After snorkeling on Wednesday (3/16) we drove into the city center and had a delicious dinner of organic pizzas. Jon and Katie said it was one of their favorite pizza places and most people know that I am a sucker for pizza. It fit.
I do not usually jump on the "organic" food band-wagon. It has never really mattered to me. I did not grow up with a particularly refined palette and I ate mostly rubbish food while at University. So the idea of indulging in an expensive, organic meal does not usually sit well with me. The pizzas were actually quite good though (surprisingly good). The were loaded with unique ingredients and quality cheese. We ordered three small ones (about 9 inches across) and shared between us. Was it the organic part that made them good? I am not sure. But I really liked them! I would still be quite happy with a $5 "Hot 'n Ready" from Little Ceasar's though...
After dinner we drove to the Adelaide Casino. Up to this point, I had very much missed swing dancing back in Hillsdale. One night a few weeks ago, I decided to see if I could discover any swing clubs that met in the big city of Adelaide. I found one that met on Wednesday nights at the Casino to coincide with a big band which played in the bar there. Katie had never danced before and wanted to learn so she volunteered to accompany me. So we had a good adventure, finding the band, noticing there weren't many people dancing, and in the actual learning process. Katie is a natural, actually. We had a blast. I was sad that the supposed club which met there wasn't present. There were a few Uni students and a couple of old, casino-goers dancing, but not nearly the "scene" I had hoped there would be. That is alright though. Katie and I had fun and she said she would love to go again.
After dancing, we caught the bus home and my very long day of bargain buying, snorkeling, and dancing was complete.
In Christ,
Chris
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Snorkeling :-)
The one thing I definitely wanted to do while here in Australia was snorkel. The weather is starting to turn a bit colder here (we are now entering Autumn) and I knew that the window of opportunity was closing. Thus, after the book sale with Brett on Wednesday (3/16), Jon, Katie and I headed off to the best snorkeling spot in Adelaide--Port Noarlunga.Why did I want to snorkel so badly? Because you can't really snorkel too well in the middle of southern Michigan. If you dove into one of the many lakes near where I live, all you would see is lake weed and mud. That doesn't bother me too much. I own a snorkel and I still use it as often as I can in Michigan, as I just love seeing the life that exists beneath you when you're swimming. I was really eager to do this in Australia thou
gh, where you can actually SEE something. I was not disappointed.Adelaide is in the south of Australia. The water here is colder than it is in the north (closer to the equator). As such, there is not a lot of coral or things of that nature. In other words, this was not the colorful and amazing world of the Great Barrier Reef. There were, however, some amazing critters--fish, sea stars, urchins, etc.
As I said, we went to Port Noarlunga. This is a really interesting beach. About a hundred meters out from shore there is rock ledge, creating a natural reef. A jetty (or pier) extends out to this rocky area. At the end of a pier is a ladder to climb down into the ocean. Swim out a bit from the pier and you are on top of the rocks and
looking at some of the most gorgeous fish I have ever seen. They congregate around the rocks, of course, for protection. The rocks provide a nice wave breaker too, so the swim is a pleasant one (if not a bit cold!).I was terrified to jump into the water at first. I am petrified about the sharks in and around the waters of Adelaide. Jon told me not to worry, that if I stayed on the inside of the rocky ledge I would be fine. If worse came to worse, he said I could jump on top of the rocks! (For the record: Such advice is not comforting
.) I eventually "took the plunge" and had an amazing time in the water. Jon ended up getting out of the water long before I did, as I was just so fascinated by the world underneath me. God is so great! He makes such beautiful things for us to enjoy. I snapped quite a few pictures with an underwater camera I had borrowed from Jon and Katie. I won't soon forget this experience!After awhile though, the cold caught up to me and I had to get out. Back on shore Jon wanted to teach me how to skim board. Skim boarding is quite the odd activity. I can honestly say that I am not too great at it. Let me try to explain: A skim board looks a lot like a boogie board. A
skim boarder stands on the beach and waits for a wave to wash ashore. Once the wave has started to recede back towards the ocean, the boarder throws the board into the vanishing water, giving it some speed. He then runs, jumps aboard and rides it down the water line into the ocean. Thus, the skim boarder is skimming across the little bit of water left by each wave. The trick to this process is, of course, staying on the board :-). This was the hard part for me. I did great waiting for a wave to wash on shore. I did alright throwing the board down into the receding water. I was quite good at running toward the moving board and even jumping onto it. But the staying
on part....not so much. I did do alright a couple of times. Most of my attempts involved me falling onto the surprising hard sand. Jon says skim boarding can be quite dangerous and that people often break bones. I guess falling on the sand is a bit worse than falling into the water. Luckily nothing was damaged but my pride. Maybe I will try again someday. Katie captured a picture of my best attempt (haha!).It was a good day the beach. Later, I discovered that Port Noarlunga is one of the shark attack "hot spots" of Adelaide, with more sightings and attacks than most other areas of the coastline.
Of course, Jon neglected to tell me this (though he knew it!). I am thankful though, as it would have been much harder to get in the water had I known. In this case, what I didn't know COULD hurt me!Regardless, I had more adventures to come that evening. I will start another post about them.
In Christ,
Chris
Book Heaven
You may remember my blog some time ago about the Uniting College here in Adelaide. You also may remember me talking about my friend, Brett, who is like me in so many ways. Every year the Uniting College holds a big book sale of items donated to the school (usually from retiring ministers and the like). Brett knew I wouldn't want to miss this and we planned an outing for Wednesday morning (3/16).
I am so glad we went. Dr. Stewart and I would go to tons of used books sales back in the States. I love book sales (especially when they are fairly priced). This sale was wonderful, as it was very specific in its holding and very reasonable in its pricing. Almost everything was a dollar. Those few titles which weren't were only a couple of dollars more. The holdings of the sale were limited almost exclusively to religious and theological works. They had commentaries, primary sources, Bibles, language study resources (Hebrew, Greek, German), 1970s spiritual stuff, church histories, etc. It was great. The sale was extremely popular for its size. People were waiting outside the doors. Once they were in, they were just throwing books in their bags. Even Christians get vicious when a bargain is on the line. :-)
Brett and I also took Darren, the worship pastor here at Hope Valley with us. He was great fun to have around.
The books I purchased (for a dollar each!) were as follows:
"The Descent of the Dove" by Charles Williams (one of C.S. Lewis' friends and an expert on romantic and spirit theology)
An English Missal from the 1950s
A Latin Book of the Catholic Liturgy (so beautiful)
A work of German Hymns
A Hebrew Bible
2 Volumes of documents from the early church
John Wesley's "Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament"
Selections from Origen
"Documents illustrative of the Continental Reformation" (A mammoth collection of primary sources surrounding the Reformation)
A Greek New Testament
A German/English Translation of the Bible
A Primary Source work of Anabaptist Writings
A 3 volume "History of the Church" by Paul Hughes
and...
Paul Tillich's "Ultimate Concern"
Not to bad, if I say so myself. I purchased some great works at a great price. I was quite pleased. The only issue now is how to get them home the cheapest. I had to cut myself off (though there were plenty more works I really wanted) simply due to the reality of my being unable to ship them cheaply. All in all, a wonderful morning spent with good friends and good books.
In Christ,
Chris
I am so glad we went. Dr. Stewart and I would go to tons of used books sales back in the States. I love book sales (especially when they are fairly priced). This sale was wonderful, as it was very specific in its holding and very reasonable in its pricing. Almost everything was a dollar. Those few titles which weren't were only a couple of dollars more. The holdings of the sale were limited almost exclusively to religious and theological works. They had commentaries, primary sources, Bibles, language study resources (Hebrew, Greek, German), 1970s spiritual stuff, church histories, etc. It was great. The sale was extremely popular for its size. People were waiting outside the doors. Once they were in, they were just throwing books in their bags. Even Christians get vicious when a bargain is on the line. :-)
Brett and I also took Darren, the worship pastor here at Hope Valley with us. He was great fun to have around.
The books I purchased (for a dollar each!) were as follows:
"The Descent of the Dove" by Charles Williams (one of C.S. Lewis' friends and an expert on romantic and spirit theology)
An English Missal from the 1950s
A Latin Book of the Catholic Liturgy (so beautiful)
A work of German Hymns
A Hebrew Bible
2 Volumes of documents from the early church
John Wesley's "Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament"
Selections from Origen
"Documents illustrative of the Continental Reformation" (A mammoth collection of primary sources surrounding the Reformation)
A Greek New Testament
A German/English Translation of the Bible
A Primary Source work of Anabaptist Writings
A 3 volume "History of the Church" by Paul Hughes
and...
Paul Tillich's "Ultimate Concern"
Not to bad, if I say so myself. I purchased some great works at a great price. I was quite pleased. The only issue now is how to get them home the cheapest. I had to cut myself off (though there were plenty more works I really wanted) simply due to the reality of my being unable to ship them cheaply. All in all, a wonderful morning spent with good friends and good books.
In Christ,
Chris
Frog Cakes
Frog cakes are a South Australian specialty. On Tuesday (3/15), Jon and Katie brought some home from the bakery to try. Mine was delicious (but not as delicious as the Pig Ear I blogged about). Imagine a square twinkie with a ball of cream stuck on top and covered in green frosting. Now add some black dots for eyes and a small slit for a mouth. Bam! You have a frog cake. I enjoyed my frog cake quite a bit but doubt I will have the opportunity to indulge in them much more. The two you see in this photo were nearly five dollars (and they were on clearance). That is outrageous! I really can't afford this country. I need a job....
In Christ,
Chris
My first Koala!!!
So the Monday after the wedding (3/14) was sort of a chill-out day for me. I really needed a good sleep and some time to just catch my breath.Just past noon, the senior pastor at Hope Valley called with an urgency in his voice. "Have you seen a koala yet?" he asked. "No, sir, I haven't yet." "Well be ready in five minutes." *click*
Five minutes later I was in his car and heading back toward his house. Right in his front yard there was a tree with a massive koala in it! I never expected it to be so big.
It was a bit hard to see, as it was very high up and well covered, but I captur
ed a few pictures of it. Now I have seen a koala and a kangaroo in the wild. What is next on my list of stereotypical Aussie animals?In Christ,
Chris
Using my skills
The Sunday after the wedding (3/13) was very fun for me. I was, of course, pretty exhausted from the wedding and the reception, but I had a job to do. This was to be my second Sunday working with the children's church (I mentioned the first time in a blog post some time ago). This time, however, we were going to be short on leaders so we were going to combine groups and have me lead them in some games and silly stuff.
I wasn't particularly nervous about this. If I am qualified for anything, it is to play games with kids (4 years of summer camp and youth ministry helps in this). I have few job skills, but this is one of them :-). I had a blast with the kids. I worked with the grades 4-7 and I taught them some of my summer camp favorites--GrrrAHH, Nibbley-Bibbles, and Gorilla Beats the Man. It was so good to work so closely with kids again. It really brings me out of my element. I become so theatrical when I am teaching and playing games--cracking jokes, telling stories, mocking myself. I usually end up sweating bullets and exhausted. But it was so much fun. More importantly, I made a good impression on the rest of the leaders and the children's pastor. They now know they can use me for such things and that I won't let them down. It is good to be really plugged into one of the ministries at the church.
In Christ,
Chris
I wasn't particularly nervous about this. If I am qualified for anything, it is to play games with kids (4 years of summer camp and youth ministry helps in this). I have few job skills, but this is one of them :-). I had a blast with the kids. I worked with the grades 4-7 and I taught them some of my summer camp favorites--GrrrAHH, Nibbley-Bibbles, and Gorilla Beats the Man. It was so good to work so closely with kids again. It really brings me out of my element. I become so theatrical when I am teaching and playing games--cracking jokes, telling stories, mocking myself. I usually end up sweating bullets and exhausted. But it was so much fun. More importantly, I made a good impression on the rest of the leaders and the children's pastor. They now know they can use me for such things and that I won't let them down. It is good to be really plugged into one of the ministries at the church.
In Christ,
Chris
An Australian Wedding
So after my busy day of feeling like a pastor on Thursday, I was looking forward to a relaxing Friday(3/11). No such luck!
Josh and Amy, whom I have mentioned several times in my blog now were finally getting married! Yay! All the close friends of the happy soon-to-be-couple were involved with the wedding in some way (which meant Jon and Katie and, by default, myself). So a lot of the day was spent preparing the sanctuary here at the church for the wedding. That evening Jon and I went to his parent's house to spend the night because the girls would be using his house as a "base of bridal operations."
