Camp Photo, 1999

So here is the photo. From what I can make out, it was shot in 1999 - give or take a year. This photo was taken post one of the best games of touch footy I've played. It was pouring with rain, it was muddy, it was beautiful.

I keep this photo next to my mirror to remind me of 3 things.

1. That I did not misplace my university days but spent them in service of God for his Kingdom.
I'm not sure about you, but I have often looked back on the Uni days and wished I'd been a bit more engaged with the university culture. That I'd had more late nights, more afternoons in the bar and more crazy parties - in peoples rental homes with live bands and Vodka Jelly.
But this photo reminds me that I had a lot of fun, more fun that Uni parties could have provided in the service to my church, which occupied my university days.

2. That ministry is a shared experience.
The beautiful thing about this photo is that while we've all just had a classic game of touch, there exists a deeper reality. That is, there are 10 leaders in that photo who were working together in a common goal. We wanted each of the campers to be encouraged and challenged and spured on in their understanding and relationship with God. And there is a special bond formed between those with whom you do Gospel work.

3. That we are to press on ahead, to take hold of the prize.
2 of those 10 leaders are currently assistant ministers.
1 of those 10 leaders is training to be a minister
1 of those 10 leaders is full time in Christian music ministry
4 of those 10 leaders are working hard in their current occupation whilst contributing to the life of their church through Biblestudy leading and active lay work
1 of those 9 leaders is now a highly expereinced outdoor Christian educator.

Let us not be men and woman who, at the age of 28, decide that 'ministry' was a thing for our earlier years. That is, I dare say, a foolish and immature view of what it is to be 'in christ'.

Let us be men and woman who, at the age of 28, realise even more fully that "a man does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" and continue to give of our lives, our time and our money to the work of the Kingdom.

ct

SASWA

Still not sure what it stands for exactly, but it was the camp I've been on the last few days (thru - Sun).
What a brilliant weekend! 25 of us staying at a huge country home stead out at Robinson. Home of the 'Big Potato
4 days, 4 talks on Ephesians and tonnes of time to chill, drink coffee talk over the Bible and have fun.
It was idealic, the students were so mature and keen to engage with the scriptures, even through that were at all different stages of their walk with the Lord.

I'm a better man for having been there. So a big thankyou for St Andrews Roseville for letting me share the weekend and the scriptures with them.

There is no doubt that too many people sit on their beeehinds and wait for God to teach them something or show them something or whatever. I reckon we need to get out there, get those 'gospel boots' moving and serve others, open Bible in hand - that is when God teaches and shapes.

I've been back 2 days and have started reading the 1st volume of Calvin's institutes. They are 'way cool'.

He describes each man's mind as a labyrinth. That is "it appears that if men were taught only by nature, they would hold to nothing certain or solid or clear-cut, but would be so tied to confused principles as to worship an unknown god." In the end, only the string of Scripture can guide us through the labyrinth.

That's what I mean by 'way cool'.

Anyway, if I can get some camp photos I'll throw them up. Next post I promise to put that 8yr old photo up that I promised last week.

till then
ct

Party Cancelled

I've never been to a birthday blog party before. And so I was unsure what to do for tubemantravels.
In the end, I decided to do nothing, because.....really.....who cares that my blog is 3! I hear the real party to celebrate amongst infants is the 5th, so I'm hanging out till then.

January Leadership Conference (which I was leading on) went well. The campers were all young, keen Christian students and it was a brilliant, if not a little strange, camp environment.

I recieved the news during the camp that my beautiful little nephew had experienced a fairly bad accident which was scary - you can read about it on his blog - Ben's Blog. Recent reports have him going well and it appears there will be no permanant damage, which is a huge relief.

I now have 5 days off till my next camp, at which I'll be giving 4 talks from the book of Ephesians. and tomorrow I'm preaching at St Marks.
So today is all about coffee, finishing touches on sermon and sweating (how insanely hot is it today?!?!!)
In my next post Ill post a photo taken 8 years ago, which gives shape to a conversation I had last night.

till then
ct

Happy Birthday

I'm going to camp in 1 hour. So I'll be awol for the next 7 days.

