10 Australian Inventions

1. Boomerang
2. Practical Refrigerator 1856
3. Electric drill 1889
4. Hills Hoist clothes line 1945
5. Black box flight recorder 1958
6. Ultrasound scanner 1962
7. Inflatable escape slide 1965
8. Electronic pacemaker 1969
9. Polymer banknotes 1988
10. Extended wear contact lenses 1991

(Also Granny Smith apples 1868)

Lord's Day September 13 2026

This last Lord's Day I was again in Kogarah Bay Bible Church and St John's Park Baptist. I preached on the crown of thorns in the morning at KBBC and on Proverbs 24:15, 16 on th evening at SJPBC.

See here for the first sermon

https://kbbc.org.au/the-crown-of-thorns-john-191-3/

Crimson Rosella

Saw this one up in the Blue Mountains

10 Australian pieces on my ipod

1. Friday on my mind The Easybeats (Number 2 in Top 100)
2. The Carnival Is Over The Seekers (Number 37 in Top 100)
3. Torn Natalie Imbruglia (Number 51 in Top 100)
4. Down Under Men At Work (Number 65 in Top 100)
5. Truly Madly Deeply Savage Garden (Number 89 in Top 100)
6. You're the Voice The Alan Parsons Project (Number 90 in Top 100 ie John Farnham version)
7. Weather With You Crowded House (Not in Top 100 though other Crowded House soings are)
8. All The Lovers Kylie Minogue (Not in Top 100 though another Kylie song is)
9. I'll Never Find Another You The Seekers (Not in Top 100)
10. Maroubra Bay Edgar Froese (Maroubra Beach is in Sydney)

10 Australian Deserts

1. Great Victoria Desert (348,750sq.km)
2. Great Sandy Desert (267,250sq.km)
3. Tanami Desert (184,500sq.km)
4. Simpson Desert (176,500sq.km)
5. Gibson Desert (156,000sq.km)
6. Little Sandy Desert (111,500sq.km)
7. Strzelecki Desert (80,250sq.km)
8. Sturt Stony Desert (29,750sq.km)
9. Tirari Desert (15,250sq.km)
10. Pedirka Desert (1250sq. km)

Midweek Meeting September 9 2026

For the third week running I was in the prayer meeting at Kogarah Bible Church. Again we were around twenty but not the same twenty for various reasons. The full time elder, Andrew Harrison, led. A bkessing to be there once again. One of the burdens for prayer was the war affected lands of Sudan, South Sudan and Lebanon.

Penguins, St Kilda's Beach, Melbourne

One of the highlights of the trip to Melbourne was seeing the fair penguins. Brilliant.

Welsh Church, Melbourne

One of the things we saw in Melbourne was the Welsh church. Like most Welsh churches outside Wales (and many within) it is a cultural draw rather than a spiritual force but interesting nevertheless. We were kindly shown around by their new caretaker.

VR06 Sydney

And another, one of at least two here in Sydney

Protestant Minister by Willem Key 1563

Willem Key Public Domain Via Wikipedia

Today in the NSW Art Gallery here in Sydney we saw this portrait by wealthy Antwerp based painter Willem Key (c 1515-1568). Painted 1563, it is a portrait of an unknown Protestant Minister of Religion. Done in oil on oak board, it has no signature. The text, in Dutch, that he holds is 1 Timothy 6:7-9 We brought nothing into the world, nor shall we carry anything out; so if we have food and clothing at our disposal, let us be content all our days. For those who wish to become rich as they please fall into temptations and evil desires; but you, godly people, shun this snare - pursue righteousness and stand firm in the faith, so that you may enter into the joy of the Lord.

The artist has added This was done in the year '63; at that time I was forty-eight years old (the sitter or the artist?)

Australian Pic 7

 

They love their Tim Tams

Australian Pic 6

 Some sort of fig tree in Sydney

Australian Pic 5

 

Australian Pic 4

Australian Pic 3

 

Australian Pic 2

 

Australian Pic 1

 

And another

 An ibis in Sydney

Yet another Australian Bird

 

This is a Galah, a sort of parrot or cockatoo but parlty like a pigeon

10 words for being ill

See here for a collection of 45 paintings by illustrator Robert Thom 1915-1979
https://imgur.com/gallery/history-of-medicine-all-45-paintings-by-robert-thom-qXSrn

1. Sick
2. Ill
3. Unwell
4. Bad
5. Queer
6. Peaky
7. Under the weather
8. Indisposed
9. Out of sorts
10. Off colour

What will they think of next?

