Tag: religion

MEET ME AT REDCLIFFE ON MELBOURNE CUP NIGHT (TUESDAY)

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Good Books, religion

An active group of Progressive Christians meet regularly at Redcliffe to debate the core issues of modern Christianity.

They call themselves the REDCLIFFE EXPLORERS and they are interesting people who have expansive minds.

I am delighted to have accepted their invitation to meet with them on Tuesday of the coming week, 4 November, at 7.00pm, to discuss my book, WALKING WITH THE MAN BUT NOT TO CHURCH.

Venue is the Redcliffe Uniting Church from whom they rent the Ocean Room for the evening.

If you would like to be with them on Tuesday evening, they will warmly welcome your attendance and invite you to join them in asking challenging questions about my book. I will too. Come early and enjoy a coffee.

WALKING WITH THE MAN has been written in secular language for the 90% of people who don’t go to Church but want to find a positive way to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Man and make Australia a more caring and cohesive society.

See you there.

Warm Regards

Everald

5 OCTOBER 2026 (NOT 2025). MARK IT IS YOUR DIARY AS EVERALD’S 95th BIRTHDAY WHEN YOU WILL WALK ELEVEN KILOMETRES WITH ME AROUND ULURU TO HELP ME RAISE 100,000 DOLLARS FOR ‘DORCAS ACTS’, A CHARITY OF WHICH I AM PATRON.

On By Everald ComptonIn Dorcas ACTS, History, religion, Uluru

My hope is that 100 friends will join me at ULURU on a WALK IN THE SPIRIT and each set a goal of funds they will raise personally for Dorcas ACTS.

I hope that another 1000 friends, scattered all over Australia, will do a ‘symbolic’ ULURU WALK IN THE SPIRIT of eleven kilometres in a rural setting somewhere near where they live and invite friends to walk with them, setting a target of funds they will raise for Dorcas ACTS.

I have chosen ULURU as it is in my view the spiritual heart of Australia set in the centre of our continent as the cornerstone of the land on which we live and move and have our being. My hope is that my walk will be a spiritual experience for us all, something similar to the Camino Walk in Spain.

About six weeks from now, DORCAS ACTS will open a special website on which you can sign up to participate and choose the type of accommodation we can reserve for you as well as record your attendance at a DINNER with an Uluru Elder the night before the Walk to learn about the place of ULURU in the Dreamtime, as well as your presence at a BRUNCH at the conclusion of the Walk to share our experiences and hear messages from fellow walkers all over Australia.

For now, just send me a message containing your email address and saying you are interested in taking part. You will then receive an email from Dorcas ACTS when bookings open. You can send the message right now on my website, everaldcompton.com, or by direct message on Twitter or Facebook. If you have my phone number, just send me a text.

I look forward to sharing a special experience with you on 5 OCTOBER 2026 as we WALK IN THE SPIRIT and raise funds for Dorcas ACTS so it can continue, as it has done for 15 years, to send cash grants direct to people in crisis situations.

Shalom

Everald

Reviews of my book, “WALKING WITH THE MAN, BUT NOT TO CHURCH” from websites of AMAZON and GOODREADS. Please add yours.

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Good Books, religion

When I reached the outer fringe of old age at 80, I took up book writing seriously and have over the past 13 years published 5 of which I am proud.

The Man on the Twenty Dollar Notes, Dinner with the Founding Fathers, A Beautiful Sunset, Catching the Linville Train and Walking with the Man but not to Church.

All 5 are selling well, but my personal choice of my best work is THE MAN. Some of its readers have written reviews of it on Amazon and Goodreads & I have recorded just one or two lines from each, as many have more than 50 words.

IAN STEWART- A fabulous read. An easy read. Draws you in with its integrity, credibility and subtle challenges. CEC PEDERSEN – Everald writes about Jesus the Man without the religious gobbly gook and rhetoric and hypocrisy that has driven so many away from mainstream religion. JOHN LYONS – Everald has captured the essence of christian values and practice. STEPHEN KOUKALAS – Everald strikes at the heart of what a good society should be, something missing with many faiths nowadays. TONY BRETHERTON – Everald fearlessly sets out how churches and religion should be if Jesus is to be followed.

BILL SYNNOT – Everald chronicles his journey as a Christian from childhood onwards. JOY SCHLOSS – I share with Everald the strong conviction that Jesus is my primary model for life. JEFF GILLING – In his trademark down to earth conversational relatable style, Everald’s fifth book is a compelling read. DEAN GOULD – Thought provoking call to reconsider Jesus the Man as opposed to the curated and institutionalised version of Christ that most of us grew up with. ALISON COURTICE – As an atheist and humanist, I share values with Everald who is the longest serving Elder in the Uniting Church in Australia.

