The Weekend

It has been a really busy week for us. Sam has been attending reviews and planning meetings all week, while I have been wavering between mild and severe pain in my neck, head and muscles.

I took Monday off to sleep and visit the chiropractor. If anyone in the inner-west region is looking for a good chiro I recommend going to Ian at Canada Bay Chiropractics because he is excellent (email me if you want a contact number). Afterwards, Sam and I drove to Atarmon to drop food off for some friends and ate pub food at the Chelsea in Chatswood.

On Tuesday we visited both our parents which was definitely the highlight of the week, and I'm not just saying that because all four of them read this blog.

Wednesdays is our Biblestudy night. We have been reading Acts, but are currently going through a training course on how to be a Biblestudy leader. It has been really rewarding to see how gifted and servant-hearted people are in our group. I really enjoy Wednesday nights, both for the relationships and the way we delve into God's Word.

Last night, after rehearsing with the band for Jasper and Mel's wedding on sunday (for those who don't know, I play the drums), Carly and I crashed the boys night out. The jazz was hot and it was great to catch up with Carly, but I think in the future we'll leave Thursday night jazz just for the guys. I can see it's a really good way for men to hang out with each other regularly.

And tonight? Sam and I are going to Dan and Laura's for dinner with a few others. Work is slow at the moment and I'm really looking forward to tonight and the weekend.

If you're the praying kind, and inclined to pray for Sam and I on occasion, please pray that we'll find some time to rest soon. I am finding the balance between work/rest of life really difficult at the moment, not because work is hard, but because my health issues means I don't get a good night's sleep, so my energy levels can be quite low.

Sometimes I think I would love to work four days a week, but with Sam going to college that's probably not an option at the moment (and that doesn't really solve the problem, since the solution is really just getting a good night's sleep!).

Hope you all enjoy your weekends!

Confusion and sadness

Today Miranda Devine wrote about the madness of critics in relation to the Aboriginal community issue, capping off a war of words between those who believe the government are right to go into these areas with police force, in opposition to those who claim they are using the situation to advance on Aboriginal territory.

I’ve been reading all the coverage about this issue, from articles to opinion pieces and blog posts, with feelings of frustration and helplessness. The media is a double-edged sword. Although partly responsible for really blowing the whole thing wide open, grabs like “Aboriginal crisis!”, dopey interviews with child sex experts about ‘potentially harmful’ procedures and sensationalist posturing from columnists have made it difficult to see clearly what is the best way forward.

I had a few, albeit disjointed thoughts:

Child sex crimes always brings out hysteria in the community, and rightly so considering the vulnerability of children in our society. While there is a time for intervention, is it the best solution for these Aboriginal communities in the long-term? This has been going on for ages – why the sudden, drastic call to action? Why didn’t the government do anything about this before?

It’s sad to see people using what is happening in these communities as an opportunity to jump
on the soap-box, and it’s not just the left who is guilty of it.

Before the media and government jumped on this issue, these communities were (and still are) the oppressed and forgotten within our nation. Thinking back to AB’s sermon last Sunday and the call for Christians to care for the minority, it would be great to see more Christians move into these areas and minister to the people there – as doctors, teachers, social workers, labourers, ministers, etc.

We need to pray – for protection for these children, for the wellbeing of those who have been sexually abused, for the communities who have suffered, for the mothers who fear their children will be taken away, for governments to make wise decisions. We did this at Bible-study last night and I’m going to try to do so regularly this year.

new music

Sam just bought me an iTunes gift card so I can update my iPod.

Currently I have a lot of U2, Skunkhour, Michael Franti, Black Eyed Peas, Pink, Nelly Furtado (her old stuff), Crazy P, Scissor Sisters, John Mayer, Joss Stone, Leonardo's Bride, The Cardigans, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Maroon 5. I've been listening to these songs since I bought my iPod, so I'm a little sick of them. I'd like a total revamp of Ipie (yes, I give my belongings nicknames and I bet you do too).

Songs/artists I am considering:

Justin Timberlake - one very funky CD
Mika's Grace Kelly
and along with that, some Queen
Ben Folds Five - my favourite band when I was at school, in fact the first concert I ever went to
Missy Higgin's new single
Michael Jackson
Come Together by the Beatles
Crowded House - though we own the CD
Christina Aguilera's latest retro-style songs
Sneaky Sound System

I like music with a funky beat. I don't care if it's pop, rock, acoustic, new or old. I do like listening to chilled out songs, but more Missy Higgins than Whitney Houston. I've recently noticed I tend to buy CDs released by girls with guitars.

