Casual observations category

Baptising Babies

February 16, 2010 4:32 PM

It seems to garner more controversy in the US, though I have had some interesting chats with baptists here in Australia too.

For mine, there are two reasons why I happily baptised my baby (actually, there are lots, but these are two big ones)

Firstly, I would say I am an advocate of the normative principle over the regulative principle. That is to say, if the Bible doesn’t prohibit something, generally I might be comfortable in doing it. The Bible doesn’t cover what it means to baptise children, and I think it is a reasonable thing to do, so away I go.

Secondly, I think there is a sense of community that we see in the Bible that we have lost in the modern day world. In the first instance you have the patriarchs of families declaring their whole family Christian & then being baptised in the Bible. Secondly, there is an expectation that the children of a person will be brought up in the tradition of their parents. Baptism for me is an expression that the child is mine, will be brought up as a Christian. Pumpkin may make a decision to go another way when she is an adult, but that is no different than any other adult who has been baptised who then choose another path.

Of course, it is also a tradition of the Anglican church & has been a traditional practice of the church as a whole for at least a millenium & most likely a fair bit more!

Anyway, I know most of my readers are more interested in the pictures (if you haven’t already seen them on facebook) so here they are!

Here we are making promises about our faith & how we intend to bring up our bub. From left to right it is Matty, Simone, Rosemary, Me, Shona & the Pumpkin.

Splash and Dash? I’d be just as happy with full emersion. Happy to baptise this way too!

Here is the pumpkin about to open a present from her Aunty Bec.

I was really happy with this pic, but have to admit that it was a fluke to have her face reflected in the bowl.

Pumpkin’s concentration on her very first sugary delight is topped only by her enthusiasm in the following picture.

A passion is born! I hope she follows in her father’s footsteps, falling in love with photography. I’ll be happy if she doesn’t inherit my sweet tooth though…

Thomas Cranmer

February 12, 2010 2:34 PM

Twitter has been a real phenomenon for many people.

There was that big race to see which star could manage to get a million followers, a million people who wanted to know all about how much BBQ sauce they put on their steak, how long the queue was at the bank or any other kind of mindless minutiae from their lives.

I’ve always preferred actual blogs for that reason. People usually think a little more about what they’re saying and you have a delightful insight, not just into their preference in condiments, but into all those things that are important in their lives.

It was some of famous bloggers that got me interested in being online. It’s endlessly fascinating to see how the life of Wil Wheaton, has changed and grown since his early days as Wesley Crusher and Gordie Lachance)

For all of my hopes, gaining an insight into the lives of the rich and famous, I never thought I would get the chance to read a blog by the great Thomas Cranmer.

Apparently being burned at the stake in 1556 wasn’t enough to keep him down, and now he has lots of spare time to comment on politics and theology. According to Dan (who passed the link on to me) he even has an email conversation with Richard Dawkins!

Will the wonders of the internet ever end?

Loving Calvin & Hobbes

February 10, 2010 2:22 PM

Calvin: Hobbes, do you think our morality is defined by our actions, or what’s in our hearts?

Hobbes: I think our actions SHOW what’s in our hearts…

Calvin: (after a moment’s contemplation) I resent that!!!

I love so much about the cartoon. I own a bunch of the collections & I re-read them every year or so. In particular, I like the fact that Bill Watterson engages with big questions about the nature of existence, art & theology. For example, the dialogue above (Watterson was quite outspoken about his thoughts on merchandising & copyright, so I won’t breach by posting the actual cartoon) really cuts to the heart of human nature!

We like to think we are good. People generally appeal to “the good inside,” but really, when you look at our actions nationally, and personally, one realises that we really are quite immoral people.

I guess it’s symmetrical to see Calvin the cartoon actually supporting his namesake’s theological viewpoint!

Organised Religion

February 2, 2010 4:44 PM

I was reading a blog the other day & the writer had made the statement that she could “never be a part of an organised religion.”

It made me wonder, would you want to be a part of a disorganised one?

Readiness

January 30, 2010 9:37 PM

So, it’s a big day when your first child spends their first day at daycare. It’s not that we haven’t been away from “the Pumpkin.” It’s just that when one of us has been away, the other has been there to report, or at worst one of our mums has been there!

Is your kid the bully? (She towers over other kids her age.. so it’s a legitimate fear.)

Will she just scream for 8 or so hours? (She DEFINiTELY has a good set of lungs!)

All of our fears came to nought. She forgot us before we had even left & then she played happily with other kids, charmed all of the workers & slept…. like a baby!

That has meant that I have been able to let go of that concern & worry about other things.

Fun things to worry about… like when my package of American foods will arrive?

The moral to the story is “don’t get into late night conversations with your sister on Skype, or you’re likely to buy almost anything!”

I got some cinnamon chocolate chips for her, while I got some liquid smoke (to go in “Not Quite Nigella’s ‘Bacon Jam’”), but I also had to make up a minimum purchase price, so a bottle of Habanero chili sauce, and a Dr. Pepper flavoured Lip Smacker had to be included too!

The sauce… yeah, it’s hot. And the lip balm tastes great! As for the Bacon Jam, that is coming soon (and don’t worry Al, you’ll get some sent to you… even if I don’t recieve a CD of sermons… ;) )

So there you go. It’s been a fun time for sending children out & getting packages in! I have received one or two other things, but they will get their own posts later! Meanwhile, here are a couple more pics…

Shona did a good job of hiding the fear in her eyes!

This is what it’s all about!

Preaching

January 23, 2010 9:34 PM

I may attempt preaching without a voice tomorrow morning…..

I’m over this cold!

Haitian travel

January 19, 2010 10:30 PM

I happen to get facebook updates of certain high-profile American preachers.

One preacher in particular is currently in Haiti. He’s reporting on what he is doing there & on the devastation and needs that he sees during his time.

It’s been interesting to see his perspective, but I have to ask the question (who knows, maybe unfairly?) “Why did he go there in the first place?”

I wonder which option would have been for the greater good for people, to go himself, or to give up his spot for an extra doctor or aid worker?

Of course, there are two sides to the scenario.

On one side, by virtue of the fact that thousands of people follow him on facebook & millions of people listen to his online sermons, maybe he is opening up a whole new opportunity for people to be informed, for people to be inspired & for people to make donations that will help the haitian people.

On the other side, he could have reported all of this from home, while people who were more skilled in the area of disaster relief were able to make a physical difference in the lives of people that are suffering? COuld he not have had greater ability to mobilise people from home? Is it a sense of vain glory that says that he, personally, need to be there to make a difference?

Or am I being too harsh? Maybe this man has identified a greater need, and that is for people who are suffering tremendously to know the God who promises that those people who trust in Him have the sure hope of a future that has no weeping, loss or death?

What do you think? Should high profile people go to disaster areas, or send more “useful” people?

Dever on the Gospel

January 18, 2010 4:47 PM

“As startling as it may be to those who think this way, the biblical gospel is not fundamentally about our love or our power. To be a Christian is not merely to live in love, or to live by the power of positive thinking, or to do anything that we can do ourselves. The gospel calls for a more radical response than any of these things allow for. The gospel, you see, is not simply an additive that comes to make our already good lives better. No! The gospel is a message of wonderful good news that comes to those who realise their just desperation before God.”

Wise words from Mark Dever in his book (my latest read) “The Gospel and personal evangelism”

McValues

January 12, 2010 9:13 AM

It’s probably quite wrong that I spend so much time pondering the nature of fast food, but really, I think think they are one of the biggest cultural icons the modern world has! It’s interesting how subtle changes in the way that they do things can say something much bigger about our society.

Case in Point.

How did this fascinating little burger, chicken & pizza places come into being?

The name of the genre announces the need that has been perceived. People want food & they want it fast. “What if I don’t have 2 hours to cook anymore, because both parents work & the kids get too hungry?” Well now you can stop off on the way home & three minutes later you have a meal for the whole fam!

expeditious service was the perceived need & fast food was the answer.

BUT

In the last 5 or so years we have seen a subtle change.

As a culture we’re becoming more refined. As a byproduct of having so many options in life, expediency now has to compete with the question of quality!

There is an option that can meet my timing needs, but how do I know that I am getting the best possible product? Here our friends in the fast food industry heard the cry & they responded with verve!

Have you noticed that now, when you go into most fast food places they cry out “Made fresh to order!” Joe consumer is happy to wait for a couple of minutes if it means that they (can feel like they) are getting the best quality product.

Add to that the secondary strategy of creating “Gourmet Options” so that the consumer feels like they can chase the expedient meal & still get something “a little bit fancy.” (The SMH wrote a great article on the genius of this idea.)

One can’t help but wonder whether or not we, the consumer, approach the spiritual world like we do the culinary world?

For mine, I suspect our greater interest is in expediency rather than quality. The question being asked is “What can give me a sense of well being without impinging on the business that is the rest of my life?”

So much of the “New Spirituality” for mine, is about spiritualising day to day parts of life, not so that we might consider the profound philosophical or spiritual truths that sit at the foundation of our decision making processes, but so that we can feel like we have had an easily digestible fix that allows us to go back to the more important things like…. me.

But expedience should always be the subordinate value.

A commitment to the Christian walk takes time. Once you have ticked off Sunday mornings, the healthy Christian is most likely also looking at a mid-week bible study, possibly a camp once a year, or (OR CMS Summer School if you are keen), there are all kinds of other church ministries, and of course there is private time for Bible reading & prayer.

Being a Christian is certainly not the expedient option, but it does appeal to the great value, being that it is actually good for you!

What we find in the message of the Jesus’ death and resurrection is not just an easy option in fancy packaging, but we have an offer that God has been preparing since the dawn of time! When Christ calls his disciples to take part in communion, he is offering a meal that satisfies in a way that nothing on earth ever will.

Couldn’t we all learn from those shrewd fast foodies, which are the superior & which the subordinate values….

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Summer School

January 9, 2010 6:58 PM

I always intend to take pictures of my actual accommodation, but I rarely do.

To be honest the acccommodation wasn’t that special anyway. It was a fairly dirty & very simple cabin at the bottom of the Megalong Valley.

That said, it was roomy, and the views of the cliffs were pretty fantastic, so I really don’t have a great deal to complain about.

Added to that, the drive out of the valley up to Katoomba was a real highlight every day.

The winding roads were just lovely, filled with dense rainforest and flanked by golden sandstone. Most days we would emerge from our own little world into the thick fog of the mountain tops, souping our way through to our destination.

CMS Summer school is fantastic.

Mike Raiter was a warm & engaging speaker and the Missionaries from around the world were honest & challenging. When one can feel like one’s own ministry is so difficult, it is a new thing to meet someone who can’t even tell you the country they are serving in for fear of persecution!

I took lots of notes. I went to a number of the seminars, and I bought a couple of books while I was up there.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that we found a pub that had Leffe on tap, nor that we had Dan & Harriet, our good friends & diocesan buddies staying next door & sharing the cooking! It also helped being able to put the Pumpkin into creche & enjoy a little time for Shona & I to be adults listening to a sermon.

I’m excited at the prospect of doing the same thing each year for the next 20 or so. To let Pumpkin grow up through the different kids programmes, to listen to stories as the people we watched prepare for ministry come back on furlough.

Who knows, maybe we might even head to summer school one year as we prepare to head out on our own missionary journey?

Like I said, it’s a good programme….

Dont fear

January 3, 2010 10:33 AM

Don’t fear people.

I am committed to blogging regularly this year, but since I am at CMS Summer School over the next week, I don’t anticipate having internet access there. I’ll work on something special for you all!

Write me a comment while I’m gone, so I feel loved when I get back!

TBCAP

January 1, 2010 8:48 PM

I remember some time ago on Al Bain’s blog, he posted a link to a Bible reading plan that he had, with the intention of smashing through the book methodically over a year.

(Here’s the one we’re giving a try)

Now I am not generally a “New Years resolution” type person, but since most of these reading plans start at the beginning of the year, I thought it would be a good thing for Shona & I to embark on.

It does always ask the question though. How does one differentiate between building a habit that might be hard at first, but you know is valuable and worthwhile, and being pharisaical in your observance of Bible reading?

For mine, I think people in the Christian world that I have observed jump quite quickly to say that anything that you have to work really hard at enforcing (that is, something that you don’t always do with an open, excited, free heart) is somehow like following the Pharisees, robbing an act of it’s joy and value.

My view is that most things of any real import take a fair bit of work. Owning a house takes 25 years or more of hard saving, gaining a wife takes months or years of hiding all of your foibles (I joke… no really I do!), should we expect that building a personal culture that sees one saturated in God’s word is something that should always be attended joyfully?

Accepting, as I do, the fact that people tend toward sin just as often as good behaviour, I think it natural that my sinful self might balk at putting the time and effort into reading the Bible, even thought I know how good it makes me feel when I am centred for the day, or I am contemplating healthy things.

I feel like I really understand Paul in Romans 7 when he says:

Rom. 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

So we start with our new reading schedule. So far one day down, 364 to go.

In other news (well, at least one degree of separation) starting new habits is easier to do when you can start in style. I decided that since we were in bed by 11 something last night, I would start my first night of the year in style. It started with a movie (maybe I will blog about it tomorrow) and it ended with reading my bible (surprise, surprise) and drinking a fine belgian beer!

It’s a rare indulgence, but an enjoyable one!

Al, if you’re reading, I would love to see the Bible reading chart that you had. I quite like this one, but I am not completely tied to it yet…

Out of Focus

December 31, 2009 1:31 PM

(“The Pumpkin” on Christmas Day)

Do you think as a people we have lost our appreciation of blurry edges?

I think society finds itself trapped between modernist scientific expectations and a desire to embrace some kind of post-modern spirituality that is impossible to delineate.

We want straight lines, clear boundaries and obvious start-finish points.

We like much of our lives to be like our TV recorders. Half-hour slots, trim off the excess and keep it neat.

What am I going to do? When am I going to do it? How long will it take?

But there’s that still small voice that speaks to us in a place deep inside that we tend to call the heart.

It’s a voice that tells us that life isn’t like that.

The world is bigger than we can understand. So many of those things that we compartmentalise are only able to fit in their boxes because we demean and diminish them as we do so.

We know that our ability to ask the question tells us that there is more to life that its taxonomy, and it scares us!

There are those who found it tough in Bible College that we couldn’t always get our finger firmly on the pulse of God’s message at all times. Why can’t we dissect and digest Him? I thank God that I’ve come to grips with some of the fuzzy edges. When it comes to what needs to be in focus, I’m confident that God is crystal clear. Romans 10:9 tells us

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved

So sometimes, when I find myself in unfamiliar territory, I can work hard to make sure that my lack of understanding is not ignorance, but otherwise, I can just enjoy the pleasant blur that comes with being out of focus, confident that He in whom I trust sees me as clear as day.

New Years Resolutions

December 31, 2009 5:28 AM

I resolve to be more resolute in 2010. I will resolve more issues. I wont try and re-solve things that have already been resolved.

Dorian Gray

December 29, 2009 7:22 PM

I meet up occasionally with the assistant minister at the local Presbyterian church.

Last time we had a really nice chat. Good to talk about church, about life and about things that energise.

He sand the praises of Oscar Wilde’s “A Picture of Dorian Gray.” I hadn’t read it.

In one of those delightful little coincidences (call them fate, call them divine providence) my wife actually gave me a copy for Christmas & I started to read it yesterday.

I don’t know why I haven’t read any Wilde before! He’s a cynic & reads like he must be pretty immoral, but the man knows how to string words together! I think I’m inspired!

Don’t think for a second that I have any false illusions. I’ll never be a Wilde. He has reminded me, however, of that great joy that comes from flexing your imaginative muscles. The death of this blog has been a reflection of me letting my muscles atrophy. Once you’re out of the habit it’s easier to let things go.

That’s it. Next year, I might avoid the ever-popular “365” concept, but go for 5 posts a week!

A chance to ensure that those memorable moments that are found throughout the day are frozen somewhere for me to enjoy, and maybe spread a bit of the joy around too.

So, my thought for the day revolves around Christmas.

Sometime’s Mark Driscoll’s “muscular Christianity” really bugs me, like he wont be happy until every man can chug a beer (but not too many), know the names of a dozen mixed martial artists and simultaneously drive an 18-wheeler truck and a 4X4 motorbike. That said, I really appreciate a lot of what he says. I enjoyed, in particular, thoughts leading up to Christmas about things that dads could be doing, including “creating memories” for their kids.

Do we think often enough about where & how we create memories?

What are your memories about Christmas as a child?

In particular I remember fighting (light heartedly) with my Aunt over a particular chocolate that was in the centerpiece of the table every year. I can close my eyes & almost smell the pine as my brother & I laid out our sleeping bags & camped down under the tree for a week before Christmas. The look of the presents under the blinking lights and that sweet waft bringing Christmas dreams as we slowly lost the battle to stay awake.

I’m thankful for so many memories. I’m really thankful to my parents, that Christmas was such a priority to my family & that to this day my extended family still really enjoys getting together (even if it has migrated to boxing day now). But I want to build on it. I want to be intentional in my memory building.

Driscoll has his view of what dads need to do, but now I appeal to you, the three people who still occasionally read my blog (and hopefully those you can convince to come & say “hi”) What’s the memory you have & what’s the idea you can give. How can I create real memories for my kid?

Note: As a minister, I hope people can assume that my No.1 priority is for my kid to see this as an opportunity to worship the birth of Jesus, “God become Man.” At the same time, I think that the clear statement that God makes through His son is His welcoming us to be a part of His family if we trust in Him. That aspect of family is something that it is healthy to mirror in our own family relationships. I think maybe sometimes Christians can be precious about Christmas traditions that don’t mention Jesus every sentence. I think it can be good to let go of this sometimes & worship God through love and action & not just words…

Nike +

December 9, 2009 10:48 AM

So the reclamation continues.

I decided to reclaim my body. My beautiful wife gave me a Nike+ to attach to my nano, which allows me to set runs of varying duration, distance, or calorie burning capacity. It keeps all the statistics for me &, for a “counter” like myself, it gives me that opportunity to push things just that little bit further every day.

Run #1 was 2km. 3 weeks later I managed 7kms.

Look, I’m not kidding myself, we’re talking tiny distances here, particularly compared to my mate Tim, who just came back from Busselton, where he swam 1.8km, rode 180km & then ran 42km all in 15 hours over 1 day (and that was slow for him!)

But it doesn’t matter. I am reclaiming my body & more importantly, I’m reclaiming the little pleasures that are hidden within this amazing creation of God’s.

There’s a real sense of exhilaration when one finds that you can recover while you are still running.

There is that moment when you feel like your stride is nice & even & your balance is good.

And, best of all, that point where you push on behind that lazy-tiredness & feel suddenly like you could run forever (True, this is usually followed by legitimate tiredness, but it doesn’t matter. It is a glorious moment.)

It’s exciting and encouraging & also a time for rebuke when one realises what I might be capable of, were it not for my laziness, gluttony, or absent mindedness.

I hope I keep it up. I like the challenge of pushing a little bit further, and, so far, I feel like I am more awake when I actually tell my body that it is OK to work hard.

Maybe if I conquer the body, I can work out on a couple of aspects of the mind next?

Stripping back

November 13, 2009 9:11 AM

It’s about reclaiming those simple pleasures.

I recognise that sometimes I let my life get overcomplicated. Newer, brighter, faster, these become synonymous with “better.”

But now I want to strip things back a little. I want to find more of the joy that is currently lounging in the house looking to have a chat.

Mowing the lawn. A job that needs to be done, a chance to work up a sweat, an excuse to “earn” a beer, an opportunity to see the yard redeemed.

Reading classic books: It was Melbourne. We were in a cafe, in a laneway, I had blood orange drink & the rain was gently drumming on the awning above. It was a moment that was tailored for reading a good book. But is that the only kind of moment? No! My life is pretty busy. In fact, most ministers lives are busy, but your soul needs time to breathe. Sometimes that breath is taken in a passage of scripture that elevates you. Sometimes it is in appreciating the talents given to someone, who has crafted words in such a way as to lift to out of suburban NSW & transport you to late 80s UK, or where ever! It doesn’t have to be Tolstoy, but it is so much more worth it when it’s not trash…

Enjoying A LITTLE of things that are good: I said at a recent beer tasting night that beer makes a good friend but a horrible master. At its best it is the punctuation to the sentence of life, at worst, it is just a full-stop.

I want to reclaim those things that are good in moderation. I want to be excited when I sink my teeth into a piece of quality chocolate, or when I sip that aforementioned beer, having mown the lawn & weeded our herb garden.

It’s quality versus quantity.

It’s savouring versus gulping.

It, like life in general will be a work in progress.

Maybe it will be a reason to share my thoughts as I proceed?

But, come on now, you know me…. don’t hold your breath.

The Light Box

October 13, 2009 9:49 PM

There were many things that I thought I might do while I was staying at my sisters place in Wagga, but one thing I never thought I would get up to was make a light box!

Seems Amy hasn’t been happy with her food photography after seeing so many of Megan’s great photos. She figured that getting a light box might help, but those things cost heaps, up to a couple of hundred bucks.

Seems that for about $35 (which includes a lamp & daylight strength light bulb) we can make our own!

This is what it looks like.

It’s a little small, but that is OK. We’re thinking of making another one tomorrow!

Meanwhile, we had a chance to take some pics while we made dinner tonight. It certainly makes the photos look a little nicer… I really like the dessert one.

Enjoy…

Always nice to have a beer before dinner. This one is a “dark & strong” beer. It was lovely! I picked it up at a bottle shop in Melbourne that had roughly 600 beers on offer!

Bolognese for dinner. First time that I have cooked dinner at Amy’s house. I do love the Basil!

This is a fantastic little dessert called “Budino Di Cioccolato.” In essence, a decadent dark chocolate mousse. Man was it rich & lovely.

Of course, it would be wrong of me to post without having a picture of the wife & child, so without further ado.

Down at the Beach at St. Kilda

The Joys of Technology

August 12, 2009 7:11 PM

Who knows, maybe my move into a new technological age will usher in a resurgence in my blogging?

When we moved out to Ourimbah, we moved into an area that our old service provider doesn’t cover, so we had to cancel our plan & today we finally got online with our new provider. Two big differences.

1: Instead of being mobile broadband, we are now ADSL. Man, it is SOOO much faster, even at mere ADSL1! What a glorious world when you can watch movie previews & you don’t have to wait 5 minutes for them to download. Just to sweeten the deal, having a bigger download limit means I can watch a preview I can actually see!!!!

2: The wonderful world of WiFi!!!!!! I can be on a computer & Shona is on the lap top!!! Even better, we just connected the Wii, so Phil, Matty & Nic, email me (my usual email) so I know who you guys are….

What a wonderful world when you’re connected

Winning Ugly

August 11, 2009 9:37 PM

(lamentably not me….)

I’m not going to tell you that I sprinted the thing. I’m not going to pretend to be annoyed because the TV only showed the top 10 & I came in at 11. I wont even hide from the fact that a large number of pre-teens probably beat me to the finish line.

I may have won ugly, but at least I can say that I finished the city to surf. Given the busy work schedule I have had over the last month, resulting in close to 0% training, I was happy just to be involved!

It’s nice to get out, it’s nice to enjoy a little bit of God’s creation & it is nice to wonder at how beautifully the human body is made. Such diversity, such fragility (you pass a lot of people with sprained ankles over 14kms) and such sturdiness! It was also nice to raise over $500 for the “Jesus All About Life” campaign. In fact, it is still going, so feel free to follow this link if you’d like to make a donation!

New Diggs

July 24, 2009 5:33 PM

Hey there Peeps,

I am back & I’m ready for action!

It’s been a pretty busy time over the last little while. Kids Games was in the first week of the holidays & it was HUGE! About 160 kids in total, with up to 125 on any given day. What a great chance to share the good news about Jesus with lots of young kids.

But the real work, the thing that has us all tuckered out, happened this week. Shona, Pumpkin & I have finally moved a couple of suburbs North to Ourimbah!

The move happened on Monday & so far we are stoked with the new place. The parish bought it as an investment & we get to reap all the benefits. Lots of room, solid entertaining area & a kick-butt area for a study. Let’s just say that Tim is LOVING having his own “reading room.”

It’s been a mad rush to try & get the joint sorted ASAP so we can both continue in the swing of work & the like.

In other news, Pumpkin continues to grow up cute & happy. If only she were cute, happy & a little more sleepy….

Anyway, we now have our good friends Bruce & Susan 2 doors down from us, so we’re off to dinner at their place. Here’s a couple of photos for those house-curious types…

Here’s the house from the front. It looks huge, but it is merely big…. Those lovely trees behind us, however, mean that we get about 0% sunlight & polar-like conditions inside the place…

The front porch is lovely. I have already spent one evening out there, Pumpkin in the bouncer & me on a chair reading a book. Ahhhh the serenity!

Here is where the magic happens! I LOVE this room. I love being about to see all my books & I love a place where I feel surrounded by the collected wisdom of thousands of greats as I read away at whatever…

Here we have the pumpkin. Can a new father ever blog without including at least one picture of his pride & joy?

This is me playing with the idea of soft focus… I like it, but I may be the only one…

I don't even know where to start

June 25, 2009 9:47 PM

All I know is that I do want to start again…

I know one place where many want me to start is by posting more pictures of “The Pumpkin” (I’ve decided not to use her name on the blog, so her foetal moniker will stay) So if that’s your bag, then have no fear, there are a bucket load of them coming up, unless you’ve already seen them on Facebook.

Otherwise, where to go? Well, On Wednesday morning I spoke at an old people’s home about the first 7 verses of Revelation 2, and I think, applying a theological text to a blog, that I have “forgotten my first love” and need to get back in touch with the passion. You know those times when you start to observe everything more critically & pour it out in actual interesting ways!

I need to get observational again… We’ll just see if it happens.

One micro thought is this. (I apologise, I don’t want it to be a too baby-centric blog, but I can’t help myself on this occasion) Is one of joy of babies that their emotions are hardwired to their bodies?

Bubs just don’t seem to have that lag period we adults do, where everything has to be processed through the brain. It can be an earthshattering smile that comes out of nowhere, and that smile can be crying a minute later. Each feeling valid, each fascinating & each entirely spontaneous.

Do we fail to feel as much as we ought? Am I too involved in a taxonomy of my feelings to enjoy actually feeling them? Are we so caught up in a post-enlightenment valuation of equinimity that letting one’s self go & feeling those emotions is deemed shock horror unstable!?

Or maybe, do we just have a little more context? It’s a little less new? The coming months will tell…

Meanwhile, let the baby-fest begin!

This is one of my favourites at the moment. She has a really thoughtful look about her. Who needs a holiday when there are endless journeys to be taken in those soulful eyes?

There’s one of those emotions I was talking about.

That looks seems to say “Don’t tell me that this is how I will see you for the next 21 years… hiding behind a lens?”

Another thoughtful pose.

Finally, in honour of my big sister, a couple of pictures of the Banoffee Pie that Shona made the other night. A culinary masterpiece… or is it a calorie masterpiece?

Happy Days

May 25, 2009 5:19 PM

They are going quickly, and they are very busy…

Still, no excuse.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I got to go to Greg & Belinda’s wedding. I always knew it was going to be a one-of-a-kind affair & they didn’t let me down. Commentary during the service kept things light, but a lovely song by one of Greg’s step-daughters & a heartfelt speech to his wife, the stepdaughters & his sons really brought the mood to a heartfelt sombre tone.

Of course, then came the blowup castle & bull-riding machine & it was off again!

The rest of the night after that was a hoot!

Other news is either Annika-centric…. She is doing well, smiling more (as the prior photo evidences) but not sleeping as much as mum and dad would like, or news just revolves around church things. I go to a “Priestly Formation” class every thursday, and apart from the 5:55am train I have to catch, I find the whole thing to be a real blessing! I have a bunch of different ideas for different stuff to connect with the community. We’re about to make use of our video watching license at church, by having a movie on one Sunday a month. “Life is Beautiful” coming up on June 7th… You’re all invited.

And otherwise life just rolls on.

I have been thinking about other stuff though, and, hopefully I will get around to blogging about it sooner or later… But in the mean time, after a couple of months off, it is back onto the bike tomorrow morning… Thanks Byron!!

And to keep the family happy, another couple of pictures of the treasure…

THis picture makes it look like she is doing something very naughty in her pants!

One little snippet

May 7, 2009 11:36 PM

Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading (UK)

A quote of a quote from the first talk… It was a good three days. More to come

“The church is the one institution who exists for the purpose of serving it’s non members” — John Templeton

Chillaxing

April 30, 2009 10:38 PM

So far in my “holiday” I have achieved a great deal less than I would have liked!

OK, so this might be the point in time where a thousand people smirk to themselves and mutter under their breaths “Duh! you just had a kid. Welcome to the real world.”

OK, OK, so I knew that having my own kid was going to take more time than I could imagine, but it is still amazing to think that days turn into weeks & I still haven’t done much of note.

That said, the last couple of days have been industrious in their own ways. I managed to whipper-snip the whole back lawn yesterday, as well as cooking a big fryup for Rog. Just to top off the business, I snuck off to Erina in the afternoon (thanks to my long-suffering wife) so I could watch “Wolverine” at the movies. I really loved it, but can’t guarantee that others will, unless you enjoy the Marvel Universe in general.

