JST

Dralion

2008-08-26T18:38:00.005+10:00

Because my girlfriend rocks (ie. she bought tickets for my b'day) - we're going to Cirque Du Soleil on Thursday night!!

Yeah, she's pretty great.

Sound Lounge

2008-06-12T23:38:00.003+10:00

Journeyed with a creative Jazz genius from Boston tonight down at the Sound Lounge (Seymour Centre). Amazing guy, Aaron Goldberg was his name. Played with clarity and precision, but a deft subtlety and range of emotions that took you places and gave you permission to break from the expectations that normally run your day. He could've been on his own or playing to a crowd of thousands and it wouldn't have mattered. He was in a world he had created of his own music, sharing it only with 2 of his friends and any ear that would listen.

It got me thinking about preaching. It's a difficult thing to find permission to step outside of the box from up front, so things can become mundanely average. It's actually pretty rare that the bible is average, predictable or stuck in one emotion for an entire section. There's an amazing range of experiences that take you on a journey, if only we will follow.

And yet ironically, while staying on a restricted path, we still miss the finer subtelties that colour and move those that would hear. Mediocre and static, rather than outrageous and dynamic, fighting to live up to the expectations of a few only to ignore the cravings of the many for a coloured, engaging journey into God's mind.

That's my danger anyway. I've heard many for whom this is not their struggle...

I also got to thinking about the power of words. He would play incredibly, but his comments in between were so empty and uncreative, I wondered if there was much substance to his music after all, or if it was uninterpreted emotions on their own. There was certainly no praise of God on his lips, made with his beautiful music. There was no score to record his melody, and no direction of it towards the source of life. Will it be lost to the walls of an intimate musical leisure hall, or will it be explained and directed to the only appropriate recipient of such a gift?

I want to enjoy the subtleties of expression and emotion, and have permission to dabble in the extremes. I want to give my gifts, however limited, for the praise of the one who gave them, and is worthy of receiving them. I want to preach faithfully to the Word of God.

JT

Nice

2008-06-05T00:19:00.001+10:00

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

JT

Once

2008-05-28T20:53:00.002+10:00

The thing I love most about that movie is that they DON'T get together in the end.
They just meet randomly, share a passion which climaxes into a weekend of capturing a moment which would then inform their own worlds, and shape their lives from that point on.
(Though living the bus scene would be pretty awesome too!)

I kind of had a moment like this one. Well, not as defining let's be honest, but still good.
I went for a ride down the Princes Hwy a few weeks ago, the first ride for way too long. As I got off to fix my bike, this girl rode past me and stopped at the next lights. I caught up to her as you do, and we ended up sharing the wind resistance load, and just chatting, making the time go faster and enjoying the awesome autumn day that it was.

She was was younger than me and much fitter than me, but had a long day, getting up at 4:30 to work at the fitness centre. So we were struggling equally with the long slow hills I'd forgotten about since the Sydney to the Gong ride a million years ago.
But you know what - she didn't complain at all. We acknowledged that we were both doing it tough, but chose to think about the good bits, and just slow down. Dwelling on it only makes it harder. It might be unjust that you can train for months and then lose it in a matter of weeks - but like she said, 'getting out is better than sitting around not doing anything'.

I spose you need to experience the pain to see the beauty of that. Focussing the mind can be so much tougher than pumping the legs! It's a great moment to take back and inform the rest of my life.

I figure in life and ministry it can be all too easy to focus on yourself rather than on God, his people, or the task of taking the gospel to them in all aspects of life. Performance dictates success, and failure (or fear of it) can lead to a crippling self-focus. But training the mind to focus on the things of God can change your view of serving him; lifting your eyes from the pedals can give you the view of a pristine autumn world. :-)

So a simple version of a supremely orchestrated movie, but a simple reality is better than a grand pipe-dream, in this simple man's opinion.

JT

That'd explain it

2007-11-30T13:27:00.000+11:00

This week I found out why Ive been feeling unduly tired and cruddy for most of this year - apparently Ive had glandular fever!

I can't believe it. I mean Ive had some flu like symtoms a couple of times, and there was one week there where I couldn't get out of bed before 10:30 no matter what I tried, and occasionally haven't studied without feeling bad at all cos I was just so out of it - but I just thought I was soft, or getting old or something... Turns out I actually function at an elite level of physical fitness, pushing on through glandular fever :-p

Just kidding, but it does add another element of satisfaction to having handed all my assignments in on time and doing all my exams. Now whatever my marks suggest Ill know I put in some hard yards this year and there was a reason for it.

But while Im on it, God has really given me reason to praise him having found this out. GF effects different people to varying amounts - Ive seen active people reduced to bed rest and some people still suffering from it years later. It can be a soul destroying, body defeating nightmare. And yet God spared me from that. For goodness sake, Im no elite sportsman - far from it! God has been good to me because while Im still not feeling quite normal, I could have suffered so much more from it. That's reason to praise him.

More than that, Ive been challenged in other ways too. When things aren't going well and you don't know why, it's an interesting opportunity to learn something about yourself, in my case what I would let drop when I couldn't do everything. I assume that reflects what I think is most important in life. That's gold to know for future hard times.

Ive also been challenged about contentment (again) and being happy in my relationship with God outside of my own works. There's more to being human (and Christian) than working, so that's been a good reminder.

Ive also realised the importance of good friendships to share life with. I did a lot better at that last year, so one of my goals for '08 is to work on reltionships again. :-)

I could go on, but I feel like I need to think a bit more about it before I say anything, it's still farily fresh news. It has certainly changed my view of '07 in hindseight though - and I think in a positive way!!

It is God's nature to bring good things out of bad (Rom 8:28)

He is so good.

JT

Waifer of Mysticism

2007-11-13T13:31:00.000+11:00

Currently listening to:

Enjoying a slice of calming buddhist inner peace type pre-exam meditation. Does it defeat the purpose if the very words that are supposed to put you in an emotional equilibrium grate you to the core at the same time? :-) They're not that bad... Fav's are 'get me some', 'sundirtwater', 'sweetest dream' and 'goodbye'.

How do we top this???

2007-11-12T23:22:00.000+11:00

So looking forward to my holidays. Im lacking sleep and feeling a little under the weather, even though Im learning lots. Looking forward to some time away at this stage.... :-)

My Psalm

2007-11-10T20:32:00.001+11:00

Found this from ages ago. Was never going to post it, but I kinda like it, and I can identify with a few of its sentiments at the moment... :-)

Is it too much to ask that you hear me?
_Not if you have mercy on me as you have
__throughout generation upon generation
___of your people
_Not if your compassion has been
__heralded among the nations
_Not if you patience continues for
__but one more moment.

Have mercy on me, O LORD,
__And hear my plea for help.

For I have turned from you
__the One I love,
And made my life a dispassionate waste
__Of grace befond measure.
I know your love,
__Your deeds of salvation;
Your goodness to Israel,
__Your greatness to the Gentiles.
Here I am supported by your hand
__________day by day,
_As I free up my time
__to study your Word;
But I have not the skills
___nor the dedication,
_The love, nor the strength
___To carry out the task you have asked me to.

In a House of stability, I waver;
__In a class of ability, I falter.

Have you made a mistake
___that i find myself here?
Have I?
Can I continue with what is unachievable,
Should I?

For the sake of your flock,
___Care for this care-giver.
For the sake of your Name,
___Grant what I need to honour you.
Hear me, and turn not your face from me,
Speak and I will be as you need me to be.

I love the Psalms for their honesty, and also their blatant faith in the face of difficulty. I've actually been enjoying exams so far (though I am more than a little over it today!), so I'm glad I found this.
(Just to be clear, this is definitely NOT a real Psalm, it's just a few of my thoughts scraped together. The Bible is much better...)

JT

'My hands held on, my heart let go'

2007-11-09T11:14:00.000+11:00

It seems exams 07 are about trying to contain the truths of God and the world Im discovering even deeper in his Word so I can channel them into a few essays next week. My heart is free, but it must be directed. Not sure how well I can do that!

Im really enjoying what Im learning, and I love bringing things together. If I can just stay on the bike till the bottom of the hill it will have been a wild ride. :-)

Hope the rest of you are cruising.

JT

Battling No. #10

2007-10-26T11:13:00.000+10:00

I thought it was fitting to post my brother's victory in winning a write-in competition, where I have failed (apparently it was drawn last week, but they haven't told me anything so it's not looking good...).

It helps in my continuing battle to address my difficulties with Commandment no. #10 (Exod 20:17). That little green monster took a blow to the guts (sucker!)

House MD

2007-10-14T18:14:00.000+10:00

So I'm trying to see if I can win a competition to get the first 2 seasons of House on dvd... It's a 25 word or less job, explaining who is my favourite character and why. What do you think:

H – Harsh or honest?
O – Obnoxious or Obsessive?
U – Usurper or Unifier?
S – Sarcastic or Sensitive?
E – Eccentric or…

E – Eclectic,
N – Neurotic (about Narcotics)
V – Virtuoso.
Y – Your only hope, my only choice.

Any ideas how I can make it better???

WoW

2007-09-27T23:32:00.000+10:00

Last week my (unbelievably generous) brother Tim bought us tickets to go see War of the Worlds at Acer Arena. Let's call it a 'narrated musical event' - with super wide-screen CGI, film and photos, live orchestra and band, live performers, a hologram of Richard Burton who was the original narrator before he passed away, light show, and a 30ft alien tripod which descended onto the stage for part of the performance. This show had just about everything!

It was cool too, I haven't listened to WoW since I was a kid, and back then I was young enough to be genuinely scared of it - so it still captured some of that feeling again for me. So glad we could go :-)

It is a fairly stereotypical storyline by today's standards - aliens from Mars come and invade earth, with their mechanical tripods and devastating heat ray ('ooooooo'). But cliches only get that way cos they're so good - and this is pretty much WHY stories of martian invasion are a cliche in our society, and why we have so many movies and books based on this kind of storyline, it truly is a classic.

There was one line that I couldn't avoid sharing with you. Having put up next to no fight and the aliens on the brink of dominating our world, a few survivors are underground planning to rebuild right under their noses and then fight back one day. One of these guys is the artillery man, and after ranting about the glorious picture he has of a future human rebellion, he sits down to a bottle of champagne and a game of cards. In the mind of the main character we hear this:

'We drank and then he insisted upon playing cards. With our species on the edge of extermination, with no prospect but a horrible death, we actually played games.'

Around Christian circles this kind of image might be a cliche as well, but isn't that because it's so true? On the brink of dangerously just judgement, we dull our senses with temporary pleasures and direct our wills towards futile games. But escaping the reality now won't help us endure the reality later.

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him". (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Sneaky...

2007-09-11T16:20:00.000+10:00

So I know it was 2 months ago but I did promise some pics from Live Earth, so I thought I'd sneak them in now.

I was really only going cos we got some free tickets and I wanted to chill out to some good music, but it was actually quite thought provoking at points:

- Love this quote from John Butler, 'Be the world you want to see'. But preaching on Eph 4 at the time, it made me notice all the more the perculiar logic of 4:3, 'Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace' - it's almost the reverse: 'make sure we're seeing who we really are'. I love how the Bible does that!

But there were also some questionable ones:
- 'This is the first time that the world has ever come together for a common cause', um except the last time they did this, and the fact that it wasn't the 'whole' world, and what about Babel?
- Talked a few times about "F-A-T-E", which seemed to stand out against God's sovereignty which did not rate a mention.
- 'There's nothing stronger than when people unite together'. Unity is great, unless it's unity against God, or done while ignoring his far greater strength than ours. Then it's just futility.
- There was even an element of pantheism when people were talking about the earth as though it is the ultimate Life-Source. Looking after the earth is brilliant and even part of our very make up as God has placed us in the order of creation (and so something God tells us to do), but the earth is not God.

It's amazing how close people can get to the right thing but how far they really are. Satan is sneaky like that.

But like i said, it was still a great day, a great cause and there was some great music:
.

.
.

(John, Jack and Crowded House)

But the sleeper for me was Sneaky Sound System - Id heard of them but hadn't heard a lot of their stuff, but they rocked!! They were on mid-afternoon in between some pretty slow acts, but they got the crowd absolutely pumping!! I love it when performers look like they're loving being there :-) A pleasant surprise indeed.

Next up is the band I went and saw on the w/e, so stay tuned...

28hr 28th

2007-09-05T00:31:00.000+10:00

It's funny how plans for the future can give way to the tasks of the present.
My birthday came upon me pretty quickly this year and after a lot of dreaming the night seemed to come and go so fast it was over before I realised it was even happening.

