Last week’s preaching conference was pretty intense, but it was also great.
I went in expecting that “The Don” would be good, but Dale Ralph Davis was a surprise. I’ve heard the name, I know he’s a smart guy, but he was AWESOME as a preacher.
I’d love to put up some notes from some of the sermons, but I might wait till I get the tapes & I get to listen to them again.
In other news, it is a bit “same ole same ole” at the moment. Lots of work preparing for the wedding. Lots of work preparing for sermons. Lots of work preparing for essays. Lots of work preparing for exams. 7 months & I am done with college though!
Here, have a pic of Mandy. I get to photograph her wedding on Dec. 1st!

It is going to be a little bit lean over the next week or so. My poor compy hasn’t been feeling the best & I had to put him in for a service (what? It even happens to Macs? Yes! Macs too!).
Fortunately, he was able to hold on until after I managed to finish my theology essay. We have preaching conference over the next week, so what that means for me is that I get to spend my time doing readings for my final two essays. I’m looking forward to them both actually. One is a comparison of the structure of John with the Synoptic gospels with a focus on how John’s distinctives accord with his purpose in writing. The other one I can’t really decide on. Maybe I should do a bit of an online poll? You, yes you, could be involved in my theological education!
So, what do you thinik? Should I write an essay for my “Theology of Missions” subject on
“Religious dialogue in the context of interaction with other faiths” or,
“Establishing the boundary between contextualisation and syncretism”?
They are my top two choices out of seven options. Now you may have a chance to help me decide!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things are just plugging along happily I guess. Wedding prep is coming along nicely. Today is my little brother Phil’s birthday, so Shona & I get to head out to “Lee’s Lotus Inn”, a chinese restaurant in Wahroonga, the suburb I grew up in as a kid, with all the family to celebrate. Even Amy is up from Wagga Wagga, though her hubby & kids are still there.
Preaching tomorrow morning at 8:45 and really looking forward to it, though I need to go through the sermon a couple more times if I am going to “make it mine”. Then it is off to a “menu tasting” at my reception venue with my parents & Shona’s parents. First time they have meet!
OK, you know, this is a really boring post. I might have to see if I can find a little time during the next week to actually sit down & type something worthwhile.
Meanwhile, know that even though I am not writing. I am thinking about you all!
TCG.>.

“Why does this strange phenomenon occur? What causes it? O Lord in your mercy give me light to see, for it may be that the answer to my question lies in the secret punishment of man and in the penitence which casts a deep shadow on the sons of Adam. Why does this strange phenomenon occur? What causes it? The mind gives an order to the body and is at once obeyed, but when it gives an order to itself, it is resisted. The mind commands the hand to move and is so readily obeyed that the order can scarcely be distinguished from its execution. Yet the mind is mind and the hand is part of the body.
But when the mind commands the mind to make an act of will, these two are one and the same and yet the order is not obeyed. Why does this happen? What is the cause of it? The mind orders itself to make an act of will, and it would not give this order unless it willed to do so; yet it does not carry out its own command. But it does not fully will to do this thing and therefore its orders are not fully given. It gives the order only in so far as it wills, and in so far as it does not will the order is not carried out. For the will commands that an act of will should be made, and it gives this command to itself, not to some other will. The reason, then, why the command is not obeyed is that it is not given with the full will. For if the will were full, it would not command itself to be full, since it would be so already. It is therefore no strange phenomenon partly to will to do something and partly to will not to do it. It is a disease of the mind, which does not wholly rise to the heights where it is lifted by the truth, because it is weighed down by habit. So there are two wills in us, because neither by itself is the whole will, and each possesses what the other lacks.”
→ Saint Augustine “the Confessions” Book VIII. Chapter 9.
My favourite line is “[the mind] does not wholly rise to the heights where it is lifted by the truth, because it is weighed down by habit”
If that doesn’t describe my struggles to study and learn, I don’t know what does.
———————-
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there is my sister. She’s fun, she’s funny, she’s a mother, a friend, and now a graduate! Amy, you see, is becoming me…. but a little bit better than me. It’s lucky that I’m no longer practicing my trade as a Library Technician, cause I wouldn’t want to be bossed around my my Librarian sister!
Congrats Amy! (Heapy, I hope you don’t mind that I pilfered your picture….)

Sometimes you write about “How different views of the Millennium express themselves politically”, and sometimes… well… you make a snakes and ladders game with a mate that also manages to teach a Biblical Theology of Mission to primary aged kids!
Sometimes I really love this college.

The game Dan & I created has a case. That case has a cover. The cover has this picture on it. Of course, we are not supposed to identify ourselves in our essays, so we stick bits of paper over our eyes with our student numbers on them. Surely they wont be able to work it out will they?

