I don’t mean inspiring in a ‘showy’ kind of way but inspiring in the way that they quietly go about doing amazing things away from the spotlight.
Patrick and Carol Kelly have left behind the comfortable lifestyle of Perth to set up day centres for poor children in Cambodia.
In September last year they opened a centre named Transform Cambodia. They’re hoping to open many more similar centres over the next few years. The centres give new hope to children who would otherwise have no hope of an education.
They were recently in Perth for a short break before they returned to their work in Cambodia. I had the opportunity to catch up with them and we recorded a radio interview for 98.5 Sonshine FM. You can hear our conversation by clicking here or you can click here to download the interview and listen later.
You can also stay up to date with their work through their blog. Why not drop in and give them some encouragement today?
You might not immediately know the names Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom but you’ve probably used one of their services.
Janus and Niklas are the two entrepreneurs who gave the world free online telephone calls through Skype and co-founded the file-sharing service Kazaa. Using some of the money they made from the sale of Skype, they’re now launching a global broadband television service called Joost.
“Joost™ is a new way of watching TV on the internet, which uses new and established technologies to provide the best of both the internet and TV worlds. We’re in the process of making it as TV-like as we can, with programmes, channels and adverts. You can also see some things that we think will enhance the TV experience: searching for programmes and channels, for example, as well as social features like chat. There are many more new features to come!”
While it’s still unclear exactly what Joost will eventually look like, how many channels they’ll provide and just how good the service will be, thousands of people (myself included) have already signed up to test the new service. I’ve registered and now I’m waiting for confirmation to start trialling the service. With so many people wanting to jump on board it may take a little while to hear back from the Joost team. You can get a closer view of the screenshot by clicking on the picture in this post.
If you want to get in before the rush and start testing Joost, just head to the website and give them your details.
I’ll let you know if I get to be one of their test team as soon as I hear anything from them.
Mind you, I suppose that it comes down to the age old problem. They might be supplying lots of extra free entertainment for the world but will they be providing the extra hours in the day we’ll need to make use of the service?
There’s already an endless supply of easy ways to use the 24 hours we’re given each day. The challenge is to use our time wisely and productively.
Jeffrey Archer is taking aim at the traditional understanding of Judas Iscariot. He has co-written a book which paints Judas as someone who wanted Jesus to overthrow the politcal power of the Romans.
He believes that Judas was someone who misunderstood what Jesus was trying to achieve on earth. “Unquestionably he wanted the Messiah to ride into Jerusalem in front of a triumphant army and defeat the Romans. But that was never Christ’s purpose as he kept telling his disciples.When he arrives on a donkey, that for Judas is the proof that he isn’t the Messiah.”
His book, The Gospel According to Judas, will be released in March this year and will challenge the idea that Judas betrayed Jesus simply for the 30 pieces of silver he was payed.
Archer says that the book has come out of his own interest in the character of Judas. “I’m a life-long Church of England Christian, but in more recent years I’ve been puzzled about Judas and wanted to find out more about whether the traditional version is the correct one. Of course, the right wing of the church and evangelicals will say you must never tinker with the gospels. But I think you have got to reassess.”
So is he trying to re-write history or is there some validity to his writings?
My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.
This morning we took another look at Judas to discover what we do and don’t know about this man who seems to be so central to the gospel story. If you’d like to hear what we discussed and come to your own conclusions you can click here.
Pauline emailed me at work yesterday to say there was a box at home for me. It was a parcel that had been sent from New York. Why would someone send me something from New York?
I didn’t know if it was a big or small box, heavy or light. All I knew was that there was a parcel waiting for me and it could have been something wonderful or it could have been somewhat of a let down.
Pauline’s email arrived in the morning and I wasn’t going to be getting home until the afternoon. The suspense was killing me.
I suppose I could have asked Pauline to open it for me but then I’d miss the surprise of opening it for myself. On the other hand if it wasn’t anything exciting it would have put me out of my misery.
Finally I made it home. I wandered into the house and looked for the box. It was a reasonable size. Not too big. Not too small. Whoever packed it had done a good job with the packing tape so I grabbed my trusty pocket knife to slice through the tape and open the box.
Inside were two books. That’s when it clicked. I’d noticed an offer on a website a month or so back. They were offering a couple of free books and were saying that they were surprised at how few people had taken up the offer. I gave them my details and then forgot about it.
The box was remarkably large for the size of the books but I guess that added to the surprise.
I don’t often have parcels turning up on my doorstep but I love it when they do. What about you? Do you enjoy letting your mind racing through the possibilities? Do you wonder if it’s a prize or if some kind person has sent you a gift?
Today marks one year since Western Australia’s former state premier, Dr Geoff Gallop, stepped down from office due to depression.
Part of the statement he made at the time said, “It is my difficult duty to inform you today that I am currently being treated for depression. Living with depression is a very debilitating experience, which affects different people in different ways. It has certainly affected many aspects of my life. So much so, that I sought expert help last week.
My doctors advised me that with treatment, time and rest this illness is very curable. However, I cannot be certain how long I will need. So in the interests of my health and my family, I have to rethink my career.
My commitment to politics has always been 100 per cent plus. I now need that time to restore my health and well-being. Therefore I am announcing today my intention to resign as Premier of Western Australia and the member for Victoria Park in the state parliament.”
His honesty and courage in speaking openly about depression has helped many people seek help for this often crippling problem. Before people start to seek a solution to any kind of mental health issues they need to know that it’s safe to do so. Dr Gallop’s courage gave courage to many others.
One group that has been helping people towards better mental health for many years is GROW.
“GROW’s primary aim is to help fellow sufferers of mental illness or emotional distress recover their mental health and wellbeing through self-activation and friendly mutual help.
Many people who experience depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses, loss, abuse, relationship difficulties or various other misfortunes, often endure their problems with great courage, but do not have the support or knowledge which will enable them to overcome these problems. GROW has found a way based on the lived experience of thousands of individuals who have had a mental illness and have recovered.”
David Tehr is a representative for GROW and I spoke to him this morning as part of my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM.
The good news is that there is a way forward for those suffering depression and other mental health issues.
If you’d like to listen to our conversation now you can use the media player below.
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Some people are inspiring.