ANDREW CATSARAS – A wonderful and effortless read. Everald is the living embodiment of what it is to walk with the Man. DAVID McGIFFIN – Everald fills a very intriguing place in the world of religion/philosophy/atheism, principally appealing to the non believer. RUSSELL HARPER – Everald’s book is written with respectful but ‘gut level’ honesty. ANDREW SCHULZ – Walking with the Man is a reflection of a lifetime of analytical deductions and deep passion by its author Everald Compton. CHRIS WRIGHT – A compelling and thought provoking exploration of Everald’s unwavering commitment to living Christianity.

CAROL KENT – Everald’s book is very thought provoking. He has the courage of his convictions and just gets better with age. A READER – Everald’s life journey is an inspiration for Australian’s of all ages. MICHAEL SPRINGER – I am not a Church goer and I am delighted that Everald’s book enthusiastically captures the core principles of Jesus. DAVID MUIR – Everald walks the talk and follows the example of Jesus and people like Flynn of the Inland. MICHAEL NAYLER – Powerful and thought provoking. Everald challenges Christians and non-believers alike to understand Jesus message.

DON MORRIS – Everald, you are a master. Whether you are a believer or not, this book is most thought evoking. GRANTLEE KIEZA – A fascinating and thought provoking book. ROBERT TREDENICK – A really well researched and thoughtful read. Very good. DAVID HETHERINGTON – Warm, wise, insightful book that shares valuable insights for those who believe and those who dont. PETER McGIFFIN – Compelling read that shares a lifetime of thoughtful analysis of Christianity.

A MAN OF THE PEOPLE – This book is like a compass to give people a guide on how to live a fulfilling and compassionate life. ANNIE T – Everald has written a great book that will entertain you and make you wiser. MARK RUDDER – Every book club should have this book on their reading list. Guaranteed to provoke lively discussion. SEABASS88 – This thought provoking book encourages readers to embrace values that foster connection, compassion and sense of purpose. STEPHEN – Have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on how to improve our society for the better and leave a legacy.

MAEDO – This book for all its many shortfalls jolts the reader to rethink all ‘givens’. DIANE DROMGOLD – Congratulations Everald for your inspired writing and your faithful commitment as a true follower of Jesus the Man. GREG CARY – This book is a journey worth taking. Enjoy the conclusions of a wonderful man and his long and fascinating religious journey. ANONYMOUS – This is a rare find. An easy read that feels like a dinner conversation with good friends. PAJ – Sensational and absorbing read. It follows the simple lessons of a man named Jesus and not all the fuzzie noise in between.

CARRIE – I am one of the 90% of Australians who do not attend Church but consider myself to be a person of faith and belief. Have a read of this book, you won’t be disappointed. GREG McMAHON – A great read from a great Australian that diverges widely from doctrines taught by christian schools and churches. MICHAEL TEYS – This is a very readable account of the lives of saints and sinners that is uplifting and inspirational. BEVERLEY BELL – Walking with the Man has captured for me the teachings of the human Jesus instead of preaching about an exalted divine Jesus. REBECCA LEVINGSTON – Everald’s energy is irrepressible. To know more about his personal philosophy in life is a gift. We can all grow from his curiosity and care.

BRYAN GILMOUR – Everald articulates the simple and practical principles that underpin the life of Jesus. GRAHAM DOOLEY – Everald explains the turning away from Christianity by the bulk of the historically Christian world. WALLACE TAYLOR – This book unpicks irrelevant dogma from the allegories that aim to convey the timeless messages of decency. AMAZON READER – Thought provoking read that will lift your spirit. LINDSAY MARSHALL – A must read for churchgoers, those who no longer attend and those who have never been.

ANONYMOUS PHONE CALL FROM AN INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN – I greatly resent the way christian missionaries have demeaned the spirituality of my people and insisted we must reject it, follow their religion and join their Church. But I have read your book and am convinced that Jesus the Man will positively relate to our dreamtime and our worship of the land. I intend to now walk with him but go nowhere near a Church.

EMAIL FROM A LAPSED ANGLICAN -I have run away from Church for 50 years but your book has convinced me that I cannot run away from Jesus the Man any longer. I am now proud working partner.

MESSAGE THAT MADE WORTHWHILE MY TWO YEARS OF WRITING ABOUT THE MAN – When my parents divorced they were declared sinners by our local priest and refused the sacraments. I have never been back to church since then. Now, I have read your book. So impressed with it I bought six copies for friends who do not go to church. They were inspired too. Now we meet for lunch every month and as working partners of THE MAN we do our best to make our community a better place to live happily and positively.

You can buy a signed copy of WALKING WITH THE MAN from my website – everaldcompton.com – or online from Amazon or any online bookseller as paperback, kindle or audiobook. Alternatively, send me a direct message on Twitter or Facebook or Bluesky

Enjoy the read and the journey.

