Northern Community's Podcast

One of my favourite things to do is to people watch. You know when you are in a café or at a train station, on a bus. And you just see people. People who all have their own concerns and their own lives. They are managing their families and talking to their friends, reading a book, scrolling on their phone. They are living their lives. And, as we know when people live their lives, there is great jo...

All we've ever wanted is to look good naked Hope that someone can take it God save me rejection from my reflection I want perfection. Such are the lyrics of Robbie Williams' song ‘Bodies’. And while some of Robbie’s conclusions are different to what I believe, the yearning he expresses is one that I think cuts to the core of how we are created. In a world full of Facebook facades, Instag...

God is a Father.  He counts His children.  Some of His first words with man were, “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God knew where Adam and Eve were hiding and what they had done, but he calls to them and seeks their presence.  He had been caring for them like a father all along.  God desired to have a relationship with Adam and Eve and spend time with them in an intimate fri...

As followers of Jesus, we believe that we can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  Being close to God means we communicate with Him – speaking to Him but also listening. And it is the second half of our conversation with God that can often feel uncertain –  Does God speak to everyone and if He does then how do we hear His voice? How can we know it is God and not our own...

Junk mail. It fills our letterboxes and email inboxes; it comes as text messages and even robo-advertising or phone calls at dinner time. So, we hang up the phone, block the mobile number, or move the email to the junk mail folder or the letterbox contents to the recycle bin. And get ready, ‘case we have a state election coming up – so Effie - brace yourself. But when it comes to our praying, have...

When we speak to God, it is instant. He hears us. And we believe that our God is powerful and willing to act for good.  So, why does it sometimes feel like he is ghosting us or that His response is significantly delayed, especially when he appears to answer other prayers immediately? Does God sometimes have a hard time hearing us, is he indecisive? or is he up to something else entirely? A message...

Charles Spurgeon was once asked, what was more important – praying or reading the Bible?  The response was brilliant: He asked, "What’s more important – breathing in or breathing out?" You can’t do one without the other.  Oswald Chambers said this about prayer: “Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.” Simply sta...

When we are in the midst of the messiness of life; when we are down in the hole, who is on the outside listening to our cries?  And is that one who hears our cries one ready with a rope to haul us out of the hole, or one who jumps into the hole with us, ready to lead us out again, no matter how long it takes? A message by David Bone Can Christians Pray To The Holy Spirit? | Ask NT Wright Anything...

There is a difference, isn't there? One moment you are going about your day, and then the phone rings. And then you see the number. Depending on what you see, your response will vary. Because there is a difference. For some, you recognise their number; their name comes up on your phone screen, and you are happy to talk to them. For others, it is a number you don't recognise, or 'Pri...

What if prayer isn’t a last resort, but a way of becoming more honest, grounded and open to help? This message explores why prayer matters — not as religious performance, but as a deeply human practice of relationship, trust and learning to live with purpose. A message by Sam Barlow

When Mary and I were newlyweds and back in the day of the tape answering machines, I would record funny messages, sometimes in the voice of Yogi Bear or other characters. But the one that got me most caught out was when I recorded the message: "Hello. hello, can you hear me? Hello. Sorry I can't hear you, please leave a message after the beep." Only to have a dear older lady from th...

It has either been said about you, by you, or you have bitten your tongue as you thought it: “I told you so!” You have warned someone, or predicted to someone, that something might happen, and then it does. Perhaps you have hidden your smug smile – or perhaps not. “I told you so!” You’ve been proven right. But as we will discover in today’s message, just because you are proven right doesn’t mean y...

Who deserves grace? Who deserve a second chance? These can be difficult choices to make. The distinction between good and bad can be quickly become blurred. The debate is currently raging throughout Victorian and  Australian politics of how to deal with young offenders. There are reasonable arguments on both sides of these debates. Some highlight the importance of grace and forgiveness; others com...

Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh, but he fled in the opposite direction and now needs to be rescued from the belly of a fish. And God is faithful and gracious to Jonah.  What would it look like for us to be faithful and gracious to those around us? A message by Janet Dougherty

There is a story in the Old Testament about a man named Jonah. Have you heard of Jonah? And if you know anything about Jonah’s story – there is a very famous character – more famous than Jonah.  The Big Fish. Now there are all kinds of things that can be said about the details of the big fish – where is there such a big fish? Could it be a whale shark? Did they live in that part of the world? How...

I wonder whether you have ever done it. For some, the thought of doing it is disturbing or creepy; for others, doing it is clarifying. Have you ever done it – taken a walk through a cemetery and looked at the headstones? Looked at the names, the dates and the epitaph, the short tribute to those who have died or perhaps a message to the living. And then have you ever stopped to think what you would...

What does courage look like when doing the right thing comes at a cost? Drawing on the remarkable true story of Corrie ten Boom, who risked everything to protect Jewish families during World War II and Elisha in the Old Testament, this message explores fear, moral courage, non-violence, and the choice to stand with vulnerable people when it would be easier to stay silent. Whether you consider your...

Attitude – I don’t have an attitude problem. You have a problem with my attitude. That’s not my problem. Or Today’s attitude, brought to you by coffee and sarcasm. Or perhaps you have come across someone with this sort of attitude, when Elena and her dad were playing in 2021. Elena is two foot tall with ten feet of attitude. As Lou Holtz is quoted: “Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motiva...

Reputation. Not to make you paranoid, but have you ever wondered what people say about you when you are not around? I am not talking about those with an axe to grind against you, but those who know you and how they describe you to others? Today, we discover the difference a good reputation has and how it can positively impact the lives of others. A message by David Toscano

Just before Christmas last year, Greg lost his keys. We worked out they were missing as we were heading to bed… quite late for us. But when something like car keys are missing you need to find them. So, we looked. We retraced steps and we looked. And looked. Greg remembered our daughter had brought the keys in from the car and so we thought, maybe she put them somewhere. But she was sleeping. Do w...

According to a report published by the University of NSW and the Australian Council of Social Service, in the years of 2022 - 2023, 14.2% of Australians were living below the poverty line. That is approximately 3.7 million people, including 757,000 children, who lack the financial means to afford what we consider basic human needs such as food, shelter, healthcare, and clothing. Despite reductions...

Two nations wage war against each other in the Middle East. Both speak of divine justification and endorsement to garner support. We could be speaking of the events in 2026, yet three millennia ago, things were not so different. But as Aeschylus, who lived around 500 BC, reportedly said, "The first casualty of war is the truth." As followers of Jesus, God calls us to be all in and to be...

According to the Australian social research organisation McCrindle, "With the rise in the non-religion and spirituality, one might worry that Australia is becoming increasingly processive, moving away from traditional Christian values and celebration, like Easter. However, this is not quite the case. Despite the move away from traditional forms of religion, Australians are still holding stron...

Sometimes reflections are so perfect it’s hard to tell in a photo which is the real thing, and which is the reflection. The way we live our lives reflect our values, priorities and attitudes. It reflects our beliefs and biases. As followers of Jesus, our lives are called to stand out, to be set apart to reflect God’s values priorities and attitudes. But often, it’s hard to tell the difference betw...

TRIGGER WARNING : Please be aware the message briefly alludes to self-harm and suicide. In April, 58 years ago, 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered, with HAL9000, a computer programme with a human-like personality, willing to kill to achieve mission objectives. Today, we delve into whether we should fear or favour emerging technologies and AI. Is it just a tool that can be used for good or evil, or is...