more about nothing

Cast your eyes over yonder....

2010-11-04T10:00:00.001+11:00

My blogging has moved home. My sporadic ponderings can now be found at
www.paulaboardman.posterous.com

Also, my random photo-blogging can be found at:
www.paulaboardman.tumblr.com

Most Diverting

2009-01-15T10:14:00.000+11:00

http://www.much-ado.net/austenbook

Wow- I really haven't been around here much! Anyway, if you're a Jane Austin fan, you'll enjoy the link above :)

2008-12-03T22:43:00.001+11:00

My brother - having fun with the boys!

2008-10-23T21:15:00.001+11:00

Something new!

2008-09-30T16:47:00.001+10:00

For the past while now, things in the distance have been nothing but a blur. But not now! Check me out in my brand new, first ever, pair of glasses! Now I can see where i'm driving! - and that's a good thing, as my job has just moved from the city to West Pennant Hills, so it's good-bye public transport, and hello my little unreliable car, who as I type is back at the mechanics for the second time in the week!

Problem solved!

2008-08-17T00:22:00.000+10:00

The answer was IN the question!

Help!

2008-08-16T22:29:00.000+10:00

My friends and I have spent the past 3 hours trying to solve this riddle. Apparently the answer's simple - please leave the answer if you know it!

'What's the need to name a thing to call a thing your own?'

Surprisingly moving!

2008-08-11T19:43:00.001+10:00

Due to a little thing called the Olympic Games, there's pretty much nothing on tv for the next 2 weeks. So I hired a couple of DVD's to get me through the weekend: 'PS I Love You' (loved it!), and this little gem of a movie called 'Martian Child'.
The premise sounded interesting: a widower adopts a 6 year old boy from the foster program, but the kid thinks he's from Mars. With any other actor I would have passed. However, it stars John Cusack and i'm a fan, so it came home with me for the weekend.
For me, this movie ended up speaking to me on a completely different level (one they definitely didn't plan on!); and I saw a great depiction of the Father-heart of God.
For one, the abandoned child is adopted - just like we are. Then, there's a scene where David, the Father, is telling Dennis, the child, off for thinking he was going to be sent back to the group home for breaking something. David tells him: 'There is NOTHING you can do that will EVER change the way I feel about you...'
And the final scene just did me in. You'll have to hire it to see What happens, as I'm not going to spoil it here!
So if the Olympics is doing your head in, go and rent this little DVD.

We won!

2008-07-29T08:48:00.001+10:00

Nothing better than winning an away game - except being there are seeing it first-hand! Oh - and being there with friends who were ALL going for the Swannies just makes it that little bit sweeter :)

Not happy :(

2008-07-21T18:01:00.001+10:00

My little block-man has not been able to celebrate any wins by his beloved crows lately.
Hopefully that will change this week because I WILL BE AT THE GAME! Yeah. Now all the crows have to do is beat the swans saturday night at the SCG...

2008-07-19T10:51:00.001+10:00

my brain is strange

2008-06-02T07:50:00.000+10:00

Nearly every day on the train, I compose a highly insightful and witty blog post. Then I realise that it's not really all that, and so I don't post it. Or, I just can't be fussed to pick up my mobile phone and shoot off an email. :)
I would like to say a quick hello to the new visitors here lately. Thanks for the comments - it still surprises/scares me that people sometimes read my random ramblings!
I would reply to your comments, but my mobile phone service provider has an aversion to that kind of thing - especially on blogger. Most other formats are fine, but the one I use? Noooo that's just to practical! :)
So have a lovely day/week/month until I decide to astound you all with my wisdom again at a later date :)

Work photo

2008-05-14T22:56:00.001+10:00

For the past two nights i've been working at a church conference where Tommy Tenney was the guest speaker. I've never heard him before, but I am familiar with him through his books - more specifically his Hadassah books and an older title: God's Eye View. He spoke primarily from Esther, and even though i've studied the book of Esther quite a bit, I still took some points home :) And if you couldn't work it out, the pic is of Tommy Tenney and myself.

Lookee here!

