
I don;t think it will get many entries, maybe once a month,
but here it is anyway.
www.bedfordscrapbooking.blogspot.com
Jeremiah 10.23-25
23 I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
We are not able to plan our own course.
24 So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
What a awe inspiring piece of scripture. The Weeping Prophet has an ability to get to the heart of the matter. He recognises his own frailties, yet also has a deep desire to be in the centre of the will of God.
What does it mean for God to correct us? How does He do this? Only if we are humble and open to His correction in this life. If we decline His offer of a gentle lead now, He will correct us later.
Prayer, "God that I would hear and listen and obey your voice now. God that You would make it clear what my path is to be today, tommorow. Cause me to make Godly decisions, made in the light of Your vision and will for my life."
We are not able to plan our own course.
24 So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
What a awe inspiring piece of scripture. The Weeping Prophet has an ability to get to the heart of the matter. He recognises his own frailties, yet also has a deep desire to be in the centre of the will of God.
What does it mean for God to correct us? How does He do this? Only if we are humble and open to His correction in this life. If we decline His offer of a gentle lead now, He will correct us later.
Prayer, "God that I would hear and listen and obey your voice now. God that You would make it clear what my path is to be today, tommorow. Cause me to make Godly decisions, made in the light of Your vision and will for my life."
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Running around like a headless chook
Oh dear, must be something in the water.
Have you heard the true story about the headless chook who kept living for 18 months after having his head cut off?
"On Monday September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, had his mother-in-law around for supper and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen failed to completely decapitate the five-and-a-half month old bird named Mike, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact.
Not quite sure what to do with his by now loose head, on the first night after the decapitation Mike slept with it under his wing; it was this touching tenacity to life and the now redundant organ that convinced Olsen to reprieve Mike from the cooking pot.
Despite Olsen's botched handiwork, the by-now-headless Mike was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily; he even attempted to preen and crow, apparently not noticing that neither activity could be accomplished properly without a head. After the bird did not die, a surprised and no doubt guilty Mr. Olsen decided to continue to care permanently for Mike, feeding him a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper; he was also fed small grains of corn. The unfortunate Mike occasionally choked on his own mucus, which the Olson family would clear using a syringe.
When used to his new and unusual center of mass Mike could easily get himself to the highest perches without falling. His crowing, though, was less impressive and consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat, leaving him unable to crow at dawn.
Being headless did not stop Mike putting on weight; at the time of his beheading he weighed some 2½ pounds and at the time of his death, this had increased to nearly 8.
Not quite sure what to do with his by now loose head, on the first night after the decapitation Mike slept with it under his wing; it was this touching tenacity to life and the now redundant organ that convinced Olsen to reprieve Mike from the cooking pot.
Despite Olsen's botched handiwork, the by-now-headless Mike was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily; he even attempted to preen and crow, apparently not noticing that neither activity could be accomplished properly without a head. After the bird did not die, a surprised and no doubt guilty Mr. Olsen decided to continue to care permanently for Mike, feeding him a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper; he was also fed small grains of corn. The unfortunate Mike occasionally choked on his own mucus, which the Olson family would clear using a syringe.
When used to his new and unusual center of mass Mike could easily get himself to the highest perches without falling. His crowing, though, was less impressive and consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat, leaving him unable to crow at dawn.
Being headless did not stop Mike putting on weight; at the time of his beheading he weighed some 2½ pounds and at the time of his death, this had increased to nearly 8.
I've got to be able to use this as a sermon illustration somehow??? :)
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Rove and Belinda and Cousin Shaun McManus
No, I am not blogging a gaffe like our serial fluffer Opposition Leader Kim Beazley. I am drawing a connection between the tradgedy of the passing of actress and singer Belinda Emmet, and our own Docker Shaum Mc Manus.
On the Channel Ten report of Belinda's funeral, there were the wavy blonde locks of Shaun. I thought, only for a brief second, what's he doing there? Then the connection was clear, Shaun is Rove's cousin.