That said, we had a great night! A few of us from College headed down to the Bondi Icebergs for drinks a couple of weeks ago, and the bar of the stars didn't disappoint. Classy place, great service, awesome people, perfect view - we chillaxed on sofas sipping martinis (and my first cognac), and having a few laughs. NOT a bad way to celebrated my 28th year of life...

And after a stroll along the beach with my incredible lady, it struck me that in many ways my birthday was a lot like my year. The last 12 months have been both harder and easier than the 5 years preceding them (perhaps true of every year?), but this year in particular because facing the hard thing is what has made other things easier.

It seems to me, that accepting reality is much harder than chasing a dream.

I'm a dreamer. I always have been and God willing I'll never lose that part of me. But the more years that go by falling palpably short of that perfection, the more I realise that a plan for tomorrow was never meant to override today. If contentment only comes from fulfilling an unreachable dream, then contentment is something I'll never grasp, except as an imagined response to an imagined reality. A goal may shape my day tomorrow, but today is the reality I need to find contentment in; not just in tomorrow and not just in my imagination.

And so it's funny how planning for the future can make you miss moments in the present.
This year has been about learning once again that today might seem mundane, my goals may not be reached, I may not be who I always wish i was, and I may not ever get there - but each moment holds the life I'm living, and Im not going to miss it living in a dream-world.

Cliched? Corny? Whatever. I might be a bit slow, but you can't sprint a marathon. I just want to finish the race, take hold of the prize and seek to live a life worthy of the calling i've received in the meantime.

Hmmm... so maybe I shoul've planned what I was going to say to stop me getting off track..?
My 'brief' birthday continued with family celebrations the next night, which might be otherwise uneventful except that this time I was in a 3 car pile-up on the way there!! I'll let Chels tell the story, but basically a crazy lady ran up the back of us and the result was one very ritten off Lancer.

Needless to say this put proceedings back a little, but the family were very good and we all got home in the wee hours of Sunday morning. So there you go, 28 hrs start to finish - and now Im very much 28 (with 10yrs taken off at the other end).

Cheers to everyone who helped celebrate. Now it's time to stop looking back and start looking at right now...

JT

Blogging about Facebook

2007-08-19T00:23:00.000+10:00

Admitedly, I was opposed to blogs when I initially heard about them. I thought they were self-indulgent, less than honest, and just ways to escape reality and call it 'relationship' when even relationships in the blog-world were rarely true relationships. Of course, my mind was changed - because of some good counter-arguments: Blogs enable me to keep up some form of contact with people from my previous church (at least in theory :) ), are a place to explore ideas, practice verbalising illustrations for sermons, and generally reflect on life in a way that helps me and encourgaes others.

I'm inviting any die-hard believers to try and bring this conceptual shift to my view on facebook.

At the moment, it seems to me to be: a popularity contest (spare me), a form of acceptable online voyerism, and a way to keep people at a relational distance by not having to share much while at the same time claiming you are keeping up more relationships than ever before (and Ive heard lots of people say that's exactly why they like it, now they dont have to write whole emails, just a few one-liners every now and then).

But being proven wrong can be one of the most liberating things in life - so please help me see the error of my ways!! I might even join if Im convinced...

Freedom #2 - Doctrine is Done

2007-07-30T01:21:00.000+10:00

'My heart is filled with a thousand songs

Proclaiming the glories of Calvary,

where the passible Son of God,

really did suffer and die for me'*

*Words stolen and adpated from this song

Pastoring and God's Pathos

2007-07-25T16:15:00.000+10:00

Life is so full and yet to many it can often seem so empty. Praise God that he opens himself to be affected by the state of the people he has made, that he cares, understands and acts to resolve our problems created by sin. :)

I started my Clinical Pasotral Education Certificate yesterday, which I am hoping will be a good adjunct to my studies at College, and also give me a platform to ask some of my questions about Hospital Chaplaincy. It will take us through the research on what people actually experience when they suffer different things, and how to best respond and help them during those times. I'll be doing a practical bit back in the hospital too, this time RPA.

So much of the data shows just how beneficial it is to be able to sit with people in their pain. To listen, to understand, to share common experience of suffering and to acknowledge when we couldn't imagine how hard their suffering must be cos we've never been through anything like that. Solutions to small problems may assist along the way, but no-one's found a cure for death yet.

No-one except the creator of life!

At the moment Im thinking through the question of God's impassibility - whether he can be 'affected' by anything outside of himself, in terms of having emotions and being able to suffer. There are benefits to both sides of the argument, and ultimately I think we need to revel in God's care and suffering for us, while at the same time maintain his autonomous soveriegnty. God responds to us, but he cannot be manipulated by us.

As genuinely helpful as God's understanding of us is (through experience and empathy), it is not helpless. God has and will act to remove suffering and tainted emotions from our world, and has done it by removing the cause in his death. Explain to me how God could be better than that!!

That's means I can love God freely. I don't need to fear an irrational emotion in him, or become dejected at his apathy. I also don't need to wallow helplessly in my suffering with him, I can find comfort as I await a sure cure in the recreation of all things. It means I can love him even in the tough times.

'But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation'.
(Psa 13:5)

Katoomba

2007-07-08T23:27:00.000+10:00

Going away tomo - the holiday Ive been waiting for for ages... Thought I'd have heaps more work done on my essay by now, but need to get away for my mental sanity. Ive decided not to expect too many days off until the Christmas hols, I have conceded. Still lots of time to rest and consolidae over summer this year though with no bridging work to do.

Aaaanyway, the point is Im spending a few days chilling by the fireplace (kind like that phrase) in the mountains this week, and Im really looking forward to it!

Most days this week I have recognised something I have been involved in that is a privilege - from reading about God's character and talking about it with friends (and even just being able to read some things I could never have gotten my head around before), to spending time hanging (and working!) with Chels, to going for my first long-ish ride for ages, to getting free tickets to Live Earth yeasterday, to spending the afternoon with my pastor learning from him today, to catching up with some quality old friends tonight. I have been given so much. It comes at a time when Ive been realising my own sinfulness again too, which reminds me all the more of God's grace. I want to make the most of my opportunities :)

So Ill catch you in a few days, here's hoping that God's grace may continue to capture and compell you this week wherever you're at.

:)

07/07/07

2007-07-06T22:46:00.000+10:00

I've got so many posts to catch up on - it's all been happening! But for now I have to let you know that I'm going to Live Earth tomo and it is going to ROCK!!! Some great bands, great seats - and free tickets! Bring it on!!

Hopefully get some post-worthy photos for afterwards.....

Woohooo!!!!!!!

Inspiration

2007-06-23T12:55:00.000+10:00

Why are some of the coolest songs break up songs???

I'm not in the sadness, but I did love the snapshots in this little clip - and I think it's inspiring me to go and take some of my own today....! My exam is over after all and semester is finished - taste the freedom, baby :D

I just need a theme...

JT

Lock in the Lucksmiths

2007-06-12T11:53:00.000+10:00

Saw a great band play the other week - the Lucksmiths.

Theyre from Melbourne and share the same lead singer as another band I mentioned a few months ago called the Guild League.

The Hopetoun is sort of a small pub, but it does have one advangtage - at least if a gig is sold out there's a glass door down the front literally adjacent to the stage! Thankfully I only had to enjoy the muffled front row seat for about 10mins before I got inside to a real front row spot :)

Some of my fav songs: Hiccup in you happiness, the music next door, great lengths, sunlight in a jar, young and dumb... and I only bought 1 CD, they've got another 10 or so!

So anyway, check em out, they rock majorly.

2007-06-05T23:03:00.000+10:00

So to get back to what I was saying...

Allow me to introduce to the blog world, my lovely lady:

Her name is Chelsea and she = awesome! I know most of you know about her, but some may not and she hasn't had an official introduction as yet, so here it is.

You get to a point in your life where you think God couldn't bless you anymore cos he's just so gracious and generous all the time - but then he goes and reminds you that his nature is actually love, and he blesses you hugely all over again! :)

I don't deserve his goodness, and I don't claim to. But I will praise him for it!

God rocks for giving me Chels.

Temporary hold for a temporary blast from the past

2007-05-18T20:46:00.000+10:00

I'll put that other 'revelation' on hold for just a sec cos I had to post about the other night!...

So it's the preview performance of the Hunters Hill amateur production of Bombshells, which only important associates of the cast and crew get to go to of course. It's a series of 6 soliloquies about women basically (but it's still good!), with 3 in each Act. So the first two do their thing and it's pretty good I'm learning lots about the female race through a series of shocks, cringes, surprises and disappointments. How naive am I, and how insane are chicks.

Then enters a scantily clad voluptuous woman doing her dance thing (no that's not the surprise, though I was...). The scene has been set, her charatcer established - she's an overconfident teenage girl who's the 'talent' in the talent show. But mid-way through her dance routine, the mood suddenly shifts. Silence. Tears. Agony. That's what I'm talking about - I'm on the edge of my seat! But there's a strange hush over the audience...

To my right the director hesitates, then stands then hesitates some more. Um, I don't think this was meant to happen!!

Seeing that she is clutching her knee, I rush past the director and make my way down onto the stage. "I've dislocated my knee!" I hear her sqeeze out in pained incredulity.

"It's ok, you'll be ok. Sometimes they go back in if you just do this....". As she slowly follows my instruction, her patella slides gently back into place. Gripping her knee as though she's going to lose it, the tears start flowing freely. But that's ok, you've got to expect that :)

I've gotta tell you, that's NOT what i expected to be doing going for a night out at the theatre!! But the ambulance did get there quickly...(!). Is it wrong to have enjoyed it??...

So there you go, trip down memory lane, didn't think I'd be needing my physio skills again :)

So what does 'chapter' mean anyway?...

2007-05-11T17:43:00.000+10:00

We've done lots of fun stuff together....

With my 100th Post comes a new chapter in my life...

2007-05-07T23:21:00.000+10:00

Who is she?..........

Tell me that's not way cool!

2007-05-06T12:35:00.000+10:00

It's God's nature to bring good things out of bad, and getting sick last night is another example - at least now I get to blog!

So let me tell you about the worlds shortest human gestation period. I only heard Ruth was pregnant a couple of months ago - then bang they're sending out pics of Ethan, job done! :-). Cute kid.

Ok, my gut and my head hurt, Im going back to bed. Hope you guys are having fun.

Gav, Ruth & Ethan

They say it's called 'having a life', but i think that's a bit rude...

2007-04-03T23:05:00.000+10:00

Does this count as a new post???

(or are people just more angry with me now?!....)

JT

Scholarly Schooner

2007-03-14T14:59:00.000+11:00

How cool is it to be able to go for a beer with your lecturers?!

Had a grand ol' chat with my Chaplain last week, just cos he wanted to hang out and get to know the people in his group for 07. Since he's bald you can actually see his enormous brain working overtime in that plane of existence I've not yet reached - but at the same time he's the most humble, accepting, friendly, wise and funny guy to talk to! Chatting about life, God, College, Church and a bunch of other stuff as the sun set and the amber liquid slowly ebbed away was one of the nicest afternoons I've had so far this year (well, at College anyway...). God is certainly good, and if this guy was a glimpse of what it looks like to follow Jesus a few years down the track, then that's the way I want to go.

(pic wouldnt upload, will try again later)

Heb 9-10

2007-03-04T22:54:00.000+11:00

Haven't posted for a while, but this I believe is capable of resurrecting my sleeping blog.

http://worshipmatters.blogs.com/bobkauflin/2006/11/ryan_ferguson_r.html

Think about THAT next time you do the church bible reading!

BTW - if you're sitting reading this in the storm that's happening right now, get up and go outside and run around in it for a while - that's when you'll know you're alive!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lil' Lily

2007-02-15T12:01:00.000+11:00

Much of my extended family live in Qld. One of them, my cousin Sharon, and her husband Leon, just had their first child - Lily! Here are some pics of the happy trio and I must say, the effort they put into this little web page has made reading a much more enjoyable experience. :)

http://secretgeek.net/lily/index.asp

-- Enjoy --

Satisfaction

2007-02-12T01:12:00.000+11:00

Day 1 of my new home - St Andrews Summer Hill. Way too much to post about now, but the upshot is it's all good!! Praise God for the people there, and the fact that I can be one of them for a while :)

9am-10:30pm. Not a bad first day. This feeling right now, is satisfaction.

Over-Excited Child

2007-01-29T12:23:00.000+11:00

The next couple of weeks are shaping up to be pretty eventful:

- First my brother gets married THIS SAT - very cool indeed!
- It's my final week at St Judes, my home church for the last 25 yrs!
- I've done my philosophy Assignment,
- I'm excited about starting my church history assigment,
- looking towards getting some extended time at the beach next week!
- At the end of the day - I'm just happy to have another week off. That is gold, can't complain about that... :)

This is me:
http://www.buzzhumor.com/videos/4377/Over_Excited_Child

Ahhh to be understood...

