Just got back from Erina, where I preached. The passage was Psalm 22. I had a bunch of good and interesting stuff - but I didn't have much structure. So it tended to ramble all over the place. I'll read the assessments on Tuesday during my Sabbath. When the dust has settled.

Apparently 3 people wanted a copy of the sermon - I wonder what bit they liked? Personally I liked the end bit where I spoke about Jesus - but then I always like the bit where I spoke about Jesus :) And I did get a chance to tell people that they were allowed to tell God how they felt. And that although it may feel like God has forsaken us he never has - there is always the Third Day to look forward.

I am preaching at Tooney on May 25th and I am going to start on that one tomorrow - I have no choice but to get it finished by this coming Sunday - that gives me a week to make it good and give it structure and be creative.

I really want to do this one well - it will be at the end of a series on prayer and in my opinion it will also come at the end of a string of great sermons this year and I want to add to that string not break it cos I wasn't disciplined enough.

God still loves me and I know I still love him but to teach is a big responsibility and I think I have become a bit blase about that responsibility. I need to exercise much more discipline and get all those ideas God gives me and let him shape them into a coherent flow of argument and ideas that help people be encouraged about how close they are following Jesus and spur them to keep on doing it or show people the next step in growing as people being who follow Jesus and point them the power of God as the source for change.

And when I do that well it is the best feeling in the world - but I want to honour God because He is God and He has given me this talent and I want to use it for Him.

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and the week does too

I am feeling a bit tired. I think I will have a simple hang out at home and just get to be pretty early. Tomorrow will be a day of work and finish up with a 21st party. But right now a bit of Wolfenstein action on the xbox before I go to bed.

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Feelings are interesting things. I was feeling quite down and tired last night - but I had sermon work to do so I did it. Will do some more tonight.

But I realised, as my lecture on Preaching progressed, that I was feeling much happier and less tired today. What is surprising about that is that I had much less sleep than I had planned and had a pretty full day.

I rekon it's down to spending a bit of decent time with God over the last few days - my prayer pause seems to have finished which is good. I also think that getting those few jobs done on Tuesday and just today being church work day - where I got all the boring work done so I don't have to worry about it anymore - are probably factors as well. Oh yeah, and having just got back from a walk - the first one for a month will be helping too.

But most of all it will be down to having some good hang times with God :)

And now it is off to diner - Roast Night!! :D

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Catching up, dropping off, sermonising, not thinking carefully.

That was today.

I headed over to tooney for breakfast at the House Of Cess Bach and a catch up with Chris. As always it was a tops time including food for belly and brain - a good combo. From there I headed over to Dennistone East to return my unreliable Hard Disc Recorder and then headed over to Chatswood to drop off a wireless receiver from church that has been playing up.

I then headed back to Mac Centre for lunch. Spent the afternoon doing some chatting and sermon work. Which continued after dinner.

During which time I also managed to wipe out some of the movies I had archived on a hard drive, make a backup of Alex [my MacBookPro] use Boot Camp to set up and then remove a partition I was thinking of putting windows on and signed up for the VMWARE demo instead.

The only good thing to come out the Boot Camp saga was to confirm I had a bootable XPSP2 CD and to have a backup of my laptop.

I think I will head to bed and look forward to a new day.

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Took a few slight knocks today - and I guess last week and over the weekend. But today they got to me a bit. But as I sat trying to force myself to do the things that needed to be done I had a reminder. It had to do with Psm 22. And then as I watched last weeks lost with scootles, keatsy popped in and shared about some people who have had more than a few slight knocks and perspective was restored.

I need a sleep and a break - and tonight I will get a bit of sleep and tomorrow a bit of a break. Not a whole day, just half - but I will make good use of it.

God is Good!

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it's time to reflect

Had a good day today. Both services went pretty well. I felt that we weren't very together this morning but someone musical came up later and said we did well and that the band is coming together - which was encouraging. A few songs felt a bit like we were all trying to find a speed - which is a problem when you don't have a drummer [as we didn't] - but I was happy people were trying to find a speed - it is a step forward from each person picking a speed and just sticking to it even when they know they are not playing at the same speed.

During the day we had fish and chips at bollege - bought form the peanut - to celebrate simmo's birthday.

Then it was nap time before heading back to tooney for evening church. Which went pretty well I thought. A night without a drummer but the band felt very tight. Had a musical person come up later and say they enjoyed the band without drums. So did I in fact. And was pleased that the band were keeping together pretty well.

Felt dead tired after the service was done. But it was a good night - a chance to think about praying and prayer and the things that have stopped me in the past. Although tired I headed out to hang out with the tooney people afterwards. Was a pleasant change - not helped by feeling so very tired. Mind you I got home about an hour and a half ago and only now am heading to bed - still feel very tired - but strangely not felt ready for bed.

And so, to the week ahead ... mostly it will be sermon prep on Psalm 22. And some thinking about the sermon which will follow two weeks after that on persistence in prayer. And maybe some reading for some essays yet to be done. There is also a Tuesday breakfast catchup with a mate from Tooney. Lectures return, so this week will feel a bit busier than the last three.

be joyful always - pray continuously - give thanks in all circumstances
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus
[Thessalonians - NIV]

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The Register have a nice collection of data to show that the world temperature may not be increasing as much as NASA would have us believe. Since about 1960 NASA has routinely increased the values of recorded temperatures. Space based recordings show level or slight downward trends in global temperatures. Includes a tops quote which sounds like 21st Century temperature warnings but comes from some time ago. Make sure you read both pages. [READ]

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Still feeling a bit hmm.
Change is in the air.
As is lots to do.

Coming to an end of a time when I haven't been praying much - which has been strange and it wasn't for the usual reasons. It was cos I have been praying so much with other people. I think.

I usually pray a fair bit myself - by which I mean I talk to God all the time. As I am thinking, trying to face situations, when I get up, before I go to sleep. And I often pray with people - leading services, bible study and so on.

But the start of this year I decided to get up at 715 four days a week and invite people to start the day in prayer with me - combine that with prayer triplets on Tuesday, Bible study, AM and PM services, having many conversations that included a prayer time with people, church work start of day prayer, rehearsal prayer. I dunno - I think i was doing so much praying with other people that without even thinking I stopped doing my own praying. It's strange and I am still trying to work it all out.

I do know that 3 weeks ago I hit a wall and had had enough of praying.

My prayer times have been slowly rebuilding and I am getting back into my talking with God and one to one time with Him that is more pausing and taking the time to listen and talk.

We are starting a series on prayer this Sunday which will cover all of May and I am doing the final sermon in the serious. I appreciate the timing of this lull in prayer and will enjoy the series to come all the more because of it as I will not go in thinking I have all the answers but go in seeking to get refreshed and refocused about praying.

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