Northern Community's Podcast

What does hope look like for you? For some, hope looks like a lottery ticket or a Scratchie.

For me, hope looks like McLaren in Formula 1. Bruce McLaren, a Kiwi racing driver, founded McLaren F1 in 1963. I became a fan, being introduced to F1 and the team by the Melvins, who attended the first church I pastored at Enoggera in QLD in the late 90s. That was perfect timing because it also coincided with when they stopped winn...

This morning, we begin with a well-known story, and it goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a hare who lived in the forest. He was a speedy runner and loved to race others to prove he was the fastest.
“I’m so fast, no one can beat me” He would say to anyone that would listen.
One day, Hare was boasting about his talent when a small voice said, 
“You’ve never raced me.” It was Tortoise.
“YOU, the slowe...

For around 9 months of the year, we might like to see magpies as fun and playful.
Then, for the other three months, some of us experience the magpie, like Max Sherwood did at Lake Illawarra, NSW, a few years back - filmed by his dad.

The Magpie, Australia's angry bird! With the unfortunate reputation of menacing people who dare step out of line, leading to some losing an eye or worse.
And while the aggression might...

Let's test your associations between colours and emotions. While there is some variation, there are general common or popular views around the various colours and our feelings."

Red- passion or anger
Blue-sad or depressed (Beyond Blue)
Yellow- joy
Orange-loneliness (as per the tv series Big Bang Theory) nothing rhymes with orange
Green- with envy

Interesting to note that the logo here is ...

Australia- where we turn nicknames into an art form, especially on jobsites.

Hopefully, you have never been called one of these:

Morphine - slow-moving dope.
Lantern - not really bright and always has to be carried.
Bushranger - always holding others up.
Mastercard - takes the credit for someone else's work.
Perth - always 3 hours behind everyone else.
Wheelbarrow - only works when pushed.
Wicket-keeper -...

"Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard! While we're in the mood--Cold jelly and custard! Please pudding and saveloy! 

What next is the question? Rich gentlemen have it, boys- - In-di-gestion!

Food, Glorius food! We're anxious to try it. Three banquets a day -- Our favourite diet!

Just picture a great big steak- - Fried, roasted or stewed. Oh, food, Wonderful food, Marvellous food, Glorious foo...

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."
While it may be said, ' do...

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-transforming gift to be rec...

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 freedom to be oneself.  Friendship improv...

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 better and be part of something ...

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 would see us move from being st...

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 victory. Later, Charles the 7th wa...

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.
But what do you do to pro...

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 Christian version of the a...