Father Dave's Blog

Many are Called but Few are Chosen!

Father Dave — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:17:06 +0000

“Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”” (Matthew 22:1-2)

The Kingdom of God is a party! it’s a familiar theme. Jesus told a lot of party stories, and He had a reputation as a party-goer. Jesus loved parties, as most of us do.

I love a good party, and thirty years of living in a big old rectory allowed me to host some spectacular parties with jumping castles, trampolines, petting zoos and lots of stuff designed to generate lots of fun for the kids, but not all parties are like that.

I remember attending a dinner party at Bishop’s Court years ago at the invitation of the archbishop and his wife, and you know when you’re invited to a party at Bishop’s Court, it’s not going to be a night of hard drinking and bawdy jokes. It’s the kind of party where you use the correct cutlery and pass the port in the right direction!

At that party, my then wife accidentally tripped and splashed her glass of wine on one of the paintings! I don’t think it was any historic work of Jesus and the blessed virgin (thanks be to God) but probably a portrait of one of the previous Archbishops. The archbishop’s wife was gracious – laughed it off – but we were never invited back.

Not every party is frivolity and laughter. Some parties are serious parties, and the party Jesus talks about in Matthew 22 is a serious party.

“[The King] sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.” (Matt 22:3-7)

This sort of kills the party atmosphere, doesn’t it? In a few short verses we move from jumping castles to burning buildings! I guess it was never that kind of party.

The prince’s wedding is a serious party with a carefully chosen guest list. To refuse the invitation is an act of rebellion! Those who make light of the occasion and those who kill the king’s servants are equally rejecting the king’s authority. They’ve started a rebellion, and so the response of the king is as understandable as it is brutal.

Jesus’ parable is not an allegory, of course, where every element in the story corresponds to a particular person or group, so we don’t need to ask, ‘whose city should I burn?’ Even so, His parables do tend to target particular groups of people. Who is being targeted here?

This parable is indeed the third in a trilogy given in the Temple precincts. There’s the ‘Parable of the Two Sons’ – one who says the right thing and one who does the right thing. Then we get the ‘Parable of the Wicked Tenants’ who refuse to pay rent and murder the owner’s son, and now this wedding banquet story with its unsettling amalgamation of celebration, laughter, rebellion and bloodshed.

So who are the bad sons, the wicked tenants, and the rebels in God’s kingdom? The uncomfortable truth here is that the people Jesus is targeting aren’t the Romans, the Samaritans nor any of those heathen groups that all God’s people rightly despise. The problem here is us. It’s God’s own leaders and people that are in rebellion!

It’s tempting here to say, ‘It’s not us. It’s first‑century Judaism that’s the problem. That why God replaced them with the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church’. Then you look at the history of violence and corruption within the church, and at the global sex abuse scandal in our own day, and you just can’t maintain that with a straight face anymore.

When I published my book, “Christians and Muslims Can Be Friends”, I couldn’t get any of my church leaders to recommend it. The back cover has endorsements from the Prime Minister and from various civic and religious leaders, but my own church could only see Muslims as the enemy. Biblically speaking though, my enemy is my guest, and my real enemy is almost always found within my own tribe and even within my own family!

[the king] said to his slaves ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.” (Matthew 22:8-10)

So the king invites everybody to join Him – the good, the bad and the ugly – and it looks as if this story is going to have a happy ending of sorts after all!

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 22:11-13)

It’s a disturbing end to a disturbing story. Some commentators suggest that the king’s question “how did you get in here without a robe” implies that robes were being handed out at the front door, meaning that this guy must have snuck in through the back door or even through some underground tunnel, suggesting that he was a terrorist. Maybe so, or maybe there are just lots of ways of offending this king.

It’s my son’s wedding next weekend and the invitation says that we’re supposed to wear ‘formal attire’. I don’t have a tie. Even so, I won’t be turning up in my boxing gear. I don’t think my son would have me thrown into the outer darkness if I did, but I will wear my clerical collar and my suit because I want to show him some respect.

There are lots of ways of showing disrespect, especially to kings. You can ignore his invitation. That will do it. You can start a rebellion and murder his messengers or turn up to his wedding banquet dressed like a slob. Those will work too! You can probably think of other ways – urinating in the punch or throwing up on the king’s carpet. There are, no doubt, multiple ways of disrespecting the king and getting yourself ejected.

The Kingdom of God is a party, but it’s the King’s party, and hence it’s a party that needs to be taken seriously, as the king who is throwing the party is a serious kind of king who demands our respect.

There’s room for all of us. Even so, we’ll likely be surprised by who we find there. “For many are called but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14)

Our Sunday Eucharist

It was great to have David Baldwin and Tom Toby back on the panel with me for our last Sunday Eucharist. Even so, that same evening my Facebook account was taken offline for ‘breaching community standards’! Thankfully, I appealed, and my account was reinstated a few hours later. Even so, it gave me a scare.

What was it that had people reporting on us, such that such that I could have been deplatformed (again)? I suspect it was the criticism Tom was making about a certain society supporting mass violence. I can’t be sure exactly what it was as Facebook did not tell me. They only suggested that I read the community standards page (which is the size of a short book).

I need to find that balance Jesus recommended of being “as wise as serpents but as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Even so, if Jesus kept to that advice, He still got himself killed, and most of the Apostles did no better. I’m open to all advice.

You’ll find an edited version of our discussion on Philippians 3:4b–14 at the end of today’s newsletter. It’s titled, “Knowing Christ: The Journey Beyond Religion!”. You might not think Tom would have a lot to say on that subject, but you should never underestimate him! AI Saint Paul makes a powerful contribution as well.

The week’s most popular short videos are immediately below. It’s encouraging to see David’s prayers getting thousands of views. Hopefully, we are encouraging more prayer, and spreading more healing and more love. See all those prayer reels on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram Page, and all our videos (long and short) on Rumble.

This Sunday I’m very much looking forward to having Scotty Minchin with us, along with our brother from the shores of Crystal Lake, Michigan – Pastor Eric Fistler!

Join us from midday, Sydney time, not forgetting that we are now in Daylight Savings, so it’s an hour earlier than usual. Join us via Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

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Access member-only training videos
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All of the above +
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Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

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What’s On?

Sunday, October 11 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.
Tuesday, October 13 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.
Thursday, October 15 – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible at noon.
Friday, October 16 – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm
Saturday, October 17 – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington – 3 pm
Sunday, October 18 – Soren and Lydia’s wedding

As you’ll see from the calendar above, my son’s wedding is on Sunday, October 18, and it’s scheduled to start at the same time as our weekly broadcast. Accordingly, I won’t be making an appearance at The Sunday Eucharist that day. A big thank you though to Rob Gilland and to Nathan Thomason who have volunteered to take the helm for that Sunday, with Rob presiding at a Uniting Church-style Eucharist. I trust it will be a great event.

It’s a busy time for my son, and for my youngest daughter, Fran, as well, as she starts her High School Certificate exams in the next couple of weeks and is also appearing as a bridesmaid in next week’s big event. For me personally, things are less spectacular. With Joy in England for the next couple of weeks and Fran with her mum as she prepares for her exams, I’m spending a lot more time on my own than usual, and I have a tendency to stay working at my desk until 3 or 4 in the morning, which is not great for my health (mental or physical). Thankfully, I’ve developed a daily routine that includes prayer, breathing exercises and sound therapy routines, and they seem to be keeping me steady.

I’m keen to share those routines with you as I believe many could benefit from them. According, I’ve purchased another domain name – blest.today – and I intend to fill it with videos and manuals that details my BLEST system of health:

B (breath)
L (listen)
E (eat)
S (sleep)
T (train)

I’m keen to share the material I’ve already produced and you’ll find three videos already on the site.

I’ve just pasted the videos on to the homepage. There’s no fancy site yet – no graphics nor any AI-enhanced effects. There’s not even a site banner yet. All that will all come over coming weeks, but I didn’t want to withhold this material from you until then. So …

Go to www.blest.today
Try my breathing routine and sound-therapy sessions
Let me know how you find them.

I’m happy to say too that I already have two testimonials from friends who’ve been using these routines:

“I’ve let myself slowly come into it because I’ve got so much going on with pain – horrific pain in the spine and the neck. The simple thing I can say is that from the start it made a difference. Then I started to get confidence in it. I started using it every day… It works. I know I’ve got to be very focused and make it a definitive part of my daily process now.” (Terry Mulhall)

“Three nights in a row of your frequency healing and the last two nights slept beautifully! It is early days but, for now, I like it. Good work, Dave” (Mitch Patsiavis)

So please – I am passing on to you these wonderful gifts that have been given to me. Give me your feedback. If you find them helpful, I’ll expand the collection over the coming weeks (and get them looking more presentable).

That’s enough for today. Keep praying. Keep fighting the Good Fight.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Yours in the Good Fight,

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www.christianswithdepression.com

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Violence in the Vineyard!

Father Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:13:16 +0000

“There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went away.” (Matthew 21:33)

Thus begins one of the most violent parables Jesus ever told though it doesn’t begin violently. It’s a story of a beautiful vineyard, and it might have been a lovely story except that the vineyard goes to seed very quickly through themismanagement of its tenants, though the focus of the story is not so much on their mismanagement of the property as it is on their callous disregard for the rights of the legal owner.

“When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.” (Matthew 21:34-36)

The behaviour of the tenant-farmers in this story is vicious. Moreover, it’s senseless! Even if they were useless tenants and couldn’t come up with the rent, why would they act with such disregard for the law and for their relationship with their landlord?

The longer I live, the more I become convinced that all violence is senseless, and indeed, I’ve seen way too much of it.

I’ve been in war zones in Syria a number of times. I was almost killed in a riot in Israel in 2004, and I somehow survived being drowned off the coast of Manus Island in 2016. Even so, the worst violence I’ve seen has been right here at home.

I was parish priest in Dulwich Hill during the early 1990’s when the heroin trafficking was at its peak, and during that time three members of our parish were shot though, happily, they all survived. Now, depending on where you are in the world, that may be pretty normal for your church. In Sydney, that’s pretty rare.

Yes, there’s violence in the streets, violence in our homes and here there’s violence in the vineyard and it is absurd violence! The master sends his servants to collect the rent and, if these tenant farmers had wanted to keep the master happy and at a safe distance, you’d think they would have just given him some token amount of rent to keep him satisfied? He doesn’t seem to have been a hard man to please.