2007-01-26T10:13:00.000+11:00

"A weak and pallid child, Descartes was not expected to live very long. One of the tutors, Father Charlet, took pity on the boy for his frailty and allowed him to lie in every morning - a habit that Descartes was to enjoy for the rest of his life". (Fearn, P73-4)

:)

Reflecting the Son

2007-01-22T23:59:00.000+11:00

Unfortunately I didn't take this pic, cos I do like it :). Dani gets the 'props' (can't believe I just said that) for this one. 2 Crosses shining in the evening sun, otherwise unimpressive but bound up in the glory of the one they are reflecting.

I dipped into Calvin and Plato today for a bit of light reading. Apart from the content, I was struck by how it much it grates me when we drop names of people of high standing into our conversations to make ourselves look good. (I wonder if that's how you felt with that last sentence?). But what glory is mine because I have read someone else's insights? I am not now integrally linked to Calvin after today, and my name will not be mentioned in the same breath as Plato because I read something about him. I do not somehow elevate myself to God's dizzy heights that I should be given the honour due him just because I read the book he wrote. And yet when we speak sometimes it sounds like we expect such things.

What do you think of this as a statement? It rings true in me, at the very least.

“There is, indeed, nothing that man’s nature seeks more eagerly than to be flattered”. (Calvin II.i.1)

It's the Son's glory we should be reflecting, not riding his coat tails to try and gain some for ourselves. That's my thought for the day anyway.

Counting down

2007-01-19T15:07:00.000+11:00

Luke (my bro) is having his bucks party tomo - bring that on!! Luke being Luke, we're going to the go-karts before going out for dinner, so should be a good day/night. Will try and get some pics.

I can't believe he's getting married in like 2 weeks - it crept up so quick. Not that there are any nerves floating around, those two are great for each other.

It does get me a little worried about College work though, don't want Feb 26 creeping up on me too soon... Which is why I am pleased to announce Book 1 of Calvin is down and done!! Definitely feels good. Of course it's the small one of the 2, but still.

Now, to the beach for some more reading or should I stay in the air-conditioned comfort?...

Happy holidaying/working people.

Enjoying the Father

2007-01-12T23:32:00.000+11:00

Rest, I've discovered, is all about trust.

I had all these plans for going to the beach today. I was going to get up early, do some shoulder ex's so they don't dislocate in the surf, get my board fixed on the way (which isn't my board), role up to perfectly peaking crisp waves perfectly sized for a begninner, and get lost in there for hours actually doing what normal people call real surfing, rather than just the pseudo version I've done up until now.

Of course, I got up at 11, couldn't get the board fixed today, rolled up to easterly winds making the (small) waves choppy and ugly. In the end i didn't even bother hiring a board, just swam for a bit.

What's the moral of this story? Well, I ended up having an awesome afternoon just swimming, reading, chatting with Misty (below) and Geoff, walking, eating, drinking, watching the cricket and listening to some tunes on the way home. It wasn't until I was lying on the beach mourning the loss of my surfing dream that i realised - rest isn't about trying vainly to assert dominance over your life, it's about remembering that it is the work of God's hand that sustains us, and refocussing our trust on him. Rest is making ourselves vulnerable by ceasing our own work for a while and trusting in God's loving hand to provide for us. After all, my plans fail, but God's are more trustworthy than that.

Dave is someone who trusts a lot!!!

A Readjustment

2007-01-11T23:45:00.000+11:00

It's funny how priorities change and your motivations slip.

Just yesterday I was revelling in the persuit of pleasure, God's creation and ultimately self as I considered not just what a good holiday is but what I wanted my life to be about. Those things i mentioned aren't bad of course, but what is real life? It's:

"...to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent". (John 17:3)

I haven't been to Summer School since I was a kid and really had my view adjusted. We didn't look at John, but seeing the vision and commitment of these missionaries and hearing a greatly helpful talk on Matt 13 reminded me of this verse.

It challenged me with what I'm doing with my life, whether being at College is the way I think I am living out the Christian life instead of letting the way God has treated me change the way I treat every single person every day. Did I go through a whole day today without sharing the gospel with someone? What am I doing??? Did I really spend that much on a shirt when there are gospel organisations limited because of their finances? Am I really content with marriage, or is there an eternal task that outweighs the ego boost of being liked and the security of being 'settled' in this world? What am I doing???

I feel so refreshed having been beaten around the head a bit. Also meeting up with some old mentors gave me so much joy. Praise God for correction that can come from the mouths of honest and gentle men.

I feel like I'm rambling, but it feels good too. Please pray that these thoughts of mine might continue and that I will continue the slog of being obedient to them.

Night all :)

Quick update

2007-01-10T13:09:00.000+11:00

Haven't blogged for a while so i thought i'd give you a quick update be fore I head off to Summer School for a couple of days.

I decided yesterday that this is the life I want to be living - but then realised being on holidays probably had something pretty major to do with that(!), so was brought back to earth. Do you think I can keep riding, reading, hanging with old friends, chilling with family, going to the beach, (surfing!), playing golf, catching movies, shopping, eating, sleeping, sun-baking, doing weights, meeting my friends' new babies, preaching to people I know and love, meeting new people, listening to new music and going away - as well as keeping up College this year??? Actually, maybe I CAN do a lot of those things - ooo yeah!

Have to mention some sad news - we farewelled Ricky last Sat night who flew to Perth on Tues for 3 years. Cheers for the good times, and here's to many more when you return. (It's ok, he left his fiancee here, he's got to come back some time!!)

Been an eventful week too as I ran into an ex for the first time in 18 months the other day. Thankfully though, aside form the initial shunning/awkwardness, we actually had a really good chat. I'm so grateful to know people who know the Lord, and can forgive and continue to love, even after something painful. It was a refreshing taste of how an encounter with God changes the way you see the world and relate to people. Very cool.

Ok, I have no deep thoughts, or funky pictures, so I'm just gonna go. Though maybe Calvin can fill the void for me. I've been thinking on the Trinity a bit lately, and have been stoked by the relational unity on the godhead. Though they are distinct, they relate to each other with one mind it seems, well, one Spirit anyway:

“…the Son is one God with the Father because he shares with the Father one and the same Spirit… he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son”. (1.xiii.19)

Bring on the day when we will all relate with such selfless unity with God and with each other. And praise God for glimpses of it now! :)

New Year Joys

2007-01-01T22:17:00.000+11:00

I've discovered another one of life's hidden joys overnight - the frustration of a phantom blog checker! So often you slide back into thinking the only people who read your humble blog are your friends who you see all the time anyway. But no! There's a whole breed of covert life-watchers out there who feed on the goodness without adding to the joy with their own comments. Tut tut! (I mean, I would never do such a thing... ;)

So you can imagine my joy when i hear that one of these symbiots has been hanging on the edge of her seat waiting to hear the good news I thought all my friends knew... that I've accepted a Student Minister position with Chris Braga at Summer Hill Anglicna for 2007!! Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, there's a whole nother element of joy added to this piece of information! The wonders never cease. May my modest blog continue to be the object of such emotion and intrigue.

In other news, I was granted a sensational New Year's last night by some wonderful people. 'Exclusive' to ticket-holders only, I brought in the new year on the 24th floor of a Darlinghurst penthouse surrounded by some good friends. I am reminded of the timely words of Shane Warne at this point: "I am excited about the future because I don't know". Ok, so not quite a full sentence, but we love Warnie for other reasons. And he makes a good point anyway I reckon. When we have a God who is sovereign and working for our good, why not look forward to the future instead of fearing it?

In still other news:
- In exactly 1 year, i have had 7,733 visitors to my blog,
- The inner tube on my bike literally exploded while I was riding last week,
- The final Test starts tomorrow (c'mon baby!)
- Discovered a guy named Joshua Radin the other day. Got a couple of good tunes (esp 'Closer'), should check him out.

Quote of the day:
“…we are captivated with admiration for scripture more by grandeur of subjects than by grace of language”. (Calvin 1.VIII.1)
Something I am glad of since I mirrored this truth in my sermon last night :D

Goodness and Graciousness

2006-12-18T21:00:00.000+11:00

I've got some really exciting news(!!!!!!), but I'm not allowed to tell everyone until I've signed a bit of paper. I cannot tell you how cool this thing is, I am so looking forward to it!! God is always gracious - when will i learn this? The good things have been coming one after the other at the moment, and then on top of it i get this brilliant blessing and opportunity thrust into my lap. I actually don't deserve this, I actually don't know if I'm even cut out for this - but man, I'm looking forward to giving it a shot! Bring it on!!

"Cos I see the light surrounding you,
so don't be afraid of something new"
(Evermore)

The only things that frustrate me more than cryptic posts like this are those posts that just list all the things people have been doing, but don't give you any more details than that. Since that's what i was about to do, how 'bout i don't? It's enough to say there's been a lot of good going on, and if you want to know more then give me a ring and we can go for a beer. Though I will say i tend lapse into the dream of slothfulness during holidays, but there's something to be said for a bit of discipline. Might keep trying to work on that one.

I get to read some Calvin during the hols for College, so let me share some of the goodness.

Quote of the day:
“…how many of us do not reckon that men are whirled and twisted about by blindly indiscriminate fortune, rather than governed by God’s providence?” (Calvin, I.V.11)

Ricky and Pip, sitting in a tree...

2006-12-09T22:51:00.000+11:00

Congratulations Ricky & Pip for your engagement last week!!! It is so cool that you guys are getting married - you are perfect together! (About time too can I say... :) )

May God bless you with every happiness as you share your lives together and work to serve him with everything you've got. How are you going to leave now Rick???

Good on you guys.

Healing

2006-12-05T20:09:00.000+11:00

Today we went riding in the Royal national Park at Engadine. Tash loves her riding, so I'm glad she organised it, and Ant had a blast too.

Tash brought 3 of her friends along as well (from her old church) and they were the nicest guys (not in the photo unfortunately :) ). Anyway, one of them used to be a State mountain bike rider - who spent 8 months of last year in hospital after fracturing his C4-5 vertebrae in a biking accident! He was obviously thin, a little uncertain on some turns, and his left leg occasionally went into spasm with fatigue, but all in all he is probably fitter than the average person. He does ride about 12 hours a week (100Kms+).

It was such a beautiful thing to see and you know it struck me - healing can come from even the hardest and most unlikely places. Bad things were never meant to happen in this world, but healing really can happen, and when it does it's just so beautiful.

That's all I've got for now.

DT

2006-12-02T21:16:00.000+11:00

This week I went away with a great bunch of people from College. We had a sensational time, but that's for another post.

It's enough to say that Diversional Therapy is never a long-term solution.

5 days to go...

2006-11-18T14:02:00.000+11:00

So far I think I've done 6 exams in total (3 in this exam period and 3 before it started, including one in stuvac!), and I've got 2 left. I am starting to get seriously excited at this point!!

Not only do we get a good couple of months off, where we get to do some cool stuff like Calvin reading and Greek stuff and a couple of assigments (which wasn't sarcastic believe it or not), but we're also going away for a week up to the beautiful Central Coast. It's got to be good if it's called Taylor's Point, right? Although I think the bit named after me is further south - Buff Point. Not sure...

Anyway, here's a pic of the view from the veranda.

Grace Sandeman

2006-11-12T16:29:00.000+11:00

Quynh is one of the few people I keep up with from uni, and 2 months ago she had her first kid - Grace Sandeman. I'm still blown away when people I know have their first kid, it's so surreal (in a good way of course!!)

God bless guys!!

2006-11-11T00:43:00.000+11:00

I can see with my eyes, but still be blind to you. You can be there for the world to see, but hidden from the person next to you. Something gives vision, but finding it is hard. I want to see, but my mind is darkened. I want to be seen, but by beautiful eyes.

"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love" (Psa 33:18)

"All that I am,
all that I ever was,
is here in your perfect eyes,
they're all I can see" (Snow Patrol)

Colouring my wall, colouring my life

2006-10-28T14:54:00.000+10:00

_

One of the greatest things in life has to be good friends, and lately my friends have been very good to me!

Since moving I'd have to describe my room as funtional but formless. It always seems to be the thing I'll get to once I've done everything else. But thanks to my talented buds, it's beginning to look more like home.

Bec W is the talented lady who dreamed up the "3 piece" for above my desk. Love the colours. Simple design, but with a rich texture, bold but unassuming. Sounds like my perfect girl!

And the Ricksterpoured 7 hours into the second piece, gaining his inspiration from a cheeky young lady who's just lucky she's my g'friend at this point, or I'd smash her ;). It's about me apparently, but I can't see the link. I smiled politely but really I think he got the wrong guy.

