And, there’s always next year …

Its been a hard weekend on my throat, though screaming myself hoarse didn’t really help the Swans get over the line against the Lions. At Three Quarter time the margin was just three points, and it seemed, with a good last quarter we’d be in the final.

But you don’t win back to back premierships on nothing, and the Lion’s class and experience shone through. Sydney struggled in the final quarter and scored a behind, while the Lions kicked 6.6, or thereabouts.

The final score: Brisbane 14.16 (100) to Sydney’s 8.8 (56).

And as I watched the Swans - Canberra’s season also disappeared, 16-17 at the hands of the Warriors.

But the season was top of nicely with Sydney’s Adam Goodes, jointly with Mark Riccuito (Adelaide) and Nathan Buckley (Collingwood) winning the Brownlow Medal. For those who don’t know, the Brownlow Medal is awarded to the best and fairest player each year. The Officials allocate votes to the players over the 22 rounds – giving 3, 2, and 1, votes.

This year, with a round to go anyone of 10 players could still have won it. It was gripping, as the final rounds votes were read out.

It was also really sweet seeing Adam Goodes take his mum. He, like all of the players actually, was stunned to win it. It was beaut. He was asked what it felt like to win the Brownlow, and he said “I don’t know”. It was a great night.

And it all but topped of a great year for the Swans.

The Stillness

In the stillness of these festive streets
Light our hearts
Tear down this tinsel
Light our hearts

In the stillness of that stable
You let your glory shine
In the business of our lives
We cover your glory with our stubborn wills
Our busy lives, and weary souls
Still our hearts

In the stillness of Gethsemane
The disciples slept, as their cup
Was past to another
May my tears flow
May tears stain my silent heart

In the silence of my heart
Melt away my fears
Light my timid heart
To burn for you

In this silent weary world.

March 2003

Song Writers

The SMH posted on their website an article about song-writers. The article begins,
"the Dylans and Lennons of our age are out there, but they'll never be household names.

It sounded easy enough really: tell us who today are the great songwriters of the age, titles once held by the likes of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. However, working out how to work that out is more than half the battle."

So, let me pose the question, is there a Lennon, McCartney, or Dylan out in the wide world of music today, or is the song writing "formulaic, emotionally empty songs."

I think the next paragraph in his article really sums it all up:

To my mind, the distance between Warren and Martin and their songs takes them out of the realm of great songs and places them in the category of great pieces of craft and skill. They are the workaday architects of music - they can tailor a song to your needs but they can never give you something that comes from their heart and enters yours. In other words, they are artisans not artists.

I guess for me... I think, and time will tell of their influence, I think of Michael Stipe (REM), Bono and the Edge (U2), and Thom Yorke (Radiohead). The article also in terms of influence mentions Kurt Corbain of Nirvana.

Okay, over to you all. Who are the "artists" of song writing today. Does anyone have the craft of Lennon / McCartney, the protest voice of Dylan, who amongst the throng of musicians has the craft to enter our soul and hit the very core of our being?

Listening: Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen.

Footy Fever...

The AFL now has decided the Preliminary Finalists. There will be at least one interstate team in the final, and a distinct possiblity, that there will be two interstate teams in the Grand Final (for the first time?). However, I'm hoping for a Sydney v Collingwood Grand Final.
I am really looking forward to seeing the Swans take the field next weekend, and make their first Grand Final since 1996.

+++

A good win by the Warriors yesterday, and Canberra are closer to elimination. Newcastle did the right thing, and lost to the Roosters.

Listening to: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel)

So Canberra will play the Warriors next weekend, if Penrith win. If Penrith lose.. then bye bye Canberra, and I'll be cheering the Warriors all the way. :)

+++

Teaching …

I wanted to take some time to comment on Rachel’s question, how I knew that God was telling me that teaching was not for me.

I think that I learnt through the experience, and through the comments that my colleagues made to me.

I learnt that God has made me, to be me. He gave me specific gifts, my personality, my strengths, and my weaknesses. Likewise, he has not given me other gifts, other abilities. He has determined my steps, God brought me to Australia, and He brought me to UNSW.