Or why didn’t they try to give the owner the impression that his servants hadn’t shown up, or, if they were determined to kill the master’s servants, why didn’t they do it covertly and dispose of the bodies in secret? No! These people are unabashed in the way they behave! It’s as if they had forgotten that they had a master? Certainly, they act as if the master didn’t exist!

The only character more difficult to understand than the tenant farmers in this story is the master whose consistent response to the violence of these people is just to keep sending more servants! One messenger after another is abused and killed, and we’re waiting for the master to try something different, and … eventually, he does. He sends his son! They will respect my son,’ he said.” (Matthew 21:37)

What made the landowner think that these people would respect his son? Given their behaviour up to this point – their complete disregard for his rightful claim on the property, and the acts of violence that they had consistently meted out to every one of his representatives, what made the landowner think these people would now act differently? When is the penny going drop that this situation is not going to improve?

“when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” (Matthew 21:33-39)

Jesus ends his story with a question: Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (Matthew 21:40) My response to that question is, ‘I don’t know. Has he got another son?’

We could have told him what would happen. What was he thinking? What sort of set-up is this where everyone is trapped in an endless cycle of mindless violence? What sort of people are these tenants? What sort of master is this?

This is our world, isn’t it? Look around! This isn’t just some 2,000-year-old fable. This is our story – the lies, the violence, the exploitation, and the complete disregard for rightful claims of the master. We aren’t just reading this. We are living it!

And so Jesus’ ends the parable with nothing resolved. The master has no rent, no servants, no vineyard and now … no son! The evil tenants are alive and well, and appear to still be running the show, and so the violence continues with no sign of resolution. ‘He who has ears, let him hear!’

When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

Yes, the hope for a final reckoning is there at the end of the story, and yet the reality we experience is exactly as Jesus depicts it – the servants have been rejected, the Son has been killed, and the ownership of the vineyard still seems to be very much in doubt! Meanwhile, the tenant farmers run wild in their violence and stupidity!

Where’s the Good News? Is there any good news in this story?

Personally, the good news I find in this story is less in the hope for a final reckoning than it is in the character of the master. Yes, the master is hard to understand. He seems far too indiscriminate in who he lets take charge of his vineyard, and he seems way too tolerant in terms of what he puts up with. Even so, there are two things that come through very clearly in this story.

Firstly, the master will not give up on his vineyard, and this despite the fact that it seems to be a lost cause. The master still loves the vineyard. He’s not letting go. That’s the first thing, and the second is this: that the master is committed to doing whatever it takes to regain control. No price is too great!

Hear the parable of the vineyard! Hear it in the chaos of our world. Hear it in the violence we endure. Hear it in the patience of God. Hear it in the sending of the Son.

The Master has not given up on us. He has not abandoned His vineyard. He has not withdrawn His claim on us. And He still calls out: “You who have ears, hear.”

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday, and a big thank you to our dear brothers, Jakob Pyeatt and John Queripel.

I’ve clipped our discussion on Philippians 2 below as it was one of the most insightful discussions I think we’ve had for some time.

John highlighted the irony of Jesus being ‘lifted up’ and Jakob speculated on how bizarre it is that we celebrate Christ’s humility while most religions prefer to celebrate their God as the all-powerful Lord of battles. I draw a comparison with Shia Islam’s veneration of Imam Husain, and then AI Saint Paul joins in and cites a variety of religious traditions where humility is explicitly esteemed.

Our discussion was too valuable to trim down to less than twenty minutes, I’m afraid, but I do encourage you to watch the entire clip if you missed the broadcast, or even to watch the entire broadcast on Rumble.

Our two most popular short videos of the week are posted below. See all our short videos on The Sunday Eucharist Instagram page and all our video on Rumble.

This Sunday coming is the first Sunday of the month which means we’ll be privileged once again to have David Baldwin and Tom Toby back on the panel. Can’t wait!

I should warn you though that I’m starting a new part-time position with a church at The Wesley Mission in Sydney on Sunday and their service starts at 10.30 am! I’m hoping not to offend anyone there by dashing away to start our service at midday.

We go live at midday – Sydney time – (and I trust I won’t be late) via Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program
Access member-only training videos
Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +
One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts.

What’s On?

Sunday, October 4 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.
Tuesday, October 6 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.
Thursday, October 8 – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible noon.
Friday, October 9 – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm
Saturday, October 10 – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington – 3 pm

I pray you’ve had a blessed week. It’s been another week of highs and lows for me.

I mentioned the dramas at Binacrombi last week, culminating in a visit from the police and an arrest. I drove our dear brother, Scotty Piggot, out there last night and he’s planning on being there for a month. No doubt he will be a stabilizing force. Please say a prayer for him.

As mentioned above, I start a new part-time position on Sunday with Wesley Mission located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. I’ll be preaching and pastoring their 10.30am congregation, and I feel privileged to be on the team there for the next three months. I trust I’ll be able to wind things up with them in time to start our broadcast at midday.

This new position means that my window of opportunity for a quick trip to Syria has now closed. I put the starting date off for month, but I can’t put it off any longer. This leaves me pained and (I must confess) a little relieved, as I was thinking it might be a one-way trip. The pain has also been much relieved through my communications with a wonderful Australian human-rights lawyer currently in Damascus.

I mustn’t say too much about this wonderful woman at the moment as she is keen to keep her head below the parapet. Even so, she is a Lebanese Australian woman of enormous integrity and courage. God willing, she’ll be visiting Dr Hassoun very soon at which point we’ll be able to speak more openly about her work.

That’s enough for today.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight,

P.S. Joy heads back to the UK next week for three weeks. Please say a prayer for her too (and for me – that I survive the time without her).

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

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The Scandal of Grace!

Father Dave — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 03:27:12 +0000

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (Matthew 21:31)

Of all the confronting things Jesus ever said, this may be the most scandalous. It is not just the content. It’s the audience. Jesus is speaking directly to “the chief priests and the elders of the people” (Matthew 21:23).

These were the spiritual authorities, their ordained leaders, the guardians of Israel’s religious life. These were men of discipline, learning, and piety, yet Jesus says that the tax collectors and the prostitutes — the very people they despised — were entering the Kingdom of God ahead of them!

It is shocking enough that Jesus names these two groups, but it is even more shocking that He lumps them together as, apart from the fact that Jesus accepted both groups, they really had nothing in common.

First century Jewish tax-collectors were wealthy collaborators. They were people who had responded to the Roman occupation by saying “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. They worked for the foreign occupying power – taking your money and giving it to the enemy (after taking a healthy cut for themselves). They were traitors and they were understandably reviled. They were sinners by choice.

People who worked in the first century sex industry, on the other hand, were almost certainly not there by choice. Most would have been slaves. They could be violated by their owners at any time or loaned or rented out by their master or mistresses to others for sexual services. These people did not own their own bodies!

Mind you, when I worked with people in the sex industry back in the mid 1980’s, their situation wasn’t a lot better. I was then with the Anglican church in Kings Cross – the red-light capital of Sydney – and I worked with young people on “the wall” on Darlinghurst Road which was where these boys and girls lined up to ply their trade.

I ran a Friday-night coffee shop outreach in the church grounds that targeted ‘the wall’, and all those I engaged with were under 18. I remember one girl telling me how she’d been on the street since she was 12. I’ve never forgotten her story as to why she left home, but I will not repeat it here. Suffice it to say that the sex industry was not a chosen career path for any of them. It was where life had spat them out.

“Tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you”,

These two groups, in a sense, cover the full spectrum of human brokenness – the powerful and the powerless, the exploiter and the exploited, and we see something of their spiritual condition in the parable Jesus gives us immediately before this pronouncement – namely, the parable of the two sons:

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today. He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matthew 21:28-31)

If you’ve had teenage children, this parable probably strikes a familiar chord.

“Can you please clean you room?”, you ask wearily. “Sure thing! No problem! I’ll get right to it” is the enthusiastic reply, so you leave it be for a couple of hours, for a couple of days, for a couple of weeks … nothing.

Jesus contrasts this boy with his brother who, when you ask him to do his chores just stares back at you with attitude, though he does later relent and comply.

Which sort of teenager do you have? Which sort of teenager were you? Which brother did Jesus see in the chief priests, elders, tax-collectors and sex-workers?

In truth, neither of these sons is anything to write home about. The chief priests and elders say the son who does what he’s told is the better of the two but, personally, I prefer to get the response of enthusiastic compliance rather than ‘talk to the hand’.

I think the key here is to recognise that both kids in this story are their father’s sons, and at the end of the story they are still their father’s sons.

The father doesn’t have any perfect sons or daughters. All His children are difficult in their own way. Some are lazy and recalcitrant and some make a better job of it and are first in line when everybody gets to go home but, in the end, everyone does go home. Jesus isn’t saying that there isn’t room for His religious antagonists in the Kingdom of God. They’re just further back in the line behind the people they despise.

“For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” (Matthew 21:32)

That’s the final puzzling statement from Jesus in this passage – puzzling because I’m not sure what repentance looked like in the case of tax-collectors and prostitutes.

Yes, we do see two examples of tax-collectors repenting in the Gospels. Matthew, the tax-collector, walks away from his job (Matthew 9:9) while Zacchaeus, a more senior tax-collector, shows his repentance by making restitution to anyone he has defrauded and by giving away half his wealth (Luke 19:1–10). In the case of first century sex-workers though, repentance may not have been quite so clear cut.

If you were a sex-worker because you were a slave, no amount of repentance would find you another job, and even if you weren’t a slave, if you were living in a small farming community and were known by your trade, you couldn’t just decide one day to go get a job at the bank. Your options were very limited.

My guess is that many of those whom Jesus saw as leading the march into the Kingdom of God were tax-collectors who were still working for the enemy, and sex-workers who were still plying their trade – persons who were being renewed inwardly and spiritually but whose external circumstances may never have caught up.

In the end we are all God’s children – that, I think, is what Jesus is reminding us of here. None of us are perfect sons or daughters, and those who lead the way spiritually are often the very ones we overlook or deliberately look away from.

And that is the scandal of grace!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday, and this despite the usual plethora of technical issues. I’m genuinely unsure as to whether we are being interfered with by unseen forces or whether it’s just bad luck. I lean towards the former explanation as it just seems too bizarre to all be coincidental.