How sad, how terribly sad for the humorous lad from Willeton (Rove). Rove has always struck me as a very decent guy, with a strong and loving family. He once said that his sister had achieved far more than him in life because she had two wonderful children. Now Rove will not know that pleasure with his first love, Belinda. Terribly sad for the guy.
Seeing Shaun at the funeral brought home to me the reality of the situation. It is at these times that cousins, friends, people who really care about you gather around you. I wonder if Rove will ever recover? I think with his good humour and energy he will. Not for some time, but there will be hope and humour for him. I pray he finds peace and hope in the midst of his grief.
On the Channel Ten report of Belinda's funeral, there were the wavy blonde locks of Shaun. I thought, only for a brief second, what's he doing there? Then the connection was clear, Shaun is Rove's cousin.
How sad, how terribly sad for the humorous lad from Willeton (Rove). Rove has always struck me as a very decent guy, with a strong and loving family. He once said that his sister had achieved far more than him in life because she had two wonderful children. Now Rove will not know that pleasure with his first love, Belinda. Terribly sad for the guy.
Seeing Shaun at the funeral brought home to me the reality of the situation. It is at these times that cousins, friends, people who really care about you gather around you. I wonder if Rove will ever recover? I think with his good humour and energy he will. Not for some time, but there will be hope and humour for him. I pray he finds peace and hope in the midst of his grief.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Bono LIve at Saddleback December 1st
Bono will appear at Saddleback Church, with Rick Warren, at their World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.
And an up and coming politician Mr. Obama will also appear. He appears to be a strong possibility for the next White House candidate.
Purpose Driven Candidate
And an up and coming politician Mr. Obama will also appear. He appears to be a strong possibility for the next White House candidate.
Purpose Driven Candidate
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Jesus, on sale for $20 US
JESUS
Jesus was the most important person in history. Ever.He was born in a manger, raised as a carpenter, and crucified on a cross. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He fed five thousand men with two fish and five loaves of bread. He was a revolutionary preacher and an extraordinary teacher who shook up the religious authority of that time.Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in the form of a man. When He died, He defeated death. He defeated sin. Belief in Him brings eternal life. There has never been nor will there ever be anyone like Jesus!
Product Features:• 12" tall• Fully articulated, with 18 points of articulation including hands and fingers that can gasp and hold• Realistic eyes• Hand-sewn cloth outfits and sandals• 63 seconds of Scripture, recorded in an easy-to-memorize style
I dont know what everyone else thinks, but this is a bit gross for me.
I dont want to be religious or Pharisaical, but crumbs, I reckon there are better ways to teach our kids.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Thankfulness
I reckon one of the keys to a healthy life is to live a life of thankfulness.
Blessings, peace and joy come from deciding to be thankful. And it is a choice.
I am not subscribing to the 'name it and claim it' theology. Thats bunkum .
But think of the analogy God Himself gives us, He is our Father.
What sort of children does a Father love? I know what I am teaching my children, how to say thankyou, and when they say it of their own accord, it blesses me and others.
Most days I try to remember to thank God for my family (boy am I thankful for them!)
my church, yes, especially now,
and my life.
Thanks God too for the beautiful ciabata bread and organic coffee I made for breakfast.
Blessings, peace and joy come from deciding to be thankful. And it is a choice.
I am not subscribing to the 'name it and claim it' theology. Thats bunkum .
But think of the analogy God Himself gives us, He is our Father.
What sort of children does a Father love? I know what I am teaching my children, how to say thankyou, and when they say it of their own accord, it blesses me and others.
Most days I try to remember to thank God for my family (boy am I thankful for them!)
my church, yes, especially now,
and my life.
Thanks God too for the beautiful ciabata bread and organic coffee I made for breakfast.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
John Mc Arthur & John Piper
Aaaaah, you were thinking or hoping for a deep theological thought, ah ah, you've come to the wrong blog :)
I used to be a huge Mc Arthur fan, in my idealistic stage,
once delivered from that, I can now listen to this and laugh....
If you know who John Mc Arthur is you will either.... laugh out loud, or send me rude emails!!
