"Minute by Minute"

I have spent the last week with one song on repeat on the CD player and have used the live footage from ENOUGH ROPE in a worship context. 'Minute by Minute' acoustic is a beautiful and catchy tune. Phil Jamieson's interview with Andrew Denton is even on youtube in parts and was a moving and difficult piece reminding
me of the fragility of things when addictions take over!!
The audience member spoke for most when she couldn't help but speak out and wish Phil 'all our support' in his battle!!
Catch the performance of the song here and grab a copy of a great return to form album of you've admired Grinspoon before!!



I used this as a Training Day closing prayer reflection while we handed around some 'Group Resources' picture cubes to remind people of who they are in ministry with and would like to pray for. I am moved to write some liturgy to go with the song but haven't had 5 mins to that yet!!

Punters Having trouble at Madam Toussad's

Apparently punters at the New York branch of the Museum ahve had trouble telling the difference between the real Lindesay Lohan and the wax dummy!!

PM John Howard trips and Falls

Here's one for the joke reel when John finally does give it away!! It can add to that atrocious spin bowling in India, the presented car where the plastic lid and base slip in his grasp, the APEC shirts etc etc!!

Perhaps BB House Idiot Michelle was trying to emulate The Obama Girl from New York

"Generation Y" The Hampdens

Featured in todays SMH Metro enetrtainment guide!!

GTKY

After years of bring pidgeonholed as the "get to know you games" bloke I discover 2 things:
1. How long its been since I checked out the 'Group' website
Way too many of those "101 Games That Can't Miss" books

2. Darren had been keeping these resources a secret!!

The Throw and Tell blow up 'beachballs'
There are different styles... children's, gtky and storytelling versions with questions and primers printed on the inflatable ball.... toss it around and on stop the holder answers or shares about the thing closest to whichever thumb you choose!!

Check them out at http://www.group.com/ and follow the links checking out other options

Of course, using every gtky trick and activity you know you could make your own with a ball and a CD ROM texta or large poster marker!!

"Flame Trees" Cold Chisel and others

Song of choice tonight before sleep is the old classic "Flame Trees" now covered by lots of good people including Sarah Blasko. However the version I have listened to tonight is Mahalia Barnes and the 'Choir of Hard Knocks' which is live and recorded at Melbourne Town Hall!!

"Flame Trees"
Kids out driving Saturday afternoon pass me by
I'm just savouring familiar sights
We share some history, this town and I
And I can't stop that long forgotten feeling of her
Try to book a room to stay tonight

Number one is to find some friends to say "You're doing well
After all this time you boys look just the same"
Number two is the happy hour at one of two hotels
Settle in to play "Do you remember so and so?"
Number three is never say her name

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

But Ah! Who needs that sentimental bull&^$%, anyway
Takes more than just a memory to make me cry
I'm happy just to sit here round a table with old friends
And see which one of us can tell the biggest lies

There's a girl falling in love near where the pianola stands
With her young local factory out-of-worker, holding hands
And I'm wondering if he'll go or if he'll stay

Do you remember, nothing stopped us on the field
In our day

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town
There's no change, there's no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won't be around

But as I listen its not Jimmy or even the quintessential Aussie images alluded to which strike me, its the poignancy of last night's "Enough Rope" with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour that comes to mind!!

I reflect on the still raw grief at the loss of bandmate Paul Hester!! Who must have been desperately lonely in taking his onw life by hanging himself in a public park!! AND on the boys description of Paul's decline and withdrawal! How eerie when seeing the Finn Brothers shortly after and Neil Private Universe without lights, power, sound!!
a Crowdies song BUT one that came to mind as being handy at this stage!!

FACE UP TO POVERTY

Part of the ZeroSeven "Make Poverty History" campaign has been a road trip by groups of young people and a range of concerts coming to a head this weekend!!
Check it out here in all its aspects!!
http://www.zeroseven.spikemobile.com/

The newsmaking one alongside Live Earth in Sydney this weekend will be the MMS pictures that punters have sent in being projected onto the unlit sails of the Sydney Opera House!!

