Amongst the various hats I wear I am an employee of Scripture Union WA.

They have kindly adopted Forge WA and oversee us administratively and financially and because of that link when I wear my ‘Forge WA Director’ hat, I am actually working for them rather than for Forge… Its been a great relationship and I have been impressed with SU from every angle.

Recently Pete Barney started an SU blog black book free and asked if I would offer some thoughts on mission and evangelism, so I have a couple of posts over there that you probably won’t read over here.

One is entitled ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ and the other ‘The Gap’. Both look at some of what I have been learning as a western missionary, but I’m sending you there rather than posting them here so that we can get traffic heading that way!

So go check it out.

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 I set it free.” — Michelangelo.

Check it out here.wild one the dvdrip download

If you have been wondering what the new blog banner is about (and haven’t read the interaction below) then I’ll fill you in..

You see, I saw an image of used teabags hanging on a line drying out and I couldn’t help thinking back to the old stories I had heard of overseas missionaries being sent used teabags (I believe it is a true story) as a means of support.

It was a fairly classic missionary image from my formative years – as well as safari suits and brylcream.

So it seemed like an appropriate image for a ‘backyard missionary’… But having ‘tested’ it on those who I thought would easily ‘get’ it I have come to realise that maybe my experience was different to everyone else’s 🙂

Anyway that’s the deal with the teabags!

As you were.

My links on the left don’t seem to be working at the moment for some reason. When they get up and going again you will notice a new favourite in the ‘backyard blogs’.

Phil Sparrow is an old friend / work colleague and multi-talented man who has some valuable stuff to say – often in the form of cartoon

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. Phil has been an aid worker in Afghanistan and is looking at heading back there later this year with his wife and family. He is also an author, speaker and photographer.

If you don’t mind a very honest and sometimes cynical look at the life of faith then Phil’s blog will be your cup of tea!

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 Wikipedia and the million-channel people’s network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It’s about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.

It helps you understand why some get nervous. Of course elsewhere in the article you read this:

Sure, it’s a mistake to romanticize all this any more than is strictly necessary. Web 2.0 harnesses the stupidity of crowds as well as its wisdom. Some of the comments on YouTube make you weep for the future of humanity just for the spelling alone, never mind the obscenity and the naked hatred.

So there is toxicity online as in the real world.

But… there is also wisdom that will go unheard by those who only view the world thru one set of lenses, so my challenge to those who view blogs as toxic because they don’t conform is to ask ‘what are you afraid might happen?’

So far its been mostly bloggers who have responded to my previous post, but I know there are plenty out there reading (ironically) who view blogs as toxic.

So why don’t we open up the issues that concern you and get down to business?

Anyone?…

Oh – we did

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…

Thanks to Art who tipped me off last night about a blog that is purely a Christian/Atheist dialogue and looks quite interesting.

Hopefuly I will get there and have a read shortly.

I was looking at the stats for Backyard Missionary today and checking out which posts have had the most hits. Here they are in order of priority:

1. Incarnational v Attractional Mission – a fairly polemic and feisty piece I wrote for a youth ministry seminar. Its sure to piss some people off, so if you read it, make sure you pay attention to the intro paragraph and don’t get all snooty on me!

2. Discipleship Dilemma in Youth Ministry – another fairly strong post that asks ‘what on earth is happening in youth ministry?’

3. Where Will Your Kids Go to School? – asks the question of whether we ought to look at state schools, private schools, Christian schools or homeschooling.

4. Straight Shooters – I’m not sure why this ranked high! Its just me saying ‘if you want to dish it out then make sure you can take it too’.

5. What’s The Deal? – a short rant about the excesses of some well known and travelled Christian speakers.

6. Exercise in Clarity mamma roma free download – a post describing how we have arrived at our identity as Upstream.

Steve McAlpine is now blogging here revolver movie download

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.

Don’t expect much for a few weeks as he leaves on Saturday for Sheffield to work with the Crowded House Network.

Steve is an old mate from u’14 basketball days and our paths have re-intersected over the last few years again. I’m sure you will find his insights on theology, culture and mission well worth a read!

Well after 3 1/2 years of blogging its probably time to update my links. Its a painful process – both tiresome and frustrating because I have known some precious people to get offended over this stuff.

I was very tempted to have no links at all, but in the end I have recategorised and added a whole bunch of new faces from all over.

The criteria for me linking to you is simply that you are a regular blogger who has been going for a while and I read your blog at least occasionally.

There is some real gold in the links over there so be sure and have a dig around.

For those who link here, but who I haven’t yet read much of, there is a category for ‘those kind enough to link here’.

If you think you belong in one of these categories but I have missed you out then feel free to email or leave a comment! If your link is defunct then let me know also.

Chris

– you will be very happy now!

He’s new to the world of blogging, but at 23 years old he’s almost a youth ministry veteran!

Here’s a young bloke, with a great mind, huge energy and immense potential. Aashish Parmar wuthering heights dvd from Kalgoorlie Baptist Church has just started blogging and if he writes anything like he thinks then he will be well worth a read.

Aash was in my class this week and he’s no mug!