Everald

The splendid painting below is the work of my friend Noela Lowien of Kilcoy. It depicts the Good Samaritan in modern Australian form as the Bush Samaritan whom you will note is female. As you will expect, she is a working partner of Jesus the Man.

‘WALKING WITH THE MAN’ IS HITTING THE MARK

On By Everald ComptonIn Uncategorized

My morale got a boost this week when my book Walking with the Man got a #1 best seller rating in a section of books on religion at Amazon, including a 5 star rating. It also got a #2 best seller rating in another section just below a Pope Francis book.

The reason is that most buyers are lapsed Christians who gave up going to Church soon after leaving Church Schools as they had ‘a gut full of religion instruction.’ Those who are Catholics say they had learned nothing more at Church than being told to be loyal, go to Mass and Confession, and put their money in the plate. My book opened the door for them to respectfully question everything about doctrines, creeds and how the Church is run. They find it refreshing and encourages them to seek and find Jesus the Man as a human being who is their role model.

I met one reader who is an Indigenous person who had Christianity rammed down his neck at a Church Mission up in the Gulf Country. He quite naturally revolted against European culture blotting out the spirituality of his people that was their strength, inherited from the dreamtime. After reading ‘Walking with the Man’ he embraces the profound belief that Jesus the Man would, like him, love and treasure the land, air, water, flora and fauna. This conviction is quietly and steadily growing in his mind and he intends to do something positive about it.

I could quote the comments of many other readers but one fact dominates my mind.

THE CHURCHES OF AUSTRALIA HAVE ONLY 10% OF PEOPLE AS MEMBERS. THEY HAVE FAILED TO CONVEY TO THE REMAINING 90% THAT JESUS THE MAN IS THE CORNERSTONE OF LIFE.

But he can be the role model of the nation if people choose to follow him without going to Churches in their current form.

Joint the debate and take part in an inspiring reformation by buying a signed copy of ‘Walking with the Man, but not to Church’ on my website

Everald’s Mission

SIGN PETITION TODAY FOR REFERENDUM ON PREAMBLE TO OUR CONSTITUTION THAT OUTLINES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AUSTRALIAN.

On By Everald ComptonIn Civil Rights, Community and Values, Constitution, Elections, Good Books, Government, History, Justice, Law, Referendum, religion

1 October 2025

https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN8147

With significant help from three eminent Australians, Paul de Jersey, David Muir and Anthony Lynham, I have drafted a Preamble I believe our Founding Fathers should have adopted as the opening statement of the Australian Constitution in 1901.

I have lodged a petition to Parliament requesting that a Referendum be held on the same day as the 2028 Federal Election so that future Parliaments, with positive backing of voters, are required to uphold the values we regard as the ground of our being as Australians.

Here are the words I propose and for which I seek your support in signing the petition.

‘We, the people of Australia,

*Proudly acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as original occupants and custodians of our continent and islands who cared for our land, water, flora, and fauna for many thousands of years.

*Recognise that our nation is enriched by people from many ancestries who have chosen to make Australia their home.

*Affirm our commitment to democratic, representative, and secular government of our sovereign nation founded on rule of law, equality before the law, and government by the people.

*Believe in justice through independent courts and equality of social, economic, and political opportunity for all in a manner that minimises inequality.

*Seek visionary reform of our colonial heritage and reject racism, sexism, class distinction, poverty, all forms of violence, and domination by wealth, ideology, religion.

*Affirm the right of every citizen to a vote of equal value and basic benefits of home, food, education, employment, medical care, and social interaction.

*Uphold family life as a cornerstone asset of society.

*Aspire to a cohesive society that rejects greed and is based on honesty, decency, sharing, and goodwill.

*Acknowledge that our freedom of speech and religion is based on our acceptance of responsibility as citizens.

*Seek peace with all nations and our maintenance of global order in matters relating to peace, trade, health and environment.

*Strive to ensure through our collective efforts that Australia is a role model of an enlightened and just society.

With hope and determination, we commit ourselves to this Constitution.’

I welcome your recommendations for improvements.

In my book, DINNER WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS, I describe the huge effort made by Alfred Deakin at the Federation Conventions of the 1890’s to have a Preamble inserted in the Constitution that would set out the values on which our new nation would be founded. Churches opposed any debate on it as they claimed they were were responsible for the morals and values of our nation, a task for which they have significantly failed.

Everald Compton

Please sign petition right now.

https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN8147

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN AUSTRALIAN?

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Constitution, Elections

Alfred Deakin was Prime Minister of Australia three times.

He was also a powerful founding father of our nation, having a huge influence in drafting our Constitution.

It is important to note that he made a significant effort to include a Preamble to the Constitution that would set out what it means to be an Australian and what are the basic principles of life that are the fabric of our existence.