So for anyone interested in some one-day priceless artwork, drop along to their blogs and lay your money on the table. If you mention my name they might give you a good deal.

Surprises

2006-10-01T17:48:00.000+10:00

Sometimes things happen that are not even close to what you could ever think, or plan, or dream. Usually I'd prefer to be in control, but God has a funny way of reminding you not only that you aren't, but that it's better that he is. I could never have created this on my own.
And so as my confession for why I have neglected my blog lately*, let me leave you with a picture that will paint the thousand words you didn't need, and the countless in between you probably didn't want:

*Did I mention my laptop was stolen??? That kinda makes it hard to blog too!

Mandatory unpaid blogging leave

2006-09-06T15:31:00.000+10:00

Sorry guys, but I won't be posting for the next little while, since my laptop was stolen out of my car while I was at church last Sunday! While it's inconvenient, there are much worse things that can happen, so I'm not slashing my wrists or anything. If you have some time and can spare a thought, please pray for my godliness and that the insurance company won't find some loop-hole that means they don't have pay for it!

Cheers, chat soon.
JT

Forever Young

2006-08-29T21:27:00.000+10:00

While i don't want to die young, or live in the desperate hypothetical illusion that I can maintain my youth forever in this life, I certainly enjoy being young, and am looking forward to that time when my youth will be perpetually renewed like the Eagle (Psa 103:5). I am grateful for the ability in my body, and the opportunity in my circumstances, to push the limits of my natural diurnal rhythms in order to create some memories that will last long after the short term pain.

Fitting then, to have exercised my youth while celebrating another year of progressing age! Last Thurs saw a bunch of classy people (and me) head out for what would be a night so much better than i had planned it was almost scary!

Ok, so here's what we did:

* Kicked off with Dinner at the Belgian Beer Cafe in the Rocks. How cool is this place!! It had atmosphere but we could still hear each other speak, stuff I'd never eaten on the menu, beers I'd never drunk on tap, and best of all I kept getting all these drinks sent to me from out of no-where and I still have no idea who by!
Apart from witnessing Lemmo's Scottish 'lady-melter' accent it was mostly good memories. Even witnessed the birth of young love, very special Mikey ;). Only thing left to do is compile our life-soundtracks and burn them for posterity. (That would be good actually...)

* Then we slid on down to the Basement for a bit of Jazz action, and they didn't disappoint. Full-body black vinyl outfits weren't what i was expecting, but it was a welcome change for Con and the boys. Can you believe I actually got one of Steve's beer bottles to take home? It makes me all goose-bumpy just thinking about it.

* We couldn't let a night like this go to waste so we ducked down to Circular Quay for a few shots (photos people), before doing the bolt to get Chels on the last train out of there. I don't think she's ever run so far in her life ;)

* But the night was still young, so what else could we do except pile over to Lisa's place for a few 'stories of luuuuv'. Wine, music, bacon & eggs, stories... suggestion, we had it all! Forever in one night. I told you this would be the stuff of dreams! Unable to let it pass us by, it was a quick trip to Maccas before...

* Sunrise at Clovelly beach - ooo yeah!! I don't know if it was the wine, the severe lack of sleep, or just Anthony's natural disposition, but I've never seen such a bunch of posers! They were loving every minute of it - the camera, the fame the flaunting... it was all i could do just to keep up!

* Sadly, after we greeted the dolphins, it was time to say goodbye to our night, and basically to our youth for some of us (except me that is). Youth Group serenaded us on the way home, gently bringing us to rest in Newtown at 7:30am. Forever Young indeed.

Cheers to everyone for coming out, I had a seriously good night! We've got 361 days to come up with something that's going to top that for next year - good luck!

JT

Some More Details

2006-08-21T22:22:00.000+10:00

Ok, here's the plan:

Dinner is planned for 7:30pm at The Belgian Beer Cafe. Those of us from College might aim to be on a bus at 7pm, so meet outside MAC at 6:50pm. The address is:

The Rocks
129-135 Harrington Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9241 1775

This place is so cool! You can get a whole 'slow roasted suckling pig' and everything!! AND they have beers that cost like up to $12 - c'mon baby!! (and cheaper ones too, don't worry :) ). You can check it out here.

Then I thought we might head on down to The Basement for a bit of Jazz action. That kicks off at 9, but if we're not there till 9:30 it's no dramas. The entry for that is $15. (Definitely the cheaper option).

So cruise on out for the night if you're up for it, should be a good night! If you just want to come for part of it then feel free, it just be cool to see people.

Only thing is I think we need to book for dinner. If you could let me know either as soon as you read this, or by Wed at the latest, that'd be cool.

Cheers guys, chat to you soon,
Josh

The Planets are aligning...

2006-08-16T18:53:00.000+10:00

Big things are happening people!!! Big things indeed...

First of all, the boys have gotten together and decided to throw me a party for my b'day next week - Con Campbell (my Greek lecturer), Mike Hammond (and ol' Mission buddy), Steve Morrison (3rd Yr student), and a few others are putting on a Jazz concert at the Basment next Thurs night (24th). And it's just for me, I'm pretty sure?... Nice of them really :)

So I'm thinking the stage is set for a bit of dinner in the city, or maybe King St (details to come), before sliding on down to The Rocks for a bit of Jazz action by 9pm. It's one of those laws of nature that you have to do something on your birthday isn't it? And they are going to all this effort, it'd be rude not to show up! (Just so you know, it's not for me at all! But don't spoil my fun).

And as if we needed any more incentive, they've gone and put our Greek 'Principal Parts' exam on the same day - what were they thinking! That's enough reason to break the study shackles and cruise on out for the evening I reckon.

So the forces are all pushing us in the same direction - food, Jazz, funky people, Thurs 24th. It even hailed yesterday - creation is groaning, we can't stop it!

This is the stuff of dreams, people. Dreams. Don't let another dream get washed away by the hail stones of life. Don't let this become another 'I wish' memory... Don't let me keep going like this - put a stop to it, tell me you're in!!!

JT

"Praise the Lord, O my Soul!"

2006-08-09T21:09:00.000+10:00

Recently i've heard of a couple of people quietly curse the dramas that music can bring to a service. One even went so far as to say that church services would be better off without music!

Bad day? Maybe. Or maybe a drifting from Scripture.

I've been working my way through Psalms over the last, say, 2 years :\, and i hit the nineties this week. Have a listen to some of these comments about music:

"It is good to praise the Lord,
and make music to your name, O Most High...
...to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp". (Psa 92:1-3)

"Sing unto the Lord a new song,
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day". (Psa 96:1-2)

"Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvellous things...
...Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music". (Psa 98:1-6)

And it gives good reason to praise the Lord in song, and in every other way in our lives - because he made the whole world, he has brought us out of slavery, and he will come to judge in righteousness and justice.

How could we not praise the Lord, and how could we not sing as part of that???

"How great is our God,
(sing with me) how great is our God.
All will see how great, how great
Is our God!"

JT

An Impass

2006-07-31T19:22:00.000+10:00

So we've been looking at 1 Peter in class and we've had both a lecture and some reading to do on this verse, but I'm still not quite sure what it means. Can anyone help shed some light on how we should understand 1 Peter 1:22? Here it is:

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart".

It's just the bit in bold really.

Cheers, this should be good hopefully.

JT

<3 Luke & Megan <3

2006-07-26T22:50:00.000+10:00

So yesterday my brother Luke proposed to his girlfriend Megan - and she said yes!! How cool is that?!! I'll try and get some photos soon maybe.

So just when we get done with one, here comes another... :). 'Bout time they got engaged I reckon!

But the best part is it means I can put up another post to replace that last one - whew!!

JT

How do you respond to love?

2006-07-26T01:15:00.000+10:00

I've been reflecting on John 3:16 for the last 48 hrs, putting together some thoughts for a 10 mins talk at College tomo. I've been really refreshed by the assurance of God's love embedded in that verse. You could think a lot of dubious things about God by looking at the world, especially all the suffering and broken relationship - but there is one reason we can be certain of God's love for the world: he gave his son to die in our place.

the thing about love is that you have to respond to it. You aren't forced to, you're motivated to. Even if you run scared, you can't remain unmoved. But how do you respond to such an extraordinary love? With a very ordinary reaction - you believe.

We believe in diferent stuff all day long. And we make stacks of decisions every day based on faith. This one is no different - you look at the evidence that God loves us in the fact that he gave his son, and you trust him to save us from perishing and to give us eternal life instead. I love that I can be in relationship with God again.

So hey, I'm pretty tired, it is 1:30am after all. But my final thought is a question I was asked last night - "so why are you still single, JT?". Indeed. Gotta tell you it's not something I've really thought about much. But aside from all the answers that immediately spring to mind (you know, like cos I've got standards... ;) ), here's the real reason:

I don't want to kiss anyone but my wife.

JT
(got a feeling I'll be editting that out when I wake up in the morning...)

Meant to be???

2006-07-20T21:04:00.000+10:00

Ok, so I've succumbed to the pressure, and taken this little test. I did this thing 5 times with different answers and got this song 4 times - maybe it was meant to be?..

Your 2006 Summer Anthem Is

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

"No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins"

What's Your 2006 Summer Anthem?

Or maybe not!??

JT

Annalise Barnard

2006-07-18T18:58:00.000+10:00

Just remembered I got photos of Andrew and Ruth's new kid from when I went to visit a couple of weeks back (found them in the glove box ~eeek!~).

Pretty full-on, he's like got a kid now!

(Sorry, it's a bit blurry)

JT

I'm Back...

2006-07-15T20:27:00.000+10:00

Camping with the kids from Youth was awesome!
We're so lucky to have contact with these kids, and more than that - to be able to teach them about the Lord. What better task could we be given? And as they get older they just get better. I feel like I can almost call them friends now, not just 'Youth Group kids'. Praise God!

I feel really blessed and lucky and excited to be able to know these guys, but what's with this feeling of wanting to deserve it? I feel like i want to have been given them because I've done something extra good, that I've given up something so they're my reward, or that cos I've followed God so well he's given me this gift that is like saying "well done".

But the thing is, we don't deserve to know these kids, and have the responsibility of growing them in God. We don't deserve to have Christians friends, we don't deserve to be right with God again. But here we are! Remembering that it's a gift is sooo much more beautiful than thinking I earned any of these things, but I still love to think I deserve it.

Thankfully, when I think about it like this I'm reminded of the blessing of Grace, and the feeling begins to fade. Grace is so much better! Praise God for his relentless mercy, especially on someone who knows his grace but would sometimes rather get there himself. Please keep reminding me of the blessing of Grace.

Till next time,
JT

While the Cat's Away...

2006-07-12T23:20:00.000+10:00

So much happened last time I went away I thought I'd warn you this time so that:

- No-one cries (a brave face only covers so much, Gheever),
- No-one will write anything incriminating about me while I can't defend myself (...probabaly shouldn't have written that),
- That whole (now public) gym experience can blow over and the world return to normal. 2 days should be enough for that shouldn't it??...

I'm camping as a ring-in leader for a Youth Group event. Please pray, I'd love to see it be something these great kids can grow from.

"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
that I shall say good night till it be morrow" (or Saturday!).
Shakespeare.

(Didn't know this, I just got it off a web site - "Confessions of the art-depraved", um... 'dot com', or something. How did they get my photo?..)

JT

Lemon Tree Passage

2006-07-10T15:37:00.000+10:00

Last week I went away for 3 days with some friends from College up to beautiful Port Stephens. I coulnd't believe how nice it was for the middle of Winter! Highlights included:

- Bushwalk up Mount Tomaree
- Ferry ride over to Tea Gardens (about an hour both ways)
- Bike ride from Soldiers Pt - along Salamander Bay, Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay - to Tomaree Heads. Plus the 'castle' we found there.
- Time to think up imaginitive stories like the one where I apparently watched 6 hrs of Pride & Prejudice in 3 days. What vibrant dreamers my beloved College friends are...

Plans for my next 2 weeks off - Superman tomo, then gym with the Scnitz (bring that on!), golf on Wed (somehwere exotic hopefully), camping with Tania and Tim and Youth Group Thurs/Fri, Simmo's b'day Fri night.

So seriously up for anything crazy, or sedate, as long as it's fun. I'll only be as far as the other end of the phone...

JT

Someone take me there...

2006-07-02T23:48:00.000+10:00

Time for a holiday I reckon. I love the satisfaction of fatigue from hard work. I love dreaming about the paradise at the end, and I love that first moment when the dream becomes a tangible reality. The hope helps get you there.

Not there yet though. Preparing a sermon on the 'Promised Land' theme from Deuteronomy this week (as I mentioned). I think I just worked out what it's all about. What do you reckon?

