The Qld Baptists are proposing this motion…
“The new ‘Interim Registration Guidelines’ for Queensland Baptists were sent out by e-mail today to pastors and a shock was in store for those who read all the way through. They discovered in Section 11 ‘General Guidelines’, the following:
11.5 Registered Ministers should be total abstainers from the use of alcohol”

According to some, the culture of Queensland means this has a good chance of passing.

Even an occiasional reader of this blog will know that I enjoy a social drink.
But taking aside the easy target this makes the Qlders….to call them wowsers of puritans or pharisees….I actually think this is seriously bad news.

It says something about us that we would want to regulate or forbid our pastors from enjoying a social drink with their neighbours and friends.
I seriously think it goes against scripture to try and stop a preacher do what Jesus did…and what God commanded His people to do…from the parties in the Old Testament, to the parties in the New…with Jesus making sure there was enough wine, to being accused of being a drunkard by the Pharisees….

I want to have a drink with my non church mates…I want to be their mate…I want to be a part of their life. I think this is what Jesus wants me to do.

I don’t want to be a drunk
I do want my kids to have an example of a responsible drinker
I do want to be friends with those who don’t yet know Christ.

In a sad way, I am sort of ashamed of this decision by Qld Baptists…I hope they reconsider.

Doing a Google search tonight…
As I typed in “Pastors” guess what was the most popular word to come up after ‘Pastors” in the Google search box? ‘Kids”

What does this say? The topic of what Pastors Kids are like…going to have to deal with…is huge.

Shudder.

Lets hope and pray for Pastors Kids….
By reputation alone…there is more than enough to have to pray about.

My wife totally suprised me this morning. I asked for a Sunbeam Coffee Grinder. It is a Sunbeam EM480. It really does make the difference between a good coffee and a great coffee. She bought me that…which was just perfect.

Then Melinda asked me to take out all her books to her car and put them in the boot…which I did. I opened the boot up and found a Sunbeam 6910….my dream coffee machine…

MY WIFE ROCKS!!

Considering neither side is likely to play finals this year, this weeks game might be the closest we get to a finals like atmosphere.

I have felt reasonably confident going into most derbies of the past few years, with justification. The Eagles supporters have mostly gone home at 3/4 time…in order to ‘miss the traffic’. But we all know its cause they still can’t accept a loss.

This Derby does feel a little different. 8 of our most seasoned campaigners…gone. Mc Manus, both Carrs and Bellie….Derby specialists….not there.
Replaced instead by 4 first year players, and maybe this week, another one.

With no one to make Kerr and Woosha complain to the umpires department for the fourth week in a row, the Eagles might actually prove too strong.

Then again, after Pav’s scintilating perfomance last week…and the fact its his
200th… anything is possible.

There have been some unconfirmed rumours floating around the net regarding Angus.
He is not in hospital…nor has he had a stroke…
He preached at the final session of MMC and is reportedly well.

My latest article in the Roar…
“Following a week where Gary Lyon called for Fremantle to trade Matthew Pavlich, the captain of the beleaguered club chose to answer his critics with a dominant display against the Sydney Swans“

More

At church.
Its getting bigger.
I feel like I am on a wave that I can’t control, and can’t enable.
I feel a little overwhelmed.
I like it. But it is darned uncomfortable.

I think I need to concentrate on my preaching. Will you pray for me?