off to rockhampton tomorrow...

...I don't want to go.

our delinquent dog

There has been a dog hanging round our place. When I say 'hanging round' I mean putting holes in our gate, digging under the fence, breaking in, howling outside our window at 5.30 am... But we understand. There is a fine line between true love and stalker-like behaviour. Our beautiful girl, now an adolescent, clearly smells as good to this dog as Bella does to Edward Cullen.

Andrew and I arrived home yesterday and noticed that Arry wasn't there. We both feared the worst. Arry is very pretty but she is not at all clever and has absolutely no road sense. Andrew went walking the streets looking for her. I stayed home to call the council.

The council had good news. With her boyfriend, Arry had been on adventures all over the suburb. The pair of them were found on Sandgate Road (a major road) looking grubby and sheepish. A disabled woman to whom we are very grateful grabbed them and dropped them at a nearby vet. They were examined and put into cages. When I went to get Arry, the vet told me that she is on heat and it's unlikely that the other dog hasn't had his way with her.

So, chances are, we have a teenage pregnancy on our hands. Andrew and I feel like irresponsible parents, but I'm secretly a little excited. Her boyfriend has a nice nature and seems a responsible gentleman... He has been back today.

We'll find out in a couple of weeks if we're expecting.

Arry is Cavalier x Tibetan Spaniel
The other dog is 3 parts Mini Foxy, 1 part Jack Russell.

Both dogs are small, friendly and good looking.

Anyone interested?

Auden

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

sad

After all the fun and activity of yesterday's party we were struck down with devastating news. Our friends suddenly lost their 2 year old daughter. Please pray.

The (not so) amazing adventures of Amy and Tim

A new blog here. I was the first to comment so I feel special.

tueday is always mad...

... but I'm freaking out about tomorrow.

6.00 - gym
7.00 - get kids ready for school
7.30 - kids at school for chess club
8.00 - parent teacher interview - Micah
8.15 - parent teacher interview - Joel
8.35 - drop Micah off at prep
9.00 - home, get ready for BS
10.00 - bible study
12.15 - home, lunch, party prep, RE prep
1.45 - teach RE
2.45 - pick up kids and 6 extras from school for Joel's birthday party
4.00 - laserforce birthday party (other side of city)
6.00 - drop kids home to parents (some live a long way away)
7.00 - get home, feed our kids dinner, pull them off the ceiling after their sugar high, put them to bed.
7.30 - bible study leaders meeting at our place.
10.00 - stop

I've been reading Calvin

[speaking about Adam] "..The strongest curb to keep all his affections under due restraint would have been the belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God and that the highest possible felicity was to be loved by him." Institutes p213

Kevin Rudd is following me on Twitter!

I'm honoured that our prime minister cares about the mundane details of my life.

He must be so busy - what with running the country and following 60,000 other people on twitter.

Broken-Down House: Living productively in a world gone bad

This book looks good. You can download the first chapter here.

flu survival tip

2 panadols washed down with a can of pepsi max will keep me going for 3 hours.

When 3 hours is up I will crash.

At the 4 hour mark I'll re-medicate.

(Written during the crash. Half an hour left to endure.)

why I don't use recipe books

1. There are too many recipe books in the shop. How do I know which to buy?

2. There are too many recipes in each book. How do I know which one to make?

3. Recipe book recipes use too many ingredients (mostly).

4. A recipe book leaves me on my own. I can't phone the author if I feel insecure.

5. Recipe book recipes don't come with ratings and hints on which ingredients you can leave out. The internet is much better for that.

6. Cooking is best done in community. It's more fun to ask a friend what to make for dinner. If I phone a friend, I get a tried and true favourite meal that will work and a free telephone support service to help me through the prep. (I also have someone to blame if it doesn't work - but the telephone support service means that this doesn't happen often.)

7. A recipe book is a purchase that keeps on costing. My grocery bill would double if I cooked to a recipe each night. All the little bits and pieces... [But maybe this is point 3.]

