The Christmas holidays and the miserable form of Australia's cricket team has afforded a great opportunity for reading over the past week!
I've just finished 'A Short History of the 20th Century' by Geoffrey Blainey, which I thoroughly recommend! It's a fascinating read, very well written and gives a great general knowledge of the last 100 years, without getting bogged down in the details. Another book by Blainey, 'A Short History of the World' will definitely be on my reading list for 2009.
Today I also finished Lance Armstrong's 'It's Not About the Bike', which I found incredibly inspiring. His journey from cancer patient to Tour de France champion provides compelling reading.
Lessons which I learnt from Lance Armstrong's story:
1. Public Prizes are earnt in Private Discipline
In his preparation for the 2000 Tour de France, Armstong had a severe crash while training on the Hautacam, the Tour's most difficult ascent.
'A month later [after the crash], I went back to the Hautacam, alone except for Johan [Armstrong's coach], to complete my training ride... It was a bitterly cold and rain-splattered day, and it took me four hours of hard riding to get to the top. Johan pulled up in the follow car and handed me a jacket and some hot chocolate. "Great job - now let's get you warm," he said. But I didn't feel right about it.
"I don't think I understood the climb," I said.
"What do you mean?"
I meant that I didn't feel I had fully mastered it...
"What do you want to do?" Johan asked.
"I'm going to do it again," I said.
And that's what I did. We drove back down, and I climbed it again, another four hours of uphill work. I was pretty sure I was the only fool who was willing to climb it in that weather even once, much less twice. But that was the point.'
2. The Difference is in the Details
From weighing his food before eating to ensure that calorie input was lower that energy output, to preparing his bike with pedantic precision, Armstrong shows an enormous attention to detail, earning him the nickname 'Mr Millimeter'.
3. Pain can be Productive
Naturally, most of us pray that our lives be problem free, mistakingly thinking that a pain-free life is the greatest life. Armstrong defies this.
'The truth is that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know why I got the illness, but it did wonders for me, and I wouldn't want to walk away from it. Why would I want to change, even for a day, the most important and shaping event in my life?'
'The truth is, if you asked me to choose between winning the Tour de France and cancer, I would choose cancer. Odd as it sounds, I would rather have the title of cancer survivor than winner of the Tour, because of what it has done for me as a human being, a man, a husband, a son, and a father.'
I'm keen to read 'Every Second Counts', Armstrong's second book. Has anyone read it, and would you recommend it?'
December 31, 2008
December 23, 2008
On Meeting God
I enjoyed this, written by Hardy Shaw in his shell-hole in the midst of the horrors of the Vietnam War:
Lord God, I have never spoken to You,
But now I want to say how do You do.
You see God, they told me You didn’t exist,
And like a fool I believed all this.
Last night from a shell hole I saw Your sky,
I figured right then, they had told me a lie.
Had I taken time to see the things You made,
I’d have known they weren’t calling a spade a spade.
I wonder, God, if You’ll take my hand,
Somehow I feel that You’ll understand.
Funny I had to come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see Your face.
Well, I guess there isn’t much more to say,
But I’m sure glad, God, I met you today.
I guess zero hour will soon be here
But I’m not afraid since I know You’re near.
The signal! Well, God, I’ll have to go
I like you lots, I want You to know.
Look now this will be a horrible fight,
Who knows I may come to Your house tonight.
Though I wasn’t friendly to You before,
I wonder God, if You’d wait at your door.
Look, I’m crying, I’m shedding tears,
I’ll have to go now God, goodbye.
Strange now that I’ve met You I’m not afraid to die.
Lord God, I have never spoken to You,
But now I want to say how do You do.
You see God, they told me You didn’t exist,
And like a fool I believed all this.
Last night from a shell hole I saw Your sky,
I figured right then, they had told me a lie.
Had I taken time to see the things You made,
I’d have known they weren’t calling a spade a spade.
I wonder, God, if You’ll take my hand,
Somehow I feel that You’ll understand.
Funny I had to come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see Your face.
Well, I guess there isn’t much more to say,
But I’m sure glad, God, I met you today.
I guess zero hour will soon be here
But I’m not afraid since I know You’re near.
The signal! Well, God, I’ll have to go
I like you lots, I want You to know.
Look now this will be a horrible fight,
Who knows I may come to Your house tonight.
Though I wasn’t friendly to You before,
I wonder God, if You’d wait at your door.
Look, I’m crying, I’m shedding tears,
I’ll have to go now God, goodbye.
Strange now that I’ve met You I’m not afraid to die.
Creed of the Modern Thinker
English journalist Steve Turner writing in a secular newspaper on society’s absence or right and wrong, or any absolute point of reference.
Here is the creed for the modern thinker:
We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin.
We believe that everything is okay as long as you don’t hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of hurt and to the best of your definition of knowledge.
We believe in sex before, during and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin; we believe that adultery is fun; we believe that sodomy is okay; we believe that taboos are taboo.
We believe that everything is getting better despite evidence to the contrary. The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence.
