Master, they say that when I seem
To be in speech with you,
Since you make no replies, it’s all a dream
–One talker aping two.
They are half right, but not as they
Imagine; rather I
Seek in myself the things I meant to say,
and lo! the wells are dry.
Then, seeing me empty, you forsake
The listener’s role, and through
My dead lips breathe and into utterance wake
The thoughts I never knew.
And thus you neither need reply
nor can; thus, while we seem
Two talking, thou art One forever, and I
No dreamer, but thy dream.
C.S. Lewis

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 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….)

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!!!!

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….

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

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.

I like this pic enough to post just it. Steph, of course a beautiful bride and G, one of the cutest kids I know.

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” .)

Saturday was a pig of a day.
Don’t get me wrong now, it was great to be involved in Steph & Andre’s wedding, and I was almost happy with my photos, but I only got maybe 5 hours of sleep & I was doing wedding stuff for about 12 hours!
I limped back to my car after the bride, groom, and wedding party departed to the reception, then crawled along to Phil & Kristin’s place, cause Amy was up from Wagga! Despite my being wrecked, it is always rejuvinating to see my big sis (or Phil & Kristin, or Mum or Dad for that matter), and to have a free Indian meal thrown in was just icing on the cake!
The family get together was energising enough to see me drive home safely & then hit the bed for a good 8 hours!
Sunday was another great day. I was off to Church to have a staff lunch, which was awesome fun. I am truly blessed to work with so many fine people. We also had a meal together at evening church & that went great. If the staff are a blessing at church, then the parishioners are doubly so & the kids treble!
That night I was in bed by 10:45 & didn’t get up till just after 8am!!! A fine night sleeping to a big storm!
So here I am, another good day of college. Fun lectures, an afternoon jog with my next-door-neighbour cum personal trainer, a steak dinner, then “Prayer and Biff” with the boys at 9:30.
I’ve worked my way through the tiredness & now it’s back to good times!!!

Steph (on the left) certainly has style! Anna too, is very cool…

Showing the ‘bling’, it’s the new wedding rings!