I heard the impressive Hugh Evans [form Young Aussie of the Year] talking about it this week on radio and its history and relationship to this little MPH concert they had planned for Melbourne at the end of last year. This is the one where eventuallu Bono and Eddie Vedder rang and said they'd like to come and support it!!

It's all about the government giving 0.7% GNI to OS aid by 2015!!

So the Pasha Bulker Finally Moved

But seriously,
It was soooo Newcastle! the way the Ports Minister Joe Tripodi had just wound up a press conference about how slow the progress was and we shouldn't be too optimistic... as the huddle broke up the Prime Cameraman says "Mr Tripodi... please move out of the way! It's moving!!" and the heads all swivel from side to side as the reality dawns that it was a done deal!!

Snaps # 4 Bungy Jumping

OK so from time to time I will still be adding bits n pieces, stories and pics!!
Here is my bungy jumping photo [I have the video also]
This took place during a "mystery flight" weekend to Cairns and a car ride to AJ Hacketts at Kuranda!!

By world standards its only a small drop of some 67 or 70 metres over a pond!! When on the platform you look out to the horizon and see greenery and the ocean and its spectacular [just don't look down].

Its funny... I had no interest in almost any other form of adventure activity but I always wanted to do a jump!! In Sydney a model and her manager jumped to promote a set up at Birkenhead Point and they didn't hook both bungies properly.... they hit the bottom of the Narbour and whilst they didn't do serious injury they wounded NSW Bungy Jumping terminally... this was early 1990s and we still don't have any....

I wanted to do the jump then but hurt my knee playing football just before this mishap and resulting ban.... so I waited until something like the mystery trip to finally have a go...

"Don't Stop Now" Crowded House

Humanity

We are glorious at our best and it isn't always when things are great!! Perhaps most often not!!
I am just emerging from a week of ill health [don't go there] and thought what an amazing evening of TV and life it has been!!

Andrew Denton's 'Enough Rope' London bombing survivors
The surreal contrast with 'The Concert for Diana' but specifically listening to Princes William and Harry in their youth, candour and enthusiasm in the sadness yet celebration of 10 years since their mothers tragic death!!
Mikey Robbins 'Australian Story' about his life and story and the revelation of lapband surgery!!

All splendid buggers!!
In adversity, grief, reflection... on the upside of anger, climbing out of something or just taking in the view each character I watched tonight taught me something important!!

You know the theory "Blogs and hanging your stuff out there in public" so my thoughts and resolutions will remain mine BUT the abiding reflection I had is that between an amputee, two sons who lost their mum ten years ago and a slowly emerging comedian overcoming a life of struggle, issues and destructive behaviour we see the best of human spirit... learning, reflection, progress and determination to grow, to live and love and to be "better" for run...

As I go off to sleep tonight I will listen to the new track from "Crowded House"

"Don't Stop Now"

Another pleasant day in the countryside
Has ended up in tears on a stormy night
Cause you can't follow my directions home
But don't stop now

God knows where the satellite's taking us
I can't tell what's right in front of us
But I hang on every word
But don't stop now
No, don't stop now
Give me something I can write about

Get fooled by the lightning every time
See the after image of my outline
And you turn the wrong way round
Well, don't stop now
No, don't stop now
Give me something I can write about
Give me something I can cry about

In a church house ten miles out of town
Is the devil gonna track me down
And travel through a tunnel in the trees
Just remember that's how you get to me

There's no number on the house
The birds are heading south
Sometimes you have to turn
The wrong way round
Sometimes you get too close to nowhere now

This is helpful in the silence
I wait with a blank piece of paper
On the top of my head
And all I want is something I can write about
All I want is something I can cry about

Doxology
Give me a blank piece of paper God
And on it I will write all the wrong choices
All the twists and turns
All the anger
And the destructive stuff that won't change a thing

Take it from my hand and turn me around
Around to where energy lay
In others, in laughter, in honesty and in the next step I take

Send all of us to places of reflection
But don't leave it there
Wet towels on the locker room floor of intent
twisted tape scrunched like a disappointing scoreline in the game

Send us out to share our humanity, ourselves
Be the marker point for checking direction
Help us tell a different story next time 'round
So we move ourselves and others from quietly screamed desperation
to a different place.......
written by R.Hanks July 2007