Could it be true?
Demetriou has called in the big guns to evaluate the Weegirls..

Ex supreme court judge to review Eagles

De-registration is the best option, Andrew knows he needs to reduce the AFL to 15 teams so that this can happen

AFL to have Gold Coast Franchise

Nothing and no one....is ideal.

All have fallen short, especially me.

Why did Jesus say, "let him who is without sin cast the first stone"
What did He write on the sand?
And what did He mean when He said, "go and sin no more"...and why did He feel the need to say that?

How do we, as Christians, rightly divide the truth, stand up for what is right, without being judgmental, self righteous, arrogant or liberal, spineless, lacking integrity and consistency in our faith?

"And do not think that it will stop there. The West Coast administration has overseen a culture of drug abuse within its team for years. Officials admit it now.

It appears the club put success ahead of rigorous values.

Daniel Kerr, Chad Fletcher, Michael Gardiner, Daniel Chick, Beau Waters, Quinten Lynch, Michael Braun. They have not been saints.
It is believed the West Coast administration was told Cousins had issues with drugs when he was just 18. Fine, but Benny is a very good player. Very good players observe different rules.
The AFL has threatened to punish West Coast. It must do more than that and it will. And West Coast must make the men in charge of the club during the Cousins era accountable, too."

Now why did this not appear in the West Australian? Oh, thats right, we dont say negative things about the weegirls in this state...

Source

I am conducting a funeral today for a great old bloke.
Stan Gilchrist came to our church after Bayswater Baptist closed down. A number of folk from that church came across, but they had lost something which another church could not replace. None the less, Stan and Eileen enjoyed our church, and I enjoyed their elderly wisdom.

Stan and Eileen were married for 72 years, and lived in the same house in Bayswater for 71 years. They had the most beautiful back garden, a rambling place of nooks and crannies.

Its a sad day to say goodbye, but also a celebration of life and Gods grace.

Most people love Fridays.,..woo hoo weekend! Thats how I feel on Sunday night.....
Today is spent tidying up things, praying, getting ready for Sunday....
Should be a great day on Sunday...kicking off our new series on Friendship...looking forward to speaking....have a suprise for you all at the end of the service as well.

This is our theme for November....

orrsome!!!
Brings back some great memories...Balcatta Rollerdrome.....Late nite tv.....wagging 8th period at scabs and enjoying Friday pool day at a mates....

"“We have just pounded the drum again and again that, for churches to reach their full redemptive potential, they have to do more than hold services — they have to try to transform their communities,” he said. “If there is racial injustice in your community, you have to speak to that. If there is educational injustice, you have to do something there. If the poor are being neglected by the government or being oppressed in some way, then you have to stand up for the poor.”




I'lll give you a clue...he formed and leads what has possibly been the most influential church movement of our time.
Story

A few things which stand out as the great man retires.
He retires to help the club, they would have had to pay him out, and it would have affected our salary cap.
He retires with his head held high....having never caused the club any reason to be ashamed of his on or off field behaviour.

I have met him once, at the Cervantes Tavern. Good bloke, spoke to him about 'that mark'. In fact if you look at the video below, you can see me....I am the blond guy jumping up and down. One of the best, most ecstatic footy moments of my life. It is a great great shame that he has been struck down by knee problems, but he leaves with no regrets, because he gave it all. Well done Justin Longmuir, we Freo fans will never forget this moment, when in a piece of time, you gave 38, 000 people reason to scream, cheer and hug people they do not know.

Here is a video I have done up for pre service at church, kicking off our monthly theme on "Friends".

Where would we be in life without friends?

In Theological College we were taught that having close friends with people in our church was unhelpful. I can understand that. There are times when being close friends with people in your church can be problematic. There are times when you need to lead, and when they dont like the direction of your leadership....it is difficult. Your friends, close friends, cant just up and leave your church because they are upset with you, although they might.

But the alternative is far worse. We should be travelling with, journeying with, those who are our friends. Church is meant to be an adventure, a battle, a march towards the holy grail...and you have to do it together.

The verse from Galatians is good, "bear with one another'. Part of journeying together means putting up with each others faults and follies, even when the other cannot see how their selfishness or bias or blindness....is hurting the friendship and the community of believers. But that is part of the 'bearing'.

I am fortunate...I have some really good friends as part of my church, and I would never want to change that...my lecturer was wrong. They may cause me pain, and I might cause them pain...but ultimately, I hope we can bear with one another and learn what Christ meant when He said to forgive and be patient.

I am fortunate...I have some really good friends who are not part of my church, or any church for that matter. They keep me grounded, they reassure me (not with words but action) that my whole identity is not in being a pastor, and they would be my friends if I was still selling exhaust components....some of them have no idea what a pastor is, some of them know...and generally speaking cant stand 'pastors'.

Either way, having friends is a risk...but the alternative is far worse. I know a lot of pastors...and I look with despair as they approach the end of their ministry, and realise that their whole identity and all their social standing and significance is tied up with their identity of being a pastor. That is sad.

It is also sad to see a 55 year old male come to the realisation he has no friends, and the opportunity to make some seems to have gone....it hasn't, but it is going to take a transformation of character, attitudes and beliefs about themself to change that.

Will the Wee Girls supporters boo him? He might get a double boo..... :)

FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey has left the door ajar for Ben Cousins to make a comeback, refusing to rule out the possibility of drafting the disgraced star.

On day one of the Dockers' pre-season campaign, Harvey was asked whether Cousins might feature on the club's radar if he was to nominate for the pre-season draft.

And while distancing the Dockers from any possible move for the former Eagles star, Harvey was also careful not to rule it out completely - saying the AFL's decision whether they would allow Cousins to play would have to come first.

