Good Friday

It’s a great day to remember the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This morning, at our Avoca Church, we looked at three deaths in the gospel of John.

1. The death of the disciples idealism: They would have imagined a messiah who was a political & military figure, bringing power and new authority to the people of Israel.

2. The death of innocence for the Pharisees: Up until then they’d been the Wylie Coyotes of the Bible. The blustered & carried on about Jesus, but weren’t really effective in challenging him in any meaningful way. That changes when they finally bring about their plan for his death.

3. But all is swallowed up in Jesus’ death, where he achieves through his sacrifice the death of death for all who put their trust in him.

This afternoon, the kiddliwinks got to make Hot Cross Buns with their mum. Lots of fun!

At night…. I finally got a chance to see “Skyfall.” I understand why it’s been touted so much. Favourite line? “Welcome to Scotland!”

Here’s the obligatory kid pictures…

20%

I’m not going to lie to you, this post is a bit of a brag.

I told myself if I got to this point, I’d allow myself this little piece of pride.

I’ve managed to lose 20% of my body weight in just under 4 months. Not exactly “Biggest Loser” pace, but good enough.

Another 6-8 kilos & I will be sitting bang in the middle of my suggest BMI weight.

What’s scariest is that I’m enjoying (most of) the food that I’m eating (normal stuff, just smaller portions & more healthy fruit & veg) and I’m even enjoying my chocolate more! (again, smaller portions… but I look forward to it more).

I’m told the bigger challenge is maintaining!

The Gift

I came into work this morning and noticed a wrapped present in my in tray.

It looked about the size of a box of Cadbury Milktray, and I figured one of the Baptism families I’d taken a service for over the last month had dropped it in.

When I opened it, however, it was something completely different! One of my parishioners, having noticed me coughing & spluttering my way through the service on Sunday had put together a little “man flu” package. Even better, all the lozenges are sugar free!

Many who know me would be amazed to hear me say that tissues etc. are better than a box of chocolates, but I find it quite humbling and… just lovely, to know that people are thinking of you, and going out of their way to brighten your day.

Gotta love being part of God’s family!

Bottled History

St Eutychus posted this first.

I love artisans.

I love people who are devoted to doing things that I’d never have the time or patience for.

Also, people are interesting, stories are interesting, passion is interesting.

I particularly like how this fella speaks of the enjoyment that he gets from finishing a boat: “It gives you a good feeling, probably like an artist when they finish a painting.” I could be reading too much into it, but I feel like he doesn’t see himself as an “artist” as such, just a guy who sticks miniature boats into bottles. To me, people like him are the best kinds of artists. He’s not interested in being an artist, he just likes that thing he does. He wants to do it to the best of his abilities, and this is what really makes what he does art!

Why not watch & see if you agree…

Mixing it up?

I will be posting some different stuff about books, theology & other bits & pieces, but, let’s be honest here, many people I know who read my blog do so for the updates on my kids!

I love many things about my wife. One of them is the creativity that she pours into stuff with the kids. A while ago they coloured a bunch of rice so they could have rainbow rice to play with. It comes out occasionally, and Gumnut loves it!

Just yesterday, on my day off, we gave up on getting the car washed by pros & decided to just do whatever we could ourselves. I’m so glad we did! The kids LOVED splashing around & playing with suds & all that kind of stuff. The car isn’t perfect, but it was better than it was & we all got an hours fun out of it.

SO there we go. Keeping busy & trying to survive a hectic Easter season. Buckling up for Palm Sunday tomorrow,then the big run into Easter!

Here, have some more pictures….

Value the little moments.

Shona got caught in some shocking traffic this afternoon, coming back from Sydney. She let me know in plenty of time, so I could just walk down to the pre-school & pick up Pumpkin & Gumnut. (free exercise is always good)

I powered on down with my headphones on, then, as a hustled the kids along on the way back, I realised I was rushing for no real reason! It’s quite nice to walk along with a little hand grasping each of yours, listening to the sense of wonder that accompanies every little noise, and every new happening that a child’s eyes see.

