Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
One small step
We’ve all been there. And don’t you deny it. We’re in a crowd of people or in some public place when we turn to follow the gaze of a dozen other eyes and rest upon something unusual. We’re in the middle of a crowd and somebody within eyesight is doing something different from the rest of the crowd. They’re actually doing something that most of us only dream of. The people doing it stand out from the rest because of the way they’re dressed, what they’re doing, what they say or how they walk. There’s something that distinguishes them from the rest of us. There’s something that makes us look; and something, that when we see them, causes us to be just a little bit jealous. Oh, we would never admit that we were jealous. We may even say to the person beside us that we would never do something like that. “It doesn’t interest me.” “That’s crazy.” “It costs too much money.” “I just wouldn’t have the nerve.”
Think back to the last time you saw someone driving that new car you’ve been dreaming of – the exact make, model, and year (or for all the women out there – the exact colour). Think about the time you walked into someone’s grandiose new home and thought “If only”. Think back to the last time you looked up in the sky and saw someone gently gliding to the earth with a parachute. Think of the person who walks past you when boarding an airplane; who boards first, and whom you must now walk past as you walk through the comfortable, roomy business class sofa’s on your way to your cramped and illegally uncomfortable economy nook or cranny surrounded by 3 screaming children and 5 people who didn’t put on deodorant that morning (Yes this has happened to me!!!!!) I’m sure there are many more things that you could think of, but I think you get the point.
Well today it was my turn. Today, just for one brief, fleeting moment, I had my go. Today, I was on the other side. Today, I was the one that others looked at with all the dreams in their eyes. I won’t claim that everyone dreams of doing what I did today; but the point is the same – just different activities for some people. At 4:00 this afternoon, I walked up a short, rocky ascent and saw the crowd. Today, I saw the other people look at me with eyes of wonder; thinking to themselves, “I wish that was me.” And for that one little child in the crowd with the biggest eyes of them all, I truly hope that one day you get your turn. But as for me, it was the end of a long and tiring day; the last leg on a journey of many firsts fulfilling a dream that’s been alive for more than half my life. Today, I did it.
I started my day by waking to an alarm (ok, that’s hardly something special – and certainly not a first for me), I then went on to pack up my bedding, grab a quick breakfast, and do the rest of a regular morning routine. After this, I went for a drive to a place I’d never been before, stopped in a classroom I’d never seen before and did a test I’d never written before for an online course I’d been taking in the last week, After this, I went to the next room and had some equipment explained to me, and let the fun begin.
Next step was a 200 meter swim; which for some people is no big deal; but for me, a middle aged Canadian student who’s been out of commission from a bummed knee and who’s spent more time sitting at his computer than doing anything else for the last 7 years, this was a big deal. I managed the swim twice as long as I’d ever done before and then was told to float in the water for another 10 minutes. Finishing that wasn’t too bad except I’d already run myself dry (ok, it’s tough to get dry while swimming but that’s beside the point) with the swimming. Well, I got through that and went to get my equipment on. That’s when it really began. It’s like a new birth. Like a child who’s just come out of his mother’s womb and takes that first big gulp of air – except this was almost the opposite, going back into a liquid filled cavern and feeling really restricted. The wet suit was tight, the equipment was heavy (until in the water) and the adjustment was difficult. But somehow I managed to wrap my head around the concept of staying underwater and breathing like normal. I went on to go without the air, to use someone else’s air, to use my second source of air, and to wish I had air. I swam with a mask, without a mask, and with my mask strung along my arm. After a myriad of other activities, I was deemed ready to move on to the real thing. We stopped for a light lunch then made our way to the open water where we would make us of so many things we had learned and practiced for just this occasion. North Sydney; Bare Island; Botany Bay; My first ocean water scuba dive. Lest I bore you with all the details, I’ll just say it was quite an amazing experience, I saw lots of great features that until now have been restricted to pictures and the TV screen, got to feed a big blue fish, and eventually made my way out of the water and up the short rocky ascent where I saw the wide-eyed young child and the rest of the crowd. It was a tiring yet great day and one I likely won’t forget anytime soon. It was, after all, the day I fulfilled a long-time dream of mine and for the first time, went scuba diving.