2008-05-09T12:21:00.001+10:00

This just landed on my desk - gotta love pre-release cd's! I'll post my thoughts soon.

A billboard in the station...

2008-05-08T10:27:00.001+10:00

Sadly, it's very true :(

Music review - ish

2008-05-07T08:52:00.001+10:00

One of the advantages of working in a Christian Bookstore is that you have access to the latest Christian Book and Music releases. One of the disadvantages of working in a Christian Bookstore is that you have access to the latest Christian Book and Music releases :)
Lately i realised that I have a STACK of cd's that I haven't listened to, and books that I haven't read - all have been purchased since i started working at Word! So, i'm going to attempt to not buy anything new until i've worked through what i've already bought - except for the new Delirious album :)
So...i've just started listening to Jars of Clay's 'Good Monsters' - which i purchased in october last year. I've had the occasional listen since then, but i'm actually giving each song a proper listen now. The album is Great! Much better than I thought on first listen. There are the radio singles that everyone knows, but there was one song that i'd only heard in passing - until this week. That song was track 7: 'Oh My God'.
The first time i really listened to that track, i was on the train coming home from work. It was all i could do to not cry on the train while listening to that song. I played it to a friend last night, and her response was 'that's crazy good!'
I cannot do that song any justice by trying to explain it in a blog post - and i can't post a link to the song because i'm blogging from my phone. So hit up iTunes or even your local Christian Bookstore and listen - really listen - to 'Oh My God', track 7 on Jars' 'Good Monsters'.

Presence Conference

2008-04-24T00:56:00.001+10:00

Tonight i attended Christian City Church's 'Presence Conference' at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour.
Delirious lead worship, and John Bevere brought the Word. It was an incredible night. John was teaching on honour, and the importance of honouring those 1) in positions of authority over us, 2) our peers - those on the 'same level' as us, and 3) those under our authority - the 'little ones' mentioned in Matthew 10.42.

I know what I just wrote doesn't make much sense, but maybe i'll explain it further tomorrow - it's 1am and I really need to go to sleep!

A fellow commuter

2008-04-22T07:28:00.001+10:00

This bee just flew at me and landed in my hair. I knocked him out of my hair and was just about to stomp on him - he wouldn't leave me alone - when i noticed that he still had pollen on his legs.
That means that he's still on his way home from work - plus the fact that he's at the train station means that he's a commuter! Just like me.
So I didn't kill him.

In the morning

2008-04-10T07:20:00.000+10:00

This is my walk to the station in the morning. Not so pretty in the rain :)

Oh i love this time of year...

2008-03-28T12:40:00.001+11:00

This is most definitely one thing i don't like about living in sydney. Car registration.
In Sth Australia, you have the option to say your registration annually, every 6 months, or every 3 months. Your third party personal injury insurance is included in the registration fee.
But, in Sydney you only have the option of annual payment. The insurance is not included in the fee - you have to source it yourself, as you can't register your car without insurance. And most cars are required to have an annual safety inspection before it can be registered.
This year i recieved a notice explaining that the 'slight increase' (an extra $120) on my third party insurance was due to a new levy! For me, this 'slight increase' equalled a 25% increase! Gotta love it.
Annual Rego in SA is usually somewhere around the $440, whereas my third party insurance (not even including vehicle inspection and the actual registration fee!), well let's just say it wouldn't be covered by the full annual SA Rego....

Here endeth my rant :)

This morning, walking to the station

2008-03-26T07:29:00.001+11:00

I love pea-soup fog in the morning, and today's made me glad that my car is still at the mechanics :) everything feels calm and quiet - you don't quite get that feeling driving through fog on the freeway!

