I had the following article published at The Roar

In recent months many of the articles posted on the popular Herald Sun Footy Website have gone behind a pay-wall. While there is a two month trial, in most peoples minds this means we are going to have to start paying if we want to view Footy Articles written by the influential writers down at the Herald.

This is a relatively new phenomenon in the electronic age where media owners are seeking to maximise their product for profit. The news, in this case sports news, is seen as a product delivered by journalists to us the consumers.

In my view, this is the beginning of the end for the influence of the Herald Sun for a few compelling reasons. While at present the average punter enjoys the diverse and informative journalism provided by the Footy writers down at the Sun, it is quite a new concept to ask them to pay for it, particularly online. For the price of a hard copy most Melbournians will gladly pick up a paper for all it offers. But now they are being asked to cough up their hard earned for online versions. While previously a link on Twitter, Facebook or via email might prompt you to go and read the article, when faced with a pay-wall, I can see the interest waning rather quickly. I know for myself I have simply stopped looking.

As someone not based in Melbourne, I have enjoyed reading the comprehensive coverage of AFL that the Herald Sun provided. No more.

Is there a new generation of Footy followers coming through who will pay? I doubt it. In fact I think the Y-generation is even less likely to pay for something online. The culture of the Internet is that everything is free, unless its being delivered to your front door via Australia Post.

While there may be a short term game for The Herald Sun, I think the long term affects on their influence are going to be profound as more and more people swap a hard copy of footy news for an electronic one on their laptop, tablet and phone.

After thinking about this article, I had a further thought. Because the Herald Sun have started putting their wants above the consumers, the end result will be less consumers.

In the Christian life, there is often a testing of your ‘call’.

Many ministers and missionaries will talk of the ‘call of God’ on your their lives. It is certainly true that there is a call to ministry. But let us not think that this call is just for those doing ministry full or part time. God’s call is for everyone of us.

There are times that call is tested.

People: Sometimes there are people in our lives who are argumentative, painful and just plain antagonistic to our faith. With the rise of social media, we Christians can find ourselves caught up in all sorts of arguments and slinging matches. Aggressive atheism can distract us from our main call…loving God..loving people. And it is not just those outside of the Church. Church people can be ‘well intentioned dragons’. Back handed compliments, disagreements over small issues, gossip and hypocrisy in other believers can distract us from our call.

Circumstances: Our lives get busy, we forsake the gathering of ourselves together (in other words we stop going to church or small group) This takes our spiritual energy and gets us off our call. Our children become very important to us, perhaps too important sometimes.  Work takes precedence over our call, lovely distractions take precedence over our call…life takes precedence over our call.

Institutions: The Church can be its own worse enemy as well. Making us too busy with keeping the organisation going that we forget it is a organism. Relationships are what is most important to our call. Loving God, loving people.

Spiritual Rhythm: Before my feet touch the floor, I will think of you Jesus. This has been a bit of a focus for me. If my spiritual rhythm  is off, then the rest of my life is out of centre as well. Anger, sin, slothfulness, ill focus.

It was only this week that I wrote that Freo Members should give Lyon a go, and the new game plan, while ugly, was effective. Here

This might be the quickest turnaround ever, but maybe I was wrong.

Lyon’s greatest strength, his stubborness and single mindedness, might also be his and therefore the teams, weakness.

I have admired that it has taken him such a short time to turn Freo into the team he wishes them to be. Whatever you think of his game plan, they are trying to implement it., and have done a reasonable job of it so far.

But the weekends game against Hawthorn proved that Ross needs to have a long hard look at the players available to him, and adapt. Its one thing to strangle the life out of a team, but you still have to kick more goals than them.

I am no football expert….and that is pretty obvious. But it seems to me that unless you kick more goals than the other side, you lose. And at the moment we are robbing Peter to pay Paul….by putting our two best forwards, Pavlich and Ballyntyne, in the midfield rather than close enough to the big sticks.

As an adjunct to this article, how about the resilience of the average Freo member, and their good humour. We stick with our team, through the jibes about our trophy cabinet, the arrogance and smugness of the team down the road…all the time embracing the Purple.

Ross Lyon will come and go…that is for sure. There is no point being too frustrated with him. Time will tell if he and the team can achieve the success it craves. At the moment, the jury is out. But footy is like that. And unlike some….I support the team through thick and thin.

“It has taken me 43 years to confess that I have been embarrassed by some of God’s actions.

In my arrogance, I believed I could make Him more attractive or palatable if I covered up some of His actions.

So I neglected speaking on certain passages, or I would rush through certain statements God made in order to get to the ones I was comfortable with, the ones I knew others would like.

I am just now seeing the ugliness of my actions.

Like the nervous kid who tries to keep his friends from seeing his drunken father, I have tried to hide God at times.

Who do I think I am?

The truth is, God is perfect and right in all that He does. I am a fool for thinking otherwise. He does not need nor want me to cover for Him. There’s nothing to be covered. Everything about Him and all He does is perfect.”

(Francis Chan)

The Dockers of years gone by had their biggest success in 2006. For those who remember, they made the preliminary final that year, only to be pipped by the Swans during the last quarter, played in Sydney. Coach Chris Connolly had the team playing a exciting and vibrant game with lots of quick movement.
But during that game the Swans had perfected the art of slowing a game down, and on the turnover, scoring.

Fast forward to this season under Ross Lyon and the fan is confronted with a far different team. If you had said to any Fremantle Member that they would be 5 wins, 2 losses, at this stage of the season, most would take it. The Dockers are equal fourth on the ladder with a number of other teams and only one win away from the top group. But they way Fremantle has been winning has left many of the fans flat. They are used to fast flowing, exciting football. Unpredictable football. Now the forwards are shutting down the defense of the opposition, keeping it in the forward fifty. At times it is ugly football, contested and almost rugby like. But they do find themselves winning.

Perhaps its time for the member to have a rethink. Do they want to win or not? Troy Cook, former Docker and Sydney player, suggested as much when he commented that this 2012 Dockers side reminded him of the side he left, the Swans, in 2005. Maybe success will come as the Dockers replicate the ugly footy that saw the Swans take them to back to back grand finals in 2005 and 2006.

Here is a blog from a friend presently pastoring in Wagin, Ben, but soon to head out to Africa.
Check it out!