I bought the blu-ray box set of Superman for myself for Christmas a few weeks ago, and I'm loving it to bits. Superman is awesome and the special features are wonderful.

Yesterday I watched Superman III and it has to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I had never seen it because my video store as a kid never had it, and judging by Superman IV, I decided it wasn't high on my list of films to track down. If it didn't have Superman and actually took itself a bit more seriously it'd up there with the Twilight Saga in the magnitude of it's crime against cinema.

The whole film is built on the premise that computers can do anything. The villan uses a computer to reprogram a weather satellite to stop monitoring weather and start causing weather, then he uses a computer to reroute every oil ship in the world and turn off every petrol pump, and finally he builds a computer that is so sophisticated is can look at any person or thing, analyse it and find and exploit it's weakness, the computer even turns a woman into a robot and puts Superman in a bubble he almost cannot break out of. It's from a time when computers were not that common so people could be more easily fooled into thinking they can do anything. One guy hacks into his companies payroll system by typing the command "Override all security". Genius!

Also in the film, Superman gets turned bad by some poorly synthesised kryptonite. Superman becomes a womaniser, alcoholic and serial pest. He stops fighting crime and starts doing things like blowing out the torch at the Olympic games. He's a naughty one.

Beside the absurd plot, is some pretty terrible acting (though Christopher Reeve seems to be working hard to do his best with a bad hand), rather silly slapstick and some of the worst paced action I have ever seen. There is however some beautiful photography, which looks especially good in Blu-ray.

Now you may think from this review that I hated the film, but I actually really enjoyed myself. It was a whole lot of fun to watch, if only because it's so bad. I spent a lot of the time having a good laugh. Plus I love Superman, so I can't really lose.

I decided that I love the film so much I want to use it as a sermon illustration. First available chance, I'm gonna do a Superman III reference.

Watching the film did remind me how good Hollywood has been in the past of destroying perfectly good francises in the chase after money. Superman, in my opinion, is one of the greatest comic book adaptions of all time. To have gone from the greatness of Richard Donner's Superman to the camp, embarrassment of Richard Lester's Superman III it makes me think that Hollywood can destroy anything. Still they can also fix things. We went from Batman and Robin to Batman Begins. Redemption is possible.

Anyway I recommend you all see Superman III unless you all don't love everything Superman. Otherwise watch Return of the Jedi or something. 1983 did have good cinema, Superman III just wasn't it.

Kaye and Scott take photos of potential.

Today was a pretty exciting day. Kaye, Scott and I went on a field trip to our two potential locations for our church plant. Kaye and Scott are the other two people who are going to be pastoring the church plant with me, so chances are, they'll be making more appearances here on the blog in the future.

We headed out to north-west Sydney and visited to very different places. One semi-rural community (on the rural-urban fringe I learnt about in year 11 geography), which is about to go nuts with development. And another housing development that is surrounded by a golf course. The semi-rural scouting trip consisted of walking around the suburb, visting the shops, the station and looking at all the paddocks which will soon turn into a warren of brick homes with their garages set one metre back and solidly built letter boxes on the front lawn. We saw some cows, dead birds and a brown snake. We also saw their giant train station, boarded up old church and second hand furniture shop. I spent a bit of time thinking about that book "Where the Forest Meets the Sea" and about how the small sea-side community got completely changed by the seaside development. This little community is soon going to become something completely different. Hopefully it'll retain its heart.

We followed this up with a trip to the housing estate. We visited the sales centre and had a chat to the salesman there. We told him we wanted to plant a church and asked him if anything was planned for the area. He said he hadn't heard anything. He also told us it was the first time in his career that anyone has talked to him about planting a church. He didn't have any land for us to build our mega-church on but the community centre is being built and we could probably use that. It's right next to the golf club which means after church lunch in the bistro is a distinct possibility. I like that.

It was a pretty enjoyable trip. Very encouraging. Between those two places I think we're gonna have somewhere to plant a church. I'm feeling excited that things are moving. The three of us are getting on pretty well, and we're learning to navigate our way through leading something like this together. I wouldn't say we've found our rhythm yet, we're still pretty polite to each other, but it's early days. We like each other and tend to be on the same page with the way to go about things. I'm certainly enjoying having people to do this with. I think doing all this and making these decisions by myself would be lonely and intimidating. But doing them together, it's exciting and energising. We don't really know what we're doing but we don't know what we're doing together and that's the best way to to do it.

