Australian of the Year …

Since I live in Australia, I really probably shouldn’t say this. I’ve got nothing against Steve Waugh. The man was a great Cricketer for Australia, and has an awesome humanitarian streak as well, and as John Howard commented, he is someone that the typical (if there is such a thing) would identify with.

But, I guess I wonder about it. Over the last seven years, if we look at the Australian of the Year; four winners (Steve Waugh; Pat Rafter; Mark Taylor, and Cathy Freeman) have been sportsmen or women. I guess it does highlight for us all that place that sport holds in the Australian psyche.

In a sense, if Steve Waugh had not been Australia’s cricket captain, and still done what he did in India, would he have won? My first thought is no.

I like the idea of Australian’s of the year, being unsung heroes; people who have not been in the spotlight, but doing extraordinary things. I personally would like to see people from other fields like science and the arts being recognised more frequently too.

Anyway, just some random thoughts … though, can’t quite think who I’d have picked as Australian of the Year ….

‘…Grace for a wayward heart…’

Almost 10 years ago, four guys hung out together, and wrote some songs together. 7 years ago I first heard one song they wrote Love Song for a Saviour. In 1998, the band first toured Australia, and played at HillSong’s convention Centre.

Last night, they were back, almost 6 years later. I’ve always loved Jars of Clay's music, and their lyrics have been refreshingly honest. One of the things I remember about the first Concert they performed in Sydney was as they sang Worlds Apart. Dan introduced it asking if we struggled with pride, and then said how it is easy for someone doing what they do, to be proud, and how they have struggled with it.

Last night, they played mostly newer material from Who We Are Instead, which even given its December release is one of the best CD’s from last year. The best audience response was from the four songs they played from their first self-titled CD. (Liquid, (in a piano driven form – like on Furthermore, prefaced with the comment ‘when you’ve been a band for 10 years, you can mess with people's favourite songs’), Flood, Worlds Apart, and Love Song for a Saviour).

On stage, they were chatty, talking about the songs, and generally seemed to be having a good time. From telling us about how they won a $300 scholarship for Frail, that they couldn’t remember how to play Something Beautiful, through to, talking about The Valley Song, as a conversation they had following a tragedy, a conversation they initially wanted to keep private but a friend told them, their conversation would help others in similar situations. As Dan introduced Amazing Grace, he talked about how when we talk about the gospel, we talk about the bright colours, the joy, peace, and love; yet we often leave out the other colours, the grays, and the blacks, the times of pain and suffering. We were reminded that without the suffering, and pain, the love of God fades into sentimentality.

The full set list, (as best I recall) is below:

Jars of Clay
HillSong Convention Centre –Sydney. January 16 2004.

I Need You
Flood
Crazy Times
The Valley Song
Show You Love
Frail
Amazing Grace
I’m Alright
Revolution
Trouble Is
Sunny Days
Worlds Apart / Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet

+++
Liquid
-Explanation of Tea and Sympathy-
Lonely People (a cover of a 1970s song by America?)
Love Song for a Saviour

The top moment of the show was hearing Worlds Apart which has always been one of my favourite song especially the additional lyrics. The harmonies of the singers were awesome. It also beautifully bled into Jesus Blood. Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet, is one of the songs on the new record. It was awesome to hear Frail live. Frail is one of my favourite songs from Much Afraid. The band briefly talked about Tea and Sympathy, the song being about the choice we face with relationships, we can run, or we can invest ourselves and go deeper, and that is in essence what the song is about. The song is played out in a little tea-shop in New York City. Love Song for a Saviour was great and they involved the crowd.

All in all it was a great fun night, excellent to bump into people I hadn’t seen for a while, like Matt Price, Ben Boardman and Kate Earnshaw. It was also a good way to farewell one of my friends from Bulli, who along with her sister is heading over to Scandinavia for the year.

I do hope, it is not another six years before they are back in Australia. Do check out their new CD, Who We Are Instead. The subject line of this post is the chorus of one of the songs.

Lesser Things
It looks a lot like givin’ up / peace we bring is a bitter cup / set our bodies down like offerings / while we pray to the gods of the lesser things / If wind should shake this house apart / the cradle hits the ground with a broken heart / while we say we never knew a thing /While we pray to the gods of the lesser things / is there grace enough for a wayward heart / is there grace enough for a wayward heart / grace / grace / ash to ash and dust to dust / steel on steel or rain to rust / what mortal breath blood money brings / forth from the altar of the lesser thing. (Haseltine, Lowell, Mason, Odmark)

Jealous Kind
I built another temple to a stranger / I gave away my heart to the rushing wind / I set my course to run right into danger / sought the company of fools instead of friends

You know I’ve been unfaithful / lovers in lines / while you’re turning over tables / with rage of a jealous kind / chose the gallows to the aisle / thought that love would never find / hanging ropes will never keep you / and your love of a jealous kind / love of a jealous kind

Trying to jump away from rock the keeps spreading / for solace in the shift of sinking sand / I’d rather feel the pain all too familiar / than be broken by a lover I don’t understand / cause I don’t understand

One hundred other lovers, more, one hundred other altars / If I should slow my pace and finally subject me to grace / And love that shames the wise, betrays my hearts deceit and lies / and breaks the back of foolish pride
(Haseltine, Lowell, Mason, Odmark)

Prediction..

