That's That

First year of Moore College is all done! We finished with the Doctrine paper yesterday, and today was the final chapel and college lunch for the year: complete with prawns (!) and yummy icecreams.

Exams were all ok. The papers ranged from very straight-down-the-line (predictable), to really quite quirky and tricky. On the whole, I'm happy with how it all turned out, and very satisfied to be all-finished.

We have some holiday work to do. There are a couple of hundred pages of Calvin's Institutes to read, a Greek assignment, and a Hebrew assignment. I'm hoping to take the slow-and-steady approach. That seems to have worked pretty well for me through the year, and I'm hoping it'll make it more fun.

Before we come home we have a few cool things planned: arvo tea with Brendon and Hunnah, dinner at a Uighur restaurant, Christmas celebrations with the Hansard rellies. And we have some less-cool things planned: cleaning, packing, living out of suitcases ;)

I keep seeing ads for Tasmania on the tv... Not long now!

Happy Birthday, 2005

Two and half years ago my dear brother-in-law, Lukey, gave me this book for my birthday. Today, I am a very thankful that he did.

I'm now half-way through the exam period. Or, as I prefer to put it, 7 subjects down, 3 to go. Church History is now in the 'completed' pile. Hurrah!

I'd tell you why church history isn't dull (for those who might suspect it), or why Augustine was a real highlight of study, or why this book (above) is such a good read... but right now I think I'm going to blob on the couch and watch some West Wing.

Ask me about it sometime ;)

(Next week: Philosophy, Mission Foundations, Doctrine).

Timing and Answered Prayer

Timing. Yesterday afternoon I was struck down by some nasty gastro thing. I won't go into details, but it was pretty intense between about 3pm and 11pm. (Kate had the same thing 12 hours earlier). Gastro is a total pain whenever it happens. But today was my Old Testament exam - timing, huh!?

Answered Prayer. As you can imagine I was praying for a timely reprieve. I can hardly believe it, but I had a pretty good sleep and was well enough to sit the exam at 9am this morning! I could think clearly the whole time. Five essays in three hours. Questions were (mostly) on things I'd studied. Praise the Lord.

I still feel pretty mashed, but I think I'm on the mend. My next exam is on Wednesday, so I've got a window of time for recovery and more study.

PS. Noah has (thus far) avoided the bug.

Coming to a Chaser near You!

Kate and I took a wrong turn trying to find a little shop in the city this morning, so we wandered into Martin Place - just near the Lindt cafe - to find a throng of people doing not-very-much.

Then Kate recognised the Chaser boys among the throng. And shortly thereafter, 'not-very-much' became collaring some guy into a theatrical little dance number involving 30-odd people.

So, next time you're watching Chaser, keep your eye out for us in the background. (Me in blue, Kate in pink, Noah in blue/red).

The elusive 'Mind Like Water'

Ok, I expect about two of my readers will care about this, so this goes out to you guys :)

A couple of years ago I read 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen. It's about being productive and organised. The guy reckons everyone should have a way of managing their responsibilities so that as you work on any particular thing you can rest safe in the knowledge that it is exactly the thing that you should be doing at that time; nothing else is more important. A system that helps you achieve a 'mind like water'...

So, I've been unhappy with my staying-organised-software for a while, and yesterday I stumbled across a piece of software called Midnight Inbox. It's a really impressive piece of software to implement the David Allen stuff. Ingeneous, looks fantastic, costs ~AUS$40. Frugal-little-me then got looking, and I settled on dowloading iGTD instead. It has most of the features of Midnight Inbox, but looks (sadly) like a PC application :( even though it's OS X thru-and-thru.

I'm sorely tempted to get Midnight Inbox, still. I'll make that decision when I don't have exams to pass...

Exams

On that note, my Old Testament exam is on Monday. New Testament on Wednesday. Church History on Friday. I think all of them are on-track at the moment. It's just a lot of work. Thank God for exceptionally good lecturers, great blokes in my study group, and the real pleasure of learning the stuff.

One highlight? Hmmm... looking at Mark today was great. I was struck again by the way Jesus' kingship (messiah) is totally inseparable from his suffering: he's king in his crucifixion. That continues to stagger me. "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" Mark 10:45.

Gardening...

That's what I'll be doing more of next year: Gardening.

