I said to my wife about 8 weeks ago, Stan is the standout in Australian Idol this year….
then he goes and does this…..

Wonderful! Proud of you Stan!

Jesper Bood is a good mate, so I wandered down to the WA Barrista Championships today where he was competing.

Jesper did not dissapoint with an interesting story about the origins of the bean he was using, along with some superb looking and smelling coffee.
His ‘signature’ coffee was a apricot nectar infused coffee….served like tea. Jesper likes tea ceremony, so for him, this was a natural fit.
He is an engaging performer…and a wonderful Barista.
You can catch him at work, and purchase one of his superb works of art at ‘Ristretto‘.

Mmmmmm
Proscuitto, Hot Salami, Ciabatta Bread, Dutch Smoked Cheese….and some Skybury Coffee….

I spoke on Bono from U2 on Sunday,
“As the names of those lost on Sept. 11 scrolled up a towering screen, the singer kept reciting a verse from Psalm 51, in which King David pleaded for God’s mercy.

“Oh Lord, open my lips,” he said, “that my mouth shall show forth thy praise.” Then the music rose in a crescendo, soaring into a song about heaven, a vision of a new heaven and earth, of a city “where there’s no sorrow and no shame, where the streets have no name.”

This didn’t happen in a safe Christian sanctuary, in a church worship service.
This happened at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI, in front of 131 million or so viewers around the world.
As the people drunk their beer and ate their hotdogs and some very unfit people watched some very fit people play americal football.
U2 brought into that very secular environment a psalm of David….and a song about heaven…and a Christian reflection on world events….”

Here is the message audio

Pictures and videos are not included….obviously, but you will probably get the idea!

Hopes, dreams….they come back every 12 months for the Dockers…
This is the best time of year….we start off like everyone else…. 🙂
Good to see some footy news back on the TV!

Who do you recieve it from?

Let me tell you who I seek it from.

Friends, fellow pastors who I know
Those who have my best interests at heart
People I trust.
I seek it out, I ask people to speak into my life.

Who do I not recieve it from?
Pharisees
People I don’t know
Young bloggers who think they know everything…I dont blame them, I used to be young idealistic, and even a little fundamental!
People who send me laughable comments with no idea who I am, the arrogance of it makes you laugh!

As I was sharing this morning from the scriptures I shared with people that as you choose to lead, and be a leader, people will try and criticise you. People love criticising things they don’t know. I encourage you…if you are leading, you need to learn to laugh at some of the absurd things people say…because some it is so immature and misinformed….

“But of course the criticism of Bono is that he is an extremely wealthy rock star, and U2 put on incredibly expensive rock concerts.
And you know what I am not here to defend him or portray him as some sort of saint, he is not.
He swears, he drinks, he smokes cigars…and he does not go to church every Sunday….and I am sure he has wasted a lot of money that could go somewhere better.
For me though, my interpretation of that is, that everyone of us lives in this world, where nothing is perfect, and no one is equal…
Compared to some child with nothing coming across the ocean on some rickety boat fleeing from Sri Lanka, I am a wealthy wealthy person, and so are most of us here today.
Bono will have to stand before God for the wealth he has….so will I…
But at this point, to be frank, he has done more for the poor in the world than I ever have, or probably ever will….so I am not judging him, but his faith in Jesus has galvinised him into action……”

to hear the rest, see you at Inglewood Church this Sunday, or come back here Tuesday and I will have uploaded the audio…..