Welcome to LivingRoom! Pull up a bean bag, grab a coffee and chat with us for a while about Emerging Church, Blogging, Faith and other General Silliness from South of the Equator.
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I've been working on a new blog that some of you might have some interest in if you're interesting in improving your digital camera technique.
It's called Digital Photography School and is a blog with regularly updated tips for getting the most out of your digital camera.
At present I'm writing a series on Travel photography but there's plenty of other tips in the archives. I hope you enjoy it.
V and I just got back from a couple of weeks away on holiday in far North Queensland.
It was a great time of relaxation, food, fun and a little scuba diving! Here's a picture.
At the end of every year V and I spend a little time reflecting upon the year that has gone by and looking ahead at the one ahead. Every time we do this we tend to make comments along the lines of 'wow that was a big year - we'll have to slow down next year and have a quiet one'.
Of course it never seems to work out that way. 2005 was as busy and full of such a vast variety of experiences - many of which we never expected.
We were fortunate enough to get across to Europe again to see family and spend some time in Turkey, we bought our little house and are gradually making it our own, V's was made permanent in her job (previously on a contract) which has been both something she's enjoyed but also something that has been quite challenging in terms of the clients she works with and my work front has been an incredible transition from being a part time minister/part time study/part time casual worker/part time micro business operator into a full time business owner and volunteer church leader.
We've just spent a week up on the north eastern coast of Australia relaxing and reading - I think we needed it.
The year ahead is already looking pretty busy and full of new experiences - not the least of which is the arrival of our first born in late June. We're both looking forward to parenthood incredibly but are aware that life is about to change once more in ways we're sure we're not expecting.
Christmas Greetings friends.
Well Christmas has come and is about to go with it being 11pm now.
V and I have been on the go today since early on.
We started by exchanging gifts early this morning, quickly followed by the arrival of V's Dad and brother for a breakfast of French Toast. We then jumped into the car to one of V's friends for a flying visit on the way to her mum's for one of the biggest lunches I've ever encountered. It was a great spread with roast ham, pork, turkey and chicken and an array of roasted vegetables as well as an entree of avocado, salmon and caviar. Dessert was plum pudding and a pavlova (something I made :-) ).
I couldn't move after lunch for a considerable amount of time but we were on the move mid afternoon for a visit to V's uncle and aunty where her cousins and grandparents were.
After that we were off to my parents where my sister and brother in law (just back from their honey moon) were also. Dinner was a lighter affair than lunch but still included three meats, salads and potatoes followed by a selection of desserts.
So yes - food featured pretty heavily in today's hectic schedule!
Tomorrow V and I area off to Noosa (two states north of where I live) to laze beside pools, sit on the beach, enjoy some hot weather (we're told it'll be 35 degrees (Celsius) most days this week and to read some of the many books that I got for Christmas.
I'm looking forward to a relaxing few days.
Life this year has been quite like our day today - full, fun and a little hectic. As I look back on the last 12 months I feel very fortunate (and a litte tired). We've bought our first home (and moved), taken a trip to Europe for a month, seen LivingRoom grow from 1 to 3 groups, been involved in marrying more couples that I can count, transitioned from being a theological student/paid minister/church planter to being a small business owner who overseas a church etc.
As I look at 2006 I do so with a little fear and trembling. There are many new things ahead of us both in work and personal life. I'm looking forward to having a little time in the coming weeks to do a little thinking and planning for the coming year and hope to share more of where we'll be heading once I've done that.
I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and a good New Year in a week.
Today was Melbourne Cup Day so we decided to take a long weekend and headed up to Daylesford for a few days with a few of our friends from LivingRoom.
It was really wonderful to get out and have some sunshine (it's been a long Winter - which looks like it's finally broken). I really enjoyed getting my new digital camera out and re-engaging my photographic passions. I posted just a handful of the shots I took on my Flickr account if you're interested.
I know I've been quiet here recently so I thought I should give you an update on the life and times of me.
LivingRoom - As I've blogged here over the past few months - we're now three smaller groups meeting separately and adjusting to a new look and feel of being church. It's been an interesting process which I'm finding difficult to 'sum up'. One of the side benefits of dong it is that I've noticed an increase in the number of social interactions that people seem to be having with people inviting one another to parties, charity events, sporting things etc. Perhaps its just that time of year when people do that (although it is winter here) but perhaps its that people are wanting to see each other which is nice.
