The Voice..

Like a majority of Australia, I have been taken with the Australian version of The Voice.  The blind auditions were initially what really grabbed me. The singer would walk up onto stage, the music would play, they would start singing. Then the judges would turn around (or not), and the contestants would be faced with a choice of whose team they would be on.  There was something in the fact the the singer would solely be judged on their voice (and I guess whether they connected with the audience).

I suspect they also try and listen for a voice which they can work with. Would also be interesting to look at the number of male/female voices in the two teams, and the number of singers in different genres who get through

It then started to intrigue me; if you were to look through your music collection, and put you favorite bands singers into the context of the game show. Who would make the judges spin around. Putting it another way, when you listen to your i-Pod on random, what artists and songs make you stop what your are doing and pay attention.  

When I was listening to a CD this morning, the voice which made me stop was Andrew Bird (and the song Lusitania), you can watch him sing here.

On another note with i-tunes and i-pods it seems that the days of albums are numbered. Yet, Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut, is a classic concept album and tells a wonderful story through really great songs.  Read an interview with Andrew Osenga on the Rabbit Room Website.

A review of the album is here. Unfortunately, you now have to wait until our Spring to buy it.

the "church"

Recently I have been reading a number of posts on why they left the church (see these two - by Rachel Held Evans & Kim Van Brunt).

I have been struck by these posts, as my experience of church has been different. I suspect that it is the community which has made my experience different. A community of people who are walking the same journey, who are sharing life's joys and struggles, and who are willing to wrestle with you to understand what God's word means for us and our world. 

It is a shame but this is not everyone's experience and we need to listen to those who leave 'the church' and find out what we can learn from their experience, recognising that they are not necessarily going to walk back through the door, as the 'damage has been done'. 

I think there is also something in the claim that the church is more concerned about what happens in our bedrooms; than who is living on our streets. In the political sphere, there also appears to be an unwritten rule that Christians should vote Liberal, not Labour (and definitely not Green - which I do kind of understand). It has certainly given me pause to reconsider my politics. As an aside, I am also disappointed with Federal Labour. (Aside: I think we also need to learn how to disagree with each other & make our case to the world)

A few other good books to read to explore why people leave church (and some of the lessons we should take) are:

• A churchless faith: faith journeys beyond Evangelical, Pentecostal & charismatic churches - Alan Jamieson (mainly looks at NZ)
• The Market Driven Church - Udo Middelmann (on how the church is adapting some behaviours of the market & popular culture).
• Quitting church: why the faithful are fleeing and what to do about it - Julia Dunn (from the US).

And one I haven't read which sounds good is You Lost Me: Young Christians are leaving Church and Rethinking faith. There are some stats about Australia's churched and unchurched here. I am also excited by the prospect of reading some of Rachel's thoughts if she decides to write a book on this topic. 

March / April Readings

Here's a short list of what I have read during March/April.

• Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games - Found it an easy to read & well paced. Looking forward to the next two books.

• Teju Cole - Open City - Like Teju's style of writing. The story is around the reflections of an African man in New York. Its rally quite well done, I love the description of Maher's 9th Symphony, how he describes New York & her people.

• Rachel Held Evans - Evolving in Monkey town (reviewed in a separate post)

• Amin Maalouf - Disordered world - just started this - and a key point the author makes is - how both [the Arab world & the west] have both reached the limits of what they could achieve as separate civilisations ... what I resented most about the Arab world was its lack of moral conscience, and what I resented most about the west was its propensity to turn its moral conscience into an instrument of domination".

Sport in brief

Haven't written too much recently, but now that we are two rounds in the AFL Season, a few reflections:

• Round 1 was a fantastic advertisement for the game; and though I didn't see it, today's game also was a corker.
• It will be a tough year for GWS & Gold Coast. They both may win games, but it will be a few years more before they challenge for the Top 8. Comparing the game between Hawthorn and Geelong today & the games the Giants and Suns played yesterday highlights that point.
• I'm not changing my allegiances to GWS but I'm glad we have a second team in Sydney.  So I do hope they go alright this year & into the future. Sheedy is a great asset there.
• So far so good for the Swans, though I'm a little bit concerned they don't seem to be able to put teams away. 

Three other points:

• I'm enjoying the performances of the Hurricanes so far this year. They are an unpredictable team, but so far, so good. 
• And on the NRL, I'm not sure where last years Warrior's went, but hope they show up soon. 
• Good luck to the Breakers too, attempting to go back-to-back in the Basketball Finals.

Marking time on the long weekend

It has been a great long weekend. Spent time catching up with family, friends (both old & new) and taking some time reflection on the meaning of Easter, that God became Man, and that man not only died,
but returned from the grave, that we may be reconciled with our Creator.

We took a trip into Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art today. The two exhibitions featured at the moment are Christian Marclay's: The Clock and Marking Time.

The Museum's website describes Marclay's work:

The Clock comprises several thousand short extracts from cinema history, each suggesting a particular time of day or referencing a specific moment, often through the appearance of a watch or clock-face. Marclay has stitched these extracts together to form a continuous visual sequence synchronised with the real time of your visit – if it is noon you'll be watching a scene referencing noon. Even more impressively, the scenes suggest countless interlocking narratives despite the constant changes in genres, eras, locations and plotlines.

Its staggering thinking about the time put into this work. Would love to sit down and watch all twenty-four hours of his film.

Marking time, as the name plays on the theme of how we mark time. A couple of the works which
stood out for me, was one by Elisa Sighicelli, in which we see fireworks contract back to their beginnings. It was quite mesmerising to watch. In another room, visitors would lie on the floor, looking up to see the movement of clouds displayed through polystyrene-balls blown around by fans.

The exhibition is well worth the visit.

Easter Sunday - reflections

So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.

Mark 16:8

Then He told them, "These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then He opened

their minds to understand the Scriptures. He also said to them, "This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high."

Lule 24:25-31

Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.

Acts 2:43-47

He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made

evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Tim: 1:9-10

Good Friday - reflections..

"...Finally, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. "But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance!' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him."  

Matthew 21:37-39

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken[abandoned] Me?" Matthew 27:45-47; Psalm 22. 

"But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds" Isa 53:5

(All quotations from Holman Christian Standard Bible)