Of course, this might be a better dream... :D

JT

Circle of life

2006-07-02T00:04:00.000+10:00

Time of Death - 4:30pm, Sat 1st July, 2006...

Essay done - I killed it!! 2 days early and all.

Now THAT feels good. Mainly cos it means I can sepnd a full 2 days on Mon and Tues writing a sermon for next week. Hopefully get that done so I can spend a hassel free3-4 days up at Port Stephens with some College people. Ooo yeah, bring it on!

So one circle is complete, and another is about to begin. Where is the end-point, when does it finished? I think enjoying the ride on the way around is what it's all about, the 'end' if you like.

Though today has come to an end here. I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. Nigh nighs.

JT

Goth-tard

2006-06-29T23:46:00.000+10:00

I know it's late, but I can't help cracking up from this.

www.hopeisemo.com

Maybe I should just go to bed...

:D

It's all worth it.

2006-06-28T23:33:00.000+10:00

Today I realised the potential of Theological study:

"El shaddai, el shaddai,
El-elyon na adonai"

"God Almighty, God Almighty,
God Most High, my Lord"

Now I can understand all those great 80's songs - what more could I want??

(You know I love you Amy...)

(And I know Matt Lemsing loves you too, you pastel-sweetheart)

JT

Hyatt Vs Humiliation

2006-06-24T20:05:00.000+10:00

You've got to laugh really :) Had my final exam for the semester yesterday (which equalled a grand total of 1), and in my focus (let's call it) I forgot to hand in another assignment that was due the same day!

But I could either dwell on the humiliation, like I'm sure you're dying to remind me of, or I could brush it off and think about the awesome night we had last night after that little fiasco.

A bunch of us went in to the city for a wander and some drinks/dessert and we wound up at the Hyatt in the Rocks, overlooking the Harbour - how nice is that! I laughed more than I have for ages all because of this legend of a man named Don West. He's the principal of a Bible be College over in WA, but don't let that fool you. He's got the quickest, funniest and most encouraging sense of humour, which is so cool since most people drag each other down all the time (hello, like me severely!). AND he looked at one of essays for me and gave me some tips on it. Maybe I can study something over there one day... (Oh yeah, and he gave his umbrella to two of the girls and walked in the rain. That speaks volumes as far as I'm concerned).

Today was onther bloggable day, but we might leave that for some other non-Rugby time.

When Angels aren't enough

2006-06-22T19:40:00.000+10:00

Ok, so sorry for leaving that last post up for so long, you shouldn't have had to endure that... And sorry especailly to those who don't now me so well and may have taken it the slightest bit seriously! For future reference, that's me joking just so you know.

Anyhoo, a lot's been happening not the least of which is the let down by a few angels. Apparently they're responsible for guiding us through life, but usually just the minor peripheral things that don't really matter, are outside of our control, and aren't provable either way; or the things that we want to make sound really special because it gives us qudos with he opposite sex, and acceptance with the 'religious' world.

And so, Angels may have lead Guy Sebastian to some sheila, but they certainly let us down when they let us walk into the same restaurant as him yesterday!

I shouldn't be so harsh. He actually seemed nice enough, he smiled at an old lady who recognised him and he let the owners take their photo with him. AND he even sang a few ideas to his buddy over lunch (something a professional singer friend of mine used to always do, despite the looks, just cos he fully loved his music), so he's cool with me from that point fo view.

It's just the angel thing. It's not really something that many people deal with these days, they've probably got their minds on other things, but for the record here's the verse that song always makes me think of:

"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize". Col 2:18

Why would we focus on angels when we can speak straight to the God of all things? The one who actually rules and guides and saves us, and who rules angels too. Anyway...

Since we were talking about super heros the other blog, I thought I'd suggest a new addition. We ate at a place called the "Golden Fang" last week, and while Kamal stole the superhero rights, at least I got to be his side-kick - "Golden Retriever"!

I'm planning to get kicked in the head...

Why does this keep happening?

2006-06-13T23:08:00.000+10:00

So I got an email today from an old uni friend telling me she had a dream about me! I haven't seen her for years, but she wants me to lead on a camp with her in the holidays.

If there was an off button I'd turn off the charm, but what can I do?...

;P

Gracious Father

2006-06-12T15:35:00.000+10:00

Saturday night a bunch of us from College went and saw Les Mis together and I tell you what - how much do I love musicals! Admittedly, for the first like 10 mins you sit there kind of cringing wondering why they're all singing everything to each other, it's so left field, but by the end it's taking everything you've got not to be up there with them belting out the finale at the top of your voice! I love passion and emotion when it's directed at something good, or when it comes out of something virtuous.

The lead character was this biggish guy with a father-like distinguished beard who had what can only be described as a 'velvet opera' voice. He's the kind of guy you just feel safe with, an Aslan-type figure. And he always stood for what was right. Throughout the story he just gives and gives and gives, and by the end the whole story is hanging off 2 characters who are both only still alive because of this guys grace. His name is Jean Val-Jean (or something like that), and it's not hard to see him as the God/Father/Christ figure (apart from when he tried to steal stuff off a priest at the start, but whatyagonna do?). I love being encouraged by God's character in different ways, and I reckon drama can be a really good way to do it.

In other news, Dad turned 60 last Friday, so his brother and wife (my Aunt and Uncle) came up from Melbourne for the night and we went out for dinner. It was really good. That leaves me 34 years to become half as great a man as my Dad.

Unlikely.

JT

PS - Those pics weren't from the musical I saw. Mine was in Ashfield..!

Loving what is Temporary

2006-06-06T18:13:00.000+10:00

Look at them - not a dry eye in the house. Straining to muster a smile, broken but searching for optimism, looking for hope but only finding solace in an endless box of Kleenex... It's slack you know, someone should tell them how hard it's going to be to leave Sydney, especially the unique warmth of the good people of St Dude's.

But such is the task before the team from Cedarville University (Ohio), who blessed us all too briefly with their ethereal song and drama skills. Actually, I heard one of them spent the night throwing up from the withdrawal pains they were so bad, God bless her...

But seriously, I loved mission this year! The team were so much fun and so easy to talk to, I wish I could have spent more time with them. It's so cool they get to come out, God rocks!

The thing is, now that we've seen them get on a plane and fly off, the reality is starting to set in a bit more that they are actually gone, and Melbourne may as well be as far away as America. I hate this bit.

It strikes me that falling in love with something that's temporary could be setting yourself up for a fall. Maybe, but isn't that exactly what God has done with us? We may be decaying and on our way to destruction, but God didn't just turn a blind eye and start over with creation no.#2. He literally killed himself to show us how much he loves what is temporary. Not only that, he took what was perishable and made it imperishable. He took what was dying and gave it life. He took a moment and made it an eternity.

If God loves longevity of good relationship, then so do I. So here's to taking temporary realtionships and making them long-lasting. Eternity isn't too long in my opinion.

God bless,
JT

Mission Dreams

2006-05-19T21:19:00.000+10:00

This has been a little while coming (my apologies), but I've been a little sick and more than a little busy (did someone say Greek Test next week??...). But here's what I've been doing over what must officially be the longest blogging break I've had since I got into this whole crazy thing.

Last week was my first ever College Mission, and I was lucky enough to be involved with Ecom ("evangelising commerce") in the Sydney CBD. I can't speak highly enough of these guys. They're so well organised, efficient, hard-working, and above all, I love their vision - evangelism in the workplace. There are so many people who live at work and can really only be reached by their Christian work-mates, so I love the thought of them hearing the gospel, AND of encouraging Christians to stand firm in such a potentially difficult environment as big business.

So our job was to man a bunch of stalls around Sydney, giving away free literature and fliers, trying to get into gospel conversations basically. We had free coffee (ooo yeah!), BBQs, acapella singers, Nathan Tasker, cooking demonstrations, magic shows and stuff to attract some interest, and it was surprisingly successful.

We also put on a number of 'private events' in companies such as Earnst and Young (where I was), either doing talks or bible studies with the employees. So imagine a huge board room, one of those classic long desks with rows of leather business chairs down both sides, little microphones at each place for you to talk into, and a massive TV behind a screen they use for video conferencing! Now imagine me at the head of the table trying to facilitate a discussion with a bunch of business people, including 2 of the partners of the firm - ya, not QUITE my thing!! I mean, when else will you get that sort of opprotunity, but dude, if you know me you'll know that's not my idea of a normal bible study group to say the least. Not to mention I had the Academic Dean of Moore College sitting in on me...

So how'd it go? Well, I'd rather not swear, so I won't answer that at this point, but lets just say the Al Stewart talk we watched on DVD was all good. I spose it wasn't that bad, but I'd be giving myself a score of "a long way from perfect" out of 10.

What WAS cool was Street Evangelism! Seriously can't believe I'm saying that, but I went out 5 times over the week and every single time we had an extended conversation with a non-Christian about the gospel (as in up to 45 mins). Now, tell me that's not just very cool! It's why I loved mission so much. Weird hey...

I know this is long (again), but I've got to tell you the best thing that happened all week. On Tuesday during Street Evangelism I met Will. We chatted for about half and hour and he was really open, honest and interested in talking about God. He has a Catholic background (boarding school, so bad darts!), and seen the church do lots of bad things, so he was pretty jaded about some things (rightly so). But he ended up coming to a Bible talk on the next day, and then to a dinner/talk/bible study thing on the next night. In the next week he read Matt, Mark, Luke, and reckons he wrote about 15,000 words on his thoughts about God and life and stuff in that week.

We met up again on Tuesday and I gave him "A Fresh Start", and he said it has been incredibly good. Clear and exactly what he needed at this point in his life, he said. I can't believe what's been happening with him, I can so see him becomming a Christian (if he isn't already), and we're going to keep meeting up.

For me, that was the point of the whole week! Please pray for him. He's thinking about taking a job in Alaska for 3 months, which seems like bad timing. Perhaps it would be better if he didn't go, but either way please pray for his salvation. Things like that are so encouraging, so I've been praising God for being able to be involved too!

SO lots of other things happened too (like I got to pray in the 10:30 service at St Andrew's Cathedral - AND Philip Jensen said I did a good job!!!), but even the best of you must be hoping I leave those things for another time. So I will!

Let me leave you with this crack up of an evening I had last night.

We went and Saw Lano & Woodley and they were sensational! They're so clever, my stomach was hurting through all that blubber I've put on over the last 2 very un-energetic weeks! Shame they're finishing up...

P.S. - Pray for St Barney's too, the church building burnt down last week which has got to be pretty full on, I reckon. JT

Attachment

2006-05-07T21:41:00.000+10:00

"Suffering is caused because we attach ourselves to things. When that thing is taken away from us, we suffer. Therefore, we must become aware of our attachments so that when they are broken, we can minimise our suffering".
(This is not a quote from Buddha, just a practicing Buddhist)

That's what I was discussing with a Buddhust fellow for about an hour and a half last week. Only problem is, I think he's wrong, in the most part at least.

I think people do attach themslves to things, but I don't think attachments are morally neutral. I think some are clearly good (like a father's attachment to his son), and some are inherhently bad (like an attachment to drugs). That being the case, I don't think the breaking of a healthy attachment causes suffering because the attachemnt should't be there, I think suffering comes because a good attachment is broken when it shouldn't be. So the son dies - the attachemnt isn't to blame, death is. I am attached to my watch and it is stolen. My attachment is not to blame, it is the person who stole it who is to blame for my suffering.

And so while it would be nice to be able to have complete control of our own suffering by just mastering our attachments (a process another buddhist referred to as becomming 'dispassionate'), the reality is that sometimes it's external to us. I can't change someone else's heart, so I don't have complete control of my own suffering. Harsh but true.

Then of course i realise that I cause a lot of my own suffering, primarily by my selfishness. And yet where this might come back under my own conrtol I realise that I can't stop doing that anymore than i can stop people from dying or a random theif stealing my stuff. The problem is in the heart of man, and it's a problem we can't resolve.

And so I am driven once again to the cross of Christ, where Jesus deals with sin, promises a new creation where sin and death will be no more, and gives me his Holy Spirit to help me wto deal with the sin in my heart until then.

My perfect world is not a world of no attachments, but where all attachments are good, and good attachments are never broken. The God of the Bible is again what makes the only sense of our world, and Christ is again the only hope for it. I pray that this man (who turned out to be a lecturer at Sydney uni), ponders this, and comes to put his faith in the Lord of the universe, Jesus the Christ.

Is there anything else about Buddhism that you have experienced, or can't make sense of? Let's share some things around, if you want...

P.S. - I'm on Mission with ecom this week, so posts may be scarce. Some amazing stuff has been happening, so I might not be able to conrtol myself though. We'll see hey!