I tend to watch a lot of video online these days. Partly because it's part of my job, partly because I want to see what kind of stuff other people are making, mainly because the internet is chock full of video goodness. I decided ages ago that I wanted to start posting a video of the week. It may not be a video that I discovered this week, but it will be one that I want you to see.

This film hit Vimeo a few months ago and a few people told me to watch it. So I did. It's pretty beautiful. It's one of those special things that moves me in my gut like a great guitar solo, or a majestic piece of art. This is rather fantastic.

Watch it full screen.




1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth. - Psalm 19:1-6

On 20th February 2011 I posted this blog post saying that by 31st December 2011 I wanted to have $1000 in a savings account and a tidy room.

I'm happy to say that while I had many things on my list of things to achieve which I did not achieve (sit-ups and push-ups anyone?), I did achieve those two. I probably posted them because I thought they were the most achievable, but I partly think I achieved them because I knew I'd blogged about them. Blog accountability. Or maybe the magical power of blogging things into existence.

In light of the great success I have with blogging my goals, while I haven't really made any goals for 2012 (don't get a gender realignment will probably be on the list though), I will say that by 31st December 2012, I hope to have $32 million in a savings account and a tidy room in my holiday house in Gosford.

Now we're talking.

I finished season 8 of Entourage last night. It was the last season. It's pretty sad because I love the show. It helps fulfill my desires for fame through the vicarious vicariousness.

They say there'll be a movie. I hope so. I hope it's better than The Simpsons Movie. I couldn't handle a mediocre Johnny Drama.

New Years Eve was pretty great. I'd tell you all about it, but I made a video instead. This is it:

On Friday I went shopping and bought an $8000 rug. It's a picnic rug, second hand, and it's got a hole in it. It's not that impressive. What is impressive is that the guy who sold me the rug threw in a free car while he was at it. A 1999 Subaru Impreza RX. If you don't know what that means, it means I'm now imprezive.

I went out with Gough looking for a Corolla on Friday arvo. I took Gough because he's friendly and he knows how to buy secondhand cars. I am mildly friendly and I have no idea how to buy a car, so he's a good man to have around. We went out to Mascot and saw a 2003 Corolla covered in Hello Kitty stickers. Seeing as I love Hello Kitty I wanted to snap it up right away. But we took it for a drive and Gough checked the car out, asked it to turn it's head and cough, and it checked out fin. I still wanted it, though I only wanted to pay $9000 and they were advertising it at $9900. So I pulled out my wicked bargaining skills. I said "I'll give you $9000 for it."

They replied "Someone offered me $9200 on 23rd December".

"I can only do $9000."

"We'll think about it."

We left.

Who's a bargaining king? I am.

I was willing to give up for the day, but Gough encouraged me to go have a look at a Subaru he'd seen on the internet. It was going cheap, so I went and looked. The guy who owned it was very friendly and very fit, so I liked him. He let me take it for a drive while he talked to us about the fitness industry, women and sustainable home temperature management. He also asked if we thought his price was reasonable, I said I have no idea because I'd been researching Corollas. It pays to be informed when making a large purchase, that's what I always say.

After driving and letting Gough check the car for any lumps that shouldn't be there, I decided to buy the car, so we entered into negotiations. I said "I think I'll buy it."

"Ok."

"I can do it now, I have the cash." So I bought the car then for the $8000 he was asking for. Yep, I'm a bargaining king.

Still I'm pretty happy with Wilma (that's her name). I looked it up when I got home and it turns out, $8000 is pretty good for a 99 Impreza RX with around 100,000kms on the clock, and most of them don't come with a rug thrown in. I had no idea, I researched Corollas.

So there you go. I now own a car and I'm giving my work car back to my work. If you ever want to come say "Hello" to Wilma, let me know, I'll get her insured, then we'll go for drive. I will not, however, let you sit on my new rug. It cost me $8000, it's too valuable to be sat on. You can look but don't touch.

Happy New Year and all that.

I made a resolution to blog everyday in 2012. It's 3am on the 2nd January. I haven't gone to bed yet. I hope this still counts or I failed at the starting line.

Just while I'm here, we invented a new fashion tonight. They're shorts and pants. Very sexy and good for all seasons. If I achieve nothing else this year, after doing this, I would say it's been a successful year.

Here they are, they're called 'Shants'.

Christmas had all the usual things that were pretty excellent this year. Presents, family, friends, Jesus, roast potatoes. I could blog about these things, but I won't. I've decided I might blog about 5 things which were less usual, but still quite wonderful.

