Me... almost
31 May 2006
Look another Mike Jolly
We both have a surprisingly similar taste in music and enjoy Clive Clusser books (it was a while back for me though). He’s 21 but not as tall as me... anyway you can view his blog for yourself. It's a bit boring though...
tags linkage, shameless self promotion
Mike battles the atrium of death
30 May 2006
It's a seven o’clock start. JH and I begin with a few shops including Retro café (one of my favorite hang outs).
It’s twelve when we arrive at atrium of death. “Can you just do the roof as well?” she asks looking at the atrium roof about five meters above us. “inside and out?”
Every part of my body is screaming “No!” in a very strong language that isn’t suitable to publish.
Over four hours later we leave with just 170 bucks. That’s really bad money. As a window cleaner you want to earn about 40 plus dollars/hour. We’ve walked away with about half that. I really wanted to charge more (and I reckon I could have gotten away with it) but I'm too nice.
“The bloke across the road was after a quote,” says the nice old lady handing me the cheque. I trudge wearily over to his house I’m in no mood for cheap quotes. a quick walk-around reveals a big job. I’ve run out of patience and I quote the highest price I’m able to based on our formula, $460 to do inside and out. If we get this job at least we’ll be making money. We head home it’s just hit five and I haven’t had lunch. Just another day at the office.
tags friends, pictures, rant, windows
It's a small blog world
29 May 2006
I have a good mate Seumas from Sydney. He posted a link to a friend of his. A nice girl named Karen who I've never met in my life and until tonight hadn't read her blog either. So I got reading... and found a review of a conference that she'd been to. Who should pop up in the comments section but Bron.
Me => Seumas => Karen => Bron => Me
I'm off to bed
Regurgitator, Regurgitator, Regurgitator
28 May 2006
If you like good quality Christian writing check out Regurgitator
There are still some minor bits and pieces to fix but it's all operational. *ALL* previous issues of Gurge are available right now for FREE download. I also wrote out an index of articles. The final ever issue is due for release very soon. Get downloading and enjoy. :)
tags christian, linkage, ministry tips
supportMIKE
Today has been a busy day. For the eagle eyed I have changed the name of my blog. I have decided to brand myself to some degree as "supportMIKE". I find that it’s an effective way to help people to remember you and what you're about. It's kind of fun too. I can up with a nice little picture of myself which I'll put on all my letters and correspondence for the duration of the apprenticeship. Let me know what you think.. (try not to be too harsh). I also completed my "supportMIKE" letter which I'll use to ask people to support me financially for MTS.
In other news I have been a little stronger mentally speaking since earlier in the week. This is good and encouraging. However I’m sick with a bit of a cold which has made life frustrating. I'm particularly grateful to friends for taking the time to chat to me over the week and post comments on my blog.
I have decided to undertake my biggest project yet, a three talk series for an evangelistic camp for teenagers later in the year. This is a big challenge and I'll have lots of work to do. I also have been working on a evangelistic talk on Hebrews for a Christian group at Hobart College. I also spent a great deal of time this weekend also getting the Regurgitator Magazine section of the Crossroads website up and going see separate post.
It has been a productive weekend.
tags blog, christian, pictures, shameless self promotion, update
God’s Sovereignty and Human responsibility. A conversation with Don
27 May 2006
“You can’t have it both ways” jokes my Arminian boss “You can’t hold them in tension it just doesn’t make sense.”
I’ve been reading through Don Carson’s book A Call to A Spiritual Reformation with JK. Chapter 9 was particularly helpful. Carson writes…
Firstly God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in scripture to reduce human responsibility. Secondly human beings are responsible creatures-that is they choose, they believe, they disobey, they respond, and there is moral significance in their choices; but human responsibility never functions in scripture to diminish God’s sovereignty or make God absolutely contingent.
“But it’s like taking a bet each way.” My bosses cheeky words echo.“Aarrh yes” says Don moving into the seat beside me, in the window cleaning Corolla. “I think you can hold the two concepts in mystery.”
“But it doesn’t make sense,” says my Boss unperturbed by the fact Don Carson has just appeared in his rust ridden bomb.
“Well,” says Don “I think the mysteriousness is tied to God’s nature. There are a number of Christian mysteries. Take for example the trinity. It’s a difficult concept. How can God be both one and three at the same time surely that’s a mystery? Yet we see God’s Trinitarian nature is clearly portrayed in Scripture.”
“Secondly and more closely tied to God’s nature is the mystery of how he can be both transcendent and immanent at the same time?”
“You mean” I interject “The fact that God can be distant in that he is the king of the world and creator of the universe and yet can also be interested in hairs on my head and sparrows falling to the ground.” I finish cutting though Don’s scholarly jargon.
“Exactly” he says. “It’s another mystery clearly portrayed in scripture.”
“Despite all the mysteries bound up with the nature of God, I perceive, on the basis of scripture that he is simultaneously personal and transcendent. He is utterly sovereign over his created order yet he is nothing more than personal as he deals with me. Sometimes it more important to worship such a God than to understand him”.