Both Andrew Embley and Daniel Kerr have been involved in an incident outside the Niche Bar Nightclub in Leedervile. The two Eagles midfielders were outside the club at 3.30 am on Sunday, and police were called due to a disturbance involving the two players.

Eagles spokesperson Gary Stocks has spoken to the press and said that Kerr and Embley have been spoken to by the club. The Eagles say that no further action is required. However with the AFL meeting shortly to discuss possible sanctions over the most recent Cousins incident, this story could not have come at a worse time.

Police are continuing their enquiries but have not laid any charges yet. Apparently both players were involved in a fight,but it is not clear yet who with.



Woosha must be tearing his hair out....

The AFL fixtures have been released with a mixed result for our two local teams. The much anticipated 'grudge' match when former West Coast Captain Chris Judd meets his old team will occur in round seven when Calton travel to Subiaco. It is widely anticipated that the home crowd 'boo' their former champion in typical West Coast fan style.
Fremantle finally get a chance to hold a proper ANZAC day clash with the 'Len Hall' game set for a national audience on Friday night, at Subiaco against travelling side Geelong.
Fremantle will travel interstate 10 times, six times to Victoria, including one to Kardinya Park, twice to Adelaide, and once to Brisbane and Sydney. In contrast, Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon will only leave Victoria four times each.
West Coast will play the majority of their games on Saturdays, enjoying at least a six day break most weeks. They are expected to lose both derby's again, as they did in 2006, when they play Fremantle in rounds 3 and 18.

Fixtures

The fires in Orange County have come perilously close to Saddleback Church....within about 500 metres apparently.

"Trisha Wuich, 32, creative arts coordinator at nearby Saddleback Church, had spent the day watching the fire from her office window. Her curiosity got the best of her, however, and now she stood within feet of the conflagration, taking cell-phone videos to send to her husband.

"I probably shouldn't do this," she said as ash darkened the late-afternoon sky. "But it's natural curiosity. I called my husband and said, 'If I'm dead it's because of curiosity.' We were watching flames from a distance, and all of a sudden separate patches jumped together. It came out of nowhere; your eyes started to water and your chest started to tighten."

Suddenly an Orange County sheriff's deputy appeared and ordered the gawkers to leave. "Adios, sayonara, bye bye everybody," he said.

As the throng departed reluctantly toward the Ralphs grocery store on nearby Portola Parkway, a fire engine arrived with its lights flashing to knock the flames down.

story

Oh yeh........
great movie...

You could do worse than at least have a look at this post.

http://flowofreality.blogspot.com/2007/10/watermelon-party.html

I dont know how Pastors survive without a peer group. My bunch of mates are great...if ever I was in real trouble in ministry, I know these guys would help. Its pretty organic. Some months someone brings something to discuss. Its good, causal, prayerful and honest.
This is what we looked at today.

The title of this article is a little deceptive....just read it before judging it.

Bring Back Personality Driven Churches
By Dave Gilpin
Learn how to master the art of Culture Creation for growth in your church. After almost 20 years in full time ministry, Dave Gilpin gets angry at the colour that dominates the Christian sky-line...'beige'.
After almost 20 years in full time ministry, Dave Gilpin gets angry at the colour that dominates the Christian sky-line...'beige'.
There is a divine spark inside each of us! Don't quote me on this - it's a quote from 'Bruce Almighty'. Bruce had just spent a disastrous time of his life trying to be what he wasn't. Bruce (played by Jim Carey) was 'called' to be the 'light entertainment' correspondent of the nightly newscast, yet in his insecurity, wanted to be seen in a more serious light.
His quest for anchorman led to horrible consequences for the entire world! God (played by Morgan Freeman) had a heart to heart with Bruce and revealed to him that deep within him lay a divine spark. Bruce's was to bring laughter and happiness to the world. He 'saw the light' and set about to be himself - content, funny and furious!
If Abba reunited, they'd make trillions, yet Bjorn Again, the Aussie Abba tribute band, sing better, play better and look younger . yet only make thousands. Why is that? It's the power of originality.
It's the same for you and your church. Why would the devil spend time undermining your incredible God given gift of personality? Why do we admonish a 'cell driven' church, a 'purpose driven' church, a 'passionately driven' church, yet vilify a 'personality driven' church? Why is a church allowed to be led by strong leadership but not strong charisma? Who made charisma so superficial and so 'American'? Is there a power at work to weaken the power that's generated where originality abounds? (Please switch on the Jaws theme tune now!)
The funny thing about ministers is that they often change personalities upon entering the pulpit. It's a strange morphing that I've been guilty of many times over. What results is a pale imitation of someone else's divine spark.
So much of our life owes its power to the power of originality. Take faith for example. Faith comes by an original word from God. You can't just repeat a verse from the Bible and then try to believe it. Either you believe it or you don't believe it. You can't make it up. When God speaks, faith is ignited. It's not borrowed faith nor humanly generated. It doesn't come through the laying on of hands. It comes via the power of originality ignited. It's not borrowed faith nor humanly generated. It doesn't come through the laying on of hands. It comes via the power of originality.
The gifts of the Spirit also operate on the strength of originality. They express themselves with unique words for a unique season and plan. And they do it through personality. It's also a funny thing to see what happens when many people prophesy. Their voice changes, their manner changes and for whatever intents and purposes, they become a 'different' person. Who devalued and disfigured the vessel through which the gifts would operate?

More

Beautiful day.....

Some pleasant suprises at church with two folk joining Eliot for worship....and they were great...both of them....cant say much more...but really encouraging....

There was a real sense of the presence of God this morning during church, and another good crowd in this week as well......which is always encouraging.

I spoke on fasting, which was good, got a friend to do a testimony about his own experiences, and it fitted in really well....in fact the whole service 'flowed' in that mysterious way that says to me that God has something to say...and we are just the passengers. It was good to be there.