And as an added bonus, here's John Pipers take on Michael Jackson's Bad
Parenthood Part Two
Hi all,
I know your all dying for the next exciting installment, here it is
Message Part Two
or right click and 'save target as' this one
Right click and save target as
I know your all dying for the next exciting installment, here it is
Message Part Two
or right click and 'save target as' this one
Right click and save target as
Hard Work
There is something very soul building about doing hard work.
It is something we are designed for, from the garden, from the beginning.
As a Pastor, sometimes the work you are doing seems nebulous. There is no hole dug, no cabinet made, no bricks laid, to show for your work.
Leadership, inspiring, counselling, imparting, praying.
All people skills, all having their results in somewhat undefinable areas.
Then there are things like preparation, video and computer work, setting up stages, arranging events, producing brochures. These things are much more definable. Part of making things happen.
As Spiritual Leaders we cannot get away from work, to see a community transformed is difficult. If we expect it to be easy, or to pander to our own laziness, we are in the wrong field.
It is something we are designed for, from the garden, from the beginning.
As a Pastor, sometimes the work you are doing seems nebulous. There is no hole dug, no cabinet made, no bricks laid, to show for your work.
Leadership, inspiring, counselling, imparting, praying.
All people skills, all having their results in somewhat undefinable areas.
Then there are things like preparation, video and computer work, setting up stages, arranging events, producing brochures. These things are much more definable. Part of making things happen.
As Spiritual Leaders we cannot get away from work, to see a community transformed is difficult. If we expect it to be easy, or to pander to our own laziness, we are in the wrong field.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Linksys
We have three main computers at work, plus my laptop.
A technically minded guy at the church has just set up the wireless network for me.
Its unbelievable. Seriously I reckon I have gained about two hours on Friday. What I mean is this. I can prepare all the videos and services on my office computer, while doing other work on my laptop while the office computer is 'rendering' files. All cpmputers are online.
I then simply go across to the presentation computer which is in the auditorium. Grab the files from the 'shared folder" on either the laptop or office computer, and off I go.
I probably have not described this well, but what it means is that I can share files on every computer in the church, and share printers as well. A video file over 200meg, which meant I would normally have to waste a cdrom burning it to transfer, or try to compress it to fit on my 128meg usb drive, is now transferred between pc at the touch of a mouse.
ITS GREAT!!
The guy that set it up is a management type, with a stressful job with long hours, so I can't mention his name!! But he knows who he is, THANKS!
Spare the rod....
I dont think there are many things more controversial, or with the potential to be more controversial, than spanking your child.
In these politically correct days, the idea of inflicting pain to the 'seat of learning' may seem like an archaic and barbaric practice. The argument goes that violence begets violence.
Interesting logic. This generation will be the second that grows up with this generalised mindset. Lucky for us it has worked, and we live in a far less violent society (where is that sarcastic smilie gone??)
Of course we have not, we have grown up in a society with far less boundaries.
Ask yourself this, what would you prefer as a child?
To grow up knowing boundaries and respecting them, or to grow up with no real sense that there will be any retribution for wrong doing?
I love my kids, really love them. The thought of anyone causing them pain kills me. Listening to Wally Foreman's son talk about how he will miss his dad, had me crying.
Yet I want them to grow up knowing boundaries. They need to feel some pain when they have crossed the line.
"The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother...Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:15, 17
In these politically correct days, the idea of inflicting pain to the 'seat of learning' may seem like an archaic and barbaric practice. The argument goes that violence begets violence.
Interesting logic. This generation will be the second that grows up with this generalised mindset. Lucky for us it has worked, and we live in a far less violent society (where is that sarcastic smilie gone??)
Of course we have not, we have grown up in a society with far less boundaries.
Ask yourself this, what would you prefer as a child?
To grow up knowing boundaries and respecting them, or to grow up with no real sense that there will be any retribution for wrong doing?
I love my kids, really love them. The thought of anyone causing them pain kills me. Listening to Wally Foreman's son talk about how he will miss his dad, had me crying.
Yet I want them to grow up knowing boundaries. They need to feel some pain when they have crossed the line.
