Straight Between The Posts – Book Review

“Straight Between The Posts” by Frank Hyde with Ian Heads

I feel like I am making up for lost time. There are so many books with bookmarks implanted at various places in many of my books. This was one such book that was written in 1995 and bought me one Christmas by brother Danny. I attempted to read it for an English class the following year but to no avail. The class finished and so did my reading. The bookmark was to remain halfway for another 12 years.

I don’t know why it took me so long as it is a very easy read and just the sort of style I like. That is short chapters with largish writing. I am not one to sit down and have long reading sessions, I need small chunks so I can easily put it down and come back to it without missing a beat.

“Straight Between The Posts” is the autobiography of legendary Rugby League figure, Frank Hyde. Hyde had done it all in League starting with playing, coaching followed by refereeing, administrating and most famously, calling matches on the radio.

He was the pioneer of rugby league calling and paved the way for those that we listen to today, such as Ray Hadley. It was the largest facet of his involvement in the game that gave him so much. It gave much but he returned in spades. A man who was very grateful for his lot in life.

A great man and a great story. His passing last year was the finals chapter in an extraordinary life.

Missing The Point But Filling Seats

It was brought to my attention by Channel 7’s Sunrise and The Morning Show that Riverside Church in Victoria is starting a sermon series on sex. It is entitled “The Best Sex You Will Ever Have.” Their website features a picture of two pairs of feat poking out the end of a bed, one pair being that of the pastor the other being that of his wife.

This must have caused some controversy for Sunrise to include it in their “All Stars” segment as well as on The Morning Show where they employed the opinions of a “sexologist.”

All concerned went on to prescribe what they would like the church to say. This would include promoting safe sex practices and the inclusively of alternative lifestyles such as homosexuality. They also exclaimed how the church makes them feel guilty about their sexual pleasures.

Initially I was a little annoyed at how they clearly don’t get it and don’t have a clue about what they are talking about. But then I thought how they will probably guarantee that Riverside church will be packed to the rafters for the entire sermon series.

Congratulations to those at Channel 7 for becoming the newest Tele-evangelists.

Spoiling A Good Moment

The apology that everyone was waiting for came with much celebration and positive emotion. Although I heard it reported that some at Redfern's "The Block" watching on a big screen turned there backs and/or booed when Opposition Leader, Brendon Nelson, got up to make his reply. I think this is poor form and takes the shine off what was supposed to be an historical day, well it still is as people will hopefully forget about this rogue element.

Perhaps it wasn't Nelson's place to mention anything about a compensation fund as he is not in government, but just because he was part of the previous government does that give a free license for disrespect? I get the feeling that voting out John Howard rather comprehensively still isn't enough for some people.

Simply Christianity – Book Review

Simply Christianity – Beyond Religion by John Dickson

This reading kick that I have been on recently has allowed me to get through many of those books that have been sitting on my shelves for many years. This is one such book, having been published in 1999 and bought probably soon after.

Unfortunately though I didn’t get as much out of this book as I may have had I read it when it was bought. This is because since then I have read such books as The Christ Files by John Dickson and The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel that go into more detail than Simply Christianity.

Not to say it’s a bad book at all, quite the contrary as I rate highly anything John Dickson produces. This book has its place as a very introductory read for those adults perhaps very new to Christianity or just searching for some answers. There is even a workbook now to accompany the book for small groups or individual study.

It answers a lot of questions in a language that new Christians can understand, something John Dickson does very well.

What Crisis?

Apparently we are in an interest rates crisis and we are asked not to panic. All the focus has been on mortgage repayments putting the squeeze on families. The way people whinge, whine, gripe and moan you would think that the world is at its end. Reality is that most people really feeling the pinch have over extended on their home loan in the first place and/or went nuts on the credit card over Christmas. Now that Christmas has become overly commercialised it has become the whipping boy for those struggling to pay off those credit card bills. Not to mention all those interest free deals that makes people feel like they can afford the biggest entertainment system available. But when they can’t they are slugged with interest around 24%.

So now it’s time to stop over spending and start over saving. This might mean drastic action, such as cutting the plastic in half. Want interests rates to go down? Then it’s time to go without some luxuries and put that money into a savings account. People seem to forget that interest rates for savings accounts also go up.

Principals To Choose

Finally our NSW State School Principal’s will be able to employ the teachers of their choosing under a new proposal from the Minister of Education, John Della Bosca.

All employers should be able to seek out the best possible applicant to their vacant positions. Unfortunately our schools have been held back by a Department of Education bureaucratic system where a principal has to accept the next person on their very long list. The principal is left unknowing whom they are getting and if they will suit the unique requirements of their school.

The Teacher’s Federation opposes such a proposal. This doesn’t overly surprise me, as the Federation seems to oppose everything where the student could be the probable winner.

Here’s why it makes sense to me. A Principal by going through the process will meet the best applicant through an interview. They ultimately find the best applicant who they believe will best serve the school and fulfil their needs. That has to be great for students and for the education system as a whole.

Here’s what the print media have had to say about the proposal:

From the Sydney Morning Herald (5/2/08):

• Principals have embraced the opportunity for greater freedom in hiring
• Teachers will fight the move…..will effectively dismantle the transfer system
• Mr Della Bosca said no employment rights were being removed. “I am also committed to finding even better ways to encourage and reward teachers who move to these schools (hard to staff)”

And from the Daily Telegraph (5/2/08):

• The change will enable schools - under intense pressure to achieve good results in a competitive market - to select their own teachers instead of being forced to take the choice of departmental bureaucrats.
• The federation warned of "imminent industrial action" over three major issues - a demand for at least 1000 more permanent teachers, a fair system of staffing and salary increases up to 16 per cent.

What is the Federation really afraid of? Do they really think the Govt will degrade the Dept of Education any further after the criticism it has copped in recent years. Perhaps they are afraid their non performing members will lose their jobs, or not get them in the first place.

The Case For Christ – Book Review

The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel

My reading of this book originated from boredom during the downtime we were getting at work during our slow period. Especially on our late shift where we might not get a job after 6pm, but still with 3 or 4 hours before we can leave. I’d been meaning to put some books in my lockers for such a time. Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ just happened to be the first off the bench.

The Case For Christ is Lee Strobel’s own journey from scepticism to believing. His background is in legal journalism for a major newspaper in Chicago so he is familiar with the process of analysing evidence. In fact the method he uses to analyse Christianity is similar to what he would use when reporting in the law courts of Chicago. Anecdotes from actual cases on which he has reported gives the reader greater understanding on the content as well as feeling where the author is coming from.

Strobel travelled across America to interview the most respected Christian scholars. These are people that are in charge of Evangelical Schools, have contributed to numerous journals, have written their own works and most interesting to me, they debate atheists just for fun and win comprehensibly.

There are fourteen chapters, each covering a different topic with a different scholar who is especially adept in subject matter. Strobel asks all the sceptical questions he can think of, yet nothing can make his interviewees flinch. Remember these guys take on Atheists for fun so Strobel is a relative walkover.

I found it interesting to hear the sceptics questions and was amazed at the ridiculous stories some people have concocted and actually believe.

It’s a relatively easy read although probably targeted towards non-believers, as there are questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter.

It’s also pretty cheap, only $7 at your local Koorong or Word