2008-03-26T07:26:00.001+11:00

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An Evening with Harry Connick Jr and his Big Band

2008-03-25T11:22:00.001+11:00

Last night I went and saw Harry Connick Jr at the Sydney Opera House with some friends. We were the front row in a box next to the stage, which meant that we were about 4 metres from Harry - we were able to hear most of the off-mike banter, which was quite entertaining. He even made a point of speaking to our box and even at one point climbed up onto a speaker to pass some birthday cake to a girl sitting behind us! (It was the birthday of one of the band members). Harry and Lucien (a special guest and a fantastic part of the concert) were at one point running around the stage with no shoes on, and ended up doing a dance which basically consisted of them wiggling their backsides at the audience. Needless to say, it was a fantastic night. I wanted to pack up my bags then and there and head off to New Orleans.  And the music! Wow - it was a stage full of pure talent.  The 2 hours FLEW by. I could have easily 'coped' with another 2 :)

2008-03-25T11:11:00.001+11:00

2008-03-25T11:10:00.001+11:00

Harry and his big band.

2008-03-25T11:07:00.000+11:00

Harry on percussion

2008-03-25T11:04:00.001+11:00

Is Jesus The Answer?

2008-03-25T11:03:00.001+11:00

On Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we held our Easter production, which this year was called 'Is Jesus The Answer?' The production was very different to previous years, with smaller numbers of people involved on-stage.  It was a great success, with over 1000 attending on Good Friday and probably just under 1000 on Easter Sunday.  There were, as usual, two parts to our production: the Kids production, followed by the 'feature presentation'. The Kids production this year was called 'Choice' and was predominately a dance piece centered around the crucifixion and resurrection on Jesus. It was fantastic! I always love the Kids productions. The second half was the main production, 'Is Jesus The Answer?' which revolved around a character named Chris dealing with consequences to decisions he'd made, and how even when we may have made the wrong decision and done the wrong thing (or in Chris' case, neglected to do the right thing), that Jesus is still the Answer for our lives. The team did an incredible job, and I was proud to be involved.

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Andy Kubala

Yesterday, at work...

2008-03-11T13:02:00.000+11:00

I served a customer who was american. So that means one of two things: either he's here on holidays, or he's a student at Hillsong College. It turned out he was here on holidays, and it was his first overseas holiday!
So in the course of conversation, i asked him if he'd done anything exciting while here, and his answer was definitely not what i expected!
His answer? 'I became a Christian!'
Wow! My co-worker and I were buzzed for the rest of the day!

Cadbury?

2008-03-08T23:11:00.000+11:00

Is it just me or does anyone else find the cadbury ads with the chocolate people disturbing? I mean, people MADE of chocolate, EATING chocolate bars? Sounds a little wrong to me :)

Wow! 2 in one day - i'd better pace myself :)

2008-03-05T08:43:00.000+11:00

I've been reading a different genre of books lately that i'd love to recommend. They're by Bryan Davis. The series are called 'Dragons in our Midst' and 'Oracles of Fire'. They're a relatively new fantasy series targeted to youth, featuring King Arthur, Merlin, Noah, Enoch, excaliber, and are very strongly rooted in the Christian faith.
I'm not a huge fantasy reader. My reading in this genre has been limited to CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein. But, i've been thoroughly enjoying these books. Yes, they are targeted towards a younger audience, and sometimes that shows in the writing, but i'd encourage you to give them a go.
The plug: these books are in store now at your local WORD Bookstore, or go online at www.word.com.au

A question? Or a soapbox...

2008-03-05T08:26:00.000+11:00

I've been wondering about this for a while now - if anyone has any idea, please feel free to comment.
On the news this morning they said that we may be paying upwards of $2/litre for petrol in the near future.
We have also been told that our fuel price is linked to the price of oil, which is listed in US dollars.
So this is where my confusion lies: oil is expensive. But, the US dollar is very weak at the moment, so doesn't that mean that technically we're paying less for it? We've gone from our dollar being worth US 60-70c, to now being worth US 95c.
Does this make sense to anyone? If i'm wrong, please feel free to correct me :)

greetings from N5183

2008-02-05T09:04:00.000+11:00

As has become normal practice, i am blogging while on the train to work - carriage N5183 today to be precise.
So much has happened in the world and with me that i'm not even going to try to present an overview. But, let me say this: Heath Ledger's death shocked me, as it did the rest of the world. I thought my co- worker was joking when she walked in and told me. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. As for that vicious group of people who dare to call themselves a 'church' - even my unsaved flat-mate is discerning enough to realise that you are not what you claim to be!
I could say more but I won't.

