Tassie Tales

Kayaking

2008-01-13T22:21:00.000+11:00

Sunday afternoon and my friend John suggests we head down to the waterfront to try out the kayaks.

Picture postcard of the Hobart waterfront

John has obviously done this before

Simon has a go. Notice the angle of his kayak

Cool in any setting

Rachel came along also but chose to keep her feet on firm ground. Rachel leaves us tomorrow and returns to Melbourne.

The other event this weekend was Bike for Bibles coming through Hobart. It bought back a lot of memories of my rides with Bike for Bibles in the 90's.

Bruny Island Charters Adventure

2008-01-12T14:57:00.001+11:00

It's a trip that I have always wanted to do. Bruny Island Charters run a boat trip starting at Adventure Bay on Bruny Island and running right down to the lighthouse and the Friars at the south end of the island. Along the way is some of most spectacular coastal scenery in the world. The only way to see it is by boat. The whole trip takes about 3 hours and you spend all of that time time on an inflatable boat with 900 horse power on the back. It is definitely not for the faint hearted and not your typical pleasure cruise by any description. It is a high speed adrenalin rush all the way - although there are plenty of pauses along the way to look at wild life and enjoy the scenery. I decided to take my good camera long and was glad I did. I needed plenty of water proof wrapping to protect it for much of the trip but it was great to try and capture some of this magnificent scenery in photos.

This last photo is of a rock face called, 'The Cathedral' It has the highest sea cliffs anywhere in Australia.

Oh, you might wonder what happened to Jo. She came with me to Bruny for the day along with Sarah, Rachel and the dog - but they all spent three hours on the beach at Adventure Bay. Oh well, each to their own.

By the way - There are a whole lot more of my photos of this trip on Flickr. You can find them with a single click right here

Living the present moment

2008-01-08T19:57:00.000+11:00

Hey it's that time of year again. The period that comes immediately after Christmas each year. Up to Christmas it is absolutely crazy with a million things on - then after you get to Christmas Day life becomes pleasant slower and cilvilised for a period of about three weeks. Church activities all but stop. There's no meetings to go to and no deadlines to make. You have time to relax and unwind. So much so that you find you even have time to watch the cricket and invite people for meals. I begin to wonder why can't we live like this for the whole of the year. I know that very shortly the whole catastrophe will begin again - but until then I am determined to live the present moment. I thought I might include a few snap shots of what we have been doing these past few days.

Sunday night before Christmas we planned a big event. It was Carols in the car park - the only trouble was it rained and we shifted the whole thing inside. A fantastic night all the same and you might be able to spot Simon in the band (second from the right)

Christmas day at home again this year. We decided to make it open house for Christmas dinner and had a few extras along. This was the table prior to us messing it all up.

As most people seem to do, I think we all ate way too much and continued eating Christmas left overs for several days. Here it is over two weeks later and we still have chocolates uneaten.

I was very determined this year to be there when the first yacht from Sydney arrived at Hobart. This time I planned it right. Just as I got down to the docks the tall sail ship above was leaving for a breakfast trip out to Tasman Island to meet Wild Oats coming in. I managed to get a ticket to board and we set off. It was a morning I will remember for a long time.

We certainly met up with Wild Thing and followed them right into Hobart, we then did a U turn and went back out to meet the next yacht 'Leopard' which came in second.

Of course along with the yacht race is the annual summer festival in Hobart. The premier event at the festival is 'The Taste'. I love it. You have to fight the crowds, but it is delicious food and fantastic wine all around. Jo and I got to the taste three times this year and enjoyed very different fare each time.

The same day as the yach race finished, the Blues Brothers were playing in town. I tried hard to get someone to come with me, but ended up going on my own. They are fantastic.

For New Years Eve we set off to Bruny Island. We have been there many times, but never for New Year. We invited a whole bunch of friends to join us and stay the night on new years eve. It was a really great three days we spent there. The crime was having to leave.

An early morning walk on Bruny - could almost pass for three sisters.

The day after we got back from Bruny my niece Rachel (Ingrid's daughter) arrived to stay for a while. We took Rachel to a open air concert at Salamanca and then the next morning to Salamanca market

On Sunday night we had our good freinds Andrew and Robin over and after dinner we set about making some home made liquors. We mixed up a few bottle of Irish Cream and then had a go at making Lemoncillo. The Irish Cream is finished and tastes quite good. The Lemoncillo will take another week before we get to try it out.

To top it all of, this afternoon Rachel, Sarah and I had a ride on the 'Wild Thing' It is a high speed boat that churns through the water and is not for the faint hearted. I think we all came home 'shaken and not stirred'. I'm just glad that Jo didn't decide to come with us.

Now what shall we do tomorrow! That's a long way off isn't it!

A very flash Christmas

2007-12-23T07:24:00.000+11:00

Just before our trip to Israel I purchased a new digital SLR camera. It has been an amazing toy to play with, but I very soon discovered that it really needed a flash to get more effective indoor shots. This week I have added a new flash to the camera bag. They say a bad photographer always blames his camera. It must be getting close to the point where I can no longer do that!

As soon as I got the flash out of the box I tried it out on our 'Christmas bowl' This is a very unusual bowl we have had going for the advent season. We encourage people to take from the bow and also give to it as they are able. This means the contents of the bowl change almost from day to day. Of course, because of Jo's strong influence in the kitchen we also offer a healthier alternative.

By the way, did you all read the amazing story of what Ali and Nathaniel did for all the units in their high rise building for Christmas. Have a look here

Well done Nathaniel and Ali.

We are once again celebrating Christmas in Tassie and will therefore miss the family gatherings. This is a significant cost to us - but we are very much looking forward to the wedding in just a few weeks time. We will all be there for that one - with bells on!!

Have a happy and blessed Christmas everyone. We love you all heaps.

Larry & Jo
David, Simon, Emily and Sarah

The years have been kind to us

2007-12-12T08:24:00.001+11:00

The Sun Princess leaves town

2007-12-03T17:39:00.001+11:00

I was just sitting down to watch the news and I heard a ships fog horn sounding a long blast. I looked out the window and caught site of the cruise liner 'Sun Princess' leaving Hobart. It was a somewhat brief visit staying just one night in Hobart. The newspaper says that it carries 2000 passengers who were expected to leave a total of $350,000 behind. What's that work out to - $175 each. Must have a good night. I managed to snap these pictures out my kitchen window. I suppose I could have driven down to the waterfront to get a closer look.

Mile stones along life's journey

2007-11-29T17:26:00.000+11:00

Life is full of mile stones. We celebrated one yesterday. It was the 26th anniversary of our wedding. There may be many mile stones in life, but I reckon that they need to be celebrated all the same. Celebration is what makes life worth while. Some do it better than others. A life without celebrations would be dull and boring indeed. We celebrated yesterday in a very traditional way. A quiet dinner out for two at a local restaurant. We chose an African restaurant in Hobart and enjoyed a delicious meal as we pondered the significance of 26 years together.

This coming Saturday we celebrate another milestone. Sarah is turning 15. She is looking very grown up these days and we watch and wonder where the years have gone. Happy birthday Sarah.

Jo's garden

2007-11-20T21:47:00.001+11:00

Jo has been talking about extending the front garden for some time. Today she made a start.

This was Jo's last project. When she started it was just an overgrown weed bed.

Tourists for a day

2007-11-20T08:10:00.000+11:00

A beautiful spring day in Hobart and so Jo and I decided to play tourists for a day and take a lunch time cruise around the Derwent. Whilst we sailed around Hobart we ate a two course dinner and sipped on some nice red wine. We sailed on the Commodore which was the same boat that we all went on in Hobart as a family about 16 years ago.

It's that time of year again

2007-11-17T15:50:00.001+11:00

It does seem to come around fast, but today was the annual Christmas Parade in Hobart. That means that for this veteran Roman solider it meant walking the street one more time.

A Day at the Cricket

2007-11-16T21:47:00.000+11:00

It is pretty rare that Hobart gets to host a test match. Today it was on. Day one of the second test between Australia and Sri Lanka. I have been to lots of footy matches in my life, but never once to the cricket, so today I took a day off and headed down to Bellerive to watch the cricket. I have photographed lots of flowers and beaches but no sporting events to date. Now I realize that you will get to see some photos in the paper taken by professionals with some heavy duty gear - but here are some of mine.

I have started a flickr page where I am now storing all the photos I take. There are a few sets on already including my cricket pictures - well a few of them anyway. You can find them by clicking here

Simon on Fire

2007-11-12T09:38:00.000+11:00

Last night at church Simon led the worship. It was awe inspiring stuff to watch. After leading worship Simon shared his testimony and spoke about God's amazing power to change lives. He shared a story of a friend of his who had her life powerfully changed after an encounter with Jesus. He shared his own understanding of grace and forgiveness as he has experienced it in his own life. Simon has come a long way as a musician, but it is his passion for God that is most amazing of all. (I snapped the picture above with my mobile phone so the quality is not that great.)

Dad and Mum back in Tassie

2007-11-12T09:16:00.001+11:00

Taken me a few days to get some pictures up for you, but Dad and Mum made a trip to Hobart last week. The spring is by far the best time of year to be in Tassie and so they timed it well. They were here for six days and we squeezed a lot into that time. We managed a barbeque at Kingston beach, a trip to the butcher to buy some meat, a visit to the Mount Nelson lookout point and a family reunion at Bicheno to top it all off. We set off for an over night trip and stayed at a motel right on beach close to St. Helens. Whilst up north we were able to visit the famous Mount Elephant Pancake house and enjoyed a delicious feast. The following day we met up with the Holt family reunion at Bicheno. This was largely Uncle Bill's family and it was a delight to be invited to take part. We were all given a blue T shirt to wear for the occasion.

Another highlight of Dad and Mum's visit was all going for dinner with our good friends Beth and Rudie. We need a table for ten all up so we took up almost all the space at the Bay Leaf Cafe in Sandy Bay. It was a great night with lots of laughter and stories around the table.

The same day Dad and Mum flew home to Melbourne I flew north to Queensland for three days on the Gold Coast for Team Fest. Team Fest is a gathering of ministry teams from larger Churches of Christ around Australia. It is always an inspirational time of sharing and teaching.

Since returning from Israel we have now been away somewhere every week. The diary now settles down for a bit and our next trip is not planned until February - which of course will be the wedding of Ben and Zoe - and what a celebration that should be.

You may wonder about the picture of the little blue wren. Dad of course is a great bird watcher and we spotted this little fellow out the window of the cafe at Mount Nelson whilst enjoying a cappuccino and taking in the sights.

St Kilda Beach

2007-10-25T13:50:00.001+11:00

Yesterday Jo and I spent time at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne. We happened to arrive at the right time to catch some kite surfers in action. The temptation to get the telephoto lens out was too great.

Just Four

2007-10-08T22:10:00.000+11:00

Whilst Jo and I were traveling we visited four different countries (Six if we included Scotland and Wales) Over the month we were away I took about 6000 photos. I set myself the task of selecting just one photo from each stopover. Here they are. I will leave it to you to see if you can pick which photo was taken where.

