Sam calling out to my neighbour as she approached with her chiuauaua
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Monthly Archives: October 2004
Public Flogging?
Since we are no longer able to give people a public flogging this will have to do…
This morning we headed out fishing with my brother, a mate called Paul and his mate – Steve. Steve is an English immigrant recently arrived and loving Australia… until today…
It took Steve all of 20 minutes or so to tip his bacon sandwich over the side of the boat – another 20 minutes and he took me up on that offer of a ride back to the marina. Poor bugger – he was as green as they come!
I guess he won’t be buying that boat he had been contemplating!?…
It has been good to meet you Steve, but I’m guessing we’ll need to do sone activities on terra firma if we are to get to know one another better!
Thanks for the laugh!
Blitz Pics
Ouch!
Today was the final day of our backyard blitz project at Jackie’s house.
A whole bunch of people from the community rolled up to finish the job and it was sensational to be there and see everyone working together and enjoying the experience.
It was great to meet some new people and see the transformation take place.
Unfortunately I was a little over ambitious in expecting to be able to work. I woke up feeling a bit achey, but not too bad and thought the whole virus thing has lifted and I was getting better. Well after just 3 or 4 hours of work I could hardly move.
So at lunch time I left the crew and went home to a bath, trying to find some way to fix this stupid body. At this stage there is no progress.
Maybe it just means taklng it easy… for another few days… I will be sooooo bored if I have to take it any easier!
I’ll post some pics up here of the backyard blitz shortly. I don’t want to lose sight of what a great accomplishment this is for the whole Brighton community.
Homosexuality – When Tony and Peg Campolo Disagree
This is a fascinating presentation where Tony Campolo and his wife Peggy speak about the issue of gay relationships and their completely different perspectives on same sex relationships.
This is the blurb that precedes the talks:
Dr. Campolo’s position on homosexuality is conservative: he believes that the Bible forbids all homosexual activity. However, he does not support attempts to “convert” gays into straights; rather, he advises gay people to pursue celibacy. His position is what some refer to as “Side B.”
Peggy Campolo, Dr. Campolo’s wife, takes a different view. She supports monogamous, same-sex relationships, and believes that marriages should be recognized in the church for both heterosexual and homosexual couples. Peggy’s position is what some refer to as “Side A.”
Two committed Christians with two different views – yet they are able to share the same bed each night and respect each other’s faith. How do they do it?
I am about half way thru listening to them speak and finding their grace, reasoning and humour very engaging and compelling.
If you thought Tony was a good communicator then you should hear Peggy. He definitely doesn’t upstage her.
Totally Sick!
Just me
Yesterday while I was off work my principal rang up to see if I knew if I’d be in today. “Umm…. really can’t say”. So she gave me another day off just to be safe. Pretty nice I reckoned – but it seems I needed it.
I have just woken up from over 3 hours of sleep. I have always found it really hard to take days off work, so her offer is much appreciated as I may have tried to go in today.
I still have no idea what is wrong. My whole body just aches and I have a sore throat.
I’m hoping it will be gone by tomorrow as its the day of our backyard blitz and then on Sunday we’re hoping for a big day out on the water fishing.
I’d love to go the Church Together on Sunday night, but I’m not sure we’ll be dragging the kids all the way to Burswood at 6.30pm. Like Rod, the whole format isn’t really my thing, but I have always gone because its about so much more than my personal preference and the whole concept of it is sensational.hard rain dvdrip download download shredderman rules free
Time for Review
A few weeks back I was speaking with Herds, a member of our team about the year that’s been – our first year of living here in Brighton as missionaries.
It has been a challenge to make the shift from being a pastor and running a church to being a missionary and leading a missionary team, as well as developing Forge as well as teaching two days a week.
Part of the journey in coming here has been a committment to ‘figuring things out as we go’. The level of certainty that accompanies estabslished church practice simply cannot be part our experience because we are entering and walking thru new territory. To quote Paul Borden we are ‘building the bridge as we walk on it’, which requires a letting go of old practices and a ground up construction of a Christian community based on the context we are now in.
As a lover of strategic planning and clarity of direction this has been a huge challenge for me personally. At the end of the day all I can do is ‘get over it’ because this is the nature of what we have chosen to do.
We agreed that as the end of year approaches we need to take some time to do some reflect and review – assess whether we have done what we came here to do – if we have been true to our calling – what have we learnt – where have we done well – where have we struggled and failed.
I am hoping to have a friend come in and help us do that review – someone who knows us but can look more objectively than we may ourselves. A part of that review will be for each family to review their own year of mission and their own call to live here in Brighton.
This is something we never did in my experience of church. It was always assumed we would be there next year unless we moved house or got cheesed off. Of course we may still move, get cheesed off etc, but what I am hoping will happen is that in reviewing and making it more personal we may accept our part in the success or failure of what we do. ‘The church’ will cease to exist as an impersonal abstract entity and we will be required to reflect on ourselves and our part in the team.
Anyone else doing this?
More on the Safran Exorcism
It seems that episode of Safran v God really stirred people up.
The key question seems to be ‘was it real?’
Other comments in Andrew Denton’s guestbook can be read here, as well as an interview with Safran & Rachel Kohn here and other viewer comments here.
(Thanks Jarrod!)
He obviously experienced something that impacted him…
God…
Nah, that couldn’t be… could it?…
Here’s one person’s reflection from the SBS feedback site:
2004-10-18 23:13:32
Anneke
Wow.
The final episode was absolutely gripping.
Makes you wonder if there’ll be any further series of Safran Versus God. The excorcism is certainly the most tangible proof of a religious entity that has been shown in the show. Or anywhere else that i’ve witnessed, for that matter.
When you see that kind of stuff happening to strangers on tv you can dismiss it as fake, but when it happens to John it kinda screws with your head. I don’t want to believe that our faithful Mr Safran would act up for tv, but neither do i want to believe that reading a book about Zen and having lustful thoughts has filled me with screeching devils and condemned me to the “pit”..So what do we believe?
Hate Your Job?…
I am at home sick today after a sore throat became a sore body and left me feeling lousy. Part of me is glad because teaching is less than a passion any more. As I was checking email this came in from an old mate over east.
Teaching isn’t so bad…
When you have a “I Hate My Job” day, try this: On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson. Be very sure you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair, open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken. Now the fun part begins – Take out the literature and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement, “Every rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson is personally tested” Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, “I am so glad I do not work for quality control at Johnson and Johnson.”
New Faces
I have just added two new faces to the blog list on the left – both west aussies.
Roo is a top bloke who is about to start up as a youth pastor at Coastal Christian Community and ‘otherendup’ is still choosing to stay relatively anonymous…
I have known otherendup for around 15 years, we have played basketball together, he is a big fella and another great bloke.
I won’t reveal any more!