I have one of my computers set aside purely for the broadcasts so as to be confident that it’s free from viruses and spyware. I’ve also tried connecting through a variety of different browsers and different Internet providers. It seems though that whatever combination I start with fails. This time I started with the dedicated machine and an NBN Wi-Fi connection but ended up switching back to my regular laptop, using my phone for the Internet. That worked fine this time, whereas the same combination has failed completely at other times.

It seems that we’re still under attack, whether that be from spiritual entities or from more fleshly political opponents (or both) I’m unsure. Either way, a big thank you to Andrew Madry and Doug Pyeatt for joining me on the panel, and a big thank you to everyone who stuck with us to the end. We went way over time, even without any input from AI Saint Paul.

I’ve posted below our discussion on Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, chapter one. In truth, we didn’t stay focused on the intricacies of the text but more on how the letter reflects the mellowing of Paul’s character that seemed to take place during his time in prison. I was reminded of my recently departed friend, Bob, and how his character softened as he approached death. We also discussed my possible return to Syria and whether that might lead to me being imprisoned there. It was a frank and heartfelt discussion.

You’ll find the Philippians discussion at the end of today’s newsletter. Immediately below are the most popular shorts from last week. Of course, you can find more shorts on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page and all our videos, long and short, on Rumble.com.

This Sunday I’m very much hoping to have Jake Pyeatt and Rev. John Queripel with me on the panel, though I haven’t heard back from Jake at time of writing. We’ll be starting at midday on Sunday nonetheless (Sydney time). Join us via Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program
Access member-only training videos
Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +
One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +
One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts.
;

What’s On?

Sunday, September 27th – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.
Tuesday, September 29th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.
Thurs, October 1st – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible from noon.
Friday, October 2nd – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm
Saturday, September 3rd – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington – 3 pm

It’s been another big week for me – another week of highs and lows.

The highs included my son’s buck’s night which was a beautifully tame and dignified affair by buck’s night standards. It was also the week of my darling daughter, Fran’s, graduation from High School. That’s the last of my kids having finished school. It does make me feel rather old but also extremely thankful.

The major low for me happened late last night. There was an incident at Binacrombi. Someone got hit. The police and ambulance were called. There was an arrest. It’s all been very painful. I won’t go into the details. Please be in prayer for the work there.

Times of testing like this always come when we’re on the verge of a breakthrough. The ministry there has been growing. We’ve been trying work with our friend Bryn in nearby Taralga who is developing a ministry to young men in the area that combines spiritual input and vigorous training – just what we are best at.

Please say a prayer for Binacrombi – for the work, for the team, and perhaps most especially for our dear brother, Scott, who is heading out there for a one-month stint on Monday. I believe his presence will bring much-needed stability.

As to Syria, everything is still up in the air. I’ve been in dialogue with a lawyer in Damascus and thought we were making progress. Even so, threats and corruption abound and nothing is settled. Meanwhile, our dear brother, Dr Hassoun, languishes in terrible prison conditions. Please keep praying for him, for his family for Syria, and for clarity for me. Will I be able to travel there to be with him? I still have no idea.

Well … as I often say, “if you’re not getting shot at, you’re not in the front line”. I do feel like I’m dodging demonic bullets at the moment but I know too that I’m not alone. You are all in this battle with me! And beyond our human comrades we have our three great friends with us all the time – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Yours in the Good Fight,

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic

Fran’s graduation

Soren’s Buck’s Night

The Revolution of Mercy!

Father Dave — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 07:03:51 +0000

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last,” says Jesus in Matthew 20:16, though He doesn’t only say it there. Jesus talks about the first being last and the last being first on five separate occasions in the Gospels: Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30.

It’s not exactly the same phrase every time, because these aren’t five accounts of one speech. Jesus reused and reworked the saying, but the thrust is clear enough: when the Kingdom of God comes, things change. Our social system gets turned upside‑down.

It reminds me of what my socialist friends used to say to me at university — that when the revolution comes, everything changes. In their version, of course, the threat was that I might be one of the first lined up against the wall! Jesus’ revolution also threatens people, though it’s not obvious that anybody gets shot.

Jesus begins this teaching with “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1)

It’s a long story by parable standards, but the storyline is simple: this landowner hires workers throughout the day and promises each of them a denarius — essentially the minimum wage of the time. It was enough to keep you going but never enough to make you wealthy.

Plenty of people were happy to work for a denarius. Many start early. Others start later. Some don’t start until late afternoon. No one complains about the wage until those who’ve worked all day realise that the latecomers are being paid the same amount. They protest: “These last fellows worked only one hour, yet you have made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!” (Matthew 20:12). “It’s not fair”, they say — and that’s exactly what I would have said.

Anyone who has raised more than one child has heard those words a lot. If you doubt the innate human sense of justice, try dividing a stash of lollies between two young children. The complaint is never “I didn’t get enough” but always “she got more than me!” That’s why King Solomon came up with the principle that if you’re dividing a piece of cake between two children, one cuts and the other chooses (I think it was Solomon).

And it doesn’t stop when we grow up. We just get more sophisticated. A trade union leader once told me that there’s never been a strike over low pay — only over pay differentials. It’s not that what we’re getting isn’t enough; it’s that we’re not getting as much as the person next to us.

A hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s wage. That’s basic to our sense of justice. It’s what our parents taught us, and it’s what we teach our children: you get what you deserve. That’s what we were taught in school too. When lazy Joe asked to see my homework because he’d had a big night, I could say “sure,” knowing he was only hurting himself. Then the exam results came in, and lazy Joe and I got the same mark! It’s not supposed to work like that!

Good, honest, hard‑working people like us are supposed to be rewarded, while useless layabouts who spend their days at the pub and take up our tax dollars to buy weed shouldn’t get the same heavenly pay‑cheque at the final checkout.

This is a confronting story. If the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t about justice, what is it about? Surely if you’ve worked all day in the heat, you deserve some recognition. Have we got our concept of justice wrong? I don’t think so. The problem isn’t justice — it’s the vineyard owner.

He replies: “Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You agreed with me for a denarius, didn’t you? Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you. Am I not allowed to do what I want with my own money, or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13–15)

It’s hard to argue with his logic. It’s just not the logic of justice. It’s the logic of generosity — of mercy — and there is always tension between justice and mercy.

Jesus saying to the woman caught in adultery, “I don’t condemn you either” — that’s mercy, not justice. Justice would have seen her stoned. Jesus saying, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” — that’s mercy, not justice. Justice would have seen His mockers strung up alongside Him.

“Doing unto others as they do unto you” — that’s justice. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — that’s mercy, because that’s how we want to be treated. We don’t really want justice for ourselves, not if we’re honest.

Jesus concludes, “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16) It doesn’t quite make sense, because the last aren’t really ahead — they’re equals. But if you were expecting those good‑for‑nothing layabouts to be miles behind you, perhaps it looks like they’re ahead when they’re suddenly alongside you.

The point, at any rate, Jesus says, is that the Kingdom of Heaven is like that.
Really? Is Heaven full of exhausted labourers and hung‑over latecomers? Is it a place of resentment and arguments? Is God not just?

If justice means everybody getting what they deserve, then maybe God isn’t just — at least not in that sense. What God clearly is, according to this story and according to the whole ministry and life of Jesus, is merciful.

If you’ve been to court, I’m sure you’ve seen Justitia – the Roman goddess of justice. She’s blindfolded, holding scales and sword, showing no partiality. The God of the Bible is never depicted that way. God’s eyes are open. God shows partiality, bending towards the poor, the needy, the weak, the oppressed, and God has mercy upon all.

Jesus’ parable isn’t trying to confuse us — it’s trying to convert us. The Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t run on the cold arithmetic of fairness but on God’s generosity. And if that generosity offends our sense of justice, then it’s our sense of justice that needs reshaping. For we are all held by mercy — from first to last, and last to first — and that, thank God, is the revolution Jesus brings.

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday, and a big thank you to Diane Bates and Andrew Logan for joining me on the panel. This was Andrew’s first reappearance after his six-month trek across the USA, Canada, and Europe with his partner, Gigi! He seems to be in remarkably good shape, and apparently Gigi is pregnant! Congratulations to you both!

I’ve clipped below a 12-minute excerpt from our discussion of Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 14. This was our final reading from Romans for this year so I was keen to give it proper attention.

Lots of communal wisdom was shared, and AI Saint Paul also chimed in with an excellent contribution. In order to keep the length under ten minutes and stay to focused on the passage though, I did edit out some of the discussion, including Diane’s critical evaluation of the musical, “The Book of Mormon”. If you want to hear that, you’ll have to listen to the complete broadcast on Rumble.

You’ll find the Romans clip at the end of today’s newsletter. This week’s most popular shorts are directly below.

This Sunday I’m looking forward to welcoming back Andrew Madray and Doug Pyeatt to the panel – a dynamic combination indeed! We’ll be starting at midday as usual (Sydney time). Join us via Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts.

What’s On?

Sunday, September 20 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.

Tuesday, September 22 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thurs, Sept 24 – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible from noon.

Friday, September 25 – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm

Saturday, September 26 – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington – 3 pm.

It’s been a week of highs and lows for me – of exhaustion and elation.

The low was the death of my friend, Bob Williams.

Any of you who’ve been involved with our bush camp – Binacrombi – over the last ten years will know Bob. He was our longest-serving caretaker there and he made an impression on everyone he met. Bob didn’t always leave a great first impression. He could be crazy and cantankerous, but those who got to know him discovered the gold beneath.

I’m really sorry that the funeral has been scheduled at exactly the same time as my dear daughter, Fran’s, high school graduation ceremony, and I can’t not be at her graduation. Joy will represent both of us at the funeral.

I know Bob would support that 100%. He was a loving father to his children – Boe and Katie – and to his grandchildren.

Rest well until we meet again, brother Bob.

The high for me last week was the wedding of Joel and Amanda. Many will know Joel’s work for the freedom movement and his role as national director of Turning Point, Australia. I didn’t’ get to take the wedding (which was at his old school chapel and taken by the chaplain) but I was privileged to say grace at the reception.

I know I had some lovely pics taken with Joel and Amanda but, bizarrely, I can’t find them! I can’t even remember who took them but, if you’re reading this, please send them to me (again, if you sent them already ).

