Sleepy young boys.
Stories of Hope
I once fell asleep at the Salvos in a church service and dreamed I was dodging a football - everyone noticed. In todays reading in Acts Ch 20 another young guy dozed off during a boring sermon, fell out of a window and died. His name was Eutychus which in Greek means lucky! The lovely Sue and I watched Adolescence recently. It was very confronting. Engaging effectively with young boys is really important and we do well to find ways to be with them without harsh judgement and simplistic solutions.
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Brenton Maunder
Stories of Hope
Brenton is my nephew and we often have great chats about life. He is 32 years old and has a lot of experience and insight into the journey of faith and on this podcast episode we have a truthful conversation about his journey. Brenton has a theology degree and has been a drummer in many of the big Hillsong productions and conferences. His wrestle and eventual conclusions about faith display great thought and wisdom and we do well to be brave enough to hear what he has to say.
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Sacred Cows
Stories of Hope
Some ideas and practices are like Sacred Cows. Too much is at stake to challenge them, so we just pretend we are OK with it when really we are not; we just couldn't be bothered with the fight. The people of Ephesus were hugely invested in the Temple of Artemus (It was after all one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) and when Paul challenged them they went berserk and rioted. The hundreds of years of tradition, economic value and entrenched religious thinking made any new thinking impossible. Lets try to stay open minded no matter how long we have been invested in...
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Cath Grant
Stories of Hope
Cath and her husband Mark have been friends with the lovely Sue and I for over 20 years. Our kids have had holidays together and we are like one big family when we get together. Cath was born - surprisingly and unexpectedly as a twin in the UK and immigrated to Australia with her family when she was just 10 years old. Cath is an educator and has just recently determined to barrack for Collingwood. She even has a scarf and beanie, so of course we are besties.
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Doing the next right thing
Stories of Hope
Woody Allen is quoted as saying "80% of success is just showing up" But for many of us, we would prefer not to bother with the mundane boring aspects of living well and go straight to the good bits. Holidays, parties and getting pats on the back from our colleagues. To pretend to be authentic often results in humiliation so we do well to find ways to celebrate and enjoy the ordinary. I came home with flowers for the lovely Sue the other day and she was so grateful, even lovy dovy, but this is because I usually come home with boring stuff, like almost everything...
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Marcus Hansen
Stories of Hope
Marcus has been a part of my life for over 20 years. His journey from Addiction to sobriety has had plenty of bumps along the way and his most recent slip has been dreadful. The loss of his parents recently was like an anchor coming adrift in his soul and he has since suffered serious physical injury, despair and isolation. Today he is back on track and building a solid recovery - which is remarkable.
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Proper chats
Stories of Hope
Having significant conversations is really important. The church has often done this well with regular gatherings like bible study groups and opportunities to listen to challenging speakers. But it is not the only place this happens. Often important conversations happen in universities or cafes or even on bush walks. In todays reading in Acts 19, Paul leaves the Synagogue and goes to the lecture halll of Tyrannus, where people of all persuasions chatted about deep things.
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Sandy McLean
Stories of Hope
Sandy McLean is a wife to Andrew, a Mum, a granny, a friend to many, a Salvo officer and an avid dancer. Her friendship and influence on many lives is remarkable. Stories of Hope podcast would probably not exist without her encouragement and belief, as she was my boss during the early years. Sandy is lots of fun and genuinely wonderful; hearing her story will do you the world of good!.
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Wholeherted baptism
Stories of Hope
The Bible often talks about baptism. Being fully immersed into a new way of being. This practice was normal in the ancient world to symbolise decisions or commitments to a new lifestyle or to belong to a new group. Many of us take on new ideas, but if we are not wholehearted, we will soon drift away. To be wholehearted about grace and being kind to ourselves, even when we make mistakes, is the foundation to a life of, boldness, love and authenticity.
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Eunice Leitch
Stories of Hope
I have known Eunice for as long as I've been with the lovely Sue, as her daughter Gill is one of Sue's best friends. Eunice is a straight shooting scot and a no nonsense sort of lady who I've always enjoyed. She is like 100 years old and used slate and chalk to learn at school. She is expert in dance, fitness, social work and was even a volleyball ref. A down to earth Salvo who cares deeply about people and will fight for what she believes is right. She is a cracker!!
info_outlineAnneke and I met on the Camino in Spain last year and walked and shared together like family for over three weeks. Her fun, positivity and openness was heartwarming. She currently works as a bus driver and represents something of the wonderful variety of people from all walks of life you meet along the way.