Value this, right now.

2006-05-02T22:15:00.000+10:00

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans"
-- John Lennon

That's my holiday in a nutshell, pretty much. I'd been waiting for it for quite some time, but then it comes and the things you plan to do aren't the things you end up doing (I blame weather and other people's business) and you feel a bit jipped frankly. But while you're cursing what didn't happen, you're losing what might happen now. While I was afraid of losing my holiday, it was my fear that was making me lose it!

So here's some of the good things I DID do on my week off.

Firstly, I say with boldness that I saw a streak of really solidly good PG movies - yes PG! I don't know why it almost hurts to say this, but I've pre-judged the whole PG thing. Such purity. Such good clean fun. I'm a new man!
(For those interested the 2 titles I can remember are Sky High, and Little Black Book. Again, they are PG, so enter at you're own risk, but I'm enjoying this limb for the moment).

Next, I went on 2 sensational bike rides down the M2. That is the best stretch of biking road (compared to Newtown anyway), and during the final hr + 1/2 of daylight, it's just awesome.

Beers are always hard to beat if the company's right... and ooo it was!

Garlic King Prawns are a rare delight, as is cleaning up on the Poker table (though that's not so rare...)

And some new clothes never go astray, even if the process is painful.

Oh, and I got to have "story-time with Josh" with the kids at church on Sunday morning, which was a crack up. Anyone else think Steph Semler's just a gorgeous little thing? If I have kids like her I'll be a happy man!

But while planning can mean you miss the moment, I'm planning something at the moment that will make a lot of big moments for me in the future. I've got to decide on an essay topic for Old Testament, and this decision will make a pretty massive difference to what I take away from 1st Yr College. So important stuff.

Ok, I think I've sucked the life out of this moment, how 'bout I go now?
Bye bye,
JT

V

2006-04-28T13:48:00.000+10:00

Had to put this in, it's long but cool:

"This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." Sounds like one of my essays - a lot of words but doesn't make a lot of sense...

Cool movie though, I've been won over by another borderline psychotic visionary, should I be worried??? I serously love these dudes who don't just cop whatever some tyrannous, ignorant authority tells them when they know the truth. Not so sure about their methods of course...

It's like this show I was watching of the gospel of Judas, these people talk with authority, but the things they say are just such amazing misunderstandings (at best). It gets me really firey that they can just say this stuff and it's out there for the world to lap up. What if someone's actually looking for answers about God and all they get is a bunch of confused lies? They should be made to tell the truth!

Or would that sort of government be tyrannical as well?

Bring on God's Kingdom, he'll know how to run things...

P.S. - This guy's voice is AWESOME - you never see his face in the movie, but dang, I'm in love with his voice!! (Hugo Weaving it is, hope that doesn't spoil it for you).

Freedom!!!

2006-04-22T17:47:00.000+10:00

"They fought like warrior poets.
They fought like Scotsmen -
And won their freedom".

After a week of grinding my nose against the stone, i too have finally won my freedom... oooo yeah!!!. "2000 words isn't that hard" I hear you say, and there's some truth to that. But an essay is still and essay, and a weeks worth of holiday work is still that (actually, I played golf in the mountains on Monday, but...).

EITHER WAY - I'm still pumping, cos now I've got a week off!! Bring that on!!

It was amusing to receive a resounding "yes!" off the multitude of complete strangers I asked last night whether I look like Ted Danson, rather more encouraging to to have heard the names Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise roll off some other people's tongues (sorry, no, reality you wanted didn't you...), but all I really want to be like is William Wallace. A man of passion, and conviction. Who went through hell, for freedom. He didn't lose the vision.

That's what I want.

And today I've come that one step closer. Now we've both shared the freedom for which we have fought so long, finally. (Actually, he died before Scotland was freed didn't he? Sucks to be him).

For Freedom,
William.

Truth!

2006-04-20T19:44:00.000+10:00

Some of you knew this was coming, but my 'truth' question for all of you is going to be something along the lines of a question asked to me last week by Uncle Andy (yes, Jamo). Here goes:

"Of all the irons in the fire, which one's burning the brightest?"

For those of you suggesting you don't know what this means, let me exaplin it for you. Of all your possible, how shall we say, love interests, who's the front-runner at the moment?

And just in case you can't remember if you took part in this little game, let me remind you of who the players are, just to make sure ;) :
We have Dave, Chelsea, Gheever, Shannyn, Jodi, Ricky, Goldy and Anon 1, 2 and 3 (unless you decided to reveal yourselves, in which case the anons won't really count). Plus anyone else who wants to play.

Here we go, it's over to you!

**And Happy Birthday MISZTAL!!!**

Free Tickets!

2006-04-18T19:39:00.000+10:00

Who in this world can resist free tickets?!!
No-one who enjoys the 'sanity' title, so for anyone who's interested in a night of good music by a guy who's character is even better than his music (as if that were possible), let me know and I might be able to scam some freebies for us to see Nath Tasker play at a church in Silverwater this Friday night. Nath's music is very special. He's so clear and unashamedly Christian, and his lyrics really cut to the heart to encourage and challenge. It'll be a night of honesty and holiness, I trust, rather than the hedonism that so often accompanies worldly concerts. So if you're free and interested, let me know and I'll see how many tickets I can get. (It'll have to be SOON though, ie. by like tomorrow).

Oh, and there's going to be some other relative unknown (at least next to The Man himself ;)) by the name of Randy Stonehill playing with him... (in fact, Randy is a pretty huge name on the Christian music scene in America, which is a testament to just how good Nath is!). Nath will play before him, in fact.

Sorry, no truth or dare this post, had to get this in first! Keep them coming though...
Chat soon.

Truth or Dare

2006-04-16T00:36:00.000+10:00

Let's have a little fun shall we...

Tonight marks my first ever real game of truth or dare, and I figured the fun needn't stop just cos the party's over. So welcome to "Online Truth or Dare!", JT style.

It's a fine line to draw whether the first question should be a nice juicy one at the risk of scaring away those timid phantom blog checkers who try and slip in and out unnoticed and who'll just opt out of the challenge before it even gets started, or whether we should ease people into things nice and gently at the risk of boring the more adventurous of us to tears.

...So to make things easier while still allowing for us to push a few limits, I thought I'd let you ask ME the first question(s), and then I'll follow it up with a question for YOU next blog! Can't say that doesn't sound fair now can you? (Just a reminder though that my question may depend on exactly where you decide to go with yours, so bear that in the back of your sinister little minds).

Ok, I'm in your hands - ask me a question and if I don't want to answer it, I guess I'll take the dare... ;-)

Bring this on!!

Sea of Uncertainty

2006-04-10T20:22:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it's a challenge to work out where you stand. The last thing I tend to notice with people is what they're wearing (unless you're picking up some tips off dead sexy fashion gurus like Misty), much less whether people have decided to adorn themselves with any facial bling bling. But since experienceing the transition in a couple of friends and fellow bloggers over the w/e, I'm suddenly thrust out over a very deep sea of uncertainty. Piercings - where do you like em, who can pull them off, and how many is too many? These are the questions before us, and the answers may be the life boat that salvages my relational anguish.

Further uncertainty is held out for the new Ice Age movie (Ice Age 2) as far as I'm concerned. Like most things, movies so often are about who you see them with as much as anything else, but not even the company got me really pumped about this movie. And it actually wasn't BAD, it just didn't really get me firing, that's all. Good for a few laughs, but probably aimed at a slightly younger audience I guess. Shrek, Lion King and well, Shrek II, now there are some good animated flicks. Maybe I needed to see it with some kids or something?..

What there's no uncertainty about is how well Youth Group went on Friday. One of the girls brought her boyfriend and we had some really good chats in Bible Study about "Who is Jesus?" and "How do you respond to him?", doing a review of the people Jesus met in John. He was a really nice bloke actually, I just hope he comes again next term so Tim can keep guiding him along.

I'm in 2 minds as to whether to head back out for the Passion screening at church tomo night. Great movie, but long drive if I'm not inviting anyone. See what happens.

Have fun gearing up for Easter. (Easter is only as good as your engagement with it I reckon. I'm trying to take the week to reflect on Jesus' death, and maybe take next week to think about his resurrection. Maybe we could do it together?)

In Him,

Eternal Nostalgia

2006-04-05T16:52:00.000+10:00

We got to share our testimonies today in our 1st year group, which is one of the few times I've actually done it in a small group setting (and I've never done it in front of a large crowd). But it was really encouraging hearing how God has worked in people's lives to bring them to know and love the Lord Jesus, in some quite different ways to my situation. One girl used to be part of a group who threw fruit at the Christians, and it was not only their love to her during some hard times that attracted her to God, but she also ended up marrying one of them! That's the coolest story!
Another guy came from what sounded like a harder background, but over a few years his whole family went through a major turn around and his brother was ordained a little while ago! Another guys was converted through a game on a Youth Camp - tell me that's not full-on encouraging if you're in Youth Ministry!! Seriously, that's the effect we can have on people with our Friday nights, people in Youth Ministry are so important (I wish it was my gift in some ways...).

As for my story, it begins with realising the blessing of being born into a Christian family, to my first personal response to Christ as a youngster on holidays in a caravan park hearing my family sit around the table having a conversation about Hell, of all things. I just remember being scared at the prospect of being cut off from God and his love, so I excused myself from the table, went downstairs and asked Jesus to become "my personal Lord and Saviour", which i knew could happen because Jesus died for me. I talked about some of the challenges to my faith and how the challenge now and for the rest of my life will be to stand firm for Christ until he returns.

BUT - it was John Woodhouse who gave me the most refreshing reflection on my own life, as he mentioned in a lecture today that "Ultimate reality is personal". So, no biggie for most people, but for me in Yr 11 & 12 the idea that life was about my relationship with God and my relationship with people turned my whole decision making process around. It was probably the biggest reason why I did Physio, it's why I fight my desires of self-centredness which make me prefer to stay quiet or uninvolved, and it's the model I try to fit both the big and little decisions into when i don't know which way to go. God is personal. He was that way before we were even created. And that's why life is about relationships, it's where both the meaning and the challenges come.

So, despite being the antithesis of what a testimony is about, you've now had just a little insight into me. I'm hoping that moreso it will make you think about what the God of the universe is like...

Cheers,
Josh

P.S. - I just thought the photo was cool, someone took it on her mobile just as my flash went off.

Embracing freakdom

2006-04-01T15:04:00.000+11:00

I think Newtown is a good place for Moore College. It's where all the weirdos, freaks, crazies, aliens and extremists congregate to make their statement to the rest of the world. Exactly where we Christians belong, I reckon.
I mean, anyone who actually believes this stuff about God taking on the form of his own creation, of him serving the rebellious people made by him, and God being patient with petty man rather than the other way around like all the Greek gods - we've got to be a bit left field don't we?

"And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Heb 11:13)

(Hopefully for different reasons though...)

Went to the Marly for Mike's 26th on Thurs night, which was a better way to celebrate his birthday than what he got up to on the actual day (Wed). I went for a ride to Centennial Park, and when I was as far away form home as I intended to get I got a flat - that's 2 out of the last 5 rides!! Anyway, Mikey came through for me and picked me up, at the cost of being late for his own b'day dinner. Once again, he's a good man!

Wandered down to broadway last night for a movie, and after lining up for ages behind some gothic lesbians, we finally got our tickets and went in. Afterwards we found a querky but nice little coffee shop on Glebe Point Rd, and had some laughs. Been a good few days really!

And to top it off, my only responsibility on Sun is music in the evening, so maybe I can get a day off today - WOOHOO! Perhaps a bit of beach action on the way home?...

Auburn Mosque - here we come!

2006-03-29T21:27:00.000+11:00

God is said to have written both of these books these quotes are taken from:
"We(God) created man to try him with afflictions".
(Surah 90)

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins"
(1 John 4:10)

Either God's schizophrenic or the Quran's a load of bollocks!

Though it does get 1 thing right:
"Unbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, nor do you worship what I worship. I shalll never worship what you worship, nor will your ever worship what I worship. You have your own religion, and I have mine".
(Surah 109)

Here, here!

4 lovely ladies!

2006-03-27T20:19:00.000+11:00

Could it get any sweeter than a full house on the flop - 3 aces, and 2 3's!! I thought not until the third ace came down on the River! When you're all in with a stack of chips and four aces in hand, that's one sweet feeling, my friends! Could be the 4 loveliest ladies I know at the moment... (just for your info Tubs!...).