Below is a small collage of us with some of our other freedom-loving friends at the celebration.

The exhausting part of my week was driving from Melbourne to Sydney (a ten-hour drive). It’s also why this newsletter is late. I flew down to pick up the car I had given to my beloved daughter, Imogen, as I need to get it re-registered. It’s a long drive. Even so, spending time with my darling girl makes it entirely worthwhile.

My major frustration of the week has been that I’m still no clearer as to whether I’m heading to Syria in the next week or two. Much is happening in terms of our activism for Dr Hassoun. We are working industriously to get more lawyers involved and to try to bring his case to the attention of the Australian government. Even so, nothing has been finalised in terms of me being there. I keep praying. God’s will be done.

And before I let you go, let me urge you to join us for mid-week Bible study if you’re available. You might have noticed the new Bible-study graphic above. If you click the image, it will take you straight there.

I’m trying a new format at the moment. I’m streaming on Rumble rather than connecting through Zoom. There are a variety of reasons for trying this, but I did have one participant tell me last Thursday that he tried to connect on his phone and that Rumble wanted to charge him a subscription before letting him connect!

I know the phone connection requires you to download an app, but I didn’t think you had to pay for it. If you’re connecting via laptop or PC there’s nothing to download, and there’s certainly no charge. Anyway, please do join us on Thursday if you can and let me know if you have any problems connecting.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight,

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic

The Irrational Power of Forgiveness!

Father Dave — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:43:09 +0000

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him” (Matthew 18:23-24)

When I think of the stories Jesus’ told about mercy and forgiveness, the first person that comes to mind for me is not a Christian person at all but my dear Muslim brother, Dr Hassoun, the former Grand Mufti of Syria.

For those who don’t know the story, Dr Hassoun’s youngest son, Sariya, was murdered by rebel insurgents in 2011, and at the funeral, Dr Hassoun delivered a eulogy where he spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation.

You can still watch it online. It’s about 20 minutes long. Towards the end he says:

“Those who are listening to me, who killed my son, Sariya, I’m addressing you. May God preserve you from heartache, and may you never experience the agony that you have caused us. I am asking God to inspire you to repentance before you leave this life, so as not to be your accuser on the day of judgement. … I forgive you.”

It is hard not to see the presence of the Spirit of God in those who truly forgive. From a Christian theological perspective, forgiveness is the ultimate gift of God to humanity, and those who compare the religions of the world tell us that Christianity is indeed distinctive in its emphasis on the divine nature of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a beautiful thing. It is a divine force that has the power to heal individuals, to end wars and to bring peace to nations. In this story Jesus gives us in Matthew chapter 18, though, forgiveness is also a bit scary!

“One who owed [the king] ten thousand talents was brought to him” (Matthew 18:24)

A talent in this context is a weight of around 34 kilograms, presumably of solid gold. On today’s market, with gold selling at just under AUD $200,000 per kilogram, this slave had somehow incurred a debt of roughly two billion dollars – quite possibly greater than the GDP of his entire country! How had the king not noticed this?

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that ‘when you owe the bank a million dollars, you have a problem, but when you owe the bank a hundred million dollars, the bank has a problem’. In the case of this guy’s debt, the whole country has a problem!

Parables, of course, are often a form of humour, but if this is a joke, it is dark humour. This slave has somehow generated this impossibly large debt. The king responds by imprisoning the man and his family until they can pay him back in full, which is obviously futile. The debtor-slave pleads for more time, as if this will help, and then he finds himself forgiven of everything, which is the craziest thing of all!

The story reminded me of a relative of mine who had worked for a large winery on the south coast. One day he was responsible for monitoring the wine while it was pumped into a large container truck when he took a call on his phone and wandered off, resulting in something like 10,000 litres of wine being poured out on the ground!

What do you do with someone who stuffs up like that? I’d assumed he would have at least lost his job but, curiously, he didn’t. Apparently, you had to lose about twice that amount of wine before it cost you your job! That seemed crazy to me, but nothing like the craziness of a king who forgives his slave a debt so large that it would have surely thrown the entire country into an economic depression!

Is forgiveness on that scale even responsible for a national leader?

The size of the debt is outrageous, and the mercy of the king is incomprehensible, but the craziest thing of all is what happens next.

“But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.” (Matthew 18:28-30)

The debt of 100 denarii is not nothing (about three month’s wages for a labourer) but it is insanely trivial \when compared to the debt that the man was just forgiven. The king hears what has happened, of course, and the story ends with the first slave “being handed over to the torturers until he pay his entire debt” (Matthew 18:34). If this is a joke, the punchline is dark humour indeed!

Forgiveness, at any rate, is serious business. According to Jesus, it’s not an optional extra. Forgiving those who have wronged us ‘from the heart’ (Matthew 18:35) is a deadly serious obligation if we don’t want to be ‘handed over to the torturers!

The painful irony for me, of course, is that the most forgiving man I have ever met—my friend, Dr Hassoun—is the one who has literally been handed over to torturers!

He is eighty years old now, and I’m told that the wounds he has received in prison over the last eighteen months are so severe he will never recover, even if he were to live for many more years, and the conditions in his prison are apparently so appalling that he is unlikely to live long (which I suspect is by design).

I continue to pray for my friend. I pray for mercy. I pray for justice. But I recognise that Jesus’ parable does not end with a happy resolution. Both slaves are in prison. The king’s treasury is empty, and the kingdom itself is struggling. It is a bleak story,

And yet one truth shines through the darkness: forgiveness has power.

Forgiveness blesses the forgiver as much as the forgiven. It can liberate both individuals and nations. It is the secret weapon of the spiritual warrior — irrational, yet divine. Wherever forgiveness appears, it generates faith, hope, and love.

Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother? Up to seven times?” Jesus replied, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven times.” (Matthrew 18:21-22).

Forgiveness is not reasonable, efficient, or safe, but it is the way of Jesus, and it is our only path to the Kingdom of God!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We enjoyed another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday, though it all seemed a bit rushed, with me barely returning to the studio in time from an induction service in Concord, and David needing to rush to a Father’s Day luncheon straight after giving prayers. Even so, we read the Scriptures, shared out insights and celebrated the Eucharist with joy.

A special thank you to Tom too who shared with us insights from the Shia Islamic perspective that most of us would otherwise never have access to. I’ve clipped the discussion on the Exodus reading this week where Tom helped us see links between the Jewish festival of Passover and the Islamic celebration of Ashura. The way the two link to our Christian celebration of Easter was also discussed. You’ll find that 18-minute discussion at the end of today’s post. The two most popular short vidoes of the week are directly below.

Catch all the short videos on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page, and our full video archive on Rumble.

At this coming Sunday Eucharist I’m looking forward to having Andrew Logan and Diane Bates join me on the panel.

Yes, Andrew is back, and both he and Gigi are in good health and spirits. I’m looking forward to hearing of a few of their adventures when we meet. We start, as usual at midday on Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X) LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, and the boxing.

What’s On?

Sunday, September 13 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.

Tuesday, September 15 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thursday, September 17 – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible from noon.

It’s looking like a quiet week ahead in terms of boxing sessions. Just the one session at Mundine’s and then I’m off to Melbourne to see my darling daughter, Imogen, who has just celebrated another birthday.

As to the big trip to Syria, I’m still not sure what’s happening. I haven’t had any definitive word from my friends in Syria who invited me though I have heard from multiple friends in this country – all telling me NOT to go! They are mainly Alawite friends who have a strong sense of the risks involved. I’m very grateful to them.

I feel a bit like Paul in Caesarea when the prophet, Agabus, and multiple friends from the church there told him not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8–14). They sensed that Paul was going to meet his doom there, which was more or less what happened. Even so, Paul knew what he had to do, and if returning to Syria is the best way for me to support my friend, Dr Hassoun, I will try to go. I’m sure he would do the same for me.

I hope you’ve been benefiting from the ‘healing sounds’ videos that I’ve rolled out over the last two weeks. This week I’m completing the set by giving you my morning breathing routine. It’s been my practice almost every morning since I first met Wim Hof in 2017. Of course, I’ve developed my own variation on Wim’s system, but I do believe that daily breath-holding is one of the reasons I’m one of the world’s oldest professional boxers.

This completes my sharing of my daily ritual. I do my praying and breathing exercises each morning before leaving the bedroom. Then I make myself a cup of coffee and go through my morning sound routine. I sincerely believe that this routine plays a key role in keeping me physically healthy and emotionally stable. If you’re feeling in any way off-balance yourself, I urge you to give this a try. You might develop a routine slightly different from mine but I’d encourage you to give attention to each of the five key elements I’ve isolated:

B – breath

L – listen

E – eat (diet)

S – sleep

T – train

If you have your own wisdom and experience in these areas, please share. I’m keen to learn more. I’m also keen to pass on what I know and what is working for me. Come and join me for a weekend in the bush some time if you want an immersive introduction to the BLEST system. Otherwise, stay tuned and I’ll try to share more over coming weeks.

One more thing – it seems that SBS has finally screened the documentary on bare-knuckle boxing that I took part in some time ago. I’ve posted the whole 15-minute piece below. I don’t appear till around the 10-minute mark but I think you’ll appreciate the whole thing so long as you’re not expecting to see me doing any bare-knuckle boxing.

That’s plenty for today.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight,

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic

A Happy Father’s Day

Where do you start?

What if Love IS the Truth?!

Father Dave — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:27:56 +0000

“All you need is love … da, da, da, da …”

Who said it? Yes, the Beatles, in the song of the same name first broadcast in July of 1967. Even so, Saint Paul said it nearly two millennia earlier:

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

Paul may not have had Lennon and McCartney’s melody, but the message is the same: love is all you need.

These are threatening words for me, of course, as a priest for, if it’s really that simple – that all we need to do is love one another – then why would any of you need to pay a highly trained and credentialed cleric like me to unlock the secrets of the Scriptures for you. If love is all you need, you can work out the details for yourselves!

It does bother me when I see religious clerics who address us in a tone that suggests that they hold the keys to secret knowledge that we can only pray we will one day gain access to.