Today i caught the 8.35am train to work. Usually I get the 7.52. It took me an HOUR to drive my usual 10 minute drive to work this morning. It seems that the constant, heavy rain that we've had since sunday caused some locallised flooding.
And finally, i'm heading home for another wedding/holiday. I think every time i've gone home for the last 4 years it's been for a wedding. I'll try and keep count of how many times i'm asked 'the question singles hate'...

Over for 2008

2008-01-13T01:29:00.001+11:00

Well Planetshakers is over for 2008 - in Sydney anyway. It was an incredible 3 days and 4 nights. The key speakers were Reggie Dabbs, Chris Hill, and Reinhardt Bonnke. Ps Russell opened the conference, and the nights were as just listed.
I was working at the conference, which made for extremely long days - leaving home at 7am and getting back at midnight most nights. Tonight was the longest night - i'm just about to head to bed and it's currently 1.30am.
So, that's all for now - if i remember, more stories later!

Seriously Now - Update!

2008-01-05T10:36:00.000+11:00

I ventured into the same Coles store yesterday, and was even further disturbed - on the same display as the hot cross buns were clearance christmas mince pies! But then I made my way to the checkout and couldn't believe my eyes: there were two big displays next to each other - one of clearance bon-bons, and the other was full of easter eggs! I do understand that it's only 2 months until easter, but can we please have some retail 'down-time' before we're hit over the head with Easter merchandise?

Seriously now!

2008-01-03T13:10:00.000+11:00

Today is January 3rd. It is a full week and two days since Christmas. So what did I see in Coles during my lunchtime visit?  HOT CROSS BUNS!!  You've got to be joking.

Monday's storm

2007-12-04T08:36:00.001+11:00

Awesome quote

2007-11-26T07:53:00.000+11:00

'the grass may be greener but it's still as hard to mow'
JBT 'better than'

At Star City tonight

2007-11-25T02:57:00.001+11:00

I literally ran into this lovely, accomodating gentleman, (otherwise known as Mike Goldman) tonight. We chatted for a bit, but unfortunately i had to go and find the theatre for the show! I highly doubt Mike will ever read this, but if he does, just wanted to let you know that i consider you south australian, so you're ok in my book, and i'm glad you think i can do better than that 'disgusting gambler' - i think so too!

Miss Saigon

2007-11-25T02:42:00.001+11:00

Tonight i saw Miss Saigon for the very first time at the Lyric Theatre. It was incredible! We were fortunate enough to have been invited by Miriam (second from left), who has been playing 'Kim' in the current production. Tonight was her last night, so she also invited us to the cast party after the show. First from the right in the picture is Juan, who plays 'John'. I also had the opportunity to meet Liam, who is one of the kids who share the role of 'Tam' and Leo Tavarro Valdez, who plays 'the Engineer'.

I was only vaguely familiar with the story of 'Miss Saigon', and only after flicking through my flat-mate's programme, so i was entralled by it the whole time. I'm glad that no-one told me how it ends, or it wouldn't have been the same.

Meet humphrey.

2007-11-13T08:21:00.001+11:00

'it's been a while' is the understatement of the year when it comes to this little blog. A quick update - nothing much has changed since my last blog. I'm still at Word, still at the same church and still single - much to the amazement of some people who never seem to tire of asking THE question.

Anyway, i came home from church sunday morning to be introduced to my flatmate's latest addition, Humphrey. He's a chocolate toy poodle. Toby, my flatmate's 2 year-old white toy poodle is not quite sure what to think :-)

I'm a fan of 'so you think you can dance' on 10. I've been amazed at the number of Christian artists who's music has been featured on the show. Crystal Lewis, Third Day, Audio Adrenaline and Shawn McDonald are some from the most recent weeks. However, i have discovered a song and as such, an artist through this show. They're called oneRepublic, and their song is 'apologise'. The version i have features Timbaland. I'm looking forward to the release of their debut album this month.

Another two artists and albums i love at the moment are Need To Breathe's album 'The Heat' and Phil Wickham's 'Cannons'. In the words of a very happy man, do yourself a favour, go out and get there albums! (Or at the very least check out iTunes or their mySpace)

'till we meet again ;-)

APEC is here! (Finally!)