Kate and I ducked out to our home-to-be this afternoon (our college-house for next year, that is). It got me really looking forward to next year for a bunch of reasons:

• Herbs. Isn't it about time we stopped buying our herbs? A teensy, sunny backyard should be all we need to see Jamie's dream realised.
• Vege Garden. Now, I didn't actually see it; but there's supposed to be a vege garden that we can get horticulturally-busy in.
• Light. They have it inside their house. Miraculous.
• Quiet. Ahhhhhh.
  

There are plenty of other things to keep us on our toes at the moment. Such as...

• More exams are on the way. (Both Hebrew and Greek went well, by the way). I'm in a fantastic study group - we call ourselves 'The Brains Trust' - which is making exams much less intimidating.
  
• At home, we're in the middle of a white-goods war. This time it's the washing machine that's kaput. (Last week it was the fridge).
• I bought Calvin's Institutes today. The first 400-ish pages are prescribed Summer reading for college.
  

But some things have come to an end:

• Jason and Amy stayed with us on the Sydney (and coffee) leg of their travels.
• The Pleasures of God (by John Piper) is back on the book shelf. That is a fantastic book. It was some of the most spiritually-nurturing stuff I've read this year.
• My prayer-triplet finished in the last week of term. Throughout the year I met with Clive and Dave once a week to pray. It's been one of the highlights of each week. (College organises a bunch of cool stuff like that: prayer triplets, chaplaincy groups, etc.)

Approaching the Pointy End

Now that Joe and Alaine are married, and housing for next year is sorted out (more on those below) in my field of view, at the moment, is little other than Hebrew. The exam is at the end of the week.

I enjoy Hebrew, but it's definitely tough. There's almost nothing from English to help you, as there is in Greek. And some letters sound basically identical... like coughing up something unpleasant. My memory-hook for the word 'to take' is that the word sounds like someone 'taking' some unpleasant medicine - that gagging, throat-clearing sound. Delightful.

On Joe and Alaine's Wedding. Heaps of you know Joe, of course; others might remember him as my school-mate, who became a Christian years ago and was at Crossroads (Hobart) for a while. The wedding was a great time. All the Tassies were accommodated on a cool 'Farmstay' property just near the reception venue. That was fantastic. The whole thing was really fun, well organised, riddled with great personal touches (like oysters), just excellent. And, of course, they're now married - which is just wonderful. (I preached at the ceremony; it went pretty well, I think).

(No photos yet, I'm afraid. Kate stayed home with Noah and the camera.)

On our home next year. Praise the Lord, we have been offered (and have now accepted) college housing for next year. We had been hoping for something in Newtown, but in the end we were offered a place in one of the other centres: Croydon. Three cool things about the Croydon college-housing-metropolis:

1. It's really family friendly. Heaps of space on the lawns. A bunch of other families live there.
2. Some of my mates live there already (guys from Queensland and Germany, for instance).
3. It may be pioneering a new path for the Taswegians up here, but it's in a cool area and we're looking forward to it heaps.

Oh yeah - and it means we won't have to compete with (quite literally) 50+ people per over-priced Newtown dive. That alone is an enormous point for thanksgiving.

Yum Cha

Thankfully, I've only been sick a couple of times so far this year. Unfortunately, today is one of those times: I'm in the clutches of some mild flu right now.

I was afraid I'd be too crook to make it to Yum Cha with the Hansard's (Unca, Auntie, Luke, Jan, and the boys). It all worked out. I guess the battered chicken feet gave me the strength to pull through :)

It was really fun (even though I felt like death): heaps of waiters bearing all manner of little dumplings in their trolleys, bottomless jamine tea, the place was really humming at 11am - that's Yum Cha! I think the craziest thing was sugar-cake. It can't have been more than sugar and gelatine - wild.

In other news bites:

• The new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, is really good. It's no The Bends or Ok, but there's lots to like about it. Worth however much you choose to pay for it.
  
• Language exams are bearing down on me. This Friday is Greek. Then two weeks later is Hebrew - that's the frightening one.
• Our good mates, Pete and Pamela, have just welcomed their firstborn, Simon, into the world. (For the interested, most of the people in the most recent post on Simon's site are my classmates - spot the Tasmanians!)
  

The New (Old) Look

New Years Eve with a few friends...
So, Kate says, "My resolution would be to get rid of those [dreadlocks]".

