Comments on: Things to do before I die

By: Ian Carmichael

Ian Carmichael — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 03:32:16 +0000

Thanks, Mike,
Great thoughts about Mike Dennis – and nice to be reminded. He was a gentle thoughtful soul; and I’d forgotten him until now. But I think to be forgotten or to be remembered by name is neither here nor there. To have passed on some aspect of life of love, of wisdom, of help – whether anonymously or with a statue of thanks (as J H Goble is remembered in Footscray) – is a genuine achievement. And it may be all the better if we have no awareness of it ourselves.

By: Dave Berlach

Dave Berlach — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:37:48 +0000

In reply to Michael Frost.

haha – Thanks Mike, but I’m pretty sure most of my thoughts are appropriated from elsewhere.
Curing me of Wendell Berry will take some doing!

By: Steven Clancy

Steven Clancy — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:08:08 +0000

Mike was a mentor of mine as well. He left me with much to think about in the pastoral life and especially in a post-Christendom world. I will never forget the grace and warmth he showed me by inviting me into his wisdom and his home.
Some legacies are written not in the annals of history, but in the hearts of the people who shape it thereafter. Many great men will have been shaped by the humble unnoticed men who come before. The house is no greater than its foundation, to use a biblical metaphor, and I know many pastors who will have the stamp of Mike Dennis in their stories. It’s a bit blurry, but I do have a picture of Mike and I at my induction at Bowral Baptist. Bitter-sweet memories indeed.

Thanks for sharing the thoughts Mike. I’m going to go and collect a few of my own.

By: Michael Frost

Michael Frost — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:32:06 +0000

In reply to Dave Berlach. You always write such smart stuff on my blogs. But we're gonna have to cure you of your Wendell Berry addiction. ;)

By: Michael Frost

Michael Frost — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:30:07 +0000

In reply to Richard Sharp. Grace and peace to you, brother.

By: Dave Berlach

Dave Berlach — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 22:47:30 +0000

Indeed, we retell our histories and the stories of those who went before us over the breaking of bread! To remind ourselves of what is important and what is temporal.
As Wendell Berry says in relation to the preservation of topsoil on hillsides,”More important than a degree in Soil Science, is a grandfather/mother to say ‘Don’t do that!'”
It’s telling that every enduring culture in history made it a central habit to tell and re-tell the stories of their ancestors.
Thanks Mike … and Vale Mike Dennis.

By: Crawford

Crawford — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 22:28:20 +0000

Thank you for a very interesting and humbling story about someone who has shown how to live the Christian life. Mike Dennis has imitated in very real way how Jesus wants us to get alongside people by breaking bread with our fellow human beings without expecting anything in return. He offered hope and God’s Grace which is free for everyone. A glimpse of God,s kingdom. Very inspiring a simple message without religious dogma. You article has also made me think about what do I want to do before I die by becoming a bread maker and a bread breaker.

By: Richard Sharp

Richard Sharp — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 22:26:45 +0000

Having lost my Father, Grandfather and Father-in-law in the past 18 months, I join you in your reflections. There are no pages in the history books for them, just a legacy of love and relationships. But that is ok. Let us contInue to make and break bread, right here where God has us for his Glory.