I just read one of the best things I've read in a long time. My brother's blog of Saturday the 25th. Read it because it's really good, but also because it's exactly how I feel. I was thinking about just cutting and pasting it to my blog, but that's just nasty. So do yourself a favour and go check it out at http://tubemantravels.blogspot.com Plus, the photo of Bairdy is a hoot (for you locals, he is the guy with the dog) Scott
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On Saturday night, Leights and Kitty went to Moyo. They went for a walk across a moonlit bridge. He asked her if she would. She said yes. They're getting married. We're so happy! Well done guys and here's toa quick and smooth ride to the big day. Scott
PS: the 3rd person in the photo is their waitress at Moyo - she's in there for context
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I came home with a tree. A tree is better than flowers because flowers die real quick. What's the symbolisms there?! No, a tree is permanent. A tree grows. A tree is life. A tree takes time. I figured that's kind of what I wanted to say about us, so I said it with a tree. Scott |
| Tim, Chad, Darren, William and Kyle. The first grade 8 men for 2006. And as it turns out my nerves were for nothing! Great indoor soccer, festy great big gatsby with some glow in the dark fizzy drink and a game of brandings with one of those small bouncy balls Chad picked up from the shops. All in all a top start. It's Summer camp this weekend - so looks like we'll go from strength to strength. Scott |
| Taking a leaf out of my brothers recent post I wish to begin by saying . . ."Tonight's going to be a strange night . . ." I've got my first bible study with the new grade 8 boys. With nothing more than a soccer ball, R15 each for dinner and my trust co leader Joel by my side, we will step out into the unknown (literally, as I dodn't even know their names yet) and try and do this crazy thing called the grade 8 guys BS. I've been doing this for over a decade now, but to be honest, I'm still a little anxious. I'll let you know how it goes. Scott |
Top stuff! Cute kid! Much love.
Scott |
Here is the view that greets me when I look out my kitchen window at present. Kinda cool.
Scott |
Order. Routine. Predictablilty. Most of our day to day existense depends on this sort of stuff. When it's taken away it becomes dangerous . . . but exciting. I courted the danger yesterday at Partners Hair Design at Cavendish. For the last 10 years I have cut my own hair. A no. 2 all over will do nicely, thank you very much. But I broke the drought and went to have my hair cut and carefully dishevelled by a professional. When I told my mum she replied - "What hair?!" But I'll ignore those kind of comments for now. I was completely lost from the start. Didn't know where to sit, who to turn to for help. I was in the chair for about 30 seconds when I was invited for a wash. It made my head tingle. Then back to the chair for the cut and chat. Then it was back for a rinse, then back to the chair for a gel. Needless to say I got up to go thinking it was all over about 3 times but I think I managed to fake it pretty well. And even though they didn't have much to work with, they did an outstanding job. There was a weird 'Seven-degrees-of-seperation" factor at work though - the girl who did my hair turned out to be the same one who cut my brothers hair when he was in town over a year ago. Wow. Thanks Dominic. I'll be back. We all need a little more danger in our lives. Scott |
I just read my brothers blog about saying goodbyes at airports. I'm reading him loud and clear (I was there). After 26 hours of less than average air travel I think I put my finger on what's up with that. Saying goodbye is a kind of dying. I'll leave you with that thought.
Scott
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When you miss people by a few years, the time is usually spent with catch up. It's all you've got. You missed the moments, you can hear about them, but it's more like Uncle Bob's slide show of the Grand Canyon then a friendship. But not this weekend.
This weekend I felt comforted, strengthened and full of a joy infusion. It wasn't a mile a minute rollercoaster, more like a well prepared meal or a long cigar - or both. I now think I am ready for '06. And I've finally resolved some of those burning questions of life; How much would they have to pay you to have a large horn on your head for the rest of your life, or to become a cyclops? Or if you had 3 wishes, would one of them be to be able to breath underwater and not to get crushed by the pressure becuase you had steel skin?
So a big 'hell yes!' to Benny, Chad, Steve, Ressy and Kenny. And to Gregers, until that day my friend. Thank you brothers. The song below by Bruce doesn't speak exactly to our situation but you will know what I'm getting at.
Scott
We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come chargin' up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers
Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away
Makin' a fool's joke out of the promises we make
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of
gray
We lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay
And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover
With no one runnin' by your side my blood brother
On through the houses of the dead past those fallen in their
tracks
Always movin' ahead and never lookin' back
Now I don't know how I feel, I don't know how I feel tonight
If I've fallen 'neath the wheel, if I've lost or I've gained
sight
I don't even know why, I don't know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burnin' bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep movin' through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother
Just got some disturbing news from the home front. We have a troublesome neighbour. What's the trouble I hear you ask? Did she play her music too loud or use a hose instead of a bucket? No. She locked my brother in law out of our house using a chain and padlock. She incurred the wrath of Irma but that was just her starter.
