backyardmissionary

I had some stuff to say tonight, but we didn’t get back from our Christmas gig until 9.30 and I am stuffed, so it aint gonna happen!
We are off tomorrow to Busselton for a week with 5 other families from the community as well as a family from our Upstream team. It should be a […]

A friend was round the other day and told me she had just had the ‘big talk’ with her 11 year old son. Ok… I thought - 11 is a fair age to be starting the sex talk these days. Good for you!
She went on to tell me how the talk went, only it wasn’t […]

An Aussie mate by the name of Glenn who is living in the US just got news that his 3 year old daugher Madison has been diagnosed with a form of liver cancer that typically attacks young children.
A biopsy will be done on Tuesday and we’d love people to pray for a bit of a […]

christmas
chaos, busy
people, presents, shopping
holidays
family, church
crowds, money, shopping
kids
santa, tree
driving, arguments, shopping
shopping
shopping
jesus

Here at Upstream we are always open to people joining us either as part of our community, or for those who seek a higher level of commitment as part of the mission team.
If you would like to take up the challenge of mission in the burbs then give us a call to discuss what it […]

Grendel has been asking deep philosophical questions regarding this post.
The question is “is it sin or just obscene; and where is the boundary?”
I probably show a few pics that some folks wouldn’t, but I would argue they are not ‘obscene’. Perhaps not what you would show your grandma, but probably something you would chuckle about […]

Today was Danelle’s 37th birthday so we took the day off and headed into the city to wander, have lunch and hang out. It was nice to be able to relax together while mum and dad looked after the kids.
We had lunch at ‘Secret Garden’, a little cafe down a laneway off Murray st. The […]

I tuned into this show last night.
Very funny in an Aussie kind of way…

Creative gardening

The Bible Van

Oops…

Who Farted?!

This is a ‘bastard’

Where are we at?

The world is my toilet

Bangkok…

Ian’s birthday cake

Aussies…

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

Scott is back from holidays and making up for lost time. One of his posts today addresses the question ‘what is a cult?’ because it was suggested to him that his group may be a cult.
We have also had that suggestion made of us, (but I asked my wives and they don’t think its accurate…)
Here […]

Today NCLS’s Novus magazine came to our place full of stories of innovation and experimentation in church life.
Our story was in it as was Geoff’s at Banksia Grove, Gareth’s and Steve’s at Lockridge.
Danelle was particularly chuffed that her photo (the one of me at the top of this blog) was used and I was even […]

Following on from the first post below I found this article thru Rodney.

Here’s a quote:
But look at 2006 through a different lens and you’ll see another story, one that isn’t about conflict or great men. It’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It’s about the cosmic compendium of knowledge […]

I rarely have people say this to my face, but I seem to hear it around the place a little more often than I’d like.
It seems that in some folk’s estimation it isn‘t ok to ask questions of current church practices or to express an opinion that is non-conformist. The phrase that I seem […]

Alan Hirsch’s new book The Forgotten Ways is out now (and its $19.95 from Koorong in Oz - not $49.95)
If you want to stay in touch with some of the best thinking in the world on mission and movements then you must read this book. I count Alan as a close mate on the road […]

Well - life is back to usual here on the blog.
It seems that the database file was badly corrupted, hence the weird look and inability to comment. Justin has fixed it but unfortunately all comments are lost. Its a bit of a bummer but maybe a reminder that there are many bigger things in life […]

Did anyone else stay up and watch the SBS doco entitled Smashing Machine, about the Ultimate fighting guys?
It was on last night and was quite a depiction of the lives of those involved in the sport. The bit that struck me most was how little these guys get paid.
The world championship bout in Japan netted […]

I have just spent the last two days in Moore River hanging out with Danelle and the kids and doing some reading. (Moore River is a tiny beachside town of 80 people where Danelle’s folks have just built a their retirement home)
Danelle’s mum Val has a stash of books about missionaries of all sorts, but […]

Thanks to those who emailed to let me know the blog had gone psycho.
I’m not sure what has happened - but it seems you can’t comment at the moment. I have been away for two days in Moore River, but I know Justin will get it fixed fast.
If you need excellent web hosting and great […]

What is the difference for you between people you connect with and want to be around and those who you ‘can take or leave’ when it comes to hanging out and spending time.
I have noticed time and time again that for me the people I enjoy being around are not always the ones I have […]

On January 24th we will be hosting a gathering to discuss how we may engage in mission among the backpacker community. These are a group of people who are often on a spiritual journey as well as a physical one and it would be great to connect with them and share the good news of […]