I want to take more portraits.
I’d love to do a class sometime.
I wish I had more time & more willing subjects.
Thank God for young kids & care free Canadians!

JTB. She has been a willing (and beautiful) subject from day 1! (OK, about day 140 something, cause I was busy breaking my leg on a US summer camp when she was born).

Dylan. Canadian? Yes. Hobo? I suspect either he was or he will be! But we love him anyway.

Is this the Bunny or the Bethy?
More things to write about & less time to do it. This is why I want to change this site as soon as I have a spare moment & turn it into a photosite!
Easter was great. A couple of church services & then off to the Hunter with Shona. The whole family was there! Phil, Kristin & Charlotte. Amy, Andrew, Joss, Tobes & Bethy! I am not sure, but I think the parents may have been more excited about all the chocolate than the kids!!!
Well, another pic or two for you, & I’m off to bed.

Charlotte had a vice-like grip on her little bucket of eggs!

It was awesome to have the whole family together!

I’m not on top of everything yet.
I can’t yet sit down & write about something meaningful.
I can, however, post a couple of photos. Firstly, Simon, a guy from Dan’s “Buck’s night”, and secondly, Dan & Dave. I would note though, that despite their look, Dan & Dave were both very happy about Dan having just got married! I just think they look like good cop & bad cop together, so I always get them to do this pose!


Night night kids. Two posts in two days! You are lucky!!!!!

(I’ve been told the big cloud looks a little like a giant bunny crossing the sky! Hoping you’ll get some eggs, boys and girls?)
I have a lot to say, but I don’t currently have the time to say it.
A week away in Wee Waa was both fun and challenging. Debrief to follow.
Today Dan & Harriet get married! Debrief to follow.
Wedding plans coming along. Debrief to follow.
I got to catch up with some Uncles & Aunts in Coonamble! Debrief to follow.
Easter this weekend. That means time in the Hunter with the family (after having discharged my church responsibilities). Debrief to follow.
Will I get to them all? We’ll just have to wait & see!

So, last weekend, we had Revive come and play at church not once, but twice!
It’s always nice to see the boys & it is particularly great to see how they are just going from strength to strength in terms of their songs & their performance! It’s pretty cool to hear about how they got to open for “Third Day” a couple of times. I am sure if they make it to the US (and therefore to a legitimate Christian market) they will big be big!
And when that happens, I will be the one seeking vicarious fame as I claim “I knew them when” or “I beat two of them at virtua tennis so emphatically that I suspect they will never play again”.
Sunday night’s gig was cool & it is was an interesting night for me too. Fergus & I decided fairly last minute that it might be best to change the passage that was being preached on (James 5 is a bit full on, especially when you are hoping to have lots of people come for the band) , so on the Friday evening I started writing a first person narrative from Thomas’ perspective, based on John 13-20.
I was quietly soiling myself with nervousness. That concern increased when, with 2 minutes before the service my powerpoint wouldn’t work. Fortunately, thanks to the cool head of Fergus, and his always-able son “Juniour Burger”, we were able to resurrect the computer & breathe new life into powerpoint.
The narrative went really well. I did it almost without notes, and am sure enough that with enough prep I could do it totally so next time. I got good feedback too, so that was appreciated.
Here are a couple of pics from the friday night.

The Crew!

Dave takes it up a notch.

Thomo gives me his best Gene Simmons impression.

Auld Reekie is another name for Edinburgh.
I really love that city.
I have this little dream of moving back there, or maybe into country Scotland in the future!
Did I mention that I am going there for my honeymoon?
What a sweet deal! Shona’s sister & bro-in-law (Hi Maret & Tim, Charlotte & Will) moved there a couple of weeks ago, cause Tim got a job there. Unfortunately They wont be able to make it back for the wedding because of their two young kids, so, Shona & decided to bring things to them! (thanks to some assistance)
So, July 1 it is back to Auld Reekie for a week, followed by a week through the highlands & lowlands of Scotland & then topped off with 4 days in Paris! Let’s hope that Shona doesn’t read this, so I can get away with saying “think of all the great photos I’ll be able to take over there!!!!”
Meanwhile, it is full steam ahead at college & Church. We’ve got Revive coming to play at Youth Group on friday. I am preaching on Sunday, plus there is the usual load of assignments (I finished an essay 4 whole days early!) and a mountain of prep for Mission which is in a week and a half!
I’ll still try & blog at least once before I go.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of old pictures of Scotland. So much to look forward to!

Doune Castle, near Stirling is the place where they shot 3/4 of “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”

This is a little house just before you reach Glencoe. Imagine having a back yard like that!

The Clava Cairns are 6000 years old! Lovely looking things.