public service announcement: carols under the bridge

Get ready, guys, this year's Carols Under the Bridge service is coming up on Saturday, December 14.  There's jazz around 5 pm followed by awesome carols around 7 pm.  Come on out, bring your friends, put it on your calendar now -- it's always a fantastic time!

public service announcement: jesus clubs

If anyone knows of any adults in Sydney with intellectual disabilities, have we got a club for you!  There are Jesus Clubs springing up all over Sydney, and they're awesome.  They're Christian organizations dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus with any and all adults with disabilities.  Run similarly to a youth group, they begin with games, then singing, then a Bible lesson, then buddy groups to recap the lesson, prayer time, a craft and refreshments.  There are currently clubs in Turramurra, Gladesville, Naremburn and Jannali -- check out the link above for tons more info if you're interested -- and please spread the word!

quicko: overt christianity

Another Garry noticed a lot in America was the more overt Christianity -- particularly billboards, highway statues of Jesus (yep, that one on 1-75), etc.  One that really stood out was a sign targeting models and actors for Christ ... hmmm ...

quicko: new archbishop

Sydney has recently elected a new Anglican archbishop -- Dr. Glenn Davies, who replaces Dr. Peter Jensen.  You can read more about it here.

quicko: christian children's music

Well, there's a niche market if ever there was one!

It seems THE Australian answer is Colin Buchanan.

From the American side of things, Veggie Tales have made it here, though Psalty the Singing Psalm Book isn't as widely known (though I think some may have heard of him?).

quicko: christian or not?

From Wikipedia, regarding Christianity in Australia:

"An international survey, made by the private and not-for profit German think-tank, the Bertelsmann Foundation, found that "Australia is one of the least religious nations in the western world, coming in 17th out of 21 [countries] surveyed" and that "Nearly three out of four Australians say they are either not at all religious or that religion does not play a central role in their lives."^[262] While weekly attendance at church services in 2001 was about 1.5 million^[263] (about 7.8 per cent of the population),^[264] a survey of 1,718 Australians by the Christian Research Association at the end of 2009 suggested that the number of people attending religious services per month in Australia has dropped from 23 per cent in 1993 to 16 per cent in 2009, and while 60 per cent of 15 to 29-year-old respondents in 1993 identified with Christian denominations, 33 per cent did in 2009.^[265]"

photos: happy easter!!

quicko: the uniting church

The Uniting Church is an Australian Christian denomination that formed from three others -- Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational.  It's one of the main denominations in Australia and Uniting Care, its service and outreach ministry, is the second biggest employer in Australia (after the government).  Uniting Care runs many homes for the elderly and is one of Australia's unsung heroes -- yet actually much bigger than AngliCare (the Anglican church's equivalent) or the Salvos (the Salvation Army, which many Australians support but don't realize is a Christian organization).

20th anniversary ...

Twenty years ago today I maybe didn't know quite what I was doing, but made the most important public declaration of my life: I was baptized as a sign of my acceptance of the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. In all these years, no matter how hard life has been or how faithless I have been, He has been constantly faithful and never once failed nor forsaken me. To Him be the glory now and forever!

happy 8th birthday, church by the bridge!!

Happy 8th birthday, Church by the Bridge!!

public service announcement: i heart kirribilli

It's still going on!!  You've got two more days (today and tomorrow) to get in and see the art at Church by the Bridge in Kirribilli (just across from Milson's Point station/the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- you can't miss it!).  The exhibition is open 9 am to 9 pm both days, with a prize night on tonight and an open mic night on Friday night.  Hope to see you there!

home is where jesus is

There's no where I feel more at home not at home than church.

I've just spent more or less an entire day hanging out at the launch of I Heart Kirribilli -- complete with Made Fair markets, an art exhibition, face painting and a sausage sizzle -- followed by worship with my church family and I'm absolutely exhausted, but there's no place I'd rather have been.

As an ex-pat living far from home, my church is my family here -- not because we share the traditional blood ties, but because we share the blood of Jesus.

Home is the place you can be grumpy and know that you're still loved.  It's where you can spend hours just talking to one person over a cup of tea with nothing else to do.  It's where you can just walk in and make a cup of tea with whatever you find in in the fridge.  It's where you can steal a cupcake when no one's looking.  It's where you eat.  And sleep and sing and learn and grow and love people and live together.  You come as you are.  You're home.

And I am so ridiculously proud of my church home here.  Church by the Bridge does an amazing job every year of engaging our community in relevant, meaningful ways like I Heart Kirribilli.  There's so much passion and love that goes into creating not only an amazingly classy week-long affair, but one that's focused on Jesus and inviting people in to share the good news of His love for them.

If you're interested, please stop by our art exhibition this week on Sunday from noon to 3 pm or any time Monday to Friday from 9 am to 9 pm.  (Thursday there is a prize night from 7:30 pm and Friday there is an open mic night called I Hear Kirribilli and dessert markets from 7 pm.  Access to the art may be limited at these times??)  Church by the Bridge is easy to find -- it's just across from the steps of the Harbour Bridge if you're walking or Milson's Point station if you come by train.  Or you could catch the 227, 228, 229 or 230 to Milson's Point.  Hope to see you there!

(Sorry, just to be clear, we're now all out of cupcakes.  And the markets were just for Saturday.  But inside there's lots of incredible art that's on display all week.  Check it out; you'll definitely be glad you did!)

public service announcement: I HEART KIRRIBILLI!!!

