Found on Flickr. As the author says, “Not sure who designed this, but I’m pretty confident they didn’t mean to make it look as if Jesus was showing his manhood to two children!”
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Blasphemous or Humourous?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Larry Norman 1947 - 2008
I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.
My brother Charles is right, I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.
My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Larry
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
$122
Today I bought home the most expensive book I own. $122 retail price. Of course I didn't pay for it work did. It's called Design Anarchy and you'll probably hear me raving about it later...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Is Religion the Default Position?
University of Oxford researchers will spend nearly US$4 million to study why mankind embraces God. The grant to the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will bring anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics together for three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup.
"There are a lot of issues. What is it that is innate in human nature to believe in God, whether it is gods or something superhuman or supernatural?" said Roger Trigg, acting director of the center.
He said anthropological and philosophical research suggests that faith in God is a universal human impulse found in most cultures around the world, even though it has been waning in Britain and western Europe.
"One implication that comes from this is that religion is the default position, and atheism is perhaps more in need of explanation," he said.
The study will be funded by the John Templeton Foundation, a U.S.-based philanthropic organization that funds wide-ranging research into questions that deal with the laws of nature and issues of spirituality.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Hello, I'm a Christ Follower...
A video response to Frank's Confession and proof that Rhett isn't an atheist, he's a Christian!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Rob Bell on Blogging
You have to be so totally disconnected from the pain of the world to think that blogging is somehow a redemptive use of your time.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Should have stayed in bed...
The day started out fine enough, I had a quick look at Acts for Everyone and discovered that not all the books of the New Testament are written by Paul.
After that moment of illumination, everything went downhilll.
Took the family to the new Clendon McDonalds for breakfast. After waiting over five minutes for our order, I politely asked the guy serving how long our order was going to take. He asked the manager and the manager told us to take a seat and our breakfast would be bought out to us.
A while later breakfast arrived. Dione's eggs were cold and my bagel was burnt. I took my bagel back and got a fresh one made.
We won't be going back to Clendon McDonalds. Ever.
Then on the way to our friends house to drop off a form and some money, the (company) car died. Fortunately we were close enough to our destination that Dione and the kids could walk there whilst I waited for the AA guy.
An hour later the AA guy turns up and the car magically starts. He has a look at a few things and proclaims that there is nothing wrong. I drive to friends house, have a drink, chat for a while, leave and drive home.
Almost.
Half way home the car dies again - same problem.
Dione and Hope walk home and drive back in our car to pick up Aimee and BJ. I wait another hour for the same AA guy. This time the car doesn't start for him.
A little tinkering and the bad news; the electric starter is dead. He can't do anything but arrange for a tow.
Half an hour later the tow truck arrives.
Home by 1.30.
What a waste of a day.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Jumping on the Tom Wright Bandwagon
It seems like everyone is reading Tom Wright (or his more academic alter ego NT Wright) these days, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon as see what all the fuss is about. My reading for this weekend - not that I'll be able to finish it all in one weekend - is Acts for Everyone (Part 1!).
If anyone wants to join me, I've got a slightly munted spare copy that you can have.
People named Frank are not eligible for this offer though...
Cluster Bomb Victim
This is a response to Frank's recent posts on Custer Bombs and the New Zealand Super Fund.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Do Miracles still happen?
After reading Dale’s post about Souls and the comments getting on a tangent about heaven, I’ve been thinking.
My mind often goes off on weird sporadic directions when put into use, ending up in seemingly unconnected places. As such I started thinking about miracles.
Specifically I remembered the time I wanted to encourage a friend, who was looking for a miracle in her life. I read that particular days devotion from a daily C.S. Lewis Devotional book. Can’t go wrong I figured with a man of faith like CS Lewis.
Miracles it seems are not a cornerstone of Christian belief, as CS Lewis clearly stated, there is no point in hoping on the miraculous, as miracles were for Jesus’ time only – or words to that effect.
Needless to say, I didn’t end up being very encouraging to my friend that day, but I did learn that Christians could be divided about miracles. I’ve been witness to enough of them to believe that they still have a place in our modern society, yet I’m not sure I have the faith to bring about a miracle on my own.
Of course, any thinking man will ultimately turn to wikipedia for the final word on any subject, but according to wise old wiki, there are many views on what makes a miracle.
Nothing this complicated is ever easy.
The thing I like about the miracles in my life is the ability they have in giving me hope. I can look back over my life and see God’s hand protecting me in amazing ways – ways that an atheist might call luck – miracles that were not seen as miracles until later in life when I had belief in a divine creator who was looking out for me.
