February 9, 2010
Growing up, I was a massive fan of Doctor Who. I collected all the videos and books I could get my hands on. When I was a teenager, the show was off the air, so I had to make do with what ever Doctor Who merchandise I could get my hands on. The 7th Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, was (and still is) my favourite Doctor. Not because he was a particularly good actor. Far from it. He couldn’t do righteous anger to save his life – which should be a requirement for any Doctor. But he was the Doctor I grew up on. It was his adventures I followed in the books published in the 90s.
So when I saw this auction, part of me wished I had something resembling money.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
February 8, 2010
Think back to when you were a kid. For some of you this will be an easier task than for others. Remember how it felt. Did you ever feel like you were ignored? That no one ever paid attention to you? Most of us have felt like that at some stage. Now what if you could harness this “power” for good? Could a kid be the ultimate spy, able to slip around unnoticed and help take down the bad guys?
That’s the idea behind the CHERUB series of books by Robert Muchamore. Sometimes the best spy for the job is a 11 year old.
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Leave a Comment » | Book Reviews | Tagged: Book Review, CHERUB, Children, Jesus, Matthew, Robert Muchamore, Spies, The Recruit | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
February 1, 2010
Hi internet. Long time no see. Seems like summer is the time of no blogging for Joel A.
Here’s what I’ve been up to since I last posted:
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3 Comments | News | Tagged: 2010 | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 11, 2009
For those of you not suffering under the burden of exams, here’s this week’s Movie Guide.
This week:
- Amelia
- Dorian Gray
- The Brothers Bloom
- 2012
- The Boys Are Back
- Sister Smile
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 2012, Amelia, Boys Are Back, Brothers Bloom, Dorian Gray, Movie Guide, Sister Smile | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 5, 2009
Pic From Fail Blog
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18
Let me check that again. Christ died so that I could be in a relationship with God. Does it mention supermarket prices anywhere? Did Christ die for consumer gain? Nope, didn’t think so.
Bad form Safeway. Bad form.
Leave a Comment » | Misc. Culture | Tagged: Christ, Easter, Fail Blog, Safeway | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 4, 2009
Why are you doing this to us Channel 9? Why are you holding back on showing V. You know I want to watch it. Is that the reason? Are you going to pull a Pushing Daisies and promise that you’ll show it and then bury it?
By the sounds of things, V is going to be very, very good.
The original had a great take on fascism. It looks like the new version will also be including some religious themes and characters which has, of course, grabbed my attention.
Leave a Comment » | TV Reviews | Tagged: Channel 9, Science Fiction, V, V Mini-series | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 3, 2009
Birthdays can be a lot of fun. Presents, parties, people filling your Facebook page with happy messages. Sam, however, is not enjoying his 21st birthday. You wouldn’t either if you found out your parents sold your soul to the Devil. Now it’s time to pay up. Sam will have to juggle his day job working at a hardware store with his new job as the Devil’s bounty hunter, capturing super-powered souls escaped from hell. Life isn’t easy on Reaper.
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Leave a Comment » | TV Reviews | Tagged: Heaven, Hell, Kevin Smith, Ray Wise, Reaper, Revelation, Selling Souls, The Devil | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 30, 2009
Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)
Rated G
It was going to be one of the biggest concerts ever. After ten years, Michael Jackson was set to return to the stage. However, days before the final dress rehearsal, Jackson passed away. People all over the world were in mourning. And many wondered what that last show would have been like. This Is It takes video recorded during numerous rehearsals to give us a glimpse of what we might have seen. It also serves as tribute to the man named “The King of Pop”. This is both more and less than a concert recording. It’s less than a concert recording for various reasons which I will outline below. More importantly, it is more than a concert recording because of the glimpse we get not only of Jackson: the man, but also of Jackson:the object of worship.
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Acts, Church of Rock and Roll, False gods, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson's This Is It, Movie Review, This Is It | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 27, 2009
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney
Comics are awesome. I know that’s not a controversial statement coming from me but I thought I’d put it out there. Full text books are good too but I like me books with pictures. If only there was something out there that could meet me half way. If only there was some kind of full text/comic book hybrid.
Thank you Jeff Kinney. Thank you.
Thank you for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the story of Greg Heffley and his adventures in th 7th grade. One part slice of life written journal, one part cartoon, 100% funny.
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Leave a Comment » | Book Reviews | Tagged: Book Review, Cartoons, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, kids books, Romans | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 27, 2009
The movie Legion has got me interested. Here’s a plot synopsis from IMDB:
After a terrifying biblical apocalypse descends upon the world, a group of strangers stranded in a remote truck stop diner in the Southwest unwittingly become humanity’s last line of defense when they discover the diner’s young waitress is pregnant with the messiah.