Before I spring into action in a weeks time when I return, any suggestions?
Scott
I have dipped into some books over the last few days and struck gold. I’ll try and deposit some of the nuggets on the blog over the next little while. I don’t want to bore you (second hand insights can get a little try hard) but as I said, this stuff is gold and will shine – even if I am its messenger.
I’m up to see Narnia any day now and I just finished reading the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Check out this piece. (Aslan the lion has just been killed by the witch and risen, to the surprise of Susan and Lucy)
“But what does it all mean?” asked Susan when they were somewhat calmer.
“It means”, said Aslan, “that though the witch knew the deep magic, there is magic deeper still which she still did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. If she could have looked back a little further, into the stillness and darkness before time dawned, she would have read there a different incarnation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.”
The director of the movie said that he wanted to recreate the fantasy world he enjoyed from the novel as a kid. He didn’t think C.S. Lewis had any intention of making it a reflection of the gospel. For he who has ears to hear . . .
Scott
Today we spent time with Andrew and Liz and little Finn and Jamie out at Kellyville. There are a lot of things you could say about Kellyville, but I'll limit it to one - it was hot. 41 degrees. Instead of doing the BBQ we could have just lef the meat in the sun for 10 min.
But it was great to hang with Reesy and Liz and join with the beleivers at Kellyville Anglican. A really friendly crowd. Andrew spoke from Luke Ch 2 where Simeon sees Jesus for the 1st time. He pointed out that all that filled Simeon's horizon, why he got up in the morning, was to wait for the comfort of Israel. He recognised it's arrival in the baby King. Reesy challenged us to consider what fills our horizons as we face this new year.
So, what's it going to be? And think carefully, because much of what we rate as important is really just an impulse, and many of our 'wants' are really just needs aren't they? I'm hoping to take a leaf out of Simeon's book. I'll let you know how it goes.
Scott
I know a lot of you back home (Cape Town) were keen to hear how brother Craig is going. Well, it's good to be back with Craig. Some things - like filling up your Seattle Coffee card and getting a freebie are good - but this is good in a whole other way. The deeply satisfying feels just right kind of good. We've had DVD's on the plasma big screen and more beer in a week than I've had in 6 months. And I've realised that my brother is solar powered or something. Because . . . he never sleeps. But in a healthy 'I'm sucking the marrow out of life' kind of way.
And just to get you all feeling very Aussie, here is some wildlife action in the backyard.
Scott
PS: I've got a bunch of Ben pictures on his site if your keen
"The good news is that there is no devil. The bad news is that there is no heaven either."
Thus speaketh Kerry Packer, Australia's richest man who clocks in at around 7 billion dollars. Yesterday he died. And the lesson here folks is that the richest man in the contry still dies like any other. He has now got the chance to see if what he thought about the future is true. I wouldn't wish his fate on a dying dog.
But his story is an amzing one. There is how he single handly invented day night cricket. His absolute power over his empire. That his helicopter pilot would donate him a kidney. His billions and billions of dollars. But here is the bit that amazes me the most.
Kerry Packer had already had 2 heart atacks, in 1990 and 1994. After he was rushed to hospital in an ambulance without defibulaters (spelling?) he donated enough money so that every ambulance in NSW could be equiped with this life saving device. When interviewed it was put to him that it was a very generous thing he had done, he looked confused and replied, "No, I gave them the money so that next time I'm sure to get an ambulance that can save me!"
But Kerry Packer died at home in bed. The only man to ever win victory over death seems to be the one man Kerry didn't want to have anything to do with. Take note my friends, men live in crowds, but they die alone. But it doesn't have to be that way if you turn your eyes towards Jesus (as the song goes). The choice is simple. We can let Jesus pay for our sins on the cross or we can pay for them ourselves in hell. Somehow I don't see how Kerry Packers 7 billion is going to help him that much right now.
Scott
When Jimmy and I email, we just cut to the chase. We have devopled and finely honed the 'dot point' summary of life via email. We simply call it 'dots'. For the first time on my blog, here are some dots . . .
* The flight to Sydney was fine - Ben slept the whole way, I got to see 3 movies. The down side was that 'The Grim Brothers' was a crap movie and Quantas really need to work on their in flight schedule - they are messed up.
* It's hot here in Sydney town. Christmas Eve was 39 degrees, tommorrow is 38. But the neighhbours next door are gone and we are in their pool. Ben has taken to it like a baby to water.
* For me, arrival 'back home' was weird because . . . it wasn't weird. It felt amazingly normal. I'm not sure what that means.
* For those Cape folk who know Dr Benny, Reesy and Steve - we have all hung out on boxing day with the kids. A different vibe but just like slipping into an old pair of undies (in the non grossly groinal kind of way)
* We are still finding our way into holiday mode - takes a bit of adjustment but we're determined to make it.
Scott
PS: I've got some great pics on the way . . .