"The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother...Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:15, 17
Friday, November 10, 2006
Samsung Service is brilliant
On this blog I have bagged various organisations for bad or ordinary service.
Time for a great story.
Recently I bought a SAMSUNG copy/fax/printer for the church.
We have just transfered all our internet and phone stuff to AAPT who set up a duet line. This means we could keep our fax number, but have it on the same line, and get charged about 1/10th the price.
I suspected my new Samsung Fax would support this, so I rang their customer care guy. Not only did he help me, he rang me on my mobile so he could then ring my landline and set it up for me. I cant believe how
- knowledgable he was
- helpful he was
- efficient he was
His name was Mark by the way,
well done SAMSUNG
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Parenthood and touch
Preparing for my second part of the series on Parenthood.
Here is something thats interesting.
Skin hunger is a relatively new term that has been applied to the emotional response engendered by the loss of touch in our society. One of the five basic senses, touch is the only one deemed essential to human life. (emphasis mine) During WW II babies in orphanages developed Failure to thrive or even died when deprived of human contact. In a classic study by Harry Harlow, newborn monkeys were taken from their biological mothers and given surrogates made of either wire or soft terry cloth. The baby monkeys consistently chose the soft mother even when deprived of nourishment. The need for bonding outweighed even the basic necessity of food.
The need for touch extends beyond the early developmental years. It is the first sense to develop in utero and the last to diminish as we die. Babies and children with loving parents are cuddled and kissed and touched. As a child ages he seeks to become more independent and may even resist too much lovin'. How many of us parents have mourned the day our children became too big to sit in our laps anymore? Boys, especially, are discouraged from showing too much affection. To be a man means to be strong and stoic and emotion is deemed a sign of weakness.
Adolescence is a time of self discovery and growing sexual awareness. As kids grow into teens they may seek sexual intimacy even when not emotionally ready because the need for touch is so strong. How many girls have had sex prematurely when all they really wanted was to be held? Compounding the problem, many parents will decrease physical contact with their teens because of fears of inappropriateness.
Maturing into adults we face a world that explodes with sexual images but discourages more than a friendly nod or a handshake in public. Sexuality is OK but intimacy is not.
The elderly, the disabled and the very ill, aka the "Untouchables", are at greatest risk of touch deprivation. Living in isolated homes, the elderly and the disabled often have limited mobility and fears of victimization may prevent their venturing out. People with a terminal illness like HIV may have very little contact with another human being due to inherent fears of the disease. Although not as fulfilling as human contact, a pet may provide the bonding and comfort needed.
Story
Here is something thats interesting.
Skin hunger is a relatively new term that has been applied to the emotional response engendered by the loss of touch in our society. One of the five basic senses, touch is the only one deemed essential to human life. (emphasis mine) During WW II babies in orphanages developed Failure to thrive or even died when deprived of human contact. In a classic study by Harry Harlow, newborn monkeys were taken from their biological mothers and given surrogates made of either wire or soft terry cloth. The baby monkeys consistently chose the soft mother even when deprived of nourishment. The need for bonding outweighed even the basic necessity of food.
The need for touch extends beyond the early developmental years. It is the first sense to develop in utero and the last to diminish as we die. Babies and children with loving parents are cuddled and kissed and touched. As a child ages he seeks to become more independent and may even resist too much lovin'. How many of us parents have mourned the day our children became too big to sit in our laps anymore? Boys, especially, are discouraged from showing too much affection. To be a man means to be strong and stoic and emotion is deemed a sign of weakness.
Adolescence is a time of self discovery and growing sexual awareness. As kids grow into teens they may seek sexual intimacy even when not emotionally ready because the need for touch is so strong. How many girls have had sex prematurely when all they really wanted was to be held? Compounding the problem, many parents will decrease physical contact with their teens because of fears of inappropriateness.
Maturing into adults we face a world that explodes with sexual images but discourages more than a friendly nod or a handshake in public. Sexuality is OK but intimacy is not.