So there we go. I haven’t finished any books. I haven’t written any either. Heck, I haven’t even taken that many photos. For that one, I blame the unseasonably cold weather. I’m committed to capturing some cute pics of the little one, but as soon as she isn’t anything but completely rugged up, the lungs start to get a workout. Here’s hoping tomorrow is milder.

Meanwhile, here is what I wished Pumpkin looked like a little more often during the evening hours…

Joel

March 31, 2009 10:28 PM

*It was great to catch up with my good friends Joel & Terrill (and their lovely kids, and some friends) on the weekend. It was/is Terrill’s 30th, which is a pretty big & exciting time. But that is not the Joel I wanted to write about today.

I had a new idea.

I thought one way that I could encourage myself as I do my own Bible reading & stuff, is to post some of my thoughts up here on the net. I’m not talking about any hardcore exegesis, just what reading a passage gets me thinking about.

And today I read the book of Joel.

Joel is a really interesting picture in two main parts.

On the first side is the prophecy of a coming locust plague. It’s an all-devouring plague, leaving nothing in it’s path. I love the picture that Chapter 2 has, picturing the locust as a war horse, a chariot, an army, a well drilled soldier, and a thief. Their destruction is absolute when it comes.

At the same time, the reader abhors the locust, because of the destruction that they will bring, but at the same time, we can’t help but admire the little beggars. So disciplined, so powerful, yet so small.

Israel, is the counterbalance. They should have the same kind of power and coordination as the locust, but instead they have turned away from God and sit now under His judgement.

And yet, God doesn’t desert His people. V.12-13 are some of my favourites:

*Joel 2:12 ”Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. *

As we find our way into the second half of the book, we see how God’s love and mercy only play themselves out when we understand the nature of God’s judgement. The promise of hope and glory stands out in stark contrast after the expectation of desolation.

Western society is becoming increasingly “spiritual,” yet I suspect that it is equally as insincere. We need to step back, look at ourselves and* “rend our hearts, not our garments.”* Where in my life do I need to strip off the pretense like a locust stripping wheat, and open up my heart to the Lord?

It’s certainly worth thinking about…

Big Days

March 9, 2009 6:10 AM

You’re supposed to slow down as you get nearer to having a baby, but that doesn’t seem to be happening for Shona & I. Friday night was Youth Group as usual. Shona has retired, but I’m still going. It was actually a really encouraging night. We changed things up a bit & I felt it went really well. A good encouragement from 1 John 2 to “Stay the course” in our faith.

Saturday was about Shona catching up with her bestie, Bec (freeing me to visit my favourite chocolate store in the world, Adora… seriously, I have eaten chocolate in many of the great nations, but this stuff takes the cake!) then we headed to Hornsby to catch up with Shona’s mum & dad, but even that was a double booking. We also dragged them around the shops looking for cots & other bits of baby paraphernalia.

Of course, the highlight, (pictured above) was the baptism of B. Tim & Dee have been one of the biggest blessings to us since we moved up to the coast, so it was a real honour to be able to be a part of this big day with them & to make some promises of our own on that day.

They are big days.

I have to make sure not to enter that trap, where I see the month that I have off in 5 weeks time as a holiday. I suspect having a newborn child is quite the opposite.

Reconnecting

March 6, 2009 1:27 PM

I was given a copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” as an ordination present. I had thought, at first glance, that it was an odd present to be given. It’s illustrated & is primarily seen as a kids book. Of course, this little title is so much more, asking questions about the nature of man & making social commentary in a stile reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’ work “The Great Divorce.”

Anyway, it got me thinking. What a great shame that so many of us feel the need to read only “Adult” books. There is so much that can be challening, comforting, and informing in material that was intended for a younger audience. Heck, even picture books, like “Where the Wild Things Are” can be great to read if you give them a chance.

What helps you reconnect to the child’s world?

Do I?

February 23, 2009 4:54 AM

I’ve been thinking a whole lot about blogging. I just haven’t done any.

It’s been a big couple of weeks.

Silent retreat, ordination, Shona’s big conference, mum’s birthday, it’s all been happening. I’ve been thinking about a lot of it & not writing.

I think I might just start again. I’m committing myself to blogging weekly at our Youth Group webpage, but I think I need to extend that commitment to here. I think I’ll spend more time writing about what I am thinking of, what I am preaching on, and then see if I can fit a photo or two in there too.

Anyway, I do have a couple of photos for you. The one above was from the roof of a tunnel in Sydney city. The ones below are from a “high tea” that Shona & I had on Saturday.

The last chance we have to go out on a date before the baby? Who knows?

Just some of the minis on offer. I know Amy would kill me if I didn’t blog the food. I’m looking forward to Amy putting up some stiff competition in the Creme Brulee stakes… they were tasty!

You’d look happy if you had this food ahead of you! We also had a 3 page list of different teas available to us. I had an awesome Ayam (sp?) tea that had malty & cocoa undertones… very nice

Away

February 15, 2009 9:12 PM

I know, I should have something profound to say, but don’t worry, I am sure I will have something by the time I blog next. By this time next week I will be the Rev. Tim Goldsmith!

I’m off to ordination retreat tomorrow morning, and I stay there till Friday afternoon, when I head back to Newcastle & get ordained on Friday night!

I’m excited at the prospect & excited about the idea of having a week (OK, only 5 days) to spend in prayer and contemplation, even if the threat of a “silent retreat” freaks me out a little.

So I should be more inspired to write, but I miss my wife who is down in Sydney for the week for her big conference.

So it looks like your luck is out!

But instead, here are a couple of cute pictures of my soon-to-be God-daughter!

I think this one has a very “Girl Power’ feel to it. The raised fist makes it for me!

More of the standard cute shot, but I still like it…

Testing friendships

January 22, 2009 9:02 AM

OK, so I haven’t really ingratiated myself to any of you by not posting over the last little while. Does it make anyone feel better if I said that I GUARANTEE that there will be some big news up on the site in the next week?

Really, you should strap yourself in for the ride over the next couple of months anyway. What with Ordination & Fatherhood on the doorstep, you can rest assured that I will be looking for an outlet. If nothing else, you have the guarantee of pictures of the kid.

Anyway sit tight. I have some theological thoughts in the pipeline & a whole passel of other info just waiting for the right moment to unleash!

Lunch Time - (things I like: part 2)

December 16, 2008 5:24 AM

I’m sure I’ve pulled out the old Douglas Adams quote before, but it’s true:

“Time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so”

So, time was at its illusionary best last saturday when I got to catch up with some of my oldest friends.

If you were to discover a snapshot of my childhood, at least one of the people pictured above is likely to be in it.

Friday night meant time for the Bevans (Chris on the left, Nell at front in the blue & Lucy to Nell’s left) to come over. A glass of Seaview for the mums & a 20c mixture (lollies, or “candy” for our American friends) for the kids.

Somewhere on the weekend, or definitely in the holidays we’d see Scott (Right) and his mum Ness (to Nell’s left), Anthony (Centre-right) and the Pannell clan.

Guy Fawkes Night, January at Pearl Beach, lazy summer days on the SS Bundabah, these were my formative years.

Still… my formative years are long since gone…

15+ years.

It’s been that long since I have seen some of the crew, but when we got together on Saturday afternoon, the sun stopped in the sky, the calenders spun in the opposite direction & for a few short hours I could have been 10 again.

It’s a worthy addition to my little “Things I Like” theme. It’s nice that we have friends who are there for a season. You know, the people you hang out with at Uni, but don’t really keep in contact with after.

But even better are the friends for the long haul. It’s not that you have to see them every week (or in this case, you might not have seen them for over a decade), but there is enough shared history, enough context, that there will always be the connection.

Even if it’s just spent reminiscing, the time has great value.

Here’s hoping we can organise a proper catch up for the parents now!

…. And to leave you, a happy little santa picture. Our departure from the Manly Wharf Hotel was ushered in, in part, by the arrival of 400-odd santas on a pub crawl.

Surreal to catch up with a bunch of old friends? Yes!

Too surreal to catch up with said friends whilst surrounded with santas? absolutely.

Things I like

December 4, 2008 3:57 PM

So, I worked through the Youthworks biblestudy book on Philippians with Caleb from youth group. It was good to go back through it, because I had preached on the book at the beginning of the year. It was also good because it’s a nice convicting book that can’t help but put things in perspective.

In particular, I got to thinking about verses 12-13 of Chapter 4.

“12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. “

Am I really content? More importantly, is contentment something that we gain, or something that we practice?

I suspect that, being part of such a capitalistic society, we get caught up in the idea that contentment is something that we have to gain or achieve. If only I can get the right girl/boyfriend, if only I have the right car, live in the right suburb, get a degree from the right place, have the right friends, own the right brands, then I will “BE” content. It’s always something that we are aiming for, and of course, it is always something we come up short on.

What if we recognised that we’re already blessed & that we need to “Practice” contentment. I’m not saying that we should just magically be happy, but maybe, by focussing on those things that we already have, we can come to appreciate our present life more and worry about our future life less.

The things we spend our time thinking about, or chasing after, are the things that we come to value.

So, I’ve decided to start blogging about things that I am content with. What opportunities God is giving me. All of the good things that I have in my life. Some of them might be small & trivial & some might be big & meaningful, but all of them are a blessing….

OK, I’ll start off with two biggies, since they were brought to my attention last weekend…

1: Family.

So, I was at a wedding last weekend. My cousin Nick & the gorgeous Marika (Sorry Nick. Your picture doesn’t make it this time…). It was great to hang out with them, but it was also great to have the whole family together. My sister was up from Wagga, and my brother from Melbourne. I also had a whole passel of cousins at the gig. I realised that I love my family!

OK, so I am not stating anything profound here, but it is still an important realisation to have. So many people constantly bicker with their families. There’s a movie currently out about the pain of having to go to family Christmases, but for me it’s a highlight of my year.

Family are an awesome thing. Rather than thinking about how I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, I’m practicing contentment, knowing I have an awesome one!

Amy, Shona & Kristin

2: Friends from Bible College

So on the weekend I had my graduation ceremony for Bible college. It was great to see a whole bunch of familiar faces & catch up on old times. Of course, I don’t need to look to special events to be reminded of the good things I have. I’m lucky enough that I work 15 mins away from Dan & we have breakfast once a week. However, Sunday was a great reminder of the great gift I had. I only got to chat to Bainy for about 5 minutes on and off, but we talked about important stuff. Art & its relationship to ministry. Art & its relationship to life. I was challenge. I had to think deeply & hopefully I gave Bainy something to think about. I’ve also really enjoyed his blog. It’s a little bit of college online…

Sometimes I feel really sad that college is over, but today I am practicing contentment, knowing that I had the opportunity to learn heaps during my time at SMBC & that I have a network of friends who continue to challenge me.

Dan performing his exam ceremony during the first year exams…

So, there’s my two… Where is your contentment today?

From Mankini to Magic

November 27, 2008 8:02 PM

Words cannot describe the horror one feels when browsing Facebook, only to have your eyes assailed by pictures of your cousin wearing only a fluorescent green “mankini” (as made famous by our good friend Borat).

This was part of the manhood ritual known as the Bucks day (Or “Stags party” if you are one of our American friends). What exactly is the point of removing a guy’s clothes & then trying to remove any vestiges of dignity or maturity that a man might possess?

Of course, I don’t blame Nick. I rest assured that the clothing, the activities & the indignities were all envisaged & supplied by his “best men.”

I’ve been thinking…. Is it an attempt to make the metamorphosis more apparent. One week he is protozoic, the next week he is an advanced life form? Or is it just, as the classics say, “his last taste of freedom”? (If that were the case, why would so many bucks days be a matter of a groom having things done TO him rather than BY him?)

Either way, it did make for some interesting photos. I am sure a psychologist will have a field day with the memories I am trying to repress, having looked at them, 10 years from now.

Meanwhile, I need to clear my mind of such stuff…

It’s nice to know that I can focus on Saturday. The day when all those memories are erased in a whirl of white silk (or insert your girly bridal gown fabric name here) and black suit.

Failing that, I have SMBC Graduation to focus on on Sunday…

Failing that, here are a couple of serene pictures I took last weekend, when I helped out with the kids programme at my mate Dan’s church camp.

“Ahhh the Serenity.” Water gently lapping, a boat or two on the lake, and a giant power station whirring away in the distance…. peace, perfect peace!

I fish-eyed view of the world at dusk.

Commenting on foreign elections.

November 7, 2008 7:35 AM

Once upon a time I might have balked at the idea.

“Why should I comment on their elections? They don’t even know who our Prime Minister is!”

But, of course, that is very ungracious. One has to acknowledge that we are a tiny country of 21-odd million on the “arse end of the world” (to quote a former prime minister, Paul Keating), while they, like it or lump it, are still the most powerful nation in the world & the biggest economic nation.

So, whether we have Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull, or even the fat kid from “Hey Dad” as the Prime Minister it doesn’t really change their world, but I think there could be some big changes in ours.

So… on to my comments.

I am happy that Barack got in. I am sure that he has a lot to offer, but I can’t help but wonder how much of our feelings are swayed by media hype. Could any Australian really outline what any of his policies are? Could we outline McCains?

Maybe I am getting all “conspiracy theory” in my old age, but I can’t help but feel that lots of society get manipulated. Like J-Moff noted, there seems to be a real air where you are uncool, or out of touch if you voted for or were pro-McCain.

Whether or not you like the guy, I hope everyone respects his speech after defeat. He may not be the “Cool” choice, but I respect a man who just loses the biggest moment of his life & then openly embraces the new president elect & calls the nation to get behind him & make America great.

Meanwhile, I think the next 4 years should be an interesting time. Has America voted in the best man for the job, or have they voted the most charismatic man? I guess we’ll find out….

Weekend Away

October 30, 2008 1:16 PM

So last weekend was our parish weekend away.

We didn’t get the numbers we had hoped for, but those who were committed were there for a good time & a good time was what we had!

It’s nice to be able to spend some time away, just chill out and have fun, and hear from God’s word. My good mate Dan gave 2 talks & a study from Jonah (not that I heard them, as I was out the back helping with the kids) which went down a treat, and his kids worker, Nena, ran the kids programme. What a fantastic time!

Anyway, it’s all hands on deck for the next week or two, with my hospital training finishing up, and a couple of sermons on the boil.

No rest for the wicked!

Surprised?

October 20, 2008 5:08 PM

You shouldn’t be.. Well maybe you should. It has been over a month.

But you know I’m not like that usually right? I just need to get myself out of this blogging funk. I read other peoples blogs & I think about things to write all the time, so all I need to do is do it!

In the mean time, what a crazy ride it’s been.

Did you know that Shona is pregnant? Yeah, I know, crazy huh!!

Also, I am getting ordained next year. “Lucky they didn’t speak to me first” I hear you say! Well, I guess I am lucky aren’t I!

Anyway, maybe I will pull my finger out & write something properly in the next couple of days. In the mean time, you know I am always good for “Old Faithful,” the pictures….

This is… we’ll call her “A”, the brand spanking new daughter of Dave & Sim. She’s a gorgeous little one. We’ll have our own (maybe not a girl though) on or around April 10th!

This is what a cheeky little girl looks after 4 years. Who doesn’t love Bethy? What an awesome niece!

And here we have the male version of awesome. Tobliebobs is a funny kid!

Workin it

September 11, 2008 9:10 PM

I know I’m the heaviest I have ever been in my life.

My little bro & his wife both lost a whole heap of kilos on weight watchers, which is a nice spur, but really, I don’t know if I want to make the kind of life-changing commitment that I would have to for that. Shones & I certainly have made big changes to make sure that we are eating better quality stuff & less bad stuff, but I think there will always be a special place for food in my life. Even bad food…

At the same time as deciding that the weight is an issue, I am pretty sure that I am the least fit I have ever been. I walk around lots of places, but I really don’t do a great deal of real cardiovascular work.

Anyway, I have decided that maybe increasing my workload could be my weight loss strategy!

Why you ask?

Well, it looks like I have my own free personal trainer!

Byron is a South African guy I go to church with. Like many Saffies, he is direct, stubborn & determined. He is also mad about Mountain Biking, and only lives 8 minutes (ride) from me. Even better, there are literally hundreds of kilometers of awesome tracks behind his house!

This afternoon I went out for a ride with him. It was only 13kms (about 8 miles), but it was a LOT of up hills!

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t walk a fair bit of it. I would also be lying if I said there was a passage of time where I couldn’t talk, and it was all I could do not to spew either! That said, I would also be lying if I said that it wasn’t breath takingly beautiful on some of these ridge tops. So amazing, that you could hardly believe that you were on the edge of suburbia! Lots of national park, some nice windy tracks, and some good company.

I also remembered the best thing about Mountain Biking.

I’ll be honest, I was miserable a fair bit of the ride (physically, not emotionally) and some of the big drops scare me… I am a bit of a wus…. but MAN what a feeling about 30 minutes after the ride! The adrenaline is still pumping into the system & you get the awesome feeling of euphoria long after getting over the tiredness!

So, Byron & I are heading out tomorrow afternoon too (Remember? South African & Determined) and this time I will make sure to take along our little pocket camera & capture a little of the beauty.

Lets see if this one lasts… If I could feel as nice as I did this afternoon, I certainly hope it does!

Etiquette

August 27, 2008 11:09 PM

I’m not entirely sure what the appropriate way one talks about the death of people they love on their blogs, so I have come up with a little plan…

Firstly, the story. Last Wednesday afternoon, my Mum’s dad, known to parts of our family as “Bamma,” died at 94. There is limitless rhetoric available about “having a good innings” etc, but that doesn’t mean much to those who wish he were “still in the game.”

Anyway, I don’t really feel like the internet is the appropriate place for me to wax lyrical about Bamma. Some things really are better discussed in relationship, so instead I thought I would blog about a bunch of “Old” things that I have been enjoying recently, in honour of the old man whom I miss muchly….

1: Get the “Old Crew” together….

All of the family came up for the Funeral on Monday. On Sunday, however, we played. This included one of the “old classic” pastimes of cruising down to the beach, having a walk (and a shoulder ride, and a jump) on the beach, followed by an icecream! You have to love Australia. Still within the bounds of Winter (I think… or are we just out of it by now? I get confused!) yet it is still nice icecream weather!!

2: Read some “Old” Books…

OK, so they are both new books that I bought, but the Calvin book is (loosely) about Calvinism, which is an old theology. When my friend Bruce pointed this book out to me, I had to have it. The second book is a collection of 145 short stories, compiled (and some written by) Dave Eggers, author of one of my favourite books, “You shall know our velocity”. Anyway, I got into short stories because of some Hemmingway and Poe that I’ve read, and they are both old, so it counts too.

3: Old foods. I had Bible study over at my house this evening, and I enjoy cooking something nice for them. Again, they are new to me, but they are an “old classic” of the cafe scene, the humble Friand. These ones were Raspberry & White Chocolate, and went down a treat!

4: The Consumption of Old Drinks Actually, it’s not Ardbeg I am drinking, it is “Highland Park,” and it isn’t 10 years old, it is 12, but this was the only photo that I could find in my archives of Whisky. I could have taken a picture of my Highland Park bottle, but you see, the drinking is something that I am about to do, not something I have done, so I didn’t want to waste time.

Whenever I write something like “the drinking” it makes it sound like I plan on knocking back a bottle. Truth be told, I’m just going to enjoy one simple dram as I sit back & enjoy one of my old books.

Sitting, reading & enjoying a nice Whisky fits my “ode to the old man” quite nicely…

Survival

August 18, 2008 10:13 AM

So I survived the 40-hour famine. I have to say that the not eating bit wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be. Once you don’t have breakfast, I felt like metabolism just sort of shut down. I didn’t have too many problems with hunger at all. My only real concern was that I like to eat & it is something that I do to break up the time. I would find myself bored & need to find something else to do instead of eat.

Maybe this is good training if the G-dawg wants to drop some kilos?

Of course, I am not saying that the famine was a walk in the park. The big killer, however, was the sleepover. It’s a sad reality in my life that I don’t have the sleep-deprivation stamina that I once exhibited. Come 3am, I was really starting to tire. Actually, I don’t know if it’s the stamina, as much as it is a realisation of other responsibilities & worry about my ability to carry them out.

I needed to work on my sermon on Saturday, then on Sunday I had a kids talk in the morning, followed by sitting in on a baptism class, then off to a reunion lunch, followed by a meeting for the evening church, followed by church itself, followed by dinner with a lovely couple from church. Lots of stuff to have to do back to back, when you’re tired & you don’t get to eat till 9:45 on Sunday morning.

Mother other slight miscalculation was that I thought if I finished my famine at 9:45am, that would be just in time for my kids talk. Unfortunately, I miscalculated it & had 7 minutes to go when my kids talk started. However, the kids thought it was twice as funny that I had brought in all this stuff for my little meal, and then had to sit there staring at it…

Anyway, the one down side to Sundays being a work day is that you get home, feeling like you have survived the week, but there is no weekend buffer before you start the next one. My day off, Saturday, kind of got swallowed up this week, so it’s monday morning & it’s back into the fray!

I guess that is the good thing about working for the church. It’s tiring, but it is nice to really believe in what your doing & not begrudge the little sacrifices that one might have to make to keep things going.

As a brief aside, here’s a pic that I kind of like. It’s a thin slice of kiwifruit held up against the sun.

Slow weekend...

August 15, 2008 9:55 AM

I know it’s going to be a slow weekend.

Not because I don’t have anything to do. In fact, I am pretty darn busy the whole time, but this weekend is 40 Hour Famine weekend at church, and it just wouldn’t be right for me to be a youth leader & not partake in the famine myself. I thought about giving up technology or something like that for the 40, but that would be a bit soft on my part.

Why is is that when you plan something like this, a time where you would hope to spend lots of it asleep, you end up having youth sleepovers? It just makes you hungrier! Still, it should be good fun, so that will be OK.

The following is just a little fun I had with Caleb after Bible Study on Wednesday. It’s been fun & encouraging to work through the book of Acts with him, and it is also good fun to see what bicarb soda does with vinegar!

Redemption

July 30, 2008 4:29 PM

It is a long road to redemption when one lets their blog lapse. What might once have been an active and enthusiastic readership is now just web-bots trawling for information & the occasional family member ensuring that I still exist.

Still, I do mean to get back into the swing of things here on timgoldsmith.com. I know that when I am in full-swing, it is a great avenue to encourage me to be creative. I need to think outside the box!

Of course, I get to do that lots with work! We're making some changes at the morning service at church, which means I get to do kids talks every week (I really love doing kids talks. It just feels natural) I will be preaching once a month in the morning (to supplement my preaching every second week in the evening) and I will be trying out some "Culture Spots" once a month too. Just an idea pilfered from my days at SMBC.

Creativity is a funny thing, when you're using that side of the brain, things just start coming more naturally. When you ignore it, it ignores you! I've been using certain parts of my creative brain, but other parts I have been ignoring & they've slowly moved toward an atrophic state. Time to stretch those muscles.

Anyway, photography is another of those muscles I need to continue to stretch. Here's a couple of pictures of new, and a couple of old...

"The Look"
Fliss & Andy got married a couple of weeks ago. I think she may have been joking with this look, but I think it's a classic!

The bridal Waltz? Not the way I remember it!

J-Moff has used the "Wordle" thing before, so I thought I would "Wordle" the sermon I did the other week on "Our Father" the beginning of the Lord's Prayer...

Finally, it has been a long time since I posted a shot of beer. It used to be a regular occurrence. This is taking things back to 2004. A fine beer to enjoy in Edinburgh at the "Monster Mash" Restaurant. Itself a fine establishment!

Zip

July 14, 2008 12:13 AM

So, it has already been a couple of weeks since the anniversary!

Who'd have thunk that time can move so fast? I've been working hard with normal work stuff, CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) stuff, and "Kids Games" (Everybody jump up!) running for the whole of last week!

Man, it has been a lot of work, but it has also been a lot of fun. We had upward of 140 kids come to Kids Games (no more than 120 on any on day though), about 75 of which were unchurched. It really is a great point of contact with the kids of surrounding area. It also proves to be a great ecumenical exercise. It was awesome to have the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Churches of Christ, and the"Liberty Church" (pentecostal) together!

Of course, the joys of child safety mean that I can't really show you any of the pictures (and there are lots)

Anyway...

I thought I would do a bit of a J-Moff & pose a question for those Christian readers out there (though you don't need to be Christian to reply).
I'm thinking of doing a series with my Youth Group entitled "Ten things you need to know about Christianity." What would you put on the list?

A week away

June 19, 2008 2:09 PM

On Monday week, I will have been married for a year!

Dang it, that's gone fast!

Boy things have changed in the intervening time. Different jobs for both of us, different suburb, and even different city to live in. I'm done with my study (or at least the Bible College study) and we're in a whole new world of experience on the coast.

With this in mind. It's great when you have a chance to spend time with the 'old crew.' I haven't had a chance to catch up with some of my crew recently. Matt, Cate & Kirt, being big examples, but a couple of weeks ago we did get to catch up with some of Shona's nearest & dearest.

It was great to spend some time with Felis and Andy, who are moving, daily, closer to their big day of transformation (i.e. their wedding) as well as Dave & Sim. Andy added another life-changing experience to my list, when I ENJOYED a vegetarian lunch! I know, I'm shocked too! (Mum, don't have a heart attack)

(The vege meal in question... Haloumi is nice!)

Of course, the day was much sweeter, being able to link up with some serious cupcake action from some mini-cupcake store in the city. Cute & tasty!

OK, so there is nothing serious to this post. I had an idea about a week ago for something big I wanted to write about, and now I am trying to remember what it is! That sucks!

Sorry

May 30, 2008 3:18 PM

Click on the picture for a bigger apology, or go to The Bureau to make an apology (or another announcement) of your own!

Casual conversations

May 5, 2008 6:19 PM

There is a family that lives on a corner block near my church. You can look down into their back yard as you walk by. As I walked by on Sunday afternoon I saw a young girl, under two sitting on a rope-swing by herself and the following conversation took place.

Girl: Hello

Me: Good afternoon.

Girl: Do you want to come and play at my house?

Me: No, but thank you for asking. You look like you have a nice swing there.

Girl: Yeah I am good at swings.

(five seconds later)

Girl: Bye Bye

Me: Bye bye, have a nice afternoon.

Girl: I love you.

It was one of those golden little moments in life. She was a lovely little kid & was just looking for someone who might play an assisting role in her afternoon swinging plans. She wasn't too concerned that I was a stranger, but was happy for some conversation and company. For one brief second I couldn't help but be filled with happiness. You can see why Jesus said that the Kingdom belonged to people such as this. Simple, innocent, friendly & completely trusting. Coming from a family who remind her how much they love her, she wanted to share the love around.

It breaks my heart that the moment following this revolved around my fears for a kid like this. Had I actually come down & joined her for a push of a swing, the chances are that an enraged parent would have barged out forthwith. What was I doing in their yard? Why was I hanging around with their young kid.
Far worse than that scenario is the idea that a more nefarious character might have happened upon such a sweet little child. That maybe the parents didn't come out fast enough & maybe she could have disappeared...

Moments like this surely have to make someone long for heaven. Oh for a day when golden moments aren't framed by the black clouds of fear. For the day when love can be given with the knowledge that there need not be loss to come in the future.

Maranatha

Easy decisions

April 30, 2008 5:08 AM

(Eggs Benedict)

Should we go up to visit my parents over the ANZAC weekend? Well, they are on a nice vineyard in the Hunter, I do enjoy spending time with them, it is a chance to get out of the house and relax... They are all good reasons, but the clincher is when mum says "How about I make you Eggs Benedict for breakfast?"

We weren't able to stay for the whole weekend, because I was preaching twice on Sunday morning (which went well, thank you for asking... I was preaching on the second half of Acts 17. Apparently, according to a reader at one of the services, Paul spoke at the Asparagus!), but we were able to head up on Thursday evening & stay till Saturday afternoon.

Rain was the name of the game, like most of the coast around Sydney, but with a warm fire going, a couple of scrabble games, and a cheeky red wine or two, the rain just added to the ambience.

Follow that up with a lovely misty morning on the Saturday & you have a recipe for success. The only downside to all the precipitation was that when we attempted to leave, the bridge at the end of road was under a metre of water! We had to drive 15km around to get off on another bridge. Again, all part of the fun.

Well, I have some other thoughts in my noodle that I would love to share, but they might have to wait for another post, which will hopefully only be in a day or so.

Instead, enjoy a couple of pics..

The foggy morning was lovely. There are a million little spiders webs on the vines!

Once the mist lifted, Saturday was magic. Not that that would make this a magic mushroom...

The road "should" continue down to a lovely wooden bridge.

A testimony to Shona's patience that she still looks happy having driven 15kms to get around to the this side of the bridge...

Comfort

April 22, 2008 6:30 PM

It will never be green like this photo in Australia.

But over the last week it has certainly had all the rain. To be honest, I had forgotten that it could rain like this in OZ. Deep, driving, constant rain. I think it's been going for about a week.

Days like today are fairly good for doing work. It's just the right kind of weather to camp out in front of your computer & bang out a bunch of Bible studies for youth group & spiff up your sermon for Sunday.

That said, it would be an even better day to be snuggled up in bed, a good book (for me the picture in my head will always be Lord of the Rings... a product of my childhood) some chocolate (again, my formative years declare that they must be "chocolate bullets", preferably the now defunct pascalls brand) with a Teddy bear (and now the option of my wife!) by your side.