Jon's parents are awfully nice people. It was a relaxing night.
Saturday (3/12) was the big day. For the most part I was on my own in the morning. Katie was in Amy's wedding party and Jon was assigned to some chauffeuring duties. I did a bit of work at the church and got changed into a spiffy suit (which I borrowed from one of the pastors here who used to work in a men's store). It is actually a really good suit (I should have taken a picture) and definitely one of the most expensive I have ever worn.
Either way, I didn't have a part in the service which was good, as I could sit and enjoy it. Here are my observations:
1.) The Bride, Amy, was just gorgeous. She had one of the most simple and elegant dresses I have ever seen. Her Bridesmaids were also quite lovely--go Jodie and Katie!
2.) This is somewhat unique: During the ceremony they have a covenant made not only between the couple, but between the couple and the parents and the couple and the congregations. I think it was a lovely touch. Weddings, after all, are a public covenant and ought be made in
community.
3.) Another interesting touch is a public signing of the marriage certificate. Instead of after the ceremony like in many weddings in America, the certificate is signed by all parties during the wedding. It is actually quite a big pause in the service. They had some wonderful background music to accompany this process.
4.) Other than that, weddings are very similar to a low church protestant setting in America. I didn't feel too much out of place at all.
The major differences came with the reception actually (which I was very fortun
ate to be invited to). A lot of weddings I have been to in America have more open receptions, if you are at the wedding you are welcome to the reception (perhaps that is just the types of weddings I have attended). This reception was very specific and it was a big deal to get an invitation to it (the only reason why I was invited was because somebody had to drop at the last minute). The reception was a very nice meal (very nice actually) with an open bar (dangerous for some people) and never-ending supplies of wine and champagne. It seems so expensive in my mind for such an occasion. Jon was telling me that this level of food and drink is the norm and so an invitation to a reception is quite the honor. The reception hall was beautiful and the night was quite lovely. Another difference seems to be in time spent at the reception. The wedding reception was here was near on 7 hours long. I don't remember them being that long in the States. Again, it might just be the type of weddings I have attended.
There was, of course, all the traditional speeches, toasts, bouquet throwing, and cake cutting. And, to cap it all off, dancing. But, alas, nobody here knew how to swing dance so I was stuck not doing much dancing. (I try to limit such dancing to swing dancing whenever possible).
But I had a blast at both the wedding and the reception. I left early with one of the pastors at the church and called it a night. I had church in the morning, after all :-).
In Christ,
Chris
Josh and Amy, whom I have mentioned several times in my blog now were finally getting married! Yay! All the close friends of the happy soon-to-be-couple were involved with the wedding in some way (which meant Jon and Katie and, by default, myself). So a lot of the day was spent preparing the sanctuary here at the church for the wedding. That evening Jon and I went to his parent's house to spend the night because the girls would be using his house as a "base of bridal operations."
Jon's parents are awfully nice people. It was a relaxing night.
Saturday (3/12) was the big day. For the most part I was on my own in the morning. Katie was in Amy's wedding party and Jon was assigned to some chauffeuring duties. I did a bit of work at the church and got changed into a spiffy suit (which I borrowed from one of the pastors here who used to work in a men's store). It is actually a really good suit (I should have taken a picture) and definitely one of the most expensive I have ever worn.
Either way, I didn't have a part in the service which was good, as I could sit and enjoy it. Here are my observations:
1.) The Bride, Amy, was just gorgeous. She had one of the most simple and elegant dresses I have ever seen. Her Bridesmaids were also quite lovely--go Jodie and Katie!
2.) This is somewhat unique: During the ceremony they have a covenant made not only between the couple, but between the couple and the parents and the couple and the congregations. I think it was a lovely touch. Weddings, after all, are a public covenant and ought be made in
community.3.) Another interesting touch is a public signing of the marriage certificate. Instead of after the ceremony like in many weddings in America, the certificate is signed by all parties during the wedding. It is actually quite a big pause in the service. They had some wonderful background music to accompany this process.
4.) Other than that, weddings are very similar to a low church protestant setting in America. I didn't feel too much out of place at all.
The major differences came with the reception actually (which I was very fortun
ate to be invited to). A lot of weddings I have been to in America have more open receptions, if you are at the wedding you are welcome to the reception (perhaps that is just the types of weddings I have attended). This reception was very specific and it was a big deal to get an invitation to it (the only reason why I was invited was because somebody had to drop at the last minute). The reception was a very nice meal (very nice actually) with an open bar (dangerous for some people) and never-ending supplies of wine and champagne. It seems so expensive in my mind for such an occasion. Jon was telling me that this level of food and drink is the norm and so an invitation to a reception is quite the honor. The reception hall was beautiful and the night was quite lovely. Another difference seems to be in time spent at the reception. The wedding reception was here was near on 7 hours long. I don't remember them being that long in the States. Again, it might just be the type of weddings I have attended.
There was, of course, all the traditional speeches, toasts, bouquet throwing, and cake cutting. And, to cap it all off, dancing. But, alas, nobody here knew how to swing dance so I was stuck not doing much dancing. (I try to limit such dancing to swing dancing whenever possible).
But I had a blast at both the wedding and the reception. I left early with one of the pastors at the church and called it a night. I had church in the morning, after all :-).
In Christ,
Chris
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
My Day as a Real "Pastor"
The Thursday after Ash Wednesday (3/10) was a VERY long one for me. I say this because, for the first time since arriving, my day was full of activities related to my role here at the church. I felt like a real pastor now: counseling, planning, meeting, training, and helping with charities. The job of the pastor, after all, is certainly not limited to a sermon every week. I have had the chance while here to observe the "ins and outs" of pastoring a church. More interesting, however, has been my own taking part in them. I admire pastors so much more at this point, as I get so exhausted after days like these.
My day started fairly early, meeting with one of my fellow Life Group leaders, Daniel Stump. This statement deserves some explanation: At Hope Valley Uniting Church, they have a bunch of little "Life Groups" in which a select group of people get together, share in fellowship, encourage one another in the Faith, participate in Bible study, pray, and just have a nice time together. More than the traditional small groups found at many churches, these "life groups" are designed to cater to a specific sub-set of people. For example, their are several life groups set aside for those with families. Within that group, there are specific life groups for those with toddlers, another for small children, another for teenagers, etc. So the life groups try to meet individuals where they are at in life and stick them with other similarly positioned people. The idea being that when in similar stages of life, there will be increased opportunity for the groups to become a meaningful and central point of one's life. A place where you gain help, accountability, friends, and love. For the most part, I love the model and I think it works very well. There are life groups for newly weds, for college students, for youth, for running-fanatics, for the elderly, and for many other groups. They all work together, of course, to equip and disciple and build the whole Church up. One of the setbacks of such a setting is the amount of leaders you need! It seems the pastors are always talking about needing more leaders (as Hope Valley is experiencing a huge spurt in growth right now). Another major part of this life group system is that it is very much a primary focus of the church. Whereas at many churches, small groups are poorly attended, not often used, and rather secondary to the major functions of the church, Hope Valley puts a heavy emphasis on them. It seems nearly every person is approached about being in a group and long discussion is held about where they might fit best. It's a lot of work!
But, anyways, Jon (my mentor) has asked me to help with one of the newer life groups at the Church, one set aside for first year college and career age men (a transitional group really). He hasn't asked me to lead it per se, but to help equip and disciple its current leader, giving Him some direction and helping him feel more comfortable in his role. The current leader of the group is Daniel Stump, as I said above.
So I met with Daniel to talk about his group, his vision for it, and how to be very intentional in his leadership. Daniel is a great guy with a good head on his shoulders. The plan was that we would go for a walk in the nearby hills and chat. The walk through the hills was lovely. As seen in these images here. It is such a neat world to live in a big city, but have such lovely country surrounding you. Truly magnificent!
After going through the woods and chatting a bit about the group, Daniel wanted to show
me his favorite store--a live fish shop! This may sound pretty silly, but Daniel is a huge fish nut and this store was actually pretty incredible. I have definitely not seen so many varieties of fish to choose from. They had some of the biggest, some of the most colorful, and some of the oddest fish I have ever seen. I really enjoyed it actually. I have included a couple of pictures. They even had a salt water crocodile (which was not for sale). Outrageous!
After going to the aquarium we grabbed a meat pie for lunch sat down to some serious business, prayed about our groups future and got the ball rolling on some things. Daniel is great and h
e will do just fine. I am glad to be helping him out a bit.
After this I met up with one of the youth group students who has been facing a bit of a hard spell. I took him to McDonald's and we talked it up for awhile. It felt good to just pour into someone and show them that I genuinely care about them. I told him I wanted to get to know his life better and so he decided to drive me up into the hills (a gorgeous drive...wow...the landscape around here is absolutely stunning) and show me his favorite riding spots. It was fun.
He got me back to the church just in time for my next meeting with Jacob Brook (the son of one of
the pastor's here. Jacob helps his Dad, Roger, every Thursday in the city center at a charity called the "Curry Truck." The Currey Truck was started by Roger (I think he started it) a little while back as a way to help feed the homeless in the city. The way it works is actually pretty amazing. We park a truck in one of the city squares (a small grassy area). The truck is now known as a beacon for free food to the area homeless. The come and mill about and we, the volunteers (who almost all come from Hope Valley) just get a chance to talk to them, pour into their lives and show them they are cared for. As each person arrives, they see Roger for a ticket. This ticket entitles them to a meal. After a bit of time, the local owner of a really high quality curry restaurant comes out to get the number from Roger as to how many tickets were given away. (Somehow, a while ago, Roger approached this restaurant about supplying free meals to the homeless and they agreed! Isn't that amazing!?! And this is no crappy, second-hand meal. This guy pulls out all the stops bring out in to go containers some of the best smelling, best looking curry meals I have ever seen. For that night at least, the homeless eat much better than I do. What a blessing!) So we don't have to prepare the meals or anything. This frees us up to just keep talking and showing love to the people. Once the meals arrive, we pray (this is well received) and hand out the meals and a drink. That's it. There is no gimmick, no sermon, no anything. It is just free food given by the hands of willing servants of God. The volunteers might sit and talk to them as they eat, but after the food is out, everybody generally leaves. I think it is great.
So I went with Jacob and helped out with this event. I got to meet a few people and talk a bit. I am good at talking, but horrible at starting a conversation. So that was the stretch for me. In fact, the whole event was a stretch for me. My gifts have always been in teaching and other relating things. Charity, hospitality, and practical evangelism are always harder for me because they don't come naturally (not that I don't love doing them, they just aren't natural). So it was really good that I went to this. As I feel out a call to ministry, it is important that I am intentional about improving areas I feel week in. I had a great time though and really got a kick out of helping these people. So many of them were hurting, broken people with not a lot of hope it seemed. A few were perpetual drunks. Some were sickly. Others were haggard and clearly living a rough life. My heart bleeds for them.
Jacob told me to be careful with how I deal with them as well. Apparently he once had a knife pulled on him will volunteering and there are frequently fights among some of the homeless people. Apparently the cops in Adelaide are never too far from the event, as a gathering of that sort of people often produces some problems. True to form, that night there was a fight between a man and one of the ladies (who was clearly intoxicated). And, true to Jacob's prediction, the police appeared out of nowhere and were on it quickly. He wasn't lying! Apart from this, however, the event went very well.
The Curry truck runs every week on Thursdays. I plan to go as often as possible. I went again the following week (3/17) and actually led the prayer. This was fun because afterward everybody knew I wasn't one of them. They kept asking me if I was Canadian (apparently Michigan accents sound more Canadian than American in many people's mind) or singing American songs as I walked by. Interesting. They know a lot about American culture here. One gentleman was telling me all about American television. Still another seemed to know every major American musician of the last decade. It made for some good discussion.
Anyways....back to the previous Thursday. After the Curry Truck, I returned to the church in time to help out once more with Sausage and Salad nights, meet a few people, and pour into the lives of the people coming there for help. This was also good, but by now I was just getting worn out. It is hard to do an extrovert's job as an introvert!
After the Sausage and Salad night, I went into an event the church was hosting that night, equipping people for Pastoral Care ministry. I sat in and participated in the event, got to know some more people and tried to help it run smoothly.
When that finished, I walked home and chilled. It had been a very long day.