I'd never seen this and had to ask how it worked.

Truth of the Gospel Conference Addresses Now Available

The addresses on the priesthood of all believers given recently in Sydney are now all available. The first is to be found here.

Lord's Day September 6 2026

I was preaching this last Lord's Day at Christ Covenant Church here in Melbourne. The church meets in an upstairs space that is just rght for them at the moment. Mostly younger people, there were aboout 80 there and most stayed for most of the day, which began around 10.15 and went on to late afternoon with some six segments - prayer time, morning service, lunch, afternoon Sunday School, final service, communion. Others led the services which are quite liturgical but I preached in the morning from Romans 8 on the three groans and the pastor, Josh Gurango preached in the evening from 1 Corinthians 12, part of a series. I also gave a lesson on the conscience in the afternoon. Communion, a weekly event, involved not one large cup nor lots of little ones but something in between. It is interesting that all three churches I have preached at here in Australia jave been so different.

Some Interesting links

https://youtu.be/hUeaTpSO04k?si=l08pCxkOfrwIv0XJ

Also see audio here https://kbbc.org.au/upload-2026-08-30-11-04-04-mp3/

While here in Australia I have been coming across some websites that may be of interest to others

An Australian book retailer

https://reformers.com.au/

Some publishing houses

https://freegracepress.com/

https://tulippublishing.com.au/?v=8bcc25c96aa5

https://www.firstloveministries.org/

https://www.parresiabooks.org/

Also https://brokenwharfe.com/

An interesting biography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Protten

A Gospel Standard resource

https://www.baptists.net/history/

The three churches I have been preaching for

https://www.covenant.org.au/

https://kbbc.org.au/

https://stjohnsparkbaptistchurch.org.au/

An upcoming Baptist conference in London in 2027

https://irbs.org/london-conference/

A guide to a series of wildlife books

https://the-practice.com/case-study/the-great-australian-wildlife-collection/

Two More Australian Birds

Melbourne Magpie

Sydney Cockatoo

 

Unsurprisingly, a black swan

 

Ollie Dempsey

Storm machine, CC BY-SA 4.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>
via Wikimedia Commons

We are currently in Melbourne, the home of AFL or Australian Rules Football. I church yesterday we met the grandmother of Ollie Dempsey a rising star in that world who plays for nearby Geelong. A professing Christian, there is an interestingarticle about him that yoiu can find here.

Hawthorn Strict Baptist, Melbourne

One thing we have done here in Melbourne is to visit the Strict Baptist Church. A Joe Fitton showed us around. It looks to be a Gospel Standard Church. It has a very nice library. More information here. 

Preaching Heavenly Love (Wisdom for preachers from the Song of Songs)

We are now in Melbourne and I have had a lovely day here with pastors and preachers looking at how to preach through Song of Solomon. Just over 20 came to Christ Covenant Church for the three sessions. They listened well and asked very good questions. Lunch and coffee was provided and it was a very good day. We are staying with Josh and Steffi Gurango. Josh is pastor of the church.

Midweek Meeting, September 2 2026

I was at the Kogarah Bay Bible Church midweek meeting last Wednesday, again. I reported briefly on the work in Childs Hill and was glad to pray with the 20 or so presnt about that and other things, Basil, our host, led.

Sydney By Night

 

Symbio Wildlife Park

Not sure if this is a kangaroo or a wallaby

 

Monday Morning Fraternal

On Monday I spoke at a local ministers fraternal. About ten of us (Baptists and Presbyterians) gathered at Kogarah Bay Bible Church's premises. Some I'd met over the weekend but most I did not know. Among them was the legendary Peter Barnes whose many articles and books I've enjoyed down the years. I spoke about my pastorals for pastors reading scheme and passed on copies to all present. I also highlighted the emphasis on preaching in those letters. There was then a time of prayer when the men prayed about local church issues and for Nepal and regarding efforts to make the abortion laws worse here in Australia. After the fraternal I joined Andrew, Chris and Shane for lunch at a restaurant in Carss Park, looking out over Kogarah Bay.

10 Australian animals

1. Koala
2. Kangaroo
3. Wallaby
4. Wombat
5. Dingo
6. Tasmanian Devil
7. Echidna
8. Emu
9. Quokka
10. Duck billed platypus

(We've enjoyed seeing nearly all of these at Symbio Zoo recently)