Well, unfortunately, my day is more of the work & less of the vegging. Still, there's always a spare moment to remember lush green walks & rainy days with my niece's bear in bonny Scotland.

Hardly

April 21, 2008 12:31 AM

I don't know what you're talking about dude, it hasn't been that long!

Oh, what, ten days? OK, so maybe longer than I said I would leave without calling, but hardly the kind of timeframe that ruins a friendship or anything, right?

Right?

If it's any consolation, I have been fairly busy.

Hey, don't laugh!

Yeah, I know, I thought holiday time would mean that life is cruisy too, but it never seems to work that way.

Well, I guess it's like that because I wanted to make sure that I am on top of things for next term. That means putting together Bible study series....

Hey, as a digression, how do you pluralise a word like series? Serieses? series' serii? None of them ever sound right.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah, between Bible study stuff for youth group, writing a couple of sermons... Did I mention that I got sick? Nothing serious, just a cough & a cold, but it was enough to take that sparkling edge off me. Anyway, add all the other minutiae that make up the average week, and things just disappeared.

Like I said though, it wasn't all bad. Do you remember Tom & Ruth? They're from the halcyon days at Dural Anglican. Anyway... hey, do I use the word "anyway" too often? anyway, Tom & Ruth offered us free tickets to come with them & see the Swans play at Telstra stadium! Yeah, I know, sweet, but it gets better. We were only 4 rows from the grass, right in the middle of the field. Dude, seriously, Barry Hall broke his wrist about 3 meters from where I sat. Unfortunately I had already put the camera away by then...

Yeah, I took the big camera.

Look, tell you what, let me go to bed now and I'll promise to get back to you real soon, and just to sweeten the deal, I'll pop in a couple of the pics from my night out. Deal?

Deal!

Look, I know it is obligatory, but it really catches the mood of AFL. As a sport, they continually seem to be tipping their hats to the 30s & 40s... gotta love the streamer-wall anyway...

I'm not going to pretend like I know any of their names. I can appreciate the sport, but you know I am a rugby guy. Anyway (there I go again!) you have to appreciate the athleticism, plus you get an idea in this pic of how truly close we were!

For some odd reason, a lot of my photos are of the Eagles taking marks. Quite odd, considering how much they got beaten by!

That's better. We got to see a lot of this that night, which is perfect for your first night of live AFL! I'll have to thank Tom & Ruth properly later!

Good times

April 10, 2008 4:26 PM

On Saturday I went to Matt & Lisa's place for lunch.

Good times.

It's nice to catch up with one of your oldest mates & just kind of chill.

It's even better when the two of you are married & you can bring along your wives (and not too bad when his lovely sister-in-law and husband are there too)

And it's truly good times when they have two gorgeous boys for you to hang out.

Young kids are just like free entertainment. Who needs foxtel when you can watch the wild hijinx of "T" and "W". Will "W" be able to fit a whole piece of cake in his mouth at once? How psyched up can we get "T" as he heads lots of sugary stuff, then how likely is it that we will be able to beat Matt at Wii tennis, if "T", a four year old, is his partner?

Here's a couple of pics from the day. (Oh, and much thanks needs to go to Lisa for all her fantastic hosting skills. We were serious when we said the lasagna tasted awesome!)

"T" is rockin' it out old-skool style.

I've never seen such a whole-body effort when it comes to eating lunch.

They must be used to cameras... "W" is trying to push "T" out of the way. Who wants to share a closeup?

This was one of the early attempts of "W" to use his hand to eat cake, before he resorted to simply diving his face into it. Very cute!

The world is Black and White

April 1, 2008 8:51 AM

Oh that it were true.

Instead there are so many shades. Ever more so today as truth becomes a subjective.

Anyway, here is some more pictures of Scotland to encourage my sister...

Merchant street. Down in the Grassmarket area.

You have to be ready at any time in Edinburgh to escape the rain. On this occasion (in 2004) escape lead to the excellent opportunity to try out a deep-fried mars bar!

Perspective

March 31, 2008 10:50 AM

(Looking down on St. Louis from "The Arch," July 2004)

What's old is new again.

March 30, 2008 10:08 PM

So I continue to potter around with old photos.
I have to admit that for the last little while I have worried that I have lost a bit of my passion for photography, but just playing around over the last little while has been great. I found a HEAP of old photos that I put onto lightroom & it's been great being able to breath new life into old shots, relive the old days & see how I have also developed in my craft.

With all that said, I think I will have to give my poor congregation a bit of a rest from the endless photo-essays at church. They get to enjoy every whim & fancy that I come up with.

Please enjoy a couple more shots from Scotland. No matter how I feel about photography, my love for all things caledonian remains!

The roof from the apartments across the road from where I lived. Why do they call them APARTments, when they are all stuck together?

They call this place "The Meadows." It is a lovely big park area just outside the centre of the city. Man it was nice to head there when the weather was warmish & thousands of people were just chilling & enjoying that foreign object to all Scots, the Sun!

Preset memories

March 28, 2008 12:56 PM

Occasionally I find out new things about certain programs on my computer. Just yesterday I found out that you can download "presets" for "Adobe Lightroom", which are the optimum technical settings for different styles of photo. A preset for the "Lomo effect", or HDR, even Velvia style... Lots of fun.

Occasionally I remember that I have thousands of old photos that I can look at & remember. It's nice to travel through Europe again, or relive first year of college.

When my revelation last night met my interest in some of my old photos, I decided to have a go at fixing/playing with some of the oldies. I am happy with the following, but would appreciate feedback. You never know as a photographer, whether you are more excited by the new process you have applied more than the photo itself...

Easyjet is a beautiful thing! Cheap flights everywhere. I think I got 6 flights for the equivalent of about $400!

I caught a train from Venice to Nice in this carriage. A short while after this shot I went to go to the bathroom. When I got there, the floor was flooded & I was just in socks, so I headed back to my cabin & found a guy fiddling with the door, trying to break into my room. He saw me & then just walked away. Had I not turned back, I could have lost my camera & a bunch of valuables! God is good!

Edinburgh itself is a beautiful city. I really love it. This is looking from George IV bridge, down onto the Cowgate.

New Things

March 26, 2008 1:20 PM

So it's back to work after a big weekend of Easter.

I had a good time over easter. We had Sim, Dave & Michelle up for the weekend, which was fun. I got to do a kids talk at church & felt like it went down a treat, so that was a bonus too. Finally, on Sunday evening we had a dinner as a church & it was great. Nice food, good company & instead of having a sermon, we had 4 readings done by different members of the congregation where they injected their own thoughts/feelings/ideas into the reading. It was a good time.

I've started a new blog for our Youth Group called "The WAY". At the moment, the only info on it is mirrored in stuff that is being done here, but I assure you (probably 5) readers that there will be lots of original information going up there in the very near future. Check it out anyway.

Well, It's also a sad week this week. My little Bro, his wife & child are moving down to Melbourne tomorrow, which will be the source of much sadness for Shona & I.

The only good news to come out of the move (hopefully) is that P,K & C will have to be more diligent in their blogging, so we can all keep up now... Here's hoping!

TCG.><>.

Unexpected benefits

March 16, 2008 2:09 PM

It appears that one of the unexpected benefits of living up on the Central Coast is that going into Sydney City itself becomes exponentially more exciting. As you roll over the Harbour Bridge in the train, looking out at the Opera House & the city splayed behind it, it's just breathtaking.

So the other week, Shona & I got to head into the city for dinner; a gift from a bunch of her Brisbane friends. We'd chosen to use this universal voucher at the Hotel Intercontinental, going to the "Cafe Opera" restaurant.

Now, even I am ready to admit that when I think of class & sophistication, the word "buffet" rarely appears in the list of words floating through my mind. However, "Cafe Opera" is a totally different story. Amazing Sushi & Sashimi, awe inspiring salads, lovely bread, seafood, and the desserts were so beautiful I didn't know whether or not to eat them or photograph them! (Amy, you would have liked the Creme Brulee that was the size of a large salad bowl...)

So we ate, we chatted, we ate, we laughed, we ate & then we ate some more just in case. It was a magical night, just to be in the city, around the buildings, watching people bustle by & feeling like we were in a different world to our daily experience at home.

I think I need to visit more often. Maybe a chance to really get stuck into some photo taking again?

Anyway, here are a couple of photos from the occasion. (Out of respect for my wife & the fine institution of going on a "date" I refrained from food photography in the restaurant...)

The foyer of the Intercontinental

Shona, waiting for the train on the way home.

March 12, 2008 11:24 PM

I was on one of my friend Jenn's pages today & it had this video. It certainly gets you thinking! I'd love to hear people's impressions/opinions...

While I'm pilfering stuff from Jenn, here's apparently how my theological mindset would break down. That said, I really disagreed with a number of the questions. I don't always like having to pick something categorically.

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Neo orthodox

You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centredness and scepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God's most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth.

Neo orthodox

79%

Reformed Evangelical

75%

Fundamentalist

71%

Emergent/Postmodern

64%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

61%

Classical Liberal

46%

Roman Catholic

32%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

29%

Modern Liberal

25%

In news that I haven't pilfered from someone else.... actually there is none. I got inspired by a picture that I saw on Jodi's blog, and I decided to start my own series, where I get my youth kids to think up one (or several) word ideas that can be written on a hand (or other body part) and then expressed through a physical action & then photographed.
The following was just a test. The rest I suspect are going to be focussed more on "virtues."

Dreams

March 11, 2008 11:47 PM

I would love for you to have looked up this site & found a really interesting blog. Something that stimulates & challenges you. Something that informs your worldview, or causes you to want to inform me, but the truth is... well I'm tired, I have a big rest of my week & I think I'm just going to go to bed. You'll have to hold out for my critique of certain articles in the paper, my plans for an interesting photo series with my Youth Kids, and a review of the restaurant that I was lucky enough to go to last week with Shona...

Soon and very soon, my dear brothers and sisters...

Advantage who?

March 4, 2008 8:25 AM

I went to a Bible Society showcase morning tea the other day. The speaker dropped the statistic that over 40% of Australians say that they will most likely never read another book for pleasure once they have finished their education.

Never

Again

Read

Book!

It shocks and saddens me. Surely that statistic can't be right. Australians are supposed to be some of the biggest readers per capita in the world, but I suspect that this doesn't change the facts.

I guess I am pretty lucky. I read from a young age & had a love of reading patterned to me. I remember trawling through mum's home-library & visiting my dad in the country & seeing him sit up at night burning through Robert Ludlum style books.
I even remember the very moment that a casual interest in books moved to a passion. It was in 5th grade & the school librarian read out to us the beginning of Tolkien's "The Hobbit." I decided to read it for myself, and though the first page and a half was very different to the rest of the book (I was expecting something along the lines of "More Adventures of the Muddle Headed Wombat," the longest book I had read up to that point in time) I was hooked. Since then, my affair with good books has continued.

Viscount Herbert Samuel said "Libraries are thought in cold storage." I've always been fascinated by the fact that, on my shelf, is the collected thought, dreams, ideas, blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of men & women. Thousands, possibly millions of hours of deliberation, poured out onto the pages. Even if the subject doesn't interest you, the insight into the author can be fascinating. You can ignore the story & instead be lost in postulations on what kind of character or mind produces such ideas like this?, what headspace delivers such material? What do these characters say about this persons perception of reality & what does my reaction say in return?

Once you have a taste for literature, the bonds that time have on you are loosened. Anyone can now feel free to explore Paris in the enlightenment, reformation Germany, or the dark ages of Italy. Visit almost anywhere. Even better, visit almost anywhen!

Heck, why even limit ourselves to the terrestrial. The world is our oyster, but there is a whole ocean waiting to be explored beyond our little mollusk....

Middle Earth, the Disc Worlds, The Hitchhikers Guide the Galaxy. It's all there before us.

All this lies at the feet of any man, woman, child. All they need is some basic literacy and a library card...

40% of Australians, never picking up another book....

I'm sure people still find a thousand other ways to inform themselves. They say that by the age of about 8, the average kid has received as much information as their grandparents did in a whole lifetime. But that doesn't change the facts. TV, the internet, mobile phones. None of these things ignites a fire in the heart like a good book.

It's a great challenge for me to think about how I am feeding myself while i work here on the coast. Too quickly people say that they don't have the time to read for pleasure any more. I'm convinced that the trick to longevity in ministry, and happiness in most walks of life, includes, in part, a paperback, 15 spare minutes a day (or longer on your day off) and the willingness to transport yourself into another mans life, or maybe even another world.

After all, as Twain once said "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't."

What are you reading at the moment?

---------------

On the menu at the moment:
1: The contemplative pastor- Eugene Peterson: I started it, loved the first 100 pages, then kind of stalled. I should finish it. Maybe if I start blogging about my books, this will help me finish things like this.

2: Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church- Don Carson: Another book that I have started & need to work through. Good help in understanding what I am working with & a counterbalance to some of my online reading on Emergents.

Gustavus Adolphus: A Hero of the Reformation- C.A. LaCroix: Adolphus was a Swedish King, and a defender of the protestant faith. I'm enjoying the chance to read a little about an "unsung hero."

Books I just finished:
1: What is the What- Dave Eggers: An awesome Biographical look into the life of Achak Deng. Born in Sudan, growing up in refugee camps and trying to eke out a life in the USA.

2: The Voyages of Sinbad- Unknown Author: An interesting book to read. Translated from Arabic. It's interesting to see certain people held up as heroes who display characteristics that might make us uncomfortable in the western world.

Skype me

February 18, 2008 1:39 PM

I have skype & it works properly even with video! Three cheers for broadband!
Feel free to drop me a line!

Just a couple of words.

February 18, 2008 6:59 AM

I was really struck by a couple of words in the second half of Philippians 1 while I was preparing for last night's sermon. I realised the true sincerity of Paul because of hte following.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
(underling, quite obviously, mine...)

Here is a man who is gaol. We don't know if he's in Rome, Ephesus or Caesarea, but what we do know is that he isn't in a good situation. In verse 13 he says "I am in chains for Christ". Like all gaoled people you expect him to talk about his deliverance, but his heavenly perspective comes into stark contrast when he follows it up with his wish that "Christ be exalted whether by life or by death."
Paul has grabbed on to the promise of a resurrection with both hands. There is no "foot in both camps", but a wholehearted longing for those things which are promised in Christ Jesus. I long for, and admit that I most often fail to attain, that kind of sincerity. I eagerly await the time when the Lord calls me home, but at the same time I want to suck the marrow out of this world just in case....

Well full-time gospel ministry is proving to be a good wakeup call in some regards. Not enough hours in the day. So many opportunities to be opening up & sharing with people. Making a difference in lives, or just trying to make connections. I can see that the very thing that makes this dangerous (that tiredness point where you see the work you do as a job, rather than a gracious gift from God) is also the thing that can make the work so helpful (setting aside your own interests to serve others.)

Of course, I don't want to come across smelling like a saint here (like chocolate and rosehip in my imagination). I am still as lazy as I have been throughout most of my life. I am sure I will look back at this time in a decade & wonder how I managed to fill so many hours with so little work! In the mean time, I'll continue to work & continue to pray that God would mold my heart, that I would be a person who serves in sincerity & looks forward to that day when I leave this earth & am called to serve in heaven.

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Welcome to Wyoming

February 15, 2008 4:53 PM

It can be difficult moving to a new church, particularly when that new church is in a new city & this new city is where you will be practising your new job!

How do you really become part of the family? How do you make connections with people? How do you know if they have connected with you?

I'd posit that you know you are part of a church when, on your doorstep, on a Saturday afternoon, arrives
a) A Banana in Pajamas/Housewife/Santa
b)Strawberry Shortcake/Ballerina/Swimmer
c) A Kangaroo (that looks like a bear)
d) A pretty princess with goggles.
e) One slightly embaressed father.

So there I was, feverishly working away on my sermon. I had to ask Shona a question, so I ran into the bedroom, but before I managed to ask a thing, I saw a flash of colour outside & three giggling youth running to hide.

"I think we need to get dressed out of our PJs" says I.
"Why" says she to me.
"Let's just say that I think we could get visitors today." Tim replies.

I walked downstairs, heard a knock, then walked outside to see what the story is. "G", the father, is standing on the road & encouraging me to look around the corner.

Around said corner was the aforementioned youth. Should I mention that the aforementioned youth were also arme with a spray bottle filled with pineapple juice?

[Note to self: Never tell kids at your church that you hate, vehemently, pineapple...]

On the bright side, we got given some lovely berry muffins as an apology for the ambush.

So there you go. Now you know how to be part of a community. Just make sure you have a decent face towel to get all that pineapple juice off!

Enjoy some pictures of the day!

This is the motley crew. They look like the ambushing type, dont they!

Who could be mad & cute little munchkins like this?

B1-Claus & (musclebound) Ballet-Shortcake

The Happy Place

January 30, 2008 10:42 AM

This is certainly a picture of me in my happy place.

I was in Edinburgh, I had a new bride sitting opposite me & a pint of Guinness sitting in front of me. Can a man ask for more?

College. That was another happy place for me too. Right about now, everyone is going back to SMBC & jumping into the study.

I feel a little homesick for College & I definitely miss Scotland at the moment (hot days suck!) but I certainly wouldn't say that I have been robbed of my "happy place."

It turns out that life here on the Central Coast is pretty good. The congregation here is incredibly friendly, the teaching is sound, my boss is great, and I think there is almost unlimited potential when it comes to my job here. It all feels a little overwhelming, but that is OK.

Our house is also pretty nice. The good thing about living in a Townhouse as opposed to an apartment is that we really feel like there are different spaces. My study is a legitimately separate area, so Shona is free to watch TV & not feel like she is bothering me. Even better, I have my whole library together for the first time in years. Rest assured there will be pictures of the house coming very soon.

Anyway, I think I might be changing the tack of this blog in the near future. Maybe making it more about reflections on my time here, the stuff I am doing & the stuff I am reading. I'll have a think about confidentiality, about how much grovelling I will have to do to the always-generous Chris to help me give things a new look, then work out what is going to happen with photos & the like.

This might also give me more to write about on the blog, since I have really slackened off in the last 6 months or so. Of course, when we get the internet at home, that will make a huge difference too. Who knows when that will be though.

In the mean time, Wyoming is a happy place. Here's hoping it continues to be so.

Oh, I thought I would steal a leaf out of Veltmeyer's book & make this a prayer point blog for those who pray too. Here's a couple to start with.

Shona: Pray that she might be able to find work for the couple of spare days that she currently has.
Tim: Pray that I could learn people's names as quickly as possible & that I could find a good rhythm with all the different tasks in my calendar.

What happens when you get a taste of freedom?

November 26, 2007 5:12 PM

This is the crazy look you get when you are free from classes.... or the look you get when they have all-you-can-eat prosciutto at the graduates retreat. Dan & I were similarly enthusiastic about that one!

So, it has been a week since I finished up at college and have rediscovered reading for pleasure. So far I've read "Band of Brothers", the book that my favourite TV series was based on. It was worthwhile reading, even though I knew the story intimately, having watched the series about a zillion times. I'm also part way through "The Flying Scotsman", a biography of Eric Liddell, the man they made "Chariots of Fire" about. I'm definitely a fan of Eric's. One of the greatest sportsmen ever, and an inspirational Christian too! I'm also thinking that I'll start "Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church" (Don Carson) soon, as a prep for next year.

I've also discovered working for an income! I've had a couple of days working for Anglicare again with the "Toys'n'Tucker" appeal. The first day I did a bit of ferrying in a station wagon, but today we got to pick up our vans. Big 1.8 tonne mammas! It certainly was fun today getting used to my van & trying to park it properly when doing pickups in the middle of Cronulla, then the middle of the Sydney CBD! That was a challenge!

Over the weekend, I enjoyed the pleasures of grad-celebrations and Bucks nights. Friday was college dinner, Sunday was grad ceremony. Saturday was Dave Kerridge's bucks, which involved Summer Hill Pub, Enfield Park, Absinthe, A shop Manequin & A police officer. Of course, this sounds very questionable, but I can assure you that it was all above board. Nice to have a bunch of guys together goofing around in a good-natured way, and I particularly liked praying together with the guys for Kerridge at the end of the night.

Otherwise, not too much to tell. We have a new Prime Minister, but I'll leave discussion of such a matter to those people more politically astute than myself. Oh, as promised, please find some more pictures. These are from the Sculptures by the sea exhibition.

Probably my fave sculpture & my fave picture from the day. I really liked the rusty colours in this.

"Attack of the Ants." These were pretty amazing. I particularly liked that each ant, made of machine parts, actually looked like it could have run as a real engine.

"The Master at Work." The morning was made by Joel coming along for photos too. He's a good man & a fun guy to take snaps with.

"Scary." This isn't from "Sculptures by the sea" and it certainly isn't a good picture of me, but it's important to be humble enough to put up the occasional "ugly, but interesting" shot right?

Last Withdrawal

November 19, 2007 6:56 AM

So this photo is from Friday.

Joel & I went to the "Sculptures by the Sea" exhibit to take some photos & check out what's new. I've been there each of the last three years during exams. I think this year was pretty good!
Anyway, I am sure I will post some pictures of the sculptures themselves, but first off, there is the blood.

I am fortunate that giving blood really doesn't bother me. My veins are easy to find (apparently). I bleed really quickly, so I don't take up too much time. To top it all off, I'm not really queasy about needles either, so it is interesting to watch something slip into your flesh & then see your lifeblood slowly seeping out.

However, I am busy, and I am lazy, so this means that I don't give blood nearly as often as I should.

So, back to the story. Joel and I had gone & taken photos on Friday morning. We had also enjoyed the yearly stop at a place in Bondi that has $6 big breakfasts (and I have to say, on this occasion, it tasted like it barely made the $6 value), then we headed into the city to check out a "Lomo" store. I found out the address in Elizabeth street, then we decided to walk there. Joel & I walked for about half an hour, but when we got to the right number on Elizabeth street, there was no Lomo store there.... wait for it....

But there was a blood bank!

It had just opened, it was new and shiny & we had some time to kill. I'd been meaning to give blood for months, but had not found the time to head down to Parramatta & do it. It was fun & nice to help out!
Anyway, there is a sign of God's sovereignty in the small things. I don't think I will use this story in my Old Testament Apocalyptic exam that I sit in less than two hours, even if it does fit with the flow of God's revelation in Daniel as both worldwide and personal....

Instead, enjoy another picture of my arm, if you are the praying type, then pray for my exam today, and if you are of age, then get off your butt & go & give blood. For those American readers out there, this is particularly aimed @ you! You suckers can even get paid for it I believe!!!!

Peace out!

(Oh, and I just remembered. The reason for the blog title is because this is my last exam before graduation! Praise the Lord!!!!)

Back, but for the last time....

November 12, 2007 2:47 PM

Don't worry dear reader (both of you), I am not talking about my blog. I am talking about College! Here I am, again, preparing for exams (and posting the obligatory study photo). This time, the ride is proving to be a fairly smooth one. Only two exams to write, only five essays in total. I also have my ethics reading to do, but as the previous post notes, I am enjoying that a fair bit.

In other news, we took a trip up to the Central coast yesterday. It was a chance for Shona to have a look at the church, the area, meet my new boss & finally to come along to an evening service. It was good to do all of these things, but I would say that the highlight had to be a lunch-break at "The Skillion," which is a sticky-outy (technical term) bit of land at the end of Terrigal beach. We sat and ate fish & chips & stared out over the ocean. Of course, this was all less than 20 minutes away from our parish, so you can rest assured that many days (and millions of photos) will be spent at this place in the future!

Anyway, I'll give you another picture of some books (just for good measure) then it's off to compare Calvin, Luther & Zwingli's views of the eucharist! Oh, the fun never ends!

To be truly Human

November 9, 2007 5:20 PM

You'd expect people to enjoy what they study when they come along to Bible college. After all, we're pretty much all mature-age students & this isn't just a course, but a calling. That said, my Ethics subject has been particularly awesome. Our set reading was to read 200 pages of one of 5 ethics books, but I managed to talk my lecturer into letting me read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Ethics." Having suffering in Nazi Germany, been (loosely) involved in the assassination attempts on Hitler & finally Hung by the order of Hitler himself, I am sure Bonhoeffer had a practical view about ethics that most of us don't get to experience.

At the moment, I have been reading his chapter called "Ethics as Formation" and it is just awesome. It is a real challenge to look at our nature as man & the Ethical formation of the Christian. As out modern society becomes absorbed by the idea that we can all be famous & that we will all find that niche where we can be "special", it is great to read paragraphs like the following, that acknowledges the "warts and all" nature of man, and points toward the one super-human...

To be conformed to the one who has become human (that is, Jesus Christ) - that is what being really human means. The human being should and may be human. All super-humanity, all efforts to outgrow one's nature as human, all struggle to be heroic or a demigod, all fall away from a person here, because they are untrue. The real human being is the object neither of contempt nor of deification, but he object of the love of God. The manifold riches of God's creation are not violated here by a false uniformity, by forcing people to submit to an idea, a type, or a particular image of the human. The real human being is allowed to be in freedom the creature of the Creator. To be conformed with the one who became human means that we may be the human beings that we really are. Pretension, hypocrisy, compulsion, forcing oneself to be something different, better, more ideal than one is- all are abolished. God loves the real human being. God became a real human being. To be conformed to the crucified- that means to be a human being judged by God. People carry with them every day God's death sentence, that they must die before God because of sin. They demonstrate in their lives that before God nothing can stand except in judgement and in grace. Human beings die daily the death of sinners. They bear humbly the scars and the wounds that sin inflicts on body and soul. They cannot lift themselves above other people or establish themselves as models because they recognise themselves as the greatest of all sinners. One can forgive the sins of others, never one's own. Human beings bear all suffering laid upon them, knowing that it serves them to die to their own will, and to let the justice of God prevail over them. Only by acknowledging that God is in the right over them and against them are they right before God. "In suffering does the master impress his all-sufficient image on the heart and on the spirit."

It's a helpful corrective to remind oneself that I too am a broken person & that as a minister, my goal and intention isn't to set an example per-se, but to point people toward the one true example in Jesus Christ. Do I approach my youthgroup kids with this kind of mindset? Am I humble before them in the same way that I humble myself before God?

I'm not a big fan of posing questions to my readers, especially since I've become a blog slacker & my stats imply that I have little readership left. Still, here's the question for the day. How open and broken should a minister appear before his congregation (insert "youth minister" or "Bible study leader" into the position of "minister" as required)? How does one marry their authentic christian humanity with their call to lead other people?

Props to Poochy

November 2, 2007 6:03 PM

He was a mild mannered engineer. Polite fellow, well kept room, eager smile. It wasn't his fault that he had to spend half a year in the dorm room opposite mine.
I decided he was too "nice", so I decided to give him a much more masculine, fear inspiring name. Poochy would do just nicely!

Reborn into a new level of danger, the pooch became an automatic chick magnet, succeeding, just before his return to Tasmania, in winning the attention of one Jackie (Jacqui? K works much better for me!) Brown. The fact that she shares a name with a Tarantino movie meant that she had automatic credibility with yours truly.

So it's two years later & the Pooch now officially has a Mrs Pooch! The Jury is still out re: whether she inherits the name "Mrs Pooch" or maintains "Jackie Brown". It's line-ball at the moment...

Anyway, in other news, I just had my last ever lecture for my Bth. I also handed in my last assignment & now I stand 2 exams (5 essays) away from graduation. What a crazy world!

Jackie made the dress herself! It was pretty darn cool!

What an awesome cake!

Happy Reformation Day!

October 31, 2007 12:50 PM

490 years since Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door in Wittenberg.
Here's Luther's famous song "A Mighty Fortress is our God"

A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing
Our helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
The Lord of Hosts, His Name-
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us.
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
we know his doom is sure,
the Word of God shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly pow'rs,
No thanks to them, is standing;
The Spirit and His gift is ours-
We answer His commanding.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body that may kill;
God's truth is ruling still-
His Kingdom is forever!

Amen!

Shock and Awe

October 9, 2007 1:10 PM

The only words one can use when describing the results in the Rugby last weekend. I'm quite willing to admit that Australia hasn't looked like a serious contender in the last year or two, but England has looked much worse. To go down in a similar fashion to the 2003 world cup is just horrible. Still, Australia losing was conceivable. What amazes me was New Zealand choking against France!

While I lived the dream that it would be the Aussies winning the world cup, if you looked at their form over the last 2 or 3 years, you'd say there is little chance it could be anyone other than the All Blacks winning the cup! I didn't get to see the game, and I am not sure I want to.

To top it off, the Springboks almost got done in by the Fijians. I decided to watch the first 10 minutes of this game and ended up staying there for the whole thing. It was awesome to see such a little nation schooling the big boys for so much of the game. It was one held-up try that kept the momentum from taking the fijians all the way.

On the other hand, it is good to have a Southern Hemisphere super-power still in the running. SA should account for Argentina, then it doesn't matter who they meet in the final. Hopefully the cup will come back to the right side of the globe!

Other news? I guess there isn't much. Still sorting out work for next year. I think we have it sorted, but you will have to wait till next monday to hear the result. Had a meeting for a wedding shoot in December. I need to get my head around a wedding shoot that I have this weekend too. Lots of stuff on!

So there you go. I still have these assignments hanging over my head, so I better see to them.

Getting back on track

October 4, 2007 5:29 PM

I really don't know what happened.