2007-09-03T08:17:00.001+10:00

(Bels, it was beyond paradise...)
Today marks the start of what is probably going to be a very slow week for me. APEC starts today, and as the cbd has been 'closed', i'm not sure how many customers i'll have. Did i mention that i saw John Howard the other day? He was walking up the street as i was walking down. It made for a very exciting day! (Not much else was happening that day).
Oh- we have a public holiday on friday! And, it's only for those who work it the 'Sydney Metro' area. The government has suggested that we use the day to visit country NSW, on the condition that we say 'ha ha, i've got a public holiday and you don't!' or something very similar whilst there. Sounds like an idea!
The picture for this post is in honour of the weekend, and my first visit to a real spanish restaurant. I'll definitely be returning to spanish terrazas!
It was the final round of the afl this weekend, next weekend the finals start. But, guess who tipped a perfect round in the tipping? ME! And what did that get me? 2nd place in the family tipping, and a phone call from my mum to accuse me of cheating :-D Now we wait and see if the Crows can get up and win - do it for Roo!

Theological thought of the minute...

2007-08-28T08:27:00.001+10:00

While checking someone's blog, noticed that they had read a book entitled 'What Happens During Communion', which got me thinking.
Because i'm Pentecostal in my beliefs, i don't subscribe to the Catholic understanding of communion. For me, communion, the taking of the wine and bread (or grape juice and cracker) is a time of rememberance. The power of communion comes through the acts of repentance and rememberance, not so much through the actual emblems. (Feel free to correct me if you think i'm wrong.)
This is how i see it: when i smell a particular perfume, i associate it with a friend who is currently serving as a missionary overseas. A particular movie will remind me of a great night with friends. Even something as simple as a phrase or even a word can remind me of someone. And likewise, when we take communion, it reminds us of everything that was done for us that day by Jesus. It helps us to shift our focus off ourselves and back onto that which is truly important. Jesus Himself said 'as you do this, REMEMBER Me.'
That is why i believe that Communion is more about the act of rememberance than the act of partaking in the wine and the bread. It can be just as profound with a nice coffee and biscuits as it can be with grape juice and crackers.

It's official!

2007-08-22T08:29:00.000+10:00

I have decided that i am officially having my 'quarter life crisis'. My birthday is on monday, and let's just say i'll be on the other side of my 20's. I don't think it's so much the age issue, (even though i'm getting far too close to 30 than i'm comfortable to admit) but more the 'achievement factor' that i've always associated with this age. When my Mum turned 26, I was one month off turning 5, my sister was 3, and mum was 5 months pregnant with my brother. In my grand life plan (the one that's always in the back of your mind) i had always thought that i'd at least be married by now- but not with 3 kids already!  It's easy for me to think that because i'm not where i thought i'd be that i haven't accomplished anything. But, as i look back over my (short) life, i have done quite a lot.  I became the first person in my dad's family to complete my schooling, and do so successfully. I was accepted into my first choice at university, but deferred for 12 months and eventually decided that social science wasn't for me. I studied piano for 4 years and played in my local church for 8 years. (I started playing in church when i was 12). I was a member and assistant coach of the local calisthenics club for 9 years, which culminated in 3 state titles, 2 for the team i was in, and 1 with the team i assisted. In that time i was also awarded the equivalent of the best & fairest or coach's trophy, and also recieved a club award for dance. I performed at 3 'carols on the foreshore', once as the feature soloist, in front of around 3500 people. That was all before i turned 21. After i turned 21, i joined a band and moved to Sydney. The band thing didn't go well at all and so only lasted 3 months. But 5 years later, i'm still here! I'm actively involved in my church as a vocalist and as a leader. I've worked full-time for my church, and have been involved in recording 2 albums with the church.  I've also had the opportunity to be part of our Christmas and Easter productions for the part 4 1/2 years, and meet and work with some incredibly talented musicians and vocalists. I am now working a fantastic job in the city and also work as a singing teacher as well. So i'm not where i thought i'd be, but who knows where i should be apart from God? After all, His ways are higher than mind. Before i was formed He knew me and numbered my days. His plans for me are for good not evil, and if i keep my trust in Him, He will make my paths straight!