In Christ,
Chris
My day started fairly early, meeting with one of my fellow Life Group leaders, Daniel Stump. This statement deserves some explanation: At Hope Valley Uniting Church, they have a bunch of little "Life Groups" in which a select group of people get together, share in fellowship, encourage one another in the Faith, participate in Bible study, pray, and just have a nice time together. More than the traditional small groups found at many churches, these "life groups" are designed to cater to a specific sub-set of people. For example, their are several life groups set aside for those with families. Within that group, there are specific life groups for those with toddlers, another for small children, another for teenagers, etc. So the life groups try to meet individuals where they are at in life and stick them with other similarly positioned people. The idea being that when in similar stages of life, there will be increased opportunity for the groups to become a meaningful and central point of one's life. A place where you gain help, accountability, friends, and love. For the most part, I love the model and I think it works very well. There are life groups for newly weds, for college students, for youth, for running-fanatics, for the elderly, and for many other groups. They all work together, of course, to equip and disciple and build the whole Church up. One of the setbacks of such a setting is the amount of leaders you need! It seems the pastors are always talking about needing more leaders (as Hope Valley is experiencing a huge spurt in growth right now). Another major part of this life group system is that it is very much a primary focus of the church. Whereas at many churches, small groups are poorly attended, not often used, and rather secondary to the major functions of the church, Hope Valley puts a heavy emphasis on them. It seems nearly every person is approached about being in a group and long discussion is held about where they might fit best. It's a lot of work!
But, anyways, Jon (my mentor) has asked me to help with one of the newer life groups at the Church, one set aside for first year college and career age men (a transitional group really). He hasn't asked me to lead it per se, but to help equip and disciple its current leader, giving Him some direction and helping him feel more comfortable in his role. The current leader of the group is Daniel Stump, as I said above.
So I met with Daniel to talk about his group, his vision for it, and how to be very intentional in his leadership. Daniel is a great guy with a good head on his shoulders. The plan was that we would go for a walk in the nearby hills and chat. The walk through the hills was lovely. As seen in these images here. It is such a neat world to live in a big city, but have such lovely country surrounding you. Truly magnificent!
After going through the woods and chatting a bit about the group, Daniel wanted to show
me his favorite store--a live fish shop! This may sound pretty silly, but Daniel is a huge fish nut and this store was actually pretty incredible. I have definitely not seen so many varieties of fish to choose from. They had some of the biggest, some of the most colorful, and some of the oddest fish I have ever seen. I really enjoyed it actually. I have included a couple of pictures. They even had a salt water crocodile (which was not for sale). Outrageous!After going to the aquarium we grabbed a meat pie for lunch sat down to some serious business, prayed about our groups future and got the ball rolling on some things. Daniel is great and h
e will do just fine. I am glad to be helping him out a bit.After this I met up with one of the youth group students who has been facing a bit of a hard spell. I took him to McDonald's and we talked it up for awhile. It felt good to just pour into someone and show them that I genuinely care about them. I told him I wanted to get to know his life better and so he decided to drive me up into the hills (a gorgeous drive...wow...the landscape around here is absolutely stunning) and show me his favorite riding spots. It was fun.
He got me back to the church just in time for my next meeting with Jacob Brook (the son of one of
the pastor's here. Jacob helps his Dad, Roger, every Thursday in the city center at a charity called the "Curry Truck." The Currey Truck was started by Roger (I think he started it) a little while back as a way to help feed the homeless in the city. The way it works is actually pretty amazing. We park a truck in one of the city squares (a small grassy area). The truck is now known as a beacon for free food to the area homeless. The come and mill about and we, the volunteers (who almost all come from Hope Valley) just get a chance to talk to them, pour into their lives and show them they are cared for. As each person arrives, they see Roger for a ticket. This ticket entitles them to a meal. After a bit of time, the local owner of a really high quality curry restaurant comes out to get the number from Roger as to how many tickets were given away. (Somehow, a while ago, Roger approached this restaurant about supplying free meals to the homeless and they agreed! Isn't that amazing!?! And this is no crappy, second-hand meal. This guy pulls out all the stops bring out in to go containers some of the best smelling, best looking curry meals I have ever seen. For that night at least, the homeless eat much better than I do. What a blessing!) So we don't have to prepare the meals or anything. This frees us up to just keep talking and showing love to the people. Once the meals arrive, we pray (this is well received) and hand out the meals and a drink. That's it. There is no gimmick, no sermon, no anything. It is just free food given by the hands of willing servants of God. The volunteers might sit and talk to them as they eat, but after the food is out, everybody generally leaves. I think it is great.So I went with Jacob and helped out with this event. I got to meet a few people and talk a bit. I am good at talking, but horrible at starting a conversation. So that was the stretch for me. In fact, the whole event was a stretch for me. My gifts have always been in teaching and other relating things. Charity, hospitality, and practical evangelism are always harder for me because they don't come naturally (not that I don't love doing them, they just aren't natural). So it was really good that I went to this. As I feel out a call to ministry, it is important that I am intentional about improving areas I feel week in. I had a great time though and really got a kick out of helping these people. So many of them were hurting, broken people with not a lot of hope it seemed. A few were perpetual drunks. Some were sickly. Others were haggard and clearly living a rough life. My heart bleeds for them.
Jacob told me to be careful with how I deal with them as well. Apparently he once had a knife pulled on him will volunteering and there are frequently fights among some of the homeless people. Apparently the cops in Adelaide are never too far from the event, as a gathering of that sort of people often produces some problems. True to form, that night there was a fight between a man and one of the ladies (who was clearly intoxicated). And, true to Jacob's prediction, the police appeared out of nowhere and were on it quickly. He wasn't lying! Apart from this, however, the event went very well.
The Curry truck runs every week on Thursdays. I plan to go as often as possible. I went again the following week (3/17) and actually led the prayer. This was fun because afterward everybody knew I wasn't one of them. They kept asking me if I was Canadian (apparently Michigan accents sound more Canadian than American in many people's mind) or singing American songs as I walked by. Interesting. They know a lot about American culture here. One gentleman was telling me all about American television. Still another seemed to know every major American musician of the last decade. It made for some good discussion.
Anyways....back to the previous Thursday. After the Curry Truck, I returned to the church in time to help out once more with Sausage and Salad nights, meet a few people, and pour into the lives of the people coming there for help. This was also good, but by now I was just getting worn out. It is hard to do an extrovert's job as an introvert!
After the Sausage and Salad night, I went into an event the church was hosting that night, equipping people for Pastoral Care ministry. I sat in and participated in the event, got to know some more people and tried to help it run smoothly.
When that finished, I walked home and chilled. It had been a very long day.
In Christ,
Chris
City Bible Forum
There is an organization in Adelaide known as the City Bible Forum. It is a group of businessmen from the city who have dedicated themselves to serving the needs of working men within the downtown areas (primarily white-collared men). From what I can tell, they do an amazing job at it. Sometime in the near future, I hope to sit down with the organization's president to discuss how they view and go about urban, white-collar mission. When your mission field is several million strong and you see fruits, you must be doing something right!
My connection with the City Bible Forum stems from one of the pastor's here at Hope Valley, Darren Shelton. He is very much a man's man and latches onto anything that helps him better minister to men. On the evening of Ash Wednesday, he invited me to attend one of the Bible Forum events with him and some of the guys from his Men's group. I am very glad I went, as it was a good opportunity to see an aspect of the Bible Forum's mission, fellowship with men in the Church, and get closer with one of the pastor's here.
The event was at a downtown pub and involved a meal of Yum Cha (I still have no idea what this was, but it tasted alright). During the meal, a speaker gave a presentation on sexuality and the brain. Though the discussion was a bit vulgar at times (what discussion of sex isn't), the speaker came at the issue of sex from an interesting perspective, trying to prove that science and psychology supported the Biblical model of dating, marriage, and healthy sexual relations. This seems like just the message people need to hear into today's world. It is not just "Christian dogma" that we espouse, but science backs up the claims of the Bible in almost every way imaginable. This speaker's work in the science of the brain with regard to sex seemed very valuable. Most people seemed to enjoy the evening.
The interesting thing about the event, was that the City Bible Forum did not just rent out the pub for the evening. This meant random people were allowed to sit in the audience. Moreover, they advertised the event in papers and such. Curious people came, expecting a show related to the Fringe festival or something (I would imagine). Instead they got an in-depth analysis of sexuality and its place in society. It was interesting to see how some people handled the environment. One of our waitresses even asked us what the whole event was about (why some strange person kept going on and on about sex). This was an interesting approach taken by the Bible Forum. I don't think they were being disingenuous at all. I just find it interesting that part of their goal was to not make this a discussion simply among Christians. Good on them.
It seems appropriate to comment on Australian service at this time. Unlike in America, waiting staff are paid well in Australia and do not rely on tips. It is very uncommon to leave a tip for the service. As a ex-waiter myself, I like this model quite a bit. Sometimes it is just wicked hard living exclusively on tips. Moreover, why tip for good service? Shouldn't good service be expected? The culture of tipping in America has many flaws. So it is nice that they don't do it here in Australia. On the other hand, I have found some of the waiters and waitresses in Australia very rude. When a tip is not on the line, there is no need for a courteous demeanor, an extra smile, or "going the extra mile." The customer's happiness is not necessarily the goal, as your tip doesn't depend on it. At this event, for example, one of the male waiters was horrible. He forcibly told us to "get out of the way" of the path needed by the wait staff. There was no hint of consideration in his voice. He continued to bring only four of everything to our table despite there being five of us sitting there. When asked for an additional portion, he told us to share with other tables. He was painfully slow to take drink orders and hated our questions. Now, I would like to say he was an exception to the rule here (and certainly nobody has been as rude as he was), but I do think service in America tends to be better than service here. So there you have it: Pros and Cons to America's tipping culture.
In Christ,
Chris
My connection with the City Bible Forum stems from one of the pastor's here at Hope Valley, Darren Shelton. He is very much a man's man and latches onto anything that helps him better minister to men. On the evening of Ash Wednesday, he invited me to attend one of the Bible Forum events with him and some of the guys from his Men's group. I am very glad I went, as it was a good opportunity to see an aspect of the Bible Forum's mission, fellowship with men in the Church, and get closer with one of the pastor's here.
The event was at a downtown pub and involved a meal of Yum Cha (I still have no idea what this was, but it tasted alright). During the meal, a speaker gave a presentation on sexuality and the brain. Though the discussion was a bit vulgar at times (what discussion of sex isn't), the speaker came at the issue of sex from an interesting perspective, trying to prove that science and psychology supported the Biblical model of dating, marriage, and healthy sexual relations. This seems like just the message people need to hear into today's world. It is not just "Christian dogma" that we espouse, but science backs up the claims of the Bible in almost every way imaginable. This speaker's work in the science of the brain with regard to sex seemed very valuable. Most people seemed to enjoy the evening.
The interesting thing about the event, was that the City Bible Forum did not just rent out the pub for the evening. This meant random people were allowed to sit in the audience. Moreover, they advertised the event in papers and such. Curious people came, expecting a show related to the Fringe festival or something (I would imagine). Instead they got an in-depth analysis of sexuality and its place in society. It was interesting to see how some people handled the environment. One of our waitresses even asked us what the whole event was about (why some strange person kept going on and on about sex). This was an interesting approach taken by the Bible Forum. I don't think they were being disingenuous at all. I just find it interesting that part of their goal was to not make this a discussion simply among Christians. Good on them.
It seems appropriate to comment on Australian service at this time. Unlike in America, waiting staff are paid well in Australia and do not rely on tips. It is very uncommon to leave a tip for the service. As a ex-waiter myself, I like this model quite a bit. Sometimes it is just wicked hard living exclusively on tips. Moreover, why tip for good service? Shouldn't good service be expected? The culture of tipping in America has many flaws. So it is nice that they don't do it here in Australia. On the other hand, I have found some of the waiters and waitresses in Australia very rude. When a tip is not on the line, there is no need for a courteous demeanor, an extra smile, or "going the extra mile." The customer's happiness is not necessarily the goal, as your tip doesn't depend on it. At this event, for example, one of the male waiters was horrible. He forcibly told us to "get out of the way" of the path needed by the wait staff. There was no hint of consideration in his voice. He continued to bring only four of everything to our table despite there being five of us sitting there. When asked for an additional portion, he told us to share with other tables. He was painfully slow to take drink orders and hated our questions. Now, I would like to say he was an exception to the rule here (and certainly nobody has been as rude as he was), but I do think service in America tends to be better than service here. So there you have it: Pros and Cons to America's tipping culture.
