Gilead was given to me to read by my youngest daughter. She said it was “interesting”. She also said her pastor at the Uni Church she goes to reckons he would like to have written it. I’m finding Gilead very grown up, it’s one of those, Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that”, books. Marilynne Robinson hasn’t written many books but they have mostly been highly acclaimed. Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004. It was 24 years between it and her last book. I find that intriguing and kind of cool. Gilead is about an ageing pastor, probably in [continue reading...]
Jesus Christ, there is a Jesus Christ!
I’ve told this true story a couple of times and people have asked for more details so here they are. This is a story from Dysart in the coal mining area of central Queensland. It came to me through my wife’s girlfriend, Marisa, who was on a mission team in Dysart for a year. There was a woman in the little Dysart Baptist church who shared her testimony of coming to faith in Jesus. This lady was married to a coal miner in the town. They were tough , matter of fact folk who liked a drink, a smoke and [continue reading...]
Yeah, well so we are told! Do you really believe it? My brother took me to one of those degust – thingys, where you pay a fortune to get 10 courses with names like “Radish in soil” and “mouthful of beef cheek with puff of crab foam”. It was really interesting and I was kinda full at the end and I am telling you about it, so…..maybe less is more sometimes. Or maybe more isn’t always what great things are about. Take bikinis, for example. Clearly, they are all about less being more. I know you pay more for less [continue reading...]
Pretty gross title but find me a creative little boy or girl who hasn’t sat down concentrating intently on some intentional dismemberment. I’ve sat in a building in Mebourne this week wrestling along with 50 pastors about what’s next for Jesus’ bride the church. As we have done that it has felt a bit like dismembering a creature made and loved by God but in need of some change, some even think extermination and rebirth. As I was talking with some people an old picture came to me. It was of the original Australia II yacht that won the Americas [continue reading...]
I love it when Phil, who is brilliant at web things, does stuff and I look at the website and go wow! I love it when people care enough about the mission they are passionate about that, even when it’s impossibly hard, they don’t give up on each other. I love it when Paul pops in and says, “Just wondering if I could pray for you”. I love it when Marg does a pewsheet with such creative attention to detail that I think, “Man, I should try that church!” I love it when a really clever professional person gives hours [continue reading...]
Pastoring a church can be a very surreal experience. You feel normal to yourself but like you come from another planet to many people you associate with. It feels as though society in general, which was drifting away from it’s connections to orthodox Christian faith is now in freefall. The see saw has well and truly passed half way. This isn’t just an Everyman phenomena, this applies to churched and church people as well. One cannot assume that because someone occupies a pew that they are on the adventure. One local pastor said to me recently, “It’d be nice if [continue reading...]
the web log of Malcolm Potts…