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](http://www.smh.com.au/business/bull-and-burgers-mincing-their-words-20091230-lj7a.html) 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](http://www.cms.org.au/nswsummerschool) 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

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](http://www.bcv.vic.edu.au/AboutBCV/FacultyandStaff.aspx) 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….

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!

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