This afternoon I took the kids down to City Beach to walk the dog, have some overpriced fish and chips, and let my son ride his bank down the steep grass walls of the oval there, going way to fast on his bike....he is such a boy.

Tommorow I have peer group, and I will be picking up my wife late at night.

Wife away...what to do....Ruby provided the answers....lets go swimming dad!!!
Great idea daughter of mine....

Off to Mc Donalds for a great start to the day...well for the kids anyway, I had a Mc Cappucino which was passable....

Then to Fremantle Aquatic Centre....or whatever it is called....Son of mine taking to the water like the fish he is, daughter being her normal fun loving stuff...but approaching the slides with a little bit more timidity that son.....

Then to the Freo Markets, Freo icecream store and then to the Freo Bakehouse for some excellent Italian bread......

Great day, great suggestion....beautiful coffee at home....

My wife has gone to Singapore for a few days....shopping and fun holiday with her sisters.

The reality of life without her has just hit me....sleeping alone....that sucks.....
Getting the kids ready...no problem....

Saturday without her....that sucks.........

Talking about fasting this week, coupling it with some thoughts on our rampant consumerism....
Here is some interesting facts....
56% of Australians believe they spend almost all their income on basic necessities.
• Expenditure on imported consumer goods rose by 60% between 2000 and 2004.
• Australians spend about $10.5 billion on goods they do not use: food and drink; appliances; exercise equipment; memberships (in 2004, Australians spent about $500m on gym memberships that were never or hardly used).
• Spending on mobile phones rose by 183% between 1999 and 2004.
• Personal debt doubled between 2001 and 2004, and quadrupled between 1996 and 2004.
• The average floor area of a new house increased from 170m2 to 221m2 between 1985 and 2000. In 1955, house population was 3.6 people, in 2000 it was 2.6.
• An average child in the USA, Australia and UK sees between 20-40,000 commercials a year.
• 60% of children spend more time watching television than in school.
• Children as young as 3 recognise brand logos.
• In 2003-04, households spent, on average, just under half (49%) of their total weekly expenditure on food, housing and transport.
• In 2003-04, Australian households spent $893 per week on average on goods and services, an increase from $362 in 1984. While household expenditure increased in absolute dollar terms, spending patterns did not change greatly between 1984 and 2003-04.
• The overall increase in average weekly household expenditure on goods and services between 1998-99 and 2003-04 was $184 or 26.4%. Over the same period, the price of goods and services, as measured by the CPI, rose by 18%.
• A typical supermarket now carries about 20,000 products. Fifteen years ago it would have been about half that.
• Between 20-40% of purchases of food, movies, games, etc, would not have occurred unless a child had nagged their parent/s (Initiative Media study, USA).
• As we spend more and borrow more, so we are forced to work longer hours in order to pay off our debts and afford our purchases. The cost of housing, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, has seen housing debt (mortgages) reach record levels. This is made worse by the fact that the size of our houses is growing, despite the size of our families shrinking. Our houses have doubled in size over the past 50 years.
• The number of Australians working long hours has increased significantly. 31% of our full-time workforce now works in excess of 48 hours a week, something that would be unlawful in Europe. Two million Australians work on average more than 50 hours a week.

Source

The last thing I ever want to be, or my church to be, is mediocre.
At times we are, and I certainly am.....but we don't want to be, that's for sure.
I see a God who is creative, energetic, powerful, generous......
I want to be follow my Saviour's example, and I want my church to as well.

I am not talking about the idea of 'excellence' that used to be prevalent, and still is in some quarters, but I am talking about not being mediocre.
I am talking about being creative, generous, unique, purposeful......

This is an excellent article...and I think the applications to Church are many, so I have reprinted it here.


I got a ton of email this week about the Radiohead rollout. The short version: Radiohead (a million-selling rock band) launched their new album as a pay-what-you-want MP3 combined with an expensive boxed set. This is the sort thing I've been talking about for seven years and many unknown bands have been doing for at least that long.

A lot of pundits have jumped in and talked about how this is the next big thing. That the music industry is finally waking up and realizing that they can't change the world... that the world is changing them.

But that's not the really useful insight here. The question is: why did it take so long, and why did we see it from Prince (CD in the newspaper), Madonna ($120 mm to leave her label and go to a concert promoter) and Radiohead?

Most industries innovate from both ends:

The outsiders go first because they have nothing to lose.
The winners go next because they can afford to and they want to stay winners.
It's the mediocre middle that sits and waits and watches.
The mediocre record companies, mediocre A&R guys and the mediocre acts are struggling to stay in place. They're nervous that it all might fall apart. So they wait. They wait for 'proof' that this new idea is going to work, or at least won't prove fatal. (It's the impulse to wait that made them mediocre in the first place, of course).

So, in every industry, the middle waits. And watches. And then, once they realize they can survive the switch (or once they're persuaded that their current model is truly fading away), they jump in.

The irony, of course, is that by jumping in last, they're condemning themselves to more mediocrity.

Seth Godin

Missional - Two Sundays ago we had a guy nursing a hangover, a couple that had given up on church years ago and a Muslim attend Compass Point...after we had befriended them through community outreach.

Attractional - This past Sunday they all came back because they liked it the week before.

It's a stupid argument...you need both!!!


Christians hang out at Starbucks...disconnected people hang out in bars.


Chris blog

and if you want your club to pick him up.......forget it...as he is very likely to be delisted from the AFL, meaning he cant play for any other club.....

as well....SGIO is reviewing its sponsorship of the club...as they should....I've had enough of those "not anymore' ads for a start....and that dork wearing a eagles jumper as well.

The weagles had to do this....otherwise the AFL would definetly take draft picks off them.