There's more...

2007-08-03T08:39:00.000+10:00

Www.inheritthemirth.com

The week of voluntary needles

2007-08-03T08:22:00.001+10:00

I'm not a fan of needles. But yesterday i had my first Gardasil vaccination. I just assumed that it would be one, possibly two shots, but NO this one takes 3 shots! Thankfully they're spread over 6 months, so it's not too bad. It's not actually the needle that hurts, but the stuff they force into your body. My arm is still sore, but then after my last tetanus booster my arm was sore for a week! The tagline for this vaccination programme is 'i can', which is why the bandaid on my arm says 'i did'.
The HPV Gardasil vaccination programme is currently free for women between 18 and 26 so if you're in that bracket, have a chat to your GP.
Just be forewarned, 'free' isn't always free. My 'free' vaccination still ended up costing me $85. Check with your doctor to see if they will still charge for consultation and nursing.
My second needle for the week will be tomorrow, when i make my second visit to (as they even refer to themselves!) The vampires at the blood bank. Now THAT'S a big needle. For the record, i'm O+ if you ever need any blood.
If you're not a blood donor, please do it! At the most it's an hour out of your day once every three months or so. It's such a little thing that can make so much difference in someone's life.

Weather update.

2007-07-18T08:24:00.001+10:00

I was right when i said it was cold yesterday! According to the newspapers and the tv news bulletins, yesterday morning was the coldest morning in Sydney for at least 20 years.
Where I live, it reached a crazy low of -3. No wonder my car was frozen!
This morning's 3 seemed balmy in comparison. :-D

SCC has a blog!

2007-07-18T08:21:00.001+10:00

With help from Rodney over at 'The Journey' I have discovered that Steven Curtis Chapman is now blogging. And it's not one of those 'artist' blogs that are written on their behalf, thank goodness!
Check out this post for an interesting insight into the mind of SCC :-)
http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/scc/2007/06/i_told_you_i_ca.html

2007-07-17T08:22:00.001+10:00

The view from inside, after my first attempt to de-ice...

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A little chilly?

2007-07-17T08:16:00.001+10:00

This morning i woke up because i was cold. That means that it must be cold - at the moment i year winter PJ's with really thick bed socks, i have an excellent electric blanket (with a very cool digital LCD display) a winter-weight quilt, plus a thermal polar-fleece blanket and another blanket that mum made for me. So for me to wake up because i was cold is an achievement indeed.
I've decided that i'm not actually sleeping at the moment, but rather going into short-term hibernation :-D
So as you can see in the photos, i wasn't the only thing suffering this morning. My entire car was covered in ICE. It took all my water, car heaters, demisters and a (flexible) cd case to rectify the situation. This is the heaviest frost that i've seen so far in my 5 years in Sydney! (But then this is only my 2nd winter where i'm leaving for work at 7am...)

Interesting review of the Bible (from amazon.com)

2007-07-16T17:32:00.001+10:00

I couldn't resist posting this. Sometimes (for whatever reason) i like to read the bad, one star reviews of books i like. And so i came across this review of the Bible (NIV translation) that made me both sad and incredulous at the same time. I can only hope she's not serious?
Let me know your thoughts!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A37R9AAX617BSG/ref=cm_pdp_re
views_see_all/105-7059476-1588428?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Rather Incredulous, March 30, 2007

Crystal Sparks "Crystal"
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A37R9AAX617BSG/ref=cm_cr_auth/105-
7059476-1588428> (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A37R9AAX617BSG/ref=cm_cr_au
th/105-7059476-1588428?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview>

I hate to say it, but I was rather disappointed with the storyline of
this book.
The transitions are awkward and the story, while fantastic, was not
enjoyable. I usually like science fiction, but this one had too much old
English and not enough scantily clad martians.
A lot of hype has been coming out about this book,and has even stemmed
many a debate in Washington, D.C. I understand that politicians tend to
enjoy this book, but I am brave enough to stand up and state that this
book is not that great. The action scenes were not very eventful - more
graphic details should have been used, and the lack of adjectives was a
prominent flaw. The Bible had ridiculously high standards for its
readers.
Also, the author should know better than to use the second person - only
amatures make such a mistake.
All in all, this book was poorly written and not well researched.
Don't read it.

