TEA Party

Good Friday Clip

2011-04-21T23:31:00.000+10:00

Lent Event - For World Poverty

2011-03-13T13:16:00.004+10:00

Whether you're someone who does Lent each year, or whether you're just someone who is concerned about world poverty, we recommend Lent Event.

The Lent Event people have put together some great resources - in particular the booklet with daily prayers / reflections for each of the 40 days.

One Difference

2011-02-07T14:49:00.003+10:00

I saw a friend of mine drinking bottled water (when working outside on a hot day) and noticed the brand - One. The slogan "100% of our profits fund essential water projects in developing countries" inspired me to check out their website, with this clip:

Sometimes it can be difficult to find meaningful ways to follow Jesus and love your neighbour in the course of our average busy day - but i think this is one.

Of course, the ultimate would be to carry your own water bottle and donate the money you save to a great cause. But the next best thing (if you have to buy bottled water) is to support people who use profits to fund great projects like this - rather than the softdrink corporations that own bottled water.

God's Christmas Presence

2010-12-12T23:59:00.000+10:00

A cracker of a Christmas gift...

Weekend Activities

2010-08-17T18:45:00.003+10:00

Hi guys :-)

We have a great team of students from Crossway College who are spending the week with us at TUC and have helped organise two fun evenings for the weekend!

Friday Night:
Frankfurters and Footy
5pm at Moorak St Park for footy and a BBQ and the Bronco's game at the church afterwards

Saturday night:
Chick Flick and Dessert night
7pm at the church

Soo there's something for everyone! Please come and join us for one or both of these great nights!

Hope to see you there! :-)

Election Guide

2010-07-25T15:30:00.003+10:00

The Uniting Church has put out an election guide - with the catchphrase "Your Faith, Your Vote, Your Voice". It encourages churchgoers to vote with a Christian perspective.

It's NOT about telling you who to vote for - just about looking at each of the issues from a Christian point of view. At the end it has links to the party websites if you want to see who comes closest to the Christian ideas.

PS - the uniting church election website also has a variety of other election resources

Jun 18-27 - Refugee Week

2010-06-17T12:27:00.004+10:00

Refugee Week runs from Friday June 18 to Sunday June 27.

There's a bunch of events happening, starting with a celebration at Southbank on Friday Jun 18 and finishing with a Community Festival in Annerley on Sunday Jun 27. [Full details and event list]

Salvos Red Shield Appeal

2010-05-30T13:20:00.000+10:00

Today a bunch of us were out collecting donations for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal - to fund all the great stuff they do for people in need.

It was actually really good fun - and i enjoyed hearing a story from one old lady about how the Salvos helped her dad.

Commando Chaplains

2010-04-17T20:06:00.000+10:00

So last week, ABC's Compass program showed some of what is going on in Afghanistan - through the eyes of two chaplains in the British army. It was an intriguing look at how life (and faith) take on a new dimension in the front line. Certainly quite different to village life in northern England.

You can view the episode online up until April 25 (ironically).

Ice Cross

2010-04-06T09:56:00.003+10:00

This photo was National Geographic's Photo of the Day over the Easter weekend. I've got to admire the commitment of the people involved - in less-than-pleasant conditions.

Easter - The Cross

2010-03-31T22:51:00.009+10:00

A short clip about the cross - and how the very thing that was meant to destroy Jesus ended up amplifying his message.

Earth Hour Party

2010-03-29T23:21:00.002+10:00

The Earth Hour party was a massive amount of fun. As it turned out, we innundated ourselves with fun games (by everyone bringing a couple of corkers) and Earth Hour just wasn't long enough to play them all (some games go a bit slower by candlelight). So there will probably be a sequel games night some time in the near future.

Meanwhile, why not check out some amazing Earth Hour pics.

Tony Dungy

2010-02-21T23:12:00.002+10:00

Here is the video from tonight - Tony Dungy giving an insight into what goes through the mind of an NFL coach. He talks about his time at the Buccaneers and at the Colts - and what it's like to follow Jesus at the same time. He has some great thoughts such as "How you respond to failure, how you respond to disappointment, says a lot more than how you do in successes."

But he also talks about the more spiritual aspect of his life.

My favourite passage in the bible is where Christ says "What would it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul?" And with 31 years in the national football league I have seen that a lot.

It's a quote that Dungy lives out in his life. He sums it up with this philosophy.

Every decision I make in life I am going to make it through the lens of Jesus Christ. I'm going to put him out there first - and my own feelings, my own thoughts, my own desires are going to be second. It's that simple. And if we do that Christ promised that he would come into our lives, he'd be our head coach and he'd guide us to that victory, that ultimate victory.

Link to video

Retooning the Nativity

2009-12-24T23:05:00.000+10:00

The important details...

Jesus and Santa

2009-12-21T18:58:00.003+10:00

Let's do a quick comparison:

Finding God

2009-11-29T16:23:00.005+10:00

There's a lot of talk about "finding God" - as if that's a really difficult thing to do. Fortunately, God is not hidden. For starters, we can easily find God in the bible.