8. The best foods don't need a recipe. Salmon fried in a pan with steamed veges. Yum.

9. Recipes stifle creativity. Do the best chefs use them? Really? Cooking is more fun when you just make it up.

10. Using a recipe book is like cooking with big brother watching over your shoulder. I want to turn around and punch him. I can't, so instead I mess with his recipe changing beef to chicken, olive oil to canola spray and doing anything else I want. Just to spite him. Who made him the expert anyway?

How about you? Do you use recipe books?

oversharing solution

Responding to Nathan's confession that he just doesn't care enough about his fb friends to want to hear the details of their mundane lives, Ben lays the blame where it should be laid and poses a solution:

You have illuminated the heart of the problem. The responsibility is in the nerdish, sweaty hands of Facebook themselves. All of these problems stem from the fact that you are either someone’s ‘friend’ or your nothing...

So, there needs to be more FB relationship catagories created to choose from, for eg,
1. I know of your existence and mildly care about you
2. I know you
3. I know you and sort of like you
4. I know you and if pressed, would call you a friend
5. I think you’re swell
6. I am stalking you and like to watch you sleep.

Then, as you choose yr category for each person you follow, the Special Facebook Robot will filter out any info that exceeds your relationship parameters, eg, birth and/or constipation stories.

Problem solved. Thank me later.

Facebook, are you listening?

my dad

My Dad turns 60 next week. I'm putting together a photobook for him with (theoretically) one picture for each year of his life. Mum and I got looking through old photos last night. Here are a few.

1. Dad was really good at Aussie Rules. He was best and fairest on the Gold Coast. He's the one jumping the highest.

2. Dad is the twin on the right.





3. Our family. Pick me?

dataman

Did anyone else have a Dataman? We loved ours and used it for years. Dataman was like a calculator/maths game thing. It gave us a sum and we typed in the answer. If we got it right a bubble thing went across the screen and we felt good about ourselves. It also did speed tests and stuff.

ARGHHHHH!

spur of the moment decision to go down the coast to my parents' place. unfortunately most of brisbane had the same idea. average speed 30km per hour.

but yay for andrew's cool phone and mobile blogging.

Wow!

That last post took on a life of it's own really fast.

For the record, I actually have quite a bit of sympathy for Nathan's position.

Work that out.

mums and 'oversharing'

Nathan has been thinking about parents (let's face it, mothers) oversharing on facebook, telling everyone the gory details of pregnancy and baby and infant care, and reporting interesting (or not so interesting) happenings of the day. After many comments, Nathan seems to have moved a little in his thoughts on what constitutes oversharing. It's all got me thinking about why we report on our kids. Here are my thoughts.

• This is not new. Women have talked about the mundane details of their kids' lives since the dawn of time. People have been bored by it, written about how boring it can be to listen to, and then done it themselves. The online thing is new-ish, but in a way much better than in face to face conversation because you have the option not to read.

• There is nothing like the excitement of being pregnant. Especially the first time. It's like being in love. You are always thinking about it. It's impossible not to talk about it and write about it. (Maybe just don't mention the....[I'd write a word starting with Hem.. here, but it would scare Nathan.]

• Being at home with kids is intense. I notice every little thing that they do. My mind is focussed on them. What else would I talk about?

• Being at home with kids can sap your self esteem. I'm at home by myself. I'm lonely. I feel fat. I've not had a good night's sleep for a long long time and my mind doesn't feel at all sharp. I'm not getting out much. Apart from my kids, there's not alot going on for me. What else do I have to talk about?

• I love my children. I know that other parents are a little delusional about their kid's giftedness, but my child really is amazing. It's hard not to tell everyone. (I'm not being nasty here. All mothers should think this way about their kids. (But mine are unusually special!))

• Bodily functions really are amazing and amusing. Especially when you can see the whole digestive process from start to finish. Kiwi fruit? Sultanas? Corn? (Need I say more?)

• It is fantastic when our kids reach particular milestones. It is right to celebrate them!

• Hearing what other women are experiencing in their homes, validates the mundane acts of service that I perform in my home. When I feel like I'm leading a nothing life, your status updates comfort me. So keep them up!
  

As a mum, one of the things you want most of all is for someone to tell you that you are doing a good job. You almost never get positive comments on your parenting, but negative feedback abounds: glares in the shops, sighs at church, straight out criticism, tantrums... When Nathan (our oldest) was 18 months old, my mother-in-law told me I was doing well. It meant a lot.