To which I, naturally, say, "Well then, my resolution is to keep them for the year!"

(Or was it the other way around: with Kate provoked by me? Hmmm...)

Tuesday evening (just gone) was the night of the grand chop. All 31 of the little blighters were given the chop and this shows the very last one. A great way to lose 90gms in an evening. Not much, you might say - ah, but that's when they're dry.

People keep asking why, why, why? Fair enough question, I suppose, but not one with a very succinct answer. Ask me about it sometime, if you're got a while to kill ;)

So, folks, here's your final chance. Say your farewells to this guy for the last time:

My New Year's Resolution in Tatters

A handful of you might remember my and Katie's New Year's resolutions for this year. They're not the sort of things we usually go in for; in fact, even this time, I think they were in answer to a question like, 'If you had to come up with a resolution, what would it be?'

Well, I broke mine.

And, Kate kept hers.

Any guesses for what they were? (Next post when there's a correct answer in the comments!)

Goodbye OT Essay, Hello Holidays

This arvo I finished-off my Old Testament essay. Holidays at last :) The end result is less-than-perfect, but you've got to draw the line somewhere I guess.

I read a whole bunch of stuff for my essay. One thing that stood out was a chapter from Hays' From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race. I'm a continually impressed by that series: it's fresh, it's rigorous, it's tight, it's biblical theology. (Köstenberger & O'Brien's Salvation to the Ends of the Earth is also proving very good).

On a very cool note, our friends Pete and Pamela recently upgraded their espresso machine and donated their old baby to us! Gosh the College community is generous. As much as we might talk about our difficulties in settling in, there is no question that you'd be hard-pressed to find a more caring bunch than we have around us here. Praise God for 'em.

In other news, our little family is planning on escaping the hum for a few days next week. We'll let you know how that goes.

Coffee & Ethics

No, this isn't a post on Rainforest Alliance v. exploitative trade regimes.

Lovell Roasters - are some boys from college who roast their own coffee (single origin and blends). Kate and I have been enjoying their wares over the last month or so. College is something of a congregating point for rather brilliant people with buckets of initiative, so it's no surprise to me to find people creating their own coffee roasting machines and such. They also offer a cut price deal for the college community. Hats-off to them.

Oliver O'Donovan - For three evenings last week I went to the New College Lectures 2007. It was entirely voluntary (they're a UNSW thing). I won't pretend to summarise what O'Donovan had to say; I'm sure I'd fail dismally! The mp3s / transcripts will be available for download from their site very soon - so check them out if you're interested.

But to give you some idea, he spoke about stuff like ideals and compromise; he explored the (biblical) metaphor of 'wakefulness' for moral reasoning; he spoke about admiring the good in this world and the significance of gratitude. I guess you could say the lectures were foundational, in the sense that they outlined the under-girding of a moral framework, but they were by-no-means simple. I'm glad I went; but I'm glad that this week I'll have the evenings at home :)

In other news: Term 3 is finished. I'm writing an essay on Israel and the other nations in the book of Deuteronomy (very interesting; should touch on stuff like genocide). And, if you haven't already seen it, you must check out the walking-video on Noah's blog.

A Window on my Miscellany

Life at college has been in something of a lull recently. Not that it's been boring, not that that there's been nothing to do - it just hasn't been hectic. So I thought I'd tell you about a few disconnected little things that have either surprised me or taken my interest or whatever.

Engage Conference - Starting this year, these smart-thinking Sydney Anglicans are running a Bible conference just for workers: Engage. What a brilliant idea! Tasmania, I think we need one :)

Deuteronomy Essay - My Old Testament essay is about the relationship between Israel (God's special, chosen people) and the nations around them, particularly in the book of Deuteronomy. It's proving a really great topic.

Hugh Palmer - I don't think I've heard better preaching while being in Sydney than I have in the last 8 days: 5 sermons by Hugh Palmer. Hugh's from All Soul's in London (John Stott's old church). His preaching reminded me heaps of David Jones' style. Some of his sermons will soon be available from the Cathedral.

Holman v ESV - (This is a total Bible-nerd comment) Ok, this was a surprise to me. I had thoroughly expected everyone up here to rave about the ESV when I first arrived. Not so. If anything, the Bible that gets the big props is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Cheap, too (from Moore Books, anyway).