Thank God it's back!

2007-07-12T08:06:00.001+10:00

Last night saw the return of one of the funniest shows on television: 'Thank God You're Here'. Josh Lawson managed to hit on the cast members again, even though they made it hard for him. Stephen Curry was great in what i think was his first appearance. 'Donatella Versace? she's my dad - we call him don'. The 'all-in' was good fun - they very nearly managed to break the cast member. You can download the episode from www.tgyh.com.au

Hillsong friday 7.30

2007-07-09T08:13:00.001+10:00

This is the last picture from Hillsong this year. It was an incredible conference with an incredible unity between the speakers that translated into the messages in a way that has never been seen at Conference before - even the fact that the speakers stayed for the conference even after they were 'finished'. In the crowd shot posted before, it is actually a shot of the confetti and glitter that rained down on the arena for about 15 minutes at the end of conference. I'm just glad it wasn't me cleaning that up!

Hillsong friday 4pm

2007-07-09T08:05:00.000+10:00

I know the last couple of posts are all back to front, but :-D This is Bishop TD Jakes teaching in the last meeting before the worship party and anointing service.

Hillsong final night - Worship party and anointing service

2007-07-09T08:02:00.001+10:00

I mentioned to a friend on Friday that my ideal closing service would have all the musical guests on stage at once.  Imaging my pleasant surprise when the praise and worship was lead by Israel Houghton, Darlene, and Steven Curtis Chapman! And then after the anointing part of the service, the party kicked into full gear, and was lead by United and Chris Tomlin!

2007-07-09T07:57:00.001+10:00

Hillsong Update

2007-07-06T11:19:00.000+10:00

Sorry about the proliferation of photos, but there's been no time to actually put pen to paper - so to speak. We've been royally spoilt at this conference. John Bevere has been incredible. Joseph Prince's teaching on grace vs law, old testament vs new testament was fantastic. Being able to sit in a room with musicians and songwriters that i admire such as Chris Tomlin and Steven Curtis Chapman has been like a dream come true. It's one thing to listen to their songs, to use them in church, but it's an entirely different thing to worris along with them. To hear them speak about their personal relationship with Christ makes you realise that they really do believe what they write about. In an age where there are many 'God thanking' artists, it's refreshing and gives you a new appreciation for these artists who are true worshippers of Christ. After Bishop TD Jakes spoke last night (which i'm not even going to attempt to describe!) Israel and the Hillsong team closed the meeting in worship. Israel pulled Chris Tomlin up on stage to sing with him. Let's just say it was an incredible way to end an incredible night. This morning's worship was lead by Darlene and Israel and was followed by more teaching by Bishop Jakes. I'm still in the process of 'processing' this morning - i may post about it later :-)

Hillsong thurs 4pm

2007-07-06T07:59:00.001+10:00

Joseph Prince

Steven Curtis Chapman

2007-07-06T07:57:00.001+10:00

Thursday 4pm

2007-07-06T07:56:00.001+10:00

2007-07-06T07:55:00.003+10:00

Hillsong 4.30 thurs

2007-07-06T07:55:00.001+10:00

Steven Curtis Chapman

Hillsong thurs song writing elective

2007-07-06T07:52:00.001+10:00

Steven Curtis Chapman

Hillsong 11am thurs

2007-07-06T07:50:00.001+10:00

Steven Curtis Chapman and Band.

Hillsong 9am thurs

2007-07-06T07:49:00.001+10:00

Watoto Children's Choir

Hillsong 7.30 wednesday

2007-07-06T07:46:00.001+10:00

Israel and New Breed

2007-07-06T07:40:00.001+10:00

This man!

2007-07-06T07:39:00.001+10:00

Hillsong this year was my first exposure to the incredible teachings of John Bevere. I had the opportunity of meeting him wednesday afternoon at a book signing.

