Things I...

My beautiful wife has come up with a list of things that have shaped her life and things she wishes she cared more about. Here's my off-the-cuff equivalent list using her categories:

Things I think about a lot - and which have shaped my life

• Discovering new things from God through his word


• The underdog, the not-so-popular, the dysfunctional personality type, the 'worker bees' as opposed to the elite, the oppressed, the strugglers, the left behind, the marginalised


• Respect and dignity for those that fall within the above list


• A need for structure and order


• Researching anything and the process of learning new things


• Listening and giving space and time to people to present their true selves and shed their defensive layers


• Aesthetics (ie trying to make things look good!)


• Making systems work better

Things I think about a lot - but about which I haven't done very much

• Making people aware of the importance of overseas Christian mission
• Making my day more efficient
• Making friends with parents at my kids' school
• Walking more
• Fixing my rear bike tyre (8 months now)

Things I don't care much about - but they shape my life anyway

• Detail


• What I eat


• Housework


• Mobiles


• Getting kids in and out of cars

Things I wish I cared about a bit more

• Saving money


• Maintaining any kind of neat garden


• Housework of any kind


• Keeping in touch with people from the past

Things I thought I didn't care about, but it turns out I did

• Other people's manners


• What people think of me


• Baldness!


• Computers and cars


• Being interrupted


• 'Cave time'

Show Them Your Face Jubilee Man

I don't want to turn around...

This head was brought to you by the members of OASIS, the Bowral High lunchtime Christian group (for the Leukemia Foundation!).

East of Eden

At Mittagong we have just finished a series on Genesis 1-11.

Preparing for the last talk on Genesis 11/12, I noticed in passing some little detail I had passed over before:

The people keep moving east throughout Genesis (Adam and Eve are banished forever from Eden to the east; Cain is sent to wander east in the land of Nod; the people eventually keep moving eastwards to the plain of Shinar in Genesis 11; I grew up in the eastern suburbs?- joke here!) - it's a way of saying that the people are slowly moving further away from God's presence.

• There's constant reference to the ground and humanity's relationship to it - an interesting theme to survey in the Bible from Genesis onwards
• Genesis 12:1-3 is a real irony compared to Genesis 11. In Genesis 11 people want to be a great nation, make a name for themselves and be united - they do it without God and fail spectacularly! In Genesis 12:1-3, God chooses Abram and promises (you guessed it) to make Abram into a great nation, make his name great and make him a blessing for all peoples on Earth! And God's promises come to pass.
• It's the great I AM (God) behind the 'I am' (us)!

Dude on Horse

There's really no other way to describe this guy.

One morning I walked around Mt Alexandra in Mittagong with a friend. On the walk we found this man vigorously putting his horse through its paces.

Enjoy this 'dude on horse'.

The Water of Life

It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:6-7

Virtually Over

The tour is nearly over for now...here's the view from my office window. Mittagong is changing colour now that autumn is upon us.

Turning the (Table Tennis) Tables

This is the focus of our Monday nights (our Senior High group, funnily enough called 'Senior High', is held at our place on Monday nights). The teens love using it.

Still Virtually Touring

I love having a back fence that is like a paddock gate.

Study This: A Virtual Tour

While my mind is not on deep things I thought I'd show you around parts of our house. So here's the study.

I keep lots of pictures in this room to remind me that it is for God's people that I do what I do ie read the books, pray, study, prepare lessons and sermons and dream future visions and dreams for people and services. Also they are nice memories of the past.

And yes - I got the angels at a trash and treasure sale at Vaucluse for $2.50 each ("A bargain!" I hear you say!). They appeal to my sense of kitsch. Also my better half will only let me show them in there.

Keepin' It Real

I thought you'd like this. When I first led the Sunday @ 6 service at Mittagong I mentioned that it is important to be real with God and tell him how we've fallen short of his standards. A young guy latched onto this idea, drew this on the back of a welcome form and gave it to me at the end of the service.

I keep it in my study.