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No saints down at St Kilda


Except for maybe St Nick, and he has gone down with a hamstring.
Gerhig has been accused of bashing someone at a motel in Melbourne, along with serial pest, Steven Lawrence. Story

And the Saints have six other injured players, Matt Maguire, Fergus Watts, Raphael Clarke, Aaron Hamill, Max Hudghton and Lenny Hayes.
Looks like that bet is pretty safe!

Vitara gets bogged

with friends like this, laughing at you getting bogged......

Matt Redman Whole world

Used this at church Sunday morning, great pre service.

The West Wing


This is a seriously good, and seriously addictive show.

Last week Jimmy Smitts won the endorsement of California, and I cheered! I literally cheered.

Its compelling, intelligent drama, with a cracker quick script.

Concorde swift words, humour, sarcasm. Is this made by the same country which brought us, "The simple life" and "The Dukes of Hazard"?


Unfortunately I have two meetings on tonight, so I will have to tape it, but I cant wait to see whats happening in the White House!

Unmasked, starting February


This is my next series, going over four weeks in February.
Dealing with taking off pretense, and discovering what is means for us to journey with authenticity in our Christian journey, should be fun!

The West Australian journalists. What a joke.

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?

Hasleby, the forgotten match winner


The West Australian, bastion of fine journalism (!), has two articles on Paul Hasleby, the forgotten midfielder.
He started his career in the best possible way, winning the Rising Star award.
However last year was probably his most dissapointing, suffering from groin injuries.
Seeing the pain, both physical and emotional, following the finals loss to the crows told the story.

My prediction is that this year he will make the difference. He is one of the best midfielders, and if it were not for inuries, who knows how Freo would have done last year.
My prediction, winner of the Doig Medal this year.

Hillsong Conference2007


I might get featured on Signposts again (how exciting) but I can't wait for Hillsong Conference 2007.

Here is a list of the artists and speakers coming so far.


Can't wait to see Chris Tomlin live, and hear Ed Young Jnr.

Bedford Baptist Web page

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.

Sigh

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

AAPT

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.

Life for sale hits $30, 000



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

Dockers Forward Line


If you don't barrack for Freo, good luck trying to stop this foward line.

Noah survives the flood

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!

Want to get a life? Bid for Nicael Holt

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

Atrophy


While getting ready for Sunday, I have been editing a clip from "Pay it forward", a movie with Kevin Spacey and the "I see dead people" kid.

In one classroom scene, the scene I am playing in church, the teacher (Kevin) warns his kids about atrophy.

Atrophy is a medical term
"Decrease from previous normal size of the body or a part, cell, organ, or tissue. An organ or body part's cells may be reduced in number, size or both. Atrophy of some cells and organs is normal at certain points in the life cycle. Other causes include malnutrition, disease, disuse, injury, and hormone over- or underproduction."

Basically your body withers away through a lack of desire or ability to grow.
Sounds like a condition which could befall either us as Christians, or our church.
Without a deep desire to grow ourselves, and for our church to grow, we would descend into atrophy.

End of an era for Hamo


Andrew Hamilton has given up blogging

He probably has the most visited Christian blog in Perth, if not Australia.
No doubt in part due to his ability to articulate well what is best in the Emerging Church movement.
He has his reasons, but his blog will be missed by those of us who believe in Mission and believe in Spiritual Leadership.
If there is one person who convinced me that there is some good coming out of alternative expressions of Church, it is Hamo.

I hope and pray the Mission work at Brighton reaches many people for Christ, and that Andrew finds other ways of encouraging the whole body of Christ.

Eagles fined


It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of blokes.

Following a complaint to parking inspectors from the Department of Sport and Recreation, West Coast players and coaches returned to their cars at Leederville to find they had been issued $150 fines.
An inspector issuing the tickets said he had responded to a complaint because their parking bays had been filled with the flash cars of West Coast players.
Among the many unhappy faces who received fines were Eagles vice-captain Andrew Embley, Daniel Kerr, Tyson Stenglein and assistant coach Darren Harris. Stenglein was miffed to find two tickets on his Holden ute, the second posted by teammate Kerr, who obviously did not think much of his.

Harmony Church

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/

Attracting a crowd while developing a missional mindset

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.

