I remember some time ago on [Al Bain’s blog](http://paradoxspeak.blogspot.com/), 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:

> 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.

*Rom. 7:14*

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…

(“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.

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.

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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Driscoll) “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…

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?

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.

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](http://www.imperrfections.blogspot.com/) 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

So, I am not the most regular of individuals.
I think [Tricia’s](http://www.dailyobservations.blogspot.com/) words resonated with me when she said words to the effect “when you miss a couple of days it becomes easier to miss some more.” It’s not that I don’t think of things to write, it is just that I never get around to it. I really ought to be more disciplined.
So, I have no excuse now, as I sit here in my [big sister’s](http://10ft8music.com.au/blog/takentopieces.html) house on a rainy day. Amy is so much better at blogging, and she has a swanky new computer, so I really ought to make the most of this opportunity.
Of course, it means that there wont be any photos, because I don’t have the stuff to upload from my camera here, but that is OK.
The last week & a bit have been HOLIDAYS!!! Yeah baby! It has been a long time coming! I spent a week hanging out with my little bro & his wife & kid (I would link his blog, but he certainly beats me at not blogging…. I think his last blog entry was over a year and a half ago) down in the lovely city of Melbourne. We shopped, we walked, we ate, we shopped some more (looking for things for Shona, finding things for me! Score!) and most importantly, we ate all kinds of chocolate from some pretty impressive stores. I think Amy has already mentioned it, but I bought some chocolate that has bacon & Chipotole in it! Oh man, it blows the mind!!!!
I have also been enjoying doing a little more reading. I put my Fantasy novels away for two weeks & have been reading fiction purely for the pleasure. Last week was “High Fidelity” and this week has been Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” Very good…
Anyway, I am sure I will blog a couple of more times while I am here.
Meanwhile, here is a photobooth pic of me & JTB….

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

(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”](http://allaboutlife.com.au/) campaign. In fact, it is still going, so feel free to follow [this link](http://city2surf.everydayhero.com.au/wyoming_churches) if you’d like to make a donation!