1. The King Parrot



We were having community brunch on Christmas Eve. It was full of Christmas cheer, which I think is like generic cheer but with Christmas biscuits thrown in. I was in the kitchen doing something domestic, when a king parrot came and landed on our kitchen door. He was red and green and loving Christmas. It felt like the wildlife were in on the joy too.

2. I Love Carol

Actually, I love carols. But there's nothing wrong with Carol, I'm sure.

After having developed a hatred of carols from my years of forced carol singing throughout primary school, it's taken me a long time to recover. However, slowly over that last few years my aversion has been wearing off, I have learnt to forgive the Three Kings, Royal David's City and the Harking of Angels. So that this year I positively loved carols. Partly because many of them have such fantastic words, but also because when done well they sound great. I went to the midnight service at St Stephen's, Belrose for a bit of a sing and celebrate, and the team there (they know who they are) did a great job. Helped me celebrate Jesus more.

3. Sleep

On Christmas evening between 6pm and 7pm I had a nap. It rocked.

4. Christmas Night Movie

Anmol, Daviandra and I went to the movies on Christmas night. We had a drink before hand in bar and then watched Meryl Streep play The Iron Lady likaboss. She was pretty awesome and the movie wasn't half bad either. If only she ahd an arc reactor around her heart and the ability to fire weapons from her jacket sleeves, it could have been the best movie of the year. Movies, good friends and beer. Best way to do Christmas night in my book.

5. Skype

On Boxing Day at Christmas with my Dad's side of the family we skyped Jo and Victor. I didn't get to talk to them long because they were by far the most popular people not in the room, but it was nice to see them. I'm looking forward to seeing them (and their offsprung) for real, but till then, speaking Star Trek style will do pretty good too.


And that is the less usual of another happy Christmas.

I love babies and I love Jesus.

Today is win.

I am currently standing in Myer, Top Ryde looking at outrageously expensive kitchen scales for Mum for Christmas. (I'm too poor, sorry Mum.)

Behind me is the Christmas Shop. They're playing carols and Hark the Herald Angels Sing was just on. I was struck just then, as I am every year, at what profound theological statements these songs make. It seems so odd and wonderfully subversive that every Christmas the wonder of 'Christ the everlasting Lord' would be sung in our temples of consumer idolatry. That we would be asked to 'hail incarnate deity' who was 'pleased as man with man to dwell' while we are also encouraged to shop till midnight for our convenience makes me so happy. It's what Christmas is about really, God being found in the midst of the most unexpected places. Even here in Myer Top Ryde.


"Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
'Glory to the newborn King!'"

I'm on my last night of camp. I've been speaking on this camp for the last week. My best speaking stuff up of the week was when I encouraged all 70 kids to "put your face in Jesus."

Faith and face sound very similar.

The other night (Wednesday) I went around to visit April and Dan in Lane Cove. When I arrived I parked on the side of the street. I'd parked in-front of a van, but I remembered when that the corner April and Dan live on is pretty dangerous, they'd had two crashes on that corner in four days, one having happened that day. I figured if the van I was parked in-front of moved there would be nothing between me and the cars coming around the corner. So I moved my car forward and parked on the other side of a driveway, figuring I'd be far enough away from the corner to escape any crashing vehicles.

I hadn't been at April and Dan's more than 15 minutes when we heard a long skid and then a rather loud bang coming from the road. Dan said "That's a big one", then ran to get his shoes. Living on the corner has turned Dan into a bit of a hero. Dan and I ran out (April wasn't home yet) and there was a lady sitting in a Falcon, facing into the road, eyes close head back on the seat. At first she looked unconscious, but she turned out just to be a bit shocked.

She had lost control on the corner, almost hit the van, spun out, and landed on the other side of the van and crashed into a brick bin enclosure for the units next door. Somewhere in that she also managed to take out the rear left side of my car so carefully parked away from the dangerous corner. This is what we found when we came out.



It was pretty exciting. Happily the woman was ok.

Within minutes, while the sound of the crash was still echoing around Lane Cove, a tow-truck turned out. They have amazing super-hearing tow-truck drivers. The faintest sound of a crash and they're there in a flash. Turns out, towing companies have informants all over the place and you get $50 reward for calling in a crash. Living on April and Dan's corner could be quite the little money maker.

After the crash things were not so exciting. I exchanged details with the driver and waited around for her husband to turn up. Then once he had come and I'd gotten a few more details of him and he'd gotten mine, I went in for some dinner.

My car is drivable. The bumper catches the wind when driving at high speeds and makes a loud noise. So I've stuck it to the car with gaffa tape and stuck some red cellophane on the brake-light to make sure it's still red, but other than that, the car works as good as ever. I'll stick up a photo of my handy man job later.

