I've been watching a bit of Grand Designs lately. I'm pretty sure it's not what the youth of today a watching, a show about building homes, but I love it.

I've pretty much figured out how the show goes. Kevin McCloud introduces us to an impressive house, he meets the couple who are going build it, he tells us they're mad for even considering such a plan, then they build the house, things go wrong, then Kevin visits the house when it's built and talks it up. That's the show. And I love it.

Better than Pimp My Ride any day.

Just to conclude the community preaching saga.

If you wanna hear how it ended up with your input, you can listen here: 8am14-09-08.mp3 or you can just check the podcast if you're a subscriber.

Thanks for your help people. Apart from the good discussion, I think probably the most significant impact that came out of the whole process was the added discussion of not worshipping in a way that puts other people off.

I did consider going into the whole "body is a temple" deal. Or even into the "we are the temple" deal. But the passage talks about Jesus being the temple. And when you have 4 different temples flying around a passage, and three of those temples co-existing, it can get a little confusing.

Anyway thanks people. It was good fun. I should do it again sometime. Maybe next time I'll get you in on the planning level pre-draft, then it really would be a community sermon.

I'm up to draft two of the community sermon. I'm doing a test preach tonight with a test congregation (my preaching class). We'll see how it goes.

If you want to see the second draft and add your comments before Sunday rolls on around, go click the link below.

I'm enjoying this. Thanks for your help peoples. I'm listening.

Here's an idea I just had. it might be a stupid one, but I'm willing to give it a try. Yesterday I finished my first draft of my sermon for Sunday. "Why so early?" you ask, well because I'm doing a preaching course and the guy who's running it wanted to see a draft. So I did it.

Anyway here's my thought, what if I opened it up to everyone in the entire world to edit, comment on and add to. It could yield some interesting results. Of course, I wouldn't necessarily use your additions, but it could be fun. Plus I'm sure if I just let anyone put words in my mouth I could speak more rubbish than I already do. Some people might even see this as desecration of the art of preaching. I hope not.

But if you're interested, I have posted a copy on Google Docs that anyone can edit. So if you want to have a bash at influencing 40 people on a Sunday morning, go have a look, add a little, correct a little, do what you want and we'll see what happens. I'll be adding my additions as I make them so you can see how things progress.

I think this may only be an interesting exercise for preaching nerds, but hey, it could be fun.

Check it out here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddj4p7p3_54ctn8mrhs

I had an exam today for Theology. Lucky I like theology because I really dislike exams, especially on my day off. As usual I didn't study at all. But if you ask me I wrote a killer essay on God and his timelessness. I even had four scripture references. Don't ever say I'm not an evangelical.

I was thinking about it. It's probably a good thing I'm always too busy to study for exams because if I had time I wouldn't actually know what to do. I never really learnt to study. All I knew that it's a good idea to read stuff. Maybe write some notes or something. So being perennially busy means I never have to confront my inability to actually work out how to retain facts.

I was thinking that if killer robots invaded Earth I'd sign up for the Army straight away, because I don't think my pacifist tendencies extend as far as killer robots.

I'm pretty sure someone thought up that witty pun before me.

It seems a bit dumb that the biggest issue people can think to talk about Sarah Palin is that her daughter got pregnant. Though I can totally understand why it's embarrassing. McCain should have done better vetting. On the other who really cares, her daughter isn't running for Vice President and I doubt her mum encouraged the conception.

I also think it's funny the President Bush got relegated to an 8 minute satellite address at the Republican convention. Wasn't he a hit?

Though none of it is upsetting me that much because I'm going for Obama.

I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe in the city that used to kinda cool, kinda dingy. Now it's been spruced up with big screens, chairs that are classic gamer chairs. I'm not really sure what that is, but these certainly look like them.

I played a bit of Rainbow Six:Las Vagas 2 and I wasn't very good. But I had fun. I feel a little dumb playing games when I suck at them and I'm pretty sure that everyone around me is probably awesome. But what can you do.

This afternoon I went to the new house and sat on the back verandah and had my quiet time. It was nice. The sun is nice there and it was rather peaceful. I saw some birds.

I just spent about an hour trying to make a 2 minute video blog. But it didn't work. Shame.

Though it's late at night so probably my jokes wouldn't have worked in the morning anyway.

The car did get fixed and it only cost me $637! I was so happy to be back on the road and broke.

I've also started moving boxes into the new home, which is good fun. It feels like I'm actually moving. I've managed to move almost all my boxes. Only stuff left to move is my furniture and the mess on my floor! Amazing.

I discovered Entourage last night. And I finished Season 1 tonight. It wasn't a real big deal seeing as there are only 8 half hour episodes. But still it was good fun.

So I'm feeling a little more permanent. At little less and a little more. But I'm happy to be able to drive places and I'm happy to be able to have somewhere to live. These are good things.

I'm at work. The car dude was meant to be here at 12 to fix my car, he never turned up. I got stood up by a mechanic. I should ring him and ask him what's going on, but I'm not very good at confrontation. I should ring him and tell him that this is taking too long. 5 weeks to fix my car is a little bit long. But I'm not good at getting angry. I'm not even feeling angry. I just feel like I should call.

Update: I just called and left an almost apologetic message on his voice mail. But I did ask that he fix my car tomorrow if possible. It was very demanding of me.

I was about to go to bed but I got distracted by reading stuff about Mike Guglielmucci.

For those of you who haven't been following the story, Mike Guglielmucci was a Youth Pastor for Planetshakers. He has recently admitted to faking having cancer. He had been pretending to have cancer since September 2006.

