Sport and Religion – Is there a Difference?

Posted: April 11, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: , ,
0

The Australian Sports Commission has released a report today that says that Australia’s sporting clubs have the potential to recruit an additional 3.8 million members if they consider new ways of delivering sport to Australians who want to get involved in club-based sport.

The report, released by Minister for Sport, Kay Lundy, identifies 10 adult segments and shows where the best potential for growth lies.

The issues raised in the report sound very similar to the issues faced by the 21st century church and I wonder if there is anything we can learn from this report.

The 10 segments identified in the report are the Loyalist, the Socially Engaged, the Sport Driven, the Apathetic Clubber, Sidelined Sportsters, Club Wary, Ponderers, Self-focussed, Sport Indifferent, and Sport Atheists.

They’re all there in sport, and Australian sports clubs are currently hurting as people move away from organised sport.

… And they’re in the church too.

This is a document that needs to be read by church leaders.

Image

What’s in a word?

Posted: April 8, 2013 in Uncategorized
2

It was a great privilege yesterday to spend time with a whole lot of friends who shared in my induction as the new Team Leader at Maida Vale Baptist Church. Thanks for supporting me in this way.

I was reflecting on the title of Team Leader. It seems a bit less spiritual than the traditional term, Pastor, but somehow I think it acknowledges 21st Australian culture a little better than a word that originates with the first century Middle-Eastern idea of sheep-herding.

Pastoring, or shepherding in the first century involved working with small herds of sheep, sleeping out on the hills to look after them and making sure they weren’t spooked by foxes. In Australian society I think of shepherding quite differently and the idea of running a mob of sheep across hundreds of hectares of dry paddock, occasionally driven together by a helicopter for shearing, is not the picture I have of a pastor.

I think I would prefer to see myself as the leader of a team of people who are trying to find their way through the realities of life, and in that journey discover Jesus.

I’d like to see myself as the leader of a team of people who have discovered that Jesus provides the resources they need to navigate life and are learning how to put those resources into action every day.

I’d like to see myself as the leader of a team of people who are making a difference in their local community and the world, as we walk together in company with Jesus.

But it doesn’t matter if you see yourself as part of a flock or a team, I’m looking forward to having you join me on this new adventure together.

One man’s trash …

Posted: March 30, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags:
1

I’ve just got back from a day at the York antique fair.

It’s funny that stuff that used to be ordinary daily use objects have now become valuable commodities. Whether they are old biscuit tins, tools, plates and saucers or matchboxes, people are falling over themselves to buy them for much more than they were ever worth in the first place. Things that once seemed like rubbish are now highly sought after.

It makes me realise that nobody is rubbish in God’s sight. In fact we are so valuable that he gave up the life of his son, Jesus, to buy us back. That’s the message of Easter.

 

Into the Light. A series on Abuse and the Church

Posted: March 25, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: , ,
1

It may seem strange starting a brand new blog with a discussion on abuse, but that’s just what I’m about to do.  I have enjoyed reading a series of posts by a range of different people in the last week and I think it is worth providing the link to some of these posts in the belief that shared experiences can help us deal with issues.

Here’s an introduction to the series by Rachel Held Evans.

The Scar of Sexual Abuse. Oh how what they did hurt. Stung. Ate at my insides. Burned. Their act emptied me of the little girl I’ve never fully recaptured, a carefree, dancing, joyful, sprite of a girl. My coping mechanism? Disconnecting.

Proper Treatment for Sexual Abuse: 7 Questions to Consider. It takes great courage to tell another person about violations of body and soul. Victims fear not being believed, blamed, or worse, having their secret told to others. Thus, when a person sets aside those fears and speaks of what has been hidden, it is a great honor to be blessed with that story.

God is Love. God is the opposite of abuse, because God is love, and love is the opposite of abuse. Images that twist the meaning of love to paint God as a cruel and hateful abuser do not do God justice.

Don’t Talk About It: Reflections on Spiritual Abuse. Speechlessly I nodded.  Joe Smith was telling me that not only was I wrong about what I thought the Bible said, but that I needed to stop fighting the truth that I was not a full, true disciple of Jesus.  I needed to let this truth sink deep inside me.  I felt myself letting it do so.  And as I did, I began to weep uncontrollably.

Out of the Shadows. Bringing abuse into the light – by encouraging and assisting with reporting abuse to appropriate authorities, referring victims and perpetrators for professional help, and facilitating a culture of openness and honesty in the church – is the most effective way to bring healing to all involved.

Abuse and the Church Wrap Up.  This is a useful summary of all the posts along with links to a number of good resources on the subject of abuse.

I hope you find these posts helpful.

Getting Ready

Posted: March 21, 2013 in Uncategorized
0

It’s only a couple of weeks to go till I commence my new role as Team Leader at Maida Vale Baptist Church. At the moment I am winding down after 12 years working with Baptistcare. These have been amazing years during which I have learned a huge amount about myself, leadership and the worlds of disability and mental health in particular.

There are some new challenges and opportunities ahead of me and I am looking forward to what the future holds. 

Watch this spot as I step off one train and board another in the great journey of life.

Where it all started

0

I recently came across this documentary about the Kalgoorlie Miner newspaper in 1973. I worked there most of the 70’s and while I didn’t appear in the doco, my telex is there. Great memories of early days of journalism in Kalgoorlie and some recognisable faces: Calvin (Mumbles) Wilson, Gordon Dann, Ken Dwyer, and Brian (Rocky) Dellavanza.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2012/02/08/3426518.htm

 

Video  —  Posted: March 14, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: ,

It’s a new blog

Posted: March 3, 2013 in Uncategorized
0

Watch out for the first post in this new blog. See my previous blog at http://www.transformandenrich.blogspot.com

Newer Entries