backyardmissionary

Looong day today.
I left at 6.30am for a monthly breakfast gig at the South Perth Boatshed Cafe with some good mates - it takes an hour to get there for me… We are currently reading thru Al’s book. Sometimes we discuss the chapter, more often we just discuss… This is one of my most valued […]

This is a house that was built in South Merang - Victoria.
You’d have to be a big fan of the simpsons and have a lot of $$$ to spend it like this…

Sometimes you really need some time just to kick back, relax and forget that there is a job to do. (Yes - this is me writing”)
I love to go hard and find it relatively easy to stay focussed, but there are days when I don’t want to see anybody who will take energy out […]

It’s funny to see how much our lives have changed in the last 12 months. From being twice daily Sunday church-ers to only going when I am speaking.

Sunday has become a much loved day rather than a work day. I did always enjoy speaking but Sunday was always associated with going really hard and pulling […]

Just spent tonight with an old aquaintance who is becoming a mate - a bloke called Owen Beck.
He was virtually famous in the late 80’s for his band ‘The Rockin Rabbis’. They were an ‘ahead of their time’ band who spoke very powerfully to a lot of issues. It was only last year that […]

This morning I caught up with Mike for breakfast.
He is one of our team and is busy organising a sensational backyard blitz for a local woman who is in need. We visited the woman’s house today to do some planning and then it was off to the cafe.
Mike had just come from being with […]

Chatting with Herdo yesterday we were pondering what was needed to be an effective missionary, or to be a leader of an emerging missional church.
It seems the early church crew didn’t have much at all in the way of theological expertise, but had regular coaching and reflection time with Paul etc. Is theological training necessary?… […]

When trying to grasp what we are doing here in Brighton people often ask me how it will look in 10 or 20 years time.
Here’s a quote from Wolfgang Simpson that captures what i usually find myself saying in one way or another:
But one of the emerging trends is that clearly “church” is getting defined […]

Our first Forge National Newsletter is online now. You can check it out here.
I’d be interested to hear what you reckon!

Today was 22 degrees C and beeeudiful!
I was working from home and couldn’t resist taking an hour out to head down to the beach with Ellie 7 Winston (dog). We hopped into the fun-mobile and bounced across the dunes to a stretch of beach where we were the only ones there.
We played for an hour, […]

So goes the evangelism self talk we hear about evangelistic events that see just one person respond - sometimes because they are the only ‘non-christian’ present anyway…
Rod commented on this in my previous post - and it is a thought I actually wanted to address myself.
Is it really all worth it for the one?
Ought we […]

When we first moved to Brighton there was talk of a road going straight thru to the beach from where we live. We thought this would be great!
There is still talk but no road…
However there is a well worn sandy track. I’ve been down it a few times when my father in law has loaned […]

It wasn’t often that I used to preach twice on a Sunday - I do it less these days! But yesterday was one of those days.
There was a morning gig where I was asked to do an evangelistic message and then an evening one where I got to have a rant about my favourite theme […]

Education minister Alan Carpenter is in trouble for ’swearing’.
The issue at stake is whether kids from lower socio economic backgrounds are less likely to do well at school. Some school principals have been using this as a reason for poor TEE performance.
Mr C has told them this is ‘bullshit’ and that he would ‘kick the […]

A mate from ‘hobbiton’ has decided to have a crack at blogging. He’s a good bloke and a very sharp missionary.
I think he might wish to remain anonymous so I’ll just call him ‘D’. You can see what he has to say here.

Its Friday evening…
I am home alone. Danelle and kids have spent the day out and are waiting for the traffic to ease before heading home.
I ate pizza.
It always looks so good at the start and leaves you feeling so bad at the end!
At the pub today I met another boxer - an ex english champion […]

Yesterday I caught up with an old friend - a bloke called Mark Wilson who is senior pastor at Whitford Church of Christ, one of our biggest local churches in Perth. Mark and I did youth ministry together when we were in our teens, both did a teaching degree, moved into youth ministry, then both […]

I rolled up to our local boat ramp this morning only to see that they have closed it for the next three months while they do some work nearby.
You’ve gotta wonder about how people pick their times… all of winter to work and these noddys wait until the start of spring/summer…
Crayfish season starts in November […]

I just wonder what people mean when they say this?…
What is the difference between ‘milk’ and ‘meat’?
It seems often people want to be challenged more intellectually. Yet I have a feeling we aren’t doing half of the stuff we already know, so what’s the point in learning more stuff to not do?…
Give me a […]

Flat out at the moment - school stuff, Brighton stuff, Forge stuff - and then away for the weekend with some of our neighbours….
Next week looks better!