We spent 5 minutes on a bridge over a little mangrove creek. I’d have powered by without a second look, but the kids were entranced by ducks landing, swimming and taking off in front of them. We watched to see if we could spy little legs paddling (Pumpkin corrected me when I said they were kicking) under the water, and we tried to ascertain if the green-headed, colourful ones were the boys or the girls.

A short trip through a tunnel, cutting under a busy road, added another 5 minutes when we discovered that there was an echo in there just like in the kids favourite episode of their preferred “Movie Night” choice “Winnie the Pooh and the Super Sleuths.” Little two-year-old eyes lit up, as if he were performing magic, listening to that voice bouncing around over the din of cars.

Having pushed on, we finally got caught up with a near neighbour who started with a G’day, and ended up getting Pumpkin’s advice on where he had missed as he waxed his car, a thousand questions about a hundred different subjects from a bold little girl.

What took me 15 minutes on the way there took closer to 50 on the way back, but it was worth every second. Playing “hand squeezes” with my two big treasures, and listening to their appreciation of all I take for granted was a little piece of magic.

Who’d have thunk a chore could be the highlight of your day!

Gain & Loss

They’re gaining weight.

They’re getting smarter, little necks holding up big heads.

They still look very much the same, but I’m starting to think I can see distinct personalities.

They’re getting bigger.

I have noticed that there is a cluckly little element to my character that raises it’s head every time I baptise a wee little baby. I’ll have no more of those. My kids are all bruisers.

I do sort of miss having little bubs.

But the gains will grow. Who doesn’t have a little more interactivity? I’m looking forward to inhabiting a couch with three boys next to me, Rugby on the TV, nachos on the plate in front of us, and dreams (maybe theirs, more likely mine) of them taking the field together in the green & gold.

You lose one experience, and gain another.

BANG!

(Before this blog starts. Sorry about the messed up photos from last blog. I think I’ll get embed them from within wordpress from now on….)

The down side of holidays is the mad dash that you have afterward, catching up on the stuff that happened while you were away, and preparing for the stuff that is to come!

It has certainly been busy since I arrived. Friday saw a baptism in the morning & a wedding in the afternoon.

Scott & Charnel were a lot of fun. Weddings are that much more enjoyable when the bride, groom & guests are happy, & looking for a good time (of course, not many bridal couples are “unhappy,” but you do get those people who are so stressed about things being perfect, or stuff happening a certain way, that they lose track of the real value of the day…)

Saturday morning was going to be surf day. I got down to Avoca & it was BIG and messy. Colin & I drove around to Copacabana, and after watching the waves for 5 minutes, we decided we might sit the day out, enjoy a chat & have a coffee.

While we were watching a guy on a big wave out the back, he got barrelled in a barrel so high he was still standing straight, but then the spray blew out, we saw the board flip & I can only imagine he got hammered. We sort of lost sight of the guy, then a couple of minutes later, we saw him jogging along the beach with his board snapped in half. Safe to say, at that point I was happy with my no-surf decision!

Saturday was another baptism, some more desk work, then some family time in the afternoon!

Now I’m on the downhill run. One morning service done, and just about to finish off some prep for this evening.

But it’s Palm Sunday next week, and Easter Sunday after that…. so I guess I had better get used to feeling busy!

Coonamble Wedding

I don’t often get to go back to Coonamble. I love the whole process of driving there.

Push through vineyards & onto the Golden Highway.
Cruise over the rolling, verdant hill country.
Push through the sparse national forests around Mendooran. (and on this occasion make a detour into Dubbo, but we wont talk about that because it spoils the romance).
Gilgandra is the turning point…. “Cooee Country.” The lands starts to flatten out, the grass moves from green, to brown, to a yellowy grey.
Gulargambone. It’s a great name for a town & it means I’m almost there.
Sometimes… driving into Coonamble, this time, driving to my Aunt & Uncle’s place, Willow Downs.