It must be spring time

2007-10-08T19:02:00.001+11:00

Yesterday it was Tulips in the Botanical gardens and today it was wild flowers and wattle on the Tasman Peninsula.

Tip toe through the tulips

2007-10-07T21:46:00.000+11:00

Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining and the tulips are blooming. This weekend is the Hobart Botanical Gardens Tulip Festival. We wandered down this afternoon to check the wonderful display of tulips in the gardens. Too good an opportunity to leave the camera at home.

Plenty of good food and fine wine on hand to enjoy.

They even have a really cool ice cream van. Check out the girl selling the ice creams. No free samples for her Dad though!

They had some really funky music going. I've always been a sucker for brass and this band had it all. They even had some of the locals up dancing to their beat.

Hobart on Fire

2007-09-28T19:34:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday we were in New York for our final fling of our world trip. We received a text message from Simon telling us that Hobart was on fire. It turns out there was a major fire started in Myers. The store was almost totally destroyed and many adjoining stores severely damaged by smoker and water. The whole centre of the CBD is affected as they have closed several streets whilst the clean up and demolition is in progress.

We have been home for a couple of days now and still trying to catch up on sleep. We had an amazing trip - but as always, 'it's good to be 'ome'

Arriving In Israel

2007-09-05T13:39:00.000+10:00

We have finally arrived in Israel. We landed at Tel Aviv at 11.30 Sunday night and were met by our transport provider and driven to our motel. It was a late check in and after an eleven hour flight from Bangkok we were looking forward to crashing into bed.

Next morning we awoke to a magnificent view from the window of our room. The beach looked so inviting I couldn’t resist. I threw on some clothes and headed down for a walk along the beach.

After a good breakfast we set out on foot to find the local market. Markets are always bright and colorful and full of all sorts of wonderful treasures.

I found a statue of Sampson that I would loved to have bought. The price was OK, but it was so heavy and we are already near maximum on our weight for luggage. I settled for a picture of him.

Tel Aviv is a very modern city with very little room to grow, so the only option is up. It’s a city full of cranes and construction sights.

We took a ride to the observation deck of a tower and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city.

We met up with Clinton and Trish as we left Bangkok and enjoyed a day with them. Clinton and I took a swim at the beach. The water was a warm 30 degrees.

We finished our first day here with a delightful meal at a beach side restaurant and walked along the beach at sunset.

Early the next morning our leisurely pace was all about to change. The Americans had arrived and we were loaded onto buses and let the tour begin. I really felt for the Americans. They had flown for 10 hours or more and then loaded straight onto buses for a full day of touring – and all in 38 degree heat.

This is Danny - the tour guide for our bus. He's a delightful guy.

Our first stop was the ancient port of Joppa. It was here I snapped a bird enjoying some dates with my telephoto lens. Not sure what bird it was. I will leave that to my bird watching family members to work out.

The next stop was the ancient ruins of Caesarea.

We then journeyed to the top of Mount Carmel and saw the sigh of Elijah’s challenge to Ahab and Jezebel.

It’s very early Wednesday morning as I type. We have a few more days here to tour before we move on to the UK next Monday.

Bangkok

2007-09-02T10:09:00.000+10:00

A city of beguiling incongruities and overwhelming sensuality. Bangkok will scramble the senses of even the most well read traveler. A modern veneer of international brand names in blinking neon only partially disguises an encapsulation of all things

Thai.

As you emerge from the airport, the thick jasmine-scented air envelopes your body, the oceanic reverberation of distant traffic fills your ears, and you sense that Bangkok is a place that you will not easily forget.

We arrived just last Tuesday morning at 5.50am after a flight of about nine hours from Tullamarine. Some may be able to sleep on planes. I seldom can. Bangkok has a brand new international airport that just opened last year. It boasts the largest passenger terminal in the world. It was huge. It took us quite some time to walk from our arrival gate to our luggage caracal. We were met by our limousine driver who was holding a card with our name on it. 45 minutes later we were pulling into the entry of the Dream Hotel in Bangkok. We only stayed there a few minutes. We dumped our bags and headed straight out again – this time on our own.

We negotiated a ten minute walk to the nearest sky train station. Bangkok’s traffic is horrendous, and so the sky train that opened just five years ago is great. It whisks you anywhere in the city in the space of just a few minutes. We headed for a stop on the river and switched from train top ferry. We were heading for the grand palace of Bangkok. The King of Thailand no longer lives there, but the place is now Bangkok’s number one tourist attraction.

Thai people talk about their King constantly. His image is everywhere. Many Thai people wear bright yellow clothing to honor their king. Yellow signifies the fact that he is Monday born. Each day of the week has a different colour.

We left the palace and plucked up the courage to take a tuk tuk ride across town to Jim Thompson’s house. Jim was an American who came to live in Bangkok and started the silk industry. He vanished back in the 60’s, but his house remains as he left it and is open to the public. We did a tour and stayed to have lunch there at the café.

We celebrated our first day in Bangkok with a dinner cruise in an old rice barge on the river. It was amazing. We had the front table. We ate about ten different dishes of Thai food as we sailed down the river and were entertained by some Thai girls playing some traditional Thai music. It was a night to remember.

The following day (Wednesday) we took the first of our day trips. A mini bus picked us up at 6.20am and we set off to the floating markets. They are primarily a tourist attraction, but a heap of fun to experience. You are taken in long canoe around various canals lines with other boat all laden to the hilt with goods you can buy.

From the floating market our next stop was an elephant park where I managed to talk Jo into coming on an elephant ride with me. It was so much fun and even Jo thought it was ok. After our ride we watched an elephant show which was spectacular. It included a full on mock battle with gun fire and elephants in full battle gear. We also watched the elephant soccer world cup.

Thursday was our shopping day. We set out for Siam square where many of the great shopping malls are side by side. We eventually found Pantip Plaza which is a six floor shopping centre entirely dedicated to computers and software. It was mind boggling. I could have stayed there all day, but Jo started getting restless after a couple of hours!

Friday was our second day trip. Once again we were picked up at our hotel at 6.20am. This time our destination was the bridge over the River Kwai. Iat was a day I will never forget. We stopped firstly at an Australian war cemetery and then looked through a museum filled with photos and memorabilia from the war. We then transferred to a long boat and sailed up the River Kwai to the bridge, a tip of about 30 minutes. The scenery was breath taking. My camera was working over time.

He bridge was built by POW’s during the war and then bombed by the Americans. It has been reconstructed and remains open to day. We were able to walk across the bridge and gain an appreciation for the efforts of the men who worked on it during the war.

After walking across the bridge we boarded a train and traveled a section of the track known as the death railway. Again an amazing experience.

A major problem emerged on our trip back to Bangkok. It was Friday night. The traffic is unbelievable anytime, but especially bad on Friday nights. As we approached

Bangkok the traffic on the expressway came to a complete stand still. We sat there for 30 minutes without moving. Our driver told us that sometimes you can sit for four hours without moving. In any case he said that it would take several hours to travel the final 10 or 12 k’s. Our group then made a decision to abandon our mini bus in the middle of the expressway and walk to the nearest sky train station which was really quite close. It was quite a sight to see many passengers leaving their vehicles and walking down the expressway between all the stationary cars. We eventually got home at about 9.30 and collapsed into bed. It was a huge day and we were done in, but all the same we both agreed that we would never have missed the trip for anything.

Saturday today and we have just completed our final full day in Bangkok before we move onto Israel. We headed this morning for Chatuchak market. They say it’s the largest market in the world and if you saw it you would have trouble doubting the claim. Picture thousands of stalls, intense heat, incredible swarms of people and a host of different weird and wonderful smells. If you can handle all of that and can bargain hard you can come away with some amazing bargains. We lasted about three hours before the heat and oppressive atmosphere got all too much for us. We jumped in a air conditioned taxi and headed to the river for lunch before taking a ferry boat ride down the river to a sky train station.

I guess we both must have been very tired. We slept for about three hours before freshening up and heading out to celebrate our last night in Bangkok. We booked about a month ago for a meal at the ‘Bed Supper Club’ They serve a set menu chosen by the chef on the night. It is a complete surprise. You sit, or lay on beds instead of tables. You have a pile of pillow behind you and a small bed table for your food. Over the course of a couple of hours they bring you five different courses. The food was awesome and the experience quite a novelty. Rather expensive by Bangkok standards but we wanted to celebrate our last night here.

Tomorrow is Sunday. We plan to attend a church service in the morning before heading to the airport where we will fly direct to Israel. What awaits us there we are yet to find out. Bangkok has been amazing. It’s an incredible place and like the guide book says, it is a place you will not easily forget. It’s a place of bright yellow clothes, intense heat and traffic like you have never seen before. There are 10 million people and 4 million cars. Another trivia point for you: 68% of Bangkok’s population are female.

Silver Falls at Ferntree

2007-08-25T10:35:00.000+10:00

Morning Glory

2007-08-23T08:29:00.002+10:00

The view from my window this morning

Today's photo

2007-08-20T14:33:00.000+10:00

Camera practice

2007-08-18T14:50:00.001+10:00

My dog

My garden

My lunch

My socks

My son

It's really a new camera and I am trying to get the hang of it before we leave for Thailand next week.

The Boy from Quambatook

2007-08-17T23:45:00.000+10:00

Tonight John Williamson hit the stage in Hobart. It was hard to resist a night out to hear some great Aussie music and few do it better than JW. He sang for around three hours with a great mix of old and new songs. He was very vocal about conservation and saving our forests in particular. (Very emotive issue in Tassie)

John sang and talked quite a bit about growing up in Quamby.

John was joined for part of the night by a young guy called Warren Williams, an aboriginal singer. It was the highlight of the night as the sang and played together.

Whatever you think f the message that came through, it was invigorating hearing someone so passionate about our country. I loved it!

Mount Field National Park

2007-08-13T19:37:00.000+10:00

We have had several days of continual showers, so we decided to head up to Russell Falls at Mount Field National Park. There was certainly more water coming down the falls than last time we were there.

We negotiated the muddy steps to the top of the falls

There was also reports of some good snow further up the mountain, so we set of to explore.

I might add that by this stage we were on foot!

Anyone for a picnic!! We settled for a cooked dinner at the Falls Cafe back at the info centre.

New Look Lounge Room

2007-08-11T16:24:00.001+10:00

Well, we have finally taken out our old wood fire and replaced it with a heat pump. We were rather amazed at the difference it made to the whole room. It feels twice as big as it did before.