I realise my list is very top 40. I'm not cool enough to know a lot about jazz or more alternative/indie bands, but I'm willing to give anything a try, so long as "indie" doesn't mean "guys who can't play guitar or sing in tune, but have very effeminate haircuts and complain a lot".

The only thing I don't enjoy is RnB, with the exception of Beyonce and one particular Eminem track which rocks.

What would you put on your list? Any other ideas, if your taste in music is similar to mine?

pop culture

I like reading trashy women’s magazines.

I never buy them because I can’t really justify the $4, but I have a habit of leafing through them when I’m waiting in a very long check-out counter, or waiting for the train at central to pull up. It’s not that I’m obsessed with the ins and outs of celeb life, but I enjoy reading about the entertainment industry, including the various compound-word couples that are currently in vogue (Brangelina, Posh and Becks, TomKat and the like).

Mags aren’t the only item of pop culture I like consuming. Also on the list:

The Biggest Loser – I went for Marty
The Kyle and Jackie O Show
Christina’s latest retro-pop hits
Justin Timberlake – man he is cool
Australian Idol (not sure what to do about this as don’t have a VCR to record it)

Some people don’t like popular culture because they find the language crude and the in-your-face sexiness too obscene. That’s okay. I can understand such objections, as everyone has a different tolerance level for these things.

Others think that pop can’t beat good, solid literature or “real” music. That’s okay too. While I enjoy popular music and television, I think it’s unhealthy to be consuming it all of the time and also enjoy consuming more “solid” works. It’s a good thing I finished high school before Jane Austen’s Emma was swapped for the movie Clueless.

But there are some people who think that popular culture, the “food for the masses”, is debased and unintelligent. Some people think that a person who tunes into to Kyle and Jackie O cannot be as smart as a 702 listener, magazines are just the dumb equivalent of day-time chat shows and anyone who watches Australian Idol needs to get into something more substantial into their musical diet.

I find such views really limiting and frustrating.

The divide between “high” and “popular” art is not a new one. The history of art has revealed a long and ongoing battle between art that is intended to elevate the human mind towards higher thought, and art which simply feeds the taste of the masses. Shakespeare’s plays, Mozart and Rembrandt were all at one stage considered to be popular art. Who is to say that in generations to come, people won’t look back at Britney Spear’s Hit me Baby One More Time and consider it the zeitgeist of the 90s?

Christians then have the added pressure to moralise art. Questions such as, “is it anti-God?”, “does it promote family values?”, ‘does it have full-frontal nudity?” can – often subtly - jade our perception of what is valuable art and what belongs on the rubbish pile. We have to remember that culture does not exist to reflect our own ideals, but the world’s. Often, some parts of culture will even critique itself. There are the movies, shows, music, even comic books, which aim to satirise and parody popular culture’s own idiosyncracies.


While I’m not suggesting people only consume popular culture, I do think that the snobbery which surrounds it is unnecessary. Popular shows and music are a cultural barometer of what our society thinks, how it behaves, its tastes and ideals. Hardly anyone reads Chomsky, but everyone watches the Chaser on TV. The most powerful person in the West isn’t an intellectual, businessman or president, but Oprah Winfrey: responsible for shaping the minds of millions of people (mainly women) in America.

You can have two responses to this: scoff, or take the time to understand why these cultural forces are so pivotal to the way people work.

Just remember how wrong the communists were when they called religion the opiate of the masses.

Bill Hybels on Leadership

This morning I went along to a South Sydney diocese training morning in the city. It was an interesting time - especially since the main feature of the morning was watching a DVD feature Bill Hybels speaking at his annual 'leadership summit'. I think I'll do a 'penta-post' of my thoughts on the morning.

1. Particularly interesting was the fact that an Anglican clergy training day featured content from Bill Hybels! Hybels was speaking on 'The Life Cycle of a leader', challenging us to (and I quote from the printed material here) "Identify your particular phase in the life cycles of a leader". Not what I expected at all.

