Why Zoe is a girl

This article explains why Zoe is a girl but fails to explain why we can't conceive at the moment!

Heard it on the 6am news while on my way to Kiama for some exercise.

It just goes to prove that ministry is stressful!

The Great Train Show

The Great Train Show is a podcast "radio show" on the ABC, hosted by former PM Tim Fischer.

A couple of weeks back they asked for humorous train-travel stories, so I sent mine in.

Here is the extract from last week's podcast.

Horsing around in Jamberoo

Well, I've blogged the cor transfers that run through Allowrie St (the main street) of Jamberoo.

On Sundays church is often interrupted by large numbers of loud motorbikes passing by on their way to the pub.

Sometimes during prayers in church on a Sunday we hear the clip-clop of horses as recreational riders take their gee-gees out for a walk.

But this was on a Thursday! And the bloke had your typical farmer look, with wide-brim had not a helmet like the weekend riders!

At our front gate!

We love living here. Truly we do, that's not being sarcastic.

Michelle's new hobby: tennis

I got a pretty good shot, hey? And yes, it was a real game! The ball is not photoshopped or anything.

Imperative Verb + adjective + noun + , + proper noun = basic sentence

The two year old today did something we've not noticed before: she made a sentence all on her own.

Sure, she's been chattering away for ages now... but every sentence etc comes from the copy-cat phrase book. "Whatchya doin'" etc - all copied from what she's heard.

But tonight I was singing badly and she took an imperative verb: "stop", an adjective usually used only to describe her #2 nappies: "yukky", a noun: "song", a comma and a proper noun: "Daddy". The result: "Stop yukky song, Daddy".

Brat.

Christian joke for the larger man

Church is just over. What a buzz. We had 46 folk across 2 services: not our best and many regulars were away for legitimate reasons, but we also had some visitors, God's Word was proclaimed and I am feeling good about the world.

Then my 'friend' Malcolm sent this link. So deflating! Follow it here: http://www.reverendfun.com/index.php?date=20080222

But seriously, I know Malcolm isn't cruel, and I know his sense of humour, and I think it's funny, so despite my feigned offence, I took none really. And I'm not having a go at Malcolm by writing what follows, for I know Malcolm's theology is more robust than that which I am about to criticise.

As an aside (and this only makes sense if you read the link), the argument "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" is trotted out against smoking, being overweight, and anything that our culture thinks (or knows scientifically) is wrong.

And yet, we don't argue that way when it comes to legitimate drugs. I'm on Effexor/XR and some sort of cholesterol drug. Isn't that potentially abusing the temple of the holy spirit? What about my mate who is very thin, doesn't smoke, yet drinks coffee like it's going out of style. He is a drug-addicted pastor!

So the logic doesn't hold.

Furthermore, it's just really bad exegesis. We read in 1 Cor 16, 17: "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." (NIV)

The 'you' in the original is really 'youse'.

In short (since I've just been called for lunch): the context is about destroying the church. Youse, collectively, when youse gather together to form the church (the body of believers), youse are the temple of the HS. If any of youse destroys the temple (ie does stuff that is hurtful or divisive to the church), youse are destroying God's temple and God will destroy him.

Context removes any proof-texting about health and fitness and reminds us it's about our responsibility to do everything humanly in our power to seek unity in the body of God's people, the church.

Allowrie St, Jamberoo (the main street!)

Hi all,

Well it ought to come as no surprise that there are cows in Jamberoo. But sometimes they are transferred from the various farms down to the swamp (which last week was flooded!).This morning Jensen and I went for a pre-dawn walk in Kiama (and we were rained on!); then we encountered a cow transfer at 7:15 in the middle of Jamberoo. These photos might give you some idea of what I am talking about.

Scary Mary Poppins

This is a very funny link: Scary Mary Poppins

Shows what happens when you take things out of their context!

Cat sculpture

This marvellous piece of art was created by our cat, BJ.

It was a shame to have to tidy it away, but it kinda stunk.

Warning! Calvinism afoot

Guard yourself against Calvinism with this tool.