Friday, September 26, 2003
I'm finally back from the youthmin study tour. Overall it was a terrific time. We talked to 11 ministries, attended 7 services and had nine people vomit. Yes, it wasn;t all fun, as a drop of food poisoning led to a healthy dose of stomach emptying all round. Unfortunately that knocked us all around a fair bit and we lost a bit of oomph in the middle of it all. Yet despite all that we saw heaps, learnt heaps and had truckloads of fun.
It was amazing to see and hear about a variety of ministries and see how different they all are to each other. Many contradicted each other, yet they collectively gave us a big picture of the pot pouri of youthmin. (You know, I don't think I've ever used that phrase before - wonder what it means)
A group of us snuck off to see the lions destroy the swans on Saturday night. It was my live first experience of AFL, and I reluctantly must admit to enjoying it. The first 10 minutes was a bit slow, and it all seemed a bit daft when the lions ran around flapping their arms like - well swans I guess. It made me think the G isn't so silent after all. Anyway, an exciting 3rd quarter got us on the edges of our seats as the swannies caught up, so we enjoyed their 4th 1/4 destruction even more.
Overall I made heaps of friends, saw some amazing stuff and have been overloaded with ideas. Will have to throw something on about what I discovered later. (ooh, just realised there is a double meaning there)
oh yeah - happy birthday mum! Hope you'r enjoying Norfolk
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It was amazing to see and hear about a variety of ministries and see how different they all are to each other. Many contradicted each other, yet they collectively gave us a big picture of the pot pouri of youthmin. (You know, I don't think I've ever used that phrase before - wonder what it means)
A group of us snuck off to see the lions destroy the swans on Saturday night. It was my live first experience of AFL, and I reluctantly must admit to enjoying it. The first 10 minutes was a bit slow, and it all seemed a bit daft when the lions ran around flapping their arms like - well swans I guess. It made me think the G isn't so silent after all. Anyway, an exciting 3rd quarter got us on the edges of our seats as the swannies caught up, so we enjoyed their 4th 1/4 destruction even more.
Overall I made heaps of friends, saw some amazing stuff and have been overloaded with ideas. Will have to throw something on about what I discovered later. (ooh, just realised there is a double meaning there)
oh yeah - happy birthday mum! Hope you'r enjoying Norfolk
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
The footy
Disappointing weekend of footy all round. Broncos lost their 6th straight (or is it 7?), Cowboys, Lions even Dockers lost. Still, at least I'm not from WA - having Freo and Eagles both crash and burn in the first finals week can't be good. I know the Broncos are looking a bit poor just now - understatement maybe - but they still have the goods as far as I'm concerned. This will surely look ridiculous soon - but go the Broncos-Lions double! Frankly, as long as it isn't a Magpies Roosters victory I'll be happy. Looking forward to watching a decent amount of NRL this weekend.
Going to Sydney
Next Tuesday I'm heading off to Sydney with a bunch of mates to check out youth ministries all oveer the place. We'll see places that are based in sports centres, coffee shops, skate parks, people's houses, small Churches and massive mega-Churches. Hope to get stacks of ideas, be encouraged and have heaps and heaps of fun. Overall the study tour should be quite challenging, but will miss Ruth heaps I'm sure.
Sonfest
The first sonfest details are out now - Newsboys, Jars of Clay and Reliant K are headliners, with Wishful thinking, Rookie and Soulframe the main locals. Pillar should be there too. Lots of people seem pretty excited about the bands, so hopefully it's a good wekend.
A quote I got last week:
"A church which pitches its tents without constantly looking out for new horizons, which does not continually strike camp, is being untrue to its calling... (we must) play down our longing for certainty, accept what is risky, and live by improvisation and experiment." -- Hans Kung
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Disappointing weekend of footy all round. Broncos lost their 6th straight (or is it 7?), Cowboys, Lions even Dockers lost. Still, at least I'm not from WA - having Freo and Eagles both crash and burn in the first finals week can't be good. I know the Broncos are looking a bit poor just now - understatement maybe - but they still have the goods as far as I'm concerned. This will surely look ridiculous soon - but go the Broncos-Lions double! Frankly, as long as it isn't a Magpies Roosters victory I'll be happy. Looking forward to watching a decent amount of NRL this weekend.
Going to Sydney
Next Tuesday I'm heading off to Sydney with a bunch of mates to check out youth ministries all oveer the place. We'll see places that are based in sports centres, coffee shops, skate parks, people's houses, small Churches and massive mega-Churches. Hope to get stacks of ideas, be encouraged and have heaps and heaps of fun. Overall the study tour should be quite challenging, but will miss Ruth heaps I'm sure.
Sonfest
The first sonfest details are out now - Newsboys, Jars of Clay and Reliant K are headliners, with Wishful thinking, Rookie and Soulframe the main locals. Pillar should be there too. Lots of people seem pretty excited about the bands, so hopefully it's a good wekend.