He failed to achieve this as he was bitterly opposed by Churches. They claimed to be in charge of the morals of the nation, a task in which they have massively failed.

Now in #Election2025, our leaders only ever talk about #money as they are certain that this is the only value that we place on life, an assumption which may largely be true.

But the blunt truth is Australians live in a massively divided society which seems to have no cornerstone other than #greed on which to base our finest aspirations.

We can but weep.

Everald

SEARCHING FOR THE GROUND OF OUR BEING

On By Everald ComptonIn Good Books, religion

Each and very one of us has an inner personal power and our way of using it determines the quality of our lives.

Some of us decide also to add a power to our lives that is beyond our own until we take steps to welcome it.

In my case, during the 93 years since my mother Thelma first took me to Sunday School in Linville, I have added to my life the powerful influence of JESUS THE MAN, not the Christ whom Churches created. I am certain that my decision to do this has added a significant dimension to my being.

THE MAN is indeed the cornerstone of my life and he has inspired me always to reach for the stars, while empowering me to pick myself up and start again whenever I fall or fail (which is often).

Nevertheless, I am pleased also to acknowledge that I have valued friends whose lives are successfully based on a cornerstone of influence that is different to mine – Confucius, Mahommed, Gandhi etc. They have my huge respect, except for those who worship a football team or a pop star.

So it was that, a couple of years ago, I decided to write 2 books that would convey, in secular language, my search for the ground of my being. I must confess that my decision was more to convince myself, rather than you, that I have not been wasting my time.

The first is a novel called A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET.

It tells the fictional story of a famous Anglican Priest who is stricken with terminal cancer and decides to depart via Voluntary Assisted Dying, causing huge controversy by doing so. He decides to make his last 3 months the most caring, compassionate and happy of his life. On the day before he dies he invites his friends to drop by for a drink, creating a delightfully pleasant final curtain call. I was not feeling morbid when I wrote this book. I just wanted to convince myself that death is a wonderfully inevitable final curtain call that I will enjoy and that I do not expect or want or will accept any eternal rewards.

The second was published only a few months ago and is called WALKING WITH THE MAN, BUT NOT TO CHURCH.

I wrote it in non religious language in the hope that my readers will be the 90% of people who do not go to Church and never will. It tells a personal story of my journey of faith from being a fundamentalist to becoming an open minded progressive during which I changed from being a Christian to become a WORKING PARTNER OF JESUS THE MAN who actively walks with him to create a better world. It contains many thoughtful pages about great people who have influenced my life . My hope is that many working partners will join with me in fostering Australia as a model nation that finds, understands and actively accepts the ground of its being as a caring and sharing society.

I now have a special offer for you personally that is a much better alternative than buying these two books via an order on my website or via my publishers or an online bookseller.

To take it up, I invite you to

*Send me a direct message on X (twitter) or Bluesky.

*Do the same on Facebook via Messenger.

*Go to my website https://everaldcompton.com. Do not place an order, but send me a personal message on the link that says Contact Me.

*If you already have my mobile phone number or email, please use it to make contact.

No matter which method you use, all that I need is your postal address, phone & email. I will send you details on how to pay me online and will sign each book, adding a personal greeting as well.

The special cost, not available elsewhere, which is inclusive of both books and postage, is a total of 50 dollars.

Enjoy reading them both. I feel confident you will find it to be money well spent.

Then send me a message to arrange a 5 minute phone chat so we can learn from your each other of our experience in searching and finding the ground of our being.

Yours on a meaningful journey.

Everald

WHEN YOU REACH AGE EIGHTY IT’S TIME TO START WRITING BOOKS.

On By Everald ComptonIn Good Books, History, religion, Seniors

On the day I celebrated my 80th birthday I decided to become an author who would write best sellers. I had written a few books about fund raising in my earlier life, as well as a biography for my family, but no serious novels that could find a place on shelves of book shops.

So, I decided it was time to get serious and made plans to write and publish 5 books before I reached 90. I failed to achieve this goal as I only published the fifth at age 93. Never mind, my plan is to write another 4 before I reach my century.

I made an instant decision that my first would be about my boyhood hero, John Flynn, known in my era as Flynn of the Inland, founder of the Flying Doctor Service. Took me a while to work out where to start as I knew that, if the opening pages don’t grip readers, they toss the book away. So, I decided to open with an account of the day when the Presbyterian Church sacked Flynn for being too visionary and not fundamentalist. So it was that THE MAN ON THE TWENTY DOLLAR NOTES was born and it sold well. People love to read about nation builders.

