Northern Community's Podcast

Pour it out – what does that mean? The concept centres on the biblical metaphor of a drink offering, viewing total surrender and self-sacrifice as an act of worship rather than a burden.  We will examine some core biblical passages that describe pouring ourselves out in service to the Lord and look closely at the difference between pouring yourself out and wearing yourself out. A Message by Janet

When the British invaded Australia, they brought their economic system with them, prioritising competitive advantage and individual wealth over the care for the environment, social concern, and kinship priorities of our First Nations people. Capitalist ideals only grew through the gold rush, encouraging individualism and the belief that wealth belongs to those who find it.  Today, based on the glo...

There is no ' I ' in TEAM, but as you have probably heard it said, there is an 'M' and an 'E'. While some date the birth of individualism as far back as 500 -1100 AD, the Renaissance in the 13-1400s and its celebration of human dignity and individual achievement certainly gave individualism fertile ground in which to grow. Alex de Tocqueville popularised the term in t...

Technology changes. In the good old days, if you wanted to watch TV, camped out in your 1980s Mitsubishi Sigma on the side of the road somewhere between Melbourne and Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast, you needed technology like this portable Toshiba TV and a battery pack. Technology changes.  Now, if you wanted to do the same thing, you would just pull out your mobile phone, and chances are you co...

With a desire in the 1950s to settle an agreement about the fastest game bird, we now have the annual Guinness World Records, where we celebrate those who achieve record-breaking achievements and beat previous records. The hunger and thirst to be the best, individually or as a team, fuel passion and drive gambling business worldwide. AFL players are willing to risk brain injury like CTE and lay th...

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...