Northern Community's Podcast

Depending on what studies you read, the average man will think about sex between 8 and 19-times day, and the average woman will think about it between 6 and 10 times a day. While it might seem like a lot, compared to the 200 thoughts on food or eating per day, it helps to put things into perspective. Today we embark on a new series with today's topic of Lust vs Chastity. A message by David To...

In December last year, the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission released updated figures for the cost of serious and organised crime in Australia. The Institute estimates that it cost up to $68.7 billion a year in 2022-2023. "The $68.7 billion cost of serious and organised crime represents more than $2500 for every person in Australia."...

It can be hard to admit you need some help. We live in a world that celebrates strength, independence and being the master of one’s own destiny. In the words of the song made famous by Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way,” plays out at funerals almost as an anthem of defiance. Sticking it to The Man. But what if, rather than seeing the need for help in life as a sign of weakness, we saw it as a life-t...

Death has been called the great equaliser. It comes for all, regardless of social status. In the words of Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.” And in the words of the modern idiom referring to worldly possessions: “you can’t take them with you.”  Have you ever stopped to consider how we view death can shape how we live? A message by David Bone

Friendship.  Helen Keller wrote that walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.  The power of friendship can be seen in how friends provide unconditional support and acceptance.  Poet Maya Angelou encourages friends “to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud”.  Friends are the family you choose.  True friendships offer a comfortable silence, understanding, and the freedo...

It is a powerful emotion that plays out in many of our lives. The fear of loss. We can fear losing something or someone, and so we put in measures to protect what we have. We can become suspicious of others and their motivation. But what if we could overcome this fear of fighting to protect what we have? Could it be that if we do, our open-handed approach could change and shape our lives for the b...

Fear-- it is a primal emotion that we experience. Both natural and necessary to keep us alive - to help us survive. The body responds with sweaty palms, the heart races, and adrenaline surges. But rather than just fight or flight, sometimes we freeze. The solution to fear, the panacea we seek, is safety and security. And while good and true, what if there was also another way, another option that...

Born into a family of little note, guided by visions from the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine, this teenager was sent by Charles the 7th to the battlefield as a part of the French relief arm. With Joan’s arrival, holding her banner aloft, hope lifted, and the demoralised French army rallied. The English abandoned their siege, and the French army pursued them, to victory after...

A tale of two brothers is a story of choices, and how the choices we make have consequences that can shape our destiny. A message by David Toscano

Some people say you never forget your first love. That the love you have for your family or for places or activities shapes you as you grow, and those loves stay connected deeply within your soul. Maybe that’s true. But I think the love that we have for people and places and things fades if we don’t choose to actively remember, we choose to keep loving. And sometimes we need reminding. A message b...

A few months ago, I purchased an e-scooter to give me the option for the 48 clear days a year in Melbourne when it is fine to ride it to work. But because I want to be around for a while to come, I wear a range of items to protect me from serious injury. Long pants, jacket, gloves and full helmet. In the 80s, Sid the seagull taught us about sun safety and the importance of slip, slop, and slap. Bu...

The rise of the Alpha Male reportedly has its roots in the 1940’s animal behaviourist writings of Schenkel, particularly around wolf packs and the male lead wolf. And with the rise of extreme right-leaning influencers, we have Nick Adams as the latest pick for the USA Ambassador to Malaysia, sparking protests in Kuala Lumpur. But isn’t the whole concept of Paul’s male headship in the home just the...

Change. It is said that the only person who likes change is a baby in a wet nappy. The reality is that staying the same is comfortable. But the only difference between a rut and a grave is depth. It has been said to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world. But to be the change, we first must be prepared to change.’ And today, we explore the keys to a life lived well through a life transformed....

Teamwork – A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction. (Despair.com) But what if the church, united, could be the change for good that the world needs right now? A message by David Toscano

There is a whole industry devoted to personal improvement – known as self-help. The self-help industry rests on the idea that individuals can become more by making small personal changes or shifts in thinking – to develop our hearts, our souls, if you like. The reason there is an industry is because this holds some truth to it. But as we will find as we look at the next section of Paul’s letter to...

'Just don't seem right somehow that all the good you did, That people preach, not practise, what you said, I wonder, if it all died with you, that day on the cross, And if it just never got raised from the dead.' (Watson) What would it take for the Maureen Watson's of the world, those who look at the church and see nothing but hypocrisy, to see the risen Christ working in and t...

If you were to travel by car in the 1930s from Sydney city to North Sydney, less than 1 km away, the long way round the harbour – all the way to Parramatta and back along the northern side of the harbour it would have taken 2 hours or more. The Bridge connected the north side of the harbour in ways that car ferries and land roads just couldn’t. Bridges are all about crossing the divide. And that i...

It can happen to the best of us. The inverse proportional nature of our denials, that the older we get, the more we deny and protest our need for glasses, hearing aids, health checks, home help or giving up driving. And as we push the reminder notices that come in the mail to the side, we convince ourselves that all is OK. Then a whole new world opens up when we accept that things are not as they...

When we realise the scope of the power Jesus has and understand his authority over other powers – it will change how we live. A message by Sam Barlow

Call and response – we see it in so many areas of life. For the jazz musician, one instrument puts out the call, and another instrument in the band provides a response. Or a singer on stage sings a line and points the microphone to the crowd, who respond with the next line. Then you have the Australian chant that is apparently an adaptation of a 1960s Cornish Oggy, Oggy Oggy. With the Australian c...

There is something fascinating about paintings. While many are WYSIWYG, others demonstrate that there is more going on than immediately meets the eye of the observer. Take, for instance, Salvador Dali’s Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) with Jesus crucified on a tesseract, with Dali’s wife Gala depicted looking on, but is also seen on one of the knees, while Dali is represented on the other.  Then t...

Women have a long and significant history in the biblical story, and today, women continue to shape and influence the church for the better. A message by David Toscano

When people purchase a home, they will often get a building inspection, which will check for evidence of the quality of its foundations. But when was the last time you checked the foundations on which you build your life? Today, we are encouraged to go a bit deeper than what's on show for others to see. A message by Samantha Barlow

According to Nell DeBevoise from Forbes, “We make 35,000 decisions every day (on average). That is a huge number of choices to make, and of course, they range from micro (which socks) to mundane (what to eat) to life-changing (take the job or not). Each has a varied level of pressure associated with it, depending on the gravity, and also the personality of the decider.” (27/10/2023) But what if on...

When Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you,” He wasn’t offering a nice suggestion—He was summing up the heart of God’s law. In this message, we unpack the power and challenge of the Golden Rule. From historic acts of heroism to everyday choices, discover how this simple yet radical teaching invites us into deeper love, justice, and grace in every part of life. A message by J...