Maybe clicking the 'like' button occasionally could be encouraging.

Joel has the flu

Quite possibly, that flu. We called the hotline.

Just got to sit it out.

recent comments widget added

I got it from here. Like it?

put me in a classroom...

...I'm over this PE thing.

I am dumb

25 degrees today. I stood in the sun for 5 hours. Didn't think to wear sunscreen or a decent hat. I am sunburnt.

status abuse

Nathan has issues with Facebook status updates. Being a female and mother, the gory details of pregnancy and childrearing don't phase me. If your child sleeps through the night after not sleeping for 6 months, that is status update worthy. Similarly, success in the toilet after 2 years of mess can legitimately be reported.

Here's what really gets to me (in list form):
1. Status updates that tell the world how spiritual you are. eg. Simone is praying now. Simone loves Jesus. (And other more subtle forms) Seems a little like standing on street corners and blowing trumpets.
2. Status updates that tell me what a legend preacher you are. Includes details of your sermon prep and requests for me to be present when you preach.
3. Status updates that tell me to come to stuff at your church. If you have 700 facebook friends from all over the world, don't presume that we all care about the programs you're running at your church. I, for one, don't. Advertise through groups. You may think you're doing ministry online. I think you're spamming me.

single working mum

That's me. Tomorrow into Thursday. Andrew goes away for work about once a decade, so I can't complain... But what if I need to go shopping after I put the kids to bed?

just so you know...

• the obvious objections still need to be made.

• if the objections are not stated, there are no objections.

• everything is wrapped in five layers of politics.

• a group of 20 is useless for anything except rubber stamping.

• anyone who has sat in meetings for 10 hours is way past caring.

• if tables are to be grouped together, they should be the same height.

• meeting in an upper room doesn't make you more like Jesus.

This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

Philip Larkin

This poem has always appealed to me. It so starkly and truthfully states the problem of generational family dysfunction. Trouble is, it offers no hope for families in trouble or for humanity itself. The best we can do is quickly leave home and not reproduce. The poem I posted last night (a bit half baked, but I like the metaphor) is in some way a response to Larkin's hopelessness. What do you think?

Trueman on poetic expression

'What is being taught is inseparable from how it is being expressed.'
Carl Tueman, quoted by Justin Moffatt here.

This is why I don't think you can fiddle with the words of a poem/lyric without interfering with the writer's intention.

Other literary genres are different.

Go on then. Bring out the same old arguments against copyright for christian stuff. Tell me that open source where no-one pays for anything and uses everything however they want is the way of the future. Tell me that I don't understand because I'm not gen Y.

Whatever.

Incidentally, none of this is new.

"And here I beg leave to mention a thought which has long been upon my mind, and which I should long ago have inserted in the public papers, had I not been unwilling to stir up a nest of hornets. Many gentlemen have done my brother and me (though without naming us) the honour to reprint many of our hymns. Now they are perfectly welcome so to do, provided they print them just as they are. But I desire they would not attempt to mend them ; for they really are not able. None of them is able to mend either the sense or the verse. Therefore, I must beg of them one of these two favours : either to let them stand just as they are, to take them for better for worse ; or to add the true reading in the margin, or at the bottom of the page ; that we may no longer be accountable either for the nonsense or for the doggerel of other men."

London Oct. 20 1779. JOHN WESLEY. From the preface to the 1780 hymn book.

this stops here

The speed doesn't surprise him
nor the recklessness -
he's been driving with them forever.
But now in his own car
he is surprised
that they don't notice him.
That he's stopped.

He sits,
foot on brake.
Up ahead, kids ride bikes.
Pink streamers burst from their handlebars.
He presses his back hard against the seat.
A roar from behind
and he absorbs the impact
as generations plough in.

The others move around the wreckage
talking about scratches and new paint.
In front, the kids have races and laugh.
Crushed between seat and steering wheel
with a foot still on the brake
he mutters to himself,

this stops here.

sar 2009

trivial limerick

There once was a girl called Olivia,
Who was atrociously hopeless at trivia,
She said, "What a drag,
I do not know this flag,
Is it England, Iran or Bolivia?"

sar 2009

still hating trivia nights...

