This is why we are doing what we do...to avoid these sort of situations, kids should love coming to church! :)

We are kicking off a new series for August....sort of.
We are actually going to continue the series on David...moving from his pre king days, to his king days.
he is an awesome character, a hero, .....read Psalm 89

"9 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
I have selected him from the common people to be king.
²⁰ I have found my servant David.
I have anointed him with my holy oil.
²¹ I will steady him with my hand;
with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
²² His enemies will not defeat him,
nor will the wicked overpower him.
²³ I will beat down his adversaries before him
and destroy those who hate him.
²⁴ My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
and by my authority he will grow in power.
²⁵ I will extend his rule over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
²⁶ And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

Now this psalm does refer to David, but it is also what they call a 'messianic psalm', meaning it points in a fuller sense to Jesus. Jesus was the anscestor of David. What this means to me is that David displayed some characteristics in his life which were Christlike....thats amazing when you consider that he was a Warrior King. But look at the above picture, he fought and defeated the enemies when he needed to, but he also displayed meekness, great strength under control.

"The expulsion of a Year 11 boy, and the shunting of seven of his friends, from Winthrop Baptist College for allegedly smoking marijuana at a school camp has caused consternation among parents." (Link)

I listened for an hour or so on 6PR this morning as the various viewpoints were expressed on this issue.
This is my take on it, for what its worth.

1. The parents knew the rules and results for breaking them, they are clearly stated. The boys broke the rules, and got what they deserved.
2. There was a definite sense from the parents that there should be forgiveness expressed, in the spirit of Christianity. Christianity does tell us to forgive, but there are still consequences. Forgiveness does not mean that there are not consequences for our actions. These boys need to, in my view, understand that their actions have consequences. For the parents to want for them to 'get off' with community service, means that the boys may risk growing up without realising a valuable lesson.
3. One of the key attractions of Winthrop College for parents is its values system. To allow these actions to occur without consequence is to basically deny that that value system has any merit. The school is built upon reputation. This unfortunate event has the capacity to destroy that reputation, something the school needs to protect.
4. I hope the boys get counselling and understand that while there are consequences for their actions, it is not a terrible offence, but something they can deal with, and move on from. It does not need to be something that defines them. It was a mistake, deal with the consequences, move on.

Great win yesterday, beating our 'bunnies' the West Coast Tankers

Great crowd in at Inglewood Church this week, a number of visitors, great to be part of a growing church

Still mulling over what Mark Sayers said, some good thinking and action material there

Someone very well qualified to administer our Artisan Markets volunteered today to run them, such a load off my mind! Thanks God!

Richmond got over Essendscum....great game, facsinating to see Cousins leading the side into half time, inspirational leader on the field, weagles missing him I reckon!

I am making some superb coffee at the moment, got the grind right I reckon, beautiful crema

Very busy week ahead.....

Spent a big chunk of today rearranging our church offices.
Needed to do it for some time, but eventually we have.
A major part of it was moving the craft storeroom to a different room.

What this means is that we have a 'common room' now, with all the printers, desks, wireless access and maybe soon a small fridge and coffee stuff.
I know it sounds like a bit of a dream, but I would like to have a spot in our church where people who work on their laptops could come and do some work at church. Internet access, a friendly office, air conditioned, and coffee!

It is something our community needs, third places. Our common room is not going to be able to do this in a big way, but at least we are heading in the right direction.

Why is it that churches attract all the nutbags?
Someone told me this blog attracts a lot of nutbags....they are probably right, you are reading this aren't you???? :) And I am at times the nuttiest of the lot!!!!

Maybe its because thats the job of the church, to attract all those that can't find a home somewhere else. To attract those who others have labelled and written off.

Why?
I watched it, and enjoyed it.

Here are my reasons why I think it was so popular.

Ordinary people
Passionate people
It was not nasty, the judges, while at times brutal, where fair, and often genuinely encouraging.
In fact the judges displayed real emotion, amazing, could not contain their appreciation for the contestants.
We could all relate to it, the food was sometimes amazing, but at times it was also obtainable.
We all love a story of an underdog coming up and achieving.
It was honest, raw. Chris was the 'baddie' but this was really subtle.

There was no crudeness, bad swearing, nudity, or any embarassment in watching it.

I loved it!

Very stormy in Perth last night, hail, heavy heavy rain, squally winds.
Got up this morning and my biggest inconvenience was clearing away a few branches, calming the cat and convincing number one son to come in and stop throwing hail at his sister.