In Christ,
Chris
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ash Wednesday...
On Ash Wednesday (3/9) I decided to attend the Ash Wednesday service at the local 
Anglican Cathedral. Most people know that I have long appreciated (even if not participated in) the liturgical calendar. Being so close to such a beautiful Anglican Cathedral, it seemed only fitting that I go and observe the day.
The cathedral itself, St. Peter's, is gorgeous. Though small, it is a beautiful example of Anglican architecture. There are two wonderful stained glass windows, a beautiful altar, and high-arched ceilings. I am a huge fan of church architecture and this did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the Anglican church in Australia is plagued by the same sort of feminist, liberation, post-modern, and worldly theology of their English brothers (and, sadly, most of the Church today). The third huge stained glass window in the building was a modern peace of crap, highlighting the achievements of female spirituality. Gah...stuff like that bugs me a ton. You take a perfectly good building, steeped in tradition and sacred space, and you turn it into THAT! A contemporary piece of feminist, spiritualist, post-modern, crappy art. I'm sorry. For my feminist readers....leave the churches alone. For everybody else: If this doesn't irk you, you need to go into some of the greatest churches around the world. But at least the church here in Adelaide is not as bad as in Canterbury (where you can apparently buy Satanist bibles). Still...the
y ruined a good (no....great) thing. I have placed a picture of the offensive stained-glass window here (though it is hard to see why):
Aside from the window that got my blood boiling, the service itself was lovely. It was held in the back chapel by a fine minister. The liturgy was pretty standard, though it was loaded, even on an Ash Wednesday, with eco-theology and some heavy-handed liberal bias. But it wasn't terribly distracting and I had a pleasant ceremony. God is good and Ash Wednesday is a good reminder of what the Lent season prepares us for.
After the service, my friend, Brett, and I spent awhile trying to identify all the saints in the altar piece and stained glass windows. I love doing this (thank you Dr. Stewart for that nerdy quality) and we had a good ol' time.
Home we went. Glad I had gone. May the spirit of Lent be always on your mind.
In Christ,
Chris
Anglican Cathedral. Most people know that I have long appreciated (even if not participated in) the liturgical calendar. Being so close to such a beautiful Anglican Cathedral, it seemed only fitting that I go and observe the day.The cathedral itself, St. Peter's, is gorgeous. Though small, it is a beautiful example of Anglican architecture. There are two wonderful stained glass windows, a beautiful altar, and high-arched ceilings. I am a huge fan of church architecture and this did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the Anglican church in Australia is plagued by the same sort of feminist, liberation, post-modern, and worldly theology of their English brothers (and, sadly, most of the Church today). The third huge stained glass window in the building was a modern peace of crap, highlighting the achievements of female spirituality. Gah...stuff like that bugs me a ton. You take a perfectly good building, steeped in tradition and sacred space, and you turn it into THAT! A contemporary piece of feminist, spiritualist, post-modern, crappy art. I'm sorry. For my feminist readers....leave the churches alone. For everybody else: If this doesn't irk you, you need to go into some of the greatest churches around the world. But at least the church here in Adelaide is not as bad as in Canterbury (where you can apparently buy Satanist bibles). Still...the
y ruined a good (no....great) thing. I have placed a picture of the offensive stained-glass window here (though it is hard to see why):Aside from the window that got my blood boiling, the service itself was lovely. It was held in the back chapel by a fine minister. The liturgy was pretty standard, though it was loaded, even on an Ash Wednesday, with eco-theology and some heavy-handed liberal bias. But it wasn't terribly distracting and I had a pleasant ceremony. God is good and Ash Wednesday is a good reminder of what the Lent season prepares us for.
After the service, my friend, Brett, and I spent awhile trying to identify all the saints in the altar piece and stained glass windows. I love doing this (thank you Dr. Stewart for that nerdy quality) and we had a good ol' time.
Home we went. Glad I had gone. May the spirit of Lent be always on your mind.
In Christ,
Chris
Arj Barker for the win
Th last Fringe show I attended (on Tuesday, 3/8) with Jon and Katie was definitely the most famous act--Arj Barker. Arj is a comedian of some note for his role in several movies and, perhaps most famously, the wonderful show "Flight of the Conchords." If you haven't seen this show, you simply must. It is one of my all-time favorites.
Anyways, Arj has apparently garnered a fair following here in Australia, as his shows during the Fringe were at a massive venue and his tickets were not as cheap as many of the other acts. But Jon said we should see at least one major act while the Fringe was in town and we chose to see Arj. We weren't disappointed and he kept us laughing nearly the whole time. As with all comedians, however, he relied a bit too much on colorful, vulgar humor to ge
t a laugh. This was expected, but still a bit off-putting. I did enjoy the show though. Here is picture of the man himself (the one signing autographs...not the butt to the left of the picture):
It is nice being in a bigger city than Hillsdale with a fair bit of shows, activities, festivals, etc. happening all the time. It is nice to drive a few minutes to find great entertainment. I don't think I could ever live in a city much bigger than Adelaide for a long time, but I am enjoying the benefits of city life while I am here.
In Christ,
Chris
Anyways, Arj has apparently garnered a fair following here in Australia, as his shows during the Fringe were at a massive venue and his tickets were not as cheap as many of the other acts. But Jon said we should see at least one major act while the Fringe was in town and we chose to see Arj. We weren't disappointed and he kept us laughing nearly the whole time. As with all comedians, however, he relied a bit too much on colorful, vulgar humor to ge
t a laugh. This was expected, but still a bit off-putting. I did enjoy the show though. Here is picture of the man himself (the one signing autographs...not the butt to the left of the picture):It is nice being in a bigger city than Hillsdale with a fair bit of shows, activities, festivals, etc. happening all the time. It is nice to drive a few minutes to find great entertainment. I don't think I could ever live in a city much bigger than Adelaide for a long time, but I am enjoying the benefits of city life while I am here.
In Christ,
Chris
Amy's bribe to get into my blog...
After my bike ride of doom, Amy had a surprise for me.
I am not sure if I have mentioned Amy yet in my blog, but if I have not she is a young lady who has been staying with Jon and Katie as well while I have been here. She is a sweet girl and I have loved getting to know here. She was engaged, as I mentioned, to Josh. Both attend Hope Valley church and both have quickly become great friends of mine. Josh, of course, was the person who loaned me his bike and invited me to his Buck's party (which I blogged about previously). They are now married and I will blog about the wedding shortly.
Anyways, Amy had a surprise for me when I got back from the party...a pastry called a "Pig's Ear." A while back I had gone with her to help her into the CBD (central business district) and we needed to stop at the shop of her wedding cake baker. As a lover of all things food, I wanted to see what was in the bakery. I was surprised at that time to see an unbelievably good looking pastry similar to one's I have had in Mexico, Spain, an the United States that I absolutely love (I hadn't as of yet seen them in Australia). The basic pastry is a very light, heart-shaped, crispy pastry that has a hint of sugar and honey to it. This particular bakery's version gave this type of pastry steroids. The beautiful, heavenly thing I saw before me was basically a cream sandwich. It had two of the heart-shaped pastries with think whipping cream in between them. The bottom of the whole thing had then been dipped in chocolate so that half of the heart was covered. The top was drizzled with an extra thick layer of honey. Simply put: it was divine.
Being cheap....I didn't buy one.
Week's later, and after what Amy suspected would be terrible ordeal, she handed me one she had bought that day. What a wonderful gift! And oh was it good....better than I had even imagined. A man could die having treats like that so close to his house! It was unbelievable.
Amy is an angel. She deserves mad props for remembering my ravenous staring in the shop and bringing me one as a gift in my greatest hour of need (haha). I am, of course, playing this up too much....but the thing was really good.
Amy, if you read this. Know that you are loved and it was very appreciated :-).
I did not think to take a picture of the heavenly concoction, but I found a decent pictur
e online of a version very similar to what I ate. Just imagine that the desert in the picture is half covered in dark chocolate and coated with honey. You'll be right on the money :-).
I am currently taking donations to fund additional experiments into the quality of these deserts around Adelaide. Feel free to contribute generously ;-). I might never get one again! (haha...I am joking. I am sure though, that they are expensive as everything else in this country).
In Christ,
Chris
I am not sure if I have mentioned Amy yet in my blog, but if I have not she is a young lady who has been staying with Jon and Katie as well while I have been here. She is a sweet girl and I have loved getting to know here. She was engaged, as I mentioned, to Josh. Both attend Hope Valley church and both have quickly become great friends of mine. Josh, of course, was the person who loaned me his bike and invited me to his Buck's party (which I blogged about previously). They are now married and I will blog about the wedding shortly.
Anyways, Amy had a surprise for me when I got back from the party...a pastry called a "Pig's Ear." A while back I had gone with her to help her into the CBD (central business district) and we needed to stop at the shop of her wedding cake baker. As a lover of all things food, I wanted to see what was in the bakery. I was surprised at that time to see an unbelievably good looking pastry similar to one's I have had in Mexico, Spain, an the United States that I absolutely love (I hadn't as of yet seen them in Australia). The basic pastry is a very light, heart-shaped, crispy pastry that has a hint of sugar and honey to it. This particular bakery's version gave this type of pastry steroids. The beautiful, heavenly thing I saw before me was basically a cream sandwich. It had two of the heart-shaped pastries with think whipping cream in between them. The bottom of the whole thing had then been dipped in chocolate so that half of the heart was covered. The top was drizzled with an extra thick layer of honey. Simply put: it was divine.
Being cheap....I didn't buy one.
Week's later, and after what Amy suspected would be terrible ordeal, she handed me one she had bought that day. What a wonderful gift! And oh was it good....better than I had even imagined. A man could die having treats like that so close to his house! It was unbelievable.
Amy is an angel. She deserves mad props for remembering my ravenous staring in the shop and bringing me one as a gift in my greatest hour of need (haha). I am, of course, playing this up too much....but the thing was really good.
Amy, if you read this. Know that you are loved and it was very appreciated :-).
I did not think to take a picture of the heavenly concoction, but I found a decent pictur
e online of a version very similar to what I ate. Just imagine that the desert in the picture is half covered in dark chocolate and coated with honey. You'll be right on the money :-).I am currently taking donations to fund additional experiments into the quality of these deserts around Adelaide. Feel free to contribute generously ;-). I might never get one again! (haha...I am joking. I am sure though, that they are expensive as everything else in this country).
In Christ,
Chris
Australian Rugby?!?
After my Bike Ride on Monday, the 7th I was about as exhausted as I have ever been (well...excepting Two-a-Day practices for football). I had already committed to another event that night, however--rugby practice.
Most of you know that I played quite a bit of Rugby while at university. I really love the game of rugby, as it blends many of my favorite elements of several different games. I thought it would be interesting to get involved with a rugby club here in Australia to fool around, blow some steam, and see how a culture that actually liked rugby approached the sport (Americans have never been too fond of it in our Football dominated world). Upon arriving though, I struggled to find anybody at all who liked, much less played the sport. Apparently in South Australia, Rugby is not so big a deal either. They prefer the Aussie Rules Football I described in my blog before (which is understandable, as it is a great game). They tell me that Rugby is bigger in other states, like New South Wales (where Sydney is), but not in the "Footy" dominated South Australia. Even there, a lot of people prefer Rugby League over the far superior Rugby Union (that I played in the US). Go figure! I finally found two boys at my Church, twins, who played for the local north-east district rugby club (NEDS). They invited me to a practice and I made arrangements to go with them to see what it was like here in Australia.
NEDS is an interesting club (playing Union rugby and not League). As I have stated previously, a lot of sports in Australia are done through local clubs rather than at schools and universities. As such, NEDS has programs for small children all the way up to the seniors (over 18). I, of course, count as a senior (which makes me feel old). I like the structure of teaching young kids the game and letting them grow through the ranks. It really helps to build a community I think.