Hey everybody!!!  Today starts the launch of the annual I HEART KIRRIBILLI week at Church by the Bridge in (you guessed it) Kirribilli.  It opens at 9 am today and runs all week long!

Today is extra special because there's the art display PLUS made fair markets PLUS a sausage sizzle PLUS kids' stuff PLUS lots of general festivity and cool people.  Festivities go until about 3 pm today, but the artwork will stay up all day.

Throughout the week, you can stop by and meander in and see tons of local artwork (the theme is DISCORD) in the church from 9 am to 9 pm, today through Friday (though there are a few special events on Thursday and Friday nights that might make it harder to come then).  Friday night is I Hear Kirribilli and there's local artists performing live music ... and dessert markets!!

More information HERE!

quicko: "unspoken"

It occurred to me recently that there's a standard prayer request among American circles that's missing in Australian ones, at least as far as I've noticed:  "unspoken."  It's hard to say whether it springs from being less likely to be forthcoming about our own lives, sins and struggles with our fellow Christians or from a genuine attempt to reduce the prayer chain gossip, but I suspect there may be a bit of both involved, depending on the precise situation.

public service announcement: BLANKET SYDNEY with LOVE

What:  Donating blankets for people in Sydney who need them this winter
Where:  Church by the Bridge
When:  Tomorrow, Saturday 26 May from 9 am - 2 pm
Who:  Anyone!
Why:  Surely it's obvious?

Blankets should be new or in good condition -- please stop down and donate if you can!

happy easter!!

Hallelujah!  He is risen!

For once, there is absolutely no difference between Americans and Australians -- those bought by His blood are one and the same, for our citizenship is in Heaven.

Praise be to God!

quicko: only in america

A church in a mall.  Even I had to see it to believe it.

mr. eternity

I've rarely been so proud of the labels for a particular post here, but today's include the incredible mix of "christians," "sydney," "why sydney rocks," "history" and "famous australians."  It's rare Christians get a good rap in society today, but I absolutely love it when it happens -- just think if every Christian lived the way Christians are supposed to, how much better would our stigma in society be?  Not that Christians should ever expect to be treated well by the world at large, but if we were hated because of Jesus instead of for not acting like Him, at least that would mean we were doing an awful lot better job of following Him.

Anyway, I have a vague idea that others from outside-of-Christian circles have mentioned Mr. Eternity to me before, but I heard about him at church tonight in one of those ways like Martin Luther King, Jr. that makes you go, "yeah!  If only everyone realized he was doing what he did for the gospel of Jesus Christ and not just because he was nice/creative/charismatic/altruistic/cool/etc!"

So, Mr. Eternity is a reasonably well-known name in Sydney because for 35 years in the early to mid 1900s he wrote the word "eternity" in chalk all over the streets of Sydney.  He's estimated to have written it over 500,000 times and thus made his mark.  Because his identity wasn't known, he was referred to as Mr. Eternity.

The part of the story that isn't as widely known is that his real name was Arthur Stace and he had an absolutely amazing testimony of being a follower of Jesus Christ.  He'd had an awful childhood and led a very colorful life up unto the age of 46 at which time he heard a sermon and gave his life to Christ.  Two years later he heard another sermon on eternity from Isaiah 57:15 ("For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.") and felt God's call on his life to write "eternity" around Sydney.  I imagine this was to make everyone stop and consider eternity and how their current lives would impact their eternity, though I didn't find that explicitly stated.  What was also fascinating was that he was nearly illiterate to the point of hardly being able to write his own name, but he was able to write "eternity" beautifully.

He lived in Sydney between 1884 and 1967, and today one of his "eternity" chalk writings remains (there are two other replicas).  Vastly more important, though, is the impact he made on a hugely unknowable number of people which will truly last for eternity.

For further reading:
"Mr. Eternity -- Arthur Stace"
Eternity at the Olympics -- though I disagree with the ending.  I doubt he (or any Christian) would call the gospel the best "bargain" he'd ever had.
Arthur Stace -- Wikipedia

quicko: christmas traditions

Although Christmas is huge in Australia, it doesn't have the same extent of Christmas tradition -- or spirit, if you will -- of a northern hemisphere Christmas.  It's a very different vibe really.  The following are traditions that are major in America -- and not unheard of in Australia, possibly even done, but just not to the same extent, from what I can tell:

--Christmas trees (esp. real ones)
--decorations (inside and outside the house and inside the church)
--Christmas music (ex., Feliz Navidad isn't so big here as in America, go figure)
--Christmas cookies
--gingerbread houses
--caroling
--Christmas cards
--Christmas pageants
--Advent


Thankfully, though, the actual meaning of the holiday -- Jesus' birth -- is definitely celebrated, at least among Christians.  In some ways, you could argue that there's more emphasis on His birth without all the additional fuss and trimmings -- and then you could argue on the other side that by making Christmas such a complete and full holiday it adds weight to the significance of His birth in beginning it all.  I go back and forth.  I miss the fullness of the Christmas season, but appreciate a more direct focus on Jesus.

And besides:  my bus was completely decked out for Christmas today.  How joyful was that!?

quicko: between a card and a hard place

I was looking for Christmas cards yesterday and, though I admit to only really scanning two stores, I was distraught to find next to no cards with any sort of Jesus-Mary-Joseph type sentiment behind them.  Half couldn't even mention "Christmas."  Of the three? cards with genuineness about them, two featured the wise men only.  Now the wise men are lovely and part of the story and all -- but surely they're not exactly the highlight!  I found one card with a general nativity scene (that thankfully managed to be pretty and sparkly, too!) ... tough times for Christmas in Australia.