It's not like I have any negative feelings toward it or anything.

I just haven't been blogging.

I guess you can hit a patch where it becomes "just another thing you have to get done" and then it slows down.

It's been the same with the camera. I haven't pulled it out anywhere as much as I would have liked to. I think it will just be a matter of getting back into the swing of things.

I'm on holidays at the moment, so that should mean that I have more time for such stuff, but so far that is not proving to be the case. I am trying to get a couple of assignments done, and I have a sermon to prepare for 10 days time too, so it is all going on!

There is lots of other little stuff happening too (some not so little). I have been to a number of different job interviews over the last couple of weeks. There are no end to the awesome opportunities out there, so the holidays are also the opportunity for Shona & I to pray about stuff, think about stuff & make some of the big decisions about what we are going to do over the next little while, as well as waiting for the interview panels to make up their mind about whether their plans happen to coincide with our ideas.

So there you go. I am knee-deep in the Anabaptist "Radical Reformation", I'm thinking a little less about creating an evangelism tool, I need to knuckle down & work through Matthew 18 (and decide how much of it I want to preach on) and at the same time, I should probably clear head space for Shona & my future.

Don't worry though, I am hoping to get back on track with tg.com too.

Sam & Lisa

August 27, 2007 4:07 PM

It was a busy weekend.

Sam & Lisa's wedding on Saturday was a real blast. I really enjoyed taking the pictures & it was nice being told to try & be as arty as possible. Below is one of my faves.
Sunday morning it was preaching at 7:45am, then again at 10am, then a confirmation class to lead at 11:30, followed by afternoon tea (a delightful rest) at the Myer's house, then the confirmation service itself at 6pm, where I got to do a reading and an interview.

Lets just say that I was happy to get home that evening...

It's not often you get to do a photoshoot in "Goulds Second-hand Bookstore".

Graffiti

August 9, 2007 10:10 PM

I was fascinated by bits of graffiti around Scotland & France. I do think it is wrong to do, but I am often intrigued by the messages people put on places & also what an interesting statement it makes when you have a monument that will last a thousand years, with a message on it which will last maybe a month & probably only hase a weeks relevance to it.

Anyway, here is some graffiti...

This one will stay relevant for some time I suspect.

This was my favourite. I am not sure what it means, but it is pretty cool!

What do you think of Graffiti?

Back to reality.

July 23, 2007 8:52 AM

So we are back and we are safe.

The flights were just fine. 7pm flight from Paris, 11pm flight from London, midnight flight from Hong Kong, then 6:20 arrival in Sydney. Let's just say that I was a little worse for wear most of yesterday. By 4:30 we just couldn't function, so Shona & I went to bed.

This, of course, means that I woke up at got out of bed at 2:30 this morning!!!

So, from 6ish I have been here at college, catching up on emails & trying to return my world to some semblance of order. We're getting there.

You better believe there will be more photos, but for a taster, here are a couple from our time OS.

TCG.><>.

This is a shot from Stirling Castle. You can't see, but just past that tree & castle is a 100 meter drop down a cliff. It's a pretty awesome spot!

Nobody knows what Rodin's "The Thinker" was thinking about. I was thinking "How good is it to be in 30 centigrade days, when it appears to be frigid in Sydney!" That said, I am loving the cold now that I am back.

The Eiffel tower. Shona & I decided to walk up the tower, rather than catching the lift. It meant a shorter wait in line, plus it delivers a nice view. Of course, it also helped burn off some of the obscene amount of French pastry we've been eating. 'They' are right, the French really do know how to make good pastry!

This is the view from the second story of the Eiffel. Well, the view from one direction. Man, you can see EVERYWHERE from there!

So there you go. More to come... but not ultra-regularly, because now I am dependant on the internet when I am at college...

Expectations

July 8, 2007 8:53 PM

I guess there shouldn't be big expectations of me blogging a lot on my honeymoon, but I should at least let you know what is happening & that we arrived safely.

Our expectations were that we were going to be pretty hammered by the jetlag, but we have both been feeling pretty good and are on top of it. The fact that we didn't sleep too well coming up to the wedding itself probably helped us acclimatise.

My expectation was that Shona & I would be eating lots of Pub meals while we are here. This has been largely true, but a couple of nights ago, Shona & I got to go & eat at one of the fanciest restaurants in Edinburgh thanks to Cate, Dan, Eliot, N8, Amy & Kirty! Man, it was fantastic food & I got to eat Venison, so that was really exciting. Certainly unexpected & a lovely thing to do.

My expectation for the weekend was that I would be hanging out and spending quality time with Tim & Maret (Shona's Bro-in-Law & Sister), but yesterday, they took us out on a drive & we got to visit "Campbell Castle", which I hadn't been to (Don't confuse it with Inverary Castle, home of the Head of the Campbell Clan) & it was really fantastic. A dramatic position on the top of a steep ravine, a beautiful castle & awesome grounds.

I don't know what to expect over the next week. We pick up a car tomorrow morning & then head off into the highlands. It should be a great time & I hope to get some lovely pictures too. Whatever happens, even if we get a lot of the rain that we have avoided for the most part so far, I expect it will exceed expectations!

Count Down

June 26, 2007 9:08 PM

Friday: Finish exams.

Sunday: Last Church service for a month.

Monday: 8am, meet movers in Dural. Move a bunch of stuff to our NEW FLAT. Clean for most of the rest of the day & move a little stuff from College too.

Tuesday: Move some stuff from Shona's & then do a couple of trips to College. Sim & Bec came before lunch & did a lot of setting up stuff with Shona in the house. Sim makes a fabulous lunch! That evening, swing into college, planning to pick up more stuff, and end up taking everything, cleaning the room & being officially OUT OF COLLEGE.

So that is me at this point. I am sitting at the college internet cafe, typing in a blog before I head "home" where I get to sleep for the first night. It will be quite different being there all by myself. At the same time, it's all very exciting. This time 4 days from now, I will be a married man.

This time about 6 days from now, timgoldsmith.com will go back to a short stint as a travel blog!

Are you surprised?

June 17, 2007 11:56 PM

After all, I am getting ready for a wedding. I also had sermons & bible studies to write before getting some essays out of the way too!

Still, I know I should be doing better than this. I'll try & get some posts up over the next couple of weeks. All I have in the way is three exams & then moving house!

Dude, two weeks till I am married (actually under!)!!!! Who'd have thunk it.

Well, there really isn't much I can do to fill you in on all the crazy happenings over the last month. Dinner with Nic & Pete, Lunch with Ads & Dan, lots of fun times in between. A birthday party (for Ads again) & a whole pile of stuff I can't even remember. I had several ideas for blogs, which all got cut off when I invested my emotional energy into either church or college.

I haven't even taken that many photos over the last month. I did take some after the last week though. Please enjoy some more "people shots" portraits of one sort or another.

A cute kid is always a great way to start some pictures. This is my gorgeous little "C" at her 3rd birthday party. Tell me she isn't adorable & I'll call you a liar!

Ads had his birthday last week & we went in for a surprise dinner at the "Lowenbrau". Ads is a holy guy, so I was keen to give him a Halo. One that is actually advertising beer is even cooler!

"J" shows us one of the 9,500 cans, or general foodstuffs that were collected by our parish (some from us, lots from the local community) for our annual food drive today. It goes to Anglicare to help people in need over winter.

I'm ending with Dylan (or "the Canadian Hobo" as I call him at college) who is looking up at all those photos that have come before. him. He gets a lot of photos these days because he is expressive & always happy to get photographed. What a dream combination!

OK, back to study for exams. Let's see if I can resist the temptation to post a picture of my study stuff like I have done every semester over the last 2 1/2 years....

Blue Skies

May 20, 2007 1:29 PM

As you all know, I have been at college now for almost 2 1/2 years.That means a very long time without any serious form on income. This, in turn, means that there is great potential for stress as a guy moves closer and closer to being married. Rather than feeling a sense of responsibility being met, I am keenly aware of how I am going to be dependant on my (soon to be) wife for the next six months, while I finish of my studies.
As we look into our future, "concessions" is the word that seems to ring in our (or at least my) ears. Do we choose to live in a dump because you can't afford a nice place, you don't have much rental history and you only want a 6-month lease? Do we try & get some furniture when we have so many other things we could be getting? What about whitegoods.You need a fridge & a washing machine etc, but what do you do if you plan to move overseas next year & fridges & washing machines are just going to spend most of their warranty in storage?

These are all things that can weigh on the mind of a couple.

Or to put it another way, they were all things that could have weighed on our minds...

But fortunately, God is a good. Stresses have melted away as God has answered our prayers. Let me just run you through a couple of the blessings.

1: Finding a house: What a stress! We have to have a place that is handy to either my college or Shona's work. The places near here are not nice at all, the places near Shona have 20 or more couples going for each one!
Enter Nici & her two friends. Nici tells me that her friends are going to Bali to be missionaries & are looking to rent their place out. I make a quick phone call to them. One week later, we have a lovely place that is 10 mins walk to Shona's work PLUS with Nici and Jeremy living in the same block. I can carpool to college! God is good!

2: Furniture: We have been doing some marriage prep with Fergus (the minister) as we started off the first night in the church lounge room, Fergus notes how it is a little crowded with too many couches. 10 seconds later, Tim & Shona have a new (used) couch! Nice!

3: Whitegoods: I am staring into the mail room at college, hoping for some mail-love, when Allan walks up behind me.
"Hey Tim"
"Hey Allan", I reply.
"You don' need a fridge do you? It's not that big, but it's not too small either. It's a spare that we lent to T&C, but they don't need it anymore & now it is just sitting in our garage".
"That would be awesome!", Tim responds with unbridled enthusiasm.
I know Allan & his wife & I like them both, but we're not the closest of friends, yet they are thinking about my situation & actually approaching me about how they can help me!

4: Furniture (part B): I am reading my email & I notice I have one from the "Capt'n" who is living with his lovely wife in England these days.
"No.2", emails the Capt'n. "how are you going for furniture in your new place? We're about to put some stuff in storage from our house in Sydney. Could you use some?"
The captain, like Allan & Fergus, is a thoughtful, Godly and considerate man.

1:My good friends at college, thinking about me & seeking to help out. To be expected.
2: My minister, who has a thousand other worries on his mind, still keen to look for solutions for Shona & I. Something you would hope is the case in the church, yet are pleased when you find out it really is a reality.
3: Fellow students. In a different year of college, largely in different social circles, yet still looking out to serve. Unexpected. A great example of how and why Christian community can be a fantastic thing.
4: A friend, 12,000 kms away, yet right there with you in spirit. Thinking about you, praying for you and, even from that great distance, offering thoughtful and practical assistance to his brother and sister in Christ!

People ask me how I am handling the stress of all the things on my plate. Essays to write, Sermons to preach, exams coming up, followed by a wedding.
I have to say I am feeling pretty good. Certainly not because I am that organised or thoughtful. But, when houses, furniture and fridges get offered to a couple who are praying about how this kind of stuff will sort out, you can't help but feel confident that God is in control.

God is in control.

9 comments

The Good word

May 15, 2007 12:12 AM

Last week's preaching conference was pretty intense, but it was also great.

I went in expecting that "The Don" would be good, but Dale Ralph Davis was a surprise. I've heard the name, I know he's a smart guy, but he was AWESOME as a preacher.

I'd love to put up some notes from some of the sermons, but I might wait till I get the tapes & I get to listen to them again.

In other news, it is a bit "same ole same ole" at the moment. Lots of work preparing for the wedding. Lots of work preparing for sermons. Lots of work preparing for essays. Lots of work preparing for exams. 7 months & I am done with college though!

Here, have a pic of Mandy. I get to photograph her wedding on Dec. 1st!

Sick little puppy

May 5, 2007 1:22 PM

It is going to be a little bit lean over the next week or so. My poor compy hasn't been feeling the best & I had to put him in for a service (what? It even happens to Macs? Yes! Macs too!).
Fortunately, he was able to hold on until after I managed to finish my theology essay. We have preaching conference over the next week, so what that means for me is that I get to spend my time doing readings for my final two essays. I'm looking forward to them both actually. One is a comparison of the structure of John with the Synoptic gospels with a focus on how John's distinctives accord with his purpose in writing. The other one I can't really decide on. Maybe I should do a bit of an online poll? You, yes you, could be involved in my theological education!
So, what do you thinik? Should I write an essay for my "Theology of Missions" subject on
"Religious dialogue in the context of interaction with other faiths" or,
"Establishing the boundary between contextualisation and syncretism"?

They are my top two choices out of seven options. Now you may have a chance to help me decide!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things are just plugging along happily I guess. Wedding prep is coming along nicely. Today is my little brother Phil's birthday, so Shona & I get to head out to "Lee's Lotus Inn", a chinese restaurant in Wahroonga, the suburb I grew up in as a kid, with all the family to celebrate. Even Amy is up from Wagga Wagga, though her hubby & kids are still there.

Preaching tomorrow morning at 8:45 and really looking forward to it, though I need to go through the sermon a couple more times if I am going to "make it mine". Then it is off to a "menu tasting" at my reception venue with my parents & Shona's parents. First time they have meet!

OK, you know, this is a really boring post. I might have to see if I can find a little time during the next week to actually sit down & type something worthwhile.

Meanwhile, know that even though I am not writing. I am thinking about you all!

TCG.><>.

Two minds?

April 27, 2007 5:02 PM

"Why does this strange phenomenon occur? What causes it? O Lord in your mercy give me light to see, for it may be that the answer to my question lies in the secret punishment of man and in the penitence which casts a deep shadow on the sons of Adam. Why does this strange phenomenon occur? What causes it? The mind gives an order to the body and is at once obeyed, but when it gives an order to itself, it is resisted. The mind commands the hand to move and is so readily obeyed that the order can scarcely be distinguished from its execution. Yet the mind is mind and the hand is part of the body.
But when the mind commands the mind to make an act of will, these two are one and the same and yet the order is not obeyed. Why does this happen? What is the cause of it? The mind orders itself to make an act of will, and it would not give this order unless it willed to do so; yet it does not carry out its own command. But it does not fully will to do this thing and therefore its orders are not fully given. It gives the order only in so far as it wills, and in so far as it does not will the order is not carried out. For the will commands that an act of will should be made, and it gives this command to itself, not to some other will. The reason, then, why the command is not obeyed is that it is not given with the full will. For if the will were full, it would not command itself to be full, since it would be so already. It is therefore no strange phenomenon partly to will to do something and partly to will not to do it. It is a disease of the mind, which does not wholly rise to the heights where it is lifted by the truth, because it is weighed down by habit. So there are two wills in us, because neither by itself is the whole will, and each possesses what the other lacks.”
→ Saint Augustine “the Confessions” Book VIII. Chapter 9.

My favourite line is "[the mind] does not wholly rise to the heights where it is lifted by the truth, because it is weighed down by habit"

If that doesn't describe my struggles to study and learn, I don't know what does.

----------------------

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there is my sister. She's fun, she's funny, she's a mother, a friend, and now a graduate! Amy, you see, is becoming me.... but a little bit better than me. It's lucky that I'm no longer practicing my trade as a Library Technician, cause I wouldn't want to be bossed around my my Librarian sister!

Congrats Amy! (Heapy, I hope you don't mind that I pilfered your picture....)

All Class

April 19, 2007 12:52 AM

Sometimes you write about "How different views of the Millennium express themselves politically", and sometimes... well... you make a snakes and ladders game with a mate that also manages to teach a Biblical Theology of Mission to primary aged kids!

Sometimes I really love this college.

The game Dan & I created has a case. That case has a cover. The cover has this picture on it. Of course, we are not supposed to identify ourselves in our essays, so we stick bits of paper over our eyes with our student numbers on them. Surely they wont be able to work it out will they?

That crazy bunny

April 12, 2007 1:28 AM

Is this the Bunny or the Bethy?
More things to write about & less time to do it. This is why I want to change this site as soon as I have a spare moment & turn it into a photosite!

Easter was great. A couple of church services & then off to the Hunter with Shona. The whole family was there! Phil, Kristin & Charlotte. Amy, Andrew, Joss, Tobes & Bethy! I am not sure, but I think the parents may have been more excited about all the chocolate than the kids!!!

Well, another pic or two for you, & I'm off to bed.

Charlotte had a vice-like grip on her little bucket of eggs!

It was awesome to have the whole family together!

Still struggling

April 8, 2007 1:28 AM

I'm not on top of everything yet.

I can't yet sit down & write about something meaningful.

I can, however, post a couple of photos. Firstly, Simon, a guy from Dan's "Buck's night", and secondly, Dan & Dave. I would note though, that despite their look, Dan & Dave were both very happy about Dan having just got married! I just think they look like good cop & bad cop together, so I always get them to do this pose!

Night night kids. Two posts in two days! You are lucky!!!!!

Watching clouds go by

April 7, 2007 9:59 AM

(I've been told the big cloud looks a little like a giant bunny crossing the sky! Hoping you'll get some eggs, boys and girls?)

I have a lot to say, but I don't currently have the time to say it.

A week away in Wee Waa was both fun and challenging. Debrief to follow.

Today Dan & Harriet get married! Debrief to follow.

Wedding plans coming along. Debrief to follow.

I got to catch up with some Uncles & Aunts in Coonamble! Debrief to follow.

Easter this weekend. That means time in the Hunter with the family (after having discharged my church responsibilities). Debrief to follow.

Will I get to them all? We'll just have to wait & see!

Revive

March 23, 2007 1:22 PM

So, last weekend, we had Revive come and play at church not once, but twice!

It's always nice to see the boys & it is particularly great to see how they are just going from strength to strength in terms of their songs & their performance! It's pretty cool to hear about how they got to open for "Third Day" a couple of times. I am sure if they make it to the US (and therefore to a legitimate Christian market) they will big be big!

And when that happens, I will be the one seeking vicarious fame as I claim "I knew them when" or "I beat two of them at virtua tennis so emphatically that I suspect they will never play again".

Sunday night's gig was cool & it is was an interesting night for me too. Fergus & I decided fairly last minute that it might be best to change the passage that was being preached on (James 5 is a bit full on, especially when you are hoping to have lots of people come for the band) , so on the Friday evening I started writing a first person narrative from Thomas' perspective, based on John 13-20.

I was quietly soiling myself with nervousness. That concern increased when, with 2 minutes before the service my powerpoint wouldn't work. Fortunately, thanks to the cool head of Fergus, and his always-able son "Juniour Burger", we were able to resurrect the computer & breathe new life into powerpoint.

The narrative went really well. I did it almost without notes, and am sure enough that with enough prep I could do it totally so next time. I got good feedback too, so that was appreciated.

Here are a couple of pics from the friday night.

The Crew!

Dave takes it up a notch.

Thomo gives me his best Gene Simmons impression.

Changes

February 25, 2007 10:04 AM

The last couple of weeks have had some very different feels to it. One week I was feeling very American as I took pictures of the Gheev-a-tron pitching a game of baseball, then yesterday felt very British as it poured down rain in Bowral, yet failed to dampen the mood of the lovely wedding of Jody & Eugene.

A picture speaks a thousand words?

Well the following will just about be a thesis length essay then!

Gheever waits for the call before bringing the heat...

And here it comes. It was a shame that the plate was in the shade area, otherwise you could see the ball a lot better (hovering above his left arm)

The way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.

And now to switch speeds...

The official photographer was setting up J&E for formal shots, which freed me to snipe from the sidelines.

It's always lovely to see a happy bride!

Jode's now has both the rock and the band!

"Brother D" and his lovely wife Christy (who was a bridesmaid)

Somehow my gorgeous fiance wants to marry this!! (Though, she took this photo, so she only has herself to blame...)

Pain

February 13, 2007 8:09 PM

I do like the subjects that stretch my brain. I also have to admit that I have a bit of a thing for the subjects where you have big words. Theology is always good for that. Today we discussed the benefits of Supra-lapsarianism vs. Amyrauldian-lapsarianism!

Organisation will prove to be the name of the game as bits & pieces of work keep flowing in. Lots of stuff to do & little time to do it!

Life at college is proving to be fun though. The guy living opposite me is a young Canadian bloke who is slightly insane, but very fun! Between him, lots of hang time with Dan & hanging with the rest of the dorm, it is all good!

You know, I have a question or two to pose people, but I am feeling a little snoozy & think I should probably read an article or two before I Dan & I go for a walk.

You'll have to settle for a self-take instead...

The "Busy" button has been well & truly pushed!

Snapping Steel

February 5, 2007 9:32 PM

You know, I like Gheever anyway. He's a funny guy, he loves American football & he is enthusiastic about all kinds of stuff, which makes me get excited too.
The fact that he is a greenskeeper at a prestigious golf course is just an added bonus.

In fact, I was a little apprehensive when he asked me to come and play 9 holes with him last friday. Not only did I have the concern that he is quite a good player & I am not, but I hadn't even been on a course in 5 years! As with most males, I was worried that my sense of machismo was going to be dealt a fateful blow. As the Gheevatron happily blasted golf balls into the stratosphere, I would relegated to piddly little grounders, struggling to raise above the level of the crewcut-like grass.

The course itself was beautiful, and Gheever, gracious. A quiet and thoughtful comment or two about my stance, and an observation or two about his swing & I managed to connect with a shot or two & rescue my manhood!

Actually, in the end, I left with a great sense of accomplishment. But to grasp this sense of virility, I need to introduce the third player in this little story. That player is Ben Green, or more accurately, the golf clubs of Ben Green.

I knew they were old & had a fair bit of wear, so I was not as nervous about asking to borrow them. The sparse collection suited my playing ability, because my choice of club was restricted to the very few in the bag.
Then on the 13th hole, my opportunity for choice became lessened by one. Taking a big swing at a ball on the fairway, I managed to top the ball & send it flying (flying is a slight misnomer, since the flight gained less altitude than the Wright Brothers on their maiden voyage), followed, enthusiastically by the whole head of the 3 iron, neatly snapped at the point where it joins the shaft of the club.

Equal parts fear (at breaking another man's club) and pride flooded my brain. I was worried about Greeny being angry, but on the other hand, what kind of monster stroke lay, dormant, behind the man who could snap a metal club?

Feeling like a Titan, I approached the next couple of holes, waiting for my immense power to connect properly with a ball & send it to kingdom come.

But it wasn't to be.

3 holes later, I had a nice little chip shot to make, maybe 40 meters, to get to the green. The chip came through, the ball flew well, but the 7 iron never left it. On a weak little chip, my second club had snapped clean through, and in a formation that was so comical, that it hardly seems true, the club head drifted off with the ball, till, after 5 or so meters, it overtook it & continued on it's merry way alone!!!

It turns out that the clubs were old. They had been bought from a garage sale for a couple of bucks & Greeny himself had already snapped an iron himself.

My sense of masculinity returned to its normal state, but fortunately my sense of enjoyment continued on a high for the rest of that afternoon & well into the night.

A good shot at golf can be an exhilarating experience. But far more enjoyable, and far more rewarding is the pleasure of good company over a fun afternoon with a thoughtful and considerate guy who was kind enough to invite me to a course I'd otherwise never be able to enter.

I may not be an steel-snapping tough man, but it's more than enough that Gheever thought me a nice enough guy to invite along for the afternoon.

Thanks Gheever!

The Boys House

February 1, 2007 12:32 PM

(Bairdy & the Hamborghini sinking a "Bluetongue" to the view of the Hunter Valley)

The walk down Memory Lane continues.

Boys house circa-2001/02 was good times. Of course, it moved on & so did we. However, in July 2004 a little over half of us found ourselves up at the Hunter. We drank good wine, had good chats, played pool & just chilled. One day we even made it up the mountain behind my Aunts place to enjoy a good view & some great beers.

I'm not going to say it was a life changing experience. I don't remember any profound conversations, or even comments that changed my life from those days, but that's OK. You don't need to have depth of meaning flowing from every moment of your life. Sometimes it's just fine to have a great time with some awesome guys.

Cheers to the Boys House Boys!

Days gone bye

January 31, 2007 9:58 AM

Today's reminiscence takes us back to early 2004. I was working for MMR & living in Mangrove Mountain on a campsite. Most of the time the people stayed in cabins & I had my own little house, but on rare occasions you got to trek out somewhere & do some "real" camping.
I do miss a little bit of that. phaffing about in the bush, hanging out with kids, and of course, lighting fires!

Friends

January 26, 2007 10:16 PM

There are two qualifying points to this entry, on which, I hope, we all agree.

1: Friendship, at least, true friendship is not determined by what you bring into a relationship. i.e. just because I am the richest, or best looking, that doesn't mean that I have the most friends, or that you, in particular, are my friend.

2: Friendship, at least, true friendship, is not determined by what you are going to get out of a relationship. i.e. your friends don't have to shower you with gifts or attention to keep your friendship. The ties that bind you together are deeper than some financial benefit or ephemeral flattery.

Yes, brothers and sisters, friendship is a complex thing. There are many things that bring people together & sometimes it is the indescribable things that keep people together. Yet sometimes people express their love for you in quantifyable ways.

Ok, I am beating around the bush here. Basically, I ate a fantastic meal at a swanky restaurant & I wanted to tell the story of it. Here we go...

Adam & I got on from pretty much the moment we met at SMBC. We shared a passion for many things, one of which was meat. Of course, almost every guy loves meat, but we REALLY love meat. My love stems from an almost carniverous diet, his from the opportunities he has had for fine dining in his corporate life.

So, Adam had been telling me throughout 2006 that he would take me to the most highly esteemed steak restaurant in Sydney "Kingsleys" at some point. Of course, in the day to day banter that goes on at college, I had no reason to think that this was a "set in stone" kind of promise, rather, it was a "I'd love to do this but... well... you know" kind of promise.

So, Adam is done with college. Adam is now married & back to work, but on Wednesday afternoon, Adam was out to lunch with yours truly.
One filet mignon with sauteed mushrooms, one Asahi lager, and one cab-sav later, I was a truly impressed & thoroughly sated individual.

Of course, afterwards, I considered the fact that the meal for 2 that we had could have bought TEN meals for two at "Jasmine's" the Lebanese place that I love so much, in the "bad-lands" of Lakemba.

But then I realised that that was not the point. They were different meals and different experiences, and in the end, the financial side of it didn't really factor. What was nice was that my mate, the one with a thousand other pressures on his new life, wanted to come good on something he had talked about, and wanted to be part of an excitiing experience with me.

The pleasure of the company & the excitement of uncharted territories (and steak actually cooked mid-rare) will be remembered long after the cost of lunch and a couple of drinks is forgotten!

Ok, if you are looking for more entertainment, following you will find a poem I like & a couple of pics from Camp by clicking on the link below.

Got a rep to protect?

January 24, 2007 12:18 AM

I guess since the Cronulla riots on Christmas 2005, there has been a little increased tension between Muslims & Christians in Sydney. There have been some muslim clerics whose willingness to speak before they thought have given muslims an even worse reputation.

Of course, I have been house sitting in the suburb of Lakemba, which is probably the suburb in Sydney with the largest Islamic population (certainly the largest mosque). It also has a reputation (earned) of having one of the higher crime rates in the city.

Yesterday, one of my neighbours, a young muslim guy of about 16 knocked on my door & asked me if I knew anything about bikes. I said "a little" & ended up outside his house for half an hour changing an inner tube on his mountain bike & chatting to him about stuff in general.

It was one of those little passages of time that you really enjoy in life. I was impressed that he was happy to knock on the door of a relative stranger (I certainly wouldn't have done so at his age) then he sat & kept me company for the whole time & chatted to me about my life & telling me a little about his.

I was happy enough just to help out, but I ended up scoring a free soft drink, and, after I said I didn't mind spices or Pakistani food, I also scored some lovely spiced kebabs.

It's always a pleasant surprise when the media tells you to expect hostility & instead you get a free, and tasty dinner!

Remiss

January 15, 2007 9:57 PM

It was wrong of me not to post about my time staying at Phil & Kristin's over the last month. I guess I was thinking about the places I went out to, rather than thinking about the awesome thing it was to be able to come back to somewhere during my travels.

It's a great thing to have siblings who look after you, and always an encouragement when your inlaw siblings prove to be as generous in spirit as the flesh and blood ones!

Of course, I also treasure any chance I have to spend time with my little Charlotte too! Of course, now I have to be careful, since I have two 2 year old Charlottes (courtesy of Shona's sister & Bro-in-law Maret & Tim) that I get to dote on. Twice as cute....

Well, our photos for the evening have nothing to do with what I am posting about.

No.1 I meant to put up some time ago. Here is my sis, her husband & their three kids, plus me real dad! (I insert the term "real" to aid the possible confusion of those who might remember previously posted pictures of a bearded guy, who is also my Dad...). This shot was taken just before Christmas. It was good to see that Dad's youngest grandchild took to him like a duck to water!

The second pic is... well, it's just a tree... Do I need a reason?

Currently enjoying 1) Black and White, and 2) vignetting.....

Beginnings

January 10, 2007 12:05 AM

I couldn't begin to fill you in on all the stories that I have experiences between my last post & this. Driving back from Wagga, Preaching Christmas Eve, Kids talk Christmas morning, Christmas day with the Craigs, Boxing day with the Fam, the following week on camp, followed up by two weddings (one as a groomsman) and finally, a move to Lakemba, where I am house sitting for the month!

I'm not going to bother even starting. Instead, I think I will see if I can post every day (or maybe two ;) ) this week, delivering a photo or two for your enjoyment.