I wont bang on about Maurny & Herbie, because I know they’ll read this, suffice to say, we had an awesome time staying with them, and it was a real highlight for the kids.

There were lots of things that were fun about our visit. Getting to meet the dogs, feed the chooks, see the sheep & feed the cows….. al of which scared the heck out of Gumnut! My personal highlight, however, was waking up a little before dawn, looking out over the massive plain toward the Warrumbungles, and watching the sunrise. The pictures don’t capture the majesty!

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/timgoldsmith/8559684704/” title=”Untitled by tfabas, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8559684704_d5524bece6.jpg” width=”500″ height=”169″ alt=”Untitled”></a> (click on the pic & see a larger version for full effect)

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/timgoldsmith/8558562347/” title=”IMG_7180 by tfabas, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8381/8558562347_930fbb2538.jpg” width=”500″ height=”333″ alt=”IMG_7180″></a>(a cage was required to get Gumnut to warm up to “Rusty”)

Friday morning we had to get the obligatory family picture (we don’t have enough of them) and one with our wonderful hosts!

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/timgoldsmith/8558562119/” title=”IMG_7230 by tfabas, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8558562119_0127df9fe4.jpg” width=”333″ height=”500″ alt=”IMG_7230″></a> (Thanks Maurny & Herbie)

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/timgoldsmith/8552722165/” title=”Untitled by tfabas, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8552722165_eaef132d6c.jpg” width=”500″ height=”375″ alt=”Untitled”></a> (The Happy Family)

And then it was off to the Wedding.

It’s lovely to play a part in your own cousin’t wedding, and once you get through the struggle of getting the local minister’s permission, the local bishop’s permission, your bishop’s permission & then your boss’s permission to take the time off, it’s also a lot of fun!

Pumpkin & Gumnut got special clothes, and loved seeing special drinks & food.

Joey & Catherine looked wonderful! One interesting little highlight was having Joey’s dog, Edward, deliver the rings…

Needless to say, I got my obligatory self-take with the happy couple.

And also some lovely family pics.

That night we went & stayed at Urungie, Uncle Stevie’s place (Stevie is also a wonderful host. I need to be clear, lest Aunty Barb reads this, that he was ever-attentive, and thoughtful in his hosting!) and then it was a long drive off the plains, through the hills, and back for a brief overnight stay at my parent’s place in the Hunter.

I wish I had more photos, but you just get caught up with stuff, especially with 4 little kids. It was a truly wonderful holiday though…

On Spurgeon

I’m reading a couple of devotional alongside my Bible reading this year.

Ages ago I had a crack at Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning & Evening,” and thought I’d give it another go.

My greatest problem so far is that I want to quote, or post every second devotion in full. I certainly appreciate why they called him “the prince of preachers.”

I’ll give you a little taste with today’s:

It is a curious fact, that there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, “I have great faith, I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall.” “I have fervent love,” says another, “I can stand, there is no danger of my going astray.” He who boasts of grace has little grace to boast of. Some who do this imagine that their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow constantly from the fountain head, or else the brook will soon be dry. If a continuous stream of oil comes not to the lamp, though it burn brightly to-day, it will smoke to-morrow, and noxious will be its scent. Take heed that thou gloriest not in thy graces, but let all thy glorying and confidence be in Christ and His strength, for only so canst thou be kept from falling. Be much more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God. Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation be redolent of heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for men’s souls. So live that men may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of Him; and when that happy day shall come, when He whom you love shall say, “Come up higher,” may it be your happiness to hear Him say, “Thou hast fought a good fight, thou hast finished thy course, and henceforth there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness which fadeth not away.” On, Christian, with care and caution! On, with holy fear and trembling! On, with faith and confidence in Jesus alone, and let your constant petition be, “Uphold me according to Thy word.” He is able, and He alone, “To keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

Tim Goldsmith

Irregular thoughts…

Author: goldsmithtim