As it is in Heaven

2007-08-07T07:04:00.000+10:00

Normally my kind of movie needs lots of action and a fast moving plot to keep me engaged. Last night Jo and I went to see 'As it is in Heaven' upon the recommendation of Dad and Mum. It was a powerful film and I found myself in tears a number of times throughout the movie. The synopsis of the story reads as follows:

Daniel Dareus is a successful international conductor at the top of his game, but he is lonely, miserable and exhausted by the demands of his high profile life style. After suffering a physical and emotional breakdown, Daniel abruptly interrupts his career and returns, alone, to Norrland, the village of his childhood located in a remote part of northern Sweden. Immediately upon his arrival his fame makes him the object of curiosity, fascination and suspicion. Soon he is asked to come and "offer a bit of good advice" to the small church choir, which practices every Thursday in the parish hall. Daniel resists being dragged back into the spotlight, yet he finds that there is no way he can gracefully refuse the choir's request, and reluctantly he agrees to help. As he begins to work with the choir, Daniel, quite to his own surprise, begins to rediscover his long-lost joy for music. But his work with the choir is a serious threat to the town's status quo, and Daniel finds himself surrounded by enemies, including the jealous parish priest and a dangerous and violent enemy from his past. At the same time he makes new friends, among them the lovely and sensitive Lena, a woman who helps him overcome his fear and loneliness. Daniel's life, and the lives of the people of Norrland, will never be the same.

What I loved about the movie was the power of community. Each of the people in the story was 'broken'. The longer I am in ministry the more I have come to realize that we are all broken people. The characters in the movie are deeply flawed, but find a sense of community and purpose in the choir. The choir for these people was an ecstatic joy - apart from the times they were wanting to punch each other. The church was an austere place of duty and religion. The choir became more like the home coming party for the prodigal son. Jesus cam not to condemn the world but to save it. The characters in this movie didn't need further condemnation, but salvation. Don't we all.

Around the world in 29 days

2007-07-13T21:44:00.000+10:00

It has come out the blue, but Jo and I are off on a world trip next month. The flags above represent the countries we will visit on our journey right around the globe. The main purpose of our trip is to take part in a tour of Israel with a group of pastors. The bonus in the deal is that we travel right around the globe and get to have a few stop overs on the way around. This includes us being able to visit the UK. Jo came out from England as a child and has never had an opportunity to return, so we decided to seize the day.

A Change of Seasons

2007-06-27T19:21:00.000+10:00

We came home from Queensland to the coldest June on record in Hobart. It's been FREEEZING! Ice everywhere most mornings.

Last night I was at Bruny Island again. My collection of Bruny photos continues to grow.

Last week I spent a night away with my pastor's retreat group. This was a photo from my phone, so the quality is not as good.

Memories of the Gold Coast

2007-06-20T21:46:00.000+10:00

Last night we flew back home to Tassie from Brisbane. The holiday we waited so long for is all over and nothing but a memory. I've selected a few photos all taken in our last week at Surfer's Paradise. We finished our trip off with a couple of days back in Brisbane and were able to catch up with some friends from years ago. We also got to see the old South Brisbane Baptist church and the house where Jo and I lived when we first got married. The church and the house is shortly to be demolished, so maybe we have seen them both for the last time.

Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef

2007-06-09T08:18:00.000+10:00

Well they say it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have just returned from a few days at Airlie Beach in north Queensland. We were a little take back at the price for a day trip to snorkel the reef, but decided to seize the day - and what a day it was. We traveled by high speed catamaran for about two hours out to sea to reach the reef.

They took us to 'Reef World', a floating pontoon which was our base for the day. It was more like a small town. The boat docked at the pontoon and you then had the choice of underwater rooms, submarine rides, or actually getting in the water yourself and snorkelling.

I choose a very glamorous outfit and decided to take to the water at once.
Sarah and Emily joined in as well, whilst Jo opted for what she considered to be the safer options.

Now you will no doubt be able to tell, we didn't take all these pictures ourselves, but wanted to give you an idea of what we saw.

There was an amazing array of fish of every kind, size and colour. Im not sure if Nemo is still lost, but I found him.
The sites were every bit as good as the pictures.
Some of the fish were very large. There were a number of larger gropers very similar to this fellow. They were bigger than me and very playful. I actually got to ride on the back of one.

Well it a marvelous day. My wallet will need time to recover, but the memories will last a lifetime. The Great barrier reef is definitely one of the wonders of the world.

Yesterday we traveled back to Viv's place in Bundaberg and will stay the weekend here. On Monday we head back to Brisbane, pick up Simon at the airport and head straight to the Gold Coast for a week of theme parks and fun.

Holidays in Queensland

2007-06-03T07:25:00.001+10:00

Well we have waited and saved and planned for a while - but at last we are away on holidays and have arrived in Queensland. It's much warmer than Hobart, so the warmer weather is fabulous. We flew up last Thursday night. The next morning the girls had a sleep in whilst Jo and I traveled into the city on the River Cat along the Brisbane River. What a change to the Brisbane skyline since we used to liver here over 20 years ago.

We went into town to pick up a hire car. It was then back to pick up the girls and then straight onto the Bruce highway heading north.

We stopped off at Caloundra and strolled along the board walk. I was so impressed I thought I could spend my whole holiday at Caloundra. It was photos all around.

We stopped again at the Big Pineapple at Nambour for some lunch before moving on to Hervey Bay for an overnight stopover to visit some friends. Our friend Alan cooked up a BBQ with helpful suggestions from Jo.

We are now at Viv's place in Bundaberg for the weekend and will head much further north tomorrow for a few days at Airlie Beach.

Sandy Bay at Dawn

2007-05-26T13:08:00.000+10:00

This morning I was up early enough to join Jo and Shadow on their morning walk. We headed off to Sandy Bay Beach. It's always pretty, but this morning we had the added bonus of a glorious sunrise. I snapped this picture on my mobile phone camera.

Seven of the Best

2007-05-19T15:25:00.001+10:00

In the last week four people in our family have all got new mobile phones. Onwards and upwards in the never ending pursuit of technology. My new phone has a 2mp camera on it. I took it to market this morning and tried it out. The following photos are the result.

Green Senator Bob Brown is currently displaying an exhibition of his photos at Salamanca. If you wish you could purchase them to support his reelection campaign. The display was entitled 'One Hundred of the Best'. Now some weren't too bad - but others left me wondering what some of the photos that never made the top hundred were like! He was charging around $500 for a framed print. Hope he gets some takers at that price! There must be hope for common folks yet!

Lastly I will include a couple of portraits taken with my phone

Well that's my display. I might simply call it, 'Seven of the Best'

A Flying Start to the Weekend

2007-05-13T20:17:00.000+10:00

Saturday morning I get a phone call from my friend John Breaden. He tells me he is going flying in the clubs new little two seater and is looking for a passenger. A quick rethink of my days plans and I was on the way to the airport to meet up with John. It certainly was a small plane, and fun to fly in. The windows were larger than the Cessna and the ride a little more exhilarating. We sat on the run way and John asked me where would I like to go. We settled on a flight down the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur. It's hard to beat for the scenery.

The fist major point of attraction is Cape Huay and the formation known as the pillar. A group of us hiked there earlier this year.

Of the course at the end of the peninsula there is the spectacular Tasman Island. A guy in our church actually lived on this island for a number of years as lighthouse keeper. The cloud was rolling in and the sun beginning to set. The view was incredible.

On the way back to Hobart we flew right over Port Arthur

Flying back we were tight for time to get on the ground before sunset. John got us down safe and sound once again and I have plenty of great photos to remember the experience.

Once we got home we headed down to the church for a fund raising dinner. The event was to raise funds to enable us to financially support our Bible College students. Of course, David is a student at Tabor and was a guest of honour at the dinner.

Well that was Saturday - Sunday morning and we are back to church for our morning service. For the third Sunday out of the last for we had a baptism at church. This was Jenny being baptised by Marshall.

And then once we get done at church it's time to keep a time honoured Mother's day tradition in our family and lash out for a splendid meal for the whole family at a local restaurant. This time we opted for Indian and ordered the banquet. Lots of food and then some over to bring home!

Putting Sarah in the picture

2007-04-23T21:11:00.000+10:00

So many people said it was a pity Sarah wasn't in our family photo at David's 21st - so we put her in!

David's Party

2007-04-03T09:30:00.000+10:00

Time to
CELEBRATE

Last night we celebrated in style to mark David's 21 years. We had a BBQ party at Steve and Alison's home and a crowd of young people from our church attended. It was a fantastic night. The young people really honored David and all spoke well of him. At the end of the night the sat David in the middle of the room and all prayed for him. It was the stuff that memories are made of. (Sarah was present also, but left early to do some homework, so missed out on being in the group photos)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID

2007-04-02T15:50:00.000+10:00

21 TODAY

David's dedication service at Nanago Baptist Church with Grandad presiding!

Today we celebrate David's 21st birthday. From humble beginnings in the town of Kingaroy, David has grown to become a great young man whom we are very proud of. He has endured three years of chronic fatigue syndrome, and yet continued to study and has now almost completed a bachelor or ministry at Tabor College.

Happy birthday David.

The parents move in for a week

2007-03-24T12:10:00.000+11:00

Dad and Mum to visit for almost a whole week! We were pumped and ready. We picked them at the airport and after giving them a feed and a coffee we set off for the remainder of day one - a walk on the beach at Sandy Bay with Shadow in tow.

Thursday was our first full day out. We packed a gourmet picnic and headed up to Mount Field National Park - home of the famous Russell Falls.

Before we got to the falls there was one stop for a few photos and a stretch of the legs.

It was a 'Kodak day' and not a roll of film in sight. All four of us were armed with digital cameras

At the end of day the best was yet to come. Our good friends Rudie and Beth invited our whole family along with Dad and Mum out to a fabulous Chinese restaurant. After some discussion and much encouragement from Rudie we opted for the banquet. Some twelve courses I think in all. We ate, and ate, and talked, and ate, and taled and then ate some more. It was a fantastic night and the stuff that memories are made of.

On Friday we headed south to the peninsula. Jo and I had a pastors gathering to attend at Nubeena, and Dad and Mum went off in the car for some more sightseeing. We had dinner at a Hotel with the pastors group and then returned home tired and weary. The next morning Dad and Mum asked Jo to drop them at the market. Larry returned to Nubeena for more of the pastors gathering.

On Sunday morning we had a guest speaker from Compassion. He was excellent and of course his presence meant I didn't have to think about a sermon at all, which was nice.

After church we headed down tot he waterfront for a feed of Tassie seafood at a waterfront restaurant and then home - pack the bags and head to Bruny!

The ferry was running but down to one motor and so we were escorted by a tug boat just in case we couldn't make it across.

Rudie has a great 'shack' right on the waters edge. Thanks to his generous spirit I have stayed there many times. This time with Dad and Mum. The water was always going to be a temptation for grandma!

Now I know I've showed you before, but I always like to put it in - the view we have from the lounge room in Bruny!

Monday was going to be our only full day on the island - so we packed another gourmet picnic and headed right down south to Cape Bruny and the lighthouse

Tuesday morning we were up early to catch the ferry back to the big island and a quick trip home - visitors coming for lunch today. It was a real treat to have Graeme and Brenda Holt come over and join us for a meal.