He wrote a song called "Healer" which is about how Jesus heals (obviously). He performed it on the latest Hillsong DVD with an oxygen tube in his nose.

He recently admitted to faking his cancer as an excuse to cover up the symptoms of an unexplained illness which may have been caused by his guilt for having an addiction to pornography. He had been addicted to pornography for about 16 years.

I watched this Today Tonight story which is typically Today Tonight but I can't help but feel really sad for the guy.



I didn't know about this whole thing until it broke. Before that I didn't really know who Mike Guglielmucci was. I had seen him speak maybe, and I'd sung the song but I didn't know anything about cancer.

So I guess watching him on Today Tonight made me feel sad because he must be feeling terrible. I am sure he loves Jesus, otherwise he had no reason to admit his sin. And now he's getting a battering in the press, thousands of people are upset with him, he's let his wife, family, parents and church down. I can't imagine that the relief for admitting this makes up for what he's copping now as a result. It would have been easier for him to not tell anyone what was going on.

His Dad said in a statement to his church: "I can't begin to tell you how much this is hurting us on the inside. A few weeks ago Mike had a dream of Jesus on the cross looking down on him saying, 'the truth will set you free' and so he decided to confess and bring everything out into the open."

I do hope the truth sets him free. I don't think he's a con-man as Today Tonight and lots of others have made out. I think he's a sad man who was caught up in his own sin, pride and fear. I believe him when he says that he really did mean the song when he sang it, it just wasn't cancer he wanted healed. James says "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Maybe now he will find the healing he so desperately wants. I hope so.

Satan must be having a field day right now. I wish we ministry workers could keep it together.



If you want to read more I got most of my information from here, here and here.

I'm back from the Ent Cent seeing Mark Driscoll tell us all about Jesus. There was 2 hours of preaching. That's pretty impressive. I've never sat through a 2 hour sermon before. It's kinda like sitting through 5 normal length sermons in a row.

That said, it was good. He kept us engaged, he told us about Jesus, he made us laugh. So I'm happy. I think seeing him live at a special event is better than everyday podcast Mark. Maybe just because he made fun of Austrailans, and Sydney people in particular. The crowd interaction was good.

I do appreciate Anglican worship music now more too. It's so theologically correct. It's kinda like singing a basic theology text book. But good thing is I think the music has improved. I didn't see one saxophone the whole night.

The sound was bad. And Mark made fun of 25-year-old males still living with their Mum. Lucky that's not me.

I'm off to see Mark Driscoll tonight. It's a little strange. We're off to see him at the Entertainment Centre. It's kinda like seeing a rock band but so much less cool. The event is called "Burn Your Plastic Jesus". I'm gonna take my plastic Jesus, but I'm not going to burn it because I like my plastic Jesus.

But I'm looking forward to it. I've listened to a lot of Driscoll's preaching, now seeing him live is kinda like going and seeing a band.

I read an article where someone was saying that some people are in danger of idolising Mark. I think I would be but I disagree with him too much. Lucky that.

Still it should be fun. Plus I'm taking some of the youth and I'm gonna take them to Eating World. I love Eating World.

I've been meaning to blog this for a while.

When we were entering the United States they made us fill out this form.



It was these three questions which were my favourite:



One does wonder how many people the Department of Homeland Security have caught using this method. I also felt that perhaps asking me if I was planning on engaging in "immoral activities" was a little subjective. I mean some people think it's immoral for a Christian to drink and I planned to drink. In fact I did drink. I had a Budweiser. I wouldn't say I sought entry specifically to drink a Budweiser but I did feel that drinking a Budweiser while on US soil was important to my experience of the US.

For the record the beer wasn't very nice. And I ticked "No" even though I felt that some might find my morality rather questionable. I'd hate to think the conundrums an unmarried couple planning to sleep together while in the US would go through. I would think that George W would think that it was immoral for them to do so, plus a large number of US citizens.

Still I was happy to be able to tell the Department of Homeland Security that I have never been, and am not currently, involved in genocide, as I really dislike genocide.

Finally they had this piece at the bottom:



Surly one of the first steps to reducing paperwork would be getting rid of the Paperwork Reduction Project and all the letters people send them complaining about the paperwork. But what would I know? I'm just a pleb.

I had a dream I was friends with Barack Obama last night and he promised to hang out with me when he was President. It's good when you know your friends won't forget you even when they hit the big time.

I went and saw Taken today. Liam Neison pretty much just efficiently kills people the whole film. It was pretty cool. I enjoyed watching it.

As three of the four of us in this house are currently sick, my father persuaded the doctor to make a home visit. So the doctor came and, without warning, undressed me in front of Hannah's babysitter*. I always knew moving back in with the parents could be a whole new adventure.


*In defence of the babysitter, she didn't hang around to watch. As soon as the doctor got into it, she scuttled away to do her uni readings. A wise move if you ask me.

I'm still home sick. Today I'm missing a special training day run by the diocese. I can't say I'm totally depressed about that. I'll still have to go at some stage but it won't be today.

I hear from a professional doctor that this flu takes about 10 days to get over. There is little joy in that news.

Still at least I'll get to watch some DVDs.

When I was at the retirement home visiting the residents for youth group on Sunday I met a man there who was a spy in Paupa New Guinea during World War Two. I was pretty impressed. I wanted to ask him lots of questions but I feel like it's rude to ask people questions about what is probably a rather traumatic experience. He seemed happy to talk about stuff though. He spent the most time telling me how he met his wife. That was nice.

Next time though maybe he'll want to tell me about hiding out in the jungle spying on Japanese. That'd make my day.