I’m now finishing this entry off after the fact and I can tell you I did three more dives on Tuesday, played with a strange looking fish, saw another octopus, something in the family of the stingray, a second big school of small fish, and a bunch more. It was a great experience and I’m now a certified scuba diver.
One dream fulfilled. Next time, see you on the plane as you all are walking past me sitting on the comfortable, roomy business class sofa on your way to your cramped and illegally uncomfortable economy nook or cranny surrounded by 3 screaming children and 5 people who didn’t put on deodorant that morning. On second thought, follow your dreams and come join me in the better seats on the plane.
(now for the male version... I got certified for scuba diving this week. It was good.)
Think back to the last time you saw someone driving that new car you’ve been dreaming of – the exact make, model, and year (or for all the women out there – the exact colour). Think about the time you walked into someone’s grandiose new home and thought “If only”. Think back to the last time you looked up in the sky and saw someone gently gliding to the earth with a parachute. Think of the person who walks past you when boarding an airplane; who boards first, and whom you must now walk past as you walk through the comfortable, roomy business class sofa’s on your way to your cramped and illegally uncomfortable economy nook or cranny surrounded by 3 screaming children and 5 people who didn’t put on deodorant that morning (Yes this has happened to me!!!!!) I’m sure there are many more things that you could think of, but I think you get the point.
Well today it was my turn. Today, just for one brief, fleeting moment, I had my go. Today, I was on the other side. Today, I was the one that others looked at with all the dreams in their eyes. I won’t claim that everyone dreams of doing what I did today; but the point is the same – just different activities for some people. At 4:00 this afternoon, I walked up a short, rocky ascent and saw the crowd. Today, I saw the other people look at me with eyes of wonder; thinking to themselves, “I wish that was me.” And for that one little child in the crowd with the biggest eyes of them all, I truly hope that one day you get your turn. But as for me, it was the end of a long and tiring day; the last leg on a journey of many firsts fulfilling a dream that’s been alive for more than half my life. Today, I did it.
I started my day by waking to an alarm (ok, that’s hardly something special – and certainly not a first for me), I then went on to pack up my bedding, grab a quick breakfast, and do the rest of a regular morning routine. After this, I went for a drive to a place I’d never been before, stopped in a classroom I’d never seen before and did a test I’d never written before for an online course I’d been taking in the last week, After this, I went to the next room and had some equipment explained to me, and let the fun begin.
Next step was a 200 meter swim; which for some people is no big deal; but for me, a middle aged Canadian student who’s been out of commission from a bummed knee and who’s spent more time sitting at his computer than doing anything else for the last 7 years, this was a big deal. I managed the swim twice as long as I’d ever done before and then was told to float in the water for another 10 minutes. Finishing that wasn’t too bad except I’d already run myself dry (ok, it’s tough to get dry while swimming but that’s beside the point) with the swimming. Well, I got through that and went to get my equipment on. That’s when it really began. It’s like a new birth. Like a child who’s just come out of his mother’s womb and takes that first big gulp of air – except this was almost the opposite, going back into a liquid filled cavern and feeling really restricted. The wet suit was tight, the equipment was heavy (until in the water) and the adjustment was difficult. But somehow I managed to wrap my head around the concept of staying underwater and breathing like normal. I went on to go without the air, to use someone else’s air, to use my second source of air, and to wish I had air. I swam with a mask, without a mask, and with my mask strung along my arm. After a myriad of other activities, I was deemed ready to move on to the real thing. We stopped for a light lunch then made our way to the open water where we would make us of so many things we had learned and practiced for just this occasion. North Sydney; Bare Island; Botany Bay; My first ocean water scuba dive. Lest I bore you with all the details, I’ll just say it was quite an amazing experience, I saw lots of great features that until now have been restricted to pictures and the TV screen, got to feed a big blue fish, and eventually made my way out of the water and up the short rocky ascent where I saw the wide-eyed young child and the rest of the crowd. It was a tiring yet great day and one I likely won’t forget anytime soon. It was, after all, the day I fulfilled a long-time dream of mine and for the first time, went scuba diving.
