I buy the "West" most days, including Saturday.
However following this weeks events, I am seriously rethinking this.

This week the West ran a story on its front page, with a large photo of a woman lying across some seats in a hospital.
They reported she was a grandmother, awaiting surgery, and that the hospital had forgotten her, and that there was no bed for her to lie on.

Turns out, the lying was being done by the West.
The lady wrote a letter, and went on 7 and 9 news the same day.
She was only 47, not a grandma, and has come to hospital of her own accord, because of exma.
The West made a huge story out of basic mistruths. Furthermore they did not ask her permission to take the photo, and have not revealed how or by whom the photo was taken.
Did they publish a retraction? NO
Did they acknowledge their mistake? NO
Did they instead keep pushing their agenda with some desperate attempt to protect their credibility? YES

Most worring for the West is that many of my friends are talking about this at 'water cooler' time, knowing the facts, and being very negative about the West.

Surely our booming town can support a competitive daily paper, and thus provide us with a local alternative?

Due to circumstances beyond my control, here is our churches first attempt at a up to date web page.

Its not fancy, but its cheap, and it will be what many church web pages are not, current.
Let me know what you think,

http://bedfordbaptist.blogspot.com/

Very shortly if you go to
www.bedfordbaptist.org.au you will get directed automatically to this page.

If you have $4.40 to waste, you can now buy a ringtone on your phone which plays a pretty crappy version of Rich Mullens song, "Awesome God" among others. Although the sellers claim it is Hillsong Uniteds. Thats like saying "American Pie" was written by Madonna.

Ten Fish

Why on earth would anyone use Big Pond for their phone and/or intenet access?

At Church, we used to use Telstra for both.
We had a fax line which cost us $30 a month for line rental, and which we used maybe once every two months.
We paid $36 a month for dial up intenet
Whenever there was a problem it took literally hours to get an answer

I switched over to AAPT
They gave us a "duet" line for the fax, which costs us $5 a month
I pay $39 a month for Broadband (512k download speed and 12, 00o Mb allowed)
They gave me a free modem and everything I need to set up.

Most impressive of all though is the service. I get through quickly, and everytime the person has been friendly and helpful.

I dont understand why anyone goes with Telstra, they are so expensive and so unhelpful.

Bidding for Nicael Holt's life has hit $30, 000


See post below for more details, but this was interesting,
"A friend owes me $20. Another friend owes me a six-pack of beer which you can redeem upon winning the bid.
- The winning applicant should probably shout the next $20 worth of weed.
- Will need to become vegetarian. This can however be changed in the future.
- There is some tension with a former ex from a painful breakup which must be inherited."

"THIS IS A SERIOUS BID FOR SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY. The winner of this eBAY auction enters into a legally binding contract. The final bid will be enforcable by law. I have been in contact with ebay and they will be assisting in the transaction once bidding has closed

Ebay Link

Here's an amazing story, this could not have happened 50 years ago, we live in a strange world!!


A baby boy who as a frozen embryo was saved from the flood spawned by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been born in a hospital in the New Orleans area and named for Noah, who safely navigated the biblical flood.
After the hurricane, authorities saved his embryo and others stored at a hospital where they had been in danger of thawing amid the flood engulfing the area."

story


Maybe they should have called him Moses? Afterall, Moses survived floating on the water when he was a baby!

NEED to get a life? Nicael Holt, a 24-year-old man from Wollongong, is selling his to the highest bidder.
All of Mr Holt's worldly possessions, including his name, bed and clothes, are up for grabs on internet auction site eBay.
Bidding started at $1 on Monday and by 8pm yesterday had risen to $310.
Under the heading "New Life For Sale", Mr Holt's eBay site boasts of the skills, friendships and flirtations the new Mr Holt will be entitled to.
"Will introduce to all my friends and potential lovers (around eight which I have been flirting with)," he said.
"I have around 15 close friends and around 170 other friends. Friends will treat you exactly as they have treated me.
"This includes friends who take me surfing, running, climbing and cook for me. All of these features will be transferred over to the winning applicant."
But there is a downside.
"I have two nemeses," Mr Holt said.
And a disclaimer: "Please note winning bidder does not receive ownership of the following: degrees/qualifications, drivers licence, passport, future inheritance and formal/legal identity," Mr Holt said.
On the upside, the winning bidder will take possession of 300 CDs, Mr Holt's childhood photos, surfboard and a bike with wonky handlebars.
The new Mr Holt will also get a four-week training course including "training in becoming me", "piercings to the value of $180" and "lessons in my personal history (the good and the bad stuff)".
Bidding, by men or women, ends on Tuesday.
Story