2. Regardless of what you think of Hybels' theology you cannot deny that he has vast experience in leading people and growing structures. If you can put aside some theological gripes, there's lots to be learned. It's clear that he has read countless pages of material on leadership, met with some of the world's great leaders as well as learned from the school of 'hands on' leadership. He is rather well equipped to speak on this issue.

3. One of the most applicable things that I took away for our ministry was the line "Followers (of leaders) want to know that they matter to the leader and are part of a relationship". Hybels was challenging those who have a great vision of what they would like to do in the local church, but fail to care 'relationally' for those entrusted to their care. I think this is a danger for any ministry that is driven by a vision to achieve something. The vision itself is not a bad thing at all, it's just there is a danger to use people up as 'resources', rather than show our congregations that they matter and are loved.

4. Hybels is very selective about who he will have in a position of senior leadership. Aside from the godliness requirements he lists 4 qualities as essential:

1. Intelligence
2. Energy - and an ability to energise others
3. Relational IQ - Being able to get stuff done without hurting people in the process
4. A 'Win or die' spirit

I'm still thinking about this list.

5. Those in senior leadership need to ensure that they continue to do some form of 'hands on' leadership. Otherwise they will lose their sharpness on leadership. How can you help a Bible study leader to grow in their gifts and abilities if you haven't done it for the last twenty years yourself?

It was a fascinating lecture. I could probably do a sixth point on what I thought was wrong with his framework, and some of the theology behind some of the points, but I might just save that for another time.

Baby time

Now we only know 4 couples who are pregnant - my sister has now given birth to a healthy young boy. Congratulations guys. Can't wait to meet our new friend!

motherhood

Pregnancy is in the air at the moment, and not just because of this season's unflattering smock dresses. Sam and I have at least five friends who are pregnant - including his lovely sisters - and more who have just had a baby.

I'm not the clucky type, I can never understand what tiny children are saying and I worry about their soft little heads when I carry them, but I do look forward to having a kidlet/potentially multiple kidlets, someday.

I know that being a mother is hard work. It takes a lot of love, selflessness, lack of sleep, energy, creativity, brains and endurance. Mothers need to lay aside a lot of self interest in order to care and love another human being. The media consistently portrays motherhood as an accessory to a woman's life, something she has a "right" to. Whether it's regarding women and the workplace, lesbians going through IVF or the need for more childcare, the perspective often taken is one that is wholly about the woman's right to have a child and the fulfillment children can bring - ideally without affecting the other aspects of your life. Hardly any mention is made of the child's best interests. No mention is made of the father.

I pray that God will look after all these young, new mothers and mothers-to-be. Having a precious life in your care is a huge responsibility. May God give both parents the strength and ability to raise their children as His.

Slowcooker Sundays

I love my slow-cooker. If I were ever asked that annoying "what three things would you save if your house was on fire" question, I would definitely save my Sunbeam slow-cooker, along with my laptop and Helen Garner's The First Stone, which I'm reading at the moment.

I love it because it makes cooking while working full-time so easy - just wake up early in the morning, defrost some meat, chop fresh root vegetables, mix some spices together, make stock and pour in oodles of red wine. Then just set the dial to "cook" and voila, a steaming hot casserole for when I walk in the door at 6:30pm later that night.

Or at least that's what I would do, if I was a Stepford wife and it wasn't so cold at 6am in the morning. Nevertheless, the slow-cooker has become useful for Sundays when Sam and I are busy with Crossfire, or when we have people over and I want to make a large, low-maintenance meal.

Tomorrow I'm making double lots of Moroccan chicken, as a friend of ours has just had a baby and could use a frozen dinner or two. The recipe is Bonnie's and I thought I'd share it - unless it happens to be some secret, special recipe passed down the generations from her great grandma, in which case it will be promptly removed from this post. I promise; it is so easy to make and delicious with cous cous.

