Another classic find over at Stuff Christians Like: Christian Emoticons. This is my new funniest site on the web. Here’s some examples: (more…)

The typical suburban church is a now a much maligned entity.  The emergence of the emergents and the new cool crew of Christianity have caricatured the typical local church as an ‘institution’, one whose sell by date has long since expired and needs to be replaced by a new expression of ‘church’.  In its place are cool ventures accompanied by even cooler websites.

Meanwhile, back in the burbs, these little outdated institutionalised remnants of a bygone era continue to exist, and within their midst are an army of hidden radicals, who will never be immortalised on a website, a cool new book, or at a cool conference. (more…)

Musical talent, good singing voice and theological depth are no longer the ONLY requirements of a good worship leader.  These days an encyclopaedic knowledge of the entire Hill$ong back catalogue, as well as a few other well worn discographies is also necessary.  It would seem the new de rigeur must have for any church that wants to attract and draw more people [from other churches that don't have what I'm about to say], is a metrosexual worship leader. (more…)

Our worship team was desperate this last weekend. You always know they are desperate when they ask me to play drums. It means every last available possibility has been exhausted, and they need to settle for me. I do have my fans though, mainly amongst the older folk. I tend to concentrate on keeping the beat with clean base and snare beats, and don’t go travelling very much around the rest of the drums in case I take a wrong turn and put the whole song off.

Another great aspect of my drumming is that I play a lot softer than the others. I see drumming as a foundation on which the music is built, rather than a lead instrument. Oh yeah, I don’t wear black jeans, my Doc Martins are lost at the back of my wardrobe, I don’t have a Zildjan T-shirt either and I don’t have long black hair and stubble or any body piercings [or none that I'm telling you about]. (more…)

Clive Hamilton is a bright spark.  In fact so bright, that it is ‘Professor Clive Hamilton’ to you thanks.  Despite his academic credentials and the substantial track record he has as a thinker [Professor Hamilton founded the Australia Institute think tank, which he left in February after 14 years.], he has come up with an absolute corker of an idea which I think should be nominated for the Darwin Awards. (more…)

Getting up early in the morning during winter does require some fortitude. It helps being a runner and ‘needing’ to get up and train. To those that venture out early there are some spectacular rewards, and I would argue some great benefits to those who are keen to start each day on a spiritual high. (more…)

A submission in this week’s Postsecret has me wondering how many people like are lurking within the church, or even how many people who have ministry positions or even full time positions can say the same thing?

[Warning: before visiting the site be warned that there are sometimes explicit postcards or explicit statements that may offend the sensibilities of Christians and others.]

Pastors live lives interrupted.  We start each new week with high aspirations for what we will achieve in the time given to us in the week to come.  Before we know it, the weekend is upon us, our sermon is still in vitro, and Sunday is calling.  We arrive home on Sunday night’s exhausted, only to rise again on Monday for it all to start over again. (more…)

I know a number of men in my church who are trapped. The cost of being trapped results in broken marriages, distant relationships with children, poor mental and physical health, and eventual middle life ruin. The answer seems obvious to all but the men trapped. (more…)

World Youth Day has come and gone in thoroughly [or supposedly] secular Australia.  Our t.v. screens have been filled night after night with endless streams of shiny, happy, bright, young international things marching happily along, singing and proclaiming their faith in Jesus. (more…)