So there you go, my first proper crash and I wasn't in the car. Best way to do it I reckon.

"Come on, guys." This is the look Jesus gave the disciples when they had taken the joke too far.


I was sitting in staff meeting today and I was thinking about having a conversation with a friend about whatever we were talking about. You know how you pretend to have conversations with friends. Anyway, my answer to whatever question my friend hypothetically asked me was all about Jesus, and my friend, in my head, responded something like "Your answer to every question is Jesus."

At that point I started to think about how my answer to everything is Jesus. Then, because these days I tend to think about life in terms of right and wrong worship, my idolatry alarm went off. I thought to myself "You think about Jesus too much, Jesus is your idol, Jesus is your false god." I felt pretty cut that I was denying God the worship he deserves. I was just about to repent for my sinful, adulterous heart, when I realised, "No, hold on, Jesus is God. He's the one thing you can't make too much of.*" I was about to ask Jesus to forgive me for worshipping Jesus. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been forgiven. That's one action God would have held against me.

It was a nice discovery that, for change, my heart was in the right place



*Along with the Father and the Spirit, of course.

I was at a primary school yesterday talking to a group of about 40 kids. When I do this I usually do a promotion for the camps that my organisation runs every holidays. Yesterday the teacher running the group did the promo and pointed out to the kids that there's a photo of me in the brochure. He also suggested that if I'm kind I might sign the brochures for them. I laughed.

Then after I had done my Bible talk and it was time for everyone to leave for class the teacher handed out the brochures and told the kids to go to me if they wanted the brochure signed. So about 15 kids lined up asking for signatures. "You don't want my signature." I said. But they insisted. "I don't have a pen, oh well" I said. The teacher handed me a pen. Darn. I really didn't want to sign a bunch of holiday camp brochures. But I did because I couldn't think of an easy way out. So I signed a whole bunch of brochures yesterday because there's a tiny photo of me in a group inside. Next time I sign a bunch of stuff with a permanent marker I want it to be my hip-hop CD. That will be an achievement worth signing stuff for.

Here is a list of things that are not women, but if they were I would marry them. I would probably also become a polygamist if multiple of these things became women:

- Coke
- Thai Food
- Movies
- Potatoes
- The Internet (though I have the feeling it'd have some pretty significant personality issues)
- My 7D
- Siri
- The text messages my bank sends me to say I've been paid
- Sleep
- Noodle soup
- The noise my e-tag makes when I drive through the e-toll
- Aragorn
- Getting parcels in the post
- Summer
- Good jokes

If Vimeo was a person I'd hope it was a man and then we could be friends and make movies together. I'd rather be mates with Vimeo. I think being married to it would be weird.

Mil and Martin are currently around from Alice. On the weekend David was up from Melbourne. On Saturday we went up into the mountains with Anmol and hung out with Gem and Jem. These guys are some my old friends. They are people who I have grown up with and we hardly see each other. Every time we hang out I'm struck by how close I am to them all. I think I've mentioned before, they're the kind of friends where even though you may not see each other for months at a time, when you do get together you just pick up where you left off. It's special.

I was thinking about how, when you're a kid you just have friends, when you're a teenager you have a group of friends. You find an identity in your group. When your an adult your group disperses and you have many circles of friends and acquaintances. But if someone were to say to you "We're getting the old group together", it means something, it's not just a line from the movies.

Anyway, I love my old friends. I love the times we spend together. I love the spouses who have joined us of the last few years. One day I hope we all come together from around the world and move into a giant community of houses or houses of giant community and have vegetable stacks in the backyard and beer and stuff. And our kids can date each other.

That'd be special fun. I'm feeling nostalgic for the future.

From now on I'm only doing what I want to do.

Actually that's not quite true.

From now I'm only doing what I want to do,
what I need to do,
what I'm paid to do,
what I'm committed to do,
what I've volunteered to do,
what other people want me to do,
what I think other people want me to do,
what I feel called to do,
what I shouldn't do but do anyway,
what I don't want to do but do because it's that right thing to do,
and a few other things that I just do and I don't really notice that I do them.

But from now on, that's all I'm doing.

"If I'm honest, life seems to be an ever widening circle of acquaintances and take-them-or-leave-them friendships, and an ever shrinking circle of the those friends who you know are your family.

The mountains don't judge us."


I just found this post in my blog folder on my computer. I don't think I wrote it. Did you? Did I copy and paste your blog post?

Whatever the case, I quite like the post.


Photo by AleGranholm.