...even when I ask the questions.

Really hard to find questions that appeal to everyone.

The nights always go on for much longer than you think they will.

Wouldn't we rather just sit around and talk?

where you are reading from

blog commenters graph

Ben has graphs. I want to be cool like him.

trivia

Our church is having a trivia night tomorrow. Andrew and I are doing the questions - which is good because I'm bad at trivia and hate losing. A frustrating combination. I usually spend my time at such events trying not to look like a sore loser. Hey everyone, it's only a game isn't it! [Grrrrr.]

Much better that I get to ask the questions.

But my questions are good. I know all the answers. Andrew wrote the questions for the history/geography, sport and current events sections. I wrote questions about TV and the bible. There's also a creative section, just to freak everyone out.

For those who are coming, I recommend you brush up on your American drama, crime shows, reality tv, star wars and disney princess knowledge. And, read your bible. If you have time, also learn to write, sing and draw.

so chris is gone from masterchef

Think it's fairly clear who will win.

I am fit. I am co-ordinated. I am amazing.

I am... PE teacher.


















(Who am I kidding?)

(The trick is to size up the class before you begin and pick a kid or two who will be able to demonstrate for you.)

For Us

For us, our God became a man,
Eternal before time began,
He left his throne of grace,
Took feeble flesh in his embrace.
For us he walked upon the earth
For us as servant, labored, toiled
Cried bitter tears and prayed
'Forgive them' as his life he gave.

For us, for us
[something else...]

Behold his love, his bloodstained brow
The piercing spear, his life poured out
To wash away our shame
To pay our debt, to take our blame.
For us, the saviour bled and died
For us, he stands in vict'ry raised
And now this cursed cross
Becomes the tree of life for us

For us the fear of judgement's gone
We're sheltered, safe within his love
His welcome, open arms
Are branches keeping us from harm.
We bid the dragons of despair
depart, for sin and Satan's snares
no longer haunt our hearts.
All things are his and he's for us.

sar 2009

Two Questions.
1. Can I get away with 'dragons' in verse 3?
2. Would you sing it?

stupid names

From the SMH:

Boys growing up with popular names such as Michael, Joshua and Christopher have a good chance of leading law-abiding lives.

But young men named Kareem, Walter or Ivan could run afoul of the law.

That's according to a recent US study that claims the more unpopular, uncommon or feminine a boy's first name, the greater the chance he will end up behind bars.

So true! Going into a classroom I can tell who the trouble maker kids will be by running my eyes down the roll. Parent, take care! (Hm. We called our third son 'Micah'. Should we expect trouble?)

[thanks Nathan]

I don't have a problem...

...I can stop this whenever I like.

And now I have proof.

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
I took this quiz.

Thought I'd come out more addicted than that. Think my score was lowered by the fact that I only really look at about 11 different blogs daily (12 was in the highest category) and don't use a reader. How do you score?

Cain and Abel Limerick

There once was a man named Cain
Who brought God an offering of grain
But his brother brought a herd
Which God clearly preferred
so by Cain, brother Abel was slain.

sar 2007

The Origins of the Moabites. A Limerick Cycle.

Micheal would like to see OT narratives finding their way into contemporary Christian music. I am way ahead of him in this. I wrote this cycle many years ago. Unfortunately, I've been unable to write a tune suitable for congregational use. Can anyone help?

A Limerick Cycle on Lot

There once was a man called Lot
Who shared the land that Abraham got
But then in the night
Their servants did fight
So Lot moved to a different spot.

Lot thought that the land of the heathen
Looked like the garden of Eden
So he moved to the plain
From where the Sodomites came
Cities of evil and treason!

The Sodomites, they were not right
They molested a man in the night
God poured fire down
From the sky to the ground
While Abraham watched - what a sight!