I’m now finishing this entry off after the fact and I can tell you I did three more dives on Tuesday, played with a strange looking fish, saw another octopus, something in the family of the stingray, a second big school of small fish, and a bunch more. It was a great experience and I’m now a certified scuba diver.
One dream fulfilled. Next time, see you on the plane as you all are walking past me sitting on the comfortable, roomy business class sofa on your way to your cramped and illegally uncomfortable economy nook or cranny surrounded by 3 screaming children and 5 people who didn’t put on deodorant that morning. On second thought, follow your dreams and come join me in the better seats on the plane.
(now for the male version... I got certified for scuba diving this week. It was good.)
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Decision Time
Late last year, a pastor suggested I should stay in Australia a bit longer, do another year of school, and do and internship with him. I turned him down. A few months later, another pastor asked me what my plans were for after July and suggested I do an internship with him. I turned him down too. A few months later, yet another pastor made a similar suggestion and I decided it was time to seriously consider it. I spent the next month labouring over the decision and finally made the commitment he was looking for.
After much deliberation, seeking advice from other people and direction from God, recalling memories and thinking of future direction, I’ve committed to staying in Australia another year. Assuming I can get an appropriate visa, I plan to stay here till July 2009 and take on a larger role within the church. I was asked specifically to start doing pastoral care for people aged 25-35; coming alongside those who are struggling and helping them through tough seasons in life. This is precisely the sort of “work” I’ve been training for and this is a great opportunity to get involved, be challenged, and become a better man. I’ll be working with the same pastor with whom I’ve now made two trips to Africa. In short, working with him will surely push me to grow in certain areas of life where I see weaknesses; serving in this capacity will provide opportunities to use my strengths, gifts, and abilities; and being involved with the area I’ll be in will give me great exposure to more of the inner workings of a large and influential church. I debated long and hard on whether to take this opportunity or to move home at this time and ultimately, I believe that by stepping into this role, I will be much better prepared to step into whatever roles await me in my future.
There are still many questions regarding how this will all work out but that’s not really in my hands. I need to do my part to make it work and leave the rest up to God.
So now instead of moving home in July, I plan to take a trip home somewhere between now and Christmas to pay a visit. I don’t know yet when that will be, but it won’t be anything before July 19th because of other plans I have between now and then. I guess for now, I’ll just say “hi” in passing to everyone reading this blog. I wish you all the best; and you now have one additional year to come visit me in Australia!
After much deliberation, seeking advice from other people and direction from God, recalling memories and thinking of future direction, I’ve committed to staying in Australia another year. Assuming I can get an appropriate visa, I plan to stay here till July 2009 and take on a larger role within the church. I was asked specifically to start doing pastoral care for people aged 25-35; coming alongside those who are struggling and helping them through tough seasons in life. This is precisely the sort of “work” I’ve been training for and this is a great opportunity to get involved, be challenged, and become a better man. I’ll be working with the same pastor with whom I’ve now made two trips to Africa. In short, working with him will surely push me to grow in certain areas of life where I see weaknesses; serving in this capacity will provide opportunities to use my strengths, gifts, and abilities; and being involved with the area I’ll be in will give me great exposure to more of the inner workings of a large and influential church. I debated long and hard on whether to take this opportunity or to move home at this time and ultimately, I believe that by stepping into this role, I will be much better prepared to step into whatever roles await me in my future.
There are still many questions regarding how this will all work out but that’s not really in my hands. I need to do my part to make it work and leave the rest up to God.
So now instead of moving home in July, I plan to take a trip home somewhere between now and Christmas to pay a visit. I don’t know yet when that will be, but it won’t be anything before July 19th because of other plans I have between now and then. I guess for now, I’ll just say “hi” in passing to everyone reading this blog. I wish you all the best; and you now have one additional year to come visit me in Australia!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Curious????????????
Has anyone noticed the countdown timer on my page?
Wondered what it's there for?
Hint, it is not for when I come home......
Wondered what it's there for?
Hint, it is not for when I come home......
Friday, April 18, 2008
Air Miles cont...
Well, as has become my custom, it’s been a while again. But this time I have a bit of an excuse at least… I’ve been gone a lot and didn’t have much internet access; and when I got home, I was playing catch up. I’m still playing that game, but decided that since I can’t sleep and I need to get my mind onto other things than trying to sleep, I’d write something for here.