It makes sense for a Rabbi to be that way as the Torah is a complex legal tapestry. For a Sheikh, likewise. interpreting Qur’an and hadith requires a fair degree of scholarship. But if the early church really decided not to build itself on any labyrinth of laws but simply on one command – love one another – there’s not a lot left to keep professional interpreters like me going!

Of course, the real problem with the church is not that it has overcomplicated things but that it has consistently failed to make love its priority.

This hit home for me recently when I was told that if I wanted to renew my license as a functioning priest in the Diocese of Sydney, I had to start by completing a twenty-two-page questionnaire designed to weed out the unworthy. It asked about sex, pornography, alcohol — but nowhere did it ask whether I had tried to love God and neighbour through my years of ministry, and it did make me question whether I wanted to belong to an organisation so fixated on personal purity and so apparently uninterested in love.

Of course, this is not just a local problem but is the basis of the worldwide schism of the Anglican communion. We are, at this very moment, in the middle of a historic rupture of the global Anglican and Episcopal church, and, sadly, it’s not over Gaza or Ukraine or Iran. Indeed, it doesn’t have anything to do with the terrible suffering going on around the world at the moment. The issues at stake are:

Same‑sex marriage

LGBTQ+ clergy and

Women as bishops

I’m not saying that each of these are not important conversations, but they are not the centre of the gospel either, and they are not worth sacrificing love for.

Sadly, it has always been this way. If the history of crusades and inquisitions have anything to teach us, it’s that the church has always chosen truth over love! We burn people at the stake, not because they are unloving but because they are wrong!

Over the last two thousand years, the church, at least at an institutional level, has consistently chosen truth over love, but what if love is the truth.

I’m not trying to be romantic or poetic here. On the contrary, I remember many years ago reading some of the work of German philosopher, Martin Heideggar, on ‘Truth as Aletheia (which is the Greek word for truth used in the New Testament).

Heidegger challenged what is commonly called the ‘correspondence theory of truth’ where we understand truth as a correspondence between what we say and what scientifically is. When what you mean corresponds with the facts, that’s truth – that’s how we generally define the word truth, but even in English ‘truth’ can mean other things, such as when we say, ‘be true to yourself’ or when we speak of a ‘true friend’.

Heidegger suggested that the ancient Greek word for truth was more focused on the process of uncovering rather than on any static correspondence between word and fact. In other words, maybe, biblically speaking, you don’t have truth if you don’t love and, conversely, if you live in love, you live the truth, just as Jesus was the truth!

I don’t mean to end on too philosophical a note. Let’s go back to the Beatles – “All you need is love, love, love …”

Whether or not the Beatles were inspired by Saint Paul, I’m not sure, but I am pretty sure that Paul was inspired by Jesus. After all, it was Jesus who taught us that all the law and the prophets came down to love (Matthew 20:40)!

It’s not that hard to figure out, is it, and you don’t really need me to unlock any of the hidden mysteries for you. That’s why I’ve got my backup career as a professional boxer – for when you realise that you don’t need me – and I can only hope that some of my fellow priests and bishops will consider similar career paths when their time comes as I think I’ve still got my best fights left in me and I’d love to take a shot at some of those … sorry, that’s not a very loving path to go down, is it?

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) Amen!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We enjoyed another wonderful Eucharist together last Sunday. It was great to have Nathan Thomason join Scotty Minchin and me on the panel. I’ve clipped our discussion on Romans 12:9-21 which includes Paul’s timeless exhortation, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) – a powerful prelude to the text we’ve focused on this week.

Our new friend, Nathan, had plenty of wisdom to share on the passage, and Scotty said he’d considered getting Romans 12:21 tattooed on his body! AI Saint Paul also chipped in with some timeless wisdom. You’ll find that clip towards the end of today’s post. I’ve also added the two most popular short videos directly below. Enjoy!

Our upcoming Eucharist is on the first Sunday of the month so we’re looking forward to having David Baldwin and Tom Toby back with us on the panel. Tom is definitely in Sydney this time and I’m very much looking forward to our time together. As ever, we’ll be going live at midday (Syndey time) and you can catch us on Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, and the boxing.

What’s On?

Sunday, September 6 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble.

Monday, September 7 – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm

Tuesday, September 8 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thursday, September 10 – Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible from noon.

Thursday, September 3 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm

No Saturday training this coming week as Joy and I will be celebrating another wedding – this time the wedding of our friend, Joel Jammal, to his beloved Amanda.

I think Joel has been an inspiration to many of us through his role as National Director of Turning Point, Australia. I first met him after he organised the first protest march against the lockdowns back in July of 2021. We’ve maintained the friendship since, and I was particularly chuffed when he told me that he and Amanda met for the first time at the Fighting Fathers’ Fundraiser Ball of April 2023! Accordingly, I’m privileged to have been asked to say grace at the wedding banquet!

Our hopes and prayers are with Joel and Amanda for a union that generates joy, hope and peace for many years to come!

A blast from the past – with Joel, Andrew and Gigi at the fundraiser ball of April 2023

I mentioned last week that God has sent us a new man to help develop the ministry at Binacrombi – Daniel Hays. He only moved in last week but has already got a team of locals training out there in the remote bushlands during the week (see pic below)!

Moreover, our brother, Bryn, who resides in Taralga (the nearest town to Binacrombi) somehow simultaneously came up with the idea of offering boxing training to young people in his area that sorely need it and incorporating Binacrombi into the program!

God clearly has something in mind here. Say a prayer please for Bryn and for Daniel as we discover what comes next!

If you tuned into last Sunday’s broadcast (or if you watched the short video clips above) you’ll be well aware that our dear brother, Dr Hassoun, the former Grand Mufti of Syria, was given a life sentence last Tuesday

I gave thanks to God when I heard the verdict – not because he deserves more time in prison, of course, but because they had been seeking the death penalty and I was greatly relieved. Having said that, I’ve heard since that the prison conditions there are so terrible that the verdict is the equivalent of a death sentence. Having saved him from death-row, we now need to get him out of custody altogether!

Accordingly, I may head to Syria in the next few weeks. Dr Hassoun’s supporters in Damascus want me to be there and, if I do go, I’ll be trying to make as much noise as possible about his imprisonment and about the show-trial that put him there.

Of course, such a trip is risky for me, and it is possible that I will be imprisoned myself or will quietly disappear. If that happens, I expect my friends around the globe to make as much noise as possible to try and uncover the truth.

Say a prayer, please, for me, for this initiative, and for dear Dr Hassoun.

Finally, I hope you had a chance to try out the Healing Sounds for Evenings that I included with last week’s newsletter. If you did, I’d really love to get your feedback.
I’ve been finding these healing frequencies tremendously beneficial, but I won’t persist in pushing them around unless others are experiencing a similar benefit.

I appreciate that frequency healing is not a broadly accepted therapy and some may even associate it with a form of Eastern mysticism that they want to avoid. It occurs to me though that, according to our creation narratives, all of life begins with sound.

The God’s voice generates life! Is it any coincidence then that the book in the Bible with the most chapters in it (ie. the Psalms) is the one designed to help us generate our joyful noise back to the Creator?

With that in mind I offer you ‘Healing Sounds for Mornings’ – to be used at the beginning of each day to give you greater energy, clarity and emotional balance.

Please give it a try and let me know if you benefit from it. Next week I’ll give you a final video, guiding you in the breath-holding routine that completes my daily cycle.

Sometimes even I think it’s a bit odd that I get so excited about things like frequency healing and breath-holding. Even so, I know for myself that without these daily disciplines, I don’t have the energy or focus to do what I feel called to do. I share these things with you because they work powerfully for me. I hope they benefit you.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

P.S. And a happy Father’s Day to all my fellow fathers out there, and to all who remember with thanksgiving their fathers and those who have been fathers to them.

P.P.S. I’m including below an interview I did last week with my old friend, Eva Bartlett – an amazing Canadian activist and journalist whom I first met in Damascus in 2014. Eva shares my great love for Syria’s former Mufti, Dr Hassoun. Like me, she’s been deplatformed from some social media, but you’ll find her on her Substack (click here)

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic

The wonderful community of Concord Uniting Church

Get Behind me, Satan!

Father Dave — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:19:49 +0000

“But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me.” (Matthew 16:23)

I hope you’ve never been in a relationship like that – one that starts with you affirming your eternal love for one another but ends up with you calling your beloved ‘Satan’!

Relationship do go toxic – we know that – but when that happens it normally takes a good few years for things to really deteriorate. In the case of Jesus and Peter, their relationship goes from hero to zero in a matter of seconds!

Peter has just made his great confession – “You are the Christ – the son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and Jesus commends Peter, blesses Peter, and promises that he will build His church on this rock – Peter (Matthew 16:17-18). Five verses later Jesus is calling him ‘Satan’?! In real time, about 30 seconds later!

What happened? Did Peter suddenly become evil? Did Jesus lose His temper? Did we miss something?

When Peter says “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, of course we know what he means, don’t we? He means that Jesus is the only Son the Father – ‘God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made”.

Of course that’s not when he means. Those words from the Nicean Creed come three centuries later. What Peter meant when he called Jesus, ‘the Christ’, was that Jesus was the one who was going to liberate them from the Romans! That’s what the Messiah did, and ‘son of God’ was simply the title they gave their kings!

Psalm 2:7: “This is my son. Today I have begotten you.” It’s a coronation Psalm. The king is designated as adopted God’s ‘son’ at his coronation, after which his key job is to go out and lead God’s people into battle.

It is fascinating, I think, that Jesus makes such a fuss over the confession of Peter – that He is the Christ – when He must have known that while Peter and He were using the same vocabulary, they were speaking entirely different languages!

Understanding Jesus isn’t just about having the right words, is it?

When I listen to people who preach the so-called “Prosperity Gospel” or when I hear someone espouse “Christian Zionism”, all the right words are being used. They speak of ‘blessings’ and ‘faith in God’s promises’, and they quote the Bible with great accuracy and in great volume, yet it becomes very obvious very quickly that what they mean by those words is on an entirely different plane to my understanding.

It’s quite possible to say all the right things yet be completely wrong!

Peter and the disciples longed for liberation — and understandably so. The Roman occupation was brutal, humiliating, and violent. As Tom Wright notes, even phrases like “forgiveness of sins” had become shorthand for ending the occupation by then.