It’s due out in January 2010 in the US. No Australian release date yet.
Leave a Comment » | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Angels, Apocolypse, Legion, Messiah, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 26, 2009
Help! I’m A Frustrated Youth Worker!: A Practical Guide To Avoiding Burnout in Your Ministry
By Steven L. Case
I love youth ministry. I love getting alongside teenagers and introducing them to Jesus. There are few things better than being there to see that look in a young person’s eye when it finally clicks and they commit themselves to Christ. It’s a great privilege to be a youth minister. But it’s not easy work. There are pressures from parents and ministry staff. People don’t understand what the task involves and can think all you’re doing is hanging out. And with many youth ministers being younger themselves and early in their ministry life, they don’t always have the skills needed to deal with these pressures. That’s why a book like Help! I’m A Frustrated Youth Worker! is a must read.
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5 Comments | Book Reviews | Tagged: Burnout, Going The Distance, Help! I'm A Frustrated Youth Worker!, Peter Brain, Steven Case, Youth Minister, Youth Ministry | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 23, 2009
Pepsi have (rightly) received a lot of flack for their “AMP Up Before You Score” iPhone app. The app breaks women down into 24 different categories (or to be more accurate – caricatures) and gives you all the information you need to pretend to be a guy that they would want to sleep with. In other words, it was a tool to treat women as objects and deceive them into having sex. Classy move Pepsi.
But it got me thinking. Is there an app like this for evangelism? Let me set the scene. Your non-Christian friend sends you an SMS asking if you want to catch up for coffee in ten minutes. You know they’ve been struggling with issues of faith and that this would be a great opportunity to share the gospel with them. But you’ve only got ten minutes to think about what you’re going to say. Now say you had the Evangelism app on your phone. You put some info into your phone and the app points you towards Two Ways To Live tracts, apologetics sites, tips for opening discussions with people from different faith backgrounds, you name it. It could even give you a hand with follow up if things go well, such as churches near where they live that are offering Christianity Explained courses. It wouldn’t do the work for you, because the person you’re talking about isn’t a project that needs to be conquered. But it would aid in your relationship with them and help you introduce them to a relationship with Jesus. Would that be a helpful app?
Does such a thing exist? If not, does someone want to work on it?
5 Comments | Misc. Culture | Tagged: Evangelism, iPhone, iPhone App, Pepsi, Pepsi AMP | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 23, 2009
1 Corinthians 12 lists prophecy as one of the gifts of the Spirit. What is prophecy? Is it predicting the future or something greater? Is it a gift that is still available today or was it limited to a certain time period? If you’re not careful, you’re understanding of prophecy can lead you in some dodgy directions.
It can also leave you looking stupid.
Pic courtesy of Fail Blog
6 Comments | Fun | Tagged: 1 Corinthians, Fail Blog, Prophecy | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 22, 2009
There’s a good chance you’re reading this article either on a Windows based PC or on a Mac. (If you’re using Linux, keep reading. This will all apply to you as well.) For years, these two computer platforms have dominated the industry. Chances are you’re either a PC user or a Mac user. Rarely do the two overlap. It’s not uncommon to find people who are very passionate about their choice of computer. The kind of passion that leads to friendly rivalry. But after reading this article on Windows 7 and Mac users, I’m no longer convinced that this rivalry is friendly.
It’s a war.
And it’s a war we shouldn’t be fighting.
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31 Comments | Misc. Culture | Tagged: Apple, Evangelism, Love, Love Thy Neighbor, Mac, Neighbour, PC, Windows | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 21, 2009
I’m really looking forward to John Safran’s Race Relations tonight. Safran has a talent for bringing up issues in an insightful and funny way. Especially when it comes to matters of religion. From placing voodoo curses on his ex girlfriend, to door knocking dressed as Prince talking about the Jehovah’s Witness faith, to going on a date with a Roman Catholic Priest, Safran’s work is thought provoking, informative, and hilarious.
Make sure you check it out. The trailer is underneath the jump.
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2 Comments | TV Reviews | Tagged: John Safran, John Safran's Race Relations, Race Relations | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
Growing up, I was a massive fan of Doctor Who. I collected all the videos and books I could get my hands on. When I was a teenager, the show was off the air, so I had to make do with what ever Doctor Who merchandise I could get my hands on. The 7th Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, was (and still is) my favourite Doctor. Not because he was a particularly good actor. Far from it. He couldn’t do righteous anger to save his life – which should be a requirement for any Doctor. But he was the Doctor I grew up on. It was his adventures I followed in the books published in the 90s.