Moroccan Tagine

1. Mix cumin, paprika, cinnamon, tumeric together (1 tsp each)
2. Toss with chicken/lamb/beef cubed. If you're clever and organised, you could even leave to marinate overnight in the fridge
3. Fry 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil until brown
4. Put onions and garlic in the slow-cooker. If you don't have one, aside from missing out on the greatest invention known to humankind, you can still make this in a big stock pot or casserole dish.
5. Add half a tin of peeled tomatoes, 1.5 cups of stock, 1 cup of red wine, 2 bay leaves, lemon rind from 1 whole lemon and simmer until it's a gravy consistency (approximately half an hour, but if using the slow-cooker, just chuck it in)
6. Add apricots and dates - about half a cup each. you can also add some chopped root vegies if you like. I've used sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnips and carrots.
7. Let the slow-cooker do it's thing, or if you're using a stock pot, place in a pre-heated oven for a good hour or so.

Feeds two.

Espresso and Youtube

I've never actually added any content to youtube before - but I thought I'd have a go this afternoon as I had a little free time. I put up two videos - both of coffee. The first is of some beans I just received from Lovell Roasters (I'm very impressed) coming through our machine. The second is my latte art (a little shaky as it's hard to concentrate on both holding a phone steady to capture the video and pour at the same time!) Anyway, enjoy!

Saturday Latte Art

Lot's of people seem be putting up links to their latte art, so I thought I'd join the party. Any feedback coffee people? It's made on a single espresso only, because I don't like to drink too much coffee - so it probably could be darker if I went double ristretto. Tasted sensational - just drinking it as I write this.

I think I need to use a better camera too :)

The word became fresh

I posted a while back that I had started reading a book on preaching the Old Testament by Dale Ralph Davis. I noted back then that I wasn't convinced, but I've come round. It is a great read. I have one chapter go. Hopefully I'll finish it off in the morning and post a review. Stay tuned.

Geek post

If you're not into Strongbad - just ignore this post.

The emails have been a bit disappointing in the last 12 months. The latest email however did have a little more humour, and strongbad gets a new printer. I'm almost certain there was a prediction of a new printer in an episode sometime last year - but I can't remember which one. Anyone know?

China slave trade

I read this story at work today and it made my heart weep.

In Australia, we complain about petrol prices increasing, crowded trains and Work Choices, but a corrupt government that lets a slave trade go by without so much as making an arrest makes living here a dream.

Sun's out but storms are coming

I love the contrast between dark clouds and sunshine. It looks great! I think it's going to storm soon!

Crowded house.

Lately we've had Crowded House in the CD stacker in our car. I've rediscovered them this year, after having not heard them in years. 'Mean to Me' is probably my favourite track at the moment. It's 20 years old, but still rocks out! I went searching for the video clip on youtube, hoping it would be as cool as the audio track, but it's terrible! Cheap animation over handheld camera shots stained with sepia tones. Ugh! Anyway, thought I'd post the song anyway, close your eyes and just listen to it!

tonight

Even the weather didn't stop Sam and I from venturing out into the city tonight for dinner.

Calienere is a cosy little room, or at least it felt that way compared to the bitter cold and rain outside. Decorated with funky wallpaper, glowing votives and a peephole into the bustling kitchen behind the scenes, it had just the right atmosphere for a quiet dinner date on a Tuesday night. A boutique space in the centre of the city.

The service was fantastic, perhaps because they had an agenda, but we didn't mind at all. After ordering two glasses of red, I decided on duck liver pate with a marmalade-type jam and brioche for my entree, and for my main, pan-seared blue eyed cod with mussels, a scallop cake-thing wrapped in spinach, all covered in miso sauce (I don't know how to describe nice food, and my menu notes are at work). Sam ordered an onion and slow cooked beef soup, with duck, prociutto and fig in plum sauce for his main.

The food was fantastic, really yummy. Of course, when I write my review I will replace "fantastic" and "really yummy" with something more sophisticated and food-critic like, but for now, the description is fitting. We left the restaurant satisfied and warm, especially after our desserts - praline terrine with roasted figs and brandy snaps for me; creme brulee with pears poached in red wine for Sam.

The best part of the night was the conversation. Sam and I have never had issues with communicating; we both naturally get along and enjoy our conversations, but there is something to be said for having an entire night to just sit and talk face to face, rather than over food cooking on the stove or before we go to sleep at night.

Music in the smaller youth group.

Something I've been thinking about a bit. I'm looking for ideas on the Youth Vanguard.

Stars seen in wells

Sunday’s messages, both Nick’s Crossfire talk and AB’s sermon, sparked some thoughts on the issue suffering and anxiety.