Why would anyone read this book?

Finished earlier this afternoon...


Here lies the second-hardest book I've ever read (well, finished).

So why do I reckon it's so great? Well. Have you ever watched those docos telling you that the exodus (from Egypt) never happened, or that archaeology has disproved Israel's conquest in Canaan, or... (the list is endless) and you wished you had a place to turn to check it out further? This book is the place. It's thorough; it interacts with all sorts of recent discoveries; it takes the Bible seriously.

How much can archaeology really tell us? This book has an answer. Is the Bible so biased (theologically) that it fudges the facts? This book has an answer. Are the dates and numbers and names and places in the Bible verifiable from other sources? This book takes you through it all.

You could drown in the detail. But detail is what's needed when the world has such an anti-Bible stance, I guess. I really want the authors to do a 100-page popular version so that this stuff is accessible to the TV-informed world.

This book is for you if:

• you're teaching from the Old Testament historical literature, or
• you've got a real passion for studying history, or
• you've got big questions on the historical reliability of the Old Testament.

Lectures, Lectures, and America's Finest

Here are a few things that have taken my attention recently:

The Word of God in the Book of Jeremiah is the topic of the 2007 Annual Moore College Lectures. That might sound boring to some, and I'll admit it's an unimaginative title; but the lectures so far have been very good. Andrew Shead has been talking about stuff like: the relationship between the words of the prophet Jeremiah and the Word of God; Jeremiah's embodiment of his prophecies; and other stuff...

Oliver O'Donovan is delivering the New College Lectures this year. He's a big name in ethics, in particular. They're free, but you just have to RSVP by the end of this month. If you're going to be in Sydney in early September (4th - 6th) I'd recommend heading along.

The Gospel Coalition (involving Tim Keller, Don Carson, Mark Driscoll and others) has finally got a bunch of content on their (very swish) website. I'm yet to check much of it out, but it couldn't possibly be bad, coming from those blokes. (At this very moment I'm downloading the Don Carson on "What is the Gospel" video - warning: it's a huge file!)

PS. Am I the only one who thinks the term 'Coalition' is a little tainted at the present time?

Finished... Satisfied.

Times a-changing: Semester 2 Kicks-Off

We're now one week and one day into second semester at college. What happens in a week? A Hebrew test. That's what. (I really like Hebrew, but it is the weirdest thing this world has ever seen).

Several things have changed... Biblical Theology is finished for the year, as is Congregational Ministry. On the other hand, Philosophy (with David Höhne) and Mission Foundations (with Greg Anderson) have started.

A friend of mine had this to say about first year at Bible college: "First year is basically where you figure out how you study and learn not to stress out when other people are studying and you're not - you can't study all the time, everyone's different, there'll always be someone studying and it can't be you all the time".

Sounds simple, but that's super-helpful advice to a busy little student.

On a different note, Nick and I aren't back into swimming yet (we've only been once since returning to Sydney - it was fantastic to be back in the pool... we discovered we can still swim!!!).

Holiday. Celebrate.

Why the long hiatus in blogging? Well, surprisingly, holidays intruded! I kinda expected that would mean more time to 'keep people up-to-date'... not so.

As many of you will be aware, we spent the first three weeks of holiday in Tassie. Gosh it was great. Time with family and friends and doing very little else.

Stuff we got up to in Hobart:

• Fairly successfully avoided college work (except for some language-revision, which I'm happy with).
• Read a few books that had sifted to the top of the pile.
• Watched half of the first series of Northern Exposure - time has taken it's toll, I think.
• Went to Richmond (with Pete and Pamela, who were visiting from Sydney)
• Took a trip up the mountain.
• Kate managed 2 colds in as many weeks; Noah had conjunctivitis and an ear infection simultaneously.
  
• And, of course, spent time together and with family (those who were in the state) and friends. (But, if we didn't get a chance to hang-out with you, it's not because we don't like you - we just couldn't cram more in!)

Then back in Sydney we had a lovely family picnic out at Vaucluse. (I'll put family / cute pictures onto Noah's blog - here's one that caught the lovely-ness of the day, though.)


