Couple of brief thoughts.

When in a meeting, particularly a church one….if appropriate…share the extra 10%
What he mean is that often the extra little bit we are wondering whether we should say or not, is the most important!
If it is a trusting and loving environment…that extra 10% we may be embarrassed to share, might just be the point which transforms people and direction…in a positive sense.

Encourage people. Someone who was significant in my life a few years back said to me once, “I dont encourage people often, so when I do, they take it seriously” He was dead wrong. People are generally bereft of encouragement in their life. So many take on board comments and words that they shouldn’t. Negative stuff. A word of encouragement, joy, praise…can make all the difference. Be known as someone who shares words of joy and life into peoplt.

Involved in a Pastors Conference coming up as a speaker.

Thinking through some of the language barriers and cultural differences we will encounter.

None the less, convinced of this…people are people.

Which leads me to my next thought….
I wonder if this is true…I think it might be.

“The key skill you need as a Pastor is dealing with conflict”

More important than any other skill you have.

Conflict management, conflict confrontation, personal journey through conflict…
even this…encouraging a place where there is minimal unnecessary conflict.
Highlighting conflict…perhaps even provoking it…when needed.

Melinda has to leave early to set up for the ‘Fresh Conference’ today, so that meant the rest of the family slept in….
Dad (thats me) was awoken from a lovely sleep in at about 8am with a polite ‘dad, dad’ which turns into a more incessant ‘DAD DAD!” about 10 minutes later when the polite one did not work.
Turns out number one son and daughter wanted pancakes for breakfast.
Thank goodness there were eggs and the other necessary condiments to fulfill the request.

Son wanted his smothered with maple syrup and cream……
Daughter wanted lemon and sugar.

Dad…well after making himself a monster one….also made a lovely Yahava coffee…

Life is not too bad on a Saturday morning…..

There is a difficulty about disagreeing with God.
He is the source from which all your reasoning power comes
C.S.Lewis

No one laughs at God in a hospital
Regina Spektor

Downloaded some music yesterday…some of the Christian Music of my youth.
These two artists where two of the many my cousin introduced to me when I was a teenager living in Albany during the late ’80’s.
I had just committed my life to God, and this music was part of that journey.
I really enjoyed them at the time…and actually still do!
Here are two of the best.

Here are some incredible and moving photos….
This one…with the young brisk man walking purposefully past the older guys…huddling against a building with some serious health and safety issues….
and there are a a lot more…which say something about the human spirit…
More

If you had told me at the start of this year that we would finish 6th, win a final, and bow out to Geelong in a semi, I would take that.

I honestly did not expect us to make the finals this year, so to perform as we did has exceeded most expectations.
Some highlights of a great building season.

1. Barlow: Fremantles recruiting staff have gone from having the worst reputation to the best. Barlow figured in early Brownlow betting….not bad for a first year player. He will be back better than ever in 2011

2. Other young guns: Hill is developing nicely thank you…no one seems to be comparing him to Rich or Nic Nat anymore. DoBoer has decided that being good looking does not mean you cant be tough and throw yourself into contests. Suban and Broughton are developing into fine young players. Walters has shown more than enough to prove he will be a key player moving forward, helping out the brilliant and hard working Ballyntyne and Mayne.

3. Sandi! : Yes he got injured, but he is without doubt the best ruckman in the AFL, taking marks and kicking well when his confidence is up. A gamebreaker.

4. Winning in Sydney convincingly

5. Winning in Brisbane convincingly

6. Pavlich committing for life. Our most important player played the best he ever has in the first part of this year, he will probably play forward more next year as he is less needed in the midfield, prolonging his brilliant career.

7. Filling stadiums: Freo surpassed West Coasts crowds for the first time ever this year. The Purple Army is a great support for the team, something evident in the game against Geelong earlier in the year, where the noise was deafening, and against Hawthorn in our final…where the support spurred the players on.

2011: I am calling it…the Year of the Docker

Postscript: we need to resign Mundy…he has become a premier midfielder…and for a bloke his size, thats important.