So my brother's a bit of an entrepreneur, but starting things is always more exciting than keeping them going, so when he wanted to start selling candles the desire burnt out pretty quickly when the effort soon proved to be more than it was worth. [While we're on the subject of this particular brother of mine (Luke), he's the same one who started up a beauty salon (!), while his other business was as a mobile mechanic! Gotta love that guy]. Anyway, upshot is we were cleaning out the garage on the w/e and he was throwing away all these candles, so I got to keep a whole bunch of em. Which meant a few minor decorating changes for my room.

I also got a TV - WOOHOO, welcome to the real world once again! Very cool.

But apart from having some famous guy in church when I was leading the service in the morning (who is famous for having writen a bunch of bible study material, talk about pressure!...), and being on the panel to answer some tough questions at church in the evening (I got "suffering"), there's not a lot else to report. Just last week I was thinking how easy it was all going (comparatively), now i think I need a holiday! But life is still good.

I dare you to make my life exciting this week!...

JT

P.S. - I've got some spare candles if anyone wants some. :)

Why I'm Alive

2006-03-24T23:52:00.000+11:00

So much has happened this week, I've had a ball frankly!
So you know about camping last w/e and the inaugural SMBC/Moore Beer & Good Times Night on Wed, but there's been heaps of other good stuff too.
Monday we went to Town Hall for the Moore College Graduation Ceremony, which ok, was a little boring, but the "yee-has" by one D. Mister and A. Chunger to my right brought a welcome element of humour (and disbeleief I'd have to say). I swear that Dave's a little kid in a big kid's body - that's why we love you, sweetie! And we went to dinner before hand at Cellini's in the QVB. I've never eaten in the QVB before, but I'd be more than happy to further my knowledge of the culinary delights that place has to offer. Oh, and hearing Peter Adam (the principal of a Bible College in Victoria) impersonate a dead speaking fish wasn't something I'm gonna forget easily either! Oh, and a rousing rendition of "I will sing the wonderous story" absolutely pumped! I love that song again now, and the repeat performance by Craig in chapel this week was verty timely, I just love that song!!
Moving right along (but slowly), we then went out to the 3 wise monkeys afetrward with a bunch of people I really didn't know very well from College, but we had a great time. I'm really looking forward to getting to know some of these guys and girls at Chappo/MAC this year, praise God for this.

And tonight I got to watch the 1st movie I've seen for probably 2 months (which is a record for me!), on DVD - "Flight Plan". A bit slow in bits, but still pretty cool. I was almost disappointed that there wasn't going to be the stock-standard action movie twist -> climax -> denoument, but thankfully they came through for me in the end. Don't know where I'd be without my brain-dead action/thriller escapism movies to kill a few hours after a hard week... (Did I say hard week???). I was also disappointed that I couldn't persuade people to see Love Actually, apparently it's not 100% approporaite in our setting (and some people said they didn't like it - a first as far as I've heard). I will seeyou one dasy though you elusive movie..

AND I got an assignment done this week - a 500 word-er on a book by a poor guy named Helmut. But let me tell you, that's 40 pages of the best stuff I've read in ages, seriously! To not let theology stay in the realm of intellect and rhetoric, but allow it to sift down into faith by personal reflection and experiential application - that is, to actually believe what you're saying - that's such a nail on the head kind of thing. It's grabbed me by the heart, and the guts, and gotten me fired up to actually engage with what i'm doing here at College, grow in my faith and be prepared to to be honest enough to question things if I'm not sure I believe them. It's given me the license to grow and not sink into wasting my time trying to one-up myself with people. That is, it's re-enforced my desire to steer clear of that. I so want to be honest with all this, please pray that God would be giving me genuine growth in my faith as I get to know him better.

But I don't think I can even call that the best thing that's happened this week. See, everyone's got to be on a committee here at College, and from the first time I heard about it, I was drawn towards the evangelism committee. But, thinking it tooka bit of extra time, and probaably is the one most people see as the scariest one (it's mainly walk-up evangelism), I convinced myself out of it, and opted for my other great growing love of prayer (as a committee, how cool is that!). But a few weeks in, I just can't do it any more, I had to go see what this evangelism committee was like.
So yesterday I went out with a few from College, including one from EU at Sydney uni, and in pairs we wandered around the uni starting conversations with people about Jesus. It really doesn't have to be that hard, you just have to be honest and be able to listen as well as care enough to tell them a gospel they might think is weak. And God was so good to us, for my first time out at Syd uni, he gave us a young guy who was really interested in talking about God. Let me tell you about him, since if you've made it this far already you've obviously got either more stamina than the next person or a psychological pathology of some sort..

Anyway, he grew up in Ireland with a Catholic mother and atheist father. Having been turned against organised religion, he has now found a thing called "Subud", which is like the Quakers where you sit in silence and wait for God to 'come to you' in some form, that invariably leaves you feeling more calm and clear-headed. He talked about it as an 'exercise' that anyone can do to get closer to their God, and the goal is to move away from faith towards experience (all his words). I had never met anyone who really thought these things so explicitly before (though a friend of mine's family were Quakers). He also mentioned how the Bible has been changed over the years, how he didn't want to call himself Christian because of what people have done in the name of Christ in the past (he lived near Belfast), and he didn't think Jesus was the magical key to open the way to God. Like, which issue do you want to talk about first?!!

But we had a good chance to share the gospel with him (the whole of 2 ways to live), and I chose to just work on getting the idea across that if you want to get to know God, you meet him in the Bible. Sin has cut us off from God (which he agreed with!), so the only way he can come to us is if he reveals himself to us, which he has done in Jesus. Jesus tells us what God is like, and deals with the sin that comes between us so we can relate to God again.
Would he have bought it if I had expressed it that clearly at the time? Maybe, maybe not. But God is in charge, and he heard the gospel, so there's nothing more I could have done to show him the Way than that, and pray for him, which I'm doing. I really hope we run into him again so we can chat more, and that God will not let him let go of a few nuggets that we talked about, so he comes to faith. This is why I am alive, surely!

Ok, so I'll stop there. As with all stories, it sounds better than the weak reality that actually took place (ie. I could've been clearer), but what a great thing anyway. I've been really motivated by it, and I hope you can be too. Please pray for him, or better yet, someone in your life who doesn't know the Lord. Imagine being there on that day with God - and with that friend of yours you shared the gospel with. Now that's treasure in heaven!!

(Thanks for still being here!)
Chat soon,
JT

Wednesday beers!

2006-03-22T23:06:00.000+11:00

Oooo yeah - gotta love being 10mins away from some sweet bars! I reckon anyone who says they can't come out after 8:30 at night 'because of work' just doesn't know how to manage their time!! (I'll get in trouble for that now, you watch...). 2 hours in a day can't be the only time you study surely!
Ok, now for the qualification: If you're married, forget what I just said, you've got enough to dael with. If you live half an hour away from the pub, you're exempt too. If the organiser hasn't let you know prior to the night that it's on, the folly is his own. If you've already been out twice that week, you're still in my good books too. And if you've had Bible study, obviously I still love you. But c'mon, this'll only last for a few years and it'll be back to the hard slog!

Right, tangent over, it was very cool hanging out with some SMBC guys (which means girls too of course) and Moore people as well tonight at the Marly. Apart from a few last minute bailers, we got a good bunch together and had some good laughs. Now I feel refreshd and ready to get pumping on some Greek for tomorrow (which I WOULDN'T have done if I didn't go out I might add).

But cheers to all for some good hang time, here's to many more monthly SMBCMTCBGTN's in the future! (Which of course means "Sydney Missionary and Bible College and Moore Theological College Beer and Good Times Nights". Get used to it people!)

Nigh nigh's now,
JT

1000th Visit celebration!!!

2006-03-22T17:05:00.000+11:00

Ok, so I'm sitting on 994 visits to my humble blog, if we can get to 1000 by the end of the day, we might all have to go to the Marly to celebrate!!! (Say, 8:30, meet you all there?)
Ok, ok, so we're going anyway, and my blog isn't a life changing event for the whole world, but there's no harm in dreaming is there???

The idea is SMBC meets MTC, and credit must go to the visionary Tim Goldsmith who dreamed it up (cheers, big fella!). This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Spread the word!

Andy

2006-03-21T22:13:00.000+11:00

If Mike Hottinger keeps a flock of ladies hanging around outside my door on one side, then next door neighbour no. 2 makes sure we're swamped! Style, grace, sophistication and an element of 'el suavo' keeps me ever envious of the life the other half lives (ie. those with sheer transcendant class).
Andy Jamieson lives on the other side of me, and when he does grace the College with his presence, he brings that touch of cheeky wit that make the ladies swoon (and ok, me too just a little bit).
Unfortunately for the ladies, he's already taken, but that's ok by me cos I still get to glean a little bit of knowledge from him of how to make the female world fall at my feet. (Still got a lot to learn, hey?)

Ok, so excessive flattery aside, Andy seriously still rocks my world, though I do have a few questions for him. Here goes:
- The copper bracelet, mate - what's the deal with that?! Magnetic therapy? Keeping the evil spirits away? Some metro chick-pulling thing?...
- The pose - it came so easily, is it natural or did you have to practice?
- The eyes I already know about - it's a 'spawn of Satan' thing...
- But the perpetual 3 day growth, no mere mortal can maintain it day in day out without having to shave - what's your secret?

So if you're not playing basketball, or working (naughty!), or out with the Mrs or down at the pub, drop in and let us in on your little secrets! The world will be a better place.

The 'Hotty'

2006-03-16T19:53:00.000+11:00

Michael Hottinger

Everyone wants to be famous, so I've decided to give the opportunity of eternal glory to a select few, namely - the Chappo Boys, by being on my blog.

To get the ball rolling I dropped in next door on the 'Hotty', so here's a bit about him:
- Dead sexy (as you can tell), all the ladies are all over him (as you can imagine)
- Swiss blood, (cos he was born there I guess!). Can have a crack at speaking a few different languages - German, French, English, 1st Century Greek, Hebrew...
- Moutain-biker (but we won't hold that against him)
- Church at Springwood, lives a few suburbs from here though (go figure?)
- Gifted with the ability to sleep at the drop of a hat, he actually will be grandpa Simpson one day.
- Aiming for the big one, 4 yrs, with a view to full-time ministry in a church somewhere I guess.

(...And this is the photo he CHOSE to put on!... (???) )

11th March, 2006

2006-03-13T23:41:00.000+11:00

Not sure why they're not lined up, but here are some pictures from the wedding. (You might be able to tell they're not the professional ones..).

I didn't know the bridesmaides wonderfully, but the groomsmen etc in the bottom left go: Matt (groom), Steve Drew (Best Man), myself, Tim, Luke (groomesmen, all brothers of the groom), from left to right.

(If I can try and get my hair even taller, I might not be the shortest...).

Hope of Heaven

2006-03-11T20:32:00.000+11:00

God is so good.
Today my oldest brother Matt promised to be with the girl he loves for the rest of his life. And the good part is, she said the same thing back! God willing, from today till the day one of them dies, Matt & Carolyn Taylor will be a part of our family, and I love them both.
It was such an 'easy' day too, no worrying about the thousand little things that really are insignificant, or battling the drama of family members who are at each others' throats. Just a simple statement of God's love for us, and two people's love for each other.

As we were setting up for the reception last night I was putting a bunch of chair covers and table cloths on the dining chairs and tables, and it just struck me how much weddings are about the colour white. Maybe I'm a bit slow, but the whole thing is about purity. On a day celebrating love the whole thing is geared around "love covering over a multitude of sins" (1 Pet 4:8), as Jesus prepares his beautiful, white, pure, blameless bride for the day of their fulfilled union. It's talking about us!
But what I can't get over is that Christ is the one who makes that possible, and he went to great lengths to do it - but when all eyes should be on him as the one deserving of all praise, everyone's standing up so they can turn around and look at the bride! They turn their back on him!
Now, I know Rev 6 gives the picture of the glorifies Christ as he should be, but this marriage image is all about a humble saviour, self-sacrificing to the end. I love him for being like that!

God is also good because I had some really encouraging chats with some old friends, one of which offered to support me at College by praying for me. I can't believe that people would take the time to do that for me. I know we pray for each other a fair bit as Christians, but as a married person, doing MTS, with a thousand other things going on each day, to say that they will intentionally bring some specific prayer points of mine to God when i don't even see them that often, is so beatiful. There is really nothing better that you could do for me, than to remind God of me and ask for him to act in my life. I'm convinced there's no greater support than that. So thanks heaps, guys.

And I know I'm going on a bit today, but this day will only happen once in my life, so I'm going to make the most of it... I'm also fully excited that I've got a sister now!! I've never had a sister before, I've got no idea how to relate to a relative when you can't resort to smacking them in the arm, but I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like! (And I get more presents at Christmas!)