My trip started off with an offer of $400 and a hotel stay if I’d fly the next day but unfortunately I couldn’t accept the offer so I got on a really full plane. Thankfully, it was much better than some planes I’ve been on and the trip went well. We did end up waiting 1 ½ hours for our departure due to strong winds and some planes not being able to land, but we made up some time during the flight and they treated us well.
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we was met by a really great man who’s part of the church Chris (a pastor I travelled with) was preaching at and were taken to our hotel. What we saw that night was much like any city in the Western world. I won’t go into all kinds of details but will highlight a few things combined with a few pictures. Here goes…
South Africa is dealing with a power shortage and so they have what they call load sharing. The electricity is turned off in rotating areas for a few hours at a time. We experienced this a few times. One of the times without power was during a service so there was some improvising; but it turned into one of the best services ever! Another time was just after this photo was taken. We found out there was a soccer match on when we had some free time so we had to experience it. After sitting through the first half with a dozen people around us smoking drugs, we heard an announcement that the power would be turned off for 20-25 minutes and we should watch our belongings closely. The people we were with are from South Africa and they decided it wasn’t safe for us to stay so instead of watching the second half, we found a restaurant in another area of town and had a good meal. The lights went out as we walked out of the building!
I was able to spend some time with a few friends of mine from college. This is Coral and her family. I met them on Sunday afternoon and we also went to a game park all day Monday.
5 minutes after arriving at the game park, we saw our first elephants. They got quite close!
...But not too close for me to get out and take a picture! The family we were with were quite scared about me getting out of the vehicle, but I hadn’t seen any lions and I was quite sure the elephant wouldn’t charge without warning (sorry mom). Following my example, Chris also got a picture like this.
Elephants weren’t the only animal to get close – this one looked like it might charge so we didn’t get out.
On to Cape town where I got to see a couple other friends of mine. This picture is taken on top of Table Mountain – the pride and joy of Cape Town and much of South Africa. I checked the elevation and found that the top of the mountain is almost exactly the same height as the base of the last ski hill I was on in Canada. I must admit that the view was great and Cape Town is an incredibly beautiful city.
We did some “touristy” type things but also took some time to see a little more of the country. We went to Robbin Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and also spent some time at an orphanage. Here’s a shot of the children at the orphanage together with a few volunteers and those of us who were visiting. I enjoyed playing with the children for an hour or so before we left to see some other areas and people.
During the next part of our trip, we went through the poor areas of Cape Town. I didn’t see nearly as much poverty as I saw in Uganda, but it was still appalling. One thing that amazed me was that most buildings in the poor area were shacks at best, yet the majority also had TV antenna’s on their roofs. Apparently, it’s very unusual for someone in one of these communities to not have a flat screen TV and a cell phone. They can hardly put a roof over their heads, but they can watch the boob tube under it! This picture is one of the poorest churches I’ve ever seen.
After a trip that went very quickly, I made it home in time to have 10 minutes at home before heading off to church for the evening. I pulled off 4 meetings before church, one church service, and someone at my place for a couple hours after church before going to bed and attempting sleep. Making the mistake of not taking a sleeping pill, I didn’t manage any sleep till 3AM and was completely shot the next morning as I went to church after sleeping through my alarm for an hour! When I did wake up, I managed to get ready in 10 minutes before someone I had promised a ride to church showed up at my door. Another busy day and late night, then came Monday…
slept in like I haven’t in my memory, then got up and did some much needed unpacking and laundry
…as I talked with a certain special someone back in Canada…
My trip started off with an offer of $400 and a hotel stay if I’d fly the next day but unfortunately I couldn’t accept the offer so I got on a really full plane. Thankfully, it was much better than some planes I’ve been on and the trip went well. We did end up waiting 1 ½ hours for our departure due to strong winds and some planes not being able to land, but we made up some time during the flight and they treated us well.