My second was DINNER WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS. I wrote it as an historical novel based on the lives of great leaders who founded Australia on 1 January 1901 (not 26 Jan). The key leaders were Barton, Deacon, Griffith and others. I based it around a fictional dinner where they review all the battles they fought over the 13 years it took to achieve a Federation of Australian States. I kept rigidly to the historical facts and created dialogue based on the known character of each of the heroes. Good authors don’t create history.

Then came A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET. This is pure fiction, not history. I found fiction to be much harder to write as it requires a lot of imagination. The story is about a famous Anglican Priest who gets a terminal illness and decides to depart via voluntary assisted dying. Huge controversy erupts but he decides to make his last three months the finest of his life. Sells mainly to people and families who face end of life challenges.

Number 4 was CATCHING THE LINVILLE TRAIN. A political history of nine decades of my life. Lots of chapters about world events that impacted on me, people I worked with and wonderful places I visited. All happened from age 6 when I took my first journey out from the small village of Linville where my life had begun. It was a train to Toogoolawah. Gradually, trains took me on many journeys. Again, I do not distort historical facts, but I hugely enjoyed researching it all on google. Did not have to visit a library. Fact is you can only become an author if you enjoy the long search for excellence. Once it becomes hard work, give it up.

The last, so far, is WALKING WITH THE MAN, BUT NOT TO CHURCH. I have written it in secular language for the 90% of us who don’t go to Church and never will. It simply creates a modern example of the original disciples who went out to the world to ask people to follow a great man, their friend Jesus. The Bible did not exist for another 400 years. They did not tell anyone that they must be saved from their sins. They just talked about the Man and I follow their example today. My challenge was to quietly evaluate all the dogmas and fears that Churches tried to embed in my soul for 9 decades and present a compelling case on how we can create a new world by WALKING WITH THE MAN. I chose my words carefully and redrafted them 15 times so as to get it right. If you want to be an author, your calling is to enjoy the long haul and write for your audience, not your own ego.

Now I am writing book number 6. Its a novel based on ‘Walking with the Man’ that will happily take my initial message to a more powerful and inspirational level. While doing this I am learning to become a ‘page turner’. Our readers must keep wanting to turn the next page before going to sleep.

So, how do you start? My strategy is simple. I grab my computer, sit in a comfortable lounge chair, pour myself a whisky of top quality that will expand my mind, and start typing the first 1000 words. I stop to read it and do considerable redrafting as I never get any page right the first time. Then I gradually expand it 5000 words at a time, redrafting all the way and being aware that publishers don’t like books of less than 60000 words.

Now, may I invite you to read all of my 5 books. As you read them, take notes of how you feel I could have written them better. This will help you to plan a personal strategy for your book number one.

Go to my website right now.

https://everaldcompton.com.

Click on Shop, then click on 5 book special which you can buy for 100 dollars, including postage. (If you buy them individually it costs you 70 dollars more as 5 lots of postage are involved and there is no book discount)

I will sign and post them to you as well as sending you my contact details so you can call me to have a yarn about how you are going in writing your first book.

Cheers

Everald

PS. Below is a page from my website. The photo is me on the day I received the Order of Australia for a second time.

“WALKING WITH THE MAN” IS NOW AN AUDIO BOOK.

On By Everald ComptonIn Good Books, religion

Many of my friends and followers don’t read books, they listen to them. They do so for many reasons, but mainly its because they just don’t have time to sit down and read.

So they enjoy listening to books while they ride on buses trains ferries planes or while driving cars trucks taxis ubers tractors or doing housework cooking gardening or simply because their eyesight is in decline.

For whatever reason, an audiobook is ideal for many people and less costly, particularly as no postage is involved. Right now the audio price is a bargain. As the book becomes better known, the price will rise.

You will note that I have done the narration personally as my publisher, Jason Smith of Clark and Mackay, told me that readers want to hear me speak with conviction about what I believe, something a professional narrator may not be able to do. I must say that it took a heavy toll on my 93 years old throat, but I enjoyed the three day experience.

Go to Audiobooks or Spotify or similar internet sites to purchase WALKING WITH THE MAN as an audio book.

If you would like to buy a paperback copy of WALKING WITH THE MAN just go to my website everaldcompton.com or send me a direct message on X or BlueSky or Facebook Messenger giving me your postal address and mobile phone number and I will organise a signed copy and let you have banking details to remit 40 dollars which includes postage.

You can get it on ebook too. To make sure it was working, I got it easily on my Kindle via Amazon at a bargain price.

Cheers

Everald

SHARE AN ‘EVERALD BURGER’ WITH ME AT LAUNCH OF MY NEW BOOK ‘WALKING WITH THE MAN’

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Good Books, History, religion

Come to the Royal on the Park in Alice Street Brisbane on Friday, 22 November, for lunch with me (and lots of friends) at 12.30pm.

You will receive a signed copy of WALKING WITH THE MAN.

As well as enjoying a drink, an Everald Burger and coffee.