TEA Party Looking Ahead

2009-11-17T15:38:00.004+10:00

Here is the collection of documents evolving from the forward looking exercies we have undertaken in the last few weeks. If you feel strongly about anything please let us know - especially what you do or don't agree with and, more importantly, what you would be willing to commit to in order for your passions to become reality. This will be available in hard copy from church next week as well. Looking Ahead 09/10

Jesus Was A Refugee

2009-10-21T15:11:00.011+10:00

With all this recent talk of refugees, it got me thinking about Jesus, who (within days of being born) was a refugee. It's not something that's normally mentioned as part of the Nativity story with the shepherds and wise men, but the gospel of Matthew (chapter 2) tells us the events after Jesus's birth:

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother" the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child." That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's death.

Under threat from the rulers of the land, Jesus shared something in common with the asylum seekers of today. Years later, he made the following statement about helping those in need (quoted from Matthew 25).

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

3 Things Jesus Is

2009-10-05T20:25:00.001+10:00

It's a statement that sometimes seems controversial, but also offers so much hope.

Cereal Advice

2009-09-22T18:38:00.012+10:00

During September, Ben has been hosting breakfast in the church courtyard. Over brekkie we read and discuss some bible. We came across the timeless advice "Whoever sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly". That's when i noticed the cereal box said the same thing (but i'm guessing the bible isn't talking about protein and calcium ;)

God's Favourite

2009-08-17T20:19:00.003+10:00

It sounds like a big call. But despite the fact that our planet is just one speck in an enormous universe, this is the planet where God chose to live in human form... [read more]

Life With God

2009-07-31T22:25:00.004+10:00

It's not about religion. It's about living life in connection with God.

Poem - "Not Cut Out For Religion"

2009-07-29T14:00:00.005+10:00

It seems that the poem from sunday night was quite popular. So here is the link to the text and the mp3. There is also a youtube clip.

Lateline - God is Back

2009-07-27T14:00:00.003+10:00

Last night we saw the Lateline interview with John Micklethwait (author of "God Is Back"). The text & video are on the Lateline website. Meanwhile, if you're super-keen, ABC radio also has an mp3 interview with him.

A Text Message From God

2009-07-05T13:15:00.006+10:00

You may have seen this poster around. While the bible is a text message, it's more lengthy and much more important than your average text... [read more]

Night Bushwalk

2009-06-28T11:37:00.000+10:00

Saturday's bushwalk was a great time. It was a bit muddy in places, due to recent rain, but was still a great experience.

State of Origin

2009-06-04T18:28:00.001+10:00

State of Origin time is here again. Game 1 was a lot of fun - and top it off we had leftover yummies from Canadianight. In exchange for these treats (apparently they're called "Nanaimo") we explained the intricacies of rugby league and State of Origin to our resident Canadian.

Canadianight

2009-05-30T23:45:00.001+10:00

"Canadian Culture Night" certainly lived up to the billing. After the trivia quiz, which increased our knowledge of Canada, there was some delicious Candian deserts (especially considering the unavailability of certain Canadian ingredients). It was topped off by "Bon Cop Bad Cop" - a bilingual Canadian movie, which is a bit violent in parts, but very clever. As far as Canadian movies go, i give it 4 out of 5 maple leafs.

Bike Ride (after the rain)

2009-05-24T10:28:00.005+10:00

Saturday's rain did clear up at about 4.30 which left a nice little hour for a ride to Anzac Park and the new overpass that crosses over to Mt Coot-tha. The photo is of Tamara on the overpass. It's unclear what the two-finger salute means, but i'm taking it in a friendly way :)

Lifting the Lid

2009-04-29T14:27:00.000+10:00

Uniting World is a new organisation that teams up with churches in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific to assist them in their mission. “Lifting the Lid on UnitingWorld” was a chance to hear about the good work they do - particularly in the Pacific region.

Earth Hour

2009-03-30T09:45:00.005+10:00

During Earth Hour we got together for an hour of games by candlelight. One of the candles was this home-made creation (fairly good for a first go).

Mad March

2009-03-25T17:00:00.001+10:00

For the last couple of weeks a few of us have been getting together for an early brekkie, a read of the bible, and a chat. Good times!

Finding The House

2009-03-08T20:43:00.000+10:00

Often referred to as the house, it's at 11 Grove street and is often the location for some great times. The number is 3870 5888.

House People '09

2009-02-24T13:08:00.006+10:00

Tamara does not enjoy gluten - but does enjoy making plenty of gluten-free treats for everyone to enjoy (so caring!). Late at night she "hits the wall" and does things like balancing pineapples on her head.

Di often has to be up before 6am for her work as an exercise consultant. Hence, she really enjoys resting. When she is awake, she can be often be found adding something to the garden. She is pretty good at it and sometimes divulges some tips.

Monique speaks in a south african accent, which she assures us is genuine. She has baked some tasty treats that don't translate into english, so they are known as 'unpronouncables'. She admits her new haircut is experimental. It was described as 'mullet meets lisa simpson'.

Together they are the house team - a friendly group of people who always have something happening, and who enjoy having people around. It should be a fun and interesting year!

Tamara, Di and Monique
3870 5888

Simon Online

2009-02-09T12:32:00.007+10:00

Our good friend (and pastor) Simon has just joined the blogosphere. Why not drop by and read his thoughts at simplysimonblog.blogspot.com ?

Getting to sherwood road

2009-01-19T21:07:00.003+10:00

Here's a local area map for 82 sherwood road. If you're bussing it, most buses stop around the spot marked with the 33. Toowong train station is also close by.