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we was met by a really great man who’s part of the church Chris (a pastor I travelled with) was preaching at and were taken to our hotel. What we saw that night was much like any city in the Western world. I won’t go into all kinds of details but will highlight a few things combined with a few pictures. Here goes…
South Africa is dealing with a power shortage and so they have what they call load sharing. The electricity is turned off in rotating areas for a few hours at a time. We experienced this a few times. One of the times without power was during a service so there was some improvising; but it turned into one of the best services ever! Another time was just after this photo was taken. We found out there was a soccer match on when we had some free time so we had to experience it. After sitting through the first half with a dozen people around us smoking drugs, we heard an announcement that the power would be turned off for 20-25 minutes and we should watch our belongings closely. The people we were with are from South Africa and they decided it wasn’t safe for us to stay so instead of watching the second half, we found a restaurant in another area of town and had a good meal. The lights went out as we walked out of the building!
I was able to spend some time with a few friends of mine from college. This is Coral and her family. I met them on Sunday afternoon and we also went to a game park all day Monday.
5 minutes after arriving at the game park, we saw our first elephants. They got quite close!
...But not too close for me to get out and take a picture! The family we were with were quite scared about me getting out of the vehicle, but I hadn’t seen any lions and I was quite sure the elephant wouldn’t charge without warning (sorry mom). Following my example, Chris also got a picture like this.
Elephants weren’t the only animal to get close – this one looked like it might charge so we didn’t get out.
On to Cape town where I got to see a couple other friends of mine. This picture is taken on top of Table Mountain – the pride and joy of Cape Town and much of South Africa. I checked the elevation and found that the top of the mountain is almost exactly the same height as the base of the last ski hill I was on in Canada. I must admit that the view was great and Cape Town is an incredibly beautiful city.
We did some “touristy” type things but also took some time to see a little more of the country. We went to Robbin Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and also spent some time at an orphanage. Here’s a shot of the children at the orphanage together with a few volunteers and those of us who were visiting. I enjoyed playing with the children for an hour or so before we left to see some other areas and people.
During the next part of our trip, we went through the poor areas of Cape Town. I didn’t see nearly as much poverty as I saw in Uganda, but it was still appalling. One thing that amazed me was that most buildings in the poor area were shacks at best, yet the majority also had TV antenna’s on their roofs. Apparently, it’s very unusual for someone in one of these communities to not have a flat screen TV and a cell phone. They can hardly put a roof over their heads, but they can watch the boob tube under it! This picture is one of the poorest churches I’ve ever seen.
After a trip that went very quickly, I made it home in time to have 10 minutes at home before heading off to church for the evening. I pulled off 4 meetings before church, one church service, and someone at my place for a couple hours after church before going to bed and attempting sleep. Making the mistake of not taking a sleeping pill, I didn’t manage any sleep till 3AM and was completely shot the next morning as I went to church after sleeping through my alarm for an hour! When I did wake up, I managed to get ready in 10 minutes before someone I had promised a ride to church showed up at my door. Another busy day and late night, then came Monday…
slept in like I haven’t in my memory, then got up and did some much needed unpacking and laundry
…as I talked with a certain special someone back in Canada…
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Air Miles
Well, 12 hours from now I'm in a car on my way to the airport...again! This time it's off to South Africa. Two days from now I can say that in the last two years I've been in 2 1/2 times the number of countries and 4 times the number of continents, and flown somewhere around 20 times the amount of miles as in the 30 years before. Quite a change! I'll post some details of the trip when I get back...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thanks
A friend of mine had a little problem the other day. Today, she doesn’t. Two weeks ago, she slipped while walking some stairs and ended up in hospital where x-rays were taken, confirming a break near her ankle. Sporting a new cast, she started using crutches and had other people driving her around in her own car (very much like I did when my knee was damaged).
A short while later she had another slip and thankfully didn’t break anything but the slip happened close to some water and she fell in. Since casts are not meant to get wet, it had to come off.
Three days after the cast was put on, she was back to see a doctor who would tell her if she needed surgery to fix the break properly. She went in with her sister and as they walked in, the doctor asked which one was the patient. He was busy looking at the x-ray and saying that it was definitely a bad break; giving the name and location of the break. After figuring out which girl had the break, he examined her leg and where there should have been pain, there was none; where there should have been a broken bone, there was a completely healthy bone. He looked at the X-ray again and asked her when it had been taken (I guess the fine print on the X-ray was too small or something so he didn’t just read the date on there) and upon realizing the bone was broken only three days earlier, was left speechless – giving her the chance to declare to him that it was simply a miracle.