The actual practice went well. I didn't bring my rugby cleats with me to Australia (for obvious packing reasons) and so I made some terrible slips and embarassing falls, but I had an unbelievably good time. I really do love playing Rugby and the practices reminded me of the how long it had been since I last played (the previous fall). It is good to just get out, throw around the ball, hit somebody hard, get hit, etc. I loved it. The coach of the senior team is a female (and a strong-willed one at that). I reckon she does an amazing job as their coach. The guys on the team range from super-fit kids barely over 18 to fat, balding men in the 40s. It is actually fun to play in such an environment. Everybody brings an interesting perspective to the game and,with the varied ages, it feels like a small community in itself. That having been said, even though I lack a lot of experience in the game, I would probably be one of the better players on the squad were I to play on the team. I am more in shape than a lot of the old guys (which is saying something, as I am hardly in shape) and I have a fair bit of experience. Some of the players have never played before (again, Rugby is not as popular here as I had thought it would be) and others are struggling with even the basics. The team is also very small. As of yet, I have not seen a full senior squad. It reminds me of the Hillsale team I helped start originally, small and struggling.
The practice went well and to date I have been able to practice twice. It is not a high priority of mine while I am here and it seems that is fine with the coaches who are just happy to have another person in drills. I wouldn't mind actually playing on the squad in games, but I have to figure out the logistics of how that would work (insurance, how it fits into my schedule, fees, etc.). I feel that, in the end, I will just have to walk away and say there are more important things to do here than play Rugby. This is sad though, as I really do love the game and I had a blast at the practice. As odd as it sounds, it makes me feel at home.
Either way, it was interesting to see the differences between Rugby here and Rugby abroad. It will be more interesting to see if I actually get to play a game.
More later on that.
In Christ,
Chris
Most of you know that I played quite a bit of Rugby while at university. I really love the game of rugby, as it blends many of my favorite elements of several different games. I thought it would be interesting to get involved with a rugby club here in Australia to fool around, blow some steam, and see how a culture that actually liked rugby approached the sport (Americans have never been too fond of it in our Football dominated world). Upon arriving though, I struggled to find anybody at all who liked, much less played the sport. Apparently in South Australia, Rugby is not so big a deal either. They prefer the Aussie Rules Football I described in my blog before (which is understandable, as it is a great game). They tell me that Rugby is bigger in other states, like New South Wales (where Sydney is), but not in the "Footy" dominated South Australia. Even there, a lot of people prefer Rugby League over the far superior Rugby Union (that I played in the US). Go figure! I finally found two boys at my Church, twins, who played for the local north-east district rugby club (NEDS). They invited me to a practice and I made arrangements to go with them to see what it was like here in Australia.
NEDS is an interesting club (playing Union rugby and not League). As I have stated previously, a lot of sports in Australia are done through local clubs rather than at schools and universities. As such, NEDS has programs for small children all the way up to the seniors (over 18). I, of course, count as a senior (which makes me feel old). I like the structure of teaching young kids the game and letting them grow through the ranks. It really helps to build a community I think.
The actual practice went well. I didn't bring my rugby cleats with me to Australia (for obvious packing reasons) and so I made some terrible slips and embarassing falls, but I had an unbelievably good time. I really do love playing Rugby and the practices reminded me of the how long it had been since I last played (the previous fall). It is good to just get out, throw around the ball, hit somebody hard, get hit, etc. I loved it. The coach of the senior team is a female (and a strong-willed one at that). I reckon she does an amazing job as their coach. The guys on the team range from super-fit kids barely over 18 to fat, balding men in the 40s. It is actually fun to play in such an environment. Everybody brings an interesting perspective to the game and,with the varied ages, it feels like a small community in itself. That having been said, even though I lack a lot of experience in the game, I would probably be one of the better players on the squad were I to play on the team. I am more in shape than a lot of the old guys (which is saying something, as I am hardly in shape) and I have a fair bit of experience. Some of the players have never played before (again, Rugby is not as popular here as I had thought it would be) and others are struggling with even the basics. The team is also very small. As of yet, I have not seen a full senior squad. It reminds me of the Hillsale team I helped start originally, small and struggling.
The practice went well and to date I have been able to practice twice. It is not a high priority of mine while I am here and it seems that is fine with the coaches who are just happy to have another person in drills. I wouldn't mind actually playing on the squad in games, but I have to figure out the logistics of how that would work (insurance, how it fits into my schedule, fees, etc.). I feel that, in the end, I will just have to walk away and say there are more important things to do here than play Rugby. This is sad though, as I really do love the game and I had a blast at the practice. As odd as it sounds, it makes me feel at home.
Either way, it was interesting to see the differences between Rugby here and Rugby abroad. It will be more interesting to see if I actually get to play a game.
More later on that.
In Christ,
Chris
Just a simple little bike ride....of DOOM!
Wow! Again, I apologize for the delay in blogging. I have been swamped with work, activities, and planning life for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, blogging simply has to be on the back burner when it comes to prioritizing my life here (most of my readers would understand this). I am going to catch up in the next few days, however, with highlights from the last two weeks (it has been that long since I posted) and all will be well.
On March 7th, I decided to do an extreme feet of strength and endurance. I have told you all in previous blogs, that Adelaide is one of the longest cities I have ever seen. It stretches as far as the eye can see, as the city builds out and not up. I live in the northeastern suburbs of the city and it ends up being about a twenty to thirty minute drive to get to the city center (depending on traffic). So it is a fair bit of a drive. There is a park near my house called "Linear Park." It is named as such because it basically is a long line of a park that stretches from the hills surrounding Adelaide all the way to the ocean along the path of the River Torrens (the river upon which Adelaide was founded). This park is very lovely and I have admired it from the bus on several occasions as I have rode into the city center (or the CBD--Central Business District).
Now, my friend Josh (who I will write about in a post very soon, as he and Amy just got married!) lives close to the CBD. As he was soon to be married and on honeymoon, he offered me the use of his bike while he was away. I had been very keen to use someone's bike, as I was getting very tired of walking everywhere. His offer was greatly appreciated :-). The plan for obtaining said bike involved me busing into the CBD, meeting Josh, heading to his house, grabbing the bike, and pedaling all the way back up to my house. This, in my minds, seemed an easy plan. Boy was I wrong!
The plan started off well. I went to the CBD, met Josh, we ate a lovely lunch of chicken burgers (there is a neat fast food chain here that sells burgers with grilled chicken instead of beef--quite good). We explored the city a bit and he showed me the famous Adelaide wall of Hot Wheel cars (apparently some art student's final project). I have supplied a picture of this, the 800th wonder of the world. Note that this is but a small section of a massive wall completely covered with toy cars. My nephew would be in heaven.
After this little adventure, we went to his house and nabbed the bike. Josh gave me a quick once-over of Adelaide biking laws and showed me the workings of his machine and off I went. Smooth sailing! I eventually found my way to the linear park in the city and met Jon Joyce (my host) who had rode down from his house for some exercise (we had planned this meeting). Off we went up linear park (a fairly steady up-hill climb it seemed).
Now, let me just say that Linear Park was very beautiful. It follows, as I said, the course of a river and is full of plants, water, birds, and the like. It is well organized, clean, and just a pleasant place to walk, run, or ride. It is a pity that I am WAY out of shape when it comes to biking and I couldn't enjoy it as much. What started an easy, leisurely ride in the park soon turned into a grueling fight for survival after about an hour. I never imagined the way home would be so long! It seemed so short on the bus! I have learned a valuable lesson about perceived distance (and a lesson about my crappy biking abilities). Jon, who as fit as anyone could want, had an easy go of it and was ahead of me almost the whole trip. My thighs were literally committing mutiny against my whole body. Frankly, I bit off more than I could chew. Eventually I sulked into my driveway aching all over and very ready to be off the bike.
I do like biking. I love the park. But perhaps next time I will go into town (mostly downhill) and ride the bus back :-). Here's for a good effort though, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
On March 7th, I decided to do an extreme feet of strength and endurance. I have told you all in previous blogs, that Adelaide is one of the longest cities I have ever seen. It stretches as far as the eye can see, as the city builds out and not up. I live in the northeastern suburbs of the city and it ends up being about a twenty to thirty minute drive to get to the city center (depending on traffic). So it is a fair bit of a drive. There is a park near my house called "Linear Park." It is named as such because it basically is a long line of a park that stretches from the hills surrounding Adelaide all the way to the ocean along the path of the River Torrens (the river upon which Adelaide was founded). This park is very lovely and I have admired it from the bus on several occasions as I have rode into the city center (or the CBD--Central Business District).
Now, my friend Josh (who I will write about in a post very soon, as he and Amy just got married!) lives close to the CBD. As he was soon to be married and on honeymoon, he offered me the use of his bike while he was away. I had been very keen to use someone's bike, as I was getting very tired of walking everywhere. His offer was greatly appreciated :-). The plan for obtaining said bike involved me busing into the CBD, meeting Josh, heading to his house, grabbing the bike, and pedaling all the way back up to my house. This, in my minds, seemed an easy plan. Boy was I wrong!
The plan started off well. I went to the CBD, met Josh, we ate a lovely lunch of chicken burgers (there is a neat fast food chain here that sells burgers with grilled chicken instead of beef--quite good). We explored the city a bit and he showed me the famous Adelaide wall of Hot Wheel cars (apparently some art student's final project). I have supplied a picture of this, the 800th wonder of the world. Note that this is but a small section of a massive wall completely covered with toy cars. My nephew would be in heaven.
After this little adventure, we went to his house and nabbed the bike. Josh gave me a quick once-over of Adelaide biking laws and showed me the workings of his machine and off I went. Smooth sailing! I eventually found my way to the linear park in the city and met Jon Joyce (my host) who had rode down from his house for some exercise (we had planned this meeting). Off we went up linear park (a fairly steady up-hill climb it seemed).
Now, let me just say that Linear Park was very beautiful. It follows, as I said, the course of a river and is full of plants, water, birds, and the like. It is well organized, clean, and just a pleasant place to walk, run, or ride. It is a pity that I am WAY out of shape when it comes to biking and I couldn't enjoy it as much. What started an easy, leisurely ride in the park soon turned into a grueling fight for survival after about an hour. I never imagined the way home would be so long! It seemed so short on the bus! I have learned a valuable lesson about perceived distance (and a lesson about my crappy biking abilities). Jon, who as fit as anyone could want, had an easy go of it and was ahead of me almost the whole trip. My thighs were literally committing mutiny against my whole body. Frankly, I bit off more than I could chew. Eventually I sulked into my driveway aching all over and very ready to be off the bike.
I do like biking. I love the park. But perhaps next time I will go into town (mostly downhill) and ride the bus back :-). Here's for a good effort though, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Fringe Parade
Also on Sunday (3/5), I went to the city center to see the Fringe Parade. You may remember that I had gone several weeks back to see the Fringe opening parade and concert, but it had been rained out. Well, the city of Adelaide decided to reschedule the parade, as it is a big community event. Jon and Katie were busy all afternoon, so I decided to go and watch it. Let's just say, I was not particularly impressed. Unlike parades in the states, which seem like massive occasions with tons of floats, bands, veterans and the what-not, this parade was really strange. It pretty much seemed like anybody could walk in it. There were random people banging on pots, a whole mess of girls wearing tutus, random dancers, an eclectic marching band. I was just expecting so much more, to be honest. I was expecting something more like Mardi Gras. Although, in the end, I am glad it didn't meet my expectations. Mardi Gras is not exactly something I should see. The parade was also really short! They moved REALLY slow to compensate for that.
So I walked away from the parade with a sun burn and a few random pictures. Interesting...
But the Fringe shows have been pretty cool thus far and I think the whole festival is really interesting.
Perhaps I am just being too critical of the parade.
In Christ,
Chris
So I walked away from the parade with a sun burn and a few random pictures. Interesting...
But the Fringe shows have been pretty cool thus far and I think the whole festival is really interesting.
Perhaps I am just being too critical of the parade.
In Christ,
Chris
Children's Church
On Sunday (3/5), I was asked to begin helping with children church here at Hope Valley. My assistance is needed only temporarily, but I suspect I will become a regular leader therein. (Is this not the nature of any part of church ministry? You get your feet wet and people usually start to expect more from you. It's just the nature of ministry and I am happy to do it!) So I was asked to fill in this last Sunday and I was a bit nervous about it. I have worked with a bunch of kids before (having been involved in youth ministry and education for the last four years), but never in a formal church setting and, obviously, never to Australian children. The big worry being that all my jokes and techniques would fall flat in another culture.
But I had fun and was reminded how much I like working with kids. Moreover, I don't think I did too bad--praise God, right? I hope He will always use me as an effective minister of His word to all sorts of age groups. This next week I will be taking a greater role with the children (leading the games, woot!) and we'll see what sort of impact I can have in the next few months by God's grace.