This may sound obvious, but I realised that it’s not in suffering that we rejoice in the Lord. Christians aren’t to be sadists who delight in pain. There is nothing glorifying about going through a difficult marriage, or losing a baby at 10 weeks old. Death and broken relationships is not a part of how God intended humanity to live.

But at the same time, it’s not despite suffering that we rejoice in the Lord. There is an old saying that goes, ‘at least you have your health”, similar to the somewhat blithe encouragement to look for the silver lining in the clouds. Trusting in God amidst suffering is not an avoidance tactic for those in pain. If we believe that God is in control of everything – even the hard times we go through – then it doesn’t make sense to praise Him every circumstance, yet leave a black, gaping hole when it comes to suffering.

The Valley of Vision, a puritan prayer which inspired one of the songs we sang on Sunday night, says:

In the daytime, stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells, the brighter Thy stars shine. Let me find Thy light in my darkness.

Like stars only seen in a deep well, the faithfulness of God is seen by His people when they go through hard times. We aren’t to delight in pain or avoid it, but we can rejoice when we see the end-point of suffering. Hard times refine our faith like fire. It gives us an opportunity to test our faith and see what it is worth. It makes us trust in God. It makes us more like Christ.

If that is my heart’s desire, to be like Christ and be found in Him, then I will rejoice in my sufferings which refine me. That isn’t easy; I’m by nature and anxious person and find it hard to trust God when I worry, but the best things in life are never easily obtained.

"Date night"

Going out on a Tuesday night is always fun. Everybody gets out on a Saturday night, and Friday night is full of pre-weekend celebrations, but venturing into the city on Tuesday when you’re meant to be watching TV and getting an early night has a nice element of recklessness to it.

Sam and I are going out on a date tomorrow night. Since helping out with the editing side of my mag, I’ve been running the reviews section where people write about the latest TV shows, magazines, websites, restaurants, parties, festivals, etc.

This has one small but important benefit: freebies.

So on Tuesday Sam and I will be dining at Caliniere at World Square, and I will be writing my first-ever food review. I’m looking forward to it; I’ve published reviews on movies, TV shows and art exhibitions, but never restaurants (except if you count “Newtown cheap-eats” for Honi).

I’m not a foodie – adding a curly-looking garnish on food is enough to impress me – so I’m going to do some research tonight, in manner of reading Food and Travel and other such magazines. It’s the words that I need to familiarise myself with. Apart from stacking tiny portions on large, white plates, it seems to me that language is what separates eating from dining, food from a dish and a recommendation from a food review.

5 great things about church last night

It's been a while since I've done a list, but since there was so much to like about church last night, I figured a list would be a good way to go. So here they are: 5 great things about church last night.

1. We began a new series. Our series is called "Live the Word". We'll be working through the book of James with AB. I've not yet heard a really helpful series on James, despite there being so much gold in this part of God's word. It's clear that AB is excited about the book - especially it's stylistic distinctiveness and it's constant referencing of the teaching of Jesus. It's always a good sign when your preacher is excited about what they are preaching!

2. The music at church was great last night. In fact it was so good, that at the end of the final song, while I was commenting to a friend about how encouraging the music had been - I plain forgot to go up on stage and wrap up the meeting! I find that well performed music, with song choices relevant to the evening help me to focus my attention on the Lord. Thanks to the muso's last night.

3. Our senior pastor led the public prayer time. I read once that Spurgeon was more than happy to have guest preachers make use of his pulpit, even if he was not away on the particular week. However he was very reluctant to give up his role in leading his congregation in prayer. Spurgeon had a high view of leading in prayer. I'm glad that lots of people get to pray in church, but I think it's important that the pastors pray regularly in the public prayer time at church. The apostle Paul gives the example of always being in prayer for his churches, and constantly informing his congregations what it is that he is praying for them. Dominic's prayer last night showed his heart for the people God has entrusted to him, as well as a concern for the growth of the gospel - in the lives of believers, and throughout the community.

4. I had the privilege of leading church. This is a role that I really enjoy, and I love thinking about what to include in the meeting. I was able to sit down with AB and think through the whole letter of James in the week beforehand and work out how to introduce the book to the congregation. I feel that my skills in leading are getting better, and I'm pretty sure I didn't say "ah" once (a bad habit I've been trying to kick).