Plus some excellent speakers.

Rebecca Levingston will launch my book. I very happily share a radio chat with Rebecca on Radio 612 ABC Brisbane every Monday evening just after the 8.00pm News.

I will respond, as will my publisher, Jason Smith of Clark and Mackay.

David Muir, Chair of the Clem Jones Trust, will be our MC and Jan Schutt, Manager of the Royal on the Park, will launch the Everald Burger.

All for just 90 dollars.

This includes the satisfaction of knowing that the profit from the function goes to Dorcas ACTS, the community service arm of the Aspley Uniting Church, that I have been chairing for 15 years. We give direct cash grants to people in crisis situations.

To sign up for an enjoyable time, just call Events at Royal on the Park on 07 31121677 right now. Have your credit card ready.

Briefly, let me give you some headlines about Walking with the Man. I will tell you more at the launch.

It is written for the 90% of the population who do not go to Church and invites readers to.

*Adopt Jesus the Man to be your role model for life.

*Try to live by The Sermon on the Mount

*Walk with him as a Working Partner to help create a better world.

*Whenever you face a problem, ask yourself ‘how would The Man handle this issue?’.

*Invite 4 friends to join you for a meal several times a year to plan how you can work together to enhance the society in which you live.

*Be ready and willing to get personally involved in challenges as you work hard to create a world powered by compassion, justice and vision as you walk with The Man towards the light on the hill.

See you on 22/11.

Everald

(only 93, happily married to Helen for 66 years, and writing my next book)

THE BUSH SAMARITAN

On By Everald ComptonIn Good Books, religion

Here is a painting that will appear on the front cover of my new book.

‘WALKING WITH THE MAN, but not to Church.’

The painting, plus 104000 words, is now with my publisher, Clark and Mackay.

The paperback, ebook & audiobook will be launched at the Royal on the Park in Brisbane at lunch on Friday, 22 November, when the hotel will also launch on its menu an EVERALD BURGER.

I have written this book specifically for the 90% who do not go to Church and never will.

It encourages people to adopt JESUS THE MAN as their role model for life and become his working partner in creating a compassionate, caring, peaceful world in which everyone has the opportunity to get a fair go at a meaningful life. It has 65 page turning chapters about famous people of world history who tried to achieve this.

The painting by my talented friend, Noela Lowien of Kilcoy, is based on the Bible story of the Good Samaritan. You will note that, to be relevant to the world of today, it features a female BUSH SAMARITAN.

If you would like to receive an invitation to make a booking to attend the launch, send me a direct message on Twitter or Facebook, or a text or email and I will make certain you receive one. In the meantime, make a diary note of it.

See you on 22 November. It is a fund raiser for DORCAS ACTS, the community service arm of the Aspley Uniting Church that I chair. We make financial grants to people who are doing it really tough.

My biggest challenge in the meantime is to be the narrator of the audio book that will take 18 hours to complete. I will do it over three successive days in August.

Everald

BUY YOUR COPY OF ‘MINE IS THE KINGDOM’ TODAY. RIVETTING BOOK ABOUT PARTNERSHIP OF SCOTT MORRISON AND BRIAN HOUSTON.

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Good Books, Government, History, religion

Was browsing through a book shop a few days ago and found this one. It is so fascinating I read it within 48 hours. A real page turner.

Its about the close friendship of our former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and the founder of Hillsong Church, Brian Houston, that hugely embraced religion, politics, power and money, especially government grants and tax concessions.

They had a dream of making Australia a Kingdom of God that would be a beacon for the world to follow and they made a huge effort to bring it to reality. Then both crashed at the same time, bringing their dream to an end.

Their commitment was huge and cannot be doubted. Their strategy was fatally flawed.

Read it and make up your own mind about its validity and the relationship between religion and politics that now dominates our world.

Its author, David Hardaker, is highly regarded investigative journalist who spent 5 years of detailed research in writing it and he reveals all his sources. I did not find any nasty gossip in it and he does not call us to join any crusade against Morrison or Houston.

Enjoy the read and consider its impact on our lives.

Everald.

EASTER BUNNY SENDS YOU GREETINGS

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, History, Justice, religion

In the minds of most Australians, not just the 10% who go to Church, what is the foremost reason we have for celebrating Easter?

It’s time to be honest with ourselves as a nation and acknowledge an order of priority instead of pretending to be religious.

Firstly, most of us welcome it as a great 4 day long weekend holiday to be enjoyed by as many as possible.

Then, we happily welcome the Easter Bunny who brings our Easter Eggs. Many regard the Bunny as the Easter equivalent of Santa Claus, while in ancient societies Rabbits and Eggs were a symbol of fertility.

Also, we hugely enjoy Hot Cross Buns, lots of them. These were first made in the 6th century by the Greeks as holy food to be eaten after concluding their traditional fast on Good Friday.