Not long after lunch it was off tot he airport and all the farewells.

It was only six days, but we sucked the marrow out them and lived the moment every day.

Thanks Dad and Mum for the great blessing of having you come and visit. It meant a lot to us all

PS. Apologies to those who have waited patiently for this blog to appear. I absconded from work for a couple of days to spend time with the folks and then of course paid the price in catching up ready for tomorrow (Sunday)

2007-03-11T23:01:00.000+11:00

My brother Simon quite often quotes poetry on his page. I confess I'm not a big reader of poetry, but I picked up one of Jo's books today and it kind of fell open at this little poem. Thinking of Ben and Zoe's big announcement, I thought it was worth passing on. (If you can't read the words simply click on the picture for a bigger view)

Congratulations

2007-03-10T15:22:00.000+11:00

Ben and Zoe
ENGAGED

To Ben and Zoe

This is a GREAT day! WE have waited and we have hoped - but now it is real. Absolutely wonderful news! Cause for a major celebration. We pray God's very riches of blessings continue to fall all over you both.

THE SMALL PRINT
PS. All thanks to Dad for the great photo at the top of the page

Four things about ME!

2007-03-08T22:46:00.000+11:00

Four jobs I have had in my life

Bank teller
Cleaner
Baker – selling bread
Pastor

Four movies I would watch over and over:

Chariots of fire
Tomb Stone
A Knights Tale
Chocolat

Four places I have lived .

Dandenong
Thornbury
Warrnambool
Hobart

Four TV shows I like to watch:

Deal or no deal
24
Movies
Footy

Four places I have been on vacation:

Darwin
Perth
Canada
New Zealand

Four Websites I visit daily:

E Bay
Blog pages of family
Internet banking
Jetstar (at least it seems like it lately)

Four of my favourite foods:

Roast dinner
Tassie seafood
Berries and ice cream
Cheese cake

NOW ..... all you Holt family bloggers that have lost the incentive or just plain out of ideas for a blog entry - Try this!

The Church the Elders Built

2007-03-04T07:20:00.000+11:00

This weekend we took the eldership and ministry team away for a retreat together. It took awhile to find a weekend that suited everyone - but we finally got there. The first task of the weekend that I gave to the elders to do was to build a new church from the ground up. I gave them a pile of materials and explained this was their opportunity to work together to create something brand new. The catch was they were not allowed to talk or to write notes. They could use hand signals and mime, but no other forms of communication were permitted.

On Friday night one of the elders was yet to arrive, so I gave them a extra resource person to assist with the project - that was Yvonne, our worship and creative arts pastor.

Well after some slight hesitation the work soon got underway. The place became a hive of activity.
It was a fascinating experience to watch and observe the process. Some became very animated communicating vision. Some gravitated to positions of strong practical leadership and others were content to sit back and see what others were doing and then help out as they could. There were differences of opinion that had to be resolved. Different values also soon emerged in the design of the building.

After some 30 minutes the project was finished. It was a grand structure that included three different features. There was a worship centre, a large youth hall with a glass atrium design and a very modern office block included.

The amazing thing with this design was that you could lift the roof and take a look inside at what was happening!

After the project was finished there was a lively discussion about the various roles people took and the frustrations they experienced in the process. Poorly understood communication was explained and different values were discussed. They complained because they thought there was a lack of resources to do the job properly! (Any of this sounding familiar?)

At the end of the project there was also a lament. They said, "We had the opportunity to something totally new and different, and yet without thinking about it we built a very conservative structure that is really very much about more of the same." Interesting observation eh!

Well we didn't make them work all the time. Saturday morning we enjoyed a walk along the beach. We were staying at a shack at Primrose Sands and the beach was magnificent.

After our morning walk we settled down to reflect on the leadership principles in the call of Joshua, we prayed together and shared our dreams and ideas of where we need to focus and what we need to do to be able to move forward as a church.

View from my window

2007-02-26T18:14:00.000+11:00

Every morning I open the curtains in our kitchen. It seems that the view that awaits is never the same twice. This is what I saw when I pulled the curtains back this morning.

The hunting shack at Hanleth

2007-02-25T16:03:00.000+11:00

I've been part of a small group of pastors who regulalrly 'retreat' together for sharing and fellowship. It has been an amazing exoperience journeying with a group of guys. The relationships have deepened over a couple of years and our level of sharing gets deeper everytime we go away together. On Friday night we headed off to a large property in the Fingall Valley known as 'Hanleth' . We parked at the homestead and then changed over to four wheel drives and headed off up into the high country. The land was as dry and cracked as you could imagine. We wound our way up to an old hunting shack for the night. It's pretty primative, but the views are fantastic and the nearest neighbors are several k's away.

Here's a couple of shots inside our 'hut'. All the modern comforts of home. We even had battery powered lights. The TV didn't work, but it looked quite good!

Of course every 4 start accommodation unit must come with an amenities block and ours was no exception.

Once more I spent some time with a group of guys who I have learned to appreciate deeply. We will meet again in June for another overnighter and then our longer retreat in September - but that time we will be at Bruny!

Incidentally I'm off to Bruny this week on my own for some time out to pray and to plan and then next weekend the elders and ministry team of our church are off an yet another retreat. Must be the season.

My brother Simon had some great things to say recently about the value of rest on his page. Check it out here

Cape Hauy

2007-02-12T21:49:00.000+11:00

Today was a public holiday in Hobart - Regatta Day. We decided to organise a church bush walk to Cape Hauy and got twenty three starters. We promoted it as an easy family walk of about four to five hours

The track got rather steep and became more of climb. Our rest stops became increasingly frequent - but eventually we saw a welcome sign

After a strenuous walk of almost three hours we arrived at Cape Hauy, looking none the worse for wear!!

We enjoyed a long lunch break sitting on a rocky platform. The seats were hard, but the view was amazing.

All that remained was the long walk home. By the time we got back we were all a little tired and sore, but enjoyed the experience all the same

There was a section in the middle of the walk that was quite flat - Oh that the whole track looked like this

Acknowledgement

I decided not to take my camera as it is a little bulky. Jo took her camera and took most the photos today. Well done Jo

Port Arthur Revisited

2007-02-05T10:07:00.000+11:00

All four of our kids were off for a few days at the church youth camp and the diary for us was fairly uncluttered with the year still getting under way - so you put those things together and the opportunity to get a couple of nights away somewhere was too much to resist. Jo and set off last Thursday to Port Arthur and stayed at the Fox and Hounds Inn pictured below.

About 18 months ago we purchased a two year pass to Port Arthur which will expire about the middle of this year. We therefore decided to get some good mileage out of our ticket and spend a day at Port Arthur. We both took our cameras in for the day and decided to make it a photographic day. At the end of the day we returned to our room and loaded the photos onto the laptop and compared our shots.

The best thing about our room for the two nights away was the view we had outside of our window.

The after holidays look

2007-02-01T11:19:00.000+11:00

Australia Day

2007-01-26T16:47:00.000+11:00

Australia Day today with no particular plans for the day. Jo and I decided to set off in the car with thoughts of maybe going down to Port Arthur for the day. We got as far as Sorrell and stopped to have a look through the Aussie day Market. This took a while and we spent some money at both the cake stall and also the plant stall. After leaving the market we decided not to press on south and set off for Richmond instead. We had a delicious lunch at a cafe in town and then a stroll along the riverside. We got home again. I put the cricket on whilst Jo planted her new plants in the garden.

Corryong 2007

2007-01-18T17:37:00.000+11:00

January again and again it is off to Corryong for the annual camping trip. Here's what you do at Corryong. Grab a good book from the second hand book shop, bring your chair and join the readers circle in the middle of the creek. Great fun!

Of course when you get too hot sitting on your chair, you can just jump right in

Some of course prefer to sit on the bank

This was our 'tent' for the week!

The Blues Brothers

2006-12-31T00:42:00.000+11:00

What do ya know! The Blues Brothers are in Hobart and did a show tonight at a pub in town. It's the night before we leave for holidays and thought, why not! It was awesome. Some of the greatest music I have ever heard. I was enthralled. I decidecd if you are going to a show like that then you ought to dress for the occassion. Pretty cool eh!

Lots More Boats

2006-12-30T14:36:00.000+11:00

It must be people's day in Hobart. I have never seen the waterfornt as crowded as it was today. In the last 24 hours a whole lot more yachts have reached the finished line and it made a spectacular sight.

Simon the Busker

2006-12-30T14:32:00.000+11:00

Simon decided seeing it was the peak of tourist season and Hobart was crowded with 1000's of visitors, he might try his hand at busking down at the market. He last about an hour an half and came home home with $28.00. Where else could someone like Simon make $16 an hour without even having to work!

The boats come in

2006-12-29T09:42:00.000+11:00

Unfortunately I missed being on the docks at 10.00 last night when 'Wild Oats' sailed into Constitution Dock. In the hours that followed two more yachts came in. They were three big Maxi yachts. They said on the news that the three yachts are due to sail back to Sydney at noon today, so I decided to take a stroll down to the docks this morning and have a look. Sure enough all three maxis were in port and the place was a photographers delight.

Here is the second placed boat 'Ichi Ban' with 'Skandia in the background

The winning boat of course took prize position on the dock

Plenty of reporters around. One of the 'Sunrise' crew got a view from the mast of 'Skandia'

These last two pictures I can't claim as my own - but they are worth putting in anyway. This one shows Wild Oats passing Tasman Island and the next one is Wild Oats at sea.

Taste of Tasmania

2006-12-28T22:23:00.000+11:00

Each year in Hobart they hold a festival known as 'Taste of Tasmania. It starts on the 28th December and runs for about a week. It is designed to coincide with the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. The water front is transformed into a massive food hall and entertainment precinct. There is a mind blowing array of delicious Tasmanian food of all shapes and sizes to sample and a host of wines on offer. If you buy a glass out front for $6 you can sample as many fine wines as you wish. Jo and I went along today and enjoyed the food, the colour, the music and waterfront. I think the first of the boats is due to reach the finish line very late tonight. I'm tempted to go down for a look. Like they say, there's nothing like being there.

Christmas Day In Hobart

2006-12-25T16:02:00.000+11:00

Every year at Christmas we have travelled to be with the family for Christmas. This year for the first time we stayed at home and celebrated Christmas with our own family. We would have loved to have been with all the others in Melbourne, and it felt a little odd, but we made the most of our day together and did what we could to make it a very special day. The only down side for us that we were missing Sarah who is in Queensland at Viv's place. We still made up a group of six as in recent months we have had Liz come and live with us and it was great to have her join in our family Christmas celebrations.

Simon was proudly wearing his new tattoo which is only a couple of days old and features a bird surrounded by stars.

To all the rest of the family - sorry we did not make it to Melbourne for Christmas this year, but we will be there this time next week and looking forward to a week in Corryong with everyone.