If you were living in Gaza today and someone arrived claiming to be God’s saviour, you wouldn’t need to ask what He came to save you from. So when Jesus says He must “go to Jerusalem, suffer, and be killed”, Peter reacts exactly as any oppressed person would: “No. Absolutely not. This is not how liberation works.”

“Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to Me.” (Matthew 16:22-23)

It’s harsh however we look at it, but keep in mind that ‘Satan’, in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, is not the fiery-coloured character with the tail and the pitchfork. He is ‘the tempter’ who has already tried to tempt Jesus once to take an easier path, and Peter here is again tempting Jesus to avoid the way of the cross.

“Take this cup away from me” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed. Jesus didn’t want to die either. Even so, Jesus ultimately accepted that the path to true liberation – for the Jews from the Rome, for the Palestinians from Israel, and for all of us from the pain and violence that so engulfs our world – is found at the end of the via dolorosa – the path of suffering.

Saint Paul understood this better than anyone. When people questioned his spiritual authority, he didn’t point to his academic credentials or his celebrity endorsements. He’d say, ‘Hey, I’ve received the forty lashes minus one five times! I’ve been beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times!’ (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). “I bear in my body the marks of Christ” (Galatians 6:17).

I look back at my own life. I don’t want to compete with Paul. Even so, I was almost beaten to death outside Ashkelon prison in Israel in 2004. I somehow escaped being shot outside Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria in 2015. I almost drowned off Manus Island in 2017, pursued by the local navy after breaking into the Asylum-Seeker Processing Centre there, and I don’t know how I survived the experience of being disowned by my own church in 2019 – the most painful experience of them all.

Look back at your own life – at the things you’ve gone through, the price you’ve paid for love, the friends and family members you’ve sacrificed yourself for – pain you’ve endured. To some extent all of us, I am sure, bear in our bodies the marks of Christ.

It didn’t make sense to Peter that Jesus had to let things play out that way, and we still have trouble making sense of it all! Didn’t Christ offer us ‘life in abundance’? (John 10:10). Isn’t religion supposed to make our lives better and more enjoyable? How did the way of the cross somehow become the path to life?!

My favourite philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard’, gave a sermon on Matthew 7:14 – “narrow is the way that leads to life” – suggesting that it isnt’ just coincidental that the way to life happens to be narrow. “Narrowness is the way”, he said. In other words, for the follower of Christ, struggle is always our defining narrative! When life is a constant battle, you know you’re on the right path!

I don’t know exactly why discipleship always has to take this path of pain. I don’t even fully understand why Jesus had to suffer the way He did. Even so, I think we all know that at the end of the journey, we’ll look back and know it was worth the effort!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We enjoyed another wonderful Sunday Eucharist last weekend, and a special thank you to Rev. John Queripel and to Rob Gilland for joining me on the panel. Sadly, we had a few technical problems – this time with the stored recording. It disappeared!

It’s possible that I accidentally deleted it but I can’t see how. Either way, it meant I wasn’t able to generate any video shorts this week. I posted one left over from previous weeks about Jesus’ sense of humour (see below) and I managed to publish our Bible Banter on Romans 12 by editing it from the Rumble version of the broadcast (see way below). Even so, I’m sincerely sorry that I wasn’t able to preserve more of Rob and John’s wit and wisdom for posterity.

This Sunday we’re welcoming Nathan Thomason to the panel – a man who is, amongst other things, Campaign Director of the Libertarian Party in NSW.

The Libertarians are the leading freedom party in this country at the moment, so they have my vote. More than that, I’ve accepted the gracious invitation of John Ruddick to represent them at our state election early next year so you’ll be hearing a lot more about them over the coming months.

Nathan will be joining me and Scotty Minchin for what should be a lively session. Nathan is a deeply spiritual man and he claims to be a committed Calvinist! Expect fireworks a plenty on the panel this weekend!

We’re scheduled to start at midday as usual this Sunday. Just be aware that I’m having my last Sunday this week at Concord Uniting Church who are a wonderful group of people and who may be doing a special morning tea for me. If we start five minutes late, I’m sure you’ll forgive me. Either way, we’ll be broadcasting through Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, and the boxing.

What’s On?

Sunday, August 30 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble

Tuesday, September 1 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thursday, September 3 – Noon Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible

Thursday, September 3 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Saturday, September 5 – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm.

I have much to share in this closing section this week. Most importantly, the verdict of the trial of our dear brother, Dr Hassoun, the former Grand Mufti of Syria, was delivered last Tuesday. He’s been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Some of Dr Hassoun’s supporters have been devastated by the news. Personally, I’m deeply thankful. The regime had seemed determined to deliver the death penalty.

The Jolani government couldn’t get hold of former President Assad, so they took vengeance on the country’s spiritual leader. Even so, they pulled back at the last minute. I assume common sense prevailed. The former Mufti was so loved across Syria and around the world that martyring him would inevitably do them damage.

Of course, this is not the end of the story. Dr Hassoun’s supporters are now looking at avenues for appeal. Personally, while I’ll support every legal attempt to amend his sentence, I expect the solution to come another way. It was a political decision to imprison, torture and sentence him, and the solution will most likely be political too.

If Iran prevails in these terrible wars across the region, the repercussions will be enormous, and the current terrorist government of Syria will likely fall. If Dr Hassoun can hold on till then, he may well be released and returned to a place of honour.

Of course, our brother Mufti is eighty years old. Time is not on his side. Even so, I’m praying that things will be resolved quickly and that we will yet be able to enjoy a celebration with him in Damascus before too many days have passed.

In other news, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend at Binacrombi last weekend. Most significantly, we now have a new man in residence there – Daniel Hays.

God sent Daniel to us only a couple of weeks ago. He’s a tough man, a fighter, ex-military and built for the bush. Moreover, he’s a great man of faith and is committed to helping build Binacrombi as a centre for the spiritual renewal and physical health.

You’ll see some of the pics below from last weekend. We had a lot of fun. Even so, please keep Daniel in your prayers over the next few weeks especially. Times of testing always follow these spiritual breakthroughs.

Finally, I want to share something with you this week that has been of enormous benefit to me. It’s a frequency meditation!

If you’ve never heard of ‘frequency healing’ it involves the use of tones played at certain frequencies that can have a calming and healing effect on body and soul. Knowing how certain songs affect me, I’ve long been convinced that certain sounds and tones must be having a profound effect on our bodies and so I’ve spent some months now researching the art of frequency healing,

I’ve purchased tuning forks and (more recently) a tone generator, and I’m now working on creating short meditations using these tones to share with you.

Have a look at the ‘Evening Healing Sounds’ video below. It goes for 12 minutes and should be played last thing before bed. See if it helps you sleep. It has certainly helped me enormously and has had the unexpected (and embarrassing) benefit of reducing the number of times I get up during the night to visit the bathroom.

If this benefits you, share your feedback and watch out for more videos over coming weeks aimed at boosting your energy, reducing stress and even losing weight!

That’s plenty for today.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight,

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please continue to pray with me

Jesus Unmasked!

Father Dave — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:20:33 +0000

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”” (Matthew 16:13)

If you’re a fan of Batman or Spiderman or any other masked superheroes, you’ll be familiar with that critical scene were someone finally works out who the superhero really is. Batman really is billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne! Who would have guessed? The guy in the spider suit really is young Peter Parker! Well … Matthew, chapter 15, is that moment for Jesus.

Up to this point, everybody, including the disciples, has been asking, “who is this guy?”, but here, at at Caesarea Philippi, all is revealed! The mask comes off! Jesus’ hidden identity as the future ruler of the world is revealed, All questions are answered and all ambiguities are removed, even if it takes the disciples a good while to work out what it all means.

Of course, the scene doesn’t begin with Jesus ripping off his mask. It begins with Him asking, ““Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “What”, in other words, “are people saying about me?”

In years past, I only ever saw this as a warm-up to Jesus’ real question – “but who do YOU say that I am?” – yet it occurs to me, on reading it again, that the question of what the average citizen of Judea thought of Jesus was itself an important question.

Mark Twain said that church is a place where “nice, respectable people go and listen to a nice, respectable man tell them how to be nicer and more respectable”. If you’d asked one of Mark Twain’s contemporaries who the Son of Man was, I expect they would have said something along those lines – that Jesus was a nice, respectable man – a paragon, indeed, of civility and respectability.

I’m not sure how much has changed. One of our Fighting Fathers elders shared something in our mid-week Bible study this week – that when her local parish priest asked the congregation to summarise the Christian faith, most people said something like, “Try to be nice to each other.” Jesus barely got a mention!

I think I’ve been biased the other way in that I’ve known too many people who have been abused by the church, and I think many people in our community associate the church with abuse. Perhaps some might even think of Jesus as an abuser?!

Of course, church abuse goes back hundreds, and even thousands, of years, and not only sexual abuse. I’m a bit sorry now that I read that book on the Crusades as it was appalling to read in detail of all the violence enacted in the name of Christ!

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” I’m not sure I really want to know what all my contemporaries think. In the case of first century Judea though, we do know:

“And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”” (Matthew 16:14)

These were the superheroes of generations past, and they were all dangerous men – prophets who confronted kings, exposed corruption, and paid for it with their blood!

John the Baptist had just had his head chopped off by Herod

Elijah spent much of his life on the run from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

Jeremiah, “the weeping prophet” endured terrible persecution:

Beaten and put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:1–2)

Mocked, isolated, and socially ostracised (Jeremiah 20:10)

Threatened with capital punishment (Jeremiah 26)

Imprisoned and left to die in a sewar (Jeremiah 38:6)

These were not nice, respectable men telling everyone how to be nicer and more respectable. They were rebels and social agitators of the kind that regularly got themselves assassinated.

And Peter goes one step further by saying of Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). In other words, “you are the chief agitator!”

When we put Peter’s statement in context, this is quite clear. They are in the district of Caesarea Philippi – a part of the world named after two of the world’s greatest dictators (Julius Caesar and Philip of Macedon). They were great and powerful rulers, but Peter sees in Jesus someone even greater and more powerful!

Peter is right, of course, in a sense, though he’s also tragically wrong about a lot of it as well, as becomes evident when Jesus concludes the Caesarea Philippi episode by referring to Peter as Satan (but more on that another time)!