Lot ran and escaped from the flames
But his wife didn't fare the same
Lot ended up drunk
With his girls in his bunk
And from there the Moabites came.

sar 1997

see also Cain and Abel Limerick

why you should read my blog

from Internet Monk. Blogosphere Christianity: An Assessment

The Christian blogosphere is overwhelmingly male. It is not only male; it thrives on “maleness” in perspective and voice. For various reasons, some confessional, some not, many of us have a seriously limited exposure to the feminine mind, voice and experience of the Christian journey. In fact, our “maleness” is affirmed in the blogosphere in ways that are useful, and neutral and harmful.

I'm a girl. I'm a Christian. I blog.

Read me and get balanced (!).

broc

I cooked this broccoli for dinner. It was good. Andrew and I thought so anyway. The kids wanted to wash it.

why...

... is it the line I initially like best that turns out to be the dud?

there is a fine line...

...between writing and sleeping.

time pressure and creativity

While people believe they are more creative under deadline pressure, they are not.

This rings true.

I'm on twitter!

Come follow me!

Does anyone know if it costs heaps to tweet via a 3 mobile?

Friendship: The Remedy for Loneliness

More from Christopher Ash.

Lest I overstate my case, it is worth digressing for a moment to agree that human beings are deeply relational, that in the absence of relationships we do experience loneliness, and that the Bible fully recognizes this. My point is not to deny our need for companionship, but to deny that sexual intimacy is the only or the necessary way in which loneliness may be alleviated. The Bible has a great deal to say about the longings of the human heart, but it is very striking to see how very rarely sex has anything to do with these longings being met. Almost all the Bible passages that speak warmly about human love do so in contexts where sexual intimacy is absent. God’s remedy for human loneliness, according to the Bible, is not necessarily sexual intimacy, but friendship and fellowship.

better sex apologetic = second best

"Even if our happiness is likely to be increased by keeping sex within marriage, this is the wrong question to ask. A Christian apologetic for marriage is settling for second best if it says to people, “Join us and live our way because you’ll probably be happier that way (and have better sex into the bargain).” They may or may not be happier in the shallow sense of having better sex. They may have no sex at all: Jesus didn’t. Instead, what Christians say to people is, “Learn that the glory and honor of God is far more important than your personal satisfaction and the fulfilment of your longings and desires. And learn to center your life on his glory and purposes so that nothing so fills your heart with joy as seeing his purposes fulfilled. Then you will have the deepest personal satisfaction and joy in the world, as you rejoice in the glory of God.” This is the most radical de-centering of human beings imaginable. But we must do this if we are to make sense of sex. Christopher Ash.

From here. (A continuation of this discussion.)

I am now tea drinker

The peer pressure was way too much.

christian spam

It gets on my nerves. You think I want your inspiring devotional dvds? I don't. Market to someone who cares. And fix up your unsubscribe link (not that I ever subscribed in the first place!).

friday night is better...

...with ABC2.

Watched Torchwood tonight. Joel asked us to tape it for him (he's a Doctor Who fan) which we did, not knowing what it would be like. Andrew and I loved it but the kids will not be seeing it for many years.

to tweet or not to tweet...

Should I join twitter?

how accurate is site meter?

Looking at my stats this morning. Came across something interesting.

Time of Visit		Jul 10 2009 8:41:31 am
Last Page View		Jul 10 2009 8:43:17 am
Visit Length		1 minute 46 seconds
Page Views		67

I'm thinking it would be fairly tricky to view 67 different pages in under 2 minutes.

This visitor is more ADD than me!

(Don't worry, regular reader, it wasn't you!)

mothers of awesomeness

To prove to ourselves that we are indeed mothers of awesomeness (and not the angry cows we are sometimes mistaken for) my friend Megan and I did cooking with our kids today. With our seven kids. And not just pikelets or cornflake cookies. We did the messiest, most wonderful cake in the book. We did the pig-in-mud cake. Want to see?














































Non-parents out there should recognise this for the triumph that it is. We now have photographic evidence that we are good mothers.

restlessness

right now I'm clicking mindlessly around every blog I ever look at in the hope there will be something interesting then finding I don't care enough to read more than half a sentence and I'm bored with your layouts as well and think you should all change them or maybe I should just stop all this and go to bed.

songs are different

After last month's lengthy discussion about changing song lyrics I've been wondering (just a very little bit) if I'm a way-too-precious-selfish-and-greedy-control-freak for not letting people freely change the lyrics of my songs. Nathan argues that he's fine with people ripping off his sermons or bible studies to use however they want and that we should be the same with our songs.