My small group is doing the ignition course which I'd previously mentioned - while this is the third time I've done it now I'm finding it to be really challenging again and am seeing some quite amazing things happen in my missional exploration (as have a number of others in the group).
Research - One of the main reasons that I've been a little scarce around here lately is that we're getting to the pointy end of the research project that I've been working on for three of our state's denominations who have ask myself and one other person to look into how the denominations can be a part of helping to birth and sustain young mission shaped churches (when we started it was 'emerging churches' - but we refined it to 'young mission shaped churches'). The research has been interesting and I'm looking forward to submitting our final proposal of how the denominations can work together. This finishes in September.
Blogging - My little blogging business continues to bubble along and even grow. At ProBlogger I've been working on a 31 Days to Building a Better Blog project for the month of August that readers of this blog who are bloggers themselves might find interesting. The tips are not just about making money from blogging and should help any blogger wanting to improve their blog.
Having had a bit more publicity in mainstream media recently about what I do has brought a lot of opportunities in this area of life - and also a few strange feelings as worlds collide. I'm still grappling with this whole bring together of spirituality and business - no massive 'answers' yet but many interesting experiences and opportunities are arising everyday.
Other - 'V' and I have definitely settled back into the swing of things after our trip - in fact it seems like many months ago that we were away - even though it's only been 6 weeks. Our little house has been fun to come home to - we've been settling in and making it a home (some might call it nesting). After three and a half years of marriage we finally bought ourselves a couch (two in fact) which makes entertaining all the more fun.
We're also fortunate enough to have two other couples who are good friends move into the neighborhood (both just a couple of blocks away) which is wonderful. We've all started walking together on Tuesday mornings and are meeting up on weekends for coffee at the local market.
I've got six weddings coming up over the summer (between November and January) - five of which I'm the celebrant for and one of which is a family one (my little sister). I thought that once I left a large mainstream type church that I'd not get asked to do many weddings but for some reason I'm getting more than ever. I really enjoy this part of life.
That's all for now - hope that this post signals that I'm still alive and kicking and have not forgotten blogging here.
Cameron Reilly (from the Podcast Network) and I have a semi regular breakfast together and today he pulled out the microphone and interviewed me for his G'day World show podcast.
We covered quite a large range of topics in the interview - covering everything from blogging professionally, to emerging church, to digital photography, to LivingRoom and much more.
I should warn potential listeners that there is a little bit of rough language once or twice during the interview - not from me of course :-) - the G'day World podcasts get a bit of criticism for it - hope it doesn't offend anyone.
So if you'd like to hang out with me in an auditory fashion you can download the podcast here.
Welcome to readers of The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
If you're here because you want to learn about LivingRoom (our church) you're in the right place. This is a blog about my life and the starting of LivingRoom - an experimental church that has been going for two years in the inner north of Melbourne. You can learn more about LivingRoom here. You can also read my entries on this blog about LivingRoom in the category dedicated to it here. The rest of this blog records the various different aspects of my life.
If you're here because you want to learn about Blogging and Blogging as a an income maker you probably want to head over to one of my other blogs - ProBlogger.
Well the holiday is over - we arrived home from Singapore this morning at 5am.
Today was largely about sleep - although we also had a 30th birthday party to get to which was fun.
My last day in London was fun - I caught up with Richard Hall, Andy Merrett, Dave Walker, Jonny Baker, Mark Berry and a number of others. It was pretty humbling to have people come to hear the story of LivingRoom - especially knowing that some had travelled significantly to get there (thanks Richard).
Richard has posted photos here and here and Dave's put a happy snap up here.
In the afternoon I also caught up with a couple of other bloggers (Katie and Ashley) to talk 'problogging' which was fun also - their photos are here and here (I blinked - it wasn't the wine).
Tomorrow I'm going to the Forge National conference which i heard tonight is going well. There are 500 emerging church types there - something I can't resist but check out even in my jetlagged state.
And now I must sleep.
We're back in London again today after a wonderful fortnight in Turkey. We had a fun tour with some great people (mostly Aussies of course).
