What's Mal up to?

A Fair Dinkum Christian

Sep 292010

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 I had a Christian in my congregation”. What?

If you want a passionate snapshot of what a modern day Apostle Paul might be and think like, read Simon Guillebaud’s book (ISBN-13 978-1-85424-760-5 UK). He gives an idea of what a Christian life switched on to Jesus and his adventure might look like. He is a compelling not a condemning author. He is passionate and is no armchair theorist.

When I think about how long I will live and how long I will be dead; when I think about this life as a preparation for the next, how do I want to invest whatever I have left?

Lovin the World

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Sep 222010

God loves the world so much that he gives…

Cool thought, a sovereign creator God who gives.

Not like the nasty gods of Greek mythology who play with people’s lives, heads and destinies for their own gratification. Not like those gods for whom you must try harder and harder to inherit their favour. Not like philosophical systems that require my self emptying to attain enlightenment.

Nope, a God who loves me, adopts me, through whom I inherit all things to steward and respect. A God who takes a fair bit of getting to know but who actually likes what he sees in me.

I wish I could be towards myself and others like that God is towards me?

The raw prawn

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Aug 162010

Bought some snap frozen prawns in Geraldton the other day, one of Australia’s preeminent fishing cities.

The chatty chap who sold me the prawns told me a fascinating story.

The prawn I was buying had been caught, not in WA, but off Townsville in Queensland. They had been snap frozen raw and shipped to China – yep! China! Where the worlds only automatic shelling and deveining machine lives.

Apparently most shelled prawns go to China to their one off machine.

After the China treatment the prawns are shipped back to Townsville, then on to Geraldton in WA where I thought I was buying a prawn caught “just out there” on the lovely, wild deep blue Indian Ocean and sold through the local outlet, literally on the docks!

A prawn about the size of my thumb has a carbon footprint about the size of a house! How ethical is that? How can we know these things? What should we do about it? Can we do anything anyway?

Just goes to show there’s more to a raw prawn than you might think.

Wondering about Stillpoint?

Church, Community 2 Responses »

Aug 152010

I have been wondering about Stillpoint this summer.

Stillpoint is a beach chaplancy that operates on Sunday nights during the Australian summer.

Each season has had key leaders who have made Stillpoint the focus of their ministry for the three months it is on. Dan and Jude Greenfield were that focal point in our 2009/10 season.

I’m wondering who the key focal people might be in 2010/11?

Stillpoint creates so many opportunities to chat to people on the beachfront, discuss the meaning of life, support the security guys and get involved in making a difference.
I’d love to have more time to meet backpackers, be hospitable, run a worship space near the beach etc. But the day to day is more than enough.

Is God saying, “Its run it’s course” or do I need to do something differently?