This argument didn't sit right then and still doesn't now. I'm convinced that there is something different about a song. Last night I gave away a kids club that I spent weeks and weeks writing. I'm happy for people to use it however they want. Change bits. Whatever. I don't care. (Though my fonting and layout is nice). In terms of work hours, this kids club probably cost me about $4000. No single song has cost me that much. It's not a time thing. I don't think it's a selfishness thing either. But there is an all-or-nothingness about songs that there's not about other things.

What do you think?

he's just not that into you

Andrew and I watched this last night.

Here's what we learnt:

• most relationships start in bars
• a girl will do just about anything to be in a relationship
• a single girl will make out with a different guy each weekend
  
• if a girl is into you, she will sleep with you. If she's not slept with you after a few weeks, it's not going to happen
  
• no man wants to be married
• all women want to be married
• if a guy stops making out with you when another girl calls, he's not that into you
• if a guy is into you, he will make it happen
  
• if the guy doesn't make it happen, he's not into you
• the bar man understands
• I am the rule, not the exception
  
• married guys are dicks
  
• the best couples are those not married
• adultery is exciting but in the end futile (best just get divorced)
• divorce is a good option
  
• a good marriage will only happen if you understand you don't need to be married
  

new room

Our house has three smallish bedrooms, one bathroom and one living area. Small by today's standards, but no smaller than most of the unrenovated houses in our area. When our suburb was established, our house would have been considered big enough for an average sized family. Have families grown bigger in the last 50-70 years or have we just grown greedy for more room?

We've lived happily in our little house for about 20 months now. Some things about it are annoying and it's fairly ugly. We bought it because it was what we could afford. Christians often talk about having a big house to make hospitality easier. Hospitality is not a particular gift of mine. We usually have people around 2-3 times a week (not nec. for meals). I ask myself if we'd do better than this if we had a bigger house. The answer is probably no. We are busy and having a bigger house would make no difference to that - I'd just have more cleaning to do!

But we are very pleased with the room that Andrew has just finished building under the house. It's about 5cm short of legal height so it doesn't officially count as a room, but it gives us an additional 19 square metres of living area. It looks good with fresh paint and carpet. We've put in a couple of lounges (hate the peachy pink colour and the style - they were my grandmother's) and we'll have a telly and computer down there soon. The room opens up onto a patio area (currently a concrete slab) before the (wreck of a) back yard. I'm hoping to get the outside looking presentable in the coming weeks.

I don't imagine this room will make us any more hospitable, but it will make the stuff we're already doing a little easier.

Want to see some pics?









Under the house - excuse the mess, but this is kind of the 'before' shot.













This is the 'after' shot.










Here's Andrew enjoying the fruit of his labours!

Don't say you weren't warned

I'm yelling at people today. So far I've limited it to family members, but if you turn up here, you may also be yelled at.

Just in case you need to come over, don't ask me:

• for clothes to wear
• for food
• for more food
• for something to do

Don't complain:

• that you've got no socks to wear (go look outside around the trampoline)
• that cleaning the lounge is boring (I didn't cover it with dirt and grass)

Don't ask why:

• the dog can't come inside
• Star Wars 2 and 3 are M rated
• why I don't let kids watch M rated movies
• we can't go to Laser Force

And do not even think of making:

• a magic potion
• a cubby house for the dog
• a bomb of any kind (flour etc)

on the brand new carpet.

Today I do not value creativity or conversation. I want everyone with their heads down, cleaning up in SILENCE. (I also want chocolate.)

computer upgrade?

from here.

hue test

I like this. I scored 11* which (I think) means that I have pretty good colour discrimination.

How about you?

(thanks Nathan)

* 4 on my second turn

sick of painting

I've spent much of the last 24 hours painting our new room downstairs. I just need to go over the skirting boards, window frame, door and door frame, then do a few bits and pieces and some tidying up. No more than a few hours work left. But my hands and back hurt and I'm tired. Hoping for a phone call or something to help me procrastinate!

