The privilege of great teaching

Last Thursday night a whole bunch of Christians, approximately 1,300, gathered together in the Sleeman Theatre for a very special event. There was a band, who played some nice songs; there were people who led us in prayer for ourselves and our world; but the real reason that we had all gathered was to hear the words of a very special guest: the apostle John.

What a privilege. John lived 2,000 years ago and was one of the few people on earth who got to see Jesus while he was physically on earth. More than that, he was invited by Jesus to be one of the twelve closest followers of Jesus. He would have experienced Jesus' teaching, miracles and compassion, as well as witnessing Jesus death and resurrection. More than that, when John was a prisoner on an Island called Patmos, he received a direct revelation from Jesus, to encourage the church in unity and resilience in the face of the persecution they were bearing under.

It was an absolute thrill to be "in the presence", as it were, of such a special and important figure of Christianity, as his words were read out and explained for the 1,300+ people gathered. I pray that we continue to meet large gatherings every so often, excited, ultimately, to hear what God is saying, encouraged in resilience and unity in him, and being willing to believe and act accordingly.

Birthday Cactus

For my birthday recently a friend got me a cactus. I wouldn't say I had expected a cactus, or even wanted one, but it's a special gift because it's a reminder of the sermon I did last year. And it's a very nice cactus.

Rather than explain the significance of the cactus, I present to you the talk. Note it's in two parts because YouTube doesn't trust me with anything over 15 minutes.

RG: Relational Godliness #1

I'm exploring a concept I'm calling relational godliness. It goes like this:

Godliness is allowing the love,work and promises of God in Jesus to impact how I live.
Personal godliness is allowing God's love, work and promises to impact how I view and treat myself and thus the way I live.
Then relational godliness is allowing God's love, work and promises to impact how I view and treat others, and thus the way I live.

So there's a series of posts coming, attempting to put some of these thoughts into practice.

I have to assume I'm not the first one to think on these things, so if anyone has some good references to material roughly associated with this topic please let me know.

Being wrong on the internet.

This post has been poached from my old, dead blog. It's themes are still true now, so I thought I'd post it.

Blogs can tend to be places where opinions are fired like bullets from a gun, where comments are well-aimed and meant for maximum injury, and where there can only be one survivor. It need not be this way. I know people who have blogs asking for constructive feedback to refine their ideas, though these tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Instead we take our rifles out into the Blogosphere Game Reserve, treating other people's opinions as sport to be hunted.

I want to make clear that this entire blog is made up of thoughts I'm exploring, not necessarily positions I'm advocating. And yet, needless to say, I must attribute some value to them, for if I didn't I would be writing something else. However, I am concerned that an amateur hunter will fire at the idea and hit me - whether accidentally or otherwise.

Over the last few weeks I've had a few ideas of posts to write about, and recoiled at the thought. I might be taken out of context. I might be unclear and thus misinterpreted. I might be - heaven forbid - wrong.

My anxiety is partially because The Internet does not take kindly to error. Considering the society we're supposed to be creating, where people are becoming more tolerant, where love is the key, where there is so much emphasis on equality, it's impressive how intolerant, unloving and dog-eat-dog cyberspace is. I find this truly breathtaking.

But there's another reason. A reason, in fact, that makes me part of the problem I'm concerned about: I want to be right all the time. I’m just as likely as the next commenter to attempt clean others’ dishes with a sledge hammer, while not taking kindly to having the same treatment applied to me.

I hope that blogging will make me both less likely to opinionate all over someone else while at the same time make me better at copping it myself.

Here’s hoping.

UAQ: Unfrequently Asked Questions #1

Why did you call your blog Tracing the Shapes?

I like the metaphor of tracing when compared to drawing. Drawing is, in a sense, creating from scratch, while tracing is attempting to recreate something already created. I believe that in our understanding the best we can do is recreate what God has already created - think God's thoughts after him, as Cornelius Van Til would say - and even when we do our best, ours is a representation that lacks full clarity, precision and dimension. A good trace contains enough information to understand what the thing is, but confesses and testifies to a reality far greater than is shown in the trace itself.

[NB: I am well aware unfrequently is not a word. Please don't email me.]

What a random box told me

So I said goodbye to my job with AECOM. As I was packing the assortment of textbooks, mugs, toothpicks, a jar of onion marmalade and my duck tea infuser into a box, I slowly came to grips with the fact that every period of my life has been better than the last.

I didn't much enjoy my childhood, but as I got older I felt like I belonged more. High school was better than primary. University was better than high school. And now the empty desk, full box and heavy heart were telling me that this stage of life had been better still.

I think belonging has a lot to do with it. AECOM has a lot of expats, and it was beautifully comforting to see a whole bunch of people try and make Brisbane feel like home together, especially from my perspective of leaving everything I knew in Sydney. Similarly, Unichurch is made up of a motley bunch trying to make the best of a new place, and the dual embrace of not being quite sure where home is and a shared faith in Jesus has an almost contradictory way of giving us all a place to belong.

I felt a little like one of the random things in my box: having a reason for being where I was, though it was hard to tell from looking at it.

I left with a complex emotion, grieving the end of a great time, but also utterly grateful that life's journey has had the trajectory it's had so far. And I'm confident that this next stage in life has the same potential to outdo it's predecessors. Even if I haven't yet found anywhere to put the stuff in that box.

And it begins.

It’s with excitement and trepidation that I announce my intention to complete a ministry traineeship, beginning 2012.

Although I’ve been going to church all my life, I acknowledged Jesus’ work as saviour and right as Lord when I was 17 - ten years ago. Since then I have been slowly growing in love for God, his church and his world, and feel impressed to explore ministry as a full time occupation.

Since completing my maths degree in 2006, I’ve been working in transport modelling in Brisbane. I married Bronwyn in 2008 and we’ve been serving at Unichurch in music leading, bible study leading and meeting up with people. I’ve also had opportunities to organise various meetings and recently to preach at our evening congregation.

The opportunity on offer is the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS): a two year, full-time, on-the-job ministry experience. Bron and I were both offered this opportunity, and we decided to stagger our starts. Bron started at the beginning of the year; I, God willing, start this coming January. My primary area of ministry will be uni-age and young working men.

Ministry has been on my heart for some time, and I am truly thankful for all the people in my life who have both encouraged and put up with me in the last 10 years. In one sense this new step will be no different, and I ask for your encouragement and prayers as I prepare for this role.

I'll be updating this blog with posts and video of my thoughts, struggles and other stuff. Let me know how you’d like to keep up-to-date as the traineeship progresses. It would be great to get your feedback as to the way that is most beneficial for you.

I thank God and you all for the support that’s brought me this far, and I look forward to the years ahead.