There is a big denomination-wide childrens' camp-out coming up soon. The kids pastor here at Hope Valley would like me to go and use some of my summer camp skills. Sounds like a good way to spend a weekend. Bring on the kids!
In Christ,
Chris
But I had fun and was reminded how much I like working with kids. Moreover, I don't think I did too bad--praise God, right? I hope He will always use me as an effective minister of His word to all sorts of age groups. This next week I will be taking a greater role with the children (leading the games, woot!) and we'll see what sort of impact I can have in the next few months by God's grace.
There is a big denomination-wide childrens' camp-out coming up soon. The kids pastor here at Hope Valley would like me to go and use some of my summer camp skills. Sounds like a good way to spend a weekend. Bring on the kids!
In Christ,
Chris
Driving on the Left...
You may or may not know that Australians drive on the left side of the road, opposite us in the United States. It has taken me a lot of time to get used to this concept and still find myself looking to the right first almost every time I go to cross a street. Luckily, my folks taught me well and I "look both ways before crossing the street." Up until Saturday night, however, I have not had a real opportunity to drive here in Australia. After watching Tom, Tom Crew, however, Jon decided to continue that night's adventures by making me drive home from the city center.
I must say that I didn't do half bad (at least on the driving on the left part). The real problem in Australia is the streets themselves. I find them somewhat confusing here at the start of my driving experience. There are a lot more traffic circles for example (almost no four way stops). The roads are littered with parked cars, bus lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The markings on the roads are a bit confusing as well. I am sure I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on. I am a pretty good driver in my estimation, so it is simply a matter of time before I am comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) on the streets of Adelaide.
So, yeah, the left side of the road thing was not so bad. The funniest problem associated with this is the actual set up of the car. With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, many of the controls are opposite what they would be in the States. More than a couple of times now I have gone to flick on the turn signal (a lever on the left side of the steering column in the States) and turned on the windshield wipers! It was really funny to everyone in my car. It takes some real concentration to activate the turn signal with my right hand. That will come soon as well.
My only real concern then, is what will happen when I get home! I reckon the first thing I do is accidentally turn on the wipers instead of the turn signal.
In Christ,
Chris
I must say that I didn't do half bad (at least on the driving on the left part). The real problem in Australia is the streets themselves. I find them somewhat confusing here at the start of my driving experience. There are a lot more traffic circles for example (almost no four way stops). The roads are littered with parked cars, bus lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The markings on the roads are a bit confusing as well. I am sure I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on. I am a pretty good driver in my estimation, so it is simply a matter of time before I am comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) on the streets of Adelaide.
So, yeah, the left side of the road thing was not so bad. The funniest problem associated with this is the actual set up of the car. With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, many of the controls are opposite what they would be in the States. More than a couple of times now I have gone to flick on the turn signal (a lever on the left side of the steering column in the States) and turned on the windshield wipers! It was really funny to everyone in my car. It takes some real concentration to activate the turn signal with my right hand. That will come soon as well.
My only real concern then, is what will happen when I get home! I reckon the first thing I do is accidentally turn on the wipers instead of the turn signal.
In Christ,
Chris
Sunday, March 6, 2011
More Fringe!
Last Saturday (3/5) Jon, Katie, and I went to another fringe show. This one was pretty awesome. We went to see a group called "Tom, Tom Crew." I have found that they are hard to describe in words. Essentially, this is an acrobatic circus that blends elements of outstanding percussion, hip-hop beats, and beat boxing. It was quite impressive and I had a great time. Just another example of the odd entertainment you can find at the Fringe.
Here are some videos from youtube to help you wrap your mind around "Tom, Tom Crew"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlO3YzhDqkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlXBqKcOZVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfKeSNOKF0w
(there are plenty of other videos on youtube should you still be interested. It was a great show...totally worth your time. I even liked it despite not being a fan of hip-hop.
In Christ,
Chris
Here are some videos from youtube to help you wrap your mind around "Tom, Tom Crew"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlO3YzhDqkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlXBqKcOZVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfKeSNOKF0w
(there are plenty of other videos on youtube should you still be interested. It was a great show...totally worth your time. I even liked it despite not being a fan of hip-hop.
In Christ,
Chris
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sausage and Salad Night!
So on Thursday (3/3) I spent the whole day at the Church at the work doing work (believe it or not). Jon Joyce, my mentor and host, works part time as a physical therapist and part time as the young adults pastor. As such, he wasn't in the office Thursday and it was all me. Thus, not only did I work...I worked of my own volition ;-).
I ended up staying at the Church until 5:30 or so. I had forgotten that every Thursday, the church hosts a sausage and salad night for the community (a free will donation sort of charity) at 6:00. The link sausages are grilled up just like our American hotdogs and served bread (to wrap it in) and "tomato sauce" (the word "ketchup" is very American apparently). While the salads tend to be more casserole type salads than lettuce based salads. It is a pretty good meal for pretty cheap! Being at the church so late, I figured I might as well stay and help prepare for the event and meet some people in the community. I am glad I did!
I went to help the grillers and pretty much became a master Aussie sausage grilling machine. My teachers were two of the funniest old men I have ever met--Ron and Murray. They were great and I hope I get to talk with them some more. Almost the whole time I was there they were talking about American car manufacturing (at least one of them worked for GM) and what spot in Australia was best for vacationing. They were a real riot! They shot each other down left and right and just really made for good, playful banter. I think I fit right in ;-).
I had the opportunity to talk with a bunch of other people at the event to and that was good. I am really happy to pour into this community here at Hope Valley.
In the evening, I went out with Jon and Katie to hang out with a bunch of friends who were saying goodbye to someone visiting them from the states. He used to be the worship pastor at Hope Valley and moved to the U.S after marrying an American girl. He now is a big-time worship leader at a church in Georgia. He's a good guy and I am glad to have met him.
Jon also had to play in a community pick-up game of basketball that night. I went to support him and a few others on the team and somehow got roped into keeping score on the scoreboard. This was an experience, as I really don't know that much about basketball at all. Jon's team won by a landslide so it didn't matter that I likely messed up the scoring.
In Christ,
Chris
I ended up staying at the Church until 5:30 or so. I had forgotten that every Thursday, the church hosts a sausage and salad night for the community (a free will donation sort of charity) at 6:00. The link sausages are grilled up just like our American hotdogs and served bread (to wrap it in) and "tomato sauce" (the word "ketchup" is very American apparently). While the salads tend to be more casserole type salads than lettuce based salads. It is a pretty good meal for pretty cheap! Being at the church so late, I figured I might as well stay and help prepare for the event and meet some people in the community. I am glad I did!
I went to help the grillers and pretty much became a master Aussie sausage grilling machine. My teachers were two of the funniest old men I have ever met--Ron and Murray. They were great and I hope I get to talk with them some more. Almost the whole time I was there they were talking about American car manufacturing (at least one of them worked for GM) and what spot in Australia was best for vacationing. They were a real riot! They shot each other down left and right and just really made for good, playful banter. I think I fit right in ;-).
I had the opportunity to talk with a bunch of other people at the event to and that was good. I am really happy to pour into this community here at Hope Valley.
In the evening, I went out with Jon and Katie to hang out with a bunch of friends who were saying goodbye to someone visiting them from the states. He used to be the worship pastor at Hope Valley and moved to the U.S after marrying an American girl. He now is a big-time worship leader at a church in Georgia. He's a good guy and I am glad to have met him.
Jon also had to play in a community pick-up game of basketball that night. I went to support him and a few others on the team and somehow got roped into keeping score on the scoreboard. This was an experience, as I really don't know that much about basketball at all. Jon's team won by a landslide so it didn't matter that I likely messed up the scoring.
In Christ,
Chris
Friday, March 4, 2011
Natalie...
This is Natalie...I forgot to mention that she also went to Jack's Mannequin concert a few weeks back with me and Nicole (from Camp Michindoh). She is pretty awesome too so I figured I would give her her own blog post (especially as she mocked me for not including her in the original one about the concert). So here is Natalie:
Now I feel better. I told you I would make it right, Natalie. ;-)
In Christ,
Chris
Now I feel better. I told you I would make it right, Natalie. ;-)In Christ,
Chris
Pastor's Retreat at Normanville
Last Wednesday (3/2), the pastors of Hope Valley took me along to their network's pastor retreat. A Uniting Church network is basically a group of Uniting Churches that decided to work together, help one another, hold each other accountable, etc. Each Uniting Church is a part of a network--some better than others when it comes to various doctrinal stands. The 3d Network is the one which Hope Valley belongs to and it is a solid group of ministers committed to conservative values, cultural significance, and evangelical hearts. I reckon it is a great group to be a part of.
Anyways...we all piled in a car and headed south of Adelaide to a very scenic region along the coast called, Normanville. The drive was gorgeous, with some of the most breath-taking scenery ever. I was very content. The convention hall we went to, basically a resort golf-course, was even more gorgeous, with a wonderful view of the coast and nestled in the hills. All around us were Kangaroo! They seemed to be hopping everywhere. I did have my camera this time and took some wonderful pictures and video of these totally wild animals. It is so surreal to think the Aussies look to them as we look at deer in Michigan. I was impressed though.
The retreat itself was refreshing--a good time in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship with some great men and women of God. I was most happy, however, to really get a chance to hang out with the pastors of Hope Valley. They are such unique and wonderful men, equipped in so many ways for the ministry. I am delighted to serve under them and be a part of what they are doing at Hope Valley. Soon I will be posting a bit about each one of them so you guys can know a bit more about who I work with.
We left the retreat around lunch (the retreat is a 3-day event, but we had only planned on the one day) and went into the nearby town to spend time as a pastoral staff. We went to the most gorgeous beach I have yet seen, walked along its shore, dove in for a quick swim, laughed plenty, and enjoyed the day. It was a good time. Thank the Lord for days like this, eh?
I also mooned an old man. Apparently, I am not very good at changing out of wet things with a towel wrapped around my waist. Just as I got my trunks off, down went the towel. Poor old man! The worst part was, once I had repositioned the towel, I turned around with an apologetic smile on my face and there he was just beeming a huge grin. I think I might of made his day. That terrifies me ;-).
The ride home was even more lovely, as we took a more scenic route over a large dam and along hills that skirted the coast.
That night I tried to attend swing dancing in town. I had stumbled across a swing club that met every Wednesday night. Swing dancing! Sign me up! Unfortunately, once I got there, I discovered it had been canceled due to another group renting the hall. Maybe next time, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
Anyways...we all piled in a car and headed south of Adelaide to a very scenic region along the coast called, Normanville. The drive was gorgeous, with some of the most breath-taking scenery ever. I was very content. The convention hall we went to, basically a resort golf-course, was even more gorgeous, with a wonderful view of the coast and nestled in the hills. All around us were Kangaroo! They seemed to be hopping everywhere. I did have my camera this time and took some wonderful pictures and video of these totally wild animals. It is so surreal to think the Aussies look to them as we look at deer in Michigan. I was impressed though.
The retreat itself was refreshing--a good time in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship with some great men and women of God. I was most happy, however, to really get a chance to hang out with the pastors of Hope Valley. They are such unique and wonderful men, equipped in so many ways for the ministry. I am delighted to serve under them and be a part of what they are doing at Hope Valley. Soon I will be posting a bit about each one of them so you guys can know a bit more about who I work with.
We left the retreat around lunch (the retreat is a 3-day event, but we had only planned on the one day) and went into the nearby town to spend time as a pastoral staff. We went to the most gorgeous beach I have yet seen, walked along its shore, dove in for a quick swim, laughed plenty, and enjoyed the day. It was a good time. Thank the Lord for days like this, eh?
I also mooned an old man. Apparently, I am not very good at changing out of wet things with a towel wrapped around my waist. Just as I got my trunks off, down went the towel. Poor old man! The worst part was, once I had repositioned the towel, I turned around with an apologetic smile on my face and there he was just beeming a huge grin. I think I might of made his day. That terrifies me ;-).
The ride home was even more lovely, as we took a more scenic route over a large dam and along hills that skirted the coast.
That night I tried to attend swing dancing in town. I had stumbled across a swing club that met every Wednesday night. Swing dancing! Sign me up! Unfortunately, once I got there, I discovered it had been canceled due to another group renting the hall. Maybe next time, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
My second night of Fringe excitement...