However.....on Monday (15/1/07), my little blog turns 3!

Yep, that's right - 3 years of posts, photos and comments. Unfortunately I will not be around to celebrate with my blog, but have promised it a little party when I return, so stay tuned.

catch y'all in a week.
ct

A quick dash back home

Monday was my first day off since exams and it was amazing to sleep past 6:30am and to start the morning with a coffee and some good reading.

Unfortunately the internet connection at college is down and so I've had to come back to my parents to check up on things.

None the less, the news for the hour is contained in two words

Sara Groves

On Sunday night Jaime (assistant minister, Avalon) played one of Sara's songs following his sermon and it was brilliant. Yesterday I got my hands on her CD 'Conversations' (released 2000) and it is really good.

I'm never one to 'poo poo' Christian music.

But I am so over the type of Christian music that has the same old lyric and is so cliche that it discourages more than builds me up.

"Oh Lord, I really want to follow you.....you're so lovely......I'm so free" bla, bla, bla.

But Sara Groves is different. She is insightful, musical and honest. Of special note are her songs 'The Word' and 'Painting Pictures of Egypt' from her album 'Conversations'.

I highly recommend a listen (i think she is on itunes).

craig

And now a change from normal programming

Last night was an exciting night for me.

I had spent the week reflecting and nutting through John 11 for a sermon I was to give today. The thing was (which for me, is pretty much the norm) I couldn't grasp the passage. I understood its big idea, I knew the key verse and the narrative structure, but I just didn't get it. Then, at 9:30pm things finally started to fall in place.

Two points for John 11
1. Jesus does more than comfort us in the face of death, he defeats it.
2. Jesus does more than understand our pain, he feels it.

The following does not represent the entire sermon, nor the full thought pattern, but were two understandings that I was blessed to receive from the Lord.

Point One
You know, I was thinking about the whole concept of comforting in times of hardship during the week as I was reflecting on this passage.
And it occurred to me that we only comfort someone if we can’t actually solve the problem they are facing.
That is, if you break your leg and it hurts, I can and should comfort and care for you. I might organize social events that aren’t to strenuous so you can come along and be apart of it. I may drop round to your house a lot to say hi cause I know it is difficult for you to get out, I’ll do all sorts of things to comfort and care for you.

But the whole reason that I am required to do this is because there is no way in the world that I can fix your broken leg!

If I could then I wouldn’t worry about comforting you, I’d just fix it and then we’d go out for a surf together.

We comfort people who are in situations that are out of our control.

Where does that lead us to in John 11?
“Your brother will rise again”
It would have been a common response of any rabbi in the 1st century. The majority of Jews believed in the idea of resurrection and restoration. That God would one day raise the faithful. And so to someone in mourning, this would be a common comforting reply.
“Your brother will rise again.”

In fact, Lazarus has been dead for 4 days, we read – I take it that Martha has heard this comment a hundred times in the previous days and whilst her reply reflects faithfulness it hints at dissatisfaction.

“I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day”

Had Jesus just been a great teacher or a priest or a healer, then comfort would be all he could offer Martha. Because for teachers, priests and healers death was out of their control,
Martha takes Jesus words as mere words of comfort.

But then, Jesus makes this utterly radical assertion.

“I am the resurrection and the life”
In other words, Jesus can do more than comfort Martha in the face of death, he can solve her problem all together

Point Two

"Jesus wept"
When you can see that Jesus does more than just cognitively understand your pain but he actually feels it, then it allows continued faithfulness and relationship with God.

Why?
Because isn’t it when you are in pain,
When you are lonely
When you are afraid
That you often feel distant from God?
You feel like you’re in your own little world and there is nothing that can break those walls.
You can feel so isolated that there is no point talking to others, let alone praying to God!!

But what happens when your pain ceases to be a barrier between you and God and instead becomes a shared experience?

When you can turn to God and say
“God, I know you know what it’s like to be betrayed by those close to you
God, I know you know what it’s like to loose a best friend to death
God I know you know what it’s like to face excruciating physical pain
And God, I’m feeling that right now and I want to share with you, and ask for your guidance, your wisdom and your peace – because I know, you’ve been there all before when you walked this earth.