The elderly, the disabled and the very ill, aka the "Untouchables", are at greatest risk of touch deprivation. Living in isolated homes, the elderly and the disabled often have limited mobility and fears of victimization may prevent their venturing out. People with a terminal illness like HIV may have very little contact with another human being due to inherent fears of the disease. Although not as fulfilling as human contact, a pet may provide the bonding and comfort needed.
Story
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Seth's blog
I have just added Seth's blog to my blogroll.
It is fantastic. Does not matter what industry you are in, or what you are on about, this is a great site to visit for marketing and service tips and angles."SETH GODIN is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.
Godin is author of five (no, it's six! [no it's SEVEN Free Prize Inside was published in early May, 2004 and All Marketers Are Liars.was published in 2005) books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work"
Godin is author of five (no, it's six! [no it's SEVEN Free Prize Inside was published in early May, 2004 and All Marketers Are Liars.was published in 2005) books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work"
Ipod to go the way of 8 Track
Ipod this, ipod that.
Apple's Ipod is the market leader of music players at the moment.
Trendy, stylish, easy to use, and trendy.
However consider this.
It has very limited transferability to other platforms
It only does one thing, or maybe two if you counnt playing videos.
Sony have introduced a mobile phone which is also a great Mp3 player.
My PDA is a smartphone and plays video and most audio files. It also has an expandable memory slot.
This means I only have to carry one instrument to do all those tasks.
I cant see the Ipod's sales domination lasting more than another 3 or 4 years, unless something dramatic changes about the product.
Apple's Ipod is the market leader of music players at the moment.
Trendy, stylish, easy to use, and trendy.
However consider this.
It has very limited transferability to other platforms
It only does one thing, or maybe two if you counnt playing videos.
Sony have introduced a mobile phone which is also a great Mp3 player.
My PDA is a smartphone and plays video and most audio files. It also has an expandable memory slot.
This means I only have to carry one instrument to do all those tasks.
I cant see the Ipod's sales domination lasting more than another 3 or 4 years, unless something dramatic changes about the product.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Esnips and Parenthood Part One
After no end of trouble trying to upload the last week of messages, I have switched over to esnips.com. Excellet product, and the best possible price.
You can hear or download my message on Parenthood right here
Parenthood Part One (spirituality and proactivity)alternatively just 'save target' at this link
Monday, November 06, 2006
Its got more haggard
The truth, or perhaps more of the truth, has come out about Ted Haggard.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- Less than 24 hours after being fired from the mega-church he founded, evangelical Pastor Ted Haggard confessed to a "lifelong" sexual problem.
In a letter read to members of his New Life Church Sunday, Haggard said he is "a deceiver and a liar." Haggard apologized to his congregation in the letter and asked for their forgiveness.
"There is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life," Haggard said in the letter read by Pastor Larry Stockstill, a member of the board of overseers of New Life Church. On Saturday, members of the board ousted Haggard from the 14,000-member church, citing his "sexually immoral conduct. story
Ted got up in front of the whole congregaion and wept and confessed. His wife has said she will stick by him.
Having observed these situations up close before, when a Pastor committs adultery, the only way for real healing for both the leader and the congregation, is for all the dirty stuff to be confessed to, be frank and honest about.
Men, men, men. The Valiant Man course we are doing at Bedford is so relevant to how I am feeling at the moment. Men have to be honest about the struggles they are going through, even if that struggle is one with homosexuality, sexual addiction, or something else which is embarassing and 'hidden'.
I don't want to lose any of my mates in the ministry to this sort of thing, nor do I want any of the blokes in my church to succumb to this, or be crippled but it.
We have got to get better at doing life together.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- Less than 24 hours after being fired from the mega-church he founded, evangelical Pastor Ted Haggard confessed to a "lifelong" sexual problem.
In a letter read to members of his New Life Church Sunday, Haggard said he is "a deceiver and a liar." Haggard apologized to his congregation in the letter and asked for their forgiveness.
