Big or small?

I posted this the other day, describing Simone's as a 'lovely and personal little blog'. Why did I stick the 'little' in there? What makes me think of her blog in that way? More generally, what makes a blog, big? I can imagine describing some blogs as 'monsters', even though the first page is only as long as any other.

Is it the weighty theological issues that are/aren't posted? Is it the average post-length? The busy-ness of the web page? What blogs do you read that you would describe adjectivally because of its vibe?

How would you describe this blog? Ambivalent? Turbulent? Flatulent? Opulent? Fraudulent? Covalent? (the nerds will love that one) Virulent?

The possibilities are endless!

Is it a crime?

I play an online football management simulation game called hattrick. It's a very cool game. It currently has 913,447 active users from all over the world. Over 4,000 of these are in my 'country', Oceania. (It's the only 'nation' in Hattrick (HT) that isn't a true nation)

I've managed to make it into the top league of Oceania. Currently, I'm sitting in 2nd place because of a completely undeserved loss last Sunday.

The question is, should I be happy about this achievement, or does this cast me into nerd-dom and and loser-dom and other-doms forever?

Commentors, how does your inner nerd express itself?

Shirts #6

While I'm doing these little 'spurt posts', I might as well give you a shirt to go along with it. For all you Germaine Greer fangirls out there who are simultaneously computer geeks reading xkcd:

I hate

My phenomenal lack of memory. I feel like I am robbed of profound thoughts, beautiful memories and encouraging reminders every single minute.

I am constantly mourning what I continue to lose every day.

Good advice

Simone R. (who writes this lovely and personal little blog) gave me this good bit of advice the other day that I'm benefitting from. This is my recollection anyways, so don't (a) blame Simone for poor sentence construction or (b) get confused by the quotation marks.

"When I was going through my questioning time at college I decided that I had to have an anchor. I made my anchor the Bible. Everything and anything else could be wrong. Everyone else in the world could be wrong. The whole of history of the church could have got this thing wrong. But I decided that the Bible must be right. And it was very freeing."

I think that was about it. A good tip.

A series of deep thoughts: post #1

Everything is spin. Everything.

Apology and shirt #5

Sorry about my lack of posting lately. I'm trying to make up for it with a mini-marathon this morning.

Here's another shirt for y'all.

This is definitely the best edition I've seen of this classic piece of theological writing.

The big bang

Explosians are cool. And while this guy actually isn't cool enough not to look at his own explosions, he's still pretty cool. And by cool, I mean nerdy. Which is cool. When you're making blowing things up. And even sometimes when you're not.

A public perception of Christianity...

This article was quite interesting to me. I know that Christians are always dealing with the perceptions (often wrong) of non-Christians on how they ought to be acting. This particular version, however, hits interesting points because of the public character of the debate.

Does K. Rudd's stance on asylum seekers have any conflict with his Christian morality?

Interestingly, the comments on the article itself take a singularly 'anti-Rudd' bent.

Shirt #4

I don't have the energy for any cool theological insights, or even mediocre ones. So, you just get a shirt.



This one may mean more to you if you've seen the shirts that proliferate the Fortitude Valley markets, saying:

"I've found Jesus! - he was hiding behind thecouch the whole time!"

Education at its finest

It has recently come to my attention that not everyone has been introduced to Strongbad's emails. This should be rectified.

This is the first ever SBemail.
Some kinda robot

This is one that a friend's child from church showed me a drawing of today.
dragon

This one is especially for those child educators out there.
kids' book

Check them all here.

Oh,and this one is especially good for you fans of fine Japanese anime.
japanese cartoon

Enjoy!

Shirts #3

Thought I'd put up another one to keep y'all interested. Or shaking your heads. Either way.

If you're familiar with the local State member for Brisbane Central, Grace Grace (true story), then perhaps you'll like this one:

A bolt from the bloon...

Just spent 4 hours straight in the same position, hunched over a bunch of balloons. It was great. :) Our church put on a community movie night for free in the park. The movie was Bolt. See more evidence of the evening at Simone's blog.

I enjoyed making cool things for the kids. What would have made it better was if there was less pressure to make them more quickly. It was too many, too quickly to sit back and enjoy the look on each face as they got their masterpiece, and by the end I was too glazed over to really chat to them much as I worked. Still, nice to bring some joy.

I managed to create some dogs, giraffes, bumblebees, swords, hummingbirds, hats, jester hats, cats (bearing remarkable skeletal similarity to the dogs and giraffes) and flowers. I think that's it. If I can get hold of a picture I'll post it here.

Edit: Here 'tis! I'm really not that fat though (quite), honest! It's just the shirt is ballooning out...