There's something about Bruny

2006-12-19T17:11:00.000+11:00

Over the last couple of days our family has become quite spread out. Emily is in Warrnambool and just boarding the train back to Melbourne as I type. Sarah is in Airley Beach in North Queensland and Jo and I have spent the last two days back at Bruny.

There is something about Bruny. The place has become synonymous with renewal, refreshment and rest for me. This time I enjoyed some time out with Jo. We had a marvellous time and did nothing much but sit, walk, read and of course eat.

We are breaking a 25 year tradition and not joining the family on Christmas day. A little difficult in coming to terms with our decision, but we have chosen to sepnd Chritsmas here in Hobart and then travel to Victoria to join the family camping pilgrimage to Corryong. I will spend New Years Eve on my own on the boat to Melbourne and the family will join me the next morning at Tullamarine Airport. We are looking forward to a break.

Bond is boring

2006-12-09T09:13:00.001+11:00

For as many years as I can remember I have always looked forward to going to see a brand new James Bond movie. I don't think there is a single one that I have missed. With a brand new actor premiering as Bond, I was keen to go along and check it out. My honest opinion. It was terribly boring. It was a long film and I found myself constantly looking at my watch to see how much longer we had to sit there. The action stunts were there a plenty, but the story was dull and predictable at every turn. The sequences in the film were long and drawn out and the new actor never convinced me for a moment that he was James Bond. I heard that in the States the movie got out done by the dancing penguin film. After seeing Bond and watching the shorts of the penguin film at the start, I'm not surprised.

Liz's Baptism

2006-12-03T22:12:00.000+11:00

Tonight Simon's friend Liz was baptised. Liz has been a friend of Simon's for some time now and in recent days she has come to live with us and just last week gave her life to the Lord. I suggested to Simon that he come in the baptistry with me as he has been such a key person in helping Liz come to this moment in her life. It was a great thrill to have Simon with me and we baptised Liz together. It was truly a night to remember. Next Sunday three more people are being baptised at church. I reckon that's what it's all about.

The Nativity Story

2006-12-03T08:56:00.000+11:00

Last night Jo and I went to see the new film, 'The Nativity Story' that just opened in cinemas across Australia. Whilst I don't think it will likely gain a great deal of attention from the media and critics, I thought it was a marvelous piece of film making. It somehow managed to capture the vividness of the countryside, the culture of the people and the impact of the presence of Roman Soldiers in the land. The film also managed to retain a wonderful simplicity about the story. At the moment of the birth as I sat watching I was overcome with a sense of awe about the incarnation. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. If I ever lose the wonder and awe of that I think I'm in trouble.

Rainbow over Hobart

2006-12-02T18:18:00.000+11:00

25th Wedding Anniversary

2006-11-28T20:06:00.000+11:00

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary. That's something worth celebrating! Jo and set off yesterday for a night away together. We headed off to Port Arthur and stayed overnight at the Cascades Colonial Accommodation at Koonya on the edge of Norfolk Bay. The place is actually an old convict settlement that has been rebuilt as an accommodation centre. It's a wonderful place full of fascinating old buildings. What made it better still was that we had the whole place to ourselves for the night.

Our room was in the building on the right hand side

It was decked out in antique furniture and came with an open fire, fresh flowers and a bottle of Port.

Breakfast this morning just for two

This was the view we had to put up with

The only neighbors we had to put up with

The property had a walking track which we ventured out on

This morning we took a picnic lunch to Fortescue Bay

Here we ate our anniversary lunch

Again we ventured a little ways down the walking track. It would have taken us all the way to Tasman Island if we followed it for two days!

School Leavers Dinner

2006-11-24T21:07:00.000+11:00

Thanksgiving Aussie Style

2006-11-24T08:57:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was the 4th Thursday in November, thanksgiving day. It is not real big in Aus yet, but is a major event in the States. Last night Jo and I were invited to a Thanksgiving family dinner at Graeme and Brenda's place. It was wonderful to be invited over and we enjoyed a lavish feast of roast turkey and plenty of trimmings to go with it. It was quite a gathering that included a significant number of Holts and Petrusmas.

Graeme and Brenda had all four girls at home for the occasion which was a special treat

A highlight was getting to catch up with Nat who is home from the States for a short visit with her friend Ka-loon. (forgive my spelling if I have that wrong)

Another highlight of the night was when Graeme invited several people to share with the group the things for which they are thankful.

Thanksgiving is really a marvellous concept and one American idea we would like to see catch on here.

Willicombe girls unite!

2006-11-13T16:35:00.000+11:00

We just got back from very quick trip to Melbourne. Jo and I went to over to attend a facilitators workshop for 'The Marriage Course'. It is a program put out by the same church that brought us Alpha. Whilst we were in Mielbourne we took the opportunity of a meal out with two of Jo's sisters, Heather and Ingrid. We went to an all you eat place and did exactly that! It was a lot of fun and great to catch up with some of the Willicombe clan.

Jo and her sister Heather

Jo and Heather again and to the left is Ingrid's husband, Vinnie

Mother and daughter - Ingrid and Rachel

Bruny Alone

2006-11-09T16:14:00.000+11:00

I think it was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said something to the effect of 'Let him who cannot be alone beware of community and him who cannot be in community beware of being alone'. I'm definitely in the first group. I love being with people and solitude is for the birds! All that being said, I have just returned form another trip to Bruny Island. I have been there many times, but this time I went alone. I stayed for two days at Rudie's place. Bruny begins to take on more and more significance for me. It has been the place of various retreats for me - with the Mnistry team, with the eldership and with my pastor's retreat group. This time it was a retreat for just me - although my purpose was to spend some time with the Lord. I have done this several times now, and although I find it hard, each time seems to get a little easier.

I went this time with quite a sense of expectation. Years ago I mixed for a while with some guys from a Catholic renewal community. They would always commence a season of prayer by asking the question, 'What is the grace that I seek?' In other words, during this time of prayer, what is it that I am seeking from the Lord. Everyhting He gives is by grace. It was easy for me to answer. The grace that I seek is to hear the voice of God speaking directly and clearly to me. It doesn't sound much at first, but it can blow you way if you think about it.

I came home knowing that God had indeed spoken to me. There was direction for my ministry and my relationship with Him. There was reassurance about His love for me and my value in His eyes. It was a good time.

Will I go again. Yes, and soon. I think ...

I only took two pictures this time, so I thought I may as well show you both of them!

Drama Queen

2006-11-07T21:38:00.000+11:00

Tonight Jo and I were invited by the year 10 drama group at Emily's school to see their drama night. We sat and watched two hours of short skits and dramas performed by the students. Emily was in a drama that she wrote with a couple of freinds and played the part of a Mother. Well done Em!

The view from my window

2006-10-30T07:37:00.000+11:00

On Friday I was up very early. I was heading off to Launceston and had to leave at 6.15am. Whilst getting ready to leave I took a look out of our kitchen window - and this is what I saw! I was really pretty focussed on leaving and getting read to go and I could so easily have missed it. I wonder how many beautiful things there are around me everyday that proclaim the wonder and majesty of our God. Maybe sometimes we need to move just a little bit slower and look around. God is closer than we think!

Our two days in Launceston was absolutely amazing. JO came along and we met up with Beth and Rydie Sypkes. We sat and listened for two days to some world class leaders speaking what it means to lead in the church today. We were also deeply challenged by Bill Hybles to get the message clear and to get the message out. It was a very moving and stretching two days.

The sessions included an interview by Bill Hybles with Bono, the lead singer from U2. It was profoundly impacting to hear the incredible passion that a person could have to be a voice for the third world, to make poverty history and change the future of those without hope. I have become a U2 fan overnight! You might like to have a look at the web site of the organisation he is partnering with. It's worth a look. You can find it here.

The Hobart Show

2006-10-26T13:58:00.000+11:00

Well today is show day in Hobart. It's a beautiful sunny day and a public holiday. I canvassed the family to see if anyone was interested in a trip to the show! As usual no takers, so Jo and I set off on our own. We decided to go early to try to avoid the crowds. We filled in about four hours there before making the trip home. My highlight was the wine tasting. Jo's was all the doggies. Of course Harry was there with his steam engine - which just happens to be called 'Marshall'.

THe Twenty Third Psalm

2006-10-18T21:49:00.000+11:00

This Saturday our church is presenting our second 'Time and Space for God'. It is a new worship option we are offering. This time our theme is the 23rd Psalm. We use our downstairs area and each room will be creatively presented to help people reflect on one verse of the 23rd Psalm. As part of the display I have taken some photos that will be displayed at various places. What a great model I chose.

Lunch in Richmond

2006-10-16T18:19:00.000+11:00

Richmond is one of Jo's favourite places. It's just a short drive from Hobart and full of historic little shops and galleries. I guess Richmond is best known for its bridge built by convict labour in 1823 making it the oldest bridge in Australia.

We went to Ricmond with our friends John and Catherine. It was John's birthday and so we headed to our favourite little cafe in Richmond - Ma Foosies. Funny name, but great food and a lovely setting to eat in. (Check out 'Coffee, Food and Wine in Hobart' for a full review)

It was a delightful spring day and so we set off for a walk along the river and took time to give the digital camera a run for its money.

At the end of the walk - why not relax!

Fire In Hobart

2006-10-14T22:02:00.000+11:00

Like many places in Australia, Hobart has had its share of fires this week. On Thursday Jo and I drove back from Launceston and saw increasingly thick clouds of smoke as we got nearer to Hobart. Simon was scheduled to fly to Melbourne at 6.15 pm, but the road to the airport was cut because of the fires. The traffic was a t a stand still and we soon realised there was no way we would be able to get Simon to the airport in time for his plane. A quick phone call to Jetstar though and it was all fixed. The changed him to a flight the next day and didn't charge us anything extra. Jetstar have now gone a notch up in my estimation!

Well today was much cooler and a decent shower of rain this morning has meant that the eastern shore fire is now pretty much extinguished. Let's us know however that we could be in for a dramatic summer with more fires to come.

Final words

2006-10-13T19:09:00.000+11:00

Yesterday Jo and I attended a funeral service in Launceston at the Pilgrim Uniting Church. The service was held for a man by the name of Dr. Russell Bushby. Russell died just one day after his 84th birthday. For many years he served as a missionary doctor in India. In later years he preached over 2000 sermons as a lay preacher in the Methodist/ Uniting Church. His whole life was poured out in sacrificial service to the Lord. Russell knew he had only hours to live. Just before he died he asked for a pen and wrote out some words he would like shared at his funeral service. This is what he wrote:

My last word to you all

Dear friends,

It has been my privilege to know and experience the goodness and grace of God for many years. My decision to follow Jesus was made in this Church. It was the most important and best decision I ever made. I have proved God's faithfulness and love over my lifetime. It has given me purpose and meaning and it has been my privilege and delight to serve God in some small way.

In Psalm 34 we read: '“Taste and see that the Lord is God, blessed is the person who trusts in Him– for those who fear God love God'.

I want to say how valuable it is to have a personal faith in God– I commend it to you. If you do not know God's forgiveness of your sin and know His peace and know and plan for you life I strongly urge you to do something about it and accept the kind offer God extends to you.