"There is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life," Haggard said in the letter read by Pastor Larry Stockstill, a member of the board of overseers of New Life Church. On Saturday, members of the board ousted Haggard from the 14,000-member church, citing his "sexually immoral conduct. story
Ted got up in front of the whole congregaion and wept and confessed. His wife has said she will stick by him.
Having observed these situations up close before, when a Pastor committs adultery, the only way for real healing for both the leader and the congregation, is for all the dirty stuff to be confessed to, be frank and honest about.
Men, men, men. The Valiant Man course we are doing at Bedford is so relevant to how I am feeling at the moment. Men have to be honest about the struggles they are going through, even if that struggle is one with homosexuality, sexual addiction, or something else which is embarassing and 'hidden'.
I don't want to lose any of my mates in the ministry to this sort of thing, nor do I want any of the blokes in my church to succumb to this, or be crippled but it.
We have got to get better at doing life together.
Stats, lies and more stats.... who are you?
Recently I installed a free stat counter on my bog, visible only to me.
A little bit of a test to see if I was rambling to the breeze, although the diversity of people commenting on this blog suggests otherwise.
Who on earth are the 70 or so people who visited the blog on Saturday?
Monday morning apears to be a popular time as well, with about 50 unique hits.
I know this is only a very small blog, but is is nice to see so many people visiting it.
If you visit, and feel compelled, leave a comment, don't be shy!
Also, if you are a Pastor, I would love you to visit my other project,
the Aussie Pastors Blog.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Dog training, fly fishing and buying meth off a male prostitute
This is a really sad story. Tedd Haggard's book has been very helpful to me. I really hope the truth comes out, whatever that is.
I hope he find forgiveness and reconciliation with his family.
I hope the Church (his church) deals with the situation with grace, but also with integrity.
It sucks when someone who has been effective in the Lord's kingdom falls from grace so spectacularly. I don't count Haggard in the same league as Swaggart and Co. I hope most of this is not true, but I have a bad feeling about this.COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Nov 3, 2006 (AP)— The Rev. Ted Haggard admitted Friday he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a male prostitute. But the influential Christian evangelist insisted he threw the drugs away and never had sex with the man.
In addition to resigning his post at the NAE, which claims 30 million members, Haggard stepped aside as leader of his 14,000-member New Life Church pending a church investigation. In a TV interview earlier this week, he said: "Never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife, I'm faithful to my wife." story
Friday, November 03, 2006
Rock Music
Love this quote from the Age
"Peter Miles, who presents a Sunday morning gospel music program on 3PBS, points out that church-based singers have been crossing over into mainstream popular music for more than a generation. "A lot of mainstream music borrows from gospel music without knowing about it," he says.
"I think gospel music, more than most people recognise, is a foundation for mainstream rock music."
But where performers such as Elvis Presley borrowed from gospel to create a new sound, the pendulum now swings in the other direction, with church-based musicians borrowing from rock'n'roll to make their songs more palatable to a young audience, he says. "Contemporary Christian artists do all sorts of stuff. Christian death metal, bluegrass, reggae, funk ..."
In 2005, Woodlands Media estimated that the Christian music market in Australia in the previous 12 months was responsible for 5.6 per cent of local music sales, with a value of $540 million. Jay says the Christian music market remains strong, which, given falling sales in all other sectors, could be evidence that it is growing in popularity"
GO Church!!
Story first see at The Journey
"Peter Miles, who presents a Sunday morning gospel music program on 3PBS, points out that church-based singers have been crossing over into mainstream popular music for more than a generation. "A lot of mainstream music borrows from gospel music without knowing about it," he says.
"I think gospel music, more than most people recognise, is a foundation for mainstream rock music."
But where performers such as Elvis Presley borrowed from gospel to create a new sound, the pendulum now swings in the other direction, with church-based musicians borrowing from rock'n'roll to make their songs more palatable to a young audience, he says. "Contemporary Christian artists do all sorts of stuff. Christian death metal, bluegrass, reggae, funk ..."
In 2005, Woodlands Media estimated that the Christian music market in Australia in the previous 12 months was responsible for 5.6 per cent of local music sales, with a value of $540 million. Jay says the Christian music market remains strong, which, given falling sales in all other sectors, could be evidence that it is growing in popularity"
GO Church!!