5. The sermon last night was an absolute corker. AB urged us from James 1 to face our trials with 'considered joy'. Far from being people who rejoice in hardship for hardship's sake (e.g "I lost my job - sweet! - not at all!), we are to rejoice in hardship, because hardships and trials give us an opportunity to stand firm, or to persevere. In short, trials are an opportunity to live out our trust in God. Right at the end of the sermon was a great line that stuck with me: "Love God with loyalty". I'm praying that I will more and more persevere in hardship and live out my faith through trusting God. Make time to download and listen to this talk.

On top of all this, there were lots of guests, great conversations over supper, and lots of people serving one another in lots of ways. Praise be to God that he gives us brothers and sisters to meet with as family each week.

Link list

I've added a link list in the sidebar with links to the new church website. Keep checking the talks library - new resources are constantly being added. The link to our talk podcast page is also there. Most importantly - you can keep up to date with what's happening in crossfire, and pray for our youth group.

Lost Dog

Keep yours eyes out for a lost dog up the coast.

Update: It's been found.

It's raining

The wind is bitter outside, with rain dribbling down the windows. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to sit indoors with a good book (at the moment, it's Helen Garner's The First Stone. I think I need to stop reading books about sexual politics - it's like watching a train wreck - but it was purely by accident and now I've gone too far into the book to stop).

Sam and I were thinking of going to the Sydney Food and Wine festival today, but we just discovered it costs $25 a head for entry - a little too expensive for us at the moment! So now we are deciding what to do instead. Options range from going out for lunch to watching a movie or buying a de-humidify-er (if that's a word) for our currently very damp unit.

I apologise for this boring post. I think someone, probably famous, once said a life is made up of thousands of tiny, precious moments such as these. But he probably said that in an age where people didn't put such details on a blog and make others read it.

red wine and risotto

We had some friends over on Thursday night for dinner. It was a fun night - Fiona and I made a pasta and risotto dish, while Michael and Bonnie brought a new board-game for us to play. I can’t remember the name, but it’s a lot like Risk, only not boring.

I like having people over. I enjoy planning what to cook, meandering through conversation over wine and music, spending a decent amount of time with friends. I even like the way our house looks after we’ve had people over, all friendly and lived in with glasses strewn around the room and a nice warm glow from the gas heater.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:8-9

Bible talks on your mobile

Now you can download Bible talks that will play on your mobile from Christians in the Media's website. It's a smaller format that the video podcast, but still comes with video and audio. Great stuff.

Lloyd-Jones on the World

I have been reading through some Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermons from 1950 with a guy I meet at uni each week. Today’s sermon is all about the world and what it means for the whole world to “lieth in wickedness”. Lloyd-Jones argues that selfishness is a major problem in his time. How similar his description is of his culture to ours - now almost 60 years on.

“I suggest to you that the improvements of which we hear so much are general and superficial. Can we still go on boasting of improvements as we look at the state of the world in general? Do we still boast of progress in this twentieth century after our two world wars and all the uncertainty that characterizes life; is this advance? Look at the state of society on a smaller scale. We say man is improving, but has there ever been so much selfishness manifested in the life of the nation as there is today, a self-centrednes as well as a self-seeking? It is the only explanation of the appalling increase in divorce, it is the whole explanation of the spirit of greed; it is the whole basis of the attitude of the average person towards work – I do the minimum, I get the maximum – greed, self-centredness, the increasing rudeness in life, the increasing lack of consideration for others, the appalling suffering that is caused to innocent little children through the sheer selfishness of parents. The whole attitude towards life today as looked at in every respect is one that is showing this self-centredness. We do certain things on the surface, but man as man is still this selfish creature.”

The picture is a 1950's washing machine - tenuous link...

Church Leading

I’m going to be leading the meeting at church for the next few weeks. We’re beginning a new series on the book of James which I’m quite excited about. Has anyone got an idea for something creative I can do related to James 1 in leading the meeting?

Buffy

Sam and I are currently powering through the final season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I think it's the best season, with the principal/Faith season a close second.

I love this show. I was very sad when it ended.

icecream and pizza

Yesterday, I thought church would be a little light due to the long weekend, but lots of people braved the bad weather and came along.