'Taste and see the Lord is good.' How true, how very true! Such a commitment will be better than any insurance policy or superannuation you could take out. I challenge anyone who has not thought about it seriously to do so and accept God'’s generous offer that he extends to you.

With my love to you all,

Russell

Alese's Cookie Recipe

2006-10-10T21:15:00.000+11:00

Today I read with interest a recipe posted by Simon and Alese on their eating Melbourne blog page. The recipe looked quite easy - but what really hooked me was the picture of how they turned when Alese made them.

I was inspired. A night at home and all the ingredients on hand - Jo out at her college course - nothing much on TV - I decided to give the cookie recipe ago. With my laptop on hand for the recipe and a big mixing bowl we were ready to go.

I took the Alese's advice and made a double quantity mix. I needed a large bowl to hold all of the mix.

After quite a bit of mixing and mess all over the bench, I was ready to shape up my cookies.

Well at the end of the exercise this is what turned out.

They taste quite good - but just don't look as good as Alese's did

Fossil hunting in Hobart

2006-10-09T17:30:00.000+11:00

We were privileged to have John Mackay from Creation Research spend a weekend with us in our church. John spoke at a meeting on Saturday night and again at our morning service on Sunday. John has spent thirty years researching and speaking on the subject of creation.

This morning we drove down the southern outlet to a rock cutting that John had spotted earlier. He was sure we would find some interesting fossils there. We stopped and went hunting together. To my amazement we saw numerous sea shells and sea creatures embedded in the rocks. It really amazed me what you can find in a simple rock cutting on the side of the road.

Cruising the Derwent

2006-10-04T18:50:00.000+11:00

I could rattle on about the boat trip we had today with Marshall & Yvonne, but as usual it's best to let the pictures do the talking. We packed a good lunch and set off for the day. We put the boat in near the city and headed down the Derwent. We never quite made it as far as New Norfolk, but we were getting pretty close. If you want to know what the two men in police boat said, you will have to ask Marshall!!

Now this is true Tasmanian Art

2006-10-02T16:53:00.000+11:00

This morning we took a drive down to Peppermint Bay to have a look at the works of art displayed around the grounds. It was the final day, and after looking the various exhibits over, you are asked to vote for your favourite. I took some photos of some of the better ones - there were a few I didn't bother photographing. Which of the following would win your vote?

Perhaps my favourite sculpture involved me laying on the ground and looking up at the sky.

Another week away

2006-09-30T09:37:00.000+10:00

Last night at about 10.30 I arrived home from yet another week away - that made three weeks in a row! It's good to be home.

I went to Melbourne to take part in Crossway Baptist Church annual leadership conference. I think this is the third Crossway Conference I have been to. Again it was a great week of inspiration, insight and learning. There were three speakers this year - Gordon Moyes of Sydney and Canberra fame, and then two overseas speakers who I hadn't come across before - Leith Anderson from the USA and Edmund Chan from Singapore. Whilst I found the endless stories from Gordon Moyes about what a marvellous fella he is somewhat tiring - the other speakers were marvellous and had much to offer.

Of course whilst I was in Melbourne I stayed with Dad and Mum. At the end of the conference I enjoyed a day out with Dad and Mum down at Sorrento. After a wild walk on the back beach we settled down to lunch in a little cafe overlooking the water. The food was a little overpriced and ordinary, bu the view was magnificent.

Let the final picture go to one who who has never made a blog page before - Grandad's little dog, 'Monty'

Karina's 21st Birthday

2006-09-24T17:14:00.000+10:00

It was a special treat last night to attend Karina's 21st birthday. We were told to dress in movie star attire and walk the red carpet upon arrival. After clocking up my 102 laps at Bike for Bibles, I scrubbed up ready to head off to the big event.

It was a great delight to see Aunty Audrey and Lyndel had come over for the big event. They drove their car and came on the ferry. Then it was a further surprise to see David and Rosie arrive. It seemed like a real Holt family reunion.

A highlight of the night was a presentation by Karina's three sisters. It was all made possible by the live video link via the internet to Nat in the USA. Brenda the IT wiz had connected a laptop to their nice new big screen TV and it seemed just like Nat was right there in the room as the three girls took turns in telling the most amazing stories about Karina.

Karina looked sensational and all in all a wonderful night of good friends, family and of course some amazing supper to top it all of.

Back in the saddle

2006-09-23T12:44:00.000+10:00

Well it's been nearly two years since I have been on the bike. It was a bit dusty and covered in cobwebs - the bike that is! Bike For Bibles invited me to participate in a half day event at a local bike track in Hobart. I managed to round up another six riders from our church and off we set. I took it fairly slow for obvious reasons, but managed to clock up 102 laps - a distance of about 46 k's. Of course there were some young super fit riders there on nice bikes just to let you know how far you are from your better days - but it was all fun.

Magnetic Bruny

2006-09-22T18:07:00.000+10:00

Just come back from almost a week at Bruny Island - I'm almost tempted to call it Magnetic Island. Jo and I ventured over last Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a night together with just the two of us. On Monday afternoon Jo returned alone to Hobart whilst I stayed on and was joined by my pastor's retreat group. Seven of us spent five days sharing, praying, walking and of course eating and drinking together. Once again it was a real privilege to be able to share at such a deep and significant level with such a great group of guys.

It's hard to come up with new photos of the beach at Bruny as I have posted so many in the past, but here are a small sample of this weeks selections.

I'm only home for the weekend and then on Monday I am off to Melbourne for the annual leadership conference at Crossway Baptist church.

Breakfast with Phil Pringle

2006-09-16T13:18:00.000+10:00

This morning Jo and I have been on the go early - early that is for a Saturday. We had two invitations on the one morning. The first was to a pastor's breakfast at local restaurant where the guest of honor would be Pastor Phil Pringle from Oxford Falls in Sydney. Best of all it was all free. I have said for many years if you want to succeed in getting a group of pastors together for something - offer them a free feed. It always works. This morning was no exception. About 40 pastors crammed into a relatively new north Hobart restaurant simply called 'Fish'. As the name would suggest they seem to serve a lot of seafood, but today they excelled themselves in supplying cooked breakfasts for all the pastors.

After a hearty meal Phil spoke to us and was his usual colorful self. He had plenty to say about quite a number of subjects and I noticed that as he spoke more of the staff seemed to be moving closer to listen in. Phil spoke of some of the horrible things churches do to men. He spoke with great passion about the need to engage men in what we do. He called us to a deeper level of prayer saying that without much prayer ministry will soon be pretty dull and dry and be devoid of power.

After our breakfast Jo and I headed straight off to the Jam Packed Cafe down on the waterfront. This was another free feed compliments of our churches Eating With Friends ministry team. Lib Cooper who leads this ministry invited her whole team along for a special treat. Maybe my constant urging of people to take time to appreciate and honor one another is getting through. I was delighted to be there and share in a wonderful morning and watch a ministry team just enjoy being together. I reckon if we did this sort of thing more often in our churches - maybe we would keep our volunteers longer.

After much deliberation I settled on a selection of Pecan Pie and coffee

London Bridge

2006-09-15T22:03:00.000+10:00

Last week we were back in Warrnambool. We were invited back to take a wedding for a couple of good friends. The whole family decided to come along with the exception of Simon who chose a trip to Sydney instead. We enjoyed a great week and whilst we were there Jo and I took off for a night down at Port Campbell. We scored a wonderful unit just a short distance from town.

We spent some time looking at some of the sights along the Great Ocean Road and then returned to our unit where I cooked a delicious steak dinner for two and then enjoyed a candle lit spa (no photos I'm afraid!!) The only problem we had with the spa was that Jo decided to use a whole bottle of bubbles and so we were both lost in the bubbles. At least all the bubbles meant you had some added privacy! The other problem we encountered was that the mountains of bubbles also flowed over the candles and put some of them out and so it got darker as the night went on!

The day we left for Warrnambool I snapped this photo in our front yard. It's a good reminder that spring is here.

And they said I killed the tree

2006-09-04T22:18:00.000+10:00

Last year I took to the tree out the front of our house. I hit my head on it once too often and gave it a savage pruning. All my family thought the tree would never survive and that I had killed it. Well look at it now!

Father's Day Lunch

2006-09-03T15:07:00.000+10:00

Well breaking with a long standing tradition we actually did it. We booked! Our family always goes out together for both Mother's day and Father's day lunch each year - but we always forget to book. We then have the arduous task of walking the street looking for some restaurant with room to spare for just six of us. This year we booked in advance. We chose a table at the Waratah Hotel, just up near Simon's school in Elizabeth Street. The advertise regularly in the paper each week and each Sunday they do a roast dinner for the bargain price of $6.00.

All the foody details will be left for a very stimulating article on my food page - 'Coffee Food and Wine in Hobart' You can check it out. There is a link to it on the side bar.

It was a delight to have Simon's friend Liz join with us for the occasion.

Our lunch followed our morning service conducted by our children's ministry team - and what a marvelous job they did too. They took the theme, 'God's Wise Guys' and presented lots of fascinating insights into the book of Proverbs.

We also got to see John Kingshott, our chairman of elders as we had never seen him before.

I also happened to get this great photo of Enoch and Bunmi together. Enoch is also an elder of our church.

Emily is on the road

2006-09-01T16:42:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to Emily

This week she passed her learner's permit test on her first attempt. The interest now is whether she will actually have a drivers licence before the boys - every chance we think. Well done Em. Come for a drive in an XR6.

Bridgewater and Gagebrook

2006-08-28T16:08:00.000+10:00

Now here are two places around town that are always in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the latest installments the bus drivers are complaining that they are getting pelted with rocks whilst attempting to drive through Gagebrook. With all this terrible publicity bombarding us, my curiosity got the better of me and we drove up there to take a look for ourselves. Actually I went to deliver a food coupon for a guy who had called in at the church asking for help. Bridgewater and Gagebrook are adjoining suburbs on the northern outskirts of Hobart on the eastern shore of the Derwent river. As we got close to these places we noticed some very upmarket acreage on the banks of the river nearby, and yet both of these suburbs were obviously filled with public housing. It certainly looked to me to be no worse that Lyndale in north Dandenong where I grew up. Generally gardens were well kept and the school looked well cared for.

Of course you can never go anywhere in Hobart without the omnipresent Mount Wellington dominating the landscape.

We came back across the river and stopped for lunch at the Glenorchy Club Hotel. If you want to read about that experience you can check out entry number two on my brand new page, 'Coffee Food and Wine in Hobart'. There is a link in the side bar for you to click on.

Coffee Food and Wine in Hobart

2006-08-27T15:54:00.000+10:00

Just wanted to let you know about a new blog page I have just started. I have called it 'Coffee Food and Wine in Hobart' There is a link to it in the side bar of this page. This is a very new idea I have been toying with for a while. It was based on an inspiration I got from Simon and Alese who publish a blog with a similar theme in Melbourne. I think there page is called, 'Eating Melbourne' (there's a link to it on Simon's page) I thought we seem to visit so many different restaurants and coffee shops around town, why not do a bit of a report on our visits. The comments won't be from a professional chef, as Simon's would be - but they come from a table practitioner' - now there's a new phrase for you.