Story first see at The Journey
Parenthood
Starting my new series this week. See the flyer in a previous post.
Its tough writing material for parenting, when everyone in church sees your kids, and knows they are not perfect. Yet I am not perfect in any way (news flash I know !) and so hopefully we will all be on a journey together. I am also really conscious that not everyone in our church is a parent. Yet they all are involved with children in some way, and they all have parents. I hope and pray that this is a relevant and timely series for us all at Bedford.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Carols
Can you believe Christmas time is almost upon us???
I have been starting to organise our Christmas Carols service for 06
will be great, and pray it does not rain!!
I have been starting to organise our Christmas Carols service for 06
will be great, and pray it does not rain!!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Yesterdays Heros
While getting our rabbit some fresh water, I noticed the newspaper lining on his cage. I might let him poo on it a litte longer before I change it.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Church on fire!
No, not that sort of fire, the sort of fire that burns things!!
A man ranting about "the blood" burst into a church sanctuary during a service, sloshed fuel onto people and started a fire, police and church officials said Thursday.
Some parishioners were able to smother the flames with their coats while another group tackled the man, said the Rev. Scott Erickson, pastor of the Peoples Church. Two older women from the congregation were burned when their clothing caught fire.
Some parishioners were able to smother the flames with their coats while another group tackled the man, said the Rev. Scott Erickson, pastor of the Peoples Church. Two older women from the congregation were burned when their clothing caught fire.
In fact the church website reports that they had 2nd and 3rd degree burns.
This is the sort of fire we can do without in a church.
Lets hope the psychiatrically disturbed arsonist gets the help he needs
Monday, October 30, 2006
Criticism of churches and other Christians
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.
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.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Spring Fair 2006
What a beautiful day.
Over 200 people came and had a great time with their kids.
Games, animals, cold drinks, white elephant stuff and heaps of other funs things.
A great showbag with all different parenting hints and courses also given to the parents.
Well organised, well done everyone!!!!!!!!
Friday, October 27, 2006
2007 Year of the Docker Post Two
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??
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??
Spring Fair Tommorow
If you are interested and in the area, we are having our annual spring fair tommorow. Cafe, bric a brac, items for sale, games for kids, sausage sizzle, music, items etc
Will be a blast, and even the weather seems to have come good for us!
See you there, come up and say hello.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Listen here!! Emotional Baggage
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
2007 The year of the Dockers
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
You are my sunshine
Daylight saving in Western Australia is a step closer to reality.
The Labor and Liberal parties have agreed to a free vote on the issue.
It is understood Labor MPs have voted in favour of a three year trial, starting on December 1 this year. The trial would be followed by a referendum.
The Labor and Liberal parties have agreed to a free vote on the issue.
It is understood Labor MPs have voted in favour of a three year trial, starting on December 1 this year. The trial would be followed by a referendum.
YES! And not before time,
faded curtains here we come :)
Seriously though, great news for an evening person like me.
Parenthood
Starting a new series in a fortnight on the back off our Annual Spring Fair
Bit nervous about this one.
Hardly an expert, will need to do some serious research and prayer.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Forget research and analysis, its time to lead
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.
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.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Aussie Pastors Blog
A Few friends and myself have started a blog specifically for Aussie Pastors.
check it out
http://australianpastors.blogspot.com/
check it out
http://australianpastors.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Hey Charger! Valiant men!
Tonights Valiant Man course was great! We had a good group of blokes turn up, including one from our Toddler Jam Ministry. Next week there are three more coming as well, which will mean we have two decent size small groups of about 6/7 each.
Allan Meyer was challenging, interesting and made you want to sign up and come back for more. We had to sign forms which were like a covenant, good stuff actually, set the boundaries for good and healthy, and open group discussion.
The Ginger Beer was recieved well too.
Everyone seems to like the product from Bundaberg.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Preaching
"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)"
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)"
(Tony Liston)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Thanks God
Why does it seem that sometimes when we really start to pray for something, everything goes pear shaped?
