My family jokes (but it is also true) that if we get together for lunch, we’ll inevitably end up talking about what’s for dinner. Food is one of those things that drives our family. I remember telling my sister that I was going to come down & visit, and her first comment was, “would you like me to cook the Porchetta?”
This means I’m naturally predisposed toward food oriented theology. Natural bias aside, I really enjoyed reading Tim Chester’s “A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community & Mission around the table.” The following is just a little taste (pun intended) of a great book!

“Jesus didn’t run projects, establish ministries, create programmes, or put on events. He ate meals. If you routinely share meals and you have a passion for Jesus, then you’ll be doing mission. It’s not that meals save people. People are saved through the gospel message. But meals will create natural opportunities to share that message in a context that resonates powerfully with what you’re saying.”

Whether one looks at the cultic practice of the Old Testament, always connected to feasts, or we look at Jesus’ practice of ministry, always meeting around a meal, we can’t help but notice how important food is, finding it’s zenith in the Eucharist! It has set the cat amongst my mental pigeons, thinking how I might honour God more at the dinner table.

In other news, I wish I had Al Bain’s capacity to hen-peck at books, but I can’t shake the need to read things cover to cover… it does make my reading slow. Even worse, I have such a horrible memory. I’m thankful to whomever the Genius was who suggested noting page numbers & the subject of bits you like in those couple of blank pages you find in the back of books. Easier to look up than underlining & infinitely nicer to the book!

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the holy Scripture, we do understand those Canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

The Triple J Hottest 100 is a mixture of objective & subjective. Objective inasmuch as it has been voted on by the people, but subjective inasmuch as it is really just about opinions. I can usually find 5 or so songs that I like out of the hundred, but I will also find a bunch that I wouldn’t pay for by themselves, so they languish at the bottom of my iTunes play count, only ever getting a hit if I have my whole set library on shuffle.

If I wanted to convince people that the books that made it into the Bible (referred to as the Canon) have been agreed on by the established church pretty much from the beginning, it would take a lot of work & would be even less interesting (unless you’re into book origins) than most of my blogs. I’m more interested in one idea. For me the importance of the canon comes out of the question of inspiration. That what we have here is God’s word to man, spoken throughout millennia, spoken through different people from different places & experiences, but with a unified, inspired voice!

I think a lot of people find it easier to view the Bible as a bit of a “hottest 100.” It’s just a “best of” from the OT times & a smattering of first Century thoughts to spice it up. If that’s true, then the books of the Canon really carry no more weight than any other educational or inspirational books that you might find. You get this feel from some Bible critics who will say “God is so much more than just what the Bible paints him as (Yep… I agree so far) We can’t take the Bible too seriously because it is just one man’s view of God, and can’t truly capture anything of the transcendent creator”

But you see, that’s what makes the Bible so amazing, is that the awe inspiring, unfathomable God chose to make himself known. He spoke to his people and through his people, so that we might know him, follow him & know how we might live as he would have us. Even more powerfully, for us 2000 years later, in gives us first hand accounts of the work of God’s Son, where God does so much more than inspire his people to write his word, he sends his Son!

I think it’s great for people to gain inspiration from all kinds of other sources, but in the end, the Bible is God’s word. It’s the difference between a fabulous knock off & an original Monet. They can both be beautiful to look at, but only one comes from the Master!

Rap was pretty slow getting to Australia. I remember the late 80’s, having to travel to the one HMV store that had a rap section… maybe 100 CDs.

But rap really started in the 70’s. The Sugarhill Gang were one of the early crews to get legitimate airplay (at least throughout the US).

I’ve read that if you want to dramatically increase your readership, then you need to stay on target. Work out what you are, a theological blog, one of those peeps who just posts about their family, work etc.

My problem is that I’m not just one thing. The very nature of my brain is that there always seems to be half a dozen bits & pieces floating through at any time.

I guess I have to ask myself, am I blogging to get hits, or am I blogging for some other reason. Truth be told, I find that it helps with my creative energy. I see more stories in the minutiae of life when I feel I have to look for blog subjects, and I think it helps me preach better & just think better. If other people validate those processes, then that’s nice, but it isn’t the be all & end all.

So, we still have to see how long this blogging renaissance lasts…. but while it does, who knows what you’ll get!

P.S. 12 more posts & I hit 500!

A recent article in the SMH reports that Melbourne has been judged the world’s most liveable city!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Sydney & it’s surrounds, but I would have to say that they are right. There is a certain something about Melbourne. The people in Melbourne go to things, there’s no other way to put it. The average attendance at football games in Melbourne (AFL v NRL) is over double that of Sydney! There seems to be more theatre, more comedy, more bands, more sports.

The city also has an awesome vibe. Last week I went to Melbourne for the day to visit a conference at St Hillary’s, Kew. While I was there, along with visiting my little Bro & his family, I also managed to enjoy a great lunch at a Mexican place in the city, plus visit FOUR chocolate shops in a 1km radius of each other!
The city was abuzz with people. They want to eat, to drink, to chat, to spend time. It was tuesday, but it was still “happening.”

I wonder, does being in a culture when people go to things make it any easier to get people to visit a church? Or does it just mean there are more competing interests?