We had a week back in Sydney before college resumed. We did some errands (like, finally got our licences changed to NSW; got our fridge fixed), watched some Scrubs (Season 4), and went on a Church Conference with the Cathedral... that was excellent. It reminded me of how important weekends-away are for building relationships. I think it was especially helpful for Katie, in giving her more a sense of belonging at church.

On a related note, the Conference also induced serious deja vu. It was at Merroo, in the Blue Mountains: the campsite where I went to Club 5 in 2000 and 2001. I was taken back to those halcyon days with Philip Jensen preaching on Zechariah; Chris' Skyline's breakdown in Yass; and mt growing realisation of the need for people to work full-time for the cause of Jesus... Halcyon days.

"So, how are you enjoying Sydney?" - more from 'the wife'

When people find out we've moved from Tassie to Sydney, a very common question is "how are you enjoying Sydney?". I really dislike this question, as my most simple answer is "I'm not" and I'm not sure what the correct english answer is in the positive ("I'm enjoying it nicely, thankyou very much"?). Perhaps I should ask a question back to the person "how IS one to enjoy Sydney?".
I really am struggling to find things to enjoy about this crazy place, but do look forward to being able to look back on these years with some kind of fondness. There are glimmers of nice things, though. Having so many great Christian teachers at 'our fingertips' is fabulous. And Sydney does have lots of interesting shops and cafes... it's just a pity public transport stands between us and them! And when it rains, it really rains - we love looking outside at the 'river' running down our street.
After spending the first few months fighting the fact that this is our home (for the next 2.5 years), I'm now rather at peace with the idea. I can see that things are going to get better. At first I was encouraged by the idea that going through suffering (having temporarily lost many of the good things in my life) produces perseverance, character and hope (Rom 5 style). But I've also just realised that God has put us here out of his love, and he is with us as a loving Father. This is much better than being 'chucked in the deep end' by God, and is a huge comfort to me.

I'm pretty sure the trip back to Tassie for three weeks (Noah and I arrive on the 21st, Bernard on the 24th) will succeed in bringing to the forefront all my dislikes about Sydney, and that resettling back here will be hard work, but it will be great to be refreshed by all our Hobartian loved ones. And we'll be back again for Christmas!

Beer, Preaching, and a Good Book

Ok, so it's a strange collection of topics... they just happened to come together in the space of a few days.

Thanks to Luke I've enjoyed a few beers from a Sydney boutique brewery called Red Oak, recently. I think this was the pick-of-the-bunch: an organic hefeweizen. Brilliant. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to Benny (for recommending the book) I read David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas recently. (Or rather, I finished it recently, having started it on the day of Sam Gough's wedding last year!) Very Good. 4 Stars.

Thanks to Tim Keller (a preacher from New York) I've been thinking about the reasons people dismiss Christianity out-of-hand. He reckons there are 6 in his culture (e.g. suffering in the world, the track record of Christians in history, etc.); and he recommends preachers regularly (like, every week) touch on them as they relate to the gospel and the part of the Bible you're dealing with.

The lecture gets 4.5 stars. (Get the lecture from here: 'Preaching to Believers and Unbelievers')

College Mission: Arndell Community Church

While Katie was galavanting around Tasmania last month I went on 'Mission' with College. What's 'Mission'? Well, it's where I went away to a place called Arndell with about 15 other guys and girls from college. We were based at a church that meets in a school. And we helped the church to teach the gospel to people, predominantly in the school environment.

I did things like:

• Talked with people at their Sunday church meetings
  
• Taught (9!) Scripture classes (I taught grades 8, 11, 12)
• Mini Bible talks in Home-Rooms each day
• Gave a sermon to a youth group about how Jesus cuts across the billions of competing demands in our lives.
  
• Asked Mark Baddeley (our team leader from college) heaps of questions
  
• Other things that I can't remember...
• Had my face painted for the primary school seminar (it's an upside-down face with buck-teeth)

It was really nice to be out in the country (Arndell is near Windsor on the Hawksbury River); and we did manage to find a bit of time to play jokes on one another and mess around a bit. As you can see...
On our day off, a couple of us went to a spot near the Blue Mountains and had a pleasant walk in the bush. We also stopped by the White Water Stadium at Penrith; I'll have to make it back there for some paddling soon!

Concluding thoughts: In all, an excellent time. It was great to see God at work in the lives of people in a place that I (previously) knew nothing about.