To start off the account, here is my gorgeous niece. Tell me she isn't a treasure and I'll call you a liar!

Oh please be true

December 13, 2006 12:33 AM

Big props to Maccentric in Chatswood. I emailed them & outlined the problem with my computer & I got an email back inside 24 hours, saying essentially "It sounds like a problem that could be fixed without us. Check out these websites that tell you how to do it so you don't have to pay $125 an hour to get me to do it for you!".
48 hours and a reinstall of my operating system later, things are working again. There are little bits & pieces of stuff that I have lost & will have to fix, but basically everything is up & running again.

OK, so it is almost 1am here, but I just HAVE to celebrate by posting a couple of pictures from the two weddings I have been photographer for over the last couple of weeks.

I'm back baby! All I have to do is work out how to make my computer access the net from Phil's house & it will be 100% go!!!!

Check out the sweet "Quadruple Magnum" look from the 4 little Zoolanders. Elaine & Matt (Bride & Groom in the center) Janet & I (The two photographers for the day). This was from the 2nd of Dec.

A fish-eye shot from Colin & Cath's (Kath?... I always forget) wedding that was on the 9th.

One more to go on the 16th, then I am free & clear!

PTC & Toi Toi time reading.

December 3, 2006 10:45 PM

There will be Pictures To Come in the near future. I have some great night shots that I took with Jodi, and I could also give you a couple of teasers from yesterday's wedding of Elaine & Matt, but it will all have to wait till I have my computer running again.

Meanwhile, I considered starting a story for you, but instead I think I might go to bed.

Not Ideal...

November 29, 2006 10:21 PM

Ok, there is so much to catch up on. I don't know why I haven't been blogging. I just haven't...

Exams have been finished. The subject I was most worried about I have passed, so everything else should be just fine! In the week following exams, we have had end-of-year dinner (which I missed because I feel strongly about being at Youth Group on friday nights) and the Grad Service (after which people all go to the pub & hang, but I missed out because I had church on & then I was too trashed after a long day).

I started a new job last Wednesday working for Anglicare, driving a van for the "Toys & Tucker" appeal. It is good fun, I get to see a lot of Sydney, I got to listen to the first Ashes Test on the radio while driving (Non-Australian/English would not understand the true importance of this iconing sporting event... Summer has truly arrived when the cricket is on ABC radio!), and I get some free exercise moving literally tonnes of canned food & toys each day!

Today, however, was not ideal! It started by getting a fine for having my car parked facing wrong direction. I am usually a stickler for this, but I was scared of having to reverse park the 1 tonne van I'm driving, so I parked it outside Shona's parents place for the night. Of course, we aren't even talking about some piddly little fine. $128 for a dodgy direction! Crikey!

OK, round two is just that my back is starting to hurt a little because of all the lifting that I have been doing. I try to follow good lifting practice, but when the van you are around it not tall enough to stand straight in, you really can't lift properly all the time.

Part three, the big kahuna is that my computer crashes every time I boot it up. I had a minor panic, but then my little bro (whose house I am staying at) showed me how to get it to boot up on "safe mode". It booted up then, so that gives me hope, since it doesn't seem to be a fatal error. Hopefully I can save the beastie. Thankfully, I have lots of stuff backed up.

So there you go... I have been slack in writing recently, but fear not, I have a couple of ideas stocked up for posts, so look forward to such articles as "the toilet & a good book: a modern love affair".

(P.S. This post is dedicated to Bec. I hope it provides a couple of minutes of procrastination for you!)

31 Today!

November 17, 2006 1:31 AM

8 comments

Obligatory

November 8, 2006 10:41 AM

You know it is that time of year when I post the picture of those books that I am staring at for the next couple of weeks. This semester, the sense of joy at my desk has been brought by Shona's pen set (the bright fellas on the right) which is bringing a rainbow of cheer to all of my notes!

I have to say that I'm feeling a sense of calm about things. I am getting a fair bit of study done, so I feel like I am feeling OK about that, though, as is the case with most theological study, the more you know, the more you realise you are just scratching the surface...
While, again, the exams happen over my birthday (17th of November.... don't say I don't give you fair warning!), I don't have any on my birthday itself, so I should be able to chill out a little on that day.

Everyone is looking out for everyone at this time of year too. I have a bit of a flu, so people have lent me all kinds of remedies. The core of "Upper Wallace" guys (my dorm) have been going for the occasional "late night white" to finish the days off. Last night included my first foray into Apple Brandy! And the vibe, which at the worst of times is encouraging, is really good at this time of year. Bless that college vibe!

Today it is Yum Cha for lunch (a farewell to our Student Reps), so again, who can complain?

Of course, the blog is always the first thing to really suffer in exam time. It is a welcome relief, but also, it's easy to ignore. Right now, it's keeping me from Goldingay's Isaiah commentary.... I best not keep him waiting.

Another man's wisdom

November 2, 2006 3:14 PM

I wouldn't call it a bandwagon per se, but I am jumping back on the "post poems you like" trend. I have too many uninteresting thoughts at the moment as I crunch through my studies. Not that my studies are uninteresting, of course, but.... oh, you get the picture.

Instead, words to lift the soul.

Stephen to Lazarus

But was I the first martyr, who
Gave up no more than life, while you,
Already free among the dead,
Your rags stripped off, your fetters shed,
Surrendered what all other men
Irrevocably keep, and when
Your battered ship at anchor lay
Seemingly safe in the dark bay
No ripple stirs, obediently
Put out a second time to sea
Well knowing that your death (in vain
Died once) must all be died again?

Everybody is somebody's wierdo!

November 1, 2006 9:54 PM

So this evening I had to drive out to Carlingford for a camp meeting. Jimbo, who is speaking on the senior section of this camp ("The Real Thing" camp down at Port Hacking. Should be a cracker! Tim has the official title of "Resource") came along in my car too.
Conversations with Jimbo are always interesting. We set "challenge words" that we had to work into conversation during the meeting (He had to say "dragons", I had to say "Saucepan") we talked about our girlfriends, we talked about theology, and then on the way back to college we talked about what it's like to live with so many different types of people here at college. It was at this time that mobbsy dropped the profound statement...

"Everybody is somebody's wierdo!"

It's true isn't it. For all the of the strange characters that we encounter in our worlds, we are playing the role of "weirdo" for someone else in the play that is their life!
It's a glorious thing! As one could expect, there is a certain level of uniformity when it comes to people's characters in Bible College. That said, it is stunning to see the kind of diversity that is on display in this crazy town. There isn't a guy I live with who doesn't have some kind of strange habit.

I certainly can't claim to be devoid of quirks in my personality that would make me the weird one. So, since I am stalling doing some study, maybe I will play "confessional" and see if I can come up with some of the things that make me someone else's weirdo...

1: I bring my own pepper grinder to meals. Not just a cheap plastic model, but a proper, classy grinder with three different settings. Other's like their own plunger coffee, I like to know that my meal is going to be seasoned as it should.

2: I also have in my possession, but have not been required to use, a store of salt that I brought back from Poland. A time and a reason, for every season!

3: I have a fear of conversation with people I know vaguely, but not well. I can deal with talking to strangers, but idle chit chat with people I sort of know, but don't feel like I know well, well that is a no go for Goldy. Morning tea us usually avoided for this reason.

4: I count stairs. I don't do it all the time, but I do do it most of the time. I know the number of stairs between any two places in college. I can still remember the number of stairs around my old work at Vision Valley camp site.

5: I have orders that I eat almost all of my foods in. An order for roasts (Green vegetables, other coloured vegetables, potato, then meat), I have orders for M&M's (Brown, Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange), and I even have orders for fast food! (Eat all the fries first before you are allowed to have a drink, then you eat your burger and drink, usually in tandem, so that you have the middle part of the burger left till last & enough drink to have a couple of decent gulps!).

6: I have to keep my inbox as empty as possible. The idea of having more than 5-10 emails in my inbox is disturbing, and if I can keep it down to 1 or 2, then I will. I am the same with anything. I have to subcategorise & refolder things on my computer, so that you can end up going through about 10 folders to finally get to stuff. (But I can ALWAYS find my stuff!).

OK, so there are some of my peccadillos. Anyone else willing to share one of theirs?

10 comments

Too cool for school?

October 31, 2006 5:19 PM

I hope not, becase school is all it is about for the next couple of weeks.

I've knocked off a couple of assignments in the last couple & I have one more to finish before I can start studying for exams. They sneak up so quickly that sometimes I think it is all I write about...

Well, I'll plug through these bad boys & dream of summer days filled with good wine, green vines & reading books in the shade.

MIA!

October 23, 2006 10:27 AM

I do apologise for being Missing In Action over the last little while. Lots of stuff to do & not too much time to do it in. I'll pull my socks up & see if I can't be a little more regular through the exam period.

It's been a busy last week & as I sit here on Monday morning, I am not sure if I am capable of much more than some quick details of what I've been doing.

Last tuesday was Shona's birthday, so last tuesday became a chance to swing into the city & live it up a little. You'll be disturbed to hear, though, that I didn't take my camera with me! I was certainly disturbed when we arrived at the "Orbit bar" (the revolving bar on the 47th story of Chifley Tower) just at sunset, with all the surrounding buildings having the appearance of great flaming torches, as the last of the sun struggled, red and swollen, over the horizon. I think I managed to convince Shones that the tear in the corner of my eye was from "the moment" rather than the fact that I missed an awesome opportunity for a great photo...

Can I just say, as an aside, that while cocktails at "Orbit" are disturbingly expensive. As a rare experience, I rate it totally! The view alone was worth the cash & the drinks were the kind of things that linger on your memory's palate long after they have faded from the tongue's.

Dinner at the Belgian Beer Cafe (Heritage, not Epoque) and some chilling at Observatory hill were also required that night. It is easy to love life when you live in Sydney! (and doesn't hurt to have a dead-set hottie on your arm at the time either!)

Friday was "Youth Surge" with my youth kids. That's a meeting of Anglican (and some other denominational groups) Youth Groups from the same region. It's awesome having hundreds of kids together, it's great to hear God's word preached faithfully (through Scott Petty, a guy who was a bible study leader at my old church when I was a sprocket!) and it is too cool to see my kids encouraged & enthused by the experience. It's also fun to have good chats with the kids as you drive them there!

I guess I'll finish on Saturday morning, though that certainly wasn't the end to my weekend.

Chelsea turned 21, and I got an invite. We maintained our hanging-out record of rainy days, but it was all good, because the vibe was up & the smiles were on!
Chels' friends gave one of the better speeches that I have heard for a 21st. It was all done in song & really, I would be doing it a disservice by trying to explain it. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from the day.

Chelsea's friends in fine form!

The Birthday girl herself.

The sweet art of self-take photos lives on!

Finally, have I really posted any pictures if I fail to post a picture of beer? I'd hate to disappoint. Here is the great Tubeo sinking back some sweet sweet nectar.

A season of Love

October 14, 2006 9:40 PM

Milbrodale Road at Sunset (Click on the pic to see the Large version on Black, much better)

Have I written about this before?

I suspect more than one of my posts is a repeat, so you'll forgive me.

Every family has a way of expressing love. For my family, a lot of that love is expressed through food. Let's just say that over the last week, I've been feeling that love!

Tuesday night I was over at P&K's house, where Amy, Andrew & their three kids are staying. Of course getting to see my nieces and nephews is easily enough to make me happy, but I got the bonus plan. Herb encrusted "Porcetta" for dinner, chocolate-ginger cake, and brownie (and baklava) for desert! The night would have been 100% spot-on had Heapy and I not blown a seemingly insurmountable lead to go down at Trivial Pursuit.

Wednesday to Saturday was spent in the Hunter.

Really, I needn't say any more..... but I will.

Wednesday night was lamb at Adrian & Susie's house. They are an awesome Uncle & Aunt. It was an awesome meal & I look forward to sampling an awesome little collection of Whisky that Adrian amassed before his retirement from QANTAS. There had to be 8-10 litres of that stuff!

Otherwise, when I wasn't trying my hand at bacon and eggs, mum was in the kitchen making us food! You have no idea what it is like. Shona, (who, may I say, fitted right in with the family, having mastered the art of the chewy chocolate bikkie) and I ate pretty solid for a couple of days. It all culminated last night with a steak that was about 4cm thick (an inch and a half for you Yanks out there).

Anyone can eat well and it doesn't have to be about love. What makes it love is when I mention, off-hand, about how I was reading a recipe for chocolate fudge sauce. Mum then stands up & says, "I can make rich chocolate sauce off the top of my head" and proceeded to proove herself right!
Fortunately, I had room for the ice cream to go with it.

So there you go. It was a week of love. It was spending quality time with Shona, it was spending quality time with family, it was spending quality time killing myself with my fat intake!

So, I'll leave you with two of my expressions of love.

Firstly, Shona will love me because I posted a picture of her that is not a close up. (How does a girl manage to be that beautiful & still dislike having pictures taken of her?)

The second is a picture of mum's Labna . This stuff is freakin' tasty! I love it & I love my mum cause she makes things I love whenever she knows that I am coming to stay. I'm so spoiled!

Off again

October 11, 2006 10:06 AM

It really is a hard life!
I have been back at college for a couple of days, and now I am off back up to the Hunte Valley again.
Shona has a week off work & since I have no Youth Group on Friday (School holidays still) that frees me up over the weekend, so up we go to hang out, chill our & have some fun.

Here's a little of what we have to look forward to...

Have I really been posting photos if I don't post one of Beer?

Birds eye view, or Fish eye view?

It's a hard luck life!

Hooray for Holidays!

October 6, 2006 4:09 AM

OK, so I should have blogged more times so far over the holidays, but I am supposed to be relaxing right?

So Adam & I went up to the Hunter Valley for a couple of days. We did some nice breakfast cooking (I may or maynot have had a strongbow at 9:30am to wash down bacon & eggs) and mum did some AWESOME dinners for us, so food was totally looked after.

We visited Susie & Ada's house & managed to climb the mountain behind it. It's good to be reminded that you need to get out and exercise more & it is great to be reminded of how extravagant God is, creating so many species of things & such a diverse terrain. Making it up some steep rocks & down some slippery slopes without breaking a bone was also a bonus.

My lovely friends at Peterson's were as lovely as usual. We scored some lovely plonk from there, some of which we knocked off that evening over dinner. It really makes your day a little chirpier when you get to see genuine, friendly, lovely people who remember you & look after you, even though they have every right to see you as nothing but a customer!

Adam & I had a great time taking pictures all over the place. Lots of beer shots at the Blue Tongue, plenty of jumping shots on different roads (I am a fan at the moment) and a bunch of other bits & pieces from our travels.

To start things off, here's a little proof that we made it up the mountain.

Ads shows off his tat while we catch a breather at the top of a cliff.

Adam trys to catch the "moody, reflective, 'I have unplumbed depths if only they were explored'" side of Tim. Or maybe he just wanted me to look tired after hiking straight up the mountain?

The impression that I get

September 26, 2006 1:50 AM

The impression that I get is that they are referred to as "Simone and Dave" a fair bit. I think I'll call them "Dave & Sim" just to be different. Saturday was spent in the pleasure of their company. Shona & Sim have been friends for ages & have become really good friends in the last couple.

Of course, I liked them before the weekend...

Why?

They had me over to their place to "check me out" (very cute)

Sim makes a mean cocktail.

They both play "Settlers of Catan", the greatest board game known to man!

Dave is a genuine & funny bloke.

And they came all the way out to Dural to hear me preach. (Being the diagonally oposite side of Sydney, The shire has to be close to an hour and a half from Dural! Sydney's a big city!)

So heading out for an afternoon on Dave's dad's boat was just a clincher...

I was transported back to being 10. In those days it was two or three families on the "HMAS Bundabah". Big waves, good laughs, and a couple of BBQ chickens & bread rolls when we hit the destination. 20 years later, it's only two couples, it's in different (thankfully stiller) waters, but the laughs came as freely and the chook sandwiches still went down as smoothly (Mum will be happy to hear that I still got the "Slimy bits" of the chook!).

Chilling, chatting, and checking out each other's moon-tans after a long winter. A slow lunch and a quick dip in the still-crisp water. Threatening to push the girls in & delivering a couple of "bombs" next to where they were sitting. I could get used to this kind of life!

I hope Dave & Sim got the impression that I enjoyed myself, because the impression that I get is that this is definately the way to spend a Saturday or two in the soon-to-arrive summer!

In other news, here's a couple of pictures from Thursday night. It's the ANZAC Bridge...

Shona has proven to be a very patient photographic apprentice. I give her six months before she is making my shots look like junk!

Helpless hopeless hands

September 21, 2006 2:38 AM

So my sister says I have been gone for too long, so you get a long post by way of apology. (and a picture at the end for you people who don't really care about all the junk I occasionally write here.)

Do you ever think about how useless the average man or woman is compared to say someone a couple of hundred years ago, or even maybe our grandparents? We buy our meat in vacuum sealed packaged (apparently having to see any kind of beast slaughtered has become enough to turn one vegetarian), our clothes are manufactured, our cars are maintained by our mechanics, even our environment is controlled by little boxes on the wall blowing in cold or hot air as required.

Seriously, (OK, I'm not really that serious about things here) what would happen to me, or to you if we were just dumped in the middle of nowhere, the proverbial desert island maybe, and we had to feed, clothe, and entertain ourselves? No sushi-train, no jeans stores, no you-tube (or timgoldsmith.com!!!) would possibly mean no life!

Who knows? Maybe we would adapt? Could I still learn how to do enough carpentry to build myself a house? Could I dry meat? Could a weave? How much could I entertain myself or others without my gagets?

Don't worry, this post isn't all about bleakness. Into this disturbing little thought pattern comes two rays of sunshine. Two men to whom I can look up & aspire to. Don't let it be said that the "real" life isn't being led while there is still Matt Lemsing's & Glendon Mckay's in this world.

Glendon first.

OK, I'm at Bible College. Most of you good readers know that.
You may not know, though, that my college is in a fairly "inner" part of Sydney. We are talking tightly packed houses. A house has only to stumble before it is tripped over together & buried under a block of appartments. This is the concrete jungle!

I state this purely to deliver a contrast to the view on the piece of concrete outside my dorm. Glendon sits with a bucket of salt, some scraping equipment, a couple of wooden boards and a bunch of hides!
This dude shot a bunch of kangaroos recently and decided to work outside the dorm at tanning all the hides so his kids could make fur hats on ag camp in the holidays!

Is it kind of gross being confronted with skins being scraped of flesh & then dried? Well, yes, a little, but Glendoes still gets award No.1 for "Keeping it real".

Matt certainly deserves a mention too.

I went to his Oktoberfest party the other night. One might suspect that this would be an excuse for a guy to get rid of home-brewed beer. After all, that is less of a "wild-man" exploit & more of a trendy modern thing to do these days.

Matt didn't make his own beer.

He did, however, make his own home made sausages & saurkraut!

Who makes their own sausages? I think he's even working on salamis! All this while maintaining full-time theological study, a wife, three kids & a catechist (student minister) role at Church! Matt certainly keeps it real!

OK, this post is way to long. There is no point to it. I never really seem to believe in conclusions on this blog. Um... maybe take up some kind of "Oldy-worldy" hobby maybe?

Here is the Pic as promised.

Just a small part of what made Tuesday night great.

I went to see Gheever play baseball on Sunday afternoon. He did awesome for his first game! You can see the killer look in the eyes!

Saturday was Adam & Ed's engagement party. For a rare change, I actually appeared in a photo! It was a good afternoon!

Good nights

September 12, 2006 12:41 AM

A nice beer & a couple of games of pool.

That's one idea of a good night.

Battler

September 7, 2006 1:37 AM

I like being a battler of theology, just like Jimmy V (Pictured).

I'm also looking forward to having my own one of these shirts if Luke ever pulls his finger out & prints them!

Flush

September 5, 2006 10:24 AM

OK, the story about the picture is that it is the MLC building in the city, looking through a staircase.

The reason why I have picked it to go on the blog is because I think it looks a little like a toilet seat.

And the reason why I would want to have a toilet kind of theme is because I heard that JT's laptop got stolen from his car last Sunday night, while we were in church. Having had mine stolen last year, I know it feels like your whole life has been flushed down the toilet when you are a full-time student and some absolute punk steals your laptop!!

I'm not going to claim that stealing from a church is in any way more wrong than stealing from anyone else, but it does suck when we got broken into 4 times last year, so we got all this security stuff, then all of a sudden it is cool to break into our cars during a service!

I'm more than a little annoyed by it!

Beams of light.

August 25, 2006 12:35 PM

I was in my room & as I was working through getting citations for some of my journal articles, I put on one of my fave classical pieces, part of the Nutcracker suite called "Pax intrada".
When I heard a noise behind me & I looked around, there was the dean of men & one of the third year students. My first thought was "was I swaying or doing something stupid to the music? Should I anticipate mocking?", but as it turns out, they had both heard the music & were just standing there to enjoy it. Once I hit pause they wanted to know what it was, expecting it to be Mahler or something more obscure. They were both a little surprised to find out that it was simply Tchaikovsky:. Pierre (the dean of men) told me how little he liked Tchaikovsky: (which apparently is the "gossip paper" of the classical world. Easy to read & a little too common), and this pushed us into a conversation about the difference between looking at a beam of light & looking through it.
Where did the light thing come from? It was because Pierre had reminded me of a great little story of C.S. Lewis' ("Meditation in a tool shed") where he talks about looking at a beam of light & thinking it was beautiful, golden, holding little particles of dust, but when he stood & looked through the light, he saw beyond the shed at lovely green leaves outside & several million miles beyond that, the sun beating down... I claimed that Pierre was looking AT Tchaikovsky: rather than along him...

Anyway, it was just one of those fun little conversations that then pushed into other philosophical questions. The nature of reality & modern thought... These are the little things that make me happy, particularly, make me happy to be at college & living in a dorm full of interesting people!

They came out of their rooms to listen to a piece of classical music.

They stayed to ponder the deeper questions in life.

How good is that!

I hate Freakin' Book Memes

August 24, 2006 2:22 AM

I can't help myself. I saw my name get tagged & I had to do it.

1. One book that changed your life:
Compelling Reason by C.S. Lewis. It really pushed me to look "along the beam" rather than just "at the beam".

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
At the risk of starting a bit of a theme here, I would have to say "Poems" by C.S. Lewis. I read this bad boy perpetually.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
You sound trite saying the Bible, so if I had to pick something else I would possibly go for Karl Barth's "Church Dogmatics". I think there would be a lot to consider & a little to disagree with.

4. One book that made you laugh:
"Last Chance to See" by Douglas Adams. It's the writer of "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy", spending a year travelling to different World Wildlife Foundation spots. Thoughful, but very funny!

5. One book that made you cry:
"Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry. OK, that is woeful to admit, but I teared up in both the book AND the movie!

6. One book that you wish had been written:
Right now I would settle for "Who the Servant is really supposed to be in Isaiah 40-55 & whether or not I was an 8th Century Prophet, or a 6th Century Prophet" by Isaiah (or possibly Deutero Isaiah*)

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
I don't know if I could pick one. Crap literature exists to point out to people how important good stuff is. It makes me sad to think of people who are mislead by Davinci kind of stuff.

8. One book you’re currently reading:
"Resurrection: Myth or Reality" by John Shelby Spong (for an assignment),

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
"The Epistle to the Romans" commentary by Douglas Moo is one I wouldn't mind knocking off.

10. Now tag five people:
OK. I can't be bothered adding people's links here. I'll go for Kristin , Ads, Josh T, Coqui & Justin Moffatt.

* So what do you think? Isaiah, or Deutero? Any Trito fans here?

The Three Bs...

August 21, 2006 1:08 AM

The motto of our church is "In Christ, Believe, Belong and Behave".

It's a great motto/mission statement & I could go on about the theological unpacking of this in a long blog, but instead I think I'll tell you all a couple of little stories.

Believe:
I'm sure there are any number of people who have heard kids make professions of faith that appear to have no bearing on their lives. I'm so lucky that I get to see kids faithfully express their belief. Having a sleepover for the "40 hour famine" was going to be tough, cause I am in the middle of a busy period at college, but to see the kids express their belief in God through their concern for others was awesome. Some of the kids collected amazing amounts of sponsorship & basically all of them embraced the weekend with an awesome enthusiasm which reflected thoughts and actions in harmony.
It's great to see people know and understand what they believe & then see how that affects their priorities in life!

Belong:
I was putting some cups in the sink as a group of people were getting ready for our communion dinner, when Gai swings around & talks to me. She's the mum of 5 girls, 4 of which I have youth group involvement with (the 5th of which keeps me entertained whenever we chat after church).
"So, I understand you have news to tell me" she says.
"Oh yeah, confirmation classes are going well.." I tell her coyly "anything else you wanted to know?"
"you know what I'm talking about" Gai counters, then goes on to tell me how she feels like she has failed because it was her husband that who told her interesting news & she had never asked me.
"OK, so I have a girlfriend" I tell her "and it's going really well".

So I copped questions for another minute or two & then Gai decides that I need her mobile number so that I can call her & let her know how things are progressing. I tell her that if I get engaged or something any time in the future, that I'll see if the phone list can run "Parents, Siblings, then Gai".
I thought that this would be suffice, but she tells me that she doesn't want to wait for info down the road. Instead, I have to fire off a text if I go out on a date & it goes well. She wants the inside track!

The youngest daughter & I then spend the next couple of minutes discussing how once an adult gets married the romance is gone out of their life, so they have to live vicariously through those still in the pool!

Some people might have felt a little uncomfortable about the whole exchange. I love it because people at the church invest in each other, in relationships. I feel like I belong there & that people care. I know there are people who ask about my life in general, but I also know that there are people who are praying for me too! It's good to belong.

Behave:
Alison is such a great encouragement. She gives with no expectation of reciprocation & is always quick with a smile, or a kind word. She shows her commitment to ministry at St Jude's, firstly, through the amount of times she drives to church a week so she can drop her two kids off for different stuff. She also expresses her love for her Christian family through the work she puts into things like organising supper rosters & stuff like that.

What a model of Christian behaviour.

Tonight we had the communion meal & Alison did an awesome job of bringing it all together. There must have been about 50 people who enjoyed a great meal! Of course, the people who didn't enjoy the meal were the individuals outside who were busy smashing windows in a couple of cars & rifling through the contents.

Alison had every reason to be distraught over the whole experience. While she is slogging her guts out to serve others, there are others who are breaking windows to rob her. Through all of this, she was so amazingly gracious to say how happy she was that they hadn't robbed my car (next to hers) that happened to have basically ALL of my camera gear sitting on the front seat!

It's such an encouragement to see beautiful behaviour.

In other, completely unconnected news: Even though I have never personally met her, I have it on good authority that Claire has "Mad Skills" and that Nic is also pretty kickin (and now they've BOTH made their first mention on my blog! Does this mean I get a comment?)

Purpose Driven

August 9, 2006 7:11 PM

These are the hands of "H".
I think I like this picture because they are the hands of a 1 year old, but the way his hands are posed makes it look like he has some deeper purpose to those sticks, other than the contemplation of whether or not he can eat them!

Yeah....

So I am back in one of those periods (at least this afternoon) where I question my purpose in life. I'd love to know where God would have me, but so far it's a mystery!

Will I make it to doing a Dip Ed after I finish here?
Will I make it back to Scotland to do schools & youth work?
Will I find a ministry here in Sydney?
Will I end up as a missionary photographer, capturing images for other missionaries around the world to use as support material?
Maybe I can look forward to asking the question "Would you like fries with that" as a future?
What are my gifts?

What is my purpose.

Seeking to Glorify God through contentment and whole-heartedness in whatever situation I find myself in has to be a foundation stone I guess...

That, and diligence... which is why I should stop procrastinating on the net & get back to this darn sermon!

Doing V. Writing

August 7, 2006 2:13 AM

I don't know where to start, and I suspect I just wont.

Well, not in earnest.

I've been far too busy doing things to really devote the time I might like to, to writing about stuff. Uni is plugging along. A lot to do & a lot more organisation required on my part if things are going to work. Church stuff too is time consuming (but enjoyable on the whole). Youth Group is really fun at the moment. I'm running confirmation classes for the next month & I am preaching next week!
On the Social front it has been a matter of catching up with lots of old friends & meeting lots of new ones.
Shout outs should go out to the awesome Zeek who made a guest appearance when I was hanging out with Shona & Bec in Newtown. That was a real highlight of the week! Simone & Dave (or is it Dave & Simone?) certainly deserve big props for an awesome time last night @ their place. Marty & Jen certainly get a mention too, as great company!

Yeah, so it hasn't let up & it is only getting busier for the next 3 or 4 weeks. I think some time around the end of August should be when I get to breathe a great breath & spend a little more time blogging.

In the mean time, I might just have to get stuck into the doing.

Love that city

July 27, 2006 2:25 PM

(If you have a flickr account you should be able to view a much larger (and better) size if you click on the pic)

I always feel like I am cheating when I take a picture of Sydney Harbour. It's hard to take a bad picture of this place. Nice water, amazing buildings, great light (usually) good weather... What's not to love!
Of course, maybe I'm more of a cliche than a cheater, but that's OK.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been in there almost half a dozen times. Once for my city fun with N8 (not the order.... whinger!) Joel, Andy & Robbie. I've been in a couple of times & to a couple of different places with Shona. Two nights ago I was down having a chat with Allison & then last night I was in again, this time with Deb & Lyndell & the always enjoyable Davitch!