Last of all, a small number observe an important Christian tradition which is the original basic reason for our holiday weekend even though the last Australian Census revealed that only one in two Australians believes in God and only one in ten are active Church members..

We should also note that Australia is one of very few nations that observe Easter as a public holiday. While over 100 nations recognise Easter, few declare it to be a public holiday.

So why does Australia pretend to be Christian at Easter and Christmas?

Fact is we are observers of traditions for which most of us give little thought.

For me, it is a quiet endorsement of my long term decision to have Jesus the Man as my role model of life and an affirmation on my commitment to walk with him as we try to create a world of peace, justice, and equality of opportunity.

Everald

‘IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER’

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, religion

Christianity has not had a good year. Nor have some of its Churches.

Quite clearly, its time for all genuine believers to do something positive to reverse the negative trend that is diminishing an important cornerstone of our society.

Let me outline a few of the high profile religious negatives that have occurred and note that every one of them was avoidable.

*Just a few days ago, 3 demented people who convinced themselves that they were carrying out God’s will, murdered two police officers and a neighbour at a rural property in Queensland in a cold blooded manner that chilled us to the depth of our souls and shook Australia to the core.

*A few months earlier, several irresponsible members of an ultra religious family in Toowoomba were charged with murder for failing to give medication to a very ill child who ultimately died. They declared that their reading of the Bible assured them that the use of such medication was against the will of God.

*Recently, a leading Churchman was reported by Murdoch media as saying that it was very difficult for a priest to give the last rites to anyone who chose Voluntary Assisted Dying. Hard to understand why it was worth a comment as the fact is that believers who pray regularly know that God hears our prayers with or without a priest being present.

*The Russian Orthodox Church has formally approved the invasion of Ukraine and blessed Putin. Their aim is to regain control the Ukraine Orthodox Church which broke away from them when the Soviet Union broke up. The fact that many people will die while they make their takeover bid is apparently God’s will.

*More paedophile priests have been discovered throughout 2022 & more will be discovered in 2023. The recent Royal Commission on Child Abuse has had little effect.

*The so called Christian Right has been highly active in demeaning the faith within the Parliaments of Australia, making appalling decisions at prayer meetings where they said they acted on God’s will. They have crippled the once great Party founded by Robert Menzies, a committed Presbyterian who did not ever use his faith to gain political advantage.

*A powerful Christian Lobby will have a leadership role in a campaign to defeat the Voice Referendum for reasons that appear to be racist. They are entitled to vote in whatever way they want to, but it is difficult to understand why they need to publicise it as a Christian act when many traditional Christians may quietly vote Yes,

*Some Churches have gained government grants with the stated aim of helping the poor, but have used the grants solely to promote their brand of Christianity. Law breaking is not a Christian vocation.

I could list more but those are enough to highlight the fact that the stature and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth is being demeaned for no valid reasons.

May I just say this?

From the day when my mother first took me to Church 90 years ago, I have been a committed working partner of Jesus of Nazareth, a great person who is worth following.

At no point in my life have I ever experienced a conversion event. I simply grew in the faith year by year and have never regretted it.

My faith journey reminds me there is not much that you and I can do to fix any of the religious outrages I have listed above. Hopefully, we can safely leave most of it to be handled by the lawmakers of our nation.

However, I know I have one clear calling and that is to walk daily with my role model, Jesus of Nazareth, to help Him create a better and more compassionate world.

In doing so, a clear challenge of my calling is to invite others to join me on my walk and share in the privilege of serving humanity as an article of faith.

In this way, it may well be that distortions of the faith made in the Name of the Father will steadily fade away.

Grace and Peace

Everald

Pictured below is the Aspley Uniting Church at which I have been a long time Member and Elder. Like Churches everywhere we face the challenge of reaching out to the community in new ways to share the many difficult issues we all face daily.

IN THE STEPS OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, History, religion

Tomorrow, Sunday, my local church, the Aspley Uniting Church, at which I have been an Elder for 63 active years, celebrates ACTS SUNDAY, as we do every year at this time.

ACTS is the community service arm of our small Church which has about 100 regulars attenders.

Obviously named after the New Testament book, ACTS is an abbreviation of ASPLEY CARING THROUGH SERVICE.

It’s purpose is make direct cash grants to people in strife, especially those who are not members of our Church and live far beyond Aspley. We achieve this through a network of friends, usually Members of Parliament or Ministers of Religion, who let us know of people facing tough times and have little hope of receiving government aid.

For the last two years, we have made grants totaling 75000 dollars each year. The funds are donated to ACTS by our church members over and above our usual Sunday offerings, plus friends of members who want to identify with what we do. Gifts are tax deductible as we have legally established ACTS as a public charity.