While you think about that, I’ll show you a couple of pics from “Mamasitas” and just so my Aunty Maurny is happy, some pics of the Kiddlywinks

“Tostadetas de Pollo” = Chargrilled chicken, Avocado, Queso Fresco & Chipotle Mayo… Man they were good.

My very first Ceviche, “Ceviche Yucatan”= King fish, green tomato, chili, mint, lime & coconut milk!
Nice competition for Sushi for refreshing fish dish!

“Gumnut” chilling with Mama

Possibly the most commont view of Gumnut at the moment. Alway climbing up onto his feet, always wanting to be a part of the action.

Mama taking Pumpkin for a walk around the vineyard.

Strawberry anyone?

Always looking chilled…

Aspirational.

It’s not an evil word. In fact, I think I might use it as the obscure word I teach my 6th graders before starting Scripture on Wednesday.

It can be a great thing to want to seek better, to work harder, to streamline, smooth out and improve.

But what happens if I become so focussed on this better future that I hope for, that all I manage to do is foster a sense of discontentedness with my current situation?

The problem is our society is saturated with messages telling us we must long for more. Ads need us to believe that a bigger TV, a “smarter” phone, a faster car (don’t we have speed limits?) & shinier teeth will somehow give us a profound sense of well being. Our education system is slowly being pushed into giving every kids a prize and selling the dream that all of us ARE exceptional, we’ll all do great things & we can all somehow be the best. My personal gripe about reality TV is that it works on the premise that you, yes YOU too, can be famous. One moment you’re sitting in your house, the next you’re cooking the ultimate dinner, renovating the best house, walking down the fashion runway, all while we “outwit, outplay and outlast” the rest.

and all the time we’re losing the appreciation of what we have now.

It keeps us buying, it keeps us travelling, it keep us watching and it keeps us hoping.

Of course I’m no different. Whether it’s the new app on my phone, the new book on my shelf, or the new chocolate store I’m dying to try, I’m hungry for there to be more.

But I recently read the following verses from Ecclesiastes:

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for people to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives people wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

I read this & it gives me a new hunger. I still want to work hard & if I’m lucky that might mean that I am afforded new opportunities, new chances, new flavours. BUT, I want to reclaim the idea of “accepting my lot.” Let the rest of the world think that it’s the catch cry of the uninspired and the underachiever, I want to own it as the phrase that allows me to enjoy a thousand blessings, a million little moments of pleasure that otherwise I’d be too preoccupied hoping for the future to notice.

Brown sugar on porridge, a 9-month old son who loves to blow raspberries at you, a clean desk, the smell of spring, freshly ground pepper, a warm doona, or a cold glass of water…

They’re all here, and they are all right now! I don’t have to wait for them, hope for them, or beat out 20 other contestants to have them.

But I am in danger, we’re all in danger of losing the joy that they bring if I refuse to look down at what I have because I can only look forward to what I want.

What’s the treasure that realise would “keep you occupied with gladness of heart” if only you remind yourself to enjoy it now?

I really love reading Al Bain’s blog, but I have to say that I don’t much look forward to Wednesdays. Al has been bringing the 80’s style rock with “Big Hair Wednesdays” and it just hasn’t clicked for me, cause I didn’t listen to any of the big hair bands. Much to the distress of some of my friends, I didn’t even get into the Guns & Roses.

For mine, the 80s & early 90s was all about Rap. Long before the need to boast non-stop about your sexual conquests, before the threats of “bustin’ a cap,” it was real & it was raw and it was awesome. Old school is definitely the best school!

So, I’ve decided to institute Phat Beat Fridays, where I’ll bring you the best that Youtube has to offer of the old school rap.

In an Homage to Al who inspired me though, I’m starting off with the perfect combination. What happens when big hair meets phat beats?

I give you Run DMC & Aerosmith.

Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple today. It certainly seems to have people asking what the future is going to be for Mac?

The joy of having a guy like Jobs at the helm has been that he really is a visionary. He’s taken the company in new directions and he knows how to make the most of great ideas. The problem with having a guy like Jobs at the helm is that people end up having more faith in the man than they do in the message. I’m sure he has made good ideas into better ones, but I don’t believe for a second that he’s come up with everything that has made Apple great. The products are still there. The core content of what they are about doesn’t change, but you lose a man & share prices dropped almost immediately by 7%.

The danger of mega-church, multi-campus models in my mind is that people end up focussing on the man rather than the message. Even when the man is a Godly person who would be shocked to think that people are getting caught up in the “cult of personality”!

Every Sunday morning I have to get dressed in an Alb for church. It’s one of those things that one does when you are an Anglican minister in my diocese. Now in many regards it’s not my thing, but one thing I dig about the whole Alb wearing is the concept that the “look” is always the same. As you stare at the lecturn or communion table out the front, the person always looks roughly the same. One would hope that you can forget the messenger and focus on the message!

Maybe people think that the stuff Mac creates will somehow slide without Jobs? Maybe it will. One thing that I’m confident of is that God’s word is far more robust than those people who share it. In fact, I suspect that sometimes God works through his word DESPITE the messenger!