So I realized that I make it sound quite often on here as if I am not doing anything but playing games and having fun. I guess I figure my daily work activities are not exciting enough for a blog, but I will be sure to comment on those soon (likely when I talk about the Pastors at Hope Valley where I am working). Sufficient to say, most of my days are consumed with work. Weekends are largely free though and so are evenings. I take full advantage of this.
On Tuesday night (3/1), Jon, Katie, and I went back to the Fringe for another night of comic fun. This time we were going to see the Axis of Awesome. Perhaps you have heard of this comedy/music act? They became quite famous on youtube for their song about 4 chords which essentially made up all the best hit songs. Here is a link to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I
They have become quite famous for that little skit. Their whole show was pretty darn funny though and because of the small, intimate nature of shows at the Fringe, I got to meet and talk with them a bit. Good times!
In Christ,
Chris
On Tuesday night (3/1), Jon, Katie, and I went back to the Fringe for another night of comic fun. This time we were going to see the Axis of Awesome. Perhaps you have heard of this comedy/music act? They became quite famous on youtube for their song about 4 chords which essentially made up all the best hit songs. Here is a link to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I
They have become quite famous for that little skit. Their whole show was pretty darn funny though and because of the small, intimate nature of shows at the Fringe, I got to meet and talk with them a bit. Good times!
In Christ,
Chris
A very long run
Last Monday (2/28) I was very homesick. I miss my family and friends back home quite a bit and it just seemed to really catch up with me on Monday. So I decided to go for a run. Exercise is not only good for my waist line, but good for clearing my head as well. So I went for a run. As any person who wants to break a sweat would do, I decided to run uphill towards the hills that surround Adelaide. Eventually, I came across the entrance to a big hiking park on Anstey Hill. I had heard this was a good area to hike, so I forgot about my run and decided to go explore. I am so glad I did! I turned a melancholy day into an awesome adventure. (Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me and could photograph none of it...but I will make my way up there again).
So the park was really neat with trails heading up into the hill. These trails had some gorgeous views of the city--spectacular really. They were also full of hidden terrors. Three times on my innocent hike I walked right through some of the strongest, nastiest, biggest spider webs I have ever encountered. Of course, each time I also could also see the massive spider to whom the web belonged. Ugh. I screamed like a little girl each time, flailing my arms, trying to get away from the horrible things. I am so funny sometimes. I am sure people back in the city thought someone was dying on the hill. It was "great." The rest of the time I was so stinking jumpy. I waved a big stick in front of my face to ward off any more nasty webs...I am sure I looked like such a dork. I came across an old, small quarry where, according to a nearby sign, they had held big theater performances (as the rock walls provided nice acoustics). I thought that was pretty neat. I wandered deeper into the hills and came across....A KANGAROO! Yes, that is right, my first kangaroo sighting...and no camera! It was so beautiful. What a wonderful animal. It was pretty big and came very close to me, as I had rustled it out from its weedy hiding place. I am glad I saw one finally...now I just need to see a koala!
I continued hiking and got on some very tiny, unused paths. Eventually I found an old road which I followed right into a MASSIVE, abandoned quarry (I am sure I was not supposed to be there). This thing was huge! Stone as deep and as far as the eye could see. My voice echoed off the walls of the thing and many, many feet below me there was a bunch of water that had collected at the bottom. The water was as clear and blue as you could imagine...beautiful. My goal is to go back there with a camera and dive in for a swim (but don't tell the Australians...they might deport me).
By this time it was getting late and I decided to get home. It took me some time, but I eventually came huffing and puffing back into the driveway. Jon was right at the door, wondering where I had been (I had been gone nearly three hours). It was actually kind of funny, as him and I started on a run at the same time. Whereas he returned after an hour or so, I didn't show up until much later (and everybody knows I can't run that far). So they were a bit worried about me. It was a good run though :-). One of my best.
In Christ,
Chris
So the park was really neat with trails heading up into the hill. These trails had some gorgeous views of the city--spectacular really. They were also full of hidden terrors. Three times on my innocent hike I walked right through some of the strongest, nastiest, biggest spider webs I have ever encountered. Of course, each time I also could also see the massive spider to whom the web belonged. Ugh. I screamed like a little girl each time, flailing my arms, trying to get away from the horrible things. I am so funny sometimes. I am sure people back in the city thought someone was dying on the hill. It was "great." The rest of the time I was so stinking jumpy. I waved a big stick in front of my face to ward off any more nasty webs...I am sure I looked like such a dork. I came across an old, small quarry where, according to a nearby sign, they had held big theater performances (as the rock walls provided nice acoustics). I thought that was pretty neat. I wandered deeper into the hills and came across....A KANGAROO! Yes, that is right, my first kangaroo sighting...and no camera! It was so beautiful. What a wonderful animal. It was pretty big and came very close to me, as I had rustled it out from its weedy hiding place. I am glad I saw one finally...now I just need to see a koala!
I continued hiking and got on some very tiny, unused paths. Eventually I found an old road which I followed right into a MASSIVE, abandoned quarry (I am sure I was not supposed to be there). This thing was huge! Stone as deep and as far as the eye could see. My voice echoed off the walls of the thing and many, many feet below me there was a bunch of water that had collected at the bottom. The water was as clear and blue as you could imagine...beautiful. My goal is to go back there with a camera and dive in for a swim (but don't tell the Australians...they might deport me).
By this time it was getting late and I decided to get home. It took me some time, but I eventually came huffing and puffing back into the driveway. Jon was right at the door, wondering where I had been (I had been gone nearly three hours). It was actually kind of funny, as him and I started on a run at the same time. Whereas he returned after an hour or so, I didn't show up until much later (and everybody knows I can't run that far). So they were a bit worried about me. It was a good run though :-). One of my best.
In Christ,
Chris
I told you I would, Steve!
I need to take a brief moment to blog about Steve. Steve is awesome. Simply put, he is the coolest cat this side of the equator...no doubt. Steve also has a lovely wife, Nicole. She is a pretty cool cat herself.
Here is a picture of Steve. Bask in his awesomeness...
Actually, I love everybody I have met down here so much. They are all wonderful people and great friends. I really feel welcome. I promised Steve he would get a special post though :-).
In Christ,
Chris
Here is a picture of Steve. Bask in his awesomeness...
Actually, I love everybody I have met down here so much. They are all wonderful people and great friends. I really feel welcome. I promised Steve he would get a special post though :-).
In Christ,
Chris
Bucks Party and Cricket?
So Jon and Katie have another person living in their house. Her name is Amy and she is a really nice girl who I am glad to know. She is getting married soon and will be moving out. Her fiance is a really cool guy named Josh. Josh has taken a liking to me and for that I am grateful as I think he is great and fun to hang out with. Now, in Australia, instead of bachelor and bachelorette parties, they have Bucks and Hen parties. Last week on Friday (2/25) I was invited to Josh's buck party. I am so glad he invited me as I had a blast.
The people in Hope Valley are a really tight knit community. So many of Josh's friends have also become quick friends of mine. Thus, going wasn't very awkward for me because I knew a bunch of the guys. It ended up being a great time for me to really get to know some of them and for that I am grateful. Josh's bucks party was a weekend long party in a small town called Clayton on the banks of the Murrey River (a very wide and very long river in South Australia).
This was my first trip outside of the city of Adelaide. I saw their free ways for the first time and their gorgeous countrysi
de. I was really impressed as we drove out there. This part of Australia is gorgeous with rolling hills, beautiful plains, and majestic Eucalyptus trees everywhere. I am so thankful that I got to see it and look forward to driving through it as often as possible before I leave. I am most definitely a country boy, so it was good to be out of the city. The town of Clayton is about the size of my hometown--Concord, MI. Jon's in-laws have a shack (their name for a cabin) there near the banks of the river (which is wide enough at Clayton to look like a lake). The river was gorgeous and the weather was perfect during the entire weekend. The shack was also very lovely and a perfect place to spend the weekend with a bunch of guys.
We arrived on Friday night with just a few people. (The actual party was going to start
on Saturday.) Almost immediately Jon was working to get the boat into the water and capitalize on the gorgeous weather. Josh was also very eager to knee board. We got on the water, he and his best man, Steve, hopped on the knee boards and away we went. It was really neat. I had never seen knee boarding before (as most of my life has been spent on land and not around the water). Then, they decided I should have a go. I am not opposed to trying anything once so I hopped in and listened as they instructed me on the fine art of knee boarding. My first few attempts to get on and strapped into the board were disastrous and I am sure I provided quite a bit of amusement, but after 4-5 tries, I had it! What fun! I felt like I was flying over the water. It was such a rush. The people on the boat were pretty impressed too, as I picked it up pretty quickly and was attempting jumps and 360s within soon thereafter. I really did have a blast and I am thankful to have had good friends as teachers. When I get back home, Mr. Quick is going to have to take me on his boat so I can show him what I have learned!
On Saturday, we went back on the boat in the morning before everybody arrived. Around lunch everybody started rolling in and we had a gigantic barbecue. After playing some very funny games to embarrass the man of honor, Josh, we all went tot he Cricket oval. Can you believe it? They got me to play Cricket. I protested, of course, but they said everybody had to play. Let the world know that I suck at Cricket (although, in all honesty, I didn't do horrible). After playing for what seemed like ages, I still have no idea of the rules. My team started in the field first (there is a batting team and a fielding team). They stuck me in a spot where the balls "rarely go" (akin to left field in baseball). Yet, the first three hits all came in my direction (newbie hazing?). The worst part about fielding is that cricket players don't play with gloves. So catch the ball can really hurt and fielding a ground ball is quite difficult without. Needless to say, I made a fool of myself. But that is ok, as I had fun doing it. It took forever for my team to get off the field (and I still don't know what constituted someone being out or how many outs we needed to get). And for some odd reason we rotated bowlers (the people throwing the ball at the batters), so I had to give that a try too. What an odd motion. You are not allowed to bend your arm at all, as you would if pitching. Again...I made a fool of myself. When we finally switched to batting, I didn't do too bad. I stayed in for quite a long time and hit the ball a couple of times. As to what was really going on...I couldn't tell you, but they told me I didn't do to bad.
I can see why the Australians and English like cricket. It is a gentleman's game and a good, casual game to play among friends. I am glad to have played it and experienced it (and I reckon I will play a bit more before I leave), but on the whole it didn't appeal to me. It just seems redundant in the American context, where we have the simpler game of baseball as our casual sport. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Cricket and Baseball are similar. I am saying they fulfill similar ends (in my opinion). Thus, I prefer baseball :-). But....who knows?....Cricket might just change my life.
After cricket, we hung out at the waterfront for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner we drove to a bigger town nearby and had dinner. I ate a Parmi. A parmi is basically chicken/beef, covered in cheese and some sort of marinara sauce. It was good, but very filling and probably not very healthy.
That evening was full of games, snacks, and Josh's embarrassment. The next day we cleaned and drove home for Church. It was a lovely weekend.
In Christ,
Chris
The people in Hope Valley are a really tight knit community. So many of Josh's friends have also become quick friends of mine. Thus, going wasn't very awkward for me because I knew a bunch of the guys. It ended up being a great time for me to really get to know some of them and for that I am grateful. Josh's bucks party was a weekend long party in a small town called Clayton on the banks of the Murrey River (a very wide and very long river in South Australia).
This was my first trip outside of the city of Adelaide. I saw their free ways for the first time and their gorgeous countrysi
de. I was really impressed as we drove out there. This part of Australia is gorgeous with rolling hills, beautiful plains, and majestic Eucalyptus trees everywhere. I am so thankful that I got to see it and look forward to driving through it as often as possible before I leave. I am most definitely a country boy, so it was good to be out of the city. The town of Clayton is about the size of my hometown--Concord, MI. Jon's in-laws have a shack (their name for a cabin) there near the banks of the river (which is wide enough at Clayton to look like a lake). The river was gorgeous and the weather was perfect during the entire weekend. The shack was also very lovely and a perfect place to spend the weekend with a bunch of guys.We arrived on Friday night with just a few people. (The actual party was going to start
on Saturday.) Almost immediately Jon was working to get the boat into the water and capitalize on the gorgeous weather. Josh was also very eager to knee board. We got on the water, he and his best man, Steve, hopped on the knee boards and away we went. It was really neat. I had never seen knee boarding before (as most of my life has been spent on land and not around the water). Then, they decided I should have a go. I am not opposed to trying anything once so I hopped in and listened as they instructed me on the fine art of knee boarding. My first few attempts to get on and strapped into the board were disastrous and I am sure I provided quite a bit of amusement, but after 4-5 tries, I had it! What fun! I felt like I was flying over the water. It was such a rush. The people on the boat were pretty impressed too, as I picked it up pretty quickly and was attempting jumps and 360s within soon thereafter. I really did have a blast and I am thankful to have had good friends as teachers. When I get back home, Mr. Quick is going to have to take me on his boat so I can show him what I have learned!