We take pride in the fact that all of our ACTS team are unpaid volunteers. Our only expenses are the annual fees to our auditors.

On Sunday, when I report to the congregation on our work (especially mentioning 29 grants of 1000 dollars direct to bank accounts of flood victims this year and 35 grants of 1000 dollars to people hit by bush fires last year), I will talk about the man who is our role model.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Francis was born into a wealthy family in Assisi one thousand years ago and lead a very happy social life in the days of his youth. This changed when on separate occasions he was significantly confronted by a beggar and a leper seeking alms.

To cut a long story short, he renounced all claims to his family wealth and went to live for the remainder of his short life with the poor and the sick, begging for alms in the same manner as they did, wearing the most shabby clothing, and sleeping with them in the streets.

Eventually, he founded an Order of Franciscan monks who spent their lives caring for beggars and lepers. The Order exists to this day in many nations.

Frances, on many occasions, told people that, while making regular gifts to the poor and the sick is an essential element in the life of a Christian, we cannot possibly know what their existence actually is in reality until we choose to live the same life.

Few of us, and particularly me, will deliberately choose to live in poverty, but we can come to a realisation that no matter how generously we give to people in need, we are only ‘dancing around the edge of the fire’. Even though our actions help, we can always do better.

Francis died a young man. Only in his mid forties. The toll of his spartan life caught up with his huge huge personal commitment to humanity.

So it is. At the Aspley Uniting Church, we intend to do better every year by extending the size and outreach of our work and identifying more closely with the pain of those we try to help.

Huge challenges lie ahead of us in facing crises in the areas of domestic violence, elder abuse, homelessness, poverty, mental illness etc.

We intend to give it our best shot.

Listen in to our Church Services on ACTS Sunday tomorrow, 19 June, on https://aspleyuc.org.au at 8.30am or 10.15am or any time later on live streaming.

If you would like to get involved with ACTS, we will welcome your contact on https://aspleyacts.org.au

If you buy any of my signed and personalised books, ACTS gets 5 dollars from the royalties of each book sold, Go to https://everaldcompton.com & click on Books.

Choose from (or buy all three)

THE MAN ON THE TWENTY DOLLAR NOTES

DINNER WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS

A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

Our world is a great place when we work together to make it progressively better for everyone.

Let me close with a few words from a famous hymn written in honour of Francis of Assisi.

‘Make me a channel of your peace. Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope.’

Everald

Voluntary Assisted Dying. Crunch time at Queensland Parliament.

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Elections, Government, Join the Debate, religion

Last year, the Queensland Parliament voted to authorise its Health Committee to hold public hearings throughout Queensland to assess public attitudes to Voluntary Assisted Dying and Palliative Care. They did an extraordinary job of holding hearings far and wide across the State and encouraging all opinions to be expressed.

I spoke at one of the hearings and it was evident that there was huge support for Queenslanders to have the right to choose to end their lives peacefully and in comfort when faced with an incurable illness. It was also clear that people felt that palliative care services were not adequate and were not an alternate to Voluntary Assisted Dying as many people will choose both. People who attended other hearings gained the same impression as I did. Continue reading “Voluntary Assisted Dying. Crunch time at Queensland Parliament.” →

THE COMMON GOOD

On By Everald ComptonIn Business and Enterprise, Community and Values, Government, History, religion7 Comments

Democracy is dead.

Murdered by political, financial and religious ideology inflicted upon us by ‘leaders’ with closed minds who survive by divisively spreading fear and greed.

It is time for a new world order called THE COMMON GOOD to take over.

It will succeed when decent people, with brains, commonsense and courage, step forward and insist on dramatic and decisive changes in the opposite direction to the insanity of Donald Trump and the woeful wilderness of Australian politics. Continue reading “THE COMMON GOOD” →

KILLING IN GOD’S NAME

On By Everald ComptonIn Community and Values, Government, History3 Comments

Every religion worships the same God.

We have different names for God and we worship Him (or Her) in different ways. Even within a particular religion, there are wide differences of opinion about how God should be worshipped and how the major book for that religion shall be interpreted.

All of these differences can be accommodated by reasonable people in a peaceful world, but there is one major issue that divides all religions.

Is God a symbol of hope, love and compassion or is God a dispenser of punishment for sins who appoints followers to be killers of sinners in His name. Continue reading “KILLING IN GOD’S NAME” →

THE DARK WORLD OF THE POLITICAL NEGATIVE

On By Everald ComptonIn Government, Technology6 Comments

There is only one way to succeed in a rapidly changing world and that is to walk positively and confidently towards every challenge while looking constantly for the light on the hill.

As a nation we are now doing the exact opposite, walking backwards into an ever expanding swamp of negativity. Continue reading “THE DARK WORLD OF THE POLITICAL NEGATIVE” →