I don't know how the new page will fare. It has only one post on it and had only ten hits, unlike the famous 'Tassie Tales' that has several thousand hits and 140 posts on it. Appreciate you comments on my idea anyway.

Spring is in the air

2006-08-26T11:17:00.000+10:00

By this time next week it will be SPRING again. Last year spring was absolutely the best time of year to be in Hobart. You get days of glorious sunshine. There colour and vibrancy everywhere you look. This morning we awoke to a sensational sunrise and a glorious sunny day. We decided we would head off down to the famous Salamanca Market for an outdoor breakfast and stroll through the gardens.

If you park at the church and walk down to the market you can cut through the gardens to get to the market.

Whilst walking through the gardens we were puzzled to hear a large group of people doing strange things and laughing continuously. Whenever the laughter stated to die down, someone would lead off again with something to do for the others to copy. It seemed you could do anything at all and result in getting some side splitting laughter from the rest of the group. Looked a little odd, but what's wrong with a little more fun and laughter in the world. After all Proverbs says that it is good medicine. Maybe these people were really on to something!

We picked a table along the market strip and had breakfast at the Parthenon. It was you basic egg and bacon breakfast. The coffee was good and we soon put our meal away and headed off for a stroll through the market.

Whilst walking through the market we met up with a bunch of OCF students from our church who were singing together. They sing Christian songs and take the opportunity to speak with anyone who will listen to them about their relationship they have with Jesus. The more I get to know our OCF students, the more I like them. Well done guys.

Let me tell you about my week

2006-08-21T10:21:00.000+10:00

Yesterday morning in church I shared with our congregation a few of the things that I had seen and been involved in during the last week. This is what I shared with them ......

I want to tell you this morning about my week. Here are some of the things I have seen since closing our service in prayer last Sunday morning.

SUNDAY

Jo and I left the morning the service to have lunch at John and Catherine’s home – where over 30 Asian students packed into their home to enjoy a meal together. For some time now John and Catherine have been chaplains to our OCF students and have given of themselves tirelessly to build relationships and pastor a whole bunch of students.

My mind went back to the Easter OCF camp where I saw first hand the incredible work our OCF students do. They hold a very bright light of God’s presence up in our state university each week and have seen great fruit come from their ministry

I thought of the other chaplaincies we have operating in our church. John Bachelor who serves the Hmong community right across our nation. Noel Mundy who serves as a sports chaplain to our state basketball team – on top of one of the most demanding jobs anyone could ever have – Noel serves as State Director for Mission Australia – where he is on the front line every day speaking out for those who have no voice in our community.

SUNDAY NIGHT

I came back to church for our evening service. I arrived a few minutes late and came in to find there was no seats left. Over 60 people – mostly teenagers turning up for Sunday night church. Over the last three Sundays the worship and sense of God’s presence gone to a new level. I stood at the back as I watched young people right across the room beginning to enter into worship. All over the hall I could see God doing things in the lives of our young people. I began to weep and thank God for bringing people like Marshall and Yvonne into our midst. I drank in the sight before me. I had never dreamed we might be seeing Sunday night services like this so soon into Marshall and Yvonne’s ministry.

I realised that I had simply walked into the hall – but a whole team of our youth leaders would have worked for about two hours setting everything up – and after we finished they would pack it all up again. They spend hours doing this this - not just once, but every single week. Never once have I heard any complaints about all the work they have to do to make Sunday night happen.

The way the youth team work together to set up and pack up each week in incredible.

I saw Phil and Naomi there. Those two people are incredible. They work their hearts out. Their attitude seems to be ‘whatever it takes’.

Two weeks ago Nathan spoke at our night service. I watched as the Holy Spirit just seemed to come over Nathan as he spoke. I saw a passionate love for Jesus and love for the young people he was speaking to.

MONDAY

My day off – Jo and I picked up John and Catherine and enjoyed a day together at Mount Field National Park. I reflected on the deep friendship that Jo and I have developed with John and Catherine. Every time I see them, I see them serving – giving of themselves again and again. If you want to know what Jesus meant when he called us to serve one another in love – just look at John and Catherine.

MONDAY NIGHT

On Monday night I went to home group. It was another night of sharing and prayer together at Alvin and Kay’s place. Things just seemed to go to a deeper level in sharing and prayer this time. I reflected on the deep sense of belonging and community we experience with that little group.

Then I considered the fact that ours is just one of many groups that meet each week. Home group leaders who come home from a long day at work and then give time to preparing studies and programs for our groups

Every week I watch as Jo goes out several times to meet ladies one on one to pray together for the work of the church

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

I went to an elders meeting at John Kingshott’s home. We had not come to discuss endless church management issues. We had come together to read the scriptures together. We read the whole story of Joseph. Five chapters I think. As we read the story we would stop often and ponder the question, ‘What does it mean to be a leader?’ After our scripture reading we got down to a time a prayer and intercession praying for a long list of people and ministries in the church of which we are shepherds. This is indeed a different type of eldership than I have ever worked with before.

THURSDAY

Arrive at the office and there’s Kay meeting with a whole team of people who have committed themselves to providing visitation and pastoral care to the older members of our congregation. Here was a group of mostly retired people giving up hours every week to care for others in the body of Christ. Some of them go to the hospitals every week and visit people there.

Later on Thursday I went out for lunch with our ministry team. I sat and listened to Marshall as he shared with me a vision he has to expand our youth ministry even further and reach out not just to church kids, but hundreds of others kids right across our city. I was blown away by the passion and love that I saw in Marshall to see young people come to know the Lord be discipled in our church.

I listened to Yvonne outline plans she was working on to provide yet another expression of worship for our church. This Sunday she is launching a new concept called ‘Time and Space for God’ She is setting up about seven different rooms around a common theme where people can come and at their own pace work through the different areas alone with God. Here idea will utilise a an abundance of creative ideas to help people find some time and space to meet with God. I listened in awe of such a creative person who was prepared to work dozens of extra hours this week to make this happen.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Coming down to drop Sarah off for Kaos on Friday night. There were so many cars here I could hardly get in the car park. I come down to have a quick look at what’s happening – Young people packed into our hall – I left knowing that Marshall would be going hard at it until at least 11.00 pm that night. Marshall never does anything half heartedly. He gives his all.

SATURDAY

I turned up at church for a men’s breakfast at 8.00am organised by our ‘Outfella’s ministry’ I discovered that that Noel and Annette had been here at the church since 6.00 am cooking breakfast for the guys. Like many others they were going above and beyond what was asked. They cooked a fabulous breakfast.

During breakfast we listened as Chris Ranson got up and spoke about the growth and development of this ministry in just over twelve months since it began. Listening to Chris talk and realising that not only has it been Chris’s vision, but also his extraordinary commitment and attention to organisational detail that has seen ministry become a cutting edge community ministry in Hobart.

I listened as Chris spoke with passion about other churches starting to come on board and starting to get involved in this ministry. I remembered the day that Chris walked into my office and told me, 'I've got an idea'. Within just twelve months he has established a ministry that without any exageration has touched hundreds of lonely people with the love and mercy of God right across our city.

As I listened to Chris speak about the growth of Outfellas, I thought about our other community service ministries.

'Eating With Friends' that is providing a fantastic meal and a genuine experience of hospitality and Christian community for a whole bunch of elderly people who for them this day has become the highlight of their month. Our last Eating with Friends meal had the largest attendance we have ever had. A team of people work most of the day to make that meal happen. I thought about people like Lib Cooper whose endless energy and drive have seen that ministry grow and develop into yet another expression of mission in our community.

Then there is our seminar ministry. Kay and Sandra have just completed a ‘How To Drung Proof your kids’ program at Warrane Primary School. Now they have been flooded with requests for more programs in schools on the eastern shore.

I sat at the Outfella’s breakfast and saw a whole bunch of guys who had not only come for breakfast, but to give yet one more Saturday to going out in teams into our community to be the living presence of Jesus. I looked around the room and saw guys who all had demanding jobs and yet were now giving up yet another Saturday to simply serve our community.

I saw also people like Steve Whiteley and John Breaden who had come to give yet another Saturday of their time to work on the improvements being made to our annex building.

As I sat I was amazed to see Marshall and Yvonne come in. Marshall, despite getting home from Kaos close to midnight, was fronting up again to go out on a team and do gardening jobs all day.

I had the privilege of going out on a team myself with Harry Diers. I realised that Harry had had a pretty full on week. This week Harry had gone into a number of school to give out New Testaments to students. He had gone into another school and taught students about Stanley engines. He had also gone into some backpacker hostels to place posters of our church services and to build a relationship with the back packer proprietors. Harry had done all of this whilst also caring for Elaine who has been unwell this week. Here it is Saturday morning and Harry is out again.

Harry came out and worked hard in people’s gardens for five hours straight. I looked at him and wondered just how much energy does this guy have for serving the Lord – yet doing it simply as a servant of Jesus.

SATURDAY NIGHT

I attended a fund raising dinner for Samaritan’s Purse at the City Gate Church. When we arrived I was surprised to see a large contingent of people from our church congregating in the car park – coming out to support this great mission project. I thought about all the people in our church who would be involved in filling shoe boxes and giving financially to this ministry. I felt a wave of pride in our people demonstrating a growing awareness of overseas mission.

We went inside for the dinner and saw Nina and Rowena working flat out in their volunteer capacity with the Tassie branch of this ministry. I knew that for them it was not just Saturday night, but they both had put in a pretty solid week of hard work to make Saturday night happen. I listened as the National Director spoke of deep admiration for both Nina and Rowena and the endless hours of they put in as volunteers.

SUNDAY

I arrive at church early and yet I find as I walk in the door that the place is already a hive of activity. . I look and see Chris and Jane are already at the sound desk. Out the front I see Greg Foot working with a team of musicians who were giving time and effort to make worship on Sunday morning possible for the rest of us – Knowing that many of them would also have come out on Thursday evening to practice the songs and the music for this morning.

I stood for a moment and watched Greg. Here is a man who has invested and spent his whole life in ministry and service. For years he worked on the staff of World Vision. More recently he has served in our schools. Currently he tells me he has just taken on a new position working to encourage and support the chaplains in our school system. Doing this at a stage of life where many others would be wanting to kick back and settle down and go on holidays. For 40 + years Greg has been a member of this church. He has served consistently and graciously throughout the whole of this time. His life has become a model for many of us to imitate and follow.

I went down stairs to check out what’s happening there as our children’s ministry team were already hard at work setting up materials and equipment that I know they had spent hours getting ready during the week.

Seeing people like Yvonne Kroon who this year has taken on responsibility for the whole of the children’s ministry in our church. Yvonne has felt stretched and inadequate, but has gone about training herself and attending seminars and conferences to equip herself for a ministry that she is very passionate about.