On Saturday, we went back on the boat in the morning before everybody arrived. Around lunch everybody started rolling in and we had a gigantic barbecue. After playing some very funny games to embarrass the man of honor, Josh, we all went tot he Cricket oval. Can you believe it? They got me to play Cricket. I protested, of course, but they said everybody had to play. Let the world know that I suck at Cricket (although, in all honesty, I didn't do horrible). After playing for what seemed like ages, I still have no idea of the rules. My team started in the field first (there is a batting team and a fielding team). They stuck me in a spot where the balls "rarely go" (akin to left field in baseball). Yet, the first three hits all came in my direction (newbie hazing?). The worst part about fielding is that cricket players don't play with gloves. So catch the ball can really hurt and fielding a ground ball is quite difficult without. Needless to say, I made a fool of myself. But that is ok, as I had fun doing it. It took forever for my team to get off the field (and I still don't know what constituted someone being out or how many outs we needed to get). And for some odd reason we rotated bowlers (the people throwing the ball at the batters), so I had to give that a try too. What an odd motion. You are not allowed to bend your arm at all, as you would if pitching. Again...I made a fool of myself. When we finally switched to batting, I didn't do too bad. I stayed in for quite a long time and hit the ball a couple of times. As to what was really going on...I couldn't tell you, but they told me I didn't do to bad.
I can see why the Australians and English like cricket. It is a gentleman's game and a good, casual game to play among friends. I am glad to have played it and experienced it (and I reckon I will play a bit more before I leave), but on the whole it didn't appeal to me. It just seems redundant in the American context, where we have the simpler game of baseball as our casual sport. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Cricket and Baseball are similar. I am saying they fulfill similar ends (in my opinion). Thus, I prefer baseball :-). But....who knows?....Cricket might just change my life.
After cricket, we hung out at the waterfront for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner we drove to a bigger town nearby and had dinner. I ate a Parmi. A parmi is basically chicken/beef, covered in cheese and some sort of marinara sauce. It was good, but very filling and probably not very healthy.
That evening was full of games, snacks, and Josh's embarrassment. The next day we cleaned and drove home for Church. It was a lovely weekend.
In Christ,
Chris
First Fringe Events
After my day with Brett, I had a very full evening. Jon, Katie, and I had planned to attend a couple of Fringe Festival shows while I am here. It seems only fitting as it is such a big part of Adelaide culture and...let's face it...I have not got to see too many neat shows living in Hillsdale. So last week Thursday (2/24) night, we went to two really interesting shows.
The first show was a Christian comedian. This was actually quite good, but a little uncomfortable as it was pretty much just us three an two of the comedian's good friends. How awkward is that!?! I felt bad for the guy, having to perform for an almost empty house. In his defense, however, it was a weekday night. Sitting in a room without a full audience, however, one thing struck me: What if he is not funny? I mean, in a room full of people, one person is bound to think everything that passes a comedian's lips is comic gold, but we were sitting ducks...vulnerable. It was our job to laugh regardless of how funny it was, lest the crickets drown us out. That would have been so awkward! Luckily, he was actually quite good. He had some duds, of course, but he had me chuckling most of the night. Moreover, since there were only a few of us, it was more like a comic discussion than a show. He asked our names, engaged in conversation, and just had a good time with it. I was pleased with the show.
The other show we caught was a guitar show by a member of the Hope Valley congregation. This kid is phenomenal at guitar. His name is Cameron and he is the conservatory trained guitarist of that band I mentioned awhile back, Mr. Goodnight. Well, as a solo performer, he is even more impressive. His show was entitled "A bold display of guitar" and showcased many of his original compositions. They were dark, nihilistic, progressive, stunning compositions and I really enjoyed them for the most part. A good show.
So there you have it, my first two Fringe shows. I reckon we'll attend a few more.
In Christ,
Chris
The first show was a Christian comedian. This was actually quite good, but a little uncomfortable as it was pretty much just us three an two of the comedian's good friends. How awkward is that!?! I felt bad for the guy, having to perform for an almost empty house. In his defense, however, it was a weekday night. Sitting in a room without a full audience, however, one thing struck me: What if he is not funny? I mean, in a room full of people, one person is bound to think everything that passes a comedian's lips is comic gold, but we were sitting ducks...vulnerable. It was our job to laugh regardless of how funny it was, lest the crickets drown us out. That would have been so awkward! Luckily, he was actually quite good. He had some duds, of course, but he had me chuckling most of the night. Moreover, since there were only a few of us, it was more like a comic discussion than a show. He asked our names, engaged in conversation, and just had a good time with it. I was pleased with the show.
The other show we caught was a guitar show by a member of the Hope Valley congregation. This kid is phenomenal at guitar. His name is Cameron and he is the conservatory trained guitarist of that band I mentioned awhile back, Mr. Goodnight. Well, as a solo performer, he is even more impressive. His show was entitled "A bold display of guitar" and showcased many of his original compositions. They were dark, nihilistic, progressive, stunning compositions and I really enjoyed them for the most part. A good show.
So there you have it, my first two Fringe shows. I reckon we'll attend a few more.
In Christ,
Chris
A day with Brett...
Last week Thursday (2/24) was a very interesting day. I have quickly made several friends here in Adelaide (for which I am grateful). One of these friends, Brett, is really interesting. Why? Partly because, in several regards, he is Adelaide's version of me. He loves academics, is fairly nerdy (in a good way), adores John Wesley, is not terribly fond of American history, wants to pursue a doctorate, and loves Church history. Our passions overlap quite a bit! On the other hand, Brett does have some VERY unusual views and he holds to them quite stridently...but so do I. I like the guy and wish him the best.
Anyways, Brett invited me out on Thursday to get some lunch and see his school, the Uniting College. Brett recently graduated from there with a Bachelors of Theology and is just now finishing up an honors year (which, from what I understand, is an additional year in which to do a thesis). As a fellow academic, he thought I would be interested to wander through his school (which I was). The Uniting College is quite peculiar as far as institutions go, however. First off, the whole college is contained within an old 1970's looking High School. Thus, the building is not terribly impressive. Second, the Uniting College contains the faculty of three creeds--Anglican, Catholic, and Uniting (see my post on the Uniting denomination). As such, the school is a very odd mix of doctrine and practice where students are taught by faculty from all three faiths. Were the Uniting College just a school of religious study, this would make more sense as it would allow a better exchange of information and increased discussion. The Uniting College, however, is a seminary as well. It graduates ordained ministers taught by members of 3 different creeds. This fact blew my mind. One of the Uniting Professors there explained to me the history of how this all came to be.
The Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Church each used to have their individual seminaries. However, seeing as religious study is not particularly popular in Australia (which is very European and thus, very secular), they could not maintain their programs without joining forces. Originally, they acknowledged their differences in creed and allowed faculty members from opposing faiths to teach only basic classes (Old/New Testament, Greek, Hebrew, etc.) The upper level theology courses were only taught by one's specific denomination. As time went by, however, this structure started to break down. Classes were shared universally across the board and the college became more free with its doctrine. As of late, however, the professor explained that the Uniting Church has seen how far things have gone astray and are taking measures to correct it. I think this is good, as the thought of an ordained minister trained by faculty of three radically different confessions blows my mind. I am all for ecumenicism, but perhaps it can be taken too far.
Anyways...I did find the college very interesting. It taught me much about the religious culture in Australia. Many seminaries are very beautiful in America--they are architectural wonders, with amazing technology, huge libraries, excellent faculty, comfortable student areas, etc. The Uniting College was none of these things. It got the job done with little fanfare. Whereas in America we pour heaps of money into our seminaries, the Uniting College here in Adelaide is one of the most Spartan buildings I have seen. Perhaps this is indicative of their more secular college. In Australia, there are not many students wanting to receive religious training, not a lot of money for religious institutions, and few confessing Christians who would want to donate to the College. It is a different world. I appreciate so much more of what we have back in the states, fear the direction we might be heading in, and admire so much about the Church in Australia. Though it may be hanging on by a thread, it is hanging on. Students go, graduate, and hopefully move on to build God's kingdom. This, in the end, is all that matters.
Just to be certain: I am not condemning the college or the church here in Australia. I am merely comparing schools in American and here, learning a ton in the process. It says something very powerful about a culture when one of their foremost religious institutions is an old, small, abandoned school. It says something about what the Australian people hold dear. It says something about the resilience of the church. My heart bleeds for their cause here.
After showing me around the college, Brett took me to nearby Henley beach. This beach was gorgeous! I got myself a wonderful meat pie, an iced coffee and enjoyed the scenery. We walked around the beach, explored an old Wesleyan octagon-styled Church and had a wonderful time.
I like Brett. I think we will get along just fine. Though I must say, he didn't much take to the fact that I am a monarchist well ;-).
In Christ,
Chris
Anyways, Brett invited me out on Thursday to get some lunch and see his school, the Uniting College. Brett recently graduated from there with a Bachelors of Theology and is just now finishing up an honors year (which, from what I understand, is an additional year in which to do a thesis). As a fellow academic, he thought I would be interested to wander through his school (which I was). The Uniting College is quite peculiar as far as institutions go, however. First off, the whole college is contained within an old 1970's looking High School. Thus, the building is not terribly impressive. Second, the Uniting College contains the faculty of three creeds--Anglican, Catholic, and Uniting (see my post on the Uniting denomination). As such, the school is a very odd mix of doctrine and practice where students are taught by faculty from all three faiths. Were the Uniting College just a school of religious study, this would make more sense as it would allow a better exchange of information and increased discussion. The Uniting College, however, is a seminary as well. It graduates ordained ministers taught by members of 3 different creeds. This fact blew my mind. One of the Uniting Professors there explained to me the history of how this all came to be.
The Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Church each used to have their individual seminaries. However, seeing as religious study is not particularly popular in Australia (which is very European and thus, very secular), they could not maintain their programs without joining forces. Originally, they acknowledged their differences in creed and allowed faculty members from opposing faiths to teach only basic classes (Old/New Testament, Greek, Hebrew, etc.) The upper level theology courses were only taught by one's specific denomination. As time went by, however, this structure started to break down. Classes were shared universally across the board and the college became more free with its doctrine. As of late, however, the professor explained that the Uniting Church has seen how far things have gone astray and are taking measures to correct it. I think this is good, as the thought of an ordained minister trained by faculty of three radically different confessions blows my mind. I am all for ecumenicism, but perhaps it can be taken too far.
Anyways...I did find the college very interesting. It taught me much about the religious culture in Australia. Many seminaries are very beautiful in America--they are architectural wonders, with amazing technology, huge libraries, excellent faculty, comfortable student areas, etc. The Uniting College was none of these things. It got the job done with little fanfare. Whereas in America we pour heaps of money into our seminaries, the Uniting College here in Adelaide is one of the most Spartan buildings I have seen. Perhaps this is indicative of their more secular college. In Australia, there are not many students wanting to receive religious training, not a lot of money for religious institutions, and few confessing Christians who would want to donate to the College. It is a different world. I appreciate so much more of what we have back in the states, fear the direction we might be heading in, and admire so much about the Church in Australia. Though it may be hanging on by a thread, it is hanging on. Students go, graduate, and hopefully move on to build God's kingdom. This, in the end, is all that matters.
Just to be certain: I am not condemning the college or the church here in Australia. I am merely comparing schools in American and here, learning a ton in the process. It says something very powerful about a culture when one of their foremost religious institutions is an old, small, abandoned school. It says something about what the Australian people hold dear. It says something about the resilience of the church. My heart bleeds for their cause here.
After showing me around the college, Brett took me to nearby Henley beach. This beach was gorgeous! I got myself a wonderful meat pie, an iced coffee and enjoyed the scenery. We walked around the beach, explored an old Wesleyan octagon-styled Church and had a wonderful time.
I like Brett. I think we will get along just fine. Though I must say, he didn't much take to the fact that I am a monarchist well ;-).
In Christ,
Chris
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