Andrew Jones


As a ECer, (admit it Andrew) he has some good thoughts
If you have not checked out his blog yet, I reccomend it.


Crazy American Fundamentalist Christian

It must be hard to be a Pastor in the good old US of A sometimes.

Grace, understanding,journeying with people.

Interesting to see the journalist do very little to hide his disgust

New I Phone



Now all the fuss has died down about the Apple Iphone, lets examine it.
Its funky, its trendy, it has a touch screen.
It plays music, it is a phone.
Apart from being funky and trendy, I cant find one thing it does better than my O2 PDA, and there are a stack of things my pda does that the Iphone does not do.

Steve Jobs, "“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything,” Jobs said. I dont think so Steve. A triumph of style over substance.
In fact the features it does have, are ones which it has copied from Blackberries, PDA's etc.
Nothing new here people, move on, move on.

Passion and the church

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.

Divorce


There is a good reason why God says He hates divorce.
Not because He hates the people who go through it, but in fact the opposite is true. He loves them and wants the best for them.
I cannot see much difference between those who are Christian and those who are not in regard to divorce. Speaking purely from an ancedotal perspective, I have had as many friends who are not Christians divorce, as I have Christian friends.

Some of the non Church goers are much nicer to each other in the process as well. Maybe its because there is less guilt involved, and it is easier to rationalise it.

One illustration I always give couples about to marry is the fire in the room one. Pretty simple, but some truth in it.

If you have two people in a room and a fire starts, what will they do? Run out of the doors.
What would they do if there where no doors? Work like crazy together to put the fire out.

In many marriages conflict, misunderstanding and miscommunication are the fires. We have to work hard together to put them out. Even if people do work like crazy, sometimes they still do bust up. I have also seen situations where circumstances are so bad, and so much wrong has been committed, yet the couple work through it, and stay together and even find a way to prosper.

I thank God for my marriage every day. Its not perfect, but you know that already. But we have stuck together and grown together for over 14 years now. Thats amazing. We are both so so different in how we look, react, behave, in fact we are so different people.
Yet we have both been committed to each other, even when it was difficult.

If you are going through a divorce, God help you, and God forgive any Christians who criticise you unduly, attack you or dont help. My prayer is that I will be able to help people through this process, because I have never seen one yet that has not had horrible pain occur to both parties. It is not something I reckon ever leaves you. You have been as intimate with a person as you can be, and now, in many cases, you are not even their friend.

Ready to go

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!!

Emerging church gets a serve

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.

John 15 Abundant life

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.

Please respond

Do you reckon that God waits for us to take a step of faith before He blesses us?
After a great prayer and discussion time this morning with some close friends, we believe that God may very well wait for us to obey, move, take a step of faith, before He showers the full extent of His blessing on our ministry, and maybe even on our lives.
I am not talking about the prosperity doctrine, or self seeking religion. Nor am I saying that unless you have faith, you wont be healed.

But I do believe that God wants us to obey Him, and may very well withold blessings from our lives until we step out in faith. What do you think?

Derby 2006: last minutes

And this one brings back some wonderful memories as well!

Getting ready for 2007

Patiently waiting for my membership cards to arrive

Peake for Brownlow in 2007

Back in Orange

10 Days in Kalbarri
Awesome.
Fishing, swimming, building sand castles, reading books, the Australian Newspaper, watching cricket.
Spending quality time with my wife and family. eating fresh bread, taking our time to get wherever we were going.
I will post some pictures soon.


This is the book I read while I was away. Had it delivered for free.
Simple and clear book, practical, my sort of writer. Reccomend it if you are in the habit of trying to be someone you are not.

"Are you tired of pretending? Living walled up? Going only skin deep? Craig Groeschel , pastor of the thriving LifeChurch.tv, sure was. And in his refreshingly raw and real book, he comes clean. Not that he has anything other than typical, human stuff to confess. Check out a few of his musings: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure, I hate prayer meetings, sometimes I doubt God , and I can’t stand a lot of Christians . Through his incredible honesty, he opens the door for you to follow suit. Are you ready to dig deep and let God shine through the genuine you? No more living just to please others. No more hiding. You can be who God called you to be. You can live for an audience of One. "