I particularly enjoyed seeing some of the New Testament locations and imagining the early church's formation. Ephesus was especially interesting.
Also interesting was hearing reflections on the early Christians from our tour guide - a Muslim - who brought some interesting perspectives on the early days.
We also had the chance to spend three days on a gullet (yacht) sailing around the islands off the south of Turkey) and had a wonderful sunrise hot air balloon experience in Cappadoccia (click picture to the left for a larger view of one of the many shots we took) where we also spent a lot of time exploring caves where many early Christians hid during times of persecution.
Add to that whirling Dervishes, Underground cities, Persian Fairy Floss, kebabs, Gorgeous Gorges, Mosques, Bazars, Turkish Irish Bars, being kissed by a drag queen (don't ask), more kebabs, Turkish Rugs, Turkish Delights, ancient cities (4 or so) and a few more kebabs and it was a pretty rich couple of weeks.
Tomorrow I'm pottering around London by myself - having some 'Darren Time' after a couple of weeks on a bus with 20 or so others - tomorrow night my brother in law and me are heading off to see Coldplay in concert which will be fun.
The day after I have a couple of meetings lined up - one of which is with Jonny Baker and who ever else is interested in getting together with us for lunch (see the details here for Londoners).
Got to run now - but looking forward to sharing more of our trip in the days ahead.
Today was a beautiful day - mid 20's temperature wise (celcius) and sunny. We toured mosques, palaces, churches and saw some stunning views around Istanbul. Tomorrow we head off to Gallipoli and then the day after head towards Ephesus which will be fascinating.
We're both well (although I have a bit of a cold) and are loving the food and sights. Must rush off to bed - big travel day tomorrow.
We landed in Istanbul late last night and after a much needed sleep we hit the streets today to do some exploring.
It was quite a bizarre - or bazar day. Spice bazar first, then off to the Grand Bazar. We enjoyed both and picked up a few bargains (well we hope they were).
The city/culture here reminds me a little of some of the cities we saw in Morocco a couple of years back. Very busy, dry, friendly people, old, Islamic, bargaining and hustle and bustle.
We have two more days of exploring by ourselves before joining up with a tour which will take us down south for a couple of weeks.
Enjoying myself heaps and looking forward to more of the same.
This time yesterday we arrived in a cool London after 25 hours of sitting in a plane and in airports.
The Jet lag wasn't too bad although I only managed to catch an hour or so of sleep on the plane. Last night's sleep was a good one to say the least and I now feel semi normal.
We've got just a couple of quick days here with family (V's sister and brother in law are putting us up). Today we're going to the V & A museum and to Oxford St (shopping). Tonight we're going to see 'Philadelphia Story' (with Kevin Spacey).
Tomorrow afternoon heading to Turkey for 2.5 weeks of touring. Then it is back to London for another quick visit (with a couple of meetings booked in) and home via Singapore (two more nights).
I'll document the journey a bit here for those who are interested.
Those of you based in London and its surrounds might like to come have lunch with me on Tuesday 28th June at 12.30pm at:
Church Mission Society
Partnership House
157 Waterloo Road
London SE1 8UU
It's a Bring Your Own Lunch affair.
If you want to find out more Jonny Baker is co-ordinating it from the London end.
The time will be pretty informal - I think I'll be sharing a little about LivingRoom but am mainly keen just to put some faces to names of those that I read the blogs of and who pop by here from time to time.
I'd love to meet you if you're over there.
In related news - V and I leave for a holiday in Europe this coming Sunday. We'll be away for just on 4 weeks so expect a few 'postcard' type posts here over the coming month.
New house is clean.
Kitchen is moved.
Linen is moved.
Today we move all other miscellaneous bits and pieces.
Tomorrow the movers come to get the 'big stuff'.
Tuesday we clean the old house.
Random Stats
I just picked up the keys for our new house (left) and over the next few days we begin the process of shifting the accumulated things (too many) from our abode of the last few years to our new place.
It is a rather odd feeling - to actually have a little patch of land that we'll not only live on but that has a document saying that we 'own' it. Along with the feelings of excitement, relief (no more moving every year or two!), weariness (the logistics of it all are a killer) - I've been feeling a little pain over the past few days about leaving North Fitzroy.