A quote I got last week:
"A church which pitches its tents without constantly looking out for new horizons, which does not continually strike camp, is being untrue to its calling... (we must) play down our longing for certainty, accept what is risky, and live by improvisation and experiment." -- Hans Kung
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Just got this in an email. I've read it before, and know I'll read it again, but I still like it. Thanks Mikey!
~ He who laughs last thinks slowest!
~ Is the problem ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care.
~ Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
~ Always remember that you're unique, just like everyone else.
~ Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
~ Okay, who put a "stop payment" on my reality check?
~ All generalizations are false.
~ Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
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~ He who laughs last thinks slowest!
~ Is the problem ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care.
~ Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
~ Always remember that you're unique, just like everyone else.
~ Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
~ Okay, who put a "stop payment" on my reality check?
~ All generalizations are false.
~ Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
Jigsaws
This is very cool. Click on this link below and you'll be able to solve a jig saw puzzle with Ruth and I in it!
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This is very cool. Click on this link below and you'll be able to solve a jig saw puzzle with Ruth and I in it!
Monday, September 01, 2003
Book Review!
Have been reading a fascinating book lately – the Connecting Church by Randy Frazee, the pastor of Pandego Bible Church. The big point is that we don’t have real community today. We try to get it, but Christians and non-Christians alike have succumbed to the isolationism, individualism and consumerism of modern culture. We don’t notice it, like the air around us, but it is there. We have taken on these things as values without realising what we have done. Somehow we have elevated our desire for privacy and security above our need for community. As I read the chapters describing these problems, my heart ached. I could see the problems he was pointing out in my life, and could see them getting much worse in the future.
I haven’t finished reading it yet, but the big ideas so far are:
To have real community, you need close proximity and a common purpose. (He also talks about common possessions but I haven’t got to that yet).
The closer people are to each other, the more likely they are to develop real relationships, as spontaneous contact can just happen, as people are available for each other and as the time it takes to see someone is reduced. Since cars have been around people can travel further, which instead of allowing greater community reduces it. We use cars to escape our communities, don’t know our neighbours and try to maintain dozens of relationships in circles that don’t connect. We may try to keep these relationships, but most people don’t do a good job there, and instead settle for knowing lots of people superficially. Our Church, school, work, family, and neighbourhood friends are all over the place and are disconnected.
Frazee suggests that having neighbourhood based small groups is a key to community. You can walk to each other’s houses, pop in spontaneously, share life together easily, bump into each other at the shops, have your kids at the same school and be close enough to help whenever needed. Together you can pray for your other neighbours more easily and help to establish real community in your area.
I find the book fascinating and the ideas strangely appealing. I expect to be thinking about this for a while.
P.S. The following link is someone who likes the book, but doesn’t think geographic groups are the only way to go… CLICK HERE
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Have been reading a fascinating book lately – the Connecting Church by Randy Frazee, the pastor of Pandego Bible Church. The big point is that we don’t have real community today. We try to get it, but Christians and non-Christians alike have succumbed to the isolationism, individualism and consumerism of modern culture. We don’t notice it, like the air around us, but it is there. We have taken on these things as values without realising what we have done. Somehow we have elevated our desire for privacy and security above our need for community. As I read the chapters describing these problems, my heart ached. I could see the problems he was pointing out in my life, and could see them getting much worse in the future.
I haven’t finished reading it yet, but the big ideas so far are:
To have real community, you need close proximity and a common purpose. (He also talks about common possessions but I haven’t got to that yet).
The closer people are to each other, the more likely they are to develop real relationships, as spontaneous contact can just happen, as people are available for each other and as the time it takes to see someone is reduced. Since cars have been around people can travel further, which instead of allowing greater community reduces it. We use cars to escape our communities, don’t know our neighbours and try to maintain dozens of relationships in circles that don’t connect. We may try to keep these relationships, but most people don’t do a good job there, and instead settle for knowing lots of people superficially. Our Church, school, work, family, and neighbourhood friends are all over the place and are disconnected.
Frazee suggests that having neighbourhood based small groups is a key to community. You can walk to each other’s houses, pop in spontaneously, share life together easily, bump into each other at the shops, have your kids at the same school and be close enough to help whenever needed. Together you can pray for your other neighbours more easily and help to establish real community in your area.
I find the book fascinating and the ideas strangely appealing. I expect to be thinking about this for a while.
P.S. The following link is someone who likes the book, but doesn’t think geographic groups are the only way to go… CLICK HERE
Not happy. After the Discipleship groups on Friday night I left my satchel on the boot of my car – with wallet, cheque book, diary and papers with everything I’m doing over the next few weeks. Drove off, got home – found it wasn’t on my boot – surprising! Have retraced steps time after time –checked bushes, phoned police, searched drains, asked everyone who was nearby – just about given up. I don’t really mind about the money that was in there, but would really like my ID and diary back so I know what’s supposed to be happening over the next few weeks. So I guess I’ll be praying hard for that for a while – and hopefully others will too.
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