Having said that I don’t always know at the time, why God has brought particular circumstances to bear on my life. But I do know that in all things, God is changing me, to be more like Christ. (Romans 8:28, paraphrase).

Through the time I spent teaching I came to realise that I am quite a timid person, and the role I would need to play to teach a class of 32 students, who don’t always recognise that you are in the room, is one that would come at a great cost.

I do sometimes think that of going back into High School, and I think the motivation is mostly out of pride - the thought that I have failed - I trained for the job, and in less than a year, I’ve moved on. But nine days out of ten I would say that I did the right thing. I am a better person because of the experience, I definitely know myself a little better because of the experience, as God has used the experience to teach me.

++++++

In other news, Sydney's opponent for next weekends Preliminary Final will be the Brisbane Lions. In the NRL Canberra lost last night, and wait to see if the play next weekend. (If two of, Brisbane, Auckland and Newcastle win - Canberra's season is over. )

Cheer Cheer the Red and the White

September in Australia means one thing. Footy finals. This year has been a great year for my AFL team the Sydney Swans, who have befuddled all the commentators with a brilliant season, finishing fourth in the regular season. And even more remarkably pulling off one of the upsets of the year in beating the minor premiers, Port Adelaide, with an injury list including key players, Jason Ball, Michael O'Loughlin and Jason Saddington, to move directly to the Prelminary Final where they play the winner of the Brisbane - Adelaide match.

And lets not forget the League ... my team, the Canberra Raiders, have also made the eight. On Friday night, they host Melbourne. It should be a close game..

So the next four weekends will be filled with great stories, surprises, and possibly two new champions. Oh boy, I love September.

More on Rachel's Question....

One of the questions below from Rach, really made me think. Rachel asked "What event in your life has been the most profound and why is that? How did God speak to you through it?".

I thought about this question, and as I wrote in my previous post the three biggest things that God has used to shape my life are firstly, the move accross the ditch to Australia, secondly a MYC (Mid Year Conference) I attended during university, and finally the experience in 2001 of being a high school teacher.

Firstly the move to Australia moving countries is a pretty big thing. One of the many results of this move was that i began to go to the church that I have spent 13 years at in Bulli (St. Augustines Anglican church). I often think of the people of this church as the people who brought me to the faith. In the people of this "church" I met people who live out the gospel. I saw it in the love they showed me, and in the time and energy they invested in me.

I was also blessed in being able to watch some of the younger people grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord, be baptised, and confirmed - was, for me an amazing thing.

The second profound event in my life was MYC. For those of you who are reading and do not know what MYC is. MYC stands for "Mid Year Conference". Like the name suggests it is a conference held in the middle of each year, for christian university students. In 1998 I attended the conference, and I remember, i think it was the Thursday night talk. Pihlip Jensen, the preacher was challenging us with the call of the gospel - recognising him as LORD, meant living with Him as LORD. Which put simply means that our priorities must be His. Our plans, melded and shaped by His.

I think it was at this point that I learnt that I my life was to be lived in service to him. Ministry was not an option. My whole life needed to be a testimony to Jesus. What that would mean for me, I didn't know then, and I still don't know now. I may be in paid ministry, I may not. I may witness for Jesus, in Sydney or overseas. But whatever I ended up doing, I would be in Ministry, testifying to the work of Christ in the World, and more personally the marvellous work of redemption in my own life.

The final thing I wanted to mention was my time teaching. This was not a rosey experience. I learnt a lot in the first six months of 2001. I have found, and grown to accept, that I am not a high school teacher. I learnt that God made me the way he did for a reason. And that God brings both the good and the bad to us, and he teaches us through everything.

Though it was a hard experience realising that the career you trained for is not the one God has planned for you, I have learnt to rely and trust on Him for everything.

And if the last 13 years in Australia are anything to go by, I know that God has so much more in store for me, both good and bad, both laughter and tears. And through all of the laughter, pain, tears, and joy, He will slowly patiently shape me to become like His Son Jesus. And that is a beautiful thing.