We believe there is something in horoscopes, UFO’s and bent spoons. Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad and ourselves. He was a good moral teacher although we think basically that his good morals were really bad.
We believe that all religions are basically the same; at least the ones we read were. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.
We believe that after death comes nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens, they say nothing. If death is not the end, and if the dead have lied then it’s compulsory heaven for all except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Kahn.
We believe in Masters and Johnson - what’s selected is average, what’s average is normal and what’s normal is good.
We believe in total disarmament. We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed. American’s should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians would be sure to follow.
We believe that man is essentially good, it’s only his behaviour that lets him down. This is the fault of society, society is the fault of conditions and conditions are the fault of society.
We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him and reality will adapt accordingly. The universe will readjust; history will alter. We believe there is no absolute truth, except the truth that there is no absolute truth. We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.
If Chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is His rainbow in the sky. And when you hear “State of Emergency”, “Sniper Kills Ten”, “Troops on Rampage”, “Youths Go Looting”, “Bomb Blasts School”, it is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.
November 13, 2008
A Day in the Life
Known as 'the father of modern missions', William Carey is famous for his pioneering missionary work in India.
Here is the record of one his days in India, reconstructed from his diary in 1806.
He rose at a quarter to six, read a chapter from the Hebrew Bible and spent some time in private devotion.
At seven the servants came in for family prayers in Bengali, after which, while waiting for his chota (i.e., little breakfast), he spent some time reading Persian with a munshi and then a portion of Scripture in Hindustani. The moment breakfast was over, he settled down to the translation of the Ramayana from Sanskrit into English.
At ten o’clock he went to the college, where his classes and other duties kept him until two o’clock. On returning to his lodgings he examined a proofsheet of his Bengali translation of Jeremiah until dinnertime.
After this meal, assisted by the chief pundit of the college, he translated most of the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel into Sanskrit, until six o’clock when he sat down with a Telugu pundit more fully to study that language. At half past seven he preached in English to a congregation of forty persons, including one of the judges (from whom at the close of the service he got a subscription of five hundred rupees toward the new chapel).
At nine o’clock, “the service being over and the congregation gone,” he sat down and translated Ezekiel 11 into Bengali—which took him nearly two hours. He wrote a letter to a friend in England; then, after reading a chapter from his Greek Testament by way of private devotion, he went to bed.
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."
Benjamin Franklin
Here is the record of one his days in India, reconstructed from his diary in 1806.
He rose at a quarter to six, read a chapter from the Hebrew Bible and spent some time in private devotion.
At seven the servants came in for family prayers in Bengali, after which, while waiting for his chota (i.e., little breakfast), he spent some time reading Persian with a munshi and then a portion of Scripture in Hindustani. The moment breakfast was over, he settled down to the translation of the Ramayana from Sanskrit into English.
At ten o’clock he went to the college, where his classes and other duties kept him until two o’clock. On returning to his lodgings he examined a proofsheet of his Bengali translation of Jeremiah until dinnertime.
After this meal, assisted by the chief pundit of the college, he translated most of the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel into Sanskrit, until six o’clock when he sat down with a Telugu pundit more fully to study that language. At half past seven he preached in English to a congregation of forty persons, including one of the judges (from whom at the close of the service he got a subscription of five hundred rupees toward the new chapel).
At nine o’clock, “the service being over and the congregation gone,” he sat down and translated Ezekiel 11 into Bengali—which took him nearly two hours. He wrote a letter to a friend in England; then, after reading a chapter from his Greek Testament by way of private devotion, he went to bed.
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."
Benjamin Franklin
November 12, 2008
Sunday Night at Northside
Last Sunday night I preached at Northside Christian Church, led by Pastor Murray and Jane Averill. There was a hot atmosphere in the service, the crowd largely made up of young adults. They have a great team who Sarah and I loved connecting with.
Ruth Lumkin is one of the pastors on team at Northside and has an excellent blog which is well worth the time spent visiting. Ruth's articles approach current issues in society from a Christian framework, and are printed periodically in the Courier Mail.
Ruth Lumkin is one of the pastors on team at Northside and has an excellent blog which is well worth the time spent visiting. Ruth's articles approach current issues in society from a Christian framework, and are printed periodically in the Courier Mail.
Always Look Back
Yesterday was Remembrance Day, when Australians recall the end of World War 1 on November 11th 1918. I think there's power in remembrance and I believe that it's a habit that God wants us to exercise.
In 2 Samuel 7:8-9 we read of God's conversation to David, through the prophet Nathan:
'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth."
Some people say 'never look back!' - I disagree.
1. Looking Back Reminds Me From Where I've Come (resulting in Gratitude)
"I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel."
Unless I deliberately look back into my past I can forget the incredible grace that God has shown me in my life. If I fail to look back I can fall into the trap of believing that 'God has done nothing remarkable in my life', when in fact he has taken me from following sheep to leading His people.
2. Looking Back Reminds Me to Appreciate Today's Opportunities (resulting in Perspective)
At times David may have 'wanted out' from the pressures of Kingship, however when he looked back and saw what he was doing compared to the opportunities before him now, there was no comparison.