P.S. I reckon teaching the Bible to kids is an incredibly important thing for ministry-apprentices to do. (I won't give all my reasons here!).

P.P.S. Gosh it was weird being away from Katie and Noah. It was great to have them back.

Bits of Life in April

Random things from life:

• Recent Movie: Ten Canoes. Unlike anything I've seen before. Worth watching once.
• Recent Foodie's Discovery: There is a massive difference between the Bagel-House bagels you buy at the supermarket and Bagel-House bagels you buy at a bakery. The former taste like bubblegum, the latter are fantastic
• Recent Foodie's Discovery #2: Bagels from a Jewish bakery, such as Glick's in Bondi Junction, are different again!
• Recent piece of Advice: "Learn to be a good re-reader rather than try to read absolutely everything. Who cares if you can read 1000s of mediocre books and articles? Find the best. Read them carefully." from Michael Jensen. It was advice to doctoral students. I recently read Spurgeon say a similar thing.
  
• Recent Software: ProVoc. If you're learning vocab for a language. Get ProVoc. It's free and brilliant.
• Recent Essay Submission: On the secrecy surrounding Jesus being the King in Mark's Gospel (The "Messianic Secret'). Addresses stuff like why Jesus told his disciples not to tell people that he's the Christ.

Ahhh... bananas.

A Reflexive Post: On Blogging your Refections

Two things crossed my mind recently on the topic of 'Reflective Blog Posts'.

1. Beware Blogging as the Sole Means of Processing your Reflections

It seems to me that whenever you publish your thoughts, or have in mind to do so, you inevitably shape them for your audience. That's great in that you are forced to clearly articulate what you're saying (or risk an impenetrably long post).

But, I think there's a nasty barb, too: you might find that there are some reflections you're no-longer willing to pursue because you don't think they're blogable; some directions that you won't take your reflections in, lest you touch on a subject that isn't palatable: Real fears, your nasty side, things that you just can't put succinctly, struggles.

The short: Blog your reflections, by all means; but make sure you save some head-space to reflect on stuff that will never get to your blog.

2. Beware Reading Blogs as your Sole Means of Personal Reflection

Blogs are a great window into people's lives and minds. As a result, they're fantastic for keeping in touch; they can be entertaining; they can be really thought-provoking. So here's my thing: In this digital-revolution-thing-a-majig are we leaving the truly great thinkers of history, and getting inside their heads, only to bounce comparatively simple thoughts about? Are we being satisfied with less than the best? We have the resources to get inside Spurgeon's head, to read Don Carson's thoughts... even to know Jesus' mind.

The short: read blogs of friends, loved ones, and interesting strangers. But dwell on other things, too; greater things, even.

Thanks, families!

Thanks to my lovely, generous families I'm now the proud owner of one of these:



It's a Yamaha FG-700S, for those who care about such detail.

I've been sorely missing my old guitar. So it was really wonderful to receive a new one for my recent birthday.

Thanks very much to the Canes and Hansards!

I'm now busy working-up fresh callouses on my fingers. It sure makes washing-up a bit more painful, but that's ok - it's well worth it ;)

'The wife'

Disclaimer: this is the first time I have written a blog entry (which is quite an achievement as I have struggled with the communication style of the Blogger's world for some time) and have absolutely no gifts in the creative writing area. Please excuse the dullness which may be found in any entry of mine!

Bernard and I have been married for 5 years now, and I have never been so conscious that I am a wife. The usual first question when meeting someone new at college is 'are you studying, or are you a wife?' - to which I reply 'a wife'. This question is valid and I'm happy to be a wife, but it's weird having that title be my main identity. I'm not a student, I'm not an employee, I'm not a women's leader, I'm not a bible-study leader, I'm not really a 'useful' member of a church, and I'm hardly anyone's friend up here! I'm not part of anything that gives me an identity outside of being a 'college wife', and that is a strange feeling. I'm so thankful that God has made me one of his - I belong to something far greater than what the world considers important. I think these years will be humbling for me, as outside of being a mum and a wife I won't have anything to boast in nor rely on to make me 'who I am'. I'm really hoping that God will use this jar of clay for his own power-displaying purposes, and that I will be a worthy 'college wife'.