After the service, we went to Ice and Slice for pizza and gelato. Lots of people came; we took up the entire back room and a table in the front. I had fun catching up with people and the place had a great buzz about it. Praise God for His family at Christians in the Media.
We should organise this kind of thing more often!

Downer on religion

In today's SMH Mr Downer said all religious groups in Australia had a duty to promote tolerance and compassion.

"Their leaders need to preach a message of moderation.

"They need to preach the message that we're all Australians and we have some core Australian values."

What do you think?

religion and the state

Two articles in today's smh made me think about how much influence religion should have on politics, and vice versa.

In one article, Catholic MPs reportedly took communion yesterday, ignoring George Pell's warnings over possible "penalisation" for their decision to support embryonic stem cell research.

In the second article, on Sheik Hilaly's stepping down as mufti, Kevin Rudd was quoted as saying (about the former Sheik): "Every religion has the right to choose their own leader and Labor respects that right for all religions. However, in recent times it has become obvious that Sheik Hilaly was not serving the interests of the Islamic community or the community more generally by remaining in his position".

A similar article can be found here, with comments from Alexander Downer.

Although I believe stem cell research will have dire consequences for our society, and Sheik Hilaly's description of women as uncovered meat made my skin crawl, this blurring of the lines between state and religion raises a lot of questions.

How should the church respond when it comes to practices she believes are morally wrong? Coercing the decisions of the parliament by withholding communion seems extreme and a misuse of power. Also should we expect a secular government to make decisions based on our Christian morals? While we have the right to protest and disagree as members of a democratic system, how far should we take it?

And at the other end of the spectrum, should politicians like Rudd make comments on the suitability of religious leaders? How would the Anglican church feel if a politician claimed one of its leaders was not serving the church's interests? Is there a danger in judging a religious leader by our own western sensibilities rather than the tenets of that religion? We may not like what Hilaly says about women, but if that's what Islam teaches (I'm not saying it is - and a lot of Muslims say Hilaly does not represent their faith) then surely the job of its leader is to uphold that teaching, no matter what the general public says or how out of context they are taken by journalists.

These are some initial questions; I'll post more thoughts later.

Long weekend

We don't have big plans - which is kind of nice! What are you doing?

Philippians 3:7

Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things.

Philippians 3:7

This is one of my favourite verses in the Bible, and this Sunday at Crossfire I get to explain it to our youth. So far, I've written my outline and big idea. I'm excited; I love the passion with which Paul speaks in this passage, how he considers his own merit - the things he used to value - so cheap and worthless compared to knowing Jesus. If only I could live like this every day.

I should go to bed soon. Sam is out with some guys, listening to Jazz at the Bald Faced Stag. The heater is warm, but my throat is starting to really hurt - never a good sign. Taking two hours(!!) to catch the train home from work probably didn't help...

Cold day tomorrow

Today it's been 17. Predicted maximum of 14 tomorrow. Yikes that's cold. At least there has been lots of rain - and in the catchment area. God is good in answering our prayers.

So you wanna start a youth group?

My first post on the youth vanguard. Check it out.

Features Editor

Work is about to change significantly for me. Our features editor is leaving this Friday, and my (group) editor has kindly offered me the position until my rotation ends in August. I have mixed feelings about this – I’m excited as it’s a completely new job with a different set of skills required, but also daunted as it’s a lot of work to squeeze into four days. He’s assured me that my hours should stay the same, so that’s comforting.

So today has been crazy as I’ve been juggling a few stories while learning new things: how to make a flat-plan for the mag, commission articles, what areas we need features for, how to organise freelancers/advertising, etc. The editing part I am quite confident with as I know what makes a good feature, but the other stuff feels quite beyond me at the moment!

Eventually I would like to be a writer, but for now this is a good skill to learn. Please pray that I will do my job faithfully, but also that it will not overtake my other – much higher – priorities.

Sydney Film Festival

I've been going to the Sydney Film Festival for four years now and I really recommend it. There is such a diverse range of movies. Many of them that make you think and most push the boundaries of current filmmaking practices

I usually try to see at least two or three movies, but I doubt I'll get to see that many this year. It would be great to go to one, but the program is so huge that it's hard to pick!

Is anyone going this year,? Are you interested in any particular movies?

Organic or just expensive?

