Northern Community's Podcast

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...

We live in an age of astonishing medical advancement. Diseases once thought untreatable are more manageable, and genetic technologies promise possibilities that previous generations could barely imagine. Yet these breakthroughs also raise difficult questions—not just about what we can do, but what we should do. This is not just a medical conversation—it is a deeply spiritual one. A message by Davi...

I wonder what brought you to live where you live?  For some, it can be for work. A new job requires a change of location. A new relationship has you move to be with the one you love. For others, it is upsizing or downsizing. Often, there are times in our lives when we long for a fresh start. A relationship has gone sour, so to clear the air and create some space, we move to a new location. Perhaps...

According to Transparency International, Australia is ranked the 10th least corrupt country in the world. So, to what degree should our Local, State and Federal Governments be transparent. Today, our guest Speaker Mike explores the role of a government under God and its responsibility according to the Gospel. A message by Mike Southon

Is responding to climate change necessary or is it a luxury that perhaps we just cannot afford at the moment? What should our response be to the environment, and at what cost? Today, our guest speaker Julia explores how the sacred wisdom contained within the Bible can help us think through and respond to Climate Change in a manner consistent with being followers of Jesus and how it can enrich our...

The cost of living affects us all with the food prices affected by the drought or floods, increases in the petrol prices caused by the war in the Middle East, rises in the interest rates and so on. However, the impact of these rising costs varies at different stages of life. For example, young families with children experience financial pressures differently from retirees, as their needs and lifes...

When politics and the desire for popularity collide with best practice, what is a faith response to community safety? Today, we explore the challenges and tensions around community safety, justice and grace with Phil Simpson, Barrister with 20 years of experience.

Andre, our guest speaker with expertise in community development and theology, examines how our environments, cultural myths, and unconscious biases shape our attitudes toward immigrants and refugees.  His sermon challenges everyone to move beyond viewing immigration as merely a numbers or policy issue, and instead to recognise the common humanity in all people created in God's image.  A mess...

Recent events across the globe have created tensions around local action and global responsibility. What should be Australia's response to its citizens within a global framework and what role do we, as Christians, place in this? A message by Rev Dr Tim Costello 

In 1992 400m Sprinter Derek Redmond from Great Britain was in Barcelona ready to make his Olympic dream come true. Unable to compete four years earlier due to injury, he was determined to capitalise on a run of good health and good form. He ran a personal best time in the quarter-final to easily win his heat, and if he could produce a similar run in the semis, he would be on his way to an Olympic...

We understand that as people and as followers of Jesus, our decisions matter – they are important and we want to live life well and part of that means we need to learn to choose well. We make decisions and then, as we choose - our decisions make us. The challenge is many of us, we're not great decision-makers. Pre-deciding is focussing on intentionally selecting our values and attitudes and g...

God is generous, and the Bible is full of examples of people, motivated by goodness, to emulate this - King David poured out gifts from the national  treasury and then from his personal reserves.  A poor widow gave everything she had.  A woman prepared a room for a traveling prophet.  A group of impoverished Macedonians gave more than they dreamed they could.  This morning, we will examine Ruth’s...

To say Australia is a land of extremes sometimes seems like an understatement. With extreme heat in the Southeast and Eastern Australia, on Tuesday, Mildura is predicted to nudge up to 50 degrees and Melbourne in the low 40s. Up north WA, they are wrestling with a cyclone. It is part of the reason why Government and emergency response agencies encourage people in areas prone to natural disasters t...

"I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." These are the words the apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome. He is describing what management theorists and life coaches call the Knowing-Doing gap.  The Knowing-Doing gap can apply to individuals, to organisations or systems and it refers to the...