Let it suffice to say here that the average Jew of Jesus’ day understood Jesus better, I think, than the average person today, and that Peter understood Jesus better than most of his fellow peers. That’s clear from his confession, and the church continues to hold to that same confession today, though it’s not obvious that today’s Christians have a much better understanding of what it all means than they did back then!

Even so, Peter, and by extension, the church built upon him, holds the keys to the Kingdom, and that’s a sobering thought – that this flawed and broken man with his flawed and broken church is all we’ve been left with to mediate Christ to the world!

Couldn’t God have given us something cleaner, safer – something less broke?
Couldn’t’ God have supplied us with something less likely to damage people? Well … He didn’t. Christ gave us the church we have — the one built both on Peter’s confession and on Peter’s many weaknesses.

Our superhero has been unmasked, His majesty revealed and His powers passed on to His people even though we were never ready for all that power or for the responsibility that came with it.

Lord Jesus, come back quickly, please. Restore Your world, redeem Your church, and bring to completion the work justice and mercy that You began. Amen.

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday. It was great to have Dr Andrew Madry and Bryn Rees back with me on the panel though Bryn, unfortunately, kept dropping out. Why did we keep losing Bryn? I’m not sure. It may have just been poor reception but we’re not ruling out something more sinister. Bryn has been on the front line of the spiritual war lately.

I’ve clipped the discussion on Romans 11 and included it at the end of today’s newsletter. Unfortunately, Bryn wasn’t with us at that stage but AI Saint Paul did his best to fill the vacancy.

I’ve include three reels below this time – one from each of us. Each of these have received thousands of views over the last week. Interestingly, Andrew’s discussion of “Lockdowns and Lies” was initially taken down from TikTok, branded as ‘fake news‘. Such is the world we live in. Lies are peddled as truth while truth is declared fake!

This coming Sunday I’m looking forward to having Rev. John Queripel back on the panel with me. Pastor Eric Fistler from Crystal Lake, Illinois, was also scheduled to join us but has had to pull out at the last minute. Thankfully, Rob Gilland has offered to take his place. Thank you, Rob.

Join us from noon this Sunday (Sydney time) on all the usual channels: Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, and the boxing.

What’s On?

Friday to Sunday, August 21 to 23 @Binacrombi. Please join me

Sunday, August 23rd– Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble

Monday, August 24th – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm

Tuesday, August 25th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thursday, August 27th – Noon Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible

Saturday, August 29th – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm.

I’m finishing today’s newsletter in the dark. It’s just gone 2 am, I’m deep in the bush, and the lights have gone out. Evidently, the solar batteries have run out of power. Hopefully, there will be just enough charge left in my phone and in my laptop to create an Internet connection that will allow me to publish this newsletter before I get to bed. We’ll see …

It feels like an embodied parable – a light shining in the darkness. If you receive this email before sunlight (Sydney time), you’ll know that, once again, the darkness did not overcome it!

Your brother in the Good Fight,

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic

Libertarian Party meeting – August 19, 2026

Feeling welcome at Wesley Mission

Bread for the Children… and the Dogs!

Father Dave — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:14:45 +0000

“But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” (Matthew 15:25-26)

I love working with the lectionary, as each week it provides me with three readings, and I get to choose which reading I focus on, except on the weeks when I don’t.

Sometimes, the list includes a reading that creates such a mess when you read it you have to go and clean it up. This week’s Gospel that tells of Jesus calling a foreign woman a … (I can’t use the word) – a female dog is one such reading!

Yes, the woman was a pain in the neck, and, yes, this happens just when Jesus was tired and trying to get a break. Even so, Jesus doesn’t use that sort of language, does He, and He would surely never disrespect anyone, would He?

Perhaps we should pause here and give this incident some context, as this story really begins a chapter earlier where we read, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” (Matthew 13:14)

What ‘had happened’ was that John the Baptist had been killed by King Herod, and this evidently affected Jesus deeply. Jesus and John were close, and not only were they friends and relatives, but their work, as we know, was deeply linked.

When John is killed, Jesus tries to get some space to pray. Indeed, Jesus makes at least three attempts to get away, all of which are radically unsuccessful.

On his first attempt, Jesus found an isolated space, but everyone followed Him. He ended up having to feed them all out in the desert (Mark 14:13-21).

Then He sent everyone home and told the disciples to meet Him on the other side of the lake while He went up into the hills alone to pray, but the disciples got into trouble, and He had to walk directly across the lake to reach them!

In this third attempt, Jesus goes into Gentile territory – to the region of Tyre and Sidon – an area where He knew no Jew would follow Him.

This time it seems Jesus succeeded in finding space, and then this pushy woman starts following Him, shouting, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.”

Sometimes you do have to say ‘no’.

I learnt that a long time ago. When I started as parish priest in Dulwich Hill in 1990, I figured I should follow the commandment of Jesus to “give to those who ask” (Matthew 5:42) and always kept a small stack of five-dollar notes in my wallet to give to those who would come to the rectory door asking for money until I ran out!

I still remember the guy, rather obnoxious and stroppy, not reacting well when I said I had nothing for him. “I’ll wait while you go to the ATM,” he said and added, “It’s your job to help me.” I got a bit stroppy myself and said, “No, it’s not my job to help you!”

That’s basically what Jesus says to this woman too – you are not my job. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24)

That doesn’t put the woman off, of course. She falls down and begs Him, we’re told, to which Jesus responds, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (Matthew 15:26)

The International Standard Version translates this as ‘puppies’, of course, which sounds a little better. The word used – kunarion – is indeed a diminutive form of the normal word for ‘dog’ (kuōn) and hence can mean ‘little dog’ or even ‘pet dog’. Even so, it’s hardly a compliment!

Was Jesus being playful? Was the testing done on her? Was He… What was he doing? In truth, I don’t know, but we do know what happens next …

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” says Jesus. She barks back, “Even the puppies pick up the scraps that fall from the children’s table.”

And Jesus is impressed! Indeed, He seems shocked! “Great is your faith, woman! Off you go. Be assured that your daughter is doing just fine.”

This is what the woman wanted, and off she goes. Even so, it’s hard to know what Jesus meant when he complimented her great faith because she’s not, recognisably, a woman of faith. She’s not, at any rate, attached to any approved faith tradition. She’s not a Jew, nor even a Samaritan. She’s a Canaanite – an idol worshipper!

This woman was not taking her stand alongside the apostle Peter, saying, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), as she wouldn’t have known what that sentence meant. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David” was probably about as much religious language as she could muster!

Stupidity and stubbornness – that’s what she displayed, and I suspect that is the essence of faith. This unnamed woman was stupid enough to think that Jesus could do for her what nobody else could do, and she was stubborn enough to persist with Jesus even after he called her a dog!

Stupidity and Stubbornness – I know we prefer to use more flattering labels such as ‘daring’ and ‘perseverance’. Let’s just call them what they are: stupidity and stubbornness.

It’s what faith is all about! Of course, I’m biased in defining faith this way, as these are qualities I have in abundance, and I see these same qualities richly displayed in a great many of my friends and supporters too!

I’m still aiming for a world title fight at age 64. That’s pretty stupid. Of course, they told me I was stupid when I made my debut as a professional boxer at age 34 and that I was even more stupid to keep going – getting continually punched in the head to raise funds for the ministry. There had to be an easier way to do it.

And yes, I’m stupid enough to think I could still change the world with my fists! Do any of you think you’re up to being as stupid and stubborn as me, or even as stupid and stubborn as the unnamed Canaanite woman we celebrate in today’s gospel?

It’s a curious story – Jesus’ encounter with this loud and disruptive foreign woman – but she shows us what real faith looks like. It’s not pretty. Indeed, it’s loud and confronting and annoying! Even so, it moved Jesus, and it can move mountains still!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We enjoyed another wonderful Eucharist together last Sunday. John Jegasothy and I had the privilege of welcoming Pastor Rob Robayna to the panel for the first time. Pastor Rob had a few technical troubles and disappeared just before the Gospel reading. Even so, I’ve clipped his insights below from our Bible Banter on Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 10.

The Romans 10 clip also features some powerful insights from AI Saint Paul, who speaks of Romans 10 as a “symphony of inclusivity”. That’s a powerful phrase that caps a great discussion. Scroll down towards the end of today’s newsletter to find it.

You’ll find this week’s most popular short videos (‘reels’) immediately below. I published a collection of reels this week focused on the former Grand Mufti of Syria, Dr Hassoun. Inevitably, they get a lot of hits, as Dr Hassoun has a big following, especially on Facebook.

You can see all our reels on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page and all our videos (long and short) on Rumble.

This Sunday I’m hoping to have two old friends back with me on the panel – Brynn Reese and Dr Andrew Madry.

I say ‘hoping‘, as Brynn will be on the road, and getting a solid Internet connection in the areas he traverses can be difficult. Even so, I’m hoping to have him with us for a little while, as he has significant news to share about the way the government seems to be disarming the farming community! Of course, Andrew may have his own disturbing updates on the medical community! I’m looking forward to it very much.

Join us please on Sunday from noon on Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or StreamYard.

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What’s On?

Saturday, August 15th – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm

Sunday, August 16th – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble

Monday, August 17th – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm

Thursday, August 20th – Noon Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible

Thursday, August 20th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Friday to Sunday, August 21 to 23 @Binacrombi. Please join me.

I hope you’ve had a good week. It’s been another busy one for me – regularly getting to bed at 3am or 4am due to late-night conference calls with friends around the world who are coming together in support of our Syrian brother, Sheikh Hassoun.

It is encouraging to see the breadth of the grassroots support for the former Grand Mufti of Syria. His trial is now over. The verdict will be given in ten days’ time. The current state of the Syrian courts and government gives us little reason to hope. Even so, as our Gospel reading today reminds us, faith is never bound by rationality.

You may have heard that the same court just handed down death sentences for former Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. The irony that these Al Qaeda leaders should be passing judgement on others for crimes of violence is palpable.

Of course, former President Assad is well out of reach – safely ensconced in Russia – and so the bloodlust of the new government may well now focus on the former mufti. He has already been tortured, and his health is failing. Even so, I was told that he smiled and his eyes welled with tears when my name was mentioned and he was told we were trying to help. Apparently, he prays for me each day too as I do for him.

That’s enough on dear Dr Hassoun, as my eyes are tearing up now, too. Please do keep praying, though – for Dr Hassoun, for his family and for all the people of Syria (especially members of minority groups, like Syrian Christians).