It seems to me that when we focus our prayers and thoughts on a particular issue, be it someone we are concerned about, our family, our businesss, whatever, almost automatically things in that area get harder.
My theory is that we have brought that issue into the arena of the spiritual. I use the word "arena" because it is a battle. Suddenly whatever we are praying about becomes an issue, whereas before, maybe, it was flying under the radar. Either way the truth is that as a Christian, trying to do the right thing, and seeking God's will, is not always, or even often, the easy road. Its not. And it is tough sometimes, really tough.
But ultimately life without real spiritual purpose is boring and safe. And I dont want a boring life.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Coffee
Something drastic has happened.
I can't drink instant coffee anymore.
I was over a good friends house the other day and they offered me some Mocconna. Expensive coffee, well made by my friend. I drank it.
But I can't drink it anymore. Instant coffee is not coffee, its brown soup.
I need to go brew myself a latte. Melinda recently bought me a grinding machine so I am grinding my own beans now. MMMMM. Strong latte, made with fresh full strength milk.
Thats coffee.
Friday, October 13, 2006
So long, and thanks for all the goals
Markedly is in mourning. GHD, Goal Hungry Dwarf, Paul Medhurst is gooorrrn.
Paul was a great source of joy to Freo supporters. I remember one incident when playing Collingwood (ironically) when Paul was in the middle of four of the Pies best defenders right in the goal square. With a subtle and skilful bump, Paul pushed aside the defenders, and calmy marked a beauty, before converting.
When Paul was on song, he kicked them from everywhere. He played on confidence, and when confident, never missed. I have seen him snap a goal while turning on a dime from 60 metres out. I have been about 2 metres from him when he kicked one 55 metres out from the boundary line.
This year he has struggled, even at WAFL level.
We won 9 games in a row without him playing.
Hello to Chris Tarrant. Look forward to your skills and kicking us onto a premiership in 2007.
If he plays well for us, and helps us, it will have been worth it.
Otherwise I can sense a Croad like feel about this trade.
"Trade week's first mega deal has taken place, with Graham Polak now a Tiger, Chris Tarrant a Docker and Paul Medhurst a Magpie.Under the complex deal, Polak joins the Tigers on a three-year deal from Fremantle for a swap of first-round picks, with the Dockers getting Richmond's pick no.8 and the Tigers getting the Dockers' pick 13.The Tigers also gave up their third round pick to the Dockers, pick 42 overall, but in return got the Dockers fourth round pick, no.63.The Dockers then on-traded pick eight to Collingwood for their five-tie leading goalkicker, while goalsneak Medhurst was also traded to the Magpies as part of the package.And to complete the complicated trade, the Magpies and Tigers swapped fourth round picks, with the Tigers getting the Magpies' pick 60 while Collingwood got Richmond's pick 63, which the Tigers initially got from Fremantle" www.afl.com.au
Experiencing God
"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."
Mark Tabb, Mission to Oz
Digilife
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"
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"
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
To stay or go
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.
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.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Leroy Jetta and the draft
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!!!
"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!!!
Johnny Cash, "Hurt" and baggage
Great Sunday this week, with our focus on "baggage". This week we spent quite bit of time on personal reflection. I am hoping that folk who may never have really thought or done this type of thing before, may start.
Life Coaches, CEO's, effective leaders all tell us something the Bible has always said, there are times in our lives when we need to stop and meditate. Not empty our minds, but allow the Holy Spirit to fill it. Allow God to deal with us, not the guy next door, not our spouse, but us.
I showed the Johnny Cash video "Hurt". Talk about powerful! Johnny sings the Nine Inch Nails song with passion and conviction. I dare say he did far better with it than the original writer, Trent, who said, "that song is no longer mine". The video hows Johnny Cash close to death and reflecting with regret on "his kingdom made of dirt". He regrets the choices he made, the people he hurt, the life he led, in fact he regrets, and this is the most important thing, the person he is.
God can change that, and give hope to us, not only for our lives but also for who we are, He can change us.