If your dying to hear more of the adventures in my Sydney life, stay tuned for exciting posts on 'washing cloth nappies; does napisan really work?', and 'The best foods for pureeing; will corn make the list?' ; )

Hawks Nest on a Shoestring

Thanks to Clive, a second-year in my prayer group, our little family got away to Hawks Nest for a few nights this week.

Hawks Nest is a little coastal town several hours North of the big smoke (South of Taree, near Karuah). It's so tiny and unpretentious and beautiful; the beach reminded us of the Tassie east coast but the water was warm enough to swim in for ages and ages. It really felt like a piece of home :)


The unit we stayed in, 'Booneroo', was pretty musty and dark; but who's complaining? (Such a classic name! The block is on Booner St.)


The highlight was definitely the beach. But the quiet was just wonderful. We sat, we read, we ate, we hooned around in a hire car (no birds!), we drank coffee, and we marvelled at the quiet.


The biggest bummer was the debacle of driving there. I have to take the blame for it: it took about an hour longer than it should have. There were several contributing factors that I won't go into, but one worth mentioning are the mistakes in the 'Whereis' directions... Whereis told us to make turns in suburbs that were on the opposite side of a body of water to where we should have been! My resolution: don't rely on whereis - get a map.

And yes, I did eventually ask directions ;)

And the award for favourite subject of first term goes to...

... Doctrine 1.

Sound boring? I'll give you an example of what a typical doctrine lecture might be spent thinking about.

Let me ask a question. It's a question of significance to the entire human race: What does it mean if God has revealed who He is - his mind, his will - by speaking? The Bible's basic assertion is that God has opened-up what He thinks to us in words. That is, the Bible is God's word to humanity. So what's that mean for people in this world?

Surely the first thing it means is this: the right way to relate to God is first of all to hear and heed. If the Creator has spoken, then the creature must be a listening creature.

In a sense, this touches on questions like - How can anyone claim to know God? How can your efforts to know God be more effective than anyone else's?

The Christian claim is that it's not related to how hard we try or what technique we use to figure God out... it's a question of whether we're listening to what He has said and is saying. It turns the popular conception of spirituality on it's head: that each person can figure-out God in their own little way.

So there are two questions for us:

1. Has God really spoken?
2. Are you hearing and heeding?

Some highlights of Doctrine 1 in term 1 :

• The lecture on what, if anything, we can know of God from looking at the world. ('General Revelation' and 'Natural Theology').
• Anything John Woodhouse says. He is genuinely that interesting. (John's the lecturer).
  

Buy this book...

...if it's ever published.

The Trials of Theology is a collection of essays written for people studying theology; it's edited by Andrew Cameron and Brian Rosner (both from Moore). Essays from Martin Luther, B B Warfield, Charles Spurgeon, and heaps of other big-names are included.

The book outlines some of dangers that theological students face because of their constant exposure to the things of God, and it recommends attitudes to adopt to guard against sliding into a barren spiritual life.

How did I come across this book? Well, here's the clincher to today's lesson: I had the privilege of writing an essay on it for Congregational Ministry - one of the subjects in the Bachelor of Theology degree. I've really got to applaud the authors and the people who put it into the syllabus. It's such a great kick-in-the-bum toward humility; it's such a great reminder of the privilege I have in studying theology for these years.

Pray that God gives us all the perspective described by Rosner in his epilogue: 'Students do well to remember that the goal of our theological study is not to figure out God, but rather awestruck incredulity and joyful confidence in God'.


P.S. One of the essays is by Andrew Cameron on C. S. Lewis' concept of the Inner-Ring. He's got a related essay available online here. Although I haven't read this particular article, if it's anything like the one in the book you will want to re-read it and then blab about it to everyone you see.

How did it come to this??

"How could it have come to this???" You may ask.The answer: One beautifully executed practical joke.

Des, Nick and I were the suckers; Luke and Dan, the victors. Suffice it to say that when the frocks came out we knew we we'd been 'had'. But who could resist robing-up in the name of a great gag? I'd like to think that being the butt of a practical joke is a very Australian way of welcoming people to a new place.

Kate and I have been really blessed with people showing love toward us in all sorts of ways. The settling-in process, though it's taking a while, is definitely happening. We're planning on keeping you posted here on things that really stick out in our lives: events, people we love, new discoveries, things to pray about, changes... all that sort of stuff.

Stay tuned for more on our life in Newtown.