I'm trying to think of somewhere better to be able to hang out & just chat. If you managed to organise a bottle of wine, maybe a little cheese & a bit of chocolate (all of which are off limits at the moment. Damn!!) then you have pretty much the perfect venue.

So, if you want to hang out and chat some time, and you don't mind my getting up every once in a while to fire off a couple of shots on the old Canon, then drop in to the North Shore of the harbour & I'll be there!

P.S. I apologise for the inane writing I've had up over the last little while. The creative monkey escaped the cage & is currently at large in parts unknown!

"Friends" means not having to blog you

July 24, 2006 1:40 AM

They're not dentists, but I still wont show you their faces...

You see apparently I don't mention N8 & Matty enough on my blog.

Well... two of my best mates are called Matty & N8.

;) (you'll get a proper blog one day!)

My new Favourite Hymn

July 19, 2006 1:07 PM

Before the throne of God above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
a great High Priest, whose name is Love,
who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
my name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
no tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look, and see him there
who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me.

Behold him there! the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
the great unchangeable I AM,
the King of glory and of grace!

One with himself, I cannot die;
my soul is purchased by his blood;
my life is hid with Christ on high,
with Christ, my Savior and my God.

TCFS

July 16, 2006 3:05 AM

Hufflepuff & Ads show me how it's done!

P.S. Can anyone guess what TCFS stands for?

Night Sights

July 13, 2006 2:43 AM

I've been hoping to spend a couple of nights working on my night photography. I forgot how much I love it!
Tonight was also a great chance to catch up with Joel, N8, Robbie & Andy. Good times!

I'm camping with youth group kids for the next couple of days, so I'll be back just in time for the weekend.
L8er dudes

Doing talking

July 7, 2006 1:34 AM

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

It was on to the Spirit of Tasmania to head down south. I was pretty nervous because I really dislike the open ocean (or more acurately, the process of throwing up every time I go into deep ocean). Still, I was assured that I would be fine & I was dosed on sea-sickness medication, so I was primed and ready.

Sydney put on a nice view for me as I headed out past the heads. As it turns out, that was not the biggest surprise! It turned out that I really loved the trip! I ran into a friend on the boat, I ate WAY too much for dinner (Buffet style, but a la carte quality). I must have eaten 300gm of smoked salmon alone!

The arrival at Tassie was a sunny one & spirits were high as I decided to head off to Cradle Mountain.

If I wanted to know why this sweet vehicle had rusted, I didn't have to ask for long. It started to rain about one minute after this picture.

I did make it to Cradle though. I had a chance to fire off 4 or 5 night shots before clouds rolled in and spoiled that parade too.

When I got there I found out it would cost me $30 to visit the park in the day, not including camping fees. I ended up camping in my car, by a small river outside the national park. It would have gotten down to about freezing point, but I was in a very toasty sleeping bag (thanks Stevie T). I set the alarm for 5am, (easy when you go to bed at 7:30 in the evening) and the next morning saw thicker rain clouds, so I decided to give up on Cradle & see how far down the west coast I could get... But that is another story...

TCG.><>.

Back without Visuals

July 4, 2006 8:18 PM

Whenever I get back after a little while, I feel a bit at a loss, cause I don't know where to start.
There are all kinds of happenings from the last week, but those that just happened are far more fresh in my mind.
Well, I might give you all a bit of a taste of what is to come!
Nights sleeping in cars on top of mountains, Star Wars style landscapes, gian cliffs, long walks, freaky possums, distilleries, old mates, new wedding couples, fun photos, sea trips, and sea scapes!

It has all worked toward yesterday that saw me touch down in Melbourne & then basically drive for 17 hours to do the whole great ocean road, then make it up through Victoria & part of NSW to get to my big sister's place!

I have my camera here, but no way to upload photos, so right now the story reads "leave a small note of my movements & then enjoy hanging out with nieces and nephews, and hold off travel tales till Friday."

Love your work.

Studies & shameless plugs

June 17, 2006 7:31 PM

OK, a couple of pics for you.

The first represents my world. Prep for my monday exam. As you can tell, my glasses aren't that strong, so I couldn't get a good effect like looking through Michaela's, but they help me concentrate.

The second picture is just a little shout out to the Cedarville singers. I have a CD full of photos ready to get mailed out to the first Cedarvillian who requests it & sends me their postal address!
I'm pretty sure the look on their faces was the joy they felt at finding out that we were giving them tubes of Vegemite to take home with them!

Foreground & Background

June 15, 2006 10:05 PM

It's all about perspective isn't it. What you see, what you don't.

One struggles for perspective come exam time. In a week an a half I will be getting a boat down to Tasmania. I'll be driving back to Sydney over a 2 week period after that & I haven't even really thought about it! I will get to shoot a cool wedding, camp in sub-zero temperatures, drive the great ocean road, visit my big sister, hang out with my nieces and nephew, but at the moment, it is all a background blur.

Exams, dear friends, take up the focus in my current frame. Only three this semester, but they are doozies. Thoughts, stresses, study and stuff, crowding the mind & stilling the imagination.

How do you get a right perspective? How do you keep both my present reality & those things coming in the future in focus? Maybe if those study plans at the beginning of the year had come to fruition, then right now would just be a little time of review.

It's nice to dream of such things. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the sharp focus that I have right now. Poring over God's word, flicking through commentaries, and piling up notes! At least I know that in a week I'll be done, and when the pen goes down, and the fog lifts up, the view is going to be awesome!

In the mean time, here is your discussion topic (and an opportunity for you "silent readers" to leave a comment). What is the future that you look forward to? What is it that feels obscured now, that you look forward to coming into clear focus? Thoughts both funny, philosophical, or theological are all accepted!

TCG.><>.

Tension

June 9, 2006 4:37 AM

Warning: This is going to be a fairly long post. I would like to think it is worth reading, but if you are just not up for reading long blogs, then you can go ahead & scroll to the bottom. I put a picture at the end of this just for you!

Have you ever been to the Postsecret page? A fascinating experiment where people write a secret confession on a postcard & then send it to a postbox in the states where they take a picture of it & then put it up on the website.

It's fascinating reading. Creativity, and confession. It makes me wonder though. Who would send one of these in? Who is seeking absolution for their secret shame by posting to a strange individual & then sharing with the world? What drives us to the need for some kind of confession in the first place? Maybe it fulfils desires for both infamy and anonymity? That’s possible I’m sure. Maybe, though, it’s about finding a way to relive the tension in life. The taught wire that lies between our thoughts and our experience, or worse, our thoughts, and everyone else’s thoughts of us!

This all came up, as things tend to, as I walked down the street to grab dinner.

Life is tension.

Our Tension is in our relationships.
It’s the distance between being comfortable with who I am as a single man, and the yearning you feel to love another fully and to be loved. Or it is the tension between wanting to love and honour someone in a holy and sacrificial way, and the realisation that I have failed, one way or another, to do that in all of my relationships to date.
The relational tension in family is played out through the attention you expect from your family and the time you devote to being consistent in your attending to them.
Our relationship with the day to day people is possibly one of the greatest tensions of all, threatening to warp everything. When you sit back & honestly reflect on your own character who can reconcile the difference between other people’s perception of you and the reality of your actions, or maybe just your thoughts? The confident and competent image you manage to groom vs. the fractured and fumbling man who gazes at you in the mirror of a morning?

I guess it is really an existential thing. People struggle with the tension between the need (or want) to view mankind as essentially good and the evidence through social injustice, capitalistic rape, fruitless war and general discontentment, and our ambivalence to them all which implies quite the opposite.

So what is the answer? How do I reconcile a thousand aspects of my character that seem to be contradictory? An eagerness to bury myself in classic literature with a willingness to go & see the latest X-men movie? A character that, like so many men, wants to find some definition through one’s physical prowess, lying in tension with a body, broken and unable to achieve what once came easy?
Is Postsecret the solution I need? Is absolution found in an anonymous card to a foreign country? Is it hiding behind Psychology? Maybe Psychiatry? If I’m honest about my past? If I am cautious about my future? Less risks? More risks? A dumbing down to the basics, or seeking solace in the symmetry of the sophisticated?

The answer, not too surprisingly, lies behind possibly the greatest tension of all. We’re a people who feel like we have eternity written on our hearts, but we are confronted with the fact that life (at least life as we know it) comes to an end.

God holds on to a tension too. That these people, His creation are sinful, petty and small minded, essentially devoid of characteristics that would inculcate a feeling of love or admiration, yet He loves us with an everlasting love, expressed ultimately in the sacrifice of His son on the cross.

And there’s the greatest tension right there. That the piece of silver, or gold adorning our necks, the fashion accessory of stars and kids alike, is the symbol of the place where all of the tension between God and man was born in the body of the one whom had never caused it in the first place.

So just one tension remains. That of being between the gift that God graciously offers and that which humbly I receive.

OK, for the patient.... an old pic I took of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness.

Writing

June 2, 2006 3:51 AM

I've written more in the last 48 hours than any man should have to. I can't complain though, when it is my own fault at this, the busy end of the year. Still, I look forward to holidays whe life can gain a little more texture.
In the mean time, here is a little photographic texture.

I love all the colours & the little whisps...

YG with Cedarville

May 27, 2006 5:33 PM

OK, so last night we had youth group with the Cedarville Singers.
They are cool people, it was fun times.
Again, this picture looks better if you click on it & check out the larger size. Some of these dudes got some serious height on their jumps!

Twin Steaks

May 23, 2006 1:58 AM

It's nice being in a warm room, flanked by a heater, a block of Lindt "Noir Orange" chocolate, a flurry of paper (articles on scripture & the church, timetables, brochures, and and essay question) and a copy of Calvin's Institutes.

The thunder occasionally peals in the distance. It rained for a minute or two. Just long enough for me to raise the blinds and open the windows, so I can smell the moisture-laden air & listen to the drops hit the plastic patio roof outside my window.

Evenings like this I wish I didn't have to go to bed. Things feel so... "real" on nights like this. Like the air itself has grit and grain.

I knew from the start the night would be good though. $10 steaks at the Summer Hill Pub with a free Schooner of Beer. A chef who has grasped with both mind and hands the meaning of the word "rare".

We arrived, we sat and we chatted over our lovely meals.

And as it ends...

"I enjoyed that so much I could probably go it again"

Dan delivers the off-hand comment, such as would be expected after any good meal.

"I know what you mean, I feel the same way"

Ads replies.

"Well, if we are all in, then why not"

I smile enthusiasticly. Wallets are fished out, coins are counted & dinner is repeated!

And thus the poem entitled "Twin Steaks" is born.

College.
Calvin.
Dark Chocolate.
Great Mates.
Good Steaks.

I best not let the night end too late....

Ani Midas

May 19, 2006 2:11 PM

You know, I have to say that I was about to write something, then I realised it was a total lie. I was going to say that every team that I have "gone for" this year has lost & that I seem to have the touch of death when it comes to following teams. Then I remembered that I came third in a tipping competition! Hey, I actually beat people & was in sight of the Gold medal!

So, I take it back, I had a podium finish, so that is nothing to sneeze at.

That said, it was sad to watch Danny Green go down in Australia's most anticipated boxing match on Wednesday night.

So, my take on the Green Vs Mundine thing. It is a lot like the Hewitt Vs Rafter thing. When we are honest, we have to admit that Lleyton is a better tennis player, but just about everyone would rate Pat Rafter over him because he is actually a nice guy. You can picture going for a brewski or twoski with Pat after a match, while you are more likely to picture Lleyton swearing, spitting or giving you the finger.

Australian's like nice guys!

Mundine won the match fair and square, he was the better boxer & you could certainly see that he was a fair bit faster than Danny Green. But that doesn't change the fact that he just doesn't seem to be a nice guy. Mocking, even during the fight, making faces at Greens wife in the crowd, giving people the finger after the match & just talking himself up the whole time. It wasn't pretty.

So, I am hoping that my bad luck on Wednesday is tempered by a Waratah's win this evening as they play the Hurricanes in Wellington for the Super 14's Semi-final. I'd never say I begrudge having to go to youth group on a friday night. I love it & I love the kids, but it is tough when you miss a big match like this!

Oh, lest I forget. Props have to go to Mick Kelly, Trinette & Bec who all came down to watch the match on Wednesday night.

Unique?

May 12, 2006 6:44 PM

Am I the only one who does this?

Or is it just a byproduct of a little too much time spent behind a camera lens?

People keep asking me why I am deep in thought in the middle of a driveway, or why I have a habit of walking with my head pointed up instead of where I am going.

I find myself staring at things. Not just staring into nothing, and not staring at anything important, but starting at things as if, by force of will, I might bore out some great truth or deep meaning with my eyes. Some deeper truth that lies just under the surface, like the vitamins under an orange's skin.

This morning I was at "the red C" (a large letter "C" painted on the drive at college, outside the guys dorm. Guys are Israelites & girls are Egyptians... they are not allowed to cross the red sea) waiting for a friend to pick something up and I caught myself just staring. The corrugations on the roof of the married quarters, uniform in shape but varied in colour as the cloud-shrowded sun struggled down onto it. I looked at the little ventilation pipe that stuck out like a lollipop from a kids mouth. Focus shifted from the roof infront to the palms behind. Berries and stalks, bright yellow against the green leaves and brown trunk.

The asphalt of the tennis court, cut into mosaic by the wire fence. The billowing bingham of the table cloths drying on the line. The clouds above, rolling and roiling, pregnant with rain.

None of it was particularly begging to be photographed. I suspect they would stay under single figures for the number of views if I put it up on my Flickr account, yet I felt that if I stared long enough or thought hard enough (but about what?) i'd find the truth. I'd have the answer.

As I thought about everything this afternoon, I realised my problem..

Psalm 19 says
"The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display knowledge."

Maybe there is some kind of hidden beauty that is attached to all the little things in life. Maybe they possess qualities that we fail to see, because we fail to look hard enough. However, in the end, the greatest beauty lies in a creater who has made these things for us to appreciate. No matter how much beauty we find in the created order, it can only ever be a shadow of the creator Himself.

I don't think I'm going to stop my staring. I don't think we spend enough time really appreciating the little things in this world. That said, I think the focus might change. I'll take a leaf out of the Narnia series.

Time to look further onward and further upward!

Three Times Dan

May 8, 2006 12:57 PM

Why?

Just because I can!

In my world he's a player.

So it's three times Dan!

Dan is meditative (or possibly about to Fart)

Dan is sometimes sad.

Dan is also cool (though here, he appears to be blowing a raspberry).

Art Deco with a 21st C twist?

May 6, 2006 1:42 AM

Thinks that make me happy.

May 5, 2006 12:33 PM

Good books from around the world.

Returning

May 1, 2006 11:03 PM

Do you have little habits that you maintained as a kid that you lost in time?

Did you display behaviours that you no longer feel you have the discipline for?

Who are the friends, once so close, who you'd like to be close to again?

OK, so there are two real lines of questioning there, cause I have two little stories to tell.

I enjoyed most of my childhood. I occasionally lamented the fact that we didn't have any other kids that grew up on our street. In fact, we had a hospital for the terminally ill on our street, so residents were a lot closer to dispatching than hatching on the life-scale. That said, it wasn't that big an issue. Weekends with the family friends like the Bevans , and my brother to keep me company during the week (Amy, my sister remained a bit of an enigma to me till later in life).

A big part of why life was fairly easy was because I had a plethora of special friends that could keep me company. Leguin, Lewis, Tolkien and Rosenberg. I was a tireless reader! At one stage in year 8 I was reading up to 100 pages a night! They were glory days.
But work crowds such things. Time becomes more valuable & opportunities fade & die. A couple of years ago I realised that despite a reputation as a Bibliophile, I barely read at all! It was never a plan, but I had slowly starved myself of that lovely habit.

Well, it has been something that I have been working on for the last little while & so far this year I have come good. I am cruising through a number of different books & loving every second of it. The Irony has been that it hasn't really impacted on my ability to get work done. If anything, I find myself rejuvinated by the reading & ready to do more effective study!

It's like finding an old friend.

Speaking of which, I was lucky enough to go out to dinner the other night for Als' 30th Birthday party. I have known Als for 15 years now, but it has been a good 4 years since we have hung out a couple of weeks in a row. Well, it is great to see that some friends you just seem to get on with & the whole time thing doesn't matter. Dinner on Friday night was awesome! Not only did I get to catch up with Als, but a bunch of other old-school crew too!

So, here it is.

Cheers to those things ones lost.

And here's to those who return.

Finally, a couple of pics to capture the moments...

This is me reading up on Manly head. A great place to finish "How we are Hungry" a collection of short stories by Dave Eggers.

Als & Jen, Sisters, show off their "Blue Steel", ala Zoolander.

Embracing the word (and a little competition)

April 28, 2006 1:25 AM

Flux.

It's not a big one, but I think it doesn't get used enough.

[An aside: I have enough of the bigger words with study at college. I got a small round of applause for correctly pronouncing my question "So is the Pseudepigrapha deuterocanonical"... OK, I will send you something nice if you can tell me what either of those words mean without looking it up!!!!)

It's a shame. We feel it. We know it. It's the flux baby! Everything is always changing.

Ask me what I am going to do in two years? It's in a state of flux.
Ask me what I am going to be doing in two day? Dang flux..
My favourite subject? Flux
My next chance to hang out with the family? Starts with an "F", ends with a "lux"
Do I like any girls at college or beyond? Flux

I kind of enjoy it all.

I guess such enjoyment lies in the security of God's Sovereignty. If I am seeking to serve God in what I do & stuff like that, then I trust that He will sort these things out in his own good time. Of course, in the mean time, I am not absolved of my responsibility to prepare myself though all avalable avenues for His service, but I can also enjoy the ambiguity.

OK, ready for your next big word? If you are a study of theology, then it is less difficult... Here comes.

"Overrealised eschatology."

It's been preparing a sermon on 1 Corinthian's 15 that has had me thinking about this. Our brothers in Corinth, Circa 70A.D. thought that this life was all they had. Some had given up on the idea of a resurrection. They thought God's redemption & promised kingdom had come. What they had was what there was to have. Experience it now, enjoy it as you can, because it doesn't last long.

[another big word... you could call them proto-gnostic]

They lost focus on the great truth. Christ was raised! He conquered death eternally & promises the same thing to those who trust in Him.

So, a year and a half into a degree, it is great to be reminded of a simple truth. Death has lost it's victory, and death has lost its sting!

So, I suppose I am not really in that great a rush.

So lets enjoy that flux.

In other News:
If you have made it this far through my blog, then you deserve to be a part of my little competition. It seems other people have been enjoying playing "truth or dare" on their blogs. I enjoy the game & am always up for a bit of that if anyone is ever inclined to ask a question in the comments section, but I thought I might start up something more my style.

So here is the challenge.

Give me a subject.. That is, a subject that is doable for a College student who doesn't have a lot of money or an inordinate amount of time, and I will have to take a picture over the following week that encaptulates the subject matter!

So there you go. Simple, clean and clear. Bring it on people!

9 comments

First and Second things

April 18, 2006 1:53 AM

So, Kristin says that she misses the proper blogs, where I write more stuff. I have a couple of those in the pipes, but it is getting late tonight, so you are going to get a couple of fairly mindless things.

Firstly, again from a suggestion from Kristin, a guessing game! (This also comes from Mal's various shots at this game!)

What am I? Even if you can't be bothered reading the rest of the post, have a shot at the picture guessing.

So there you go.

Secondly, just for those who are curious, 60 seconds of what I am up to at the moment.

Studying: 1 Corinthians as I work on an essay.
Reading: Still working on my Balzac novel, but a weekend in the Hunter saw me start a book called "The Reader" by a German guy called Bernhard Schlink. An interesting novel about post WWII Germany & a war crimes trial... in a love story!!!
Listening: To the Cat Empire's new CD & Bernard Fannings new CD.
Eating: a hamburger tonight that had a 500gram (that is a little over a pound!) meat pattie. I have to say that it was surprisingly average.
Seeing: Matty & Lisa Richmond, who deserve congrats for the birth of Willian Graem Miller Richmond last week!
Shooting: Pictures with Kirsty tomorrow afternoon!
sleeping... in about 5 minutes, God willing.

10 comments

Welcome to holidays

April 13, 2006 2:47 AM

(Adam after a dip)

So we went down for a bit of a BBQ down in South Cronulla. Too much meat, not enough beer and just the right amount of good company! Colin & Cath, Adam, Amy, Megan & I.

So the holidays have arrived. I'm still getting work done, just none of it today! I went from BBQ to drinks at the CPH (Croydon Park Hotel) to dinner in Newtown to more drinks at the Marley with dudes from Moore College, and finally to hanging out in Chappo House at Moore.

Academically, yeah it was a waste. But dang it was fun!

Boys & BBQs!

Shorts vs. Pants

April 9, 2006 2:04 AM

The air just seems to have a longer memory when it is Autumn. The scent of flowers hangs forever. I could smell the chicken shop a block and a half away.

The walk down to the shops was a revelation. This, brothers and sisters, this is the best time of year! The sun seems to have been milked of its summer venom. Instead, the direct light wraps you in a grandma hug, while the shadows are cool and slow. They hold the threat of darker things to come, but for the moment it is peace, calm and comfort.

Pavement cool under foot. Bitumen remains unmelted. The options are everywhere. Walking on the grass, walking on the pavement, walking on the street, it's all good cause everything's sweet! Do I wear shorts or long pants? It doesn't matter because everything is "yes" in Autumn!.

On the home front, the Doona (Comforter) has made its appearance, but it is still a matter of choice. The fan is staying off, but the heater isn't yet on.My favourite t-shirt by day, my coolest jumper by night.

You can keep your stinging summers. pink skin & blistered asphalt toes have never appealed. The bleak gray winter need not apply either. For once, this once clear moment, to be middle-of-the-range is to be the best. To be average is to be on top!

So there you go. A day off from mission, some time off from worry. No expectations, no real concerns, Just some warm grass, a cool breeze, a Balzac novel (Second shot at "Old Goriot") and a quiet heart.

Oh that Autumn lasted forever!

All in a smile

March 29, 2006 10:21 PM

There are some things that just warm the heart. Times when you see people just in a state of happiness and contentment. For Kirsty that is often when she is with or near kids. The kind of genuine smile that comes as little "E" rests on her shoulder is a thing of beauty.

So it was great to catch up with Cate and Dan and Kirsty this afternoon. It hadn't been planned or anything, so that made it so much sweeter. Good times to see little E as he grows up too.

So I toped off the evening with some KFC and then headed back to college to face the real world of essays, assignments and college mission.

You know you are in work mode when KFC constitutes as an exciting evening!

So this is my room

March 23, 2006 11:49 PM

So here it is. My room.I have to say that it has a little less panache than that of Tubeo, but I would like to think I make up for it with my own quirky little touches. The Bobble Head Doll of Martin Luther is a personal favourite (You have to love Lutheran parishoners who like you enough to pick it up for you in the States), and he is in good company next to my M&M dispenser, the only one that remains out of my once-proud collection of over half a dozen!

Really, what ties my room together though is the books. Lots of books. I buy a lot of them, but I do try and use them too. A Wenham Commentary on Genesis, a short Biography of the oft-forgotten Melanchthon, who was a friend to both Luther & Zwingli. Spurgeon, Carson, Kidner, Morris, Moo, thousands upon thousands of hours of collected thought. How could you fail to be awed by the beauty of such things. Donald Millers musings about his every day, or 11 volumes of Berkouwer's thoughts on Church Dogmatics, whether you hang on every word, or disagree with all that is said, it HAS been said & you can hold in your hands those collected thoughts & digest or critique as you see fit...

But I digress...

It's a great room! Though girls have lived in it, no girl will be able to enter it during my stay here. One of the rules of college. So you chicks who read my site should consider this a coup of some sort (not sure which sort though).

So there you go. It is a simple dwelling, but it says some things about me. Miniature stein from Prague by the computer, picture of Glen Coe on the wall. A pepper mill, a guiness hat, camera gear, chocolate boxes, norman rockwell, filofax, listerine, printer, pictures, programmes and they are all mine. In fact, they are all me. Little paper/plastic/metal pieces of me.

(But the Winnie the Pooh bedsheets are a story for a different time....)

College life

March 22, 2006 11:36 AM

You know, we actually do sit around and talk about serious things at college. I have had chats about the conditionality of OT covenents, or questions regarding source criticism & the inevitable erosion of the value of the Canon if "JEDP" is accepted in its entirety. That said, it is not all serious stuff.

One of the sources of mental relief (though he is also a brother who challenges me in my faith & a guy I can get serious with) is my neighbour Adam. It's nice to have mates at college who can give you a sense of perspective, or are good for a laugh with their skewed perspective.

Anyway, this blog is just a reason to show you Ads in full flight.

Welcome to the Gun show!!!

Adam flexes more than just his theological muscle at college. He calls his left arm "Hector Fernandez" and his right one "Franky Molloy". You have to be careful if you ask for an introduction.

Of course, Adam is a very useful man. Not only does he drag me along (when I can be bothered) on his jogs, but he has been helping me "unleash the inner dragon". Here is proof!

I know, I know. Don't show this to kids, cause they may not be able to handle the fury!!!

The Dragon is out my friends!!!!

Eerie silence

March 15, 2006 10:43 PM

Usually I get at least 20 or 30 junk mails a day. Sometimes I would get over 50! Today I have got maybe 5. There has been an eerie internet silence. No personal emails either!

Of course, I could only have myself to blame. I have wasted big chunks of time over the last couple of weeks, just playing around on email. I cleared my inbox the other night & then it has just remained clear. No excuse, no chance to stuff around.

So I have actually had a productive evening tonight. I have still found time for a little relaxation, but I have cranked through a lot of readings too!

Of course, I can't say I live an exciting life at the moment. He works, he studies, he goes running. He has a quiet drink with some friends in the park. I have to say that I am happy with things. The beauty of college is that there are a thousand little moments in a day that make it exciting. tens, or maybe hundreds of little, medium or large conversations with people who are interesting and interested, hours that are both tiring and inspiring in lectures, and dorm-buddies who are there to drag me out for exercise, or undo it all with a beer.

I might get back to some reading. In the mean time, enjoy one of those little moments. "E" is a bit of a ladies man. He will be held by guys, but put him in the arms of a girl & he is all charm. He decided he wanted to kiss Prils. She was OK with that, but after 5 minutes, she was starting to get worn down....

I've finally seen it!

March 12, 2006 6:21 AM

And I like it. If you missed the ad on Australian TV, or if you are from OS and you want to understand what it means to be Australian. Here is NO.1 which is pretty funny And No.2 which is even better

I don't know how to put this but I'm quite a big deal

March 9, 2006 7:23 PM

It amuses Shannyn most of the time & sometimes I think it may even bug her a bit. I just know a lot of people! It isn't like I have a million friends lining up to hang out with me or anything, but in my 30 years I have met a lot of people.
Of course, usually it is just Sydney that I am known in. You wouldn't expect to be able to have something in common with all 6 billion people on earth! Well, it appears that maybe I do. It turns out that our new lecturer at SMBC, who has travelled all the way from the USA, just happened to go to the same college as another friend of mine who came to do mission at my church here last year, and it appears that they both remember each other.

It's official. I know EVERYONE!

If only I also knew everything! Back to what is going to be a long night of work on an essay.

Getting the Rhythm..

March 1, 2006 12:06 AM

I'm working hard to get a good Rhythm, though I have to say that there is so much to do that it is hard. You just feel like you are on top of one issue when you get assailed with the next. I've just spent the last hour looking at Source, Form & Literary Criticism, followed by older, fragmentary, supplamentary and new documentary hypotheses in regard to the Pentateuch (Or Hexateuch depending on where you fall in those post-enlightenment views).
I have to admit that I am excited and happy to find myself in a much better position cognitively to deal with these issues then I would have been last year. That said, I do find it tough to have to drop all of this mentally, so I can pick up my Sermon that I'm preparing for Sunday morning (8:45am Yikes! Titus 2:1-10), then be willing later this week to drop both of those so I can do a little work on my 3000 word essay due next week on the concept of ministers being "professionals", then again, making space at some time for this Essay on some quote by a guy called Thistleton in regard to the Cross and Behaviour in 1 Corinthians.

Lots of stuff in the brain. Compartmentalisation taking place, and a hope (and prayer) that information, once swallowed, can be digested and retained rather than just excreted onto a page & handed in for credit points....

Thankfully, through the fog of all things theological, land is occasionally sighted. This takes form in the shape of good conversations with all kinds of fun people, daily runs (of varying distances) with Adam (Visit his page & leave a comment!), and the shining light that is youth group and Church!

I say with relative confidence that this year should prove to be one that is enjoyed in the present, not just in hindsight.

Here's to being stretched, and here's to getting the rhythm!
(And another special cheer to my dear brothers Matt, Craig , andJosh, and my sister Tania who are fighting the good fight at"that other college" .)

She says its called the "Allison Show"

February 20, 2006 10:48 PM

"All Allison, all the time" she tells me.

Well, I've had "some" Allison, and only some of the time, but it has been good.