The back is sore now, but hopefully some kids feel blessed and have thanked God for their night, and so God gets glory.

Shirts #2

Here 'tis. For all you Rick Warren fans out there. (Concept IP in connection with Nathan Campbell of St. Eutychus fame.)

Anything you ask for...

Now, perhaps like many of you, I've heard a lot of defences for why "ask for anything and you'll get it" doesn't mean "ask for anything and you'll get it". Perhaps, like me, you've always thought that they sounded weak as a skinny white guy drinking diet-caffeine-free coke on a weekday.

Especially that whole smug "Well, what does 'in my name' mean then, hey?" comment. Pffft....

Well, today I was priveleged to have a crack at translating John 15, and get a bit of an insight into what is going on under the hood. It comes up a couple of times, but in particular vv16-17 are one which seem different in Greek than in English.

ESV:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
(Joh 15:16-17)

Now this is a good translation, I'm not complaining about it. What I had missed previously was 2 things.

1: The links between the sentences: the 'that's and the 'so that's.
2: That everything in the sentence after the first 'should' is in what is called the subjunctive mood. That means, it's a more hypothetical way of speaking. This is what the 'should' is trying to achieve.

Putting these together, you could outline the verse like so:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and have placed you
- so that
- - - - you might go
- - - - and you might bear fruit
- - - - and your fruit might remain
- so that
- - - - whatever you might ask the father in my name
- - - - he might give to you

When placed in this context, and so understood as a purpose statement (ie, it is the goal of the choosing, not a universal promise) it starts to look a little different to my eyes.

However, I don't think this gets completely gets Jesus off the hook for me not being in Spain playing professional roller hockey. More to come tomorrow. (some hints in the bolding)

Tonight I really feel like ...

I ought to have something inspired and inspiring to say. Some thought that plumbs just one depth of the human experience. (This is a lot harder to do when in a headlock from your wife. Much nicer though.)

You know, those times when you feel that the depths of your heart are in tune with the souls of those who have gone before, knowing just what they've been through, and they're looking on, understanding just how it is for you. And it just feels like it's that kind of night when that thing should be communicated.

Do you ever get those nights?

Chemical changes when inner thoughts meet reaily

LsI + 6Fp + HhS -> 1Aa + 20NMa

Legend:
LsI = Lame skit idea.
Fp = Face Paint.
HhS = Hey hey it's Saturday.

Aa = Angry American
NMa = Negative media attention

Shirts I may one day market #1

For a while now I've been contemplating entering the t-shirt design game. Nothing popular, mind you. No, that's way too mainstream for me. See, I'm old skool me, from the back streets. Cult classic, not best-seller.

So, I've decided that before exposing them to people in *gasp* 'real life', I'll post a few of the designs that I've done here, on the blog.

If anyone wants one, or likes them, then please let me know in the comments! :)

And now, for my first effort.


If you're a man looking for love, or trying to re-kindle it, then this is the shirt for you! For those blokes who aren't too bright, have a 5-second memory or the attention span of a 3-month old, this is the must-have book of the summer (so you can find your 'summer girl'). Voila!

Reminding myself of the truth

I decided to try to write something to remind myself of some important things. It turned into a series of chiasmic thingies. Here 'tis. (Certain specifics removed)

You are:

A loved and wanted son of your God.

Talk to him and listen to him.

You love and want to be close to him.

A loved and wanted husband of M.

Pray for her, talk to her and listen to her.

You love and want to be close to her.

A loved and wanted member of your church, and the rest of Jesus' family.

Pray for them, talk to them and listen to them.

You love them and want to be close to them.

A loved and wanted brother and friend of DL, KP, BS, NC, PB, MC, TM and TF.

Pray for them, talk to them and listen to them.

You love them and want to be close to them.

A loved and wanted citizen/stranger of Brisbane.

Pray for her, be part of her and listen to her.

You love and want to see her redeemed.

What do you do ...

... when you're really behind in your assignments?

Tips anyone?

Theologians have strange...

... taste in book covers.

Remember this post? Well Billy Dumbrell liked it so much that he made it the front cover of his book. My Dad found a copy somewhere. Needless to say there weren't many of this edition printed, and the next printing saw the publishers overruling the fetish with something a little less ... aerobic.

Mixed futsal is...

... weird.

(1) After you beat a couple of players and just feel like smashing the ball past the keeper, you can't. Because your team can't have a male score 2 goals in a row, the next must be scored by a female.

(2) Some guys get physical and competitive, and hack and hit you. This would be fine in blokes only futsal, when I'd simply smash the guy in return and then he wouldn't touch me again. However, it's mixed, and you can't play angry in mixed. It's just constricting somehow.

(3) Girls play sport strangely.

As I said, weird.