These miracles, or events in my life give me the perception that my life has purpose. Maybe that in itself is the miracle.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day might be the most commercially romantic day, but no day will surpass the joy of March 18th, 1995.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Lent and Movies
Well I caught up with my Bible reading earlier tonight, then I convinced my lovely wife to watch Flight of the Concords in the bedroom whilst I wasted the rest of my evening watching (and then having to write a review of) a load of absolute crap.
Lent Confession
I’ve decided that updating my blog every single day with inane comments on my lent journey is rather pointless, so from now on you’ll going to get occasional updates, like this one.
I’ll start with a confession; I’m one day behind on my Lent reading, but I’m not going to sweat it, it was after a very full on weekend, followed by a full on Monday. I’ll be able to catch up before the weekend.
The most disturbing thing about my Lent commitments is that I’ve found myself daydreaming about gorging myself on chocolate and then diving into a pool of cold diet coke. It’s either a sign that I was far too addicted to the two evil C’s or that I have an over active imagination that just isn’t getting enough sugar to function properly.
Time will tell I guess.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Cool new Blog!
Check out this cool new blog. Ok, so there's not much content at the moment, but give Di some encouragement and she will become a blogging phenomenon!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Lost Addiction...
Been watching the first part of the two hour first episode of Season 4 of Lost on my iPod... I could get addicted to this once again...
Charlie to Hugo (in the real world after being rescued): “I am dead, but I’m also here”.
Love is...
My daughter Aimee handed me a small leaf on Saturday on our way out of Murphy's Bush, she proclaimed that it was a heart and she had wanted to give it to me for Valentines Day but didn't think it would last that long, so wanted me to have it right away.
I thanked her for the special gift and put it in my pocket for safe keeping.
I re-discovered it today when I was putting my cell phone back in my pocket - there was this rough, hard, pointy thing in there, so I carefully took it out, and it was a nicely browned reminder that I am loved.
Thank you Aimee.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Lent 05
Still managing to keep to my Lent commitments, though with such a full on weekend, and the horrible mugginess of today, grabbing a cold can of coke was a real temptation...
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Lent 04
Bible Reading:
To tired to post the details!
Coke: none
Chocolate: none:
COD4: none
Offers of Chocolate: 3 (all turned down)
Offers of Coke: 1 (turned down)
Cravings: Junk food, Coke & Chocolate.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Lent 03
Bible Reading:
Social Responsibility
A Call for Justice
Three Annual Festivals
A Promise of the Lord's Presence
Coke: none
Chocolate: none:
COD4: none
Offers to 'look after' my XBox 360 and COD4: 1
Gifts of Chocolate: 1 (accepted but put away for Easter)
Favourite Verse so far: Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people... sounds rather Tarantino.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Lent 02
Bible Reading:
The Ten Commandments
Proper Use of Alters
Fair Treatment of Slaves
Causes of Personal Injury
Protection of Property
(it's parts of the Bible like this that put people off reading the Bible!)
Coke: none
Chocolate: none
COD4: none
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Lent 01
Bible reading:
Manna and Quail from Heaven
Water from the Rock
Israel Defeats the Amalekites
Jethro's Visit to Moses
Jethro's Wise Advice
The Lord Reveals Himself at Sinai
Coke: none
Chocolate: none
COD4: none.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Lent 2008
Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter.[1] The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan.[2] Different churches will calculate the forty days differently.
The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as celebrated during Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In Western Christianity, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday.[1] The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.[2] In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent.
I've managed to avoid doing anything for Lent for all of my Christian life. But at Church on Sunday we were given Preparation Packs for Lent 2008.I thought to myself, maybe it's time to embrace Lent and Self Denial as an experiment in discipline, something I'm not very good at.
So for lent, to honour God through my physical body, I'm going to attempt to give up Coke and Chocolate for 40 days.
To free up some time (a very precious commodity that can be easily whittled away) I'm giving up COD4 for 40 Days. This should free up some time so that I can commence reading my newest Bible; The One Year Chronological NLT Bible.
It's going to be a hard task, but I guess that's the point of Self Denial, and I'm inviting you to keep me accountable. I'll be posting my daily success (or failures) every night before bed.
Monday, February 04, 2008
I see a website and I want it painted black...
Black is the new white. Or, white is out and black is in. At least for the environmentally conscious it is. Apparently a computer monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen. Makes sense right?
Ok, so go to your favourite search engine (Google) and what do you see?
An ocean of whiteness!
But Google is the best search engine in the world, there is nothing else than I can use, I hear you say.
Worry not, heap media has come up with the solution: Blackle.
Go ahead and bookmark it you environmentally conscious web surfers, start saving the planet one Google search at a time.
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