Hope Woosha is able to enjoy his holiday in Broome, but somehow I doubt it.


with Cousins and Chick gone, there is only one known drug user left at the Weegirls...he had better be careful.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Howard has weighed into the Cousins scandal, warning that the AFL must take a tough line on drugs.

He also described the latest strife to hit the Eagle as a tragedy for a great athlete.

"But I hope that the AFL is as tough as needs be in relation to the culture and attitude within the sport that brought it about," he said this afternoon.

The Government has been critical of the AFL's controversial three strikes illicit drugs policy – endorsing a zero tolerance approach to illegal drugs in all sports.

Mr Howard said he felt sorry for the star footballer's family and he hoped the player was able to get a grip on his problem.

"I think it is a personal tragedy for a very talented young man," Mr Howard said.

story

I actually have a lot of sympathy for Ben Cousins, and I hope that at some point in the future he is able to relax, and think that life is okay, and that the demon hand of drugs has left him. I hope he does no more self harm to himself, and lives a long and good life.

However, he cannot possibly be allowed to play football anymore. The West Coast should do something strong, which they have failed to do thus far, and they must sack him. If they dont, they will have no reputation left at all, if indeed they have any credibility.

SGIO, an insurance company, a solid citizen of the corporate world, must also withdraw their sponsorship of the club. The corporate world should not support a club which takes no moral responsibility for the behaviour of its players.
West Coast must act now, but the fact they have failed to act sooner, has in no small way, led to the events of yesterday.

The fans must also take responsibility. How sycophantic and ridiculous does the standing ovation Ben recieved feel now? Will the sign writer who wrote, "we admire what you have overcome" burn their sign? The undulating support on 6peagle last night was sickening, 'get of his back', 'its the medias fault'....sheesh.

Apparently Ben smiled through his arrest last night, and asked the police to wait so the "West Australian" could get a decent photo of him. Maybe this is a cry for help. Maybe he has had enough of himself. He needs some tough love.

One of the many issues for the West Coast is the line from their song which talks about 'the men from the east'. It embodies something about their culture which is a 'them and us' mentality. WA is a state of pioneers, and rumours of secession. We have not trusted those from the East. Unfortunately the WC Eagles are seen as being part of the 'us' and thus immune from scrutiny.

Those of us who dont support them, are constantly suprised by the depth of denial that emmenates from the WC management, the media and their fans. They are the worst behaved sporting club in Australia...bar none.

The lack of media and fans scrutiny of the club have led in some small way to Ben's demise, and again, I wish him all the best.

Car searched in Northbridge, taken shirtless to local police station.

West Coast have a severe culture problem at their club.....severe...and need to do something drastic. Glad my kids dont support them.

Just in....Cousins is very likely arrested, and Daniel Chick is being questioned.

During the trade period Freo wanted to pick up Keppler Bradley from Essendon. They offered a 3rd round draft pick....Essendon said no, he is worth at least a second round draft, stale mate...Harvey did not blink.

Now we get the news that Essendon have delisted him!! story

Unbelievable....now we pick him up for nothing......

The trade week is designed so players can move clubs....and its a good idea....because good players dont want to be forced to play for the Weegirls.

Great service this morning...had a big crowd in, heaps of visitors....

David and Shirley Deane shared of their work in China. They teach English, and have some incredible stories to tell of their missionary endevours....amazing and encouraging stories...David and Shirley are really giving themselves to these people, they have them over, they share lives with them, and have seem fruit for their endevours...

This afternoon our church had a picnic down by the river, what a beautiful day.

Then this arvo went out with the BIL as we get some much needed bloke time in as our wives prepare to head overseas for a few days....
We played some pool, and then went and say "The Kingdom"......what an incredible, riveting, challenging, thought provoking action packed political movie. If you can handle the graphic and realistic violence....I consider this a must see movie.
Jamie Fox is a incredible actor, and backed up by an impressive cast. But the kudos must go to the scriptwriter who has written one of the most intelligent movies I have seen...Go see it....

This from Markedly in 2006....

"May he (Chris Judd) have his worst year ever this year and get traded to Collingwood in 2007"

all good things come to those who wait....Chris Judd had his most injury plagued year to date, and got traded to Carlton.

Archive

So lets get this straight Nisbett (WC CEO).....

You lost the derby....and its Josh Carr's fault for playing hard football....mmmmm

You lose a captain when he runs away from a booze bus, possibly because he was taking drugs.....and its the media's fault....

You lose the best player in the competition, and your captain, and its Carlton's fault because they tried to lose all their games so they could pick him up......


Grow up Nisbett...if its possible to give your club a worse name than it already has....you are giving it a go......

Here is a video I have put together to play pre-worship. Let me know if you want a copy.

John Howard has made some pretty big statements this last week about the indigenous debate in Australia.

The cynic, or maybe realist, would state that Howard has chosen a very strategic time to announce what appears to be a backflip in policy.

I have grown into the belief that a statement of regret needs to be made to the original inhabitants of this land. There was never a treaty, not even a preposterously unfair one such as the one drafted by the American settlers.

Does this mean the Australian government will be sued? Maybe, maybe not. But there is a basic human right to be respected, noticed and valued as a person made in the image of God. The original inhabitants of this land were at times treated as something less than human.

Maybe the gracious person might suppose that Howard has grown, and wants to leave a legacy. Maybe the public perception has caused him to rethink and reevaluate his previous value. Either way, it appears something will be done in this area, which is a good thing.

I also applaud the leadership being taken in remote indigenous communities. The childrens lives, their safety, their innocence, needs to be protected. Of course this is not only a issue in indigenous society, it is everywhere, and something which makes me very angry. It drives me to do what I do, in the place God has put me.

Hi all....
anyone update their church data projector lately....and tips, thoughts, suggestions..