[Flashback]
It's circa 1995 (actually, it was exactly 1995, but I just love that word "circa") and a young Allison & Tim go out for a brief while then kind of loose contact. She ends up moving to the US of A & marrying a nice guy called Jason, while he ends ups..... um..... well, let's just say that he is still here in Sydney
[Flashforward]

She's back, she's in Australia for a couple of weeks, while she & Jason catch up with friends & family. Meanwhile, time is utilised in ensuring that we get to catch up too! Cocktails at "Orbit", Lunch at "The Australian Hotel" and tonight was dinner at "The Great Northern". Old friends & cold beers are a dynomite combination!

Kirsty drops in for a beer and a chat, Jason & I head to the BBQ to perform our masculine duty, and the James Squire Amber Ale heads south, past the lips & down toward a satisfied belly...

It was only a couple of drinks tonight, but that is all it takes. The last decade washes away and the bedrock of a good friendship remains.

Come Sunday she heads back to the frosty climes in upstate New York. "All Allison, all the time". Sounds fun, but it looks like the series is getting cancelled.

Allison working hard at smiling naturally.

It's been great to get to know Jason too.

Ten years on...

Horizons

February 19, 2006 10:49 AM

For all my talk of being willing to eat almost anything, chickens feet, haggis, a willingness to try dog, and an eagerness to try cat (or at least cook one), it took me a little over thirty years to eat an oyster. Well, that is not 100% true, I'd eaten two previously, but it was very much a matter of swallowing one at the same time as a bloody mary shooter & hoping that it didn't slime a taste down my throat.

Yesterday, up at the Hunter Valley I got to broaden my horizons. I wouldn't say I am in love with those little bad boys. They continue to look like little tumours to me and they feel like congealed oil, but they really don't taste too bad. A large part of the enjoyment was just stretching my experience. Trying something new. I also at a Sardine, which again, wasn't too bad. It makes you feel like you have progressed in some (admittedly insignificant) way.

I moved in the afternoon from enjoying on horizon to another. We sat out on the balcony, enjoyiing a glass of white wine watching the mother of all storms come rolling in. Rain, horizontal as it was whipped along by the wind, the thunder and lightnight provided an orchestral accompaniment and light show.
Above us God's mastery of creation was demonstrated with brutal force, while on the horizon, light, blue sky and peace still reigned. It really was a beautiful sight!

So there you go. Judgement and Grace played out in nature.

The rain comes down.

Tipsy the cat keeps a close eye as the tempest rages.

Rog and Buzzy enjoy the rain.

Making and Breaking

February 15, 2006 11:28 PM

It's all about habits.

I'm all for them. In fact, I am pretty sure they are the kind of things that I thrive off! Keys and wallet go in bowl. Phone on mantle every night, both socks then both shoes. The incidental ones are little things that I could almost become obsessive over!

Why are good habits so hard to start? I'm like an addict trying to give up the junk. My 6:30 wakeup call lasted for a sum total of 2 days. Two glorious days! Early up, get some reading done, go for a walk, have a shower, arrive at class pumped and ready for the day. You could have heaved an iron bar at my head and I would have caught, swallowed & spat back bullets!

But it didn't last.

Even now, 11:30pm, typing away... That 8 hours sleep is slipping and the 7am alarm looks like it will be making friends with it's snooze function tomorrow morning.

But it's not all bad news. While not in the AM, the reading is happening. The sun's rays look like they could pop over the horizon. I can do it, I can break the mold. Rebirth!

Well, let's see how we go with day three...

Matters of towel importance

February 10, 2006 9:15 AM

In the dorm we had last year, when you opened your door it would unlock the locking mechanism on the inside. This is not the case at the new dorm.

... as I found out as I stood in my towel after a shower this morning.

God in his providence had one of the student reps, and his master key, walking by at the time.

Embarrassment avoided.

Little Paper Friends

February 8, 2006 1:16 AM

Again, I find myself making an appearance at an ungodly hour. OK, so it is only 1am, but I am up early tomorrow!

Truly the new year has arrived! I'm into college, my room is set up, my books have their place on the wall & I am feeling good about things.

Only 4 new single residential guys. 20 of us in total, and we all seem to get on pretty well. This afternoon it was down to Maroubra beach to play tip football, chat, then eat entirely too much meat. This of course, was followed up with a slightly convoluted drive home (when Dan knows you are following him, he is more than happy to let himself get lost & then see if anyone can work their way home at all!) followed by a viewing on "Anchor Man" with all the boys. First viewing in Kansas City, USA = fairly funny. Second viewing with a mate of mine in Sydney= a little better, thirsd viewing with 19 other guys who have been quoting it for half the day= freaking hilarious!!!

Other bits & pieces are going OK too. I am really looking forward to the beginning of youth group on Friday night. We have Tania, the new student minister starting and she is prooving to be a lot of fun, and it will be awesome to catch up with all the kids! I'm loving the iTunes store at the moment, listening to Gorillaz "Dirty Harry", St Petersburg Kirov Orchestra's "Nutcracker Suit" and Berliner Philharmoniker's "Brandenburg Concerto No.1". I have to say I am loving a bit of classical music at the moment. I find it really good stuff to read or study to, which is strange, cause I usually can't listen to music and work at the same time.

Michaela and probably Tubeo will probably be happy with some of my reading at the moment, as a cruise through "Blue like Jazz". It isn't in my top 5, or even my top 10 for that matter, but it is a fairly interesting read & a nice piece of relaxation before study starts in earnest.

Hmmm, what other news?

I managed to score the duty at college (We all have duties that we do for 2 hours a week to keep the costs of college down) of "College Photographer" so I that I don't consider work! That always rocks!

So that's it, the new year has begun. New dorm, new discipline and new perspective! It's going to be good days!

Oh, and lest I forget, Allison, my good friend and ex-pat living in New York is in Australia for a couple of weeks, so tomorrow night equals cocktails at the Orbit bar 47 stories above Sydney! It IS exciting times!

Back to the books baby! How I have missed my little paper lovlies!

Fashion certainly has it's place in the new Wallace dorm, and this year fashion means wet/dry bags acting as hats! Dan-the-man carries it off!

Would you have this look if you were living in the room next to me for the year? Maybe we will take another shot come December?

I got tagged!

February 1, 2006 11:48 PM

It is fairly rare that I take part in these "things I love" memes, but I got referred it at Lanna's blog, so I feel duty bound! I just love the fact that someone I have never met might read my site & actually put a link to me on her page! Small world & all that Jazz. Here we go.

And it continues...

The 4 things meme was given to me by Ken who got it from Shua and will now be continued through me. Yay.

Four jobs I've had:

1. Fast food dude at McDonald's, Pizza Hut & one of only two Fuddruckers restaurants that ever graced Australia's shored.
2: Programmes director in Outdoor education.
3: Customer Service Rep for EBSCO the Serials agent.
4: Student Youth Minister for Dural Anglican Church

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. O Brother Where Art Thou?
2: Band of Brothers Series.
3: "The Office" -- The original British version
4: Pulp Fiction

Four places that I've lived:

1. Sydney Australia
2. Wellington in New Zealand
3: Edinburgh, Scotland
4. Mangrove Mountain, Australia

Four TV shows that I love:

Sorry dudes, I don't really watch enough TV. I could maybe go.
1: Super 14's Rugby
2: Australia V anyone Rugby
3: Australia V anyone in Cricket & that is about it...

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Throughout New Zealand
2: THroughout the USA
3: Throughout Scotland
4: Throughout Europe

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Amy's "Porcetta" (sp? a herb encrusted pork neck)
2: Mum's Pork Loin on garlic Mash
3: Pesto Chicken
4: Eggs Benedict with crispy bacon!

Four sites I visit daily:

1. Flickr
2. Homestarrunner.com (living in hope of the latest post)
3. smh.com.au
4.goldfinchfamily.com

Four places I would rather be right now:

On the whole I am pretty dang happy where I am, but I guess I could go for.

1: Anywhere in the Scottish Highlands
2: Rome
3: New York City
4: The Andes

Four bloggers I am tagging so that they will hate me:

I'll be twice as buzzed if any of these dudes respond!

1. Meg
2. Kristin or Phil
3.Michaela
4. Schnitzel

The Boxing day

December 26, 2005 11:16 PM

It's twenty past one in the morning, the dead of night. There is no moon, which suits be just fine, cause it means that the multitude of country stars are that much more visible. I find myself out on the pebbles of the rose garden contemplating. I'm not thinking anything that deep. There is no great profundity to be found here. It is just he cliche of another bloke out late at night trying to fathom the distance between himself and the stars. One of the stars, all of the stars, it boggles the mind!

I love my city life. I like being close to shops. I love being close to all kinds of restaurants, and I adore being close to all of my friendy

Why do these pin pricks of light play such an important role? There are a million light to be found in the city. A thousand differerent colours! standard, halogen, neon, all burning bright and shining 24 hours a day, yet somehow these tiny little dots speak to me in a way that no city can.

It's distance, it's time. It is realising that the light that is only a minute flicker in your eye is a gigantic ball of flame, mayby burning still, maybe dead for centuries, millenia... It is as close to infinite as I will ever be able to grasp.

Yet God made it all.

The farthest reaches of space. The greatest and the furthest of stars!

This same God sent his son. Jesus, the name which means saviour. Immanuel, "God with Us", creator of all that is seen, and all that remains unseen, yet he came down as man.

The life we couldn't live, the death we deserved to die.

Again, there is no profound thought to be had in this consideration. At such a time, all one can do is boggle. Boggle at the enormity of something that the human mind in unable to fathom. Yet one thing I understand. The God that cast the stars into space. I know that he loves me.

And that is more than enough.

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2005 11:32 PM

Merry Christmas to all my dear readers!!!

So far my Christmas has been OK. I went to three Church services tonight, at 5pm, 7pm, then 10:30, and I preached at the last one. Thanks to all those who prayed for me during my preparation & stuff. It went pretty well I though, and I was encouraged by some positive feedback afterward, as well as really enjoying the experience myself during the sermon (always a good sign)

I love getting presents from my youth kids & their families at Christmas, not because they give good presents (though they often do), but because it is great to know that the kids have thought of you and want to express their appreciation. I have enough chocolate to make sure I can get out of bed & make it to the 9:30am service at church tomorrow on what is going to be an absolute minimum of sleep.

Speaking of which, I might head in that direction.

Here is another couple of pictures for you to enjoy from NZ.

Tim.><>.

The view at 8am on the lake at Glenorchy.

Sipping the amber nectar! We tried a number of beers throughout NZ (in moderation), of which Speights was one of the best.

On and On.... It was a twisty, but lovely road from Wanaka to Cooktown. This was at the top of a very dangerous looking hill!

Back in the Swing

December 20, 2005 10:10 PM

Once I removed 49 GIG of photos from my computer it was running much better! Of course, now I need to go & sort over 6000 photos... dang... that is going to take a while...

It's good to be back. I stopped at church on Sunday night, though I was too late for the service. I still got to catch up with Shannyn & Geever for their birthdays, hung out at Burger King with a bunch of kids & played football (American) out on the grass infront of the BK. Good times!

Since then, it is hanging at church doing a little work & hanging at my Brother & Sis-in-Law's place. Also good times thanks to a wee little one called Charlotte. Ahhh, sweet quality time!

OK, here are a couple of pics from NZ. The parade begins!

I wish I could give you a 360 degree pic of this. This is the view you want when you wake, having parked randomly in the middle of nowhere. Good choice!

The Devil's Punchbowl in Arthurs Pass. Very cool. I was tired after the half hour walk to this place, which worried me, though it turned out that the fact that I had 3 hours sleep the night before had something to do with it.

All that ice & me with no cocktail to have with it!

Left to right, Steve, Dave, Matt & I. Good times on the ice, though, we should have just worn t-shirts & shorts. Oh well, better safe than sorry...

8 comments

And kicking

November 24, 2005 11:50 PM

Oh, have no fear, I'm still alive!

But there are big things afoot. Things I can't talk about right now, that will be discussed very soon.

Yeah, I'm definately alive....

Like a thief in the night

November 17, 2005 10:49 AM

Birthdays that fall in the middle of exams... bah!

It creeps up, crafty, silent, vulpine, then strikes!
You work with youth, you love hanging out with kids, you still buy your clothes at fashionable places.
Face it brother, it is gone, any idea that you are still a "young adult" has been thrown out the door.

30 has struck. Where do I pick up some sensible pants, prescription glasses and heavy mortgages?

Or can I do it? Can I continue to convince myself that I am young.

Hmmm, I guess time will tell.... but time is running out.

14 comments

Too much to do

November 13, 2005 10:13 PM

Caroline & I enjoying the Sydney view

It has been a good weekend all in all. A fair bit of study done, and a couple of good opportunities to catch up with people. As you can see above, I got to catch up with my friend Caroline, a Swedish girl I know from Scotland. Not to be confused with the only other person who has visited me from Scotland... Caroline the Swedish girl....

So I know two Swedish Carolines & they have both been in Sydney in the last couple of months. It was great to catch up with this one. To maintain some kind of symmetry, I did some similar stuff with this Caroline as I did with the other. Off to the "Australian Hotel" for some great Aussie beer, then off to Ball's head (after walking over the Harbour Bridge) to enjoy a great Aussie view. We certainly had the weather for it too!

Straight after that, I was off to Blue's Point for a farewell picnic for Darren & Simone, one of our ministers & his wife (not forgetting their 2 kids) who are heading off to another church. It was a great time to spend hanging out with a bunch of families & their kids. I really have an awesome church with lots of great people in it. I will have to post some of the pictures that Grace (all of 16) took when I let her play with my camera for a while. The young shoulnd't be so talented.

So, this is not a particularly inspiring update. I guess I am trying to save all my real creativity for the 4 exams I have this week & the one next week. Wish me luck!

In the mean time, check out this great bug that sat with my while I studied yesterday. Click on this or any other photo to follow a link to my flickr photo site where you can see more pics of the bug & more pics in general.

Adios

Facing the dawn

November 9, 2005 10:16 PM

( Chelsea and Craig enjoying breakfast at Bondi after a job well-done.)

I'm the first to admit that I've called it an "Un-Godly hour" before, but I take it all back. I'm not saying it was easy to get up that early. Having gotten to bed around 12:30ish, I was a little worse for wear when the alarm rang at 4:30 on Saturday morning. Still, a hot shower & and a can of "V" energy drink & it was all good.
As I walked down to the car, heavy-laden with all my camera gear, I have to admit that I was feeling pretty good. It's quiet, there is the faintest chill in the air (but still warm enough to be happy in shorts) and the world is still in blessed repose.

The stereo started on, but got turned off after a minute or two. It was nice enough to just soak in the lights, the air, the quiet. It's all beautiful.

It got me thinking.

It's a busy time, not just physically, but mentally. I'm doing all kinds of stuff & I am getting ready for the exams. All kinds of crazy things to think about... The question of justification in the 'new perspecive' on Paul & whether or not it is a soteriological or ecclesiological issue, resurrection reference and the OT, or tackling those dang aorist and future passive indicatives. It's great to ask all of these big questions, but as I flashed through empty streets on an early Saturday morning, I was aware that I was in danger of loosing focus.

Everyone has heard the quote about "not seeing the forest for all the trees", and that very thing is the danger that I realised I live. All this theology. Struggling to come to terms with God. Great stuff, but dangerous if it means that you loose focus on the most simple of truths. Christ died for our sins & came to life three days later, defeating death and giving hope to all those who "confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead" (Rom 10:9).

"Simplify, simplify, simplify" said Thoreau, "our life is frittered away by detail". It's not the first time that I have thought about this stuff, but it seemed to hit me with new clarity. Empty streets speaking to a mind that needs to be emptied of clutter.

My morning proved to be cathartic in this way. Tubeo & Chels turned up on time & despite a lack of actual dawn (dang you clouds) the morning was lovely, the conversation flowed easily & the sculptures themselves were pretty awesome! It was simply a matter of enjoying good company & being moved by man's little interpretations lying amongst the splendour of God's awesome creation!

From there we moved to breakfast in Bondi (followed by breakfast again for those who were keen) and more chat before it was back to the real world.

Of course, I need to be passing exams, but it is good to be reminded that we need to spend time not only memorising, but marvelling. The earth, despite the destruction we wreak on it, is an awe inspiring creation!

If you're in Sydney & you get the chance to swing by Bondi, go check out the efforts of man too...

What you want & what you do

October 30, 2005 10:24 PM

I've got some ideas for things I would love to blog about. Of course, it is only natural that I be thinking of things I want to blog about when I don't actually have any real time to write anything. It takes time to fashhion something worth while & time is a scarce commodity at the moment.

I am looking forward to the 22nd of Nov. with great anticipation!

In the mean time, I have been burning the candle at both ends as I fit in study, social stuff and work. Friday night was spent at Youth Group (as usual) but, rather than drive home, I ended up having beers with Kirsty at my fave pub (The Great Northern). Having walked her home, I fully intended to head home myself, before she pulled out the trump card (also known as "Batmaan Begins", a movie I had not yet seen had been told I had to see).

3:30am, get back home. Not the ideal move to promote a big study day the next day.

Today was Youth Church (great kids) and then study during the day, though I ended up snoozing for an hour on the floor in the office. The sermon was a good one tonight, on 1 Cor 14, and the night was topped off with the return of Shannyn from NZ.

OK, so an early nights sleep to start of my final week of lectures for the year. It sounded like a great idea, but I had to get ready for a test on Psalms tomorrow, then I remembered that I am leading the prayer group for the Persecuted church tomorrow morning too! So here I am again. 12:54... back on the blog trying to unwind a little before I score 6 or 7 hours of sleep & get up ready for another long day tomorrow.

One weird thing is that I am loving it. Loving it all!

Good ideas and bad ideas

October 29, 2005 2:25 PM

I offered to fill in for Daz Man, teaching scripture to his 6th grade kids for the last term. It was a good idea! I love getting to chat to the kids & it is great to be in a classroom & stuff. Getting kids to think abou things & building relationships and all that Jazz. The class starts at 9:30 on Friday morning, so that means I have to get up at like 7:30 if I am going to get out there in plenty of time & get my game-face on. There goes my sleep-in day during the week. Sometimes good ideas can also be bad ideas.

Case in point

I got a message from Kirsty yesterday asking if I wanted to go see a movie that night. Of course, I had youth group, so I had to say no, but I might be free afterwards (a good idea to let people know that you are actually keen to hang out with them). Of course, then she texts me back & says that is great. We can go for a late beer & then watch a DVD at her place!
Catching up with Kirt? Great idea. She is a champ & we get on like a house on fire. Watchinig movies that start at about 12:30, meaning you get home at 3:30... bad idea when Saturday is a study day.

So it is up at 11am, then spending a little time chatting on MSN, and here I sit, now, ready to get some work done.

But it is sunny and warm outside, on nice days like this, even an awesome thing like studying the subject you love most can seem like a bad idea...

Summer is here

October 27, 2005 12:55 AM

It is 1am, I am about to head to bed & it is 26 degrees (that is 78 for your Americans out there). Summer weather has arrived.

AA doesn't just stand for "All Abs"

October 24, 2005 12:38 PM

Strong Bad might have felt like he didn't need Pecs because he was "AA", but "All Abs" is not the only "AA" answer. There are any number of other answers you could give, "Alcoholics Annonymous", "Amy & Andrew", or "Arbitrary Answers" would fit too. Ansel Adams is also an viable answer. On this occasion Ansel Adams is also the correct answer.... that is, if the question was "who made the following quote?"

"Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundares, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling foce of all times has been the foce of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of the human spirit"

We all want to press our fingerprints into other peoples lives don't we. That proof that we are unique & add something irreplaceable to the world around us. We may not even want other people to be able to notice it, but secretly we find comfort in knowing that the mark might be there, like initials in wet cement.

I wonder though, what drives this force. Is it the need to apply those gifts that God has lavished upon his people, or is it something darker? Is that drive at the "root of the human spirit" that of sin itself? Do we want to see ourselves on the dais, glorified before the people. Are we inflated and driven with our need to proove our self-worth? A pride that says we are incomparable? Rather than glorifying God through the gifts he has given us, we seek to use those gifts to declare outselves God?

Something for you to think about as you drift off to sleep tonight as you drift off to sleep.

"He must become greater; I must become less." --> John 3:30

Leisure

October 19, 2005 11:02 AM

"Living in the moment". A lovely post-modern kind of phrase. I'm not doing it too well right now. My body is firmly in the present, but my mind is somewhere around 9:30PM on November 21st.
I'm looking forward to being done with these exams. I'm looking forward to being extravigant with my leisure time. I can't wait to wake at 10am, look across at the clock & then decide to go back to bed.
I'm also looking forward to some pretty fun social events. Any pretense of being able to call myself a "young adult" will be gone mid-November, when the big Three Oh hits.
My brother (in Christ) Timmy D. marries Christy in December, so that means New Zealand for the wedding! That also means a couple of weeks of driving around NZ & checking out what there is to be checked out...
I'm looking forward to reading when I want to read. Maybe getting back into the beach. Being able to hang out with the dudes at church.

And sleep, blessed sleep.

I miss sleep most of all...

“Leisure is a quality of spirit, not a quantity of time” → Eugene Peterson

Key LIme

October 14, 2005 2:02 AM

So my love of certain aspects of American culture is documented. I love the burger joint & I once wrote about the Plethora of options available to the burger connoisseur. I am pretty sure I also posted a picture of some "Stewarts Key Lime Soda" that we had, whilst hanging out at a cafe in Kansas City.

This is a conversation I also had with some of the "Cedarville Singers", a group from Cedarville Uni in Ohio, who came to my church (and some others) to do mission. It was also a conversation, apparently, that Lyndell remembered, resulting in a 4-pack arriving on my doorstep today!!!!

It turns out that Lyndell had a friend coming to Melbourne, so she gave the bottles to her & got them to post them from here (It would be WAY too costly to do it from the US). MOST impressive!!!

And also most tasty. 1 down, three yet to enjoy.....

Thanks Lyndell, and also Chrissy who I think I neglected to thank formally on my site when the two of you sent me some goodies earlier.

Reciprocity shall be exacted!

2 Billion people can't be wrong can they?

October 8, 2005 12:03 AM

I love a multicultural country and I love a multicultural college!

Jacqui asked me what I was doing for lunch today & I said that I could be up for going somewhere quick. When 1pm rolled around, we found that we had a group of 4 (Prilz and Mike joined the gang), so we decided to head to Burwood for some Yum Cha!

OK, I love Chinese food to start with, and Yum Cha is the coolest, cause you never know what is in half the little dishes that the people bring around, but the coolest of all is going to Yum Cha with two people who speak Cantonese! Jacq and Prilz had the downlow on everything, so we avoided the "traps for young players", (also known as Spring rolls... "Such an Anglo-Chinese thing" I was told) and got to get down to the real deal!

One of my lifes goals was achieved when I got to try Chickens Feet! OK, so most peoples goals revolve around fulfilling careers, kids and making the first million, while mine rotate around edible avian appendages. Some might think that a little weak, but I think it is important! I like the thought that I can give just about anything a try. The concept of eating chook-foot is alien to my sensibilities, so if I can ignore that, then that is a powerful thing. a) Why let my western view control me, and b) how could 2 billion Chinese be wrong?

As it turns out, I don't particularly like the taste of Chickens feet, mainly because I don't really like meat off the bone & they are pretty much all bone & gristle!

The lunch was superb, and the afternoon was made when Jacq generously shouted us, then Prilz bought us all an egg-custard tart for desert (Mum, if you are reading, I know you are jealous now, even if you weren't at the thought of chook-foot.).

Otherwise, there is very little to report. I have tried to keep myself locked in my room doing essay stuff & prep for a sermon on Sunday, and I have occasionally strayed to the closest TV to see Australia V. The Rest of the World team in Cricket.

OK, back to work....

Kicking back

October 6, 2005 12:08 AM

Above, you have the pictorial representation of my day.

Actually, that is not entirely true. The Lion's share of the day was taken up with driving to and from Gosford, reading stuff for an essay & walking up & down valleys to get to waterfalls & other such stuff. So when not doing the above, I managed to do a fair bit of.... the even further above.

It is always good when you get to go take pictures with another photographer. You see the angles they look at & it challenges you to find some new angle. You have an idea & then they build on it. It is a symbiotic thing. It is great. It is particularly good with people like Tom, cause this dude takes a pretty dang good photo!

So, it was a great day, but I am underwhelmed with the pics as a whole. I don't know if I am getting worse at photography, or just fussier. What a worry!

Anywho, 12:13 in the am, LOTS more work to do tomorrow & a bed that is only 3 feet away... Is this post going to get any longer? You do the math!

Dude, he's your brother

October 4, 2005 11:31 PM

So, I was thinking this evening that maybe my brother would have made an attractive woman. After all, Charlotte does look a fair bit like him, and she is a total cutie! Maybe he missed his calling? Well, he's a good guy anyway, and Kristin seems to like him, so maybe he has done OK as-is.

Yeah, I have been in a writing kind of mood, but I think I should use my artistic feelings to fuel good essays, so this bad boy is going to get cut short.

Tomorrow day is going to be spent, in part, shooting pictures with Tom Carlos up in Gosford. Finally a chance to catch up with him. Should be cool. Then it is back for an exciting night of essay writing on the "Colossian Heresy". Also fun in its own way.

Photo shooting tomorrow means I should also be able to have my third day in a row of posting on the site! Lucky you!

Lucky who?

Like my mate Chris, I can't help but wonder who actually reads my site.
Go on, be adventurous, leave a comment. Make my day!

Cheeky little monkeys!

12 comments

Jasmine

October 3, 2005 3:47 PM

But for the faint wailing of a siren several suburbs off, I might be forgiven for thinking that I am the only soul an the streets of Sydney. As I slipped out the side gate of the college, it was otherwise silent. Families are already out on public holiday picnics, or else they are sitting in their lounge rooms wondering whether or not this warm weather has been here long enough to heat up the back yard pool.

People with a more nervous disposition might find an afternoon like this a little disconcerting, too quiet, a little eerie. Bolder souls like myself revel in the silence that is screaming out the name of a loving creator.

On days like this everything becomes exaggerated. It starts with my awareness of the swish-swish as I walk down the street toward subway (the streets, quiet enough that I can walk down the centre of the road & avoid the sidewalk). when I kick a discarded scrap of metal, the little clang rings out like it has been fed through an amplifier. I can even hear the beat of wings from the minor bird that passes overhead.

I don't ever want to get sick of days like these. I don't want to be impressed only by super spectacles, or awesome architecture. I want to make sure that I revel in this kind of stuff for a lifetime. A quiet afternoon, sunny weather bringing a warm breeze, even to the shadows. Squinting in the harsh sunlight and breathing in the sweet air, fragranced by the sweet scent of jasmine, hidden in one of the house's backyards.

Elijah, I feel what you feel!

"The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
1 Kings 19:11-13

Punch-drunk love and Punctured tires

September 24, 2005 11:50 PM

Like a prize fighters right hook, summer weather caught be my surprise today & clocked me fair on the chin. Somehow, without my noticing, we've changed from cranking up the oil heater in my room, to thinking about dusting off my fan! Yesterday it expressed itself through my overheating at night, because I wore long pants instead of shorts (The basketball game certainly didn't help, but even two weeks ago, that wouldn't have been an issue). Today summer weather (despite it being spring) spoke to me on my drive down to the "Attunga" campsite, dropping off stuff for the camp I start tomorrow.

It only took five minutes on the Hume Highway before both front windows were down, the sunroof was open & Powderfinger was blaring through the speakers. Even the smell of the city changes as summer sneaks up. Gone is the heavy scent of aftershave and woolen jackets, exchanged for a heady mixture of sunscreen, sweat and salt-air. OK, being inner city, there may not be too much salt air, but I swear the scent lies there anyway.

Once of the freeway, I got to appreciate a little more of what this country has to offer. Faded-green trees whizzed by. Stands of whattle, flourescent-yellow, breaking up the scene. Once I got out into the back roads, they crowded round more intimately, till I cruised along the top of a ridge, I could look down the valleys on either side. Trees as far as the eye could see!

As I came to the dirt section of the road, the last 20km's before the campsite, it just got prettier. 15k's into the drive I was gazing wonderously at the deep red of the pebbles of dirt whizzing by the car... then all of a sudden, it was me doing the whizzing.

One slow-motion (at leas mentally) pirouette later there wasn't a great deal of whizzing being done at all.

I wasn't speeding or anything. I was paying attention to the road too. I just must have caught a thicker patch of the ball-bearing sized granite pebbles as I turned the wheel a little. All I could do was try and control how wildly the car spun. In the end I did a ilttle more than a 180 turn, ending up tipped half over a 1 1/2 meter verge, wedged up to my axle in soft rich red dirt.

The car, firmly wedged, I thought about walking the last 5km's to the campsite for help. Two nice guys, stopped by & drove me there. When I got there all of the other leaders & Co. were off doing trainging somewhere, and I remembered that I had left my nice & expensive camera back in the car, so I walked back.

Maybe another half an hour or so before another passing motorist stopped by for a chat. She had passed the campsite & seen people there, so she drove me back again. God's providence lay in one of the directorial types having a 4wd with a winch on it. He drove me back, we got the car out & it seemed to be OK.

Emphasis on the word "seemed".

An hour or so later, I was heading back to Sydney when I decided to pull over & take a picture of one of those lovely verdant valleys. It was at this time that one of my tires decided to seizure... I should be thankful that it didn't do this on the freeway! I can only guess that something had been pinched in the spin & it had taken till now for the tyre to decide what it was going to do.