Not that I agree with it .... but what price would you get for saying Steve Waugh as Australian of the Year.

2003 in Review

Some brief favourites from the year 2003.

Favourite Movie: Whale Rider.
The film is based on a book by Witi Ihimaera in which a young Maori girl Pai fights to fulfil her destiny in a small coastal Maori village as heir to the male line of chiefly descendants from the 1000-year-old Whale Rider, Paikea.

The story is just beautiful. The characters are beautifully constructed, and when I saw the film, I left the cinema uplifted. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you give it a try. (Here's AMS Review of the film)

Honourable mentions: Return of the King, and Finding Nemo.

Favourite CD: Hail to the Thief - Radiohead.

Radiohead, for me, are a band that continue to change, and grow. They haven't sought to produce an OK Computer (2) which is great. I'm looking forward to seeing them play in Sydney in April this year.

Honourable mentions: Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown; Jars of Clay - Who We Are Instead.

CD's I'm looking forward to in 2004
Norah Jones has a CD due out in February as does Rebecca St. James, and people keep telling me U2 will have a CD out too...

I Will Begin Again ... New Years

I'm not really overly sentimental about New Years Day. To me its just another day. I guess I do have my traditions though - going home from mission (visiting family for the day), and listening to U2's song - New Years' Day, and that lyric I...I will begin again.

Here's an excerpt from an email I received from Slice of Infinity:

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.
- composed by Frances Havergal as a New Year's greeting card.

These words really hit me ... Let this be our prayer for this year.

Making Disciples…

Since I've just come back from Mission I wanted to see what other people's thoughts are on discipling their contacts. I am particular curious about what other people do, particularly concerning younger people, about say under 12 years old.

What sort of things do you do? What sort of things do you recommend? We’ve normally, once we get parental consent, written to the kids. have you found any really helpful resources?

A related issue is that it is hard to properly disciple someone without meeting them.

The fundamental thing is that God will never let his people go, so God will ensure that they are in contact with other Christians. But still that shouldn’t be an excuse to be lax.

So any thoughts, related to that age group, beach mission, or general.

Update ..

Well the last few weeks have certainly been busy. I had a great Christmas; we drove up to Dee Why to visit my Aunt, Uncle and family. It was great to spend time over Christmas with my extended family, since that is something I seldom do.

I’ve pretty much always been far away from my extended family, so while I do value the time we spend together, it is often hard to think that I really know them as we see each other infrequently. So it is interesting and fun when we do catch up.

Boxing Day, I went to Return of the King with friends, and family, which has been habit over the last few years. My first impression of the movie was really positive, but I think I need more time to really process my thoughts about it. After the film we went back to Dee Why and saw more family.

On Dec 27th I went to mission which was great. I posted before about Mission, and God heard the prayers, and answered them in grander ways than we could imagine.

We had more kids than for a few years, and I was really encouraged by spending so much time alongside so many awesome Christians. I learnt a lot about God’s faithfulness, I am still learning that I need to trust God, as He is the one who challenges, and converts souls – from Isaiah 55, God’s word always fulfills what he intends of it. God will always work when the Gospel is preached, though we often use secular standards of success, how many people made a decision, how many people came to our activities. Yet God works as the Gospel is proclaimed, and the team may never know of its impact...

One of the highlights of the mission was how God united the team, and sharing communion on New Year’s Eve. It was really strengthening to have leaders who were humble, and dedicated to serving Christ, and infected us with a prayerful enthusiasm for being there, and strengthen our understanding of God as they served God completely in all that they did, and said.

And as I sit down to type, I really do miss the company, I miss being surrounded by Christians, and talking about the impact of our faith, being challenged through our experience, and encouraged as we see God act in the pages of scripture and on the hearts of campers, and team members. I miss the singing, the joyful smiles. Yet, these are things I can do each day to be salt and light in this world.

Now I have another 7 days before I go back to work. It’s nice to have a little bit of time to simply relax. I'm going to head up to the cricket tomorrow. During the rest of the week I aim to catch up with friends and possibly watch a few movies, the top two being Goodbye Lenin, and Return of the King (again).