Carlton are now the only side in the AFL with two pratts.......

Cervantes has got to be one of my favourite places on earth...
Even during school holidays it is quiet....

Managed to catch some fish, cooking them up tonight....

Good friends came up with us, and it was great to share it with them. One of them brought up his father in laws Landcruiser...and it went alright in the sand...not as good as the Vitara though :)

more blogging soon.
In the meantime, Hamos blog on the Global Leadership Summit is thoughtful and fair and worth checking out.

Good service this morning....
Laid back, contemplative service as we looked at the Eucharist, our first element in the series...'Remember', as we look at some ancient traditions which inform contemporay practices. We did the new Hillsongs son..'Saviour King' E and K did a great job of it as an item. Also continuing to enjoy some great coffee after the service! I involved the kids, asking them to repeat the phrase Jesus said, "do this to remember me"

This afternoon this great news came in...

"The term 'spiritual captain' has been over used in the last couple of seasons, but one player who certainly does fit the title is the Dockers former captain, Peter Bell. In a sign of confidence in the direction of the club from the port, Bell has confirmed that he will play on in 2008.

Rookie Dockers coach Mark Harvey is believed to have worked very hard to convince Bell to continue his stellar career, capped off with what many pundits believe to be his most productive season in 2007. He was used very effectively as a pinch hitting forward pocket player, supplementing the superb work of Jeff Farmer.

The news will come as a surprise to popular football commentator Tim Gossage, who on Friday stated that Bell would definitely not play on in 2008." (Perth Norg)

Off to Cervantes tommorow with some friends....cant wait...fishing, beer, pancakes and sleeping in.....need the break...back mid week.

I am using this one on Sunday, to kick off our Remember Series.

Recently I heard the leader of the secular party of Australia declare that there is no historical writer who attests to the person of Jesus....mmm...

"Jesus, Wise Man and Teacher: Antiquities 18.3.3 "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, (if it be lawful to call him a man,) for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. (He was the Christ;) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, (for he appeared to them alive again the third day,) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day."

article

and....

Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian who lived circa 56-120 AD. He is believed to have been born in France or Gaul into a provincial aristocratic family. He became a senator, a consul, and eventually governor of Asia. Tacitus wrote at least four historic treatises. Around 115 AD, he published Annals in which he explicitly states that Nero prosecuted the Christians in order to draw attention away from himself for Rome's devastating fire of 64 AD. In that context, he mentions Christus who was put to death by Pontius Pilate. Christus: Annals 15.44.2-8 "Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome..."

source

Craig Groeschel made the point that 'today's contemporary is tomorrow's traditional'

This dad does not, and he is not the first one.

"THE father of a top young Victorian footballer has expressed concern that his son could be drafted to West Coast.
Peter Cotchin, father of star midfielder Trent, told the Herald Sun he was concerned his 17-year-old boy could land in a dangerous environment.
"It's just the culture of the footy club . . . in the back of your mind you do worry about those things," Mr Cotchin said. "

Herald Sun

The City of Bayswater gives its residents 3 rubbish skips a year to take away big rubbish.
So Melinda ordered one this week, I wondered what we were going to fill it up with.
This afternoon when I got back from the office I found out!

We unpacked and repacked our little garden shed. Did I say little? That thing was like the tardis. We filled up the skip, no problem. Very satisfied with the shed though. Hit on the brilliant idea of hanging a lot of tools and things from the sides. Left a lot of floor space. Feels nice to have the shed back in operational mode. Took the time out to organise my tools and things, feels nice to know where everthing is.

After all that work we bought ourselves some 'magic pizza'. These are good pizzas. Old Italian guy on Beaufort st. Proper cheese, ham, etc. Dont eat Dominoes unless you have too. Buy good pizza.

Here is a video countdown I did up for Sunday

Sad news this morning with Chris Mainwaring passing away. A East Freo boy originally, who became a champion with the West Coast Eagles.
Sad that he leaves behind two children.

News reports being very respectful and not reporting the whole story of his passing. Police were called to his residence with a noise complaint, and 94.5 are reporting it was a drug overdose.
Very sad news, RIP Chris Mainwaring.

Here is an investment that worked out...

"A 30-SECOND phone call left Darwin Sportsbet the only losing betting outlet after Geelong's record-breaking Grand Final win.
A regular client rang three hours before the bounce of the ball and bet a staggering $340,000 at $3.50 on the Cats to win by 40 points or more. He won $850,000.
"It's by far the biggest bet we've ever taken," Darwin Sportsbet's Phil Hannah said. "We were out of our misery pretty early. It was a horror result." "

Herald Sun Story

How many headlines can you make up after that game?
Power shock, power fade, power cut...
as good as Geelong was, was as dissapointing as Port were.

I suppose Port were not expected to do anything this year, and they finished up making the GF...so we should not be too harsh....but they were disapointing.

Geelong on the other hand were incredibly skillful, watching Ablett, Bartel, Scarlet, Chapman and Johnston weave through traffic, kick and handball accurately under pressure to their team mates...a joy to watch.

And on a side point, what utter class they showed in receiving their medals. Looked the kids in the eye, gave them a second of invaluable time, shook their hands, gave them a cap......obviously after the disgraceful display exhibited last year, Geelong made sure they did the right thing.

"When missionaries approach a cannibal tribe, they don't protest outside the village, call them names, put an ad in the paper, or complain that they eat people. Missionaries develop a relationship with the tribe, earn their trust, and become part of the community. Once they do that, the tribe is far more open to listening to their message."

Christianity has changed a lot over the years. One thing that will never change is the truth of the bodily and literal resurection of Christ. Without it, there is no Christianity.