Warm day inside the house, a lovely coffee made on my machine, some fresh bread rolls, and the kids enjoying their last day of school holidays while I catch up with some grant applications we have put in for some events we are running.

Thats it. The biggest problem I have at the moment is my 'shaped' internet access at home, and what I am going to make the kids for lunch.

So many people around the world with so little, we are so blessed. As I was sharing with my 5 year old daughter yesterday as she noticed some homeless folk near the community centre, we cant help them all, but we can help some, and we do. But we also must appreciate what we have, we are so blessed, so blessed, so fortunate.

It was just like the old days tonight. A very small crowd, 22, 000, a young Freo side, with no real stars, and an expected defeat....In a strange way I enjoyed it! :)
Melinda and I sat in pouring pouring rain and had a great time together.

We were not expected to win, but the young under '20s Freo side played well in appalling conditions. After last weeks effort, it was a honest performance against a side which was physically bigger, expected to be a Finals contender, who flogged Geelong last week.

I tell you, and this may not have come through on the TV, every time Tarrant went off, the Lions scored. in the third quarter when they scored a flurry of match winning goals, Chris was injured. In the fourth when he went off again, they clinched the game.
I think he deserves all australian selection for two reasons. He is consistently beating, pansting, the best forwards from other clubs. Secondly, he is doing it in a side in which the ball is travelling through the midfield with a lot more ease than other more fancied clubs.

Finally, the umpiring tonight was awful....so inconsistent, those around me were actually laughing at how bad it was.

Great game though by Freo....we do have good times ahead.

Religious people did not like Jesus
Religious people killed Jesus

Now...religious people follow Jesus?
How does that work?

We really have imported a lot of our religion into our churches.
Seriously, I am becoming more and more convinced that as long as we are walking humbly before God, how we are led by the Spirit of God is so much more important than our history, or at least as important!!! (Now that sounds ridiculous even writing it!)

Scripture is our basis, our authority, but we need to be careful that just as religious people base their practice, bias and beliefs around their religion, we need to be careful we are not doing the same.

Love it!!!

Had a meeting today with Lisa Baker, the member for Maylands.
What a refreshing person! Passionate about local issues, down to earth, easy to talk with and deal with...and focused on promoting community.

I love this area I live in...God has called me to it...and it is just amazing to have opportunities as the Church does now have.

We really want to serve our community, and be a major part of its transformation.

There are so many good ideas...and good people with them.
But there is a lot of difference between a good idea...and a completed idea.

The world, committees.... P & C Councils...are full of people with good ideas, that 'someone' should implement.

The world has enough people with good ideas, what we need are people who will persever and implement ideas.

Reminded of this as I spoke on Sunday about David, who endured the steely stares of Saul, and the wrath of his spear, yet he did not give up, do anything dishonourable...or sway from his God given destiny.
But it took hard work, and implementation.

Let us...let me...be an implementer, not a critique, a pot stirrer...but someone who actually does the stuff.....

If you live in Australia....you need to get yourself a set top box.
ABC2 this afternoon I have watched 2 different concerts....so good.
Duran Duran... (okay okay)
Beach Boys


Eccletic...interesting...vibrant.
They are not always to everyones tastes, or sensibilities....but the choice is there.
I loooove the national broadcaster

Here it is.
Some think it looks like doughnuts, others have wondered about the colours.
Those who have no idea about branding are wondering why we need a new one.

I am very happy with this new logo for the Baptist Union.
I feel it conveys a dynamic, contemporary organisation, working in unison.
We will start using it as a church.
Well done all concerned.

Here is the offical release
"
The new ABM logo. Get used to it.

For immediate release

10 July 2009

Australian Baptists today launched a new national name and logo, signaling a renewed commitment to evangelism, mission and ministry around the nation and around the world.

The three-circles logo replaces the traditional green and gold image, and the movement will be known as Australian Baptist Ministries. The Baptist Union of Australia will remain the legal name.

In announcing the new logo, BUA President Revd Dr John Beasy said the three circles concept pointed to a number of significant aspects of our life as Baptists.

“The circle of God’s love is our motive for service. The circle of relationships is the heart of our ministry. The circle of the world is the context for our work,” he said.

“The Triune God is our source and guide and goal. We confess one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We are driven by the call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. We are inspired by faith, hope and love. We are devoted to Jesus in body, mind and spirit.

