backyardmissionary

Jarrod McKenna’s Wednesday’s with Gandhi:
“If Jesus came to earth again, he would disown many things that are being done in the name of Christianity.  It is not he who says ‘Lord, Lord’ that is a Christian, but “He that doeth the will of the Lord’ that is a true Christian. And cannot he, who has not […]

The time in Kalgoorlie was excellent.
It was a combination of relaxing with Danelle and the kids and catching up with friends from the 24-7 crew. We had a great time and came home feeling blessed and revived.
So at 8.30 this morning we began the drive home…
If you are driving thru the WA wheatbelt then chances […]

Tomorrow morning we are off to Kalgoorlie for a few days.
Its partly to hang out with a brilliant bunch of people at the 24/7 House Church Network and partly to have a bit of a break. Danelle and the kids will head out there on the train while I will drive.
We promised the kid’s a […]

Some of you would know that earlier this year one of my paid roles came to an end. I was coaching Baptist Youth pastors, a job I loved, but a change in circumstances meant that job came to an end.
I had a couple of months where I didn’t fill the gap just in case I […]

Jarrod McKenna’s Wednesday’s with Gandhi:  
“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. I try to see Him and His Mercies in all these creations. But even the sunsets and sunrises would be mere hindrances if they did not help me to […]

This is one of my favourite pics of Ellie & me.

She was one week old.
I can’t really describe what I like, but even though its not the most technically brilliant pic the vibe is great

Unfortunately a nasty neighbourly dispute has erupted on our local ‘intranet’.
It is an interesting dilemma though so I am interested in your opinion on the issue (apart from the obvious fact that it doesn’t belong on an intranet!).
Here is it is…
Family A were one of the first families to move into the suburb and […]

I think it was Mike Frost i heard say this - the things that we talk about actually shape our identity quite profoundly.
Tonight we took some time to refocus on who we are, what we are doing and where we are headed. We do it fairly regularly and I often lead the group thru this. […]

Rob Douglas is a good bloke and has just started a blog.
As an ex Baptist pastor in the north west and now responsible for the community aspect of Baptist Care, Rob will have some interesting things to say.
Here’s a quote from Rob’s blog “I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until […]

Jarrod McKenna’s Wednesday’s with Gandhi:
“Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics understand neither.” -Mohandas K. Gandhi

“God will judge you for what you did today!!!”
If phone text messages could yell, I think this one I received might have been screaming. It was clear, not just from this sentence but the whole message (which I […]

Its that time of year when old fat guys drag out their mals and hit the water again. (Actually I often surf in winter, but this year it just hasn’t happened.) I had a piece of good advice from a mate yesterday - ‘go have a surf because the world looks different after a surf’.
It […]

This morning we ran our first Brighton Markets down at the local school. There was a pretty good roll up for a first up effort. The deal is that all proceeds from entry go to the developing world and that is clearly stated all around the place.
So what do you call a person who asks […]

Yesterday was the final day of the Summit and again there was some excellent content.
The first session with John Ortberg was sensational - probably the best of the whole event. Ortberg preached narratively thru the book of Esther and in the process focussed on a leaders’ greatest fear - and the ’shadow side’ of our […]

Its been great to see the interesting discussion that Jarrod has developed over the few weeks of writing on here!
He is away today mountain bike riding, but suggested I could post an article he wrote recently which you might be interested in.
Rather than repost it here I’ll simply give you the link and you can […]

Apparently this is true… but could well be an urban myth (I haven’t checked). Either way its funny!

A city councilman in Utah, Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the east mountains, until a new neighbour purchased the lot below his house and built a new home.
The new home was 18 inches higher than the […]

This was an inspiring day of presentations from some brilliant people!
Unlike last year where I simply vented my frustration online at WCA’s choice to charge people money to watch DVDs, this time I emailed the CEO and asked him about this policy.
I still couldn’t get it… $179.00 per person to watch DVDs… He […]

Here’s a dot point summary of a talk I did over the weekend for anyone who is interested. It is a simple reflection on the desires, knowledge and actions that a missionary community requires.
I’d be interested in your reflections and what you would add to the lists.
Missionary Desires
1. For people to know Jesus and experience […]

Here
Its well worth a read. Its not rocket science, but most of us aren’t tripped up by how complex things are. Usually its because they are simple in concept but difficult to practice.

I had an email over the weekend from Mark Edwards, friend and regular commenter on here. He was concerned that his comments on here may have appeared to convey the wrong message in terms of how he feels about different expressions of church.
He sent this to me and told me I could post it.
Thanks Mark! […]

Here’s a great fun site that shows you how to build things out of cardboard fridge boxes.
I reckon my kids would get right into this! So once the rain stops we might head down to the store and see if we can get us some boxes and have some school holiday adventures!