" the Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, who was in Australia recently on a lecture tour. An eminent theologian, an expert on the historical and biblical Jesus and a staunch believer in the resurrection, he baulks at denouncing those who are not.
"I have friends who I am quite sure are Christians who do not believe in the bodily resurrection," he says carefully, citing another eminent scholar, American theologian Marcus Borg, co-author with Wright of The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions.
"But the view I take of them - and they know this - is that they are very, very muddled. They would probably return the compliment.
"Marcus Borg really does not believe Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead. But I know Marcus well: he loves Jesus and believes in him passionately. The philosophical and cultural world he has lived in has made it very, very difficult for him to believe in the bodily resurrection. "

Is it possible to be a Christian, to love Jesus, but not believe He rose from the dead? No....

"How would you communicate (your) message if your eighteen year old son had made up his mind to walk away from everything you taught him, morally, ethically, and theologically, unless he had a complelling reason not to?"

Amazing...not....

Let me first states I think Sumich would probably make a half decent coach...in fact he was one guy who should be used to unwarranted abuse...he copped enough of it when he was full forward of the wee girls....(by Weagles fans I should add)

But the frenzy created by 6peagle and channel eagle (7) in support of him becoming the next coach of Freo bordered on hysteria, especially when he was not even considered for the role.
Is it suprising then that none of the 3 eastern states clubs he applied for did not appoint him?
I hope he gets the chance to coach at the highest level, he probably deserves it. But there is such a thing as preservation of club culture...we dont want Suma at Freo...pretty simple really.

History on markedly

At last nights Brownlow...I know I know...how can anyone watch 2 hours of votes being read out.....I admit it, I am a very boring person....anyhoo, back to the topic....

At last nights Brownlow when the votes where read out for round 16 when Freo smashed West Toast during the second derby, and Josh Carr won the Glendinning medal, you should have seen Cox's face when Demetriou read out, "J Carr, 3 votes", I thought he was going to vomit all over Chris Judd.......... :)

I must be one of the few pastors in Perth to have a group of passionate Geelong supporters in his church, and after Ablett singlehandedly demolished Freo, at Subiaco, you would think I would dislike Geelong, but I dont. Their coach is a very likeable person, honest and forthright.....Ablett seems very decent, and unaffected by his obvious talent. What strikes me about Geelong is that they work like a team.....and besides, who could possibly barrack for a team that wears teal??

$4190.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

We have a lot of women who come to our church without their husbands. Some of the husbands came yesterday...to see their kids perform.
It is a common malady of the contemporary church, as most of us in ministry know...but what to do about it?
In my own situation our ladies have done a superb job of ministering and setting up relevant programs for women in our church, and they naturally network together. Us men...not so much. We have done some things, and are doing some more...but a mans time is not as easy to access.

Men also seem to be less reluctant to invite other men to events 'within the saucer', to pinch a phrase. We have had some success with our mens events, MUD, men under duress...but it seems to me that the demands on a modern father are immense. I am not for a second trying to say they are more pressing that on a modern mother....but for many of the men I know, the wheel has turned a little at least. Many of them provide financially for their families, and feel pressure to be a success at work, so they need to put the hours in, in fact, something drives them, their maleness drives them.
Then, their family also puts pressure on them, pressure they invite and welcome, but pressure none the less.

Recently we planned an event, and deliberatly started in at 8pm.....which was simply because it then gave the blokes time to get home from work, have dinner, help get the kids tucked in... and then be able to go out without feeling either pressure or guilt.

Blokes need time to be blokes....but maybe the greatest concern for me, is that we are not giving them much purpose or adventure in their spiritual lives.

One of our best services ever......Kids Celebration Service 2007

Stacks of visitors, too many to mention, the kids were great...lots of fun, music, drama, multi-media...
New coffee machine cranking out some good 5 senses coffee, bouncy castle and sausage sizzle...what church should be like every week!

Soul Jam choir sounded the best it ever has, and music was wonderful...

Most of all, a wonderful opportunity to worship God, share love with our community, share our faith....

Today was an example of what a church which is mobilised, unified and purposeful can do....I am so proud of them all!!!!
I will post some video this week...

Go Jeff in 2008!

"what does it profit a man to gain a flag but lose his soul?"

From Dockerdave

Breaking news today that Police are back at the Rayney's family home. Apparently breaking the door down to get in.....Sad if it turns out to be the husband who did it.

Police have named the parents of Madeleine Mc Cann as suspects...something I mentioned to my wife would very likely happen a number of weeks ago.

Unfortunately it is very often the family, or people close to the victim. Very often a child who has been abused is abused by a member of their family.
What does it say about us as humans that the people we are related to, and trust the most, let us down?

I thank God every day for my family....and I am sure you thank God for yours.....

Sometimes the more interesting part of the story are the little details.
Anothony Jones won this years Sandover medal, well deserved too. One of the well presented guys in football, he always gave what he could to Fremantle, but injuries and the Drum factor may have robbed us of his best. Those of you who follow the WAFL will know that Anthony has played some blinding last quarters, which have often made the difference between Claremont winning or not.
I loved this story about his dad, Mark Jones. When accepting his medal Anthony talked about his dads support.
He shared the story about how his dad is a 'tight arse' and knows hardly anything about sport. So Mark Jones comes to the game after the 3rd quarter because the WAFL lets people in for free during the last quarter. Anthony's dad lets out a big coooeee to let his son know he is watching. Is there any correlation between Anthony's great last quarters and the fact his dad turns up in the last quarter, and lets his son know he is there? Yes, I would suggest there is. Next year the WAFL is going to give him a season pass, so maybe Anthony can put in a four quarter effort!

Scene : All Australian Night
Clinton Grybas: in light of whats happened in the last 24hrs, Carlton offered you $4m for 4yrs, how close were you to leaving?

