rhythm+hue
My musings, writings, observations, ideas, & thoughts about God, Life, and following Jesus in Suburbia.
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Archive of "croydon" Category
We can create Christians so very well, what about Disciples?
Recently Wolfgang Simson was in Melbourne for a Simple Church convention - the MP3’s of the week long conference can be downloaded from here from the convention. While Wolfgang is controversial and confrontational to many in the mainstream church, there was one point that I heard, and mulled over it and must say that I agree with it 100%.
Of course there are many more things that I agree with but it was this issue that I think becomes relevant and when viewed in the larger context of consumerist church - see my mate Mark Sayers for more on that, the issue of actually creating Disciples of Jesus is central to the state of the Church today and the fact that there is even talk of consumerist christians and church. (more…)
Posted in Australia, Church, Jesus, Kingdom, Social Justice, church life, croydon, life, protest |
2 Comments »Prayers Please!
There is s small possibility that The Dining Room could take over the old Croydon Fire station! I drove past the old station that is in use until the union works out the issues at their state-of-the-art brand new multi-million dollar station and, whether spirit-led ot not, it occurred to me that this would be a perfect place for us to move to.With the space we could offer inside meals all year around and offer the space to other churches and organisations that currently feed the homeless and poor around Croydon to utilise the facilities on other nights and times. In addition, there is the oportunity to maybe offer lunches, an oppshop, a book shop and places to distribute food, as well as run the ministry from within!
So, please, if you could pray about this remarkable opportunity to provide a space for this forgotten community within the community - that the space is suitable; and if so, that we get the space; for the funds and resources to build a kitchen and space for the community; patience; wisdom and guidance for those of us leading the ministry!
Dk just texted me that there is a very good possibility that we could get the space so, please we offer this ministry to our Lord and ask his favour on it!
Posted in Holy Spirit, Social Justice, The Dining Room, Vive Cafe, croydon, prayer |
No Comments »Review of my Placement with The Dining Room
I know this a few months late but here they are anyway! DK asked me to write a couple pieces of self-review abotu my placement with The Dining Room. I must admit that I did struggle to do so, but managed to get a couple of pages out.
If anyone is interested I am posting them here for you to read.
Posted in Diploma Coursework, Personal, Social Justice, The Dining Room, croydon |
No Comments »With these small arms
Unfortunately one of our semi-regular guests at The Dining Room felt the need to take his own life last week. I only found out the next day when his ex-wife came to Vive Cafe. She was heartbroken and I did what I could to console and comfort her.
But it was my three year old daughter that helped the most. She saw this lady crying and went and gave her a hug and stayed with her for a while. The relief and joy of my daughter’s show of love were evident as this brave lady left that evening.
Posted in Family, Grace, Personal, croydon, life |
No Comments »Bottled Water
I visited RE:VIVE church yesterday - they are an off-shoot from the Lilydale Seventh Day Adventist Church - and I must say that I was quite pleasantly surprised and impressed! The service was pretty much like any other contemporary worship service, except it was lead by younger folk (20’s) - and the atmosphere was VERY relaxed with folk getting up and grabbing drinks before coming back to their seats. Comfy lounges as well as comfortable chairs were available and all in all it was not a “slick” service but one that was definitely more heart-felt and spirit lead!
But it is not the worship that impressed me! The sermon was by a fellow called Luke - still need to find his name out - who was down from the Central Coast of NSW to talk. His talk was on the Living Water - the Holy Spirit - and what it means to be filled with the Living Waters. Luke then said that he had been drinking bottled Living Water for the past 32 years! To explain Luke’s background helps now; he is a Seventh Day Adventist minister who used to work at a Seventh Day Adventist School and had grown up the child of Seventh Day Adventists. So the claim that he had been drinking bottled Living Water for 32 years was very well understood by most of those assembled who knew Luke. (more…)
Posted in Australia, Church, Holy Spirit, Kingdom, church life, croydon, missional |
No Comments »Go in Peace John!
Sad to announce that one of the guests from The Dining Room, John Murdoch, passed away on Tuesday night on his way to The Dining Room. His mate, Brian, missed him on Tuesday and rang to find out why he wasn’t there only to be told his mate of 52 years had suffered a heart attack while waiting for the train to come to take hi to Croydon.
I should add that I had only met John last Friday at the Foothills Community “Secret Men’s Business” - where I shared a table with Brian and John and got to hear the remarkable story that these two shared.
Go peace John Murdoch of Thomastown! Shalom.