It’s not a matter of asking God to understand us, but for us to understand Him – and in doing so we come to know ourselves even better

In the end, the sermon came out a little long, and I have been challenged to rethink my idea of resurrection and death (from another section of the sermon).

But in the process of writing and reflecting I was so thankful to the Lord for directing my thinking. Praise the Lord for revelation through his Word.

craig

1. The Concept of Wordly Strength
The General

part II

Here in the western world we are becoming more independent of those around us. This was not always the case. Ancient civilizations, being quite separate from the modern western world, had a different view to the self and community.

In the ancient Aboriginal lifestyle each language group (or tribe) was highly reliant on each other. The women were the real powerhouse of the tribe providing the majority of food through the process of hunting and gathering. The men ensured the safety of the community, while also hunting larger animals. The elders provided wisdom and leadership out of which the tribe would operate.

Today, we would like to think that much has changed. Our primitive roots have gone and we live in a do-it-yourself age, where to ask for help often reflects defeat. This attitude is pushed along by the increase of technology, which plays the role of transforming each of us into a ‘jack of all trades’. If supported by the right income, each of us can sit in their living room and at a push of a button be provided with everything he or she needs. Current affairs blast across the T.V, whilst we brew a top class coffee on our espresso machines and check the Internet for our share prices or 360 degree views of the next restaurant we wish to visit.



Now, in reality this process is hugely dependent on others. We are dependent on those who provide us with the T.V news, those who place the prices on the Internet and so on. However, technology separates us from people, and fools us into thinking we are doing the work – we ourselves are the only people that are needed for a complete life. As a result, there becomes a drive to be self-contained and in control, a General of our own world. Those who achieve this (whilst producing the most amount of money of course) are the ones we see as strong. Thus our desire for control can be linked to social pressures and technology.

There is s second reason which I believe plays a stronger role, whilst also being far easier to understand. Its origins are recorded for us in the book of Genesis. Genesis presents the account of Adam and Eve and their relationship with God. It is a good relationship in which man and woman are content and know their place before their creator. It is however, also the greatest tragedy ever told. It becomes the story of the creation choosing to live against their creator. The soldier attempting to become the General, however attempting this without the wisdom and power needed to be a General.

This one act has been the greatest factor in forming our modern view of strength and has in fact plagued humankind ever since. The account of Adam and Eve is the account of humankind choosing to live separate from their God. It is the account of humankind choosing to control their own life rather than entrusting it to the creator.



Why do we do we want control?

Because we are naturally selfish, and our primary instincts will always involve looking out for ourselves. As the selfish nature forms itself as our primary drive, we look to it primarily for our view of strength. The life of a General is marked by control. And as long as this is the case, he/she cannot place their faith in anything but themself.

Digimon has arrived!!!

Finally after all these years, I am in the world of digital photography.

While I am still somewhat confused by a myriad of symbols more complex than the Ancient Egyptian's written word, I am slowly learning.

I have mum and dad to thank for this new toy and I'm quietly excited, very excited.


This is me at 2am, sitting in my Newtown roon testing different camera settings



Boxing day: Dan and Dougal, Hungry Jacks on George



Boxing Day: Circular Quay, James Squire Amber Ale



Boxing Day: Circular Quay, Dan at Pier 5


In other news.....

• I have 7 days of work left and then there will be no more 6:15am starts and calloused hands.
• In 10 days the camp season starts and I am still trying desperately to get some inspiration to write seminars and talks for these.
• My new year was spent having dinner with 13 friends. By 11 I got really tired.
• Two songs that have captured me in recent days

1. The World Spins Madly On - The Weepies

2. Where Are You Going - Dave Matthews Band (from album Busted Stuff)

In other news .......

A few of you have been reading my recent thoughts on the Christian concept of strength and how sometimes we can drift from a biblical view to a worldly view.
I realise these thoughts break all the rules for how long a post can be, but none the less I hope you are being challenged and if you have any thoughts - positive or negative please comment.
Thanks so far to Walshy, Candy, J.T and Lisa for reading.

craig