If you’re available to join me in the bush next weekend (August 21 to 23), it will be a great weekend. I’ll be participating in a church retreat there, teaching my breathing, chanting and prayer routines and, of course, doing some boxing. We still have space available, but let me know ASAP, please.

May the Lord bless and strengthen you for the work to which you have been called.

Your brother in the Good Fight,

www.fatherdave.org
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www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

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Good News for Dysfunctional Families!

Father Dave — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:46:47 +0000

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him an ornamented robe.” (Genesis 37:3)

I’m guessing that not all of us know this narrative about the teenage years of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. When I was a child in 1968 and Andrew Lloyd Webber brought out Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, everyone knew this story (or a version of it), but that was a long time ago. There’s been no Disney version since, and I think I know why. It’s a nasty story where most of the characters are either wicked or clueless. Moreover, there are no miracles in the story, and God doesn’t even get a mention! Even so, there is good news here — but let me fill out the story a bit first for those who have never heard it.

Joseph, great‑grandson of Abraham, carries God’s promises of descendants, of a land, and of a blessing to all nations, though he doesn’t seem aware of any of that at this stage. What he does know is that his father loves him more than any of his brothers and that he has been given a special dress.

I use the word ‘dress’ deliberately. The Hebrew term — ‘ketonet passim’ — appears at only one other point in our Scriptures, in 2 Samuel 13, where it refers to Princess Tamar’s dress – “the garment worn by the king’s daughters who were virgins.” (v.18)

Why would Jacob give his teenage son a princess’ dress? Some queer theorists and feminist theologians have suggested that Joseph may have been gender-nonconforming or that Jacob was projecting his own identity struggles onto his son.

It’s speculative, of course, but it’s worth remembering that Jacob himself is described as a “smooth man” who liked to “dwell in tents”, in contrast to his hyper‑masculine brother Esau, who loved to hunt and was covered in hair (Genesis 25:27, 27:11).

Having said that, Jacob also had eleven sons and at least one daughter by this stage — twelve children to four different women — which makes him look father macho himself, so perhaps we should be cautious speculating on the psychosexual struggles of these ancient people. What is clear is that both Jacob and Joseph were extraordinarily emotionally unaware, for neither of them seemed to realise that Joseph was despised by his ten older brothers.

In Genesis 37:13 Jacob says, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”

Both Jacob and Joseph seem to be oblivious to the danger. Didn’t they think it might have bothered the older boys that Joseph had been singled out for the princess dress? They might not have wanted the dress, but they might have appreciated something that suggested they too were special to their dad. And these older boys were only Joseph’s half‑brothers. Jacob had had seven children with Leah, his first wife; four more with his slave women, Zilpah and Bilhah; and only one with Rachel at that stage – the woman he apparently truly loved – and that was Joseph.

I don’t know what you think of polyamorous (multi-partner) relationships. Personally, I think that more flexible family structures may be a good option for any number of people today. Even so, there aren’t many examples in the Bible of functional multi‑partner households, and Jacob’s family was an archetypal disaster!

This is good news in a sense. Perhaps your family — like mine — is rather dysfunctional, full of broken relationships and old wounds. Well, compared to the families of the patriarchs, we are the ‘The Brady Bunch’! And if you’re too young for ‘The Brady Bunch’ (which debuted only one year after Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), think ‘Modern Family’ or perhaps even ‘The Kardashians’.

My point is that however much shame or pain you carry over your family story, our forefathers and foremothers in the faith were worse! The Hebrew Bible is full of parents who can’t manage their children and siblings who hate each other — from Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, and David; and don’t forget the prophet Hosea! Not many of our heroes in the faith had functional families.

If you’ve made mistakes, you’re in good company. More importantly, your mistakes do not disqualify you from being God’s beloved and chosen servant.

Of course, as I said, God doesn’t actually get a mention in this reading, and in the greater Joseph story, you don’t see any great miracles. Things simply go from bad to worse for Joseph until one day everything is turned upside down and he becomes one of the most powerful people in the world.

I won’t spoil the story if you don’t know the whole of it yet. Suffice it to say that God’s presence is never obvious in Joseph’s day‑to‑day life. Joseph connects with God in his dreams, but beyond that his life is extraordinarily unspectacular — right up until the day when all his dreams come true.

“Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites… for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. (Genesis 37:27)

That’s where I want to leave this saga for today, with the brothers graciously deciding to sell Joseph rather than kill him. The boy is in slavery, the father is grieving, the brothers are lying and the family is shattered, and if that feels like your family, keep in mind this is not the end of the story.

It is not obvious at this point in the story what God is doing in Joseph’s life, but God is at work in the background. Things seem impossibly bad, but soon enough everything will be turned on its head, and that is the heart of our good news today.

Joseph cannot see God at work. Jacob cannot see God at work. The brothers certainly cannot see God at work, but God is weaving redemption through the very threads of their dysfunction. The robe, the jealousy, the pit, the betrayal — none of these are positive, let alone holy, yet they are the beginning of a story of salvation!

We believe in a God who turns things upside down — who brings down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. We believe in a God who can take a boy from the pit and make him a source of life for all nations.

Perhaps we are in the pit right now. Perhaps our world is in the pit. Our story is not over yet either, and the God who brings light out of darkness is already on the move!

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday, and thanks go especially to dear David Baldwin for gracing us with his wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, the other member of that dynamic duo – Tom Toby – was a no-show, and we suspect that’s because he was in Iraq, unable to connect.

Tom did warn me that his next broadcast would happen mid-pilgrimage. He anticipated connecting again from one of the great shrines in Karbala. Even so, it didn’t happen, and I trust that was due to technical difficulties unrelated to the evolving military conflict there. Even so, say a prayer for Tom’s safety and for all those celebrating Ashura in Iraq this year.

Back to last Sunday, our discussion of Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter nine, was a highlight for me. There were a lot of us involved. Apart from David and myself and the rest of the online community, AI Saint Paul made a rather unique contribution.

Normally, we throw questions at AI Paul. This time our virtual brother hit back and started questioning us! Add to this the interview I did with Dr Youseff Koury from Gaza, and it’s amazing we contained it all within 15 minutes. The clip is pasted at the end of today’s newsletter. Enjoy!

As usual, the most popular short videos from the last week are featured directly below, and by far our most popular shorts were once again recordings of our prayers.

One of those who commented on that latter prayer was Dr Hassoun’s son, Abdul Rahman Hassoun, who wrote, “Thank you for your honourable stance with my father. You are a dear friend to my father. Thank you from the Hassoun family.”

I believe this connects all of us to the Hassoun family and to the struggle for justice and peace in Syria. The decision on his case is going to be made on Monday, August 24th. Please keep up with the prayers until then.

For other short videos from our broadcast, see the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page, and for all our recordings, long and short, visit Rumble.

This Sunday I’m excited to welcome a new member to our Sunday Eucharist team – Rob Robayna – who will be joining me and Rev. John Jegasothy on the panel.

Rob is a Baptist pastor whom I’ve been bumping into at various Palestine rallies and fundraisers over the last couple of years. He describes himself as an “organisational consultant and community organiser” and says he’s also journeyed with people involved in global mission projects, and mentored overseas students!

Yes, I’m excited to have Rob on the panel this week, though less excited that the opportunity only came up because I can’t track down Andrew Logan!

Andrew did tell us that he and Gigi were travelling to the US, but I didn’t anticipate losing contact with him. In the past, he’s joined us from a variety of far-flung locations. So … Andrew, if you’re reading this, please let us know that you’re OK.

Join us this Sunday at the usual time via all the usual channels: from midday on Rumble, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, or StreamYard.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program

Access member-only training videos

Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

All of the above +

One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or video.

Heavyweight—$100/month (in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

All of the above +

One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, and the boxing.

What’s On?

Saturday, August 8th – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm

Sunday, August 9th – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, StreamYard and Rumble

Monday, August 10th – Boxing at Brofit Gym in Bankstown from 6.30 pm

Tuesday, August 4th – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm.

Thursday, July 30th – Noon Bible Study @www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible

Saturday, August 15th – Boxing at the Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm

And so we reach the end of another week.

I look back over the last seven days and see so much to be thankful for – so many wonderful friends and supporters, my beautiful partner and children, and the beautiful house I’ve been given to live in for the next six months. This week I’ve experienced pain at a friend’s funeral and the exhilaration of at least a dozen rounds in the ring. I have much to be thankful for.

At the same time, my heart is aching for Palestine, for Iran, for Lebanon, and for my brother in chains, Dr Hassoun, the former Grand Mufti of Syria. As I mentioned above, the verdict is expected on August 24th. That’s a little over two weeks away. Please pray with me that justice might somehow prevail and that he be freed.

There seems to be a frenzied debate online at the moment about the former Mufti. It’s almost all in Arabic, of course, so I miss most of it. Even so, it seems that he has an enormous amount of grassroots support, which is exactly what I would expect. Evidently, though, a lot of people think the case was decided long before it went to court. I pray that they are wrong.

The story of Joseph encourages me. We left Joseph today sitting in a pit, waiting to be sold. From the pit he goes into slavery, and from slavery into prison, and then he’s suddenly elevated to become the second most powerful man in the world!

Experience confirms that the Kingdom of God does work exactly like that – like yeast in the dough or like a mustard seed. Things change suddenly, radically and mysteriously. One moment your brother is in prison and in pain; the next, he may be free and celebrating.

Of course, we can’t control it, and God’s timing never seems to be in sync with my clock. Even so, we pray.

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Grant us faith to trust you in the pits and dark places of our lives.
and weave your redemption through all that is broken.

Make us patient in suffering, steadfast in hope,
and confident that you are already turning all things
toward your good purposes.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

www.fatherdave.org
www.fatherdave.info
www.fightshop.biz
www.fatherdave.com.au
www.binacrombi.com.au
www.savethesheikh.com
www.prayersforsyria.com
www.fighting-fathers.com
www.boxersforpeace.com
www.softwareresales.com
www.warriorweekends.com
www.israelandpalestine.org
www.thesundayeucharist.com
www.oldschoolboxing.academy
www.christiansandmuslims.com
www.christianswithdepression.com

Please visit the Fighting Fathers’ online shop

Please pray with me and feel free to share this graphic