Questions from Life Being Beautiful

1. What is the most romantic/loving thing you have done in the name of love?

Oh golly... I think it is still to be done... But maybe God's got other ideas. I think I've done a few romantic things, flowers, calls.. and the like..

2. If you could star in any movie/broadway show/musical what would it be, who would you play and why?

Hmm this is tough. It's a preview of a later answer, but probably "Jean Valjean" from Les Miserables. The musical has such a rich tapestry of stories running through it. But in a sense the thread that holds that together is the story of Valjean (24601), and his response to the mercy that was shown to him.

3. What event in your life has been the most profound and why is that? How did God speak to you through it?

I think there are probably three big events that have shaped my life, that have challenged me as I seek to live for God. The first was when my family moved from Lower Hutt, the second was my time going into teaching, and the third was a conference I attended while at University, called Mid Year Conference. (I think I'll use this question as the heading for a seperate post).

4. What piece of literature do you wish you'd written and why?

I think the book that I wish that I wrote is Victor Hugo's classic "Les Miserables". It's a beautiful tale of mercy, justice and redemption, set with the backdrop of 19th Century Europe, in the midst of revolution.

The characters are beautifully constructed. (If you've seen the musical, you'll have a taste of what I mean).

5. What are you buying me for my birthday and what am I buying you?

I'm going to buy you a book. Not sure what however, but I think it would be something by C.S. Lewis, or J.I. Packer. You'd also probably buy me a book. a Christian book, not sure what though :)

These are the rules ...

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions—each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal or blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions

So ... as I type this, my mind is thinking of some questions to ask you all :)

Questions... courtesy of Jess

1. Easy one first - you recently went overseas - where did you go, and what was the best part about the places you went to?

That's a tougher question that you realise, but I'll live :) Well I spent for weeks, wandering around the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. I really loved seeing parts of the world that were new to me. I'd been in London before, when I was about 7. But this was the first time that these places would leave more than an small impression.

Various things stood out. I went to the Arsenal v Manchester United (Charity Sheild Final). I spent a morning at Lord's. At the moment the one that really stands out was the Giant's Causeway. I was overwhelmed while I was there. It's simply unique.

Belfast really intrigued me. I felt while I was there it was two cities. There was the city which you and I are familar with, as we live in one - a normal city, going about its normal business - people going to work, university or school. But below that, it's not a normal city ... it's a city that's torn in two. It's a city filled with violence, and deep hatred. On the day I arrived I was told to not go into a certain pub. The night before I left I drank in an Loyalist Pub. So they city is divided.. but most of the people I met, were just trying to get on with their lives.

Edinburgh is my favourite city though. It's just such a romantic city. As for the time I spent in the highlands, both words, and photo's fail to do justice to it.


2. If you were stranded on a desert island (and it's a pretty sophisticated one!) what five things would you not be able to do without?

Hmm. I would take both paper, and a pen. (one item or two) ;) I'd need to take music. My Bible would be important too.

As for the last items. I'm not really sure.

3. What is your favourite music/artist? and why?

Toughie. The two artists that I really love at the moment are U2, and Nichole Nordemann.

Nichole is a brilliant christian singer, her latest CD has been living in my cd player pretty much since I bought it. It's mainly the words - she writes from the heart, with a refreshing honesty, and they challenge me.

U2 are a band that I have listened to for ages. Bono, to me, is one of the greatest lyricists. He writes beautiful and challenging songs, that really speak to the world in which we live. And whether he is a Christian or not, some of his songs have impacted the way I think about God.

4. How does a Kiwi guy survive in Australia?!

I guess pretty much the same way an Australian does... although somewhat more mocked.... (thank goodness the Bledisloe Cup is back home)

5. Has God been telling you anything profound lately? (I know, I know, I had to ask ONE spiritual one, didn't I?!)

Well. I've been really challenged to think about what I should do with my life. God has measured my days, and I need to redeem that time, in service to Him.