Pav: Not close at all, I'm the captain of this footy club and whilst we've had a tumultous year, we've still got a lot to achieve in the future and the boys 100% behind Harvs!!!


mmmmm.....

From the pen of Jason Chatterfield Cartoon

I am really enjoying church at the moment.
As I am speaking through the series on 'who is Jesus' it seems that God is speaking to me and revealing things to me that I had never considered before, or perhaps, had just not stopped to think about.
Jesus got mad, really mad.
I spoke from Mark 2, and the story of how Jesus got in trouble with the Pharisees because the disciples were picking grain on the Sabbat. Jesus brushes aside their concerns by referring to the precedent of David and the Holy bread. But I finished my message referring to the next story in Mark 3, where Jesus heals the man with the crippled hand, on the Sabbath, in direct, public, defiance of the mean spirited Pharisees. The Bible says he got mad, and the anger was something that was deep within him. What a hero!!

"He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!"

Judd has announced he is returning back to Victoria....cant blame him really, considering the culture at West Coast. Chris seems to me to be a decent, really decent, hard working bloke. Why would he want to stay at West Coast???

I cheered on Collingwood tonight.....thats once for the season.....
no more...thank goodness..

Go Geelong.....

Intense game...very intense. You could tell that WC were running out of legs by the end of the 4th quarter, and Collingwood's running and pressure was going to get them over the line.
Amd Worsfolds decision to take Glass and Cox off the ground was quite puzzling..why didn't he go for the jugular when he had the chance? In my view, they could have built a match winning lead...but instead, when those two were off, Rocca kicked two quick goals, and the Pies were back in it!
Great game by both sides though, have to admit W Toast were brave, this week and last...but out in straight sets for the finals. Not often a top four side do that! Straight to Bali for the boys....End of an era.....cant say I am sorry, because I am not.....Now to see whether Judd will re-sign, whether Cousins will resign, and whether the biggest liar....Chick, will get a late reprieve.

Am waiting for my Five Senses coffee to arrive, a Australian single origin from Capricorn Estate this time, and I was dying (literally...ask my wife if you dont believe me) for a coffee so I picked up some Fiori Beans from Fresh Provisions.
These were from Hondorus....and it appears to be Fair Trade Coffee. This is the nation of the child I sponsor, so I picked them on that basis alone.
It is a deep dark rich, almost oily bean.....and nice and strong.
After a fair old grind with my new burr type machine, the Latte was made.....beautiful.

The head of every man is Christ, the head of every woman is man.....
Interesting debate could follow.
The word for head is not 'Lord' nor master, but is in fact more the sense of 'origin'. Paul goes back to Genesis where woman is said to have come from, found her origin in man, when God made her from Adam's rib. (and started a whole heap of dud jokes!)
Later on Paul pleads for us to be aware that we need each other, when he states we are not independent of each other, because every man has come from a woman (except Adam of course). We need each other.

Paul also has the interesting point that woman was made for man, not man for woman. Woman was made to make up for the weaknesses than man has. She is the strong helper than comes alongside man and gives him what he does not have.
This is certainly true of me.

Interestingly enough, when I was going through this passage which a bunch of active smart 20 year olds, the overwhelming sense I got was that they wanted a return to old values, and blamed a lot of the issues with modern relationships with a moving away from this passage, they were more conservative in their views than I would have expected, or stated myself .
We talked about the modern malady of singleness in churches, which is a real issue. I feel deeply for those woman and men who hit 35-40, and realise they might not find a partner for life. Melinda and I often pray together for people....and we pray for those who just want to find someone, have kids and all that.

Their is certainly joy to be found in being single...and flexibility, and that too should be celebrated.

Now this might be controversial...but in community...in journeying together with other families...there would be situations where parents picking partners for their children would not be such a bad thing. If that was something the child understood from a young age, maybe was not bound too, it could be good.

Here is my first message on "Who is Jesus" and the second in the series. Is Jesus meek and mild???? Nooooo.

Here is a video I have done up to show at Toddler Jam and BBC....

Geelong are the real deal...that was a comprehensive thumping of a side which has shown immense character this year, the Roos.....
I would be happy to see the Cats take it out this year...and even happier to see the Pies knock the weages out of the finals......

One of the main hits I get on this blog through search engines is because of this post

It seems people agree with my assesment. Someone has just posted that they have the mp3 of it, which they will email to you........

Great Sunday at church....had coffee mid service.....great! Kicked off my first message on who Jesus is....got a lot of comments after when I spoke about demon possession. Nothing like talking about that topic to get people started....:)

Then headed off to Whiteman Park for a BBQ and kick of the footy....what a beautiful part of the world we live in.

Came home and took my time making a lovely latte....and ate a Cherry Ripe with it.....I love Sundays....

Hi all....
This is my blog...
this blog is not a forum for those who want to incessantly slag off other churches....

Christ loves His Bride....thats it...its not perfect.....none of us are....
but bitter people with agendas, who cannot seem to direct their energy towards something positive, can find plenty of places to chat with like minded individuals, there are plenty of places for that...this blog is not one of them.

This blog is a bit of fun, sometimes serious, a place I slag off the Eagles, look at the Dockers through purple coloured glasses, a bit of a release for me.....and I like interaction with people, even Eagles supporters, and the occaisional serious poster, so I don't want to stop comments all together....so please, if you feel a need to slag off other churches incessantly, please comment elsewhere.

Either way, its my blog, with my policy........if you dont like it, fair enough....but I would encourage you to get your own blog...they are free.....
I remind all people of Matthew 18.

Jesus was an authoritative figure. He had authority. He goes into the synagogue and in the midst of all the argy bargy and vigorous discussion, and men arguing amongst themselves, he spoke with real authority. And it was not what He said so much as the challenge he made. Like he had just called those commercial fisherman to come and follow Him, he challenges the people. Its like someone got up in parliament and stopped saying what the people wanted to hear, and gave it to them straight. No silk ties, no Armani suites, no rhetoric, and empty promises. Jesus told it as it was, and took no prisoners. No one could speak against him. In fact indications are that the people sat there in stunned silence. There was nothing much to say, Jesus was right.

