Win supportMIKE's old desk!
22 August 2006
Over this weekend I bought a very nice big desk from the Salvos (Op-shop). This replaces my two desks and wooden mezzanine arrangement.
The burning question is how much did I pay? The closest guess will WIN one of my old desks*
*Postage and transport is responsibility of the winner.
Coffee "battle"
20 August 2006
My brother Dave and his mate Scott “battled*" today making coffees. Dave has a Rancilio Silva and with a Rocky grinder. Scott has the cheaper but equally good Sunbeam also with matching grinder. Here are some of the pictures.
While they are still getting to know the art we are planning to have a coffee session soon and invite people. Well that's my plan anyway. I'll keep you posted.
supportMIKE is on a coffee high.
*In this context "battle" refers to something like a Hip Hop battle where the rappers try to outdo each other in mixing songs. NB. The word “battling” can also refer to an act of perseverance OR the activity of doing something. For example the act of being on MSN at 12am could be described as “Battling solidly on MSN”. I am dedicated to Josh and Feebs for this definition of battling.
tags coffee, friends, linkage, pictures
Review - Quarterly Essay
19 August 2006
It’s morning 6am. I look in the mirror. I have sleep in my eyes and a face that resembles crinkled newspaper. I don’t like what I see.
This brings me to Amanda Lohrey’s article in the Quarterly Essay* entitled “Voting for Jesus - Christianity and Politics in Australia”. I enjoyed reading this essay. These sort of “intellectual” essays aren’t usually my thing however this one was particularly well written. I found the description of our very own David Jones as a “Charismatic preacher… a fundamentalist” quite amusing.
However what interested me most were the candid portrayals of two groups of students. Lowrey firstly interviewed three Hillsong “Cool girls”. The description of the Pentecostal movement through Lohrey’s eyes as she interviews the girls was particularly vivid.“Yes it’s… like, it’s the relationship with Jesus that they offer you not the religion… like ultimately he died for me and I think that’s really awesome.” Says Skye.
While she doesn’t openly critisise the movement she gives such a strikingly accurate reflection of what this form of Pentecostalism looks like to the average Aussie.
What interested me more was her meeting with three AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) students handing out Luke’s gospels. Their responses were generally quite good (I could see a great deal of myself a couple of years back). While I agreed with the sentiments the students expressed what most struck Lowery (and me) was their negative almost self righteous tone. Lohrey writes“When I asked them about Hillsong they were wary of sounding negative but the looks between them said it all…”
Why should you read this article let alone be interested in it I hear you ask?
“With the very mention of the word Muslim a chill comes into the room, and both quietly and economically it is made clear that nothing that is Muslim could possibly be of value.”
Lohrey simply holds a mirror to how Christians (Evangelical and Pentecostal) often come across. When we look and see a reflection we don’t like we must look very carefully at ourselves. May we learn how to better reflect God’s love and grace as we spread his word to those in the world.
*(Issue 22 2006 $14.95 from your Newsagent or See Ben at Fullers Bookshop Hobart)
tags christian, rant, review, thinking
MacBook eats iBook
17 August 2006
Today was a restful day (my day off). I tried to rest up and not do too much.
I have been using my ninja skills rebuilding my old computer for my brother... who knows when I'm done he might even use it to start a blog.
Christine has been a busy little chappy and posted some very helpful thoughts on her journey into womens ministry. It's long but a worthwhile read. (see here)
The burning issue at the moment is will my black MacBook eat Christine's little girly iBook when I visit in November?
tags christian, christine, linkage, update
Tim and the Slater collection
15 August 2006
This is my friend Tim.
Tim is a top bloke. We used to flat together up at “The Castle” a famous Crossroads share house that I ran for about 5 years.
Our house had several famous infestations including scorpions, slugs and slaters. Tim and I were famous for starting a collection of live slaters in a small jar in my bedroom*. Here is what one looks like.
The problem was that as the slaters died and smelt really bad. We had to throw them out. It was a sad day we were hoping to give them to our landlord to convince him that our house needed some work to stop the infestations. Slater collection and Tim supportMIKE salutes you.
* Disclaimer This was mostly my idea.
tags friends, linkage, shameless self promotion
Busy, Busy, Busy
14 August 2006
I have been a very busy little cookie. I have been battling my new computer and leaning how to use a new operating system.
I spent the weekend away on the MTS Challenge Conference. It was awesome. Pete Woodcock spoke very well challenging us to take ministry up as lifetime of paid service. John Woodhouse similarly taught us from 1 Samuel.
These talks are available from the Crossroads Website as of tonight. I highly recommend all of them. However if you haven't heard Pete preach I'd recommend you listen to his first. (sermons here)
supportMIKE will be back soon.
tags christian, linkage, update
Working today
08 August 2006
I found myself in the...
Oops. What embarassing situations have you found yourself in?
tags pictures, shameless self promotion
Oh men Lead... Please!
05 August 2006
Often as Christian blokes we get caught up in arguments about what a Christian woman's role should be. I think most of these arguments miss the point. It's my belief that it is a man's duty to lead and teach and take initiative in male female interaction generally.*
Unfortunately we very often fail at this. Why is it that girls are the ones who are first to share and want to take initiative in a Bible study? Why is it that so often women eagerly pray in public and small group contexts while the men cower in silence? Why is it that women are always keen to preach while men we cringe in the corner? Why are we so often silent?
Here are some excuses I have heard
- "I can't” or “I don’t want to". This is an unacceptable excuse and amounts to laziness. We must repent. If we are men we lead.
- "I don't feel like it". This is a pathetic excuse; Don Carson rightly points out that our obligations as Christians to lead [my words] are never diminished by how we feel. "This is to assign what I feel or do… determine my obligations. This is in effect is to say I am my own God."
- "I can't do it or I'm not capable or gifted". While I personally have some sympathy with this view it really isn't a particularly good excuse. The fact that you are a bloke means that leading is in your blood so to speak. That's the way God made you.
- "It's not acceptable in our culture". Society has seemingly over-corrected against the patriarchal framework of yesteryear so that now men who lead are seen as egotistical and arrogant. The Bible's picture of leadership is never like this (See 1 Corinthians 11 Ephesians 5.)
Most of all we let down God who in his created order ordained that men should take initiative and responsibility for leadership in his world. Being a bloke means being proactive in leading. We should be the first to put our hand up in church when someone is asked to pray. We should be the ones taking the initiative in leading small groups and
asking the questions. We should be the ones seeking to eagerly lead the church.**
supportMIKE wants you to lead!
* (I'm not going to outline or discuss Biblically what a woman's role should be here.)
** (One important caveat. I don't think we should do this because women are incapable leaders, are unable to take initiative or even lesser citizen in God's Kingdom. Rather I am convinced that in God's created order men should lead).
tags christian, ministry tips, rant, thinking
Asking Christine out 101
03 August 2006
Context while talking on skype
"Before you go, I want you to think and pray about something."More (here)
"Sure, Mike ... what is it?"
"Christine ... (long pause) I like you."
No internet... I get my knickers in a knot
My life ground to a halt as Telstra saw it fit to disconnect my ADSL connection for absolutely no reason. Two days with no internet… well the world didn’t quite end but I was surprised at how much I rely on it. My apologies for my disappearance without explanation.
- Joel Knibbe moves in with the Jolly’s.
- We get a ADSL connection installed to our house.
- Get through the mountain of to do tasks in my inbox.
- Blogging lots
- Hanging with Mike S catching up talking premium audio and Chrsitine
- Hanging with Jonny and talking all things girly.
- Another conference (MTS Challenge)
- Talking to Christine
tags christian, christine, ministry, update
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