1pm song writing elective with Chris Tomlin

2007-07-06T07:31:00.001+10:00

Hillsong wed 1pm

2007-07-06T07:20:00.001+10:00

Song writing elective with Chris Tomlin. No time for notes at the moment, but then a picture speaks 1000 words :-P

Hillsong Wednesday 9am

2007-07-05T08:59:00.000+10:00

We were treated to Guy Sebastian singing Leeland's 'Tears of the Saints' wednesday morning, which i loved as i love Guy's voice and i love Leeland's music!

Chris Tomlin and Band 7.30

2007-07-05T08:09:00.001+10:00

2007-07-05T08:08:00.001+10:00

2007-07-05T08:07:00.001+10:00

2007-07-05T08:06:00.001+10:00

Chris Tomlin and band 7.30 tuesday.

2007-07-05T08:02:00.001+10:00

Part of the Hillsong crowd 7.30 tuesday.

Hillsong 4.30 tuesday

2007-07-05T08:00:00.001+10:00

Tuesday night was incredible. United lead the worship with Joel Houston and Brooke Fraser, followed by John Bevere with the Word. He spoke from a chapter of his book 'Driven by Eternity'.  John's message was extremely convicting; the main theme relating to Judgement Day, when we will be judged not according to what we have done, but according to what God has called us to do.  The 7.30 session was with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin. Chris and band lead the conference in worship, and then Louie gave his 'Indescribable' presentation, which i'm not even going to try and explain - it truly was indescribable!

Hillsong 2007 tues 4.30

2007-07-05T07:43:00.001+10:00

John Bevere

2007-07-04T08:59:00.001+10:00

Hillsong tuesday lunch

2007-07-04T08:57:00.000+10:00

As you can see, Sydney has turned on it's beautiful blue skies for Hillsong. Even at night, it's still not cold enough for a jacket!

2007-07-04T08:53:00.001+10:00

Hillsong 2007, tuesday morning.

2007-07-03T10:39:00.001+10:00

This picture is of the delegates in the morning session with John Bevere. John spoke a message on humility, which i'm guessing was taken from his book 'Drawing Near'. It was a very challenging message. Next is our combined stream session with Ps Brian and Chris Tomlin, which i'm very excited about.

Hillsong 2007

2007-07-03T00:32:00.001+10:00

Tonight was the first night of hillsong for this year. My night rally ticket is for the 4.30 sessions so tonight we had the opening celebrations featuring the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda.  The night started with a multi-media display about grace as the curtains went up on the stage to reveal a full orchestra. Marty Sampson then started singing an arrangement of 'amazing grace'. He then left the stage only to be replaced by another member of the Hillsong team who then started singing a more familiar version of 'Amazing Grace' only to be joined live on stage in the chorus by Chris Tomlin! I was so excited - i'm embarrased to say that i jumped and grabbed my friend's arm! (I've been a fan from before his first album came out, so it was great to finally see him live - that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it!) Tomorow morning we have John Bevere, which is going to be great! If you're at hillsong this week, leave a comment and let me know!

It's too cold!

2007-06-22T09:27:00.001+10:00

The other day on my way home from work, i read in the paper that it had been -1.5 degrees at my station 30 minutes before i got there. I suppose that makes this morning's 4 positively toasty? To try and stay warm on the train (this morning's has no heating), i wear 2 pairs of socks, a beanie, my warmest jacket and my thickest scarf (very similar to the pic above, but at the moment my beanie is white and my scarf is pink and white). The building where i work has no heating - it relies on the building itself to retain heat (this is usually ok, but after a month of below average temps it's becoming chilly), and i found out that some of my staff have started wearing thermals to work to stay warm! My office has a wall that is actually a large glass door, so when i'm working in there, it's not unusual to see me in my jacket and scarf! I've now officially decided that i'm not getting out of bed tomorrow unless or until the temperature gets above 12. :-D

Outside my shop again

2007-06-15T19:02:00.001+10:00

If you were to leave my shop and look straight up, this is what you'd see.