Finally, for those of you who prefer that which is light-hearted (particularly when it's at my expense), I'll tell you that another old lady said I was good-looking today! Actually, she said I looked like Ted Danson (another one saying that - what's the deal!?). So at least I know if I'm not married by the time I'm 30, the odds will only get better!

God rocks for today, it was really good. Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well as I lead a service for people who have been Christian longer than I've been alive!

Cheers.

P.S. - I'll work on getting some more photos, I've been a bit boring lately..
P.P.S. - Sorry Nath, I'll try and make it to the next one!

Knowledge of God.

2006-03-08T14:58:00.000+11:00

Go back and read the poem from last post - it's seriously good!!

Have been reminded of a good sermon I heard yesterday on Prov 30, talking about how a fool can gain wisdom.
Basically, we can prize our intellects as much as we like, as we discover how our world works, and name the different things that we find, but true knowledge comes from valuing/fearing the God who made it all.

"When the Creator's skill is prized,
The rest is all but earth disguised".

And if we are struck so much by the created things we see in this world, how much more striking will the coming world be, the one not marred by sin, sickness, suffering, death and separation from God?

"If things of sight such heavens be,
What heavens are those we cannot see?"

So we come back to wisdom, which begins with humility, fear and wonder at our amazing God.

"None thither mounts by the degree
Of knowledge, but humility".

Of course, to know God is to obey God:

"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God...
...Keep his decrees and commands". (Deut 4:39-40).

That being the case, I've got an assignment to do!
Cheers all.

An Audience of One

2006-03-04T21:41:00.000+11:00

Before God, and God alone, should we live our lives. For his enjoyment, glory and measure, no-one elses. Our giving, prayer, forgiveness, fasting and lives, are in front of an audience of just one - The God who made us, saved us and will judge us. So what I do is not for you, your praise or your thought of me. Instead it is for the one who knows my thoughts and the motivations of my heart. It's both liberating and scary.

So I don't care who sees my works, whether no-one or everyone. If I'm doing them for him alone, it is either he alone who sees, or I am seen by everyone to be living for him alone.

And so Mike Raiter speaks the cutting and exciting truth of Matt 6:1-18. And my personal godliness and public service are reduced to nothing, and then rebuilt into the beginning of something real.

"A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE RESOLVED
SOUL AND CREATED PLEASURE".
by Andrew Marvell

COURAGE, my soul ! now learn to wield
The weight of thine immortal shield ;
Close on thy head thy helmet bright ;
Balance thy sword against the fight ;
See where an army, strong as fair,
With silken banners spreads the air !
Now, if thou be'st that thing divine,
In this day's combat let it shine,
And show that Nature wants an art
To conquer one resolvèd heart.

Pleasure.
Welcome the creation's guest,
Lord of earth, and Heaven's heir !
Lay aside that warlike crest,
And of Nature's banquet share ;
Where the souls of fruits and flowers
Stand prepared to heighten yours.

Soul.
I sup above, and cannot stay,
To bait so long upon the way.

Pleasure.
On these downy pillows lie,
Whose soft plumes will thither fly :
On these roses, strowed so plain
Lest one leaf thy side should strain.

Soul.
My gentler rest is on a thought,
Conscious of doing what I ought.

Pleasure.
If thou be'st with perfumes pleased,
Such as oft the gods appeased,
Thou in fragrant clouds shalt show,
Like another god below.

Soul.
A soul that knows not to presume,
Is Heaven's, and its own, perfume.

Pleasure.
Everything does seem to vie
Which should first attract thine eye :
But since none deserves that grace,
In this crystal view thy face.

Soul.
When the Creator's skill is prized,
The rest is all but earth disguised.

Pleasure.
Hark how music then prepares
For thy stay these charming airs,
Which the posting winds recall,
And suspend the river's fall.

Soul.
Had I but any time to lose,
On this I would it all dispose.
Cease, tempter ! None can chain a mind,
Whom this sweet cordage cannot bind.

Chorus.
Earth cannot show so brave a sight,
As when a single soul does fence
The batteries of alluring sense,
And Heaven views it with delight.
Then persevere ; for still new charges sound,
And if thou overcom'st thou shalt be crowned.

Pleasure.
All that's costly, fair, and sweet,
Which scatteringly doth shine,
Shall within one beauty meet,
And she be only thine.

Soul.
If things of sight such heavens be,
What heavens are those we cannot see ?

Pleasure.
Wheresoe'er thy foot shall go
The minted gold shall lie,
Till thou purchase all below,
And want new worlds to buy.

Soul.
We'rt not for price who'd value gold ?
And that's worth naught that can be sold.

Pleasure.
Wilt thou all the glory have
That war or peace commend?
Half the world shall be thy slave,
The other half thy friend.

Soul.
What friend, if to my self untrue ?
What slaves, unless I captive you ?

Pleasure.
Thou shalt know each hidden cause,
And see the future time ;
Try what depth the centre draws,
And then to Heaven climb.

Soul.
None thither mounts by the degree
Of knowledge, but humility.

Chorus.
Triumph, triumph, victorious soul !
The world has not one pleasure more :
The rest does lie beyond the pole,
And is thine everlasting store.

Are these truths my passion, when there's an audience of One?

Unequivocal

2006-03-02T23:44:00.000+11:00

Today I glimpsed why I came to College.
Lying in the sun on a bench outside my room I decided to start just reading through Mark. It was like stepping outside my own ever-inadequate work, which hangs over my head stealing my rest until it's done and then laughing as my satisfaction in completing it is stolen by the next task. And instead I just came into the world of being at Christ's feet, following him around, hearing him teach, watching him heal, seeing his sheer dominance over everyone and everything, and above all feeling safe. There's no question of Jesus' authority as Peter tells it in Mark. It's why it's so unbelievable to so many, it's like a story out there on it's own that could never really happen. But it's why I love him so much, because he's so much stronger than everybody else. He's worthy of me feeling safe around him.

"O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God"
(Psa 59:17)

It's just when I close my Bible sometimes I snap back into the delusion that my world rests on my work, and the fear creeps back in. I do trust you Jesus, just help me to keep all that other stuff in second place, distant second, I pray.

Twilight ponderings

2006-02-27T22:23:00.000+11:00

I love the group of retirees that meet in one of our branch churches at St Columbs, Arcadia. I've known most of them since I was a kid, was in Bible Study lead by one of their kids years ago (who is now a missionary), knew another one of their children who has since passed away from CF, one of them worked in the office of my high school, one of them is the mother of a friend in my bible study group last year, and all of them as a group have challenged and encouraged me as I've progressed into leading services and preaching in the last couple of years (they've been very patient with me too!). I love being able to bring God's Word to them and learn from them as well.

But please, ladies (not so much a problem for the guys thankfully), let's get one thing straight - I'm not a "beautiful boy"!
Firstly, I'm male - there's nothing 'beautiful' about me. I'm tough and hard-core and nasty and brutal. I shoot fear into the hearts of 7 foot stalkers who try and jump me in dark alleys. I have no mercy, take no prisoners and I'm not even particularly handsome according to my Yr 6 Scripture Class at Dural a couple of years ago!

Second, if you believe the teenagers at my church, I'm as old as they come, what's with this 'boy' rubbish?! I am at the peak of my physical strength and intellect. I turn heads in the gym, I've got character lines for crying out loud! Enough with the diaper jokes!

And finally, if this is what i get for wearing a tie, trust me, it comes off much easier than it goes on people!

The lesson from this is, of course, that when you reach your twilight years and are pondering how you can share a little love and good will with the rest of the world, please understand that 26 is not 6, and dead-sexy is not 'beautiful'. If you've got a lovely grandaughter by then though, by all means arrange a quiet dinner for the dashing student minister, but if you can somehow not be there, it'd be all the better!

To try and restore my manliness (which could really never be shaken I know), I have found a better name to call me:

There you go, my Cyborg name. That'll bring back the testosterone.

Yours in oozing masculine pheramones,
JT

11

2006-02-23T23:16:00.000+11:00

The last 3 weeks have been all about Mark 1:1-11, and tonight I sat down translated the lot, start to finish. Job done!
It felt really good, all that rote learning finally being put to some use, now it's just about sitting a minor little 'quiz' (we'll call it) tomorrow, and I'm on holidays for 2 days - ooo yeah!!
But the point isn't really translation, that wheel's already been invented, but I have noticed a difference in how I read the Bible now, and I'm thankful for the extra attention to detail, awareness and depth with which I more naturally read the Bible now. It's something I personally needed a little bit, so that's good.

And of course, the last 3 weeks have been about much more than learning Greek. I'm getting to know heaps of people here now, and things are much more funner. And we've really only just started, that's so cool. And the lecturers are a daily encouragement/inspiration/rebuke almost to me, I'm really thankful for getting to spend the time with them.

ANyway, this isn't that fun for you probably, and I'm tired (3.5 hrs sleep last night), and I have an exam tomorrow - so sorry if I can't be a little creative ok!

Hoping you're staying able to wring the neck of whatever is dragging you away from Christ, and living in the joy and hope of forgiveness already won for you. May God be somehow glorified in us.

Higher education

2006-02-17T17:33:00.000+11:00

I did learn a few things over the w/e, and since. Let me share them with you:

- If you ride over glass you get a flat. That generally stops you riding any further - sorry boys!
- When you get dressed, make sure the window is shut. City Rd is a busy road...
- There's nothing like a naked man singing "swing low". Won't be forgetting that image in a hurry, thanks Anthony you freak of QLD human genetic engineering experimentation.

So it's been a productive week. But don't thank me for making you better people, it's my pleasure.

Equivocal

2006-02-10T17:25:00.000+11:00

Is this good or bad?
This w/e I'm going on our 1st year w/e away down to Port Hacking. Good right? Except my brother is having his buck's tomorrow pm/night, it's my other brother's birthday on Sunday, I've been invited to lunch by a couple from church who I love for Sunday, AND I've got $100 tickets to see the 2nd One-Day Cricket Final also on Sunday!! What the..?? I know you can't complain when life's too full of excellent things, but tell me I'm crazy for feeling a bit jipped!

Anyway, hopefully some good times this w/e, then back for more Greek (the hard stuff) next week. It'd be nice to do some growing in the next couple fo days. I'll let you know how it goes.

Y'all have fun now, y'hear...

"Be still"

2006-02-10T00:46:00.000+11:00

I can pretty much pin-point the time when I felt the stress go down to almost normal levels. Moving in Sat was draining, and I'm not really sure why, it wasn't the heavy lifting. Sunday was better with some tennis and then take-away under a beautiful summer sunset, but still not energizing, I felt relaxed but burdened. Monday was in some ways an easy intro, just a whole load of admin stuff and child protection (actually that was a struggle big time!), but meeting so many people takes it out of you. Tues morning was the first Greek lectures and my prep work meant that it was enjoyable more than anything else, but I wonder if I was getting frustrated at it being a bit slow? (Didn't think I'd be saying that! I'm aware it won't last..).

But then Tues arfternoon I turned the corner. I was getting to know who I'd be getting to know this year at Chappo, the fear of the unkown with Greek was dissipating, I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively light program, at least in terms of contact hours, and I was settling into the change of environment in my new house (Chappo's actually). And since then it's just becomming smoother and smoother.

We kick the ball around and play hacki to practice our Greek definite article declensions, I played some cricket today - ooo and some ultimate frisbee which rocked. AND we went to the pub last night (Marlboro), which was definitely much needed. The girls have invited us to thiers for dessert and we returned the favour tonight with some pool. I've even done some of my sermon for next week.

So I'm just dumping at the moment, but this feeling of comfort is huge for me right now. It was beginning to get to me. Really important in my change has been Psa 86:
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy...

...Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul."

I know it's a bit presumtuos to assume that I can call myself God's 'servant', that's really only Jesus' place since he was the only one who ever served his Father flawlessly, continuously and wholly altruistically. But by his grace it can apply to me through him, since I am in him now, much like with most of the Psalms.
And God was gracious to me, he has brought me joy during the turbulence, and is bringing me thorugh the storm altogether.

If you've been praying for me, thank you so much, I don't underestimate the effect your concern for me before our Lord has had. Please return that thanks to him from my grateful heart and yours.

My room is not finished yet, but here's a preliminary shot so you can get a glimpse of where I call home for this year. You're all welcome to come visit and take a tour of Chappo House!

18 Chappo House

2006-02-10T00:39:00.000+11:00

Sleep time

2006-02-05T21:48:00.000+11:00

I'm working on getting internet access in my room at College this week, but until then it might be a bit quiet from me for a few days/weeks(?). Sorry to the multitudes who live off my humble blog, but go outside and run around for a change, it'll do you good!
But I won't be too long. Please pray for me if you have the time and inclination. I know I'll need it from what I've heard.

Cheers.