Although this is reported in the press, I cant find any trace of it on ebay
Man...... if you cant make a sermon illustration out of that, your not trying

story

A good friend of mine, and co contributor on Aussie Pastors Blogspot, is Michael Bullard.

He is starting a new work, with the working title of "Harmony Church"
If you know Michael, you know it will be a creative, missional, culturally relevant work.
Here is the blogspot

http://harmonychurchaus.blogspot.com/

I reckon one of the tests of whether someone is doing something good, is whether you would go to their church.
I would go to this guys church, if ever I am in Las Vegas again, I will make sure I am there Sunday.

Grace Point Church Pastors Blog


If you have time, check out his blog where he also shows his stage production stuff, awesome.

Who said this?

"I would guarantee an institional church full of people radically devoted to
Jesus will always be more impactful than a new expression where the Jesus factor
is dispassionate."

That is so true. Ultimately the method by which we do church or do evangelism, is really not the point. The point is our relationship to God, and our relationship to people. This is what Jesus said, love me, love others. True love to others will be expressed by sharing our faith and lives with them.

Maybe this is why people who have obvious faults and problems have made great Pastors and leaders and evangelists. We can all see what they are doing wrong, but for whatever reason, God has used them in remarkable ways. I am not talking about those churches which pinch other churches members by putting on a better show. I am talking about those radical individuals who seem to upset a lot of people, yet somehow end up leading a stack of people to Christ.

Close to my home, was my dad. He upset a lot of people in the BU and surrounds. He spoke his mind and wrote his mind too! I would not necesarily endorse his methods. But I admire his passion and drive. The memory of all those people at his funeral who were Christians because of him, will drive me and stay with me forever.

Ultimatelty I don't care what you do to reach people for Christ, just reach them!
Thats why I am getting a little tired of this whole emergent/established church thing.
Maybe Hirsch is right, "This means that efforts to fundamentally reorient the church around its mission fail because the foundational system, in this case the Christendom mode or understanding of church, cancels out what the ‘software’ is requiring. Leadership must go deeper and develop the assumptions and configurations on which a more missional expression of ecclesia can be built." link
As a pastor who has transitioned a church to one which I truly believe is getting the line, "the church is not about us, we are the church, the church is about the unsaved", Whats needed across all expressions of Christianity is more passion for the lost, This will cause us to rethink structures, cultures and philisophies. But this will be contextualised, and I personally dont subscribe to the methedologies Hirsch subscribes, but you probably know that. Having said that, I think, 'more power to ya!" especially if people are starting to follow Christ.

Either way, I do reckon its time to adopt a more co-operative approach, work together somehow. Ultimately any new work needs to become self funding, and if it cant, then it has a problem. But I do personally want to find creative ways to work together.

Who said that? I reckon you can find that out for yourself.

We have three good services planned for the next three weeks, and then I am starting my new series in February.

Details soon, but it is great!!

http://www.perrynoble.com/2007/01/08/i-am-a-little-fired-up/

I just posted the link, don't blame me for the content, and dont read it if you are easily offended.

Be aware too that the Aussie Emergents appear to me to be quite different to the US brethren in many ways.
Be aware also that I reckon there are a stack of lazy pastors who are not emergent.

Further on from my thoughts yesterday, the passage I am speaking from on Sunday.

"10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! "

From obedience comes abundant life, joy, in fact our joy will overflow.
If we dont obey, well read the verses before.

Funny, in the midst of a really depressing week (back at work, friends having serious personal issues) God has encouraged me, that if I obey, there will be fullness of joy.
Thank God there is a way.