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May, 2010:

Quit Facebook Day

On Monday the 31st of May, people around the world are being encouraged to delete their Facebook accounts as part of Quit Facebook Day.

For a lot of people, quitting Facebook revolves around privacy. This is a legitimate concern, but we also think the privacy issue is just the symptom of a larger set of issues. The cumulative effects of what Facebook does now will not play out well in the future, and we care deeply about the future of the web as an open, safe and human place. We just can’t see Facebook’s current direction being aligned with any positive future for the web, so we’re leaving.

I won’t be one of the crowd choosing to delete my account. I enjoy the opportunity to connect with friends on Facebook and as long as I control my use of the site, I don’t see the need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. On the other hand, I certainly won’t have a problem with those people who decide for whatever reason that their Facebooking days are over.

For some, it may be a chance to break from something that started out small but has now begun to take over more and more of their lives. For other, it will be privacy concerns and some may just feel that they’ve grown tired of Facebook.

What about you? Will you be deleting your account or hanging around?

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Truth, Lies and Chocolate

Truth, Lies & ChocolateOver recent years we’ve seen a renewed interest in food and thankfully a lot of people are heading back into the kitchen but are we cooking healthier food?

Julie Meek spent five years as the Dietitian to the Fremantle Dockers Football Club, has worked with the Perth Wildcats, and has helped thousands of ordinary people achieve personal success through eating well.

Julie has a degree in nutrition and health promotion and an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Her new book Truth, Lies & Chocolate explores 99 Facts and Fairytales about food. The book was a finalist in the foodie equivalent of the Oscars, the 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.

Julie joined me on 98.5 Sonshine FM today during my morning programme to talk about the book and healthy eating habits. You can hear our conversation by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

If you’re looking to get some simple answers to the complex questions about food, Julie has a wonderful way of helping others move forward on the journey to healthy eating.

Is chocolate good for us? Should we eat carbohydrates after 5:00 p.m.? Are orange wedges suitable for a mid game snack? What part does metabolism play in maintaining a healthy weight? Can eating too little prevent us from losing weight? These are just a few of the topics we touched on during our chat.

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Christian Carnival 327

christian_carnival_lion.jpgWelcome to the 327th edition of the Christian Carnival. There is some great reading here and I’m sure you’ll enjoy working your way through the list of posts.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify.

As always it’s a real honour to be able to present such a diverse range of great posts.

Please take the time to read through each post … it’s worth it. You might also like to link to this week’s carnival so that your blog readers can enjoy the variety of styles and thought. Another way to spread the word about the Christian Carnival is to click any of the buttons below this post to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

Starting things off this week is FMF presenting Channeled Tithing at Free Money Finance, a post about being surprised by God when we remain faithful.

Can we still stand up for morality? Ronnica has started a great conversation at Ignorant Historian with her post Taking Liberties with Liberty.

I’ve enjoyed reading HARMLESS THOUGHTS for years. This time around Matt Harmless presents an interesting look at Abide in Christ, a book by the great Christian writer Andrew Murray in the post Abide in Christ.

Barry Wallace has presented a challenging post asking us What Part of the Gospel Is Optional? Check out the post with a very thought provoking video at who am i?.

Have you ever heard of the myth of chronic uniqueness? Deb W. explains what it’s all about in Myth of Chronic Uniqueness & God’s Word at All Things Being Made New.

The growth of atheism is something that is causing some Christians concern, but if we trust an almighty God there’s no need for us to worry. Andrew presents a thoughtful post titled The answer to atheists at Rely on God in your personal development.

Richard H. Anderson presents his post about Continuing Revelation at his blog dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos.

Singing when times are good and the sun is shining is easy but what about when times are difficult? Violet N. has written an excellent post titled Singing through your stress test. Check it out at Other Food: daily devo’s.

Sarah has been thinking about the way that some people make plans and talk about future events without leaving room for our sovereign God. her post Not When, But If at This is what Sed said gives us some great food for thought.

A great reminder from Ridge Burns that Ministry Is Hard at Ridge’s Blog.

Weekend Fisher takes on one of the big faith issues, that of evolution and creation, with the post Controversies in the church: Creation at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength.

Diane R. has written a short but pointed post that should generate some interest. I think I’ve finally figured it out can be found at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet.

To finish this week Jeremy Pierce helps us get to grips with some would perceive as a conflict in Scripture. Read Proverbs and Wives at Parableman to see what Jeremy has to say.

If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to spread the word. Feel free to click any of the buttons below to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

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West Australian Ballet’s Don Quixote

Don QuixoteI went out on a date on Friday night. I took our thirteen year old daughter Emily to the opening night of Don Quixote by West Australian Ballet at His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth.

I’ve been to a number of ballets over the years and while I must admit that I still don’t completely ‘get it’ I’m always impressed by the skills of everyone involved, from the dancers to the set designers and costume makers. This particular production is visually stunning and with the synopsis in hand I was able to follow the story a lot better than I have at previous ballets.

Having live music provided by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra added to the richness of the performance.

An explosive mix of Spanish sunshine and Russian classical technique, Don Quixote comes to West Australian Ballet for the first time, in a stunning new production. Don Quixote is one of the most popular and exuberant ballets of all time – bursting with riotous ensembles and brilliant pas de deux. A romantic comedy based on episodes from Cervante’s classic novel, the ballet was created by the greatest of all ballet master’s Marius Petipa.

Following a very succesful opening night performance, we enjoyed a few drinks and some delicious food at the opening night reception. It was the perfect way to wrap up a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

I sometimes wish that I was one of those people who can appreciate all the finer aspects of such a performance but on the other hand, if someone like me can enjoy a night out at the ballet, I’m sure that just about anyone can.

I had a wonderful evening with my beautiful daughter and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to take in a little more culture.

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Guest Posting at John Finkelde’s Blog

I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to contribute a guest post at John Finkelde – leadership life church today.

John Finkelde’s blog is often an eclectic mix of topics and posts that always provide something of interest. Sometimes it’s a good laugh, at other times it’s something that will get you thinking through life’s big picture issues. I love that variety.

John’s the pastor of C3 Church Hepburn Heights. Here’s a little bit more about John, taken from his bio page at the church website.

Perth born and bred, John grew up with a love for all things water – swimming, surfing, snorkelling, fishing, prawning and crabbing.

Now living in a beach side suburb John still loves the water but prefers to eat fish rather than catch it these days.

Currently completing a Masters in leadership, John leads a vibrant, contemporary C3 church in Perth’s northern suburbs.

He has authored two books, Created for Partnership & Raising Great Kids and is currently writing a third, working title Pain Relief.

Married for over 30 years, he and Dianne have two grown children both married but no grand kids … yet!

He loves big skies, vanilla slices, Coldplay, AFL, laughing, redemption, home made muesli, C3 & coffee.

His current obsession is DLSR photography and he would be happier if he owned multiple Canon L lenses.

Last year, while preparing for my week long ride for Cancer Council WA, I interviewed John about his battle with cancer. It really is a compelling story and you can listen to it by clicking the play buttons on the audio players below.

If you’ve dropped in here after reading my post at John’s blog please let me welcome you and invite you to spend some time reading through a few of the posts on my blog. I’d love to say hello so please leave a comment or two on any of the posts you find of interest.

If you’d like to stay in touch with the posts I publish here, you can receive free email updates or subscribe to my RSS Feed.

John Finkelde’s battle with cancer part one.

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John Finkelde’s battle with cancer part two.

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