Is it just me or does it seem really really dumb to put two people in a small space and then make it the goal to hit one another really hard on the head – with it even better if you can knock the other person unconscious?
If a total alien came to our planet and watched boxing what might he conclude about us?…download weight of water the
Its been great to stay in touch with the Olympics thru Darren’s blog. He gets the headlines up and a short bit of news for each post.
There is so much going on that it feels overwhelming to follow it all. I can’t imagine how it is to collate the stuff!
Its been a great idea Daz and for me it’s at least a 3 x daily read. (Don’t forget to spend some time with that lovely wife of yours though mate!)
Tonight we met to decide what to do in our meetings as a team/community/church.
We really haven’t found a decent rhythm yet and are still making it up as we go (doubt that will ever change!) so what we decided tonight may work, may work for a while and need changing or it may not work at all”
We’ll see”
For the next 6 weeks we will be exploring the sermon on the mount (Matt 6 & 7) and using it as the basis for what we do together.
We now have four smaller groups within the total mix that meet weekly for spiritual formation and the like. We decided that each group will be responsible for pulling together a night each. They will need to use some aspect of the sermon on the mount and lead us in some form of worship, teaching, community building and prayer with kids incorporated in some way also.
Perhaps it’s just me but I love the opportunity to be creative with scripture and to develop an evening that will embrace the truth of the message, yet in a way that isn’t simply ‘sit and listen’.
I really hope each group takes the opportunity to bring some active and imaginative approaches to the whole thing. I imagine we have the potential to learn in new ways and really enjoy our time together.
Each time I take my boat out on my own I can launch easily, but it’s the retrieval that gets a bit tricky.
To make it easy I lower the trailer a long way into the water and then pull the boat right up before winching it the last little bit. It means walking the length of the trailer to grab the bow of the boat.
I have often thought that one of these days I am going to misplace my step and fall in”
Yep” Today was that day”
Truth is it was actually very funny, (I was laughing!) but there was no one around to see it”
Its third term at school and for Phys Ed teachers that means athletics carnivals – a day where .5% of the population get to show everybody else what they can do and 99.5% sit around and get bored silly.
But to figure out who the .5% are we need to have ‘trials’ during phys ed classes. Which means everybody, runs and we look to see who is fastest. Some of the kids enjoy it, but for some it ranges from just plain scary to deeply humiliating.
I love competition, but I hate to see these kids forced into doing what they just can never succeed at. Everybody knows fat kids don’t run 800m well – and the fat kids know it especially well…
In recent years it seems schools have moved away from the pure competition based carnivals in favour of more fun based events, but we still have to ‘run kids off’ for those competitive spaces. I don’t like it and am starting to think of a better way.
Yesterday was the 800m. It was amazing how many kids got sick/had sore legs when they discovered what we were doing… Some of them were poor runners and felt scared. Others were just plain lazy and like to avoid effort.
I have no time for the latter. And it disturbs me to see a trend emerging. I remember 15 years ago it was a challenge to get kids to run 3 or 4kms. Its not a long way, but most would do it and most wouldn’t even flinch.
Now…
The thought of a whole 800m has them dropping like flies. Two laps of the oval… 3 – 4 minutes of running… crikey!…
We are developing a crop of sedentary young people with little get up and go for whom 800m is a marathon.
While I see the problems in the system I see what else is occurring at the same time. Where will we be in 20 years time? A bunch of little fatties play sport on the computer and simulate the experience because its too difficult to leave the house and walk to the park?…
Yesterday’s hero was a year 6 student who is overweight, has struggled for acceptance and was scared in several different ways by the whole experience. My genuine encouragement to kids is to do your best, and to simply try and get around without slowing to a walk.
This guy did it. He ran the whole way – not fast – but he made it. What a proud little fella he was at the end and how good to see a kid make the effort!download madea goes to jail movie
It was a great 4 days at Forge. We developed a genuine sense of community in the group, covered some serious ground in the emerging missional church stuff and gathered a bit of momentum for the next stage of the journey.
I feel really pleased with the result.
Today Alan and I met with a local entrepreneur who has agreed to support us significantly with real $$$$$, which will make next year a hell of a lot easier. That is a huge answer to prayer.
We also met with the Seventh Day Adventist pastors to share the Forge vision. They were a great bunch of guys who are definitely looking for answers and I reckon we might have started something good there. We had a Forge team meeting this afternoon to celebrate and reflect on the intensive before heading home for a nap. That’s how we are feeling… very weary…
Dinner was at the local Indian restaurant tonight and both of us are in for an early night.
Mission accomplished.
Yay God…
Forge ends on Tuesday and then Wednesday is a flat our day taking Alan around to meetings, before Thursday and Friday when I return to school.
Then on Friday afternoon we head off for the weekend. Me, Mike from our team as well as two of our neighbours are all heading down to Mandurah for a fishing weekend.
I get back to a full day on Monday with Forge coaching before leaving for Melbourne on Tuesday and Wednesday and then back for two more days of teaching.
Saturday and Sunday have ‘VEG’ written in my diary!
Its after this that the craziness ends. I used to live life at breakneck pace, but I have mananged to back off from that over the last 5 years. So when it happens to crank up again I really notice it. If I were single it wouldn’t be such a concern, but with a family you just can’t live at the pace I used to go at. I don’t think I was even supposed to do it then…
It’ll be good to catch up with Phil & Dan in Melbourne. Phil asked me to share our story with their Tuesday congregation while I’m’ there, so that’ll be fun.
Its been a sensational 2 days at the Forge war of the worlds free intensive. You may have guessed I was feeling a tad apprehensive at how it would go with just 20 enrolled.
But I guess it all depends on which 20 people you have. This group are an incisive and engaging group who have really dug into the stuff and interacted with it. Its been an inspiring and valuable time.
Today Al did his stuff on missional spirituality and then Kim followed with two sessions on the chaos of family and mission as well as telling the story of the junction.
I reckon the ones who really hit the mark today were the 3 Brighton girls though!
We have created a 30 min slot for what we call ‘local heroes’ – people who are out there doing it in our own backyards. It was great to have Bec, Heidi and Danelle there from our team today and rather than me talking about Brighton, I got these guys up to share their experiences. The feedback from what they had to say has been awesome. People loved hearing the stories of what ordinary people have learnt and done as they have set out as missionaries.
Bec shared the genuine struggle of being the youngest, having no kids, and finding themselves so busy travelling to and from work, but also having discovered a real niche with Andrew’s football team. These guys have been getting to know the football team he pays for and loving it.
Heidi told her story of thinking how easy it would be, and discovering it was harder than she thought to make friends and connect. She shared some of what she and Mike and have been doing – again it was inspiring!
And then Danelle shared some of what she has been learning about loving people and really connecting as friends with those outside of our Christian closet.
I felt inspired just to see the journey these guys have been on with God over the last year or so.