Carpet gets laid tomorrow.

light and momentary troubles

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ... ¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4

In just a little while, this moment will have passed. Glory will have replaced our troubles.

It will be worth the wait.

So we keep going.

home handy-(wo)man hints

I'm finishing off our room under the house. Andrew built it, but I do the glory jobs of painting and picking carpet. Andrew thinks it's best that I only do the end bits. Not sure why.

Here are some tips for beginner renovators.

• One thick and chunky coat is just as good as two or three thin coats. And faster.
• If something's not quite right, apply putty.
• Joint adhesive stuff is pretty cool and fun to use. Be creative in your use of it.
  
• Don't worry about lifting your house to legal height. It's easier to paint the ceiling if it's a bit lower.
• It's always worth buying a new painting gadget. They usually don't work any better than a standard brush and roller combo, but they create expectations of easy painting, filling you with enthusiasm to start the job.

Mt. Warning

Today we climbed Mt. Warning. After the initial whinges we had a great time. All the kids managed the entire climb. Micah (age 5) was pretty weary on the way down. He was energised by Andrew's enthusiastic rendition of 99 green bottles. Joel had a fairly significant stack half way back (he was running). He skinned his knee and hurt his hip. We counted stairs for the last 2kms to keep us going (792). Excellent day. The 50,000 people we met along the way all agree.

holidays

Sorry for the silence. It will continue for the next couple of days. We've been doing holiday stuff, painting the room Andrew's built, and today we're heading down the coast.

Have fun!

sex as the new apologetic

Anyone else over this?

Here's how the argument goes:

Many people don't want to become Christians because it would interrupt their sexual activities. Sex is the most important thing in life, so this is unthinkable.

So we argue back: Becoming a Christian will make your sex life even better. Look, Christians are all for sex, God made it, God knows best, he tells us how to have really good sex. See here? We've got a whole book of the bible about it. Song of Songs. Christian erotica. (And guys, it talks about things you only dream about...)

Now, I'm into sex as much as the next person. I enjoy it. I enjoy talking about it. I enjoy writing about it. But.

I think we come at the whole apologetic thing from the wrong direction. Why not help people to see that sex is not the goal of life? Life people's eyes up, away from themselves and towards something bigger. Is the good-sex gospel going to cause us as many problems long term as the much-money gospel?

A few points.

• sex outside marriage is fun because of the adrenaline rush it gives. It's fun because it's dangerous. If people (particularly christian people) are mucking around outside marriage chances are that when they get married sex will be worse. They will need to learn to get a kick out of sex alone, not out of the adrenaline rush.
• Sex can take ages to get good at. Women have to get over their hangups with their bodies, guys need to learn patience and control. They need to trust each other. This is probably going to take years and years. The true-love-waits stuff which promises perfect wedding night sex is going to lead to disappointment. Trouble is, couples (and particularly women) blame themselves for their fumbling and even link it to godliness. 'If I was a better wife I'd be more willing/able to....' Ideas about submission get thrown into the mix and pain and guilt and despair escalates.
• Pressure to have great sex is a passion killer for women. It makes great sex (or any sex) unlikely to happen.
• Have we stopped talking about patience and kindness and joy and self control in marriage? Perhaps these things matter too...
  
• Sex is not for everyone. Apart from being untrue, a good-sex gospel is unkind to singles.
  

Have I overstated? What do you think?

Home holiday

We are on holidays this week. At home.

Andrew, like the complete legend he is, is building a room under the house. It's almost finished. Last night he knocked out an asbestos wall (wearing all the saftey gear - then he wrapped it up and put it into a special bin) and today he's replaced it with a nice sliding glass door. The walls and ceiling are all plastered. Just a few bits and pieces to tidy up. I aim to paint it next week then think about tiles or something for the floor.

Today I went to the aa-cc conference. I listened to Richard Bauckham speak about eyewitness testimony in the gospels, and heard interesting papers on forgiveness and the imprecatory psalms, the challenges of teaching Australian church history, and preaching the Song of Songs. Micheal Jensen also spoke about the Man under trial. All good.

Especially nice to meet fellow bloggers in real life.