“We are a movement embracing change with imagination, releasing potential through teamwork, shaped by faithfulness to Scripture, drawn together as a distinctive community following Jesus. We celebrate our unity in diversity, and the qualities that shape us – past, present and future.

“The natural colours indicate our place as stewards of an ancient continent, whose ministries take root as we sow the gospel seed in the good Australian soil.

“This year marks the 400th anniversary of the beginnings of the Baptist movement,” Dr Beasy said. “Baptists have ministered in Australia for more than 178 years. We are known as Bible-believing followers of Jesus.

“As we honour our heritage and contend for the faith that the Lord once for all entrusted to us, we need to prepare for the challenges and opportunities that lie before us. Our heart is to be an active learning community, repositioning our Baptist movement for the future, developing and empowering younger leaders, and resourcing the next generation to follow Jesus.

“Join us as we begin the next stage of our journey together with God,” Dr Beasy said.

"You can imagine that when David was in Sauls presence, Saul directed a steely glance over at him….he literally would have been sitting at the same table as the King who hated him…he would have been eating at that table…talk about an uncomfortable family dinner......"

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Are our churches 'too nice'?
How do we stop them being 'nice' and safe and comfortable places.

Our church is far from being comfortable...but someone who is a perseptive and discerning leader, shared with me today that our church is 'too nice'...woh.
That stopped me in my tracks.

I have not been sharing enough of the vision if that is what people are thinking.
How is the church you are attending...challenging your 'niceness'? Because it should be! Churches should not be safe places, they should be challenging the status quo.

Wonder if we should implement this at Inglewood Church.....

Thinking and praying about what is the next step for our church.
We are pushing the limits of our present facility, and need more room, particularly for our childrens ministries.

We need God to confirm/release/reveal the next step to us.
I feel we need a revelation or should I say.....an opportunity to be revealed.

I believe that God reveals the next step, but then it is up to us to take hold of that...to grasp that which God lays before us.

If you are the praying type, please pray for us at Inglewood Church.

Walking through the rain today with my family....
Its great to have that time....but you do get wet and a little cold...

But now, sitting in front of the heater, drinking a hot drink....

But if it were not for the cold and wet, you would not appreciate the warmth as much.

Collingwood article
If you have not yet read this article, its a beauty.

Handballs
The Eagles had almost double the amount of handballs to kicks today in their loss to Melbourne. They don't have the skilled players they had in 2006 to perform that style of play. Natanui had no kicks today, and only three last week (admittedly 3 pretty good and important ones) Its a dumb style of play, and I reckon indicative of a pretty uncreative coach. As an aside, how on earth...or why on earth the Eagles play Chad Fletcher is beyond me. I thought they were meant to be playing young players? Not guys who wont be playing next year, and cant hit the side of a barn with either handball or kick!

Peter Bell and Farmer
Watching Bell and Farmer play for Souths, they could both still be playing for Freo...but maybe its better they are gone, to give space to our young exciting players.

Dean Solomon
A great muscle player, pity he cant get home on time, but it does seem a bit childish that a 29 year old cant be out till late on his day off with his old mate. Rumour is that he was also out with Brett Peake last week, but no one was admitting to it.

St Kilda
I hope they win it this year, the probably have the most sentimental reason to win, but if they do and Geelong lose, Geelong will have underperformed, and with a lot of older players, will need to get some more youngsters in to stay competitive in years to come.

Voss
Michael Voss is proving to be as good a coach as he was a player, Lions could be the suprise premiership contender.

As we kick off our new series based around the life of David, I have made up this video about some aspects of his life....the Warrior who cried out.
The song in the background is an orginal composition by Eliot Vlatko, one of the pastors at Inglewood Church.

What would I do if I won 50 Million Dollars?
The first question I suppose is how did I win it, considering I don't buy Lotto tickets, but I would be lying if I did not admit I was tempted...but when I found out they cost $13-$20 for a basic game....that sort of convinced me it was not a good idea... :)

In no particular order...
1. Obtain houses for a couple of people who need them, and pay off their debts
2. Pay off our own mortgage
3. Buy a decent block of land for our church to build on
4. Build the purpose built theatre we have a vision for.
5. Give 10% to Compassion
6. Buy the most expensive coffee machine you can get, and a house with a room in it just for coffee making
7. Buy a Mazda Rx3, have someone else modify it for me.
8. Buy the fastest Porsche Ceyenne money can buy
9. Buy a holiday house in regional Albany
10. Buy my son a Wii, my wife a overlocker and my daughter a new bike... :)
11. Buy a Pizza Oven