20 minutes later, tyre changed. The spare is one of those dinky little things that are really only supposed to get you to the nearest service station.... or in my case 150kms back home. Stormclouds looming over my eyebrows, I was at full alert, which didn't help when a wallaby decided to dash out next to me & jump straight into my car!!!

No damage...

Nor was there damage when I had to apply the brakes urgently (Please don't spin again....) to stop before collecting a Kangaroo.

The rest of the drive was straight forward.

OK, so I am a little annoyed at all this bad stuff happening. I am also a little frustrated that I will miss church tomorrow morning, cause I have to wait for a 24 hour home delivery tyre dude to come replace my tyre for me, cause other tyre places are all closed on Sundays.

On the brighter side...

Had I been going any faster, or had I not been quick on the wheel, I would have gone totally over the verge & flipped the car. The 5k walk I had was a nice one, with summer weather, warm sun, leading to a slight tan. Also, I had a reason to cheer myself up with Indian for dinner (Oh yeah, this place in Croydon has goat on the menu!!!). Top that with a dash of euphoria from the Sydney Swans winning the AFL, and the day certainly could have ended worse!

Of course, I have to drive back tomorrow evening.....

See you all in a week (I hope)

The Blur

September 21, 2005 12:44 AM

There are still three days till my holidays start, but I feel like they have flashed by me already! Camp next week. Should be a a good growth experience, but dang, it has made me busy! Were I to have my time again, I think I might have said that I couldn't do it.

If you squeeze coal hard enough, it becomes a diamond. If you squeeze a toad hard enough, you just make it's innards turn into "outards". Ask me in a week and a half if I've had a diamond or a toad experience!

As the following picture shows, I am not the only one feeling a little stressed! (Actually, I think Pete is pretty chilled. This was just the gift I got for asking a Primary School teacher to pose for a photo....)

All that Parsing will turn you cross-eyed...

The in-tray. Oh, that it were empty of work & full of social engagements!

One down...

September 11, 2005 11:31 PM

It's all in the eyes.

Yeah, I am a little tired.
Saturday started at about 7am. A lift to the train station, then I train to Epping saw me rock up to N8's at about 9:30 (after stopping by coles to pick up a pair of black socks) for breakfast.

Breakfast in general is a cool thing, though I am rarely awake to appreciate it. Breakfast on this particular morning was very cool! The last breakfast of one single man. This single man just enjoyed lots of fresh fruit, a couple of croissants and a lot of fresh OJ.

We were ready ahead of time, so when the photographer popped in, we were all out the back playing a bit of cricket. OK, when the camera guy decides that cricket photos would be cool, that is OK. When said photographer decides that Tim should go for some diving catching cause it would be dramatic, that is also cool. When the aforementioned dives mean that Tim is itchy from the grass for the next hour or so, that ain't so cool. Oh, how we suffer for the art... It was fun to watch a pro-photographer doing his thing. I look forward to seeng the results!

Food was a big thing on Saturday. Our preparation in the morning was framed by the breakfast in the morning, then awesome chicken sandwiches for lunch. Mr & Mrs Mcelveney's stock is on the rise with meals like that! I'll have to invent new reasons to visit them now that N8 will be living out of home with Amy.

What to say about the wedding service itself?

Nerves in general at time of impact? fairly negligiblel. Emotions induced by arrival of the bride at the door? Many. The sermon-Top Notch, Bridesmaids-Ravishing, The comfort level of my classy Wingtipped shoes- Absolutely none! The only downside to the service was not being able to sit down & not being able to feel me feet by about the second song. OK, so I now have a greater appreciation of what girls go through with shoes...

Next came afternoon tea in the park. A chance to mingle, receive compliments for my shoes (Dang, what can I say? I love em!) and eat more top notch food. It was a short stop though, cause we needed to hop in the Bentleys & drive to our photo spot for some weddinig pics. That too went well, with the only hiccup being Tim's consistantly average leg, which slipped on a bit of rock, ending in a ripped sock & cut ankle. Thankfully, I can't even feel that section of my ankle, so that made it much easier to deal with.

Are you still here? I applaud your patience in reading. Believe me, you are getting the distilled version of the day, but I appreciate that it is still pretty long. Hang tough dude, you'll be at the end soon.

The reception. Again, food. Again, top quality. A glass of two of Red, Two, count them TWO great deserts (Again, thanks to Kirsty) and a maximum of three minutes enduring the dancefloor made the evening great!

So 11pm Rolls around. N8 & Amy make their exit & I am not far behind them. C8 & Dan give me a lift to a station & I catch a train to Burwood & then walk back to College. Lets just say that my feet were a little worse for wear by the time I got home. Only 6 hours to sleep! And Sunday was the day I was getting confirmed!

But that is another story...

Sound tracks of our lives...

September 4, 2005 10:36 PM

Do you ever stop to think how music has swept its way into every corner of the modern life?
Wake to the Clock radio, turn your second radio on while you have breakfast. The iPod comes out for the train ride to work, unless you are lucky enough to drive to work, where you get to just crank out the car stereo instead! We find some online station to listen to at work (making the most of out broadband connection) then iPod it home, before sitting back & having a glass of wine as we listen to something to sooth us after a long day at work.
If you are my 1 year old niece, you also get baby tunes to help you go to sleep.

Has it always been this way? Surely not. Recorded music is not that old! What did people do before iPods, walkmans, or (heaven forbid) car stereos?

I was thinking. Is this the effect of movies on the modern mind? Are we so used to songs that are there to evoke emotion in the central themes of our favourite movies that we feel we need the same to act as markers in our own lives.

Music is no less important to Church goers. Singing is an important part of what believers do as they come together to celebrate life in Christ. That said, we all to often seem to separate our "music life" from our church music. What we sing on Sunday night is rarely what we listen to and hum along with on Monday-Friday.

This is why is was so awesome to have Revive to play at Church on both Friday night (youth group) and Sunday (church). It doesn't hurt that I am mates with Dave & Ty (and totally dig Rich and Mike). They are also a totally rockin' band & a bunch of awesome dudes. It is great to see heart-felt Christian lyrics mixed with hard-core guitar licks that can be enjoyed by Christians & non-Christians alike.

In the sound track of life, they are finally playing my song!

Rock Rock on!

Mike launches more than just drum solos! Don't tell my ministers son about the trike abuse though...

Them thar hills...

September 1, 2005 7:31 PM

I almost duplicated a previous post's title, going for "Busy Daze" again. Well it is accurate. It is all hands on deck at the moment, with a couple of essays due soon, a wedding in a couple of weeks, two band nights in the next couple of days that I have to organise & now the possibility of speaking on a camp in 3 1/2 weeks time! Crikey! I might have to make more use of those oh-so-valuable hours between midnight and 8am which are currently going to waste!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, everything else is going ok. Keeping busy means that I keep out of too much trouble. All the current stuff on my plate keeps me from thinking too far ahead about travel to NZ & stuff like that. I will need to pull my finger out though, if I intend to have a 30th birthday party or something though...

OK, time to get back to the slog.

The joys of college life!

11 comments

Respect

August 24, 2005 10:52 PM

Pierre Thielmans is the Dean of Single men here at SMBC (Sydney Missionary Bible College). The man, like the name, is an interesting one. I think he has some Belgian kind of past. I know he speaks French, but now he is undeniably Australian.

I love a face that tells a story. That is definately Pierre. If only you could read the transcript of a face. What where the punchlines to the thousand jokes that delivered each wrinkle/laugh line? Did that lightly lined foerhead ever reform itself into a furrowed brow? What sights in this world have been reflected in those eyes? How many people have responded to that almost-too-big smile?

I find myself taking a lot of portraits these days. Of course, most of them end up in the landscape format (Pierre being the exception) and more often than not I find myself right up in their face, rather than hanging back to get the big picture. It's almost like the closer I get, the better chance I have of seeing through the face! Like if I look close enough I might actually see those stories written in those little lines, that rather than my reflection in those eyes, I might see Paris in the Spring, a newborn baby, or a blushing bride?

Does it work that way? Are our faces like those frustrating 3D puzzles? The answers are there if we stare hard enough and long enough?

I'm not sure. I just don't know. But I do know that every face has a story, so I will keep on listening as long as they are willing to speak.

Slacking off

August 16, 2005 12:50 PM

Excuses?

None!

I'm busy, but not that busy. I just haven't written. Maybe the blog and I have reached that comfortable friendship where we don't need to know where each other is every minute of the day? Maybe we are free to live our own lives & just catch up when it's convenient.

Is that fair? Is it good enough? I don't think so.

Do I think that timgoldsmith.com is a jealous lover? No, but I know that readers are (understandably) fickle, so I really should make more effort to make it daily contact.

Ok, let's shake hands and make up. Let's not fight again.

In other news...

The wheels are spinning. Things are happening. It's all on! This weekend sees me up in the Hunter Valley with the rest of the groomsmen from N8 & Amy's wedding party. It's about fellowship, bonding & camaraderie, it involves wine, pool tables, open fires, rugby matches and lots of laughts. Hopefully it also includes some pictures. Guys drinking beers, fun being had, and possibly some star-scapes (weather permitting).

To counter the testosterone injection that this blog will have over the next week, a picture with a little more estrogen in it. Who says timgoldsmith.com doesn't have a soft side.

Rachel and Nerida being gooses @ college. Rachel claims that there has never been a nice picture taken of her. Well, despite her closed eyes, I like it!

More friends I don't deserve.

July 9, 2005 12:40 AM

Out with Stu again tonight.
I got to visit with him and his wife Susan last Sunday too. It is always awesome when you know two totally awesome people and they found each other and make an even awesomeer (it can be a word, but just for this post) couple!

Tonight was good times! It involved good beer at the "Belgian beer cafe" followed by a fruitless walk to a restaurant that is no longer open, followed in turn by a walk to a restaurant that is open and has awesome pizza! Once again, we went back for some more beer!

This whole night was accented with awesome chats. Always good to have a friend that keeps you accountable and also challenges you in your faith.... and also has the ability to talk about... just.... stuff.

Stu, you rock my world! I told you I would post straight away!

Stu looking smooth.

Time after time

June 10, 2005 10:23 AM

Time is running out dear friends. A week and a half & then I will be in exams. I have 5 in total, so there is a fair bit of preparation to do.
To compound my inability to post stuff for you, I have lent my camera to a guy from college for the weekend. He is off shooting a wedding down south. No camera, no time and no energy.

Even now, I had planned to write a big post, but ended up chatting to a mate. Maybe I will just leave you with a poem. A happy little ditty from C.S. Lewis called "Evolution"

Lead us, Evolution, lead us
up the futures endless stair;
chop us, change us, prod us, weed us.
For stagnation is despair.
Groping, guessing, yet progressing.
Lead us nobody knows where.

Wrong or justice, joy or sorrow
In the present what are they
While there's always jam-tomorrow
while we tread the onward way?
Never knowing where we're going
we can never go astray.

To whatever variation
our posterity may turn
Hair, squashy, or crustacean
Bulbous eyed or square of stern
tusked or toothless, mild or ruthless
towards that unknown god we yearn

Ask not if it's god or devil
Bretheren, lest your words imply
static norms of good and evil
(as in plato) throned on high
such scholastic, inelastic
Abstract yardsticks we deny

Far too long have sages vainly
glossed great nature's simple text;
He who runs can read it plainly
"Goodnes=what comes next"
By evolving life is solving
all the questions we perplexed

Oh then! Value means survival-
value. If our progeny
spreads and spawns and licks each rival
That will prove its deity
(Far from pleasant, by our present
standards, though it may well be.)

Up and coming.

May 27, 2005 12:58 AM

OK, well straight off the bat, I have to tell you that you need to go & visit my friend Shannyn's website. She just started it yesterday. Shanoonie leads Youth Group and Youth Church with me & is good value, so everyone has to be nice to her.

Other news...

I had a really fun night on Tuesday night. Tim D, Christy, Jody & I headed OTC (Over the Bridge) to visit Ball's Head Reserve, before going for icecream and then visiting the Harbour Bridge down at Kirribili. It was a fun time of good chats & just hanging out & seeing a bit of Sydney.

The two Tim's working it "Gangsta Style". Yeah, we know, we look pretty bad-ass

The most exciting part of my week came up last night though. My best friend in Scotland was a girl called Caroline. I didn't think I would get to see her again in forever, her being Swedish and all, but when I got an email last week, I found out she was in Sydney!!! (Three exclamation marks!)
So last night we got to catch up for the first time in ages. We went & had beer and dinner at the Lowenbrau where my dorm-buddy Dan works, then went for a walk before we went & hung out at my local pub for a bit with Jody.
Anyway, it is always an awesome day when you get to see someone you didn't expect to see. Now, the trick is going to be avoiding all of these cool people while I try & knuckle down & get some proper work done. Exams in only a couple of weeks!

Caroline & I at the Lowenbrau

Your destiny lies with....

May 19, 2005 2:58 AM

Well my destiny lay with a 12:01 viewing of Episode III at the Burwood cinemas. Jacqui (I told you, you'd get a mention) and I went in at about 10:40ish, so we could line up in hope of some good seats. Mike joined us soon after & Steve & Ben came in at about 11:40, when we had just been seated.

I wont go into the movie itself. I would definately say that it is worth the $ to see it. I don't remember, but I don't think I saw the first movie at the cinemas DANG!!! Now I realise how confusing this series can be! I should say that I don't remember if I saw the fourth movie, but first to be made, at the cinemas, but I certainly remember seeing the other two. It is nice to have some kind of closure & be able to say that I made the last starwars movie into a big night.

In other news, I'm back into the world of photos, though I haven't taken so many in the last little while.

Here is Cam & Benny C working their mojo for me!

What's it all about?

May 14, 2005 12:03 PM

It's about listening to them and also trying to hear, really hear what it is that they have to say.

It's about knowing you aren't as quick or graceful as you once were, but just enjoying some hoops anyway.

It's about laughing with the guys you hang out with heaps, and laughing with the ones that you don't know from a piece of chalk.

It's about holding the baby in your arms, seeing that tiny hand and marvelling at God's creation.

It's about laughing at Christy's impersonation of the "heat-meiser" for the hundredth time, knowing for sure you will both laugh at it at least a hundred more.

It's about realising that the guy whose deeds in 590-604AD you are writing about was passionately in love with the God who is passionately in love with you.

It's about late night chats with a girl. Talking about stuff that matters and enjoying the fact that, despite being boy and girl, you both just enjoy being friends.

It's about a thousand things. Maybe a thousand thousand. Watching your "non-touchy-feely" mate feel so comfortable holding hands with his girl, seeing your youth group kids start interacting with you like adults, late night noodles, early morning prayer, enjoying one chocolate more than you might have enjoyed ten, lifting weights, doing pushups, exercise with Timmy D. It's reading Spurgeon, Lewis, Balzac, and Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. It's caring about your friend that's down & letting go of the fact that your computer is no more.It's all a part of it.

It's realising, really realising that you are not in the centre, you're just at the fringe.

But you're a part of it. You're a part of it all.

And it's a part of you.

Impotent Rage

May 1, 2005 10:24 PM

I've always craved for an artistic outlet.
I love music, but have neither the patience or talent to play anything well.
Painting or drawing? I love them too, but I don't have the deft touch required.
Poetry is another thing I love. Maybe one day I will write something that's OK. Who knows?

Photography....

I love taking photos. I take a lot of them & some people think that some of the are fairly good.

Like Eric Liddell in "Chariots of Fire" I feel God's pleasure when I capture something in a unique way, even if I am only catching a dim shadow of what we look forward to in heaven.

Today my laptop was stolen from a locked hall at my church.

FOrtunately, I have a fair whack of photos backed up, but I have lost at least 3 months worth of pictures, some of which were realy favourites!

I'm thankful that I didn't loose my cameras too, but it is still a mind numbing blow. All of my emails from up to 5 years ago, archived from my old computer. Letters, pictures, documents, memories, gone.

How do I tell friends, who I took wedding pictures for (thankfully not the primary photographer) and who I planned to give framed pictures as a gift to?

Well, there are so many questions and tonight I feel devoid of answers. I just thought I would let you know why this little page might be a little quiet while I sort this out.

TCG.><>.

11 comments

Um?

April 17, 2005 9:25 AM

Yeah, so I have a couple of bits of writing that I will put up, but probably not till tonight. Busy days & all...

Here are a couple of pics though. (as usual, click for a bigger version)

Bethy, my youngest niece, is also the hardest nut to crack in terms of getting her to smile at me. It is all good when she does though.

My bro-in-law Andrew with Tobes & Joss. That girl is mean behind the wheel!

Yet another sunset from Dural...

I don't know why I like taking pictures of barbed wire & fence posts, but I do!

Frustration

March 28, 2005 3:39 PM

I am pretty sure that my comments are down.
My site stats seem to say that I am still getting plenty of readers, but I haven't had a comment in a couple of weeks! I will have to have a chat to Chris, the local guru about it.
Chris, if you are reading, in two weeks time I am on holidays, then we are totally going out for a couple of beers & that "blogfest" that we have been talking about!

Wagga Wagga was very cool. My nieces and nephews continue to be pretty darn awesome & the sadness of leaving them was tempered by the knowledge that I get to see them all in a couple of weeks time when they come up to the Hunter Valley!
The drive home was long, a little over 6 hours, but a stop-off at Krispy Kreme's at the end of it made everything OK. When I got back to college it was time to watch "Ronin" with some of the boys, while eating a dozen doughnuts. Man, that is good times right there!

So here I am. Four weeks away from broadband access, two weeks away from holidays (though the essays I have to do will keep them from being as exciting as they should be) and only 1 week away from mission. I will try & keep everyone in the loop, but this week will involve the writing & practice of 2 sermons, 2 evangelistic talks, 1 after-school talk & lesson and a bunch of other little bits & pieces. Prayers would be appreciated from those of you who are into that sort of thing.

In the mean time, cheer me up. Write me an email! Chris tells me I should post my email address where it will get picked up by spam robots, so I will confuse them by sayign it is "tim at timgoldsmith.com".

Later gators!

Props to my homeys

March 17, 2005 9:56 AM

I left SMBC feeling a little unloved last night. The guys that had shown interest in coming to the Belgian Beer Cafe all piked because of stresses over essays & stuff, so it was just me, driving by my lonesome to Cammeray.
Any feelings on inadequacy disappeared faster than beers at a frat-party when I rocked up & met up with Bairdy and Hanbo's though. Being fellow vetran's of the "Boys House", these guys & I have a bond that can only otherwise be forged through war, or being made to watch an entire series of "Gilmore Girls" together. After love and manly hugs, came the equally manly beer. That was followed by a slightly less manly, but most definately tasty Thai dinner. The disturbing part about the Thai dinner was the very manly waitress, or is that womanly waiter? Either way, I am pretty sure it was a man, man!

The night continued back at the Belgian Beer Cafe afterwards & we were lated joined by Dancin' Daz Man, AY & his wife Sal (Happy Birthday mate) and then Mike Way & Nick Bell made an appearance too!

Lots of laughs, lots of "Leffe" and lashings of light and fluffy french fries made it a top night. I'd love to punctuate the tale with a picture or two, but that might have to wait till I am back online upstairs.

In the mean time, here's to you, boys (and girl) of the Belgian Beer Cafe!

A question of direction

February 17, 2005 5:55 AM

Waiting for a destination...

One of the exciting things about being at SMBC Thursday mornings when we have "Ministry Matters" for an hour. Most weeks we will have a missionary visit & tell us about what they are doing, or as we had today, several missionaries doing several talks, giving us the chance to choose our area of interest.

From what I have been told, the problem is not finding people who are excited about missions. The problem is that people end up excited about everywhere!
Today I went & listened to a gyuy called Richard who has spent the last 30 years working with Aboriginal tribes in far northern Australia. He talked about frustrating labour, and amazing rewards which are experienced when working with a people who at the same time can be very hostile to the gospel & totally humbling when you see the whole-hearted devotion to Christ which is evidenced in the lives of those who have come to know him!

I feel the draw to be able to share with these men & women, separated by culture buy united with me in Christ. What an awesome thing!

Then, I was also excited the other day when hearing about a couple who were heading out to Portugal. I thought about how much I would love to go & work in Scotland, or Mainland Europe, areas with a great gospel tradition, now suffering in areas a drought of evangelical fervour.

What to do? Where to go? So many opportunities! I haven't even mentioned the choice of staying at St Judes & supporting those awesome kids with whom I have already built relationships?

John Chapman, a bit of a legend in Austarlia as a preacher, is one of my lecturers this year, speaking on the Exegesis of Mark. A throwaway comment he had today was the source of much clarity on the matter.

"Don’t worry about where you will serve him. Worry about HOW you will serve him! After all, he has the whole of the world at His disposal!"

I know that God will use me & that I am being renewed day by day. I can trust that he will deliver me where he wants me to be. More important, is being whole-hearted in your committment to that service.

Why my brother is possibly one of the coolest guys around

October 18, 2004 10:42 PM

Phil & I have pretty much always gotten on. Even when we fought as kids, we still enjoyed each others company more often than not. Now that he is married & with a kid, he has continued to evolve & grow into an awsome guy. Well, since I know he reads this site, I don't want to talk him up too much. All I will do is post the pic he sent to me in response to my "wish you were here" postcard.

Time on & time off

October 16, 2004 7:02 AM

Another week done. Wednesday was a 14 hour day, but now it is just history. Next week will be a killer, cause I am doing six days straight, but at the end of it I get 4 days of travelling with my mate Georgie Hale! Good times!!!

In other news, I want to know peoples opinions. Should I consider buying a fisheye lens?

Man, how short is this post!

Back to work

October 10, 2004 8:06 PM

Well my weekend is over again. Back to work tomorrow, which means that there will most likely not be any posts for the next four days. That said, the guy who owns the cafe says that he is going to reboot the wifi just before he leaves each day, so that if I am lucky it will still be running at night when I come down & I can sit on the front step & type! Oh yeah, this is an awesome cafe. Pictures of it will have to come next week!
In other news, I promised I would cook ANZAC biscuits for the waiters at the Radisson, thinking that I would just have to buy all the ingredients. It also appears I have to but a baking tray, mixing bowl, measuring cups, big spoon, and a table spoon! The cost of domesticity! There will be more than one set of cookies coming out of this! Boy I love exclamation marks!

Destinations

October 2, 2004 10:53 PM

The mass of humanity just boggles the mind sometimes. Everyone is going somewhere, everyone has been somewhere. Thousands upon thousands of destinations, some that I have shared, some that I will never experience. What a treasure of experience and information that lies inside the mind of each and every person that you pass on the street.
The smelly man who keeps bumping me as we stand like sardines in the bus could be thinking about his childhood in countryside Russia, winters which saw temperatures colder than I will ever experience or even imagine, and a poverty that I probably wouldn't want to imagine. The lady in line infront of me at the bottle shop might still remember the day that man landed on the moon, the guy who served me my bagel could have been abused as a child, and the stranger I walk by on the street may walk by my brother in 1,5,10 or 50 years time in Australia or maybe some other continent, and neither of them will appreciate the coincidence.
This is why I have decided that I need to learn how to take pictures of people. Suddenly I see the appeal so much more. It doesn't have to be a shot of your mates, or even someone you know. How cool is it to be able to capture an image of a life that you will never know and to be conected to experiences you can't imagine. I may never know where my subjects are going or where they have been, but they are destined to be remembered in a small way, and maybe only for a small time in the archives of my photos & maybe the archives of my mind, and that will do me just fine.

Now to be completely random, here is a picture of the top of a salt cellar.

36 hours in three days

September 20, 2004 5:23 AM

I wish I could say that they last three days have been a haze, but I feel like I have lived every minute of them. Not in a "I was haveing so much fun, I feel like it was a really rewarding experience" kind of living, but a "I hurt & am tired, this job is a killer" kind of living.
Doing 12 hours a day really does appear to mean that I am either working, travelling too or from, eating, or sleeping. Still, I am three quarters of the way through my first 4 day stint & I am looking forward to my first 4 days off. I celebrate finishing by having to get up the next morning to set up a bank account, & then doing a shift at the Restaurant that night! Good times.

Thanks to everyone who has commented and those who wrote me emails. I will get back to you as soon as the work week is over.

TCG.><>.

P.S.: ALLISON: If you are referring to a book I have to a Upritchard, then you are spot on. If so, drop me a line @ & let me know what you are up to.

A close call with a salad

September 2, 2004 12:53 AM

Well yesterday was a bit of a dud all in all. I went to the Mac store & they were little help concerning "Airport Express" usefullness in this country & even less help in regard to finding a broadband service provider who doesn't want a 12 month contract. The place Mic & I went to lunch at had pretty substandard sandwiches, especially for the price, then I went to visit a bank to be told that the proof of ID info that I had been given previously was actually incorrect. Of course, Of course, the info I had been given previously had been because what I was told prior to that was also incorrect.
I decided to cheer myself up by getting this nice room spray stuff from Crabtree and Evelyn that one of Mic's roomates uses. Of course, they were all out. Just before I was to leave the store though, I decided to try one of the other sprays. This was the only thing that went right for me all day. In the strange world of smell creations, some bright spark at C&E decided to create one that was supposed to smell like green salad! It's crazy, but it works. It also appears that just like my love hate relationship with coffee, Salad, which is an entirely foreign substance to my digestive tract, appears to be a good pal of my nasal cavities, so I am now the proud owner of a salad scented room.

As requested by Cate, here are a couple of pics of my new place, with a couple of random pictures thrown in for good measure.

My room

The living room

The collection

The world through Michaela's eyes (or should it be glasses)

8 comments

The Explorers of Edinburgh

August 25, 2004 11:19 PM

I decided to go for a walk for a couple of hours & darn it, I wasn't even going to let the possibility off rain stop me. I felt like I was a real trooper, fighting through the elements to achieve the ultimate goal.Livingston, Scott, Hillary, and Goldsmith, the great explorers of the world.
When I made it to the Salisbury crags I went up the steep way. It was a real effort, sliding all over the place like a bowling ball on a well oiled lane, but I did it. I got to the top (and almost had a coronary) and the marvelous view was before me. Then came the wind, soon followed by a few drops of water, which was in turn replace by a downpour, which eventually settled down to a light but consistant rain. This was what it was all about.
I was disturbed from my pleasant little reverie by a passing jogger and his dog. Another brave explorer, like so many sledders through the arctic he was battling on. As I made it to the other side of the crags, to the foothills of Arthur's Seat, I passed a couple of old ladies happily walking in the rain with their pets too... Um, embattled old missionary women, steeling themselves against the elements mayby? Then came the family. Husband and wife laughing and smiling, the two pre-teen kids running along and powering up the mountain. OK, no explorer comparisons for them.
The Scots are a hardy people. Summer is summer to them & it appears that a rainy day doesn't get in the way of that. During my walk home I passed people practicing their golf on what looked more like a pond than a putting green, there were groups playing ultimate frisbee, soccer and tip football. There were people everywhere! Here I am battling the elements, pioneering a path through the Scottish wilderness, and i was overtaken by a 9 and a 6 year old!
As I continued my walk home, I could no longer maintain the lie. How was I supposed to inspire myself amongst such robust people. Then it came to me. I stopped by at a nice looking pub and sat down to a pint or two of beer. Here I was, the grizzled traveller, getting out of the elements & getting into a guiness. Scottish men, blue collar workers & suits alike, huddled around the bar, preparing themselves for the precipitous passage home.
I'd done it, I'd found my little illusion again, and it involved beer. Inspiration indeed!

Painful moments

August 17, 2004 10:04 PM

I have snapped tendons in my finger before during a rugby game. It didn't even see me leave the field. When I dislocated my shoulder in a game of American football, it certainly hurt. It took three hours to get the shoulder back into the joint. Of course, I am well known for having gone to do a summer camp in the USA & breaking my leg in four places on the first day, requiring a plate and 14 screws in my fibula to put it back together.
All of these experiences, which hurt in very different & powerful ways, pale in comparrison with watching this american girl absolutely bomb at the Underbelly club's "The Late Show". Mic's good friend Marian managed to score us some free tickets from her pseudo-boyfriend Dave to the show. Each night they have three of the top flight comedians from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival come out and perform. The first & the third guys really were funny, but the girl who came out in the middle sucked in ways previously unimaginable.
Like a pork ribs restaurant in Israel, each joke found itself without an audience. It was funny the first time, frustrating the fifth time & just freaky the fourtieth time! After 5 minutes it felt more like watching a road accident than stand up. Every joke, story or observation lay around her wounded and dieing, but she kept on creating new casualties.
I can only figure that she got paid if she filled her full 15 minute slot, because in the end, she spent the last 5 minutes looking for a heckler. A couple of guys had a go, which was helpful because we got to have our first laughs in quarter of an hour. Having suffered some zingers from the crowd, the girl bravely limped off (the polite UK crowd still managing to give her a clap, more of simpathy than appreciation) and the next act came & redeemed the night.

Well I have spent the last 5 minutes trying to think of some amusing way to finish of this post, but finally I have decided that in honour of the brave girl from Saturday night, I will just let it peter away into painful silence...

In other news, here are a couple of pics. Click for bigger versions.

Tim's new watch

An Aussie street juggler.

Mic & Marian walking into the Underbelly Club

Light fixture in a pub.