I know the question burning on many of your hearts these days has been...

"Where's Tim?"

Well, I can tell you...

The last few weeks have left me franticly working on my final 'full time student' assessments. Included in these have been a 4000 word essay on Karl Barth and his views of female sub-ordination and male super-ordination. Wow, cool. He's dead for goodness sake.

The other essay has been a bit more interesting - a personal philosophy of mission in New Zealand. It has been a great opportunity to draw all the thought patterns that I have been processing over the last three years, but more specificly over the last 15 weeks with the Church in New Zealand Society paper.

So I'm not a full time student anymore!! I have another big assessment due at the end of August, but that's going to be a slow slog to get that out...

anyway, the idea was to get a job and...


I GOT A JOB!

Just today!! I had an interview with World Vision last week, and just had my second interview today, which was a confirmation interview!! how cool is that? so monday week, I will be an official customers services representative for World Vision, Penrose/Onehunga head office. Woop woop...!

But wait folks, it doesnt stop there...

I have also decided to go on a trip to Bangladesh with Tranzsend! So on Nov 30th, I will be flying over to Dhaka for three weeks, seeing mission in action there, as well as getting involved as much as possible with the people there. It will be a fantastic experience eh, I haven't done a trip like this before, so yeah, how exciting!! Bring it on!!

Wow...

so that's where I've been. Hope this makes up for the fact I havent written here. Hopefully you understand.

OK... seu!

So, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead. The "so called" al Qaeda leader of Iraq was obliterated by 2 500pound bombs dropped from F-16s on to what was meant to be a safe house. Well, shows how poorly constructed that house really was. Safe? Blehh!


However, the quote of the day goes to Donald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defence.

"I think, arguably, over the last several years, no single person on this planet has had the blood of more innocent men, woman and children on his hands, than Zarqawi."

Yeah, I think thats an argueable statement there, Mr Rumsfeld. Good luck with your war.

recent musings -

curly hair is easy to fashion, but not easy care...

give someone a trumpet and they will play it for a day. teach someone how to play a trumpet and you'll wonder how to shut them up.



I rocked on down to Ngaruawahia last weekend for the BYM Youth Leaders retreat. Whilst aspects of it were average, there were a few things that stuck out for me.

One of them was the main speaker, Lloyd Martin. He has the great position of observing and being hugely involved in youth ministry and youth work in every aspect in New Zealand. After some great encouragement for Baptist youth work in the country, one thing that I really had to think deeply about was this this of "BEING" over "DOING". After studying for three years, the way I've become wired is to focus on the doing - the studies, the teaching, the focus on the Word, which is a good thing, but not the only thing. This being, the way I live, the way I operate and project what I believe to the world, is the thing what young people/youth will remember the most. The way I represent Christ to them is what they will remember when they think of what it means to be a Christian. This was like being hit by a 4x2. Nice huh?

The other point which I thought was great was listening in to Duane Major and the Spreydon Crew on youth work in schools. Wicked stuff. In the last year I have been contemplating doing youth work in the community rather than from a church base. Getting involved (hence the BEING). I was pretty inspired with what Duane and the crew had to say, just really confirmed what I've been working through for the last 12 months. I had a chat to Duane and he was really listening. He was quite supportive of the ideas I have for my life when it comes to youth work. I'm not revealing too much, but if you know me, you'll know what I'm thinking. Awesome huh? great confirmation.

So anyway, that was BYM. Some pitch and putt was played with the guys from church, with Big Brian Cochran winning the youth leaders tournament (all 6 of us that played).

Preaching next Sunday night. All are welcome.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE:

I could apologise for not writing here for a week, but what would that achieve? Nothing really, so I wont. Rather, I will write. And you WILL like it. Ok, I'm kidding about that. You dont have to like what I write here.

I'm one of those guys that doesn't go to the movies, but then I'll go see a few in the space of a couple of weeks. That space began last Saturday when I was invited to see X-Men 3... I beg the producers now to NOT MAKE A FOURTH ONE! They left it hanging... I not like. CLOSURE. you've made your money. People enjoyed the first, thought the second was ai'ight, the third, well, when you make a movie mistake like having one scene during the day, then the exact same shot except now it's night time, you know it's time to draw the movies to a close.

Tuesday night I went and saw MI:3. It wasn't too bad. I'm a sucker for gismos and big explosions in movies. But like X-Men, it's time to close. I thought Cruise acted quite well, except I saw, like Tash, the 'family man' Tom Cruise. I tried hard not too, and for the most part I won that battle. But the plot of the movie, saving the woman he loves and one day have little Ethan Hunts, I could see Tom doing that with real love Katie... swinging from buildings and taking out guards to get the white rabbit... what a hero.

Meanwhile, back in the world of reality, I've just started an assignment on Karl Barth. I havent done much yet, just some preliminary readings. Barth is writing this bit on gender, and while it starts to go well, it turns into a 'what the heck?' when he starts referring to women as B, and men as A... men are first. churpy. So to the books of objection it is!!!

Job front - 4 weeks till I'm available to work full time. Couple of options have sprung up, one of them being a call centre dude for World Vision. I'll keep praying bout it!!

Yeah. So holla to all those out there in blogland. I'm off to Queens Bday Baptist youth leaders thingee in Ngaruawahia this weekend, so hopefully some good chats with people will go down well with some pearls of wisdom to share upon my arrival.
Seu