Wednesday already! I have just launched a harangue for this week’s church newsletter about the necessary evils of statistics and surveys. We are beginning a Church Life Review by filling out National Church Life Survey forms as a congregation together during the service. (This will be good practice for Census night on Tuesday). Then weContinue reading “Analysis Paralysis”
Author Archives: wonderingpilgrim
This Blog is One Year Old!!
This experiment is now up for its annual performance review. 1. The blog has provoked mild interest amongst acquaintances and some unknown “anonymi” 2. It’s been one place for me to think out loud in a public arena 3. I pulled one post when it became too politically sensitive 4. It has generated a littleContinue reading “This Blog is One Year Old!!”
Jindabyne the movie
Take a short story from the USA and convert it to Aussie cinema and something like Jindabyne appears. Raymond Carver’s So Much Water So Close To Home underwent some changes to become Ray Lawrence’s dramatic depiction of a community’s response to the thoughtless and apathetic actions of four fishing mates who discover a corpse inContinue reading “Jindabyne the movie”
LibraryThing
What to do when you’re taking one week’s overdue leave and you can’t really go anywhere that doesn’t seem forced. With one week – you just get there, begin to unwind, then it’s time to come back. Just a week of no commitments (relatively speaking) is a vacation in itself. I decided to catalogue myContinue reading “LibraryThing”
Well, well, well!
The challenge to the church was to raise $4000 to sink a well in the remote drought stricken hinterlands of Zimbabwe. Individuals and groups set about to devise their fund-raising schemes. Our resident artist devised a working model that would show week by week how far the bore had sunk towards the water table farContinue reading “Well, well, well!”
Eucalyptus
It’s the name of a book by Murray Bail that I’m reading at the moment. It’s also what the stand of tuarts around the church are saying after this morning’s loppings – “You clipped us!” (Sorry, can’t help it!). Tuarts are a very hardy species of eucalyptus, peculiar to this part of Australia. Bail’s bookContinue reading “Eucalyptus”
Grand Opening of Universal WC
A little piece of doggerel to commemorate the opening of a universal WC at the Wembley Downs Church of Christ Now its here! Now its done! A toilet that all can access – the halt and the lame, the gent and the dame may “go” with all speedy success. “Let’s have a grand opening!” theContinue reading “Grand Opening of Universal WC”
World Cup vs World Vision?
How many Aussies will be late for work tomorrow having stayed up in the still small hours to watch the Socceroo-Croatia contest? And now this from http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/ World cup anti-poverty advert is banned The UK Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has banned an advert by a Christian relief agency which contrasts the £49 million it hasContinue reading “World Cup vs World Vision?”
World Cup Blues
Members of my congregation were somewhat exercised that Brazil appeared on yesterday’s list for intercessions under the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. Within 14 hours, Australia’s Socceroos were due to play Brazil, the top contenders for the World Cup. How do you intercede for a nation with which one’s own is in contest, even only recreationally? WeContinue reading “World Cup Blues”
A Christian Peacemaker reflects at Easter
“Christ teaches us to love our enemies, do good to those who harm us, pray for those who persecute us. He calls us to accept suffering before we inflict injury. He calls us to pick up the cross and to lay down the sword. We will most certainly fail in this call. I did. AndContinue reading “A Christian Peacemaker reflects at Easter”
Wondering Pilgrim 