Not just because of the cafes, coffee, park, wide streets, fun lifestyle (although I'll miss a lot of that) but mainly because this place has become home for us - for me - at such a formative time of my life.
Since moving to North Fitzroy I've gotten married, planted LivingRoom, made some significant relationships with local, started a business and had more paradigm shifts than a mind can handle. Whilst none of this ends as we move - I'm surprised to feel some grief attached to it.
Last night at LivingRoom we had a time of sharing where our 'missional heart' was - or where we were feeling God stir around us and perhaps inviting us to join in his work. I realized that for the past three years my 'missional heart' has been my neighborhood - particularly a local cafe where I've spent time virtually everyday sharing life with those who work and drink coffee there - this cafe has become central of my daily rhythm of mission and an important proximity space for me.
Whilst we're only moving 7 kilometers away to Preston - my daily rhythm will no doubt change - and my time in this local cafe will not be such a regular feature of my life. A new rhythm will emerge - but in the mean time, amidst the excitement is a little sadness and a growing 'wondering' about what may develop in our new neighborhood.
Tonight I graduated from my Bachelor of Theology Degree.
I am happy about that.
It took me 10 years to get there.
But I got it.
I forgot to mention in my last post that I'll be in London in June and am going to try and fit in some time to catch up with bloggers. I emailed Jonny a month or so back and mentioned it and he said that an informal get together might work rather than seeing everyone separately like I tried to do last time - perhaps a drink one day or night somewhere in London. We're only passing through for a few days on the way to and from a holiday in Turkey so it'd be great to meet a few people at once.
I'm not sure where would be best but if there is anyone who would be interested in meeting leave a comment below - if there is more than one or two perhaps someone would be kind enough to do a little co-ordinating of logistics.
If no one is interested that's no problem - I'm sure I'll have no shortage of things to do and see.
All has been quiet here for the past few days - life continues to be busy. Let me give you a quick update.
LivingRoom - continues to bubble along. I am really enjoying the increased participation of others in leading the group this year having stepped out of a paid position with the group. Its exciting to see people exercising their gifts and following their passions. We have grown numerically this year and are thinking through how we will grow. In a few weeks time we will be discussing the possibility of starting a second and possibly even third group.
Home - since buying a new home which we will move into in a month's time life has been busy with all the logistics of mortgages, paperwork and the admin of moving. We're excited about the move but a bit daunted by the logistics of it all. It will be nice to move into a place that we shouldn't have to move out of for a while.
Research Project - I've taken on a part time position doing a research project for three of the denominations in our state. The project is to look into how the denominations might best support and encourage missional emerging churches. I'm really excited by the project and am enjoying the many interviews that I'm conducting with missional church practitioners but of course am feeling a little overwhelmed by the massiveness of the task at hand.
Business - My blogging business continues to grow in the spare time (LOL) that I have. I am still amazed that blogging has become a way to sustain what I do with LivingRoom and life in general. Its enabling me to give more time to different life giving projects as a volunteer and also in other ways which is really wonderful. I'm coaching a number of bloggers now from around the world to think about entrepreneurial blogging and am especially excited by the opportunities to work with a number of bloggers from third world countries who I've been able to join in helping them to find a way to help put food on the table of their families.
I'm really exploring at the moment how business can not only sustain me so that I can 'do ministry' but how business can be a life giving thing in itself. I am really excited by the way blogging has the potential to give a voice to those who are marginalised am working on a couple of projects which I really hope will explore this idea and give such people a way of being heard in some pretty needy places. I am hoping and praying that these approaches might actually make a significant difference in many people's lives. The possibilities are exciting and I'll share more as they come to be. I write about my blogging mainly these days over at ProBlogger for those of you who wondered why I don't write about blogging here any more..
So life is busy - its full - its stimulating - its tiring - its keeping me on my toes. I am wearing many hats but am amazed at the way in which they come together and that God is opening up ways to join him in what he's doing around me.
By the way I'm off to Sydney in the morning for a few days so if you're waiting on an email from me it could be a few days as net access could be limited.
Big week in the personal category of this blog!
Happy 60th Birthday Mum!
And
Happy 3rd Anniversary V!