Similarly, people can become tired, familiar and unappreciative of their job, partner, home or church until they learn to remember from where they've come. In David's life, remembering the paddock gave him a fresh perspective of the palace.
3. Looking Back Reminds Me of God's Continual Presence (resulting in Confidence)
"And I have been with you wherever you have gone..."
Sometimes it is only the power of hindsight which causes us to recognise God's presence with us through all seasons of life. When I look back I realise that his promise to never leave or forsake me has been true in my life.
Looking back allows me to approach today with renewed confidence in God's continual presence, causing me to join with Newton in saying: "T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far, and Grace will lead us home."
4. Looking Back Reminds Me of Victories (resulting in Faith)
"...and have destroyed all your enemies from before you..."
There are no victories in my future that I can draw confidence from, only challenge and opportunity exist there. The past is the only place I can look to if I want to find victories to instill faith in my life. To not look back is to rob myself of one of the greatest resources of faith available to me!
David already understood this truth when he approached Goliath. He mustered faith to defeat the giant ahead of him only by looking to the string of dead carcasses behind him.
Whatever you do - look back!
In 2 Samuel 7:8-9 we read of God's conversation to David, through the prophet Nathan:
'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth."
Some people say 'never look back!' - I disagree.
1. Looking Back Reminds Me From Where I've Come (resulting in Gratitude)
"I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel."
Unless I deliberately look back into my past I can forget the incredible grace that God has shown me in my life. If I fail to look back I can fall into the trap of believing that 'God has done nothing remarkable in my life', when in fact he has taken me from following sheep to leading His people.
2. Looking Back Reminds Me to Appreciate Today's Opportunities (resulting in Perspective)
At times David may have 'wanted out' from the pressures of Kingship, however when he looked back and saw what he was doing compared to the opportunities before him now, there was no comparison.
Similarly, people can become tired, familiar and unappreciative of their job, partner, home or church until they learn to remember from where they've come. In David's life, remembering the paddock gave him a fresh perspective of the palace.
3. Looking Back Reminds Me of God's Continual Presence (resulting in Confidence)
"And I have been with you wherever you have gone..."
Sometimes it is only the power of hindsight which causes us to recognise God's presence with us through all seasons of life. When I look back I realise that his promise to never leave or forsake me has been true in my life.
Looking back allows me to approach today with renewed confidence in God's continual presence, causing me to join with Newton in saying: "T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far, and Grace will lead us home."
4. Looking Back Reminds Me of Victories (resulting in Faith)
"...and have destroyed all your enemies from before you..."
There are no victories in my future that I can draw confidence from, only challenge and opportunity exist there. The past is the only place I can look to if I want to find victories to instill faith in my life. To not look back is to rob myself of one of the greatest resources of faith available to me!
David already understood this truth when he approached Goliath. He mustered faith to defeat the giant ahead of him only by looking to the string of dead carcasses behind him.
Whatever you do - look back!
October 31, 2008
Hillsong Mens Conference
This afternoon I'm heading to Sydney for the Hillsong Men's Conference. Mal Fletcher is one of the guest speakers so I'm looking forward to a great 24 hours! I'm heading down with a friend from school who I haven't spent much time with for years, so will be a great trip.
Get back Saturday night in time for our huge morning on Sunday as we do "Church for Others", round-table, brunch style. Then moving house Sunday afternoon, and on Monday...camping at Double Island Point for a week!
What a great weekend coming up!
Get back Saturday night in time for our huge morning on Sunday as we do "Church for Others", round-table, brunch style. Then moving house Sunday afternoon, and on Monday...camping at Double Island Point for a week!
What a great weekend coming up!
Lessons from the Building Trade
Last night at KTC we hosted guest speaker Corey Passey, Managing Director of Smith & Sons. Smith & Sons is a new business launched by G.J. Gardner Homes, which focuses on home renovations and extensions. I invited Corey to speak to demonstrate to our students that ministry is not about what's in your hand, but what's in your heart. Ministry is not a vocation to which some are called; it's a calling which Christians fulfil through many vocations.
At age 21 Corey and his wife purchased a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise in New Zealand and moved from the Sunshine Coast to have a shot at business. Starting from scratch they grew the annual turnover of the franchise from zero to over $10,000,000 in ten years, positioning them in the top three G.J. Gardner franchises internationally.
I picked up some great thoughts from the night:
"Satisfied customers is not enough. You've got to create raving fans."
"Leadership: Guide. Energise. Excite"
"Leadership is not about making yourself more powerful, it's about making those around you more powerful."
At age 21 Corey and his wife purchased a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise in New Zealand and moved from the Sunshine Coast to have a shot at business. Starting from scratch they grew the annual turnover of the franchise from zero to over $10,000,000 in ten years, positioning them in the top three G.J. Gardner franchises internationally.
I picked up some great thoughts from the night:
"Satisfied customers is not enough. You've got to create raving fans."
"Leadership: Guide. Energise. Excite"
"Leadership is not about making yourself more powerful, it's about making those around you more powerful."
October 28, 2008
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