Posted in Australia, Personal, croydon |
No Comments »Loosing my Religion, or I believe in a Better Way
To help set the mood for this post and the title, here are a couple of songs and their amazing videos to enjoy.
The first is REM - Loosing My Religion
Secondly, Ben Harper - I Believe in a Better Way
(more…)Posted in Australia, Blogging, Church, Grace, Jesus, Personal, Social Justice, book, church planting, croydon, oikos, prayer |
No Comments »Getting over our “little kingdoms!”
I visited the VicRelief Foodbank yesterday to get inducted for the Dining Room. It was quite a humble experience, but it was something that came up in the induction that has bothered me.
The foodbank has over 700 agencies listed as being able to access the food. It came up in conversation that there are quite a few churches and agencies getting food from just the Croydon and Mooroolbark and surrounds areas. It was suggested that perhaps a group of these agencies could combine to do a “shop”, saving time, fuel, money and the staff and resources of the food bank itself. The problem is, we aren’t aware of the other churches handing food and welfare, some meal services sure, but on the whole, none of the myriad of agencies and ministries in this area know each other, let alone work for the same causes, and with the same motivation.
Even within the churches serving meals such as the Dining Room, there is fierce rivalry about days and spaces, money, food and people we serve in God’s name! This is sickening and disgraceful to say the very least.
After some thought on this, I thougt I might do a “census” of the ministries and welfare services within the area. I did one earlier for the churches in the Mooroolbark area earlier out of curiousity and disgust to find almost 15 churches in the one suburb of Mooroolbark, yet not working together in an area rife with poverty, homelessness and other social justice issues. I’ll post the PDF later when back home (on the iPhone at the moment).
It saddens me, and I am sure God, that we cannot work together in unity! Imagine the impact combined outpourings of love and resources could have on the community and imagine what impact that would have on the Kingdom! We, and I mean, those of us who profess to follow Jesus, have to get over ourselves and the need for our own little kingdoms! This means accepting others and getting over the man-made doctrines and crap we call denominations, to start outpouring the love we have been shown through Jesus!
I’ll be praying about doing this census, but would appreciate your prayers and thoughts!
Sorry for any spelling errors - using the Wordpress app on the iPhone!
Addendum: PDF of Map of Mooroolbark Churches Heres the map I mention earlier about the known churches in the immediate area.
Posted in Australia, Church, Jesus, Kingdom, Personal, Social Justice, church life, croydon, missional |
2 Comments »Sharing the heart and soul of The Dining Room
Myself, David K, and three other volunteers from The Dining Room spoke tonight at a gathering of local churches that have joined together to provide some welfare assistance as a group in their area. We were invited to speak about The Dining Room to a group of church leaders, volunteers and people who had been actively providing welfare assistance for the past ten years. (more…)
Posted in Australia, Jesus, Kingdom, Social Justice, church life, croydon, prayer |
No Comments »From little things big things grow…
I am reading a great book at the moment about the Church and getting back to it’s first love - Jesus, the book is Reimagining Church by Frank Viola.
I have been wating to join or form an organic church since reading Neil Cole and going through Forge.
So, I am at a loss as to where to begin besides Prayer - and I ask for you all to keep this in prayer too!
I will try an update tomorrow.
Posted in Australia, Jesus, Personal, church planting, croydon, prayer |
No Comments »Old Books?
if you have any old books, of any nature, but particularly church based, I would love to have them! If you would consider donating them to me, I am planning on starting an online second-hand bookstore in teh very near future to support the ministry I am doing in Mooroolbark and Croydon here in Melbourne.
Email me or use the contact form to let me know - and if you are an established author in the church/christian/emergent fields, I would love to talk to you about stocking your books on the site for sale here in Australia and New Zealand.
Hope to hear from you!
Posted in Australia, Fund raiser, Personal, book, croydon, missional |
No Comments »I would appreciate your prayers and thoughts…
When I started the year and began to study the course I am doing, it was planned that Forge Victoria would continue to pay me half-a-day a week to do graphics and manage the website for Forge. But, for many reasons beyond my control, and I might add, very unhappily, I was told earlier that they could not afford to do so. The problem was, I had budgeted for the money, it was going to pay the college fees for the year!
So, I found myself not long into my course with no income. I applied for and now receive Austudy - the Aussie Gov’t’s financial, ahhh, “contribution” to help you through the course. This is of course for a full-time course and with a family. So, since then we have been getting by and I have been busy searching for a part-time job to help pay the bills and keep the wolf from the door!
Posted in Diploma Coursework, Family, Fund raiser, Personal, church life, croydon, life, prayer |
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