She had a three hour dance class the next day and four days after the break was back to functioning completely normally with even the bruising around the break gone.
Thank God that he still does miracles today!
A short while later she had another slip and thankfully didn’t break anything but the slip happened close to some water and she fell in. Since casts are not meant to get wet, it had to come off.
Three days after the cast was put on, she was back to see a doctor who would tell her if she needed surgery to fix the break properly. She went in with her sister and as they walked in, the doctor asked which one was the patient. He was busy looking at the x-ray and saying that it was definitely a bad break; giving the name and location of the break. After figuring out which girl had the break, he examined her leg and where there should have been pain, there was none; where there should have been a broken bone, there was a completely healthy bone. He looked at the X-ray again and asked her when it had been taken (I guess the fine print on the X-ray was too small or something so he didn’t just read the date on there) and upon realizing the bone was broken only three days earlier, was left speechless – giving her the chance to declare to him that it was simply a miracle.
She had a three hour dance class the next day and four days after the break was back to functioning completely normally with even the bruising around the break gone.
Thank God that he still does miracles today!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Random Ramblings
Welcome back! I got an email from someone commenting on me disappearing from the face of the earth… well, the email wasn’t that far off.
I spent last week helping out at the women’s conference where I took on the same role as I did for Hillsong Conference last July. We had somewhere around 14,000 women out this year (my guess only) and as every time before, it impacted many lives. I had a couple of interesting situations; like two women who tried to convince me that I should let one of their friends into the resource center when it was closed – they used the argument that she was pregnant and I had no idea what it’s like to be pregnant (REALLY??? What gave that away? I’m sure it wasn’t the facial hair J) All in all, it was a good week. I struggled a bit with the physical side of things because my knee has not yet fully recovered from surgery in October and spending 14 hours a day on my feet while walking 20km on a concrete floor can be hard on a bad knee. One day was enough that I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without using the handrail to support my weight; but that too is settling back into recovery mode again. A few weeks ago, I thought my girlfriend might make the trip to conference, but she couldn’t get enough time away and I was going to be really busy so we wouldn’t see each other much anyways so we decided to wait for now. So after a busy week, I now have two days off to recuperate and clean house before starting back to classes on Wednesday. My connect group meets again tonight so I also need to get a study ready for that…and so goes the life of Larry.
Before I leave you again, I’ll just mention one more thing. I have some big decisions to make in the next couple of months. I’ve been asked to take on a much larger leadership role within one age group here at church but some of that leadership depends on me staying here for another year. So I have an incredible opportunity here in Australia for another year, but I know great things await me at home in Canada as well. Please pray for wisdom in the decisions I need to make.
I spent last week helping out at the women’s conference where I took on the same role as I did for Hillsong Conference last July. We had somewhere around 14,000 women out this year (my guess only) and as every time before, it impacted many lives. I had a couple of interesting situations; like two women who tried to convince me that I should let one of their friends into the resource center when it was closed – they used the argument that she was pregnant and I had no idea what it’s like to be pregnant (REALLY??? What gave that away? I’m sure it wasn’t the facial hair J) All in all, it was a good week. I struggled a bit with the physical side of things because my knee has not yet fully recovered from surgery in October and spending 14 hours a day on my feet while walking 20km on a concrete floor can be hard on a bad knee. One day was enough that I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without using the handrail to support my weight; but that too is settling back into recovery mode again. A few weeks ago, I thought my girlfriend might make the trip to conference, but she couldn’t get enough time away and I was going to be really busy so we wouldn’t see each other much anyways so we decided to wait for now. So after a busy week, I now have two days off to recuperate and clean house before starting back to classes on Wednesday. My connect group meets again tonight so I also need to get a study ready for that…and so goes the life of Larry.
Before I leave you again, I’ll just mention one more thing. I have some big decisions to make in the next couple of months. I’ve been asked to take on a much larger leadership role within one age group here at church but some of that leadership depends on me staying here for another year. So I have an incredible opportunity here in Australia for another year, but I know great things await me at home in Canada as well. Please pray for wisdom in the decisions I need to make.
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