“Wow Don” I say “Thanks for the help.”“No worries Mike”
“Um Don… how’d you get here by the way?” I ask.
“It’s a mystery Mike.”
tags christian, friends, ministry, pictures, rant, thinking
DaVinci Code Christian response
This film is so obviously a work of fiction it doesn't warrant my time for a proper response. I found little substance and credibility in the truthfulness of any of the claims in this film. If you really believe that this work of fiction is actually fact, you should get your head read.
The DaVinci Code
26 May 2006
I have to say I found this film a little disappointing and predictable. Firstly though the positive. The acting was generally well done. I especially liked Sophie Neveu's character played by Audrey Tautou... although maybe that is because I like attractive brunettes.... In any case I digress. The dialogue was also mostly good although there were a couple of lines that seemed a little cheesy. The sets and scenery special effects were really well done. I especially liked the fading/dissolve between ancient world and the present. Locations were cool as well. Generally the plot was pretty good and I thought the whole conspiracy theory thing was kinda a cool idea for a film (very much “fiction”) but still kinda cool.
Interestingly came away from this film wanting to read the book. I’ll try and explain. I think many of the plot devices which the movie portrayed would have come through much better in the book. It had heaps of complex plot lines and twists and turns. Too many in my book. These ideas are for the world of the novel where the reader can read and re-read the ideas. But in the movie there were too many plot twists in the movie.
Each time you thought you’d reached the climax of the movie it would start building again. It felt like it had four or five climaxes rather than one. . It felt like the end of The Return of the King where the ending dragged on and on. Which climax was I supposed to get most excited about? In the end I couldn’t be bothered any more and was hanging out for the end. Don’t get me wrong I like plot twists eg. Fight Club and Seven. It just didn’t work for the Da Vinci Code.
All in all I give it 2.5 chickens out of five. Not worth seeing at the cinema but something wait and rent on dvd. Maybe I'll post a more Christian response later.
tags christian, review, stupid award, thinking
Crisis... well sort of
25 May 2006
I had a minor crisis today. I was lying on bed thinking and praying about people and stuff more generally. Suddenly I realised that by the time I've finished MTS I'll be 28. Twenty freaking Eight! Sheesh it sounds old. While it's not really that old, I think it seems old cause there are a number of things that I had planned to have done by then. Not so much things on paper more ideas in my head. Firstly be married to some nice Christian girl. Secondly have a sustainable permanent fulltime job to support said nice Christian girl. I had also aimed to generally have sorted out my life.
The problem is that these things (certainly the first two) aren't likely to work themselves out over my time doing MTS. My thinking at the moment (taking into account my mental state) is that MTS plus relationship equals total disaster. I'd hate to spend a year down the crapper trying to get over another broken relationship leaving me with little time for anything else.
So that makes me 28 when I meet this nice single Christian chick. Allowing two years for us to go out and get engaged (too fast by my standards). That gets me to 30... and makes me around 35 when I have kids. Too old in my book. I had older parents all my life and it definitely makes things difficult. I always pictured my self as a young Dad with heaps of energy... anyway I digress.
The latter (job issue) is simply not practical. Compounding this problem is that I'm not sure what mental condition I'll be in post MTS. I'm also not sure what type of job I'm going to go for either. At the moment stress and depression is close to ruling out fulltime teaching. So what on earth else can I do that’s low stress and high pay?
Don't get me wrong I'm still pumped for doing MTS next year, it's just maybe I'm realising what a sacrifice it really will be. Maybe I hadn't thought about the implications enough.
tags christian, focus, ministry, shameless self promotion, thinking, update
Discipleship 101 the new way…
24 May 2006
Some of these ideas I have flogged from a Crossroads launch paper on discipleship most are my own thoughts.
- Valuing the experience that discipling provides.
- Caring for the whole person not just their Bible reading and prayer.
- Getting involved in other people’s lives. Getting to know/visiting their friends and family. Remembering their names.
- Working on projects together eg. Gardening or Building together.
- Having an open home being hospitable and inviting people round to your house for a meal.
- Inviting people out for coffee and footing the bill.
- Valuing hang out time. Time spent just chatting is valuable. Time spent watching TV, DVDs, Going to the beach etc together is also time spent well.
- Meeting regularly rather than weekly. Not being a Nazi about it.
- Increasing time spent in prayer together.
- Sharing each others struggles and difficulties and bearing each others burdens and faults.
- Sharing in each others joy and happy times.
- Concentrating on fewer people relationships with a deeper level of commitment.
- Spending time being more strategic about what things to do and learn together.
- Not seeing full time paid ministry as an end goal for every discipling relationship.
- Listening to people and learning to shut up.
- Being relaxed if people don’t want to meet up or can’t or don’t have the time.
- Being honest caring and open.
- Show people how you “do” ministry. Passing on the baton.
- Spending time praying for your people and asking God to help you to do discipleship better.
- Not being a tight arse and taking the time to message and call people where appropriate.
- Excel in the gift of random acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.
- Being humble approaching every meeting as a mutual learning experience regardless of Christian maturity.
Notice I'm getting the hang of html programing :P
tags christian, ministry tips, rant, thinking
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