"I don’t know exactly how my faith affects the spiritual battle that is waged for the souls of people, but I do know this: When I expect unbelievers to respond to Christ, more do so than when I don’t expect people to be saved." - Rick Warren

Amazing isn't it....none of the Vic clubs did any more than be polite to Sumich as they showed him the door.......

All the experts on 6pr and the hundreds of indignant Weagle fans couldn't be wrong....could they???

Surely Freo should have seen what all the rest of the footy world couldn't???? Mmmmmmm

Here are the two passes the Chaser boys used...easy to see how they could be mistaken for the real thing....NOT!!!

Story

A source inside the show has told The Daily Telegraph the team never expected to get so far. The skit had been approved by ABC lawyers but was written in the assumption they would be stopped at the first checkpoint. Instead they were waved through the first on Macquarie St, then a second, which had sniffer dogs, and eventually stopped themselves at Bridge St. "As they did Chas got out of a car dressed as Osama bin Laden and said something like 'I'm an important world leader why don't I have a seat at the APEC table?'. Apparently that was the first time the police realised it was not authentic and they swooped in and arrested everybody," the source said. The ABC statement said the Chaser team members were wearing mock "insecurity" passes, which expressly stated they were a joke.
But the head of the APEC investigation squad, NSW Police Force Detective Superintendent Ken McKay was not amused.

Heres something interesting....
did the rock that the Israelites got water from while travelling in the desert travel with them?
Jewish tradition says yes, and this verse might suggest it did as well.....

1 Cor 10: 1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

Recently I posted about how Demetriou was evading responsibility over the whole Channel Seven drug scandal....I stand by the basic sentiment that Demetriou appears to deflect responsibility off himself....



But....I was wrong about this particular incident.


After watching Peter Meekin (Director of News and Current Affairs, Seven Network) try to defend the indefesible on Media Watch last night, its pretty obvious that Channel Seven were grossly irresponsible in running the story and were the primary instigator of it all and need to take responsibility for it. Revealing stolen medical documents was pretty dishonourable, and
something that they appear to have done all by themselves.

.
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Matt Price has the ability to encapsulate what many Freo supporters feel. And he has a fairly impressive medium to write about it, the Australian Newpaper. Here are some quotes from his latest article.

"Except a disturbingly large chunk of me - and, from what I gather, many other Dockers fans - won't be entirely dissatisfied with a loss. Don't get me wrong; a win over Port, who is flying right now, would be encouraging. But the odds are Freo will lose and, if so, an unmerciful thumping would suit better than a nail-biter.
This has nought to do with tanking for draft preferences and absolutely everything to do with spite, envy and immaturity.
"You want the Dockers to get beaten, don't you?" a wizened footy scribe surmised before I mentioned as much.
"Well, er, it's not that simple, but sort of," I stuttered. "How could you tell?"
"Because your mob is weak, vindictive, unprofessional, complacent, small-minded and insular and it's the reason you'll almost certainly never win a flag before you die."
Which rather overstates the case, but he has a point.
Fremantle may be out of the finals race, but tonight's result has a deliciously significant bearing on West Coast's September prospects. By the time the ball is bounced in Adelaide, West Coast will almost certainly have beaten Essendon at Subiaco. If Fremantle conspires to lose by more than the Bombers, the Eagles will finish third behind Port. A Dockers victory - or a defeat by less than the Subiaco margin - elevates West Coast to second.
If you are still with me here, you will understand the difference. Second delivers a home game in the first week of the finals, third means playing away. Ergo, a Fremantle victory would provide the dreaded cross-town foe with a much smoother path to the grand final."

story

Another of The Australian Opinion writers Patrick Smith, does not think much of Cousins...

"WENDELL SAILOR, cocaine. Ben Cousins, crystal methamphetamine. Andrew Johns, ecstasy. The three poster boys of Australian football have been illicit drug users.Two have apologised. One in Perth just smirks.

West Coast knew it had a drug culture and chose to ignore it. Only when Cousins became unmanageable through his addiction did the club suspend him.

West Coast coach John Worsfold said players lied to him and that as many as eight later admitted taking illicit drugs. Worsfold is not sanctioned for overseeing an environment so out of control that one player nearly died of an overdose on an overseas trip.

Cousins has not apologised nor has he been sanctioned by the AFL, and that is fundamentally wrong. There is grave doubt now that he will ever explain the dangers of drug use to the football community that adored him and made him rich enough to pay for his habit. Though he collected 38 possessions in his first game back from finishing rehabilitation, he sneers behind the tissue of medical advice. "

story

Man....I really enjoyed church this morning.....Its always good when there is lots of laughter in church.....and have a look at this video below for one of the reasons...There was also a packed church...which is good. Dads got given a mint pattie, but also our KFC teacher arranged for the 5-9 year olds to give dad a small mars bar....gee he is doing a good job.....and the Sunbeams did something great as well......The music was really good, and Q did a great job of leading.....
There was a really good 'spirit' in the place....and I think God inhabited the praises of His people.

Sunday afternoon we cleaned our house, which looked like a bomb had hit it.
Then I slow cooked some roast lamb on the bbq. We packed it full of garlic, rosemary and olive oil. I coooked it so it came out crispy and tasty on the outside, and just a slight juicy bit of pink on inside...I love BBQ lamb. I also had some James Boag Wheat Ale....superb, and finished off with lattes all round in the new latte glasses I got for fathers day.

Being a dad is such a privilege and responsibility....I am so blessed.