The woman behind me tugged at my hair, screwing up her face in concern.
“What shampoo do you use?” she asked.
“Pantene,” I replied to the hairdresser. It’s the cheapest in the supermarket and seems to do the job.
“Well, your hair is unhealthy and covered in dandruff. You can’t use that stuff anymore, it will ruin your hair.”
I brought my head closer to the mirror, trying to see the offending flakes of white, while she brought me a range of shampoos from the front counter. Some of them were in bottles so small they looked like face cream.
“This is what you should be using,” she said triumphantly. “It’s organic see…it would be great for your hair type.”

Putting aside the fact that “organic” always means “more expensive”, I was surprised to see the small tubs cost just over $40. That’s significantly more than a cheap bottle of Pantene Pro V! After politely refusing the product and leaving the hairdresser, I decided to switch to Dove shampoo, plus Head and Shoulders for the dandruff. In my opinion, made my hair look just as healthy and shiny as the deluxe brand would have.

There’s nothing wrong with buying expensive things if the investment is worth it, but I’m always wary of the way women buy into beauty and fashion products (both mentally and literally) without question. It’s possible to live a beautiful life without the extravagance - to have taste without it being expensive, to enjoy luxury without treating it as a staple.

Preaching conference review #1

This week I had the privilege of sitting for two days under the teaching of David Jackman from the UK. It was great. I'm going to do a series of posts on things that I thought were really helpful in thinking about preaching, but in this first post, let me just paint a bit of a picture of the conference.

It ran for two days in Scots Presbyterian Church in the city. It's a recently renovated old church, and a great facility in the CBD. There were three teaching sessions from David Jackman each day, and one session for electives each day. I took electives on 'application' and 'sermonettes'. Both were great.

The conference was mostly about preaching on the Old Testament, especially Old Testament narrative. We spent most of the two days in the book of Exodus. I was greatly encouraged by this part of the word, and it has excited me for doing more Old testament stuff. I think we'll have a crack in crossfire at teaching some Old Testament next term.

The biggest thing I took away from the conference was recognising how many dangers and pitfalls there are in preaching the Old testament and preaching in general. Preaching the word of God is a high calling, and not a task to be taken lightly.

Funeral this morning

Went along to a funeral this morning. It was for a lady I'd never met, and I knew none of the people. AB was running the service, and he suggested that I come along and watch him run a funeral for an unbeliever. I thought he did a fantastic job - keeping the focus on the living rather than on the dead, pointing us to the comfort of Christ, and the hope of the resurrection. AB's sermon was short, sharp, comforting and encouraging and well received.

This kind of ministry doesn't spring to mind as the kind of stuff you need training in when you start an apprenticeship, but it's so important to know how to do these things in a loving, caring and God honouring way. I'm glad I got to see those things in action today.

Youth Vanguard

All of a sudden I've got a whole lot more time on my hands today. A few things got cancelled at the same time, so I think I'm going to have a think about a few articles that I'd like to write about youth ministry for the Youth Vanguard blog. I feel like a youth ministry dwarf compared to the guys who are writing on there, but I love youth ministry and I'm excited to be blogging about it amongst other great minds. If you're a youth ministry person it's a great blog to keep an eye on.

working on the double rosetta...

I keep running out of time before the top though, so they both look rushed, and the second one is too thin. Hmm. Will have to keep working.

More on displays

Sony have just released an ultra-thin video display. Looks amazing.

Facebook

Everyone seems to be getting on board. I made a profile - not sure what the point is though (apart from taking up lots of time?)

Preaching conference this week.

This week we'll be heading to the AIM preaching conference as a staff team. Last year this conference was excellent, so I'm looking forward to it very much. We'll be hearing David Jackman on 'Passing the Baton'. I'm looking forward to a couple of days with a clear schedule, and a chance to sit under God's word, and to learn some new things about preaching.

Multi touch screens...

...look awesome!

Boys night out

I've really enjoyed the last few Thursday nights. Down at the Bald Faced Stag Hotel in Petersham they have some great Jazz playing from 10pm through until 2am. I've been getting down there with a couple of guys from church for a beer and catch up. We don't get there every week, but when we do it's always good times.

I've been thinking that I want to learn a bit more about Jazz. I'd like to be able to recognise more tracks and styles - I can't recognise anything at the moment. Does anyone have any good or famous jazz albums for me to start listening to?