Dockers mercurial player Jeff Farmer has received a $750 fine this morning. The magistrate accepted his version of events. Following his courageous, frank and honest admission this week, and Schwab’s acceptance of this, he may play this week in the must win game against Geelong. Farmer explained that he was very upset when his mentor and supporter Chris Connolly has resigned his position, and that he was ruled unfit to play against the Adelaide Crows.

Come on Freoooo!!

(BTW Sheedy is goorrrrne)

What an interesting review…
“Something similar seems to have happened to J.K. Rowling. She began writing about wizards and quidditch and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and somewhere along the way, Christ began to whisper into the story.
And the whole world was listening.”

The gospel according to JK Rowling

h/t Mike O Neil

Message Two
apologies for last couple of weeks, couple of technical difficulties.
This message is based around Act 9, Coca Cola and Radical Change.
Are you open to radical change, even if it takes time?

Its tough being a minister, in polite conversation you are not meant to talk about religion, politics or sex.

Now, I am interested in all three!!!!

All I want to say about Rudd is this…..He seems very sensitive to critique and criticism….I personally find his public persona annoying.

And what’s with this backflip over forrests in Tassie?

I don’t reckon the opinion polls mean anything, like many Australians I fully expect Howard to pull another rabbit out of the hat…..and like the last election, most people will vote for whoever is perceived to look after their personal interests best.

As my dad was fond of saying, “oppositions don’t win elections, governments lose them”. Maybe Howard has pushed this Iraq thing too far, and come into the ‘Green’ debate too late. Time will tell.

Reading a post on someone elses blog, who shall remain nameless, I was struck by how lonely and rejected people can feel. Even people who are beautiful, funny and succesful.

High school was an awful time for me. Recently my oldest sister told me about a reunion at Scarborough High School. No way would I go! I had friends there, but they were generally friends you had as protection against not having friends. Some of them were good blokes, and if the situation had been different, I probably would have stayed friends with them. But the one bloke who was friends with me since primary school, did not want to be friends after high school. That rejection was pretty tough, but also systematic of who I was. An insecure person who did not like himself much at all.
Because of that, I think, I turned to various activities to forget about the pain. Pretty immature, I admit, but thats what happened.

Now I am at a much better place, in fact when I became a Christian at 19, I suddenly found acceptance of myself. It was quite amazing, looking back, and a radical change.

The last few years I think I have discovered who I truly am, after years of trying to be who people wanted me to be. Every now and then I will slip back into ‘people pleasing’ mode. Thats what happens when you have a strong father figure in your life.
Those who see a lot of me know I struggle with this, but I have to stand up and lead sometimes, and stuff the consequences, I have to be who God wants me to be. Thats when I am my most effective.
There is a deep agression in me, that I struggle with sometimes. Sometimes it comes out in the strangest ways. But I cant help but feel it is a strength God wants to use. He has certainly given me perseverance.

I suppose I bring all this history into my hopes and fears for my sons life. God, help me to affirm him, all the time. Yes, let me be a strong influence in his life, but also, let me let him, be him. And be very happy about who he is.

Farmer has admitted he has an alcohol problem.
Lets see if the WA media now treat him as they did BC…..
The only difference now between Jeff and BC is that Jeff has admitted what his problem actually is, and his substance abuse is legal….even though its abuse is a huge problem for many.

Lets hope he gets the help he needs, and gets back on the field, even this Saturday against Geelong would be good.

By the way, the West’s picture of Jeff under the title ‘ugly’ on Saturday was awful and disgraceful …quite frankly.

Story

The last two weeks I have been reminded how awesome some of our older folk at Bedford are.
Last week we kicked off our “keeping it real” series, based around the theme of Coca Cola, and picking some principles from some first century Christians.

I took the opportunity to honour Ernie Lyon, one of the senior men in our church. He has just retired after working over 40 years, many of them at Allendale Square.
He loves Coke, so I got him up the front, honoured him with some words, and handed him a cold can of coke.

This week our home town hero Jim Mc Kinnon stepped up to the mark, and led our music. He did a great job….What a guy…..Thanks God for them both.