Seeing Alice Nicholls downstairs and reflecting on yet another person who has given a lifetime of service to the Lord and now at her stage of life is still fronting up every week to teach our children the Word of God.

I saw John Kingshott down there, our chairman of elders. I knew that John on top of all his other responsibilities he has had volunteered to take on ten weeks presenting a special series in our children’s ministry. This would mean that John would give up ten Sunday mornings of church to do that.

I came back up stairs to greet people coming in to church. I met school teachers who had spent their week in front of class rooms. I knew that for many of them it was not just a job, but a life long calling and ministry. I met many others who I knew had given hours of service that week to serve the Lord in a multitude of different ways.

I could go on and on

What a privilege to part of the church.

A church filled with people who invest hundreds of hours every week in mission and ministry.

A church with a vision to be the living presence of Jesus in the city of Hobart

I want to tell you this morning ……

You people are AWESOME

It gives me a great deal of joy to be able tell people that I am pastor of Hobart City Church of Christ.

There’s an old chorus we used to sing:

I love you with the love of the Lord
Yes I love you with the love of the Lord
I can see in you the glory of my King
And I love you with the love of the Lord

If there is anyone who has any trouble experiencing the presence of God

Look around

Every where you look you will see people who radiate the presence of Jesus

That was my week.

A night out with Emily

2006-08-19T15:53:00.000+10:00

For along time now Emily has talked about her fascination with the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the casino in Hobart. None of us had ever been there, but we had heard other people talk about it. Last night I invited Emily to come with me on a special night out just for the two of us. There was no occasion other than a night out together. We got all dressed up and set off for the casino. We took the lift to the top floor and were seated at a delightful table for two right on the window wall. The restaurant is actually rotating slowly and so every time you look up you get a different view of the city and the Derwent river. It was absolutely delightful sitting there together and dining on a sumptuous three course meal together. Not something we get to do often, but the stuff that memories are made of. It was a very special night for both of us.

A Fortunate Life

2006-08-15T19:43:00.000+10:00

Last month on the occasion of my 50th birthday, someone gave me a copy of the book, ‘A Fortunate Life’ which is an autobiography written by A.B Facey.

The book is the story of Albert (A.B.) Facey, who lived with simple honesty, compassion and courage. (1894-1892) Albert lost his Father at the age of two and then was deserted by his Mother and left to be raised by his weak and elderly grandmother. At the age of eight on the rough west Australian frontier, he struggled as an itinerant rural worker and survived the gore of Gallipoli, the loss of his farm in the depression, the death of his son in World War II and that of his beloved wife after sixty years of devotion.

I picked the book up last weekend and found I could not put it down. I sat up Sunday night and read until 2.00 am. Here was a guy who endured hardships and difficulties beyond that which I could even begin to imagine. Despite all the hardships, Bert reflects at the end of it all and says, ‘I’ve really had a very fortunate life’ He lived through much the same era as my grandfather did, although on opposite sides of our continent. Reading the book gave me some profound insight into the my heritage as a descendant of early settlers in this country.

As I read story after story of hardship, suffering and pain, I grew ever more anxious to read some of some mention of the church or Christian people. Sadly I waited in vain. I became increasingly agitated as I read the story. I almost wanted to scream, ‘Where is the Church?’

It was almost at the very end of the book I read these words:

'My experience in the First World War and now the Second World War changed my outlook on things. It is hard to believe there is a God. I feel that the Bible was written by man, but not for the good of man, but for the purpose of preying on a person’s conscience, and to confuse him. Anyone who has taken part in a bayonet charge (and I have), and who has managed to retain his proper senses, must doubt the truth of the Bible and powers of God, if one exists. And concerning the many hundreds of different religions that there are in this world of ours, and the fact that many religions have caused terrible wars and hatred throughout the world, and that the many religions have hoarded terrific wealth and property, whilst people inside and outside of that religion are starving, it is difficult to remain a believer. No sir, there is no God, it is only a myth'. (Page 401-402)

Of all the tragic passages in the story, this paragraph hit me hardest of all. Surely I must read it over again and reflect deeply on what Albert Facey wrote here shortly before he died. Today I have given my life to serve the Lord within His Church. The Church must be seen to be one that shows in many and varied ways the amazing grace of our amazing Lord.

A trip back to Russell Falls

2006-08-14T17:42:00.000+10:00

The weather was a bit doubtful, but our resolve was high, so we bit the bullet and headed for our Gourmet Dellie and stocked up for a deluxe BBQ at Russell Falls. We stopped on the way to pick up John and Catherine and finished up having a wonderful day at the falls, a terrific lunch, and then a walk around the tall timbers before heading for home.

The electric bbq's were a little slow as they aften are - but in the meantime we lit a fire in the fireplace and settled down to setting the table ready for our feast.

Over lunch there were several visitors dropping in which made us TWITCH.

After lunch it was plunger coffee and french cakes with fresh cream by the open fire

We finished the day with a walk around the tall timbers of Tassie. This one measurers around 297 metres tall! Almost good enough to match the redgums of Calafornia I saw a few years ago.

A quick visit to Warrnambool

2006-08-06T21:04:00.000+10:00

At 6.50 this morning Jo and I were on a flight back from Melbourne to Hobart. It was the then end a very busy few days away as we traveled to Warrnambool to attend a celebration service for the life of my friend, Ian Lugton. The service was absolutely amazing. It was put together by Ian's three children who each took a segment and involved many other people and use of multimedia throughout. It was a very moving and powerful service. The walls of the church were lined with written tributes from students of a school where Ian had recently taught for just twelve months. It was a privilege to sit and listen to marvellous tributes from each of Ian's children. After the service we were able to catch up albeit briefly with many friends and contacts from our years in Warrnambool.

We spent just 24 hours in Warrnambool. We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Wes and Dee who also gave a bed for the night. We were able to visit Narelle Cook in hospital and was thrilled to see her looking so good after extensive surgery and prolonged illness.

On the way out of Melbourne curiosity got the better of me and I turned in to see what has become of the old Waverley Football ground. We attended many matches there as kids as it was fairly close to home. What an amazing sight to see all that's left of the old ground.

Whilst in Melbourne we were able to visit with Mum and Dad, Paul and Cindy, Mark and Val, Greg and Sally and Simon and Brenda - mind you some of those visits were rather brief, but we did get them all in!

Dinner at Mark's place - even got to see Jessie (What a great added bonus)

Dinner at Paul's place. Paul cooked us up a magnificent salmon dish. He really is as good as that naked chef guy - but I hasten to add that Paul did this task fully clothed!

On final port of call was overnight last night at Simon and Brenda's. No photo to show you, but we had a very comfortable bed compliments of Ali being absent on a sleepover at a friend's place. We crept out of Simon and Brenda's place at 5.20 this morning and headed for the airport. We got home and it was virtually straight to Church for a very well prepared sermon and then followed straight on with our church AGM. What a day! After church, Jo, Emily and I headed out together for a lunch at a really nice Indian restaurant. Back to church tonight where Nathan preached and did a fantastic job - well, now I'm home and can finally stop and catch up a little.

A Tribute to a Friend

2006-08-01T19:26:00.000+10:00

Last Friday afternoon Jo and I received a phone call to say that a dear friend of ours had passed away. His name was Ian Lugton. For the whole of our time in Warrnambool, Ian was pastor of the Warrnambool Christian Church. On the week we arrived in Warrnambool Ian was on our doorstep with a casserole and a warm welcome to the city. Over the next seven years we grew to become the closest of friends. His death was sudden and unexpected. He was a just a little older than myself and had always enjoyed good health and certainly lived a healthy and active lifestyle. His death has affected me deeply and on Thursday this week Jo and I are traveling to Warrnambool to attend his funeral.

I would like to take a moment to list some of the ways that Ian impacted my life:

• We prayed together every week for seven years
• We laughed together and drank endless cups of coffee
• We shared together at deeper level than I have with any other person outside of my family
• We cried together over the some of the deep hurts of life and ministry.
• We did crazy Kingdom projects together. We once decided to read the Bible out loud in the main street of Warrnambool from Genesis to Revelation over an Easter weekend.
• Ian had an incredible heart for the city. He saw his ministry being to the city and not just to a local church.
• Ian spent endless hours building bridges and removing barriers between churches in our city. He was often greatly misunderstood and endured many harsh words spoken about him by his brothers and sisters in Christ. Never once did I hear him respond or to speak ill of any other person, church or leader in our city. He passionately believed in the power of the Holy Spirit to move across our city.
• We often preached in one another’s churches.
• He poured his life into me.
• He spoke words of life and encouragement every time he saw me. I loved seeing him because I knew in advance that he would encourage and lift me up.
• Being with Ian just made me want to love Jesus more.
• Ian passionately loved his wife and his children and was unashamed of putting them first on so many occasions.
• Ian left a rich deposit of grace in my life. His life and passion touched my life in so many different ways.
• He seemed to know the truth of the words in Proverbs, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’. Ian used his tongue to speak out words of life. He spoke words of life over me, over my church, over my ministry, over other churches and other leaders, over our city and over our nation. His life and witness touched many people. There are many people I could name that are now in the Kingdom because of Ian.
• His life was tragically cut short. It seems so hard to understand, yet in a few short years of ministry his influence will go on for many years to come.

Ian is gone from us. You and I are still here. What time do we have? I don’t know, but I do know this – We have today! Hebrews says that God has chosen a special day and set it aside – calling it TODAY. Whatever you are going to do with your one and only life – DO IT NOW.

Ian has gone, but he has left a legacy, a huge deposit in the lives of so many. I thank God for the privilege of knowing Ian Lugton. I express my love and support for his wife Lorrain and to all the family who will be feeling his loss much more than I am. Ian is now with Jesus. One day we will see him again and enjoy an eternity together in the courts of our great King. Bring on that day!

I only wish I had some better photos to show you.

Transformation

2006-07-29T23:08:00.000+10:00

I was taking a few photos around the house tonight for a powerpoint to go with tomorrow's sermon and I wanted a photo of Simon's bedroom. He took a look at my photo and next thing we hear great goings on in the bedroom and then the vacuum cleaner going in. Jo and I just looked at one another in astonishment. When he was all done, I just had to go and take another photo. I wished I had thought of it sooner!

OK - I got the message already

2006-07-27T18:47:00.000+10:00

OK just a rose - but I'm off to Bruny again tomorrow, so maybe I'll come back with some lovely beach scenes once more.

Only because Ali said 'PLEASE"

2006-07-12T18:58:00.000+10:00

Thanks guys

2006-07-10T18:20:00.000+10:00

I wish I could find words to tell you how much it meant to me. To have you all come over means more than I can ever say. The party was a fantastic night that I will remember for the rest of my life. I know it cost you alot to make the trip, but in so doing you have given me a great gift. We can now begin to set our sights on January 18th, 2008 - Greg's 50th!!