New Zealand Coach Steve Hansen's as ever measured common sense

Rugby World Cup Final v The All Blacks

Nothing to worry about!!

"In Conversation with Peter Garrett"

Thursday night's 'Newcastle Writers Festival' event at City Hall...

"Hello" Adele

From her new upcoming album due approx both November... great Welsh depth and tone, emotions and evocative images... I think she said it was her 'make up' album this time...

Storybooks

Here are the first 'spoils' from a generous leaving gift from the Upper Hunter UCAs!!
More to follow and a couple of other resources too...

Poetic as I know many wondered 'why' these stories... simple really though, they are thematically related, draw in little who won't get the central story anyhow, are not for every week and take seriously that they are stories, not just kids stories!! That's where I come from anyhow!!

Take these examples:
Rules of Summer'how things are and work' and whether the rules hold or what happens if you live them upside down
'Noah Dreary' about being happy, relationships, hopes and stuff that happens in life, like many characters we read
'Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley'about friendship, authenticity and difference
'To This Day' Shane Koyczan translating his performance poem into a book for older youth about bullying
...'Zacchaeus' anyone?

Gruen Gold on the ABC Tonight

Peter Garrett on Sunday

Hovis Bread " Don't Get Stuck Inside

Hovis Bread "As Good As It's Ever Been"

"Big Blue Sky" Peter Garrett

Catch Peter Garrett's 'Lateline' interview here
Looking forward to reading the whole book...

Going Off Early with Movies 2015

I know it's been a long year for me so far... very busy... so busy my movie viewing took a huge dive, especially at the cinema!! Here's the films I enjoyed this year from a list of about 15+ only, which is about half my average at best... I think it also speaks to the paucity of good films... I have yet to see Pixels, Oddball, Pan or the Martian so I will up mu figures in the next three weeks. I did finally see al of 'Charlie's Country' which is an important story and so simply and well told...

In no particular order'Selma' tough going but important to know the story

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' weirdly entertaining

'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' I put this off for ages and wasn't disappointed

'The Avengers: Age of Ultron' well I won't stop seeing them but they have to get some edge

'Spy' good for a laugh

'Mad Max: Fury Road' not for everyone and clunky in parts but I watched it twice

'Pitch Perfect 2' redeemed only by the final performance

'Inside Out' it was great and is a good film for any kids

'While We’re Young' It could have been such  good film and I see what they tried but didn't quite do

'Boy Choir'  still trying to work out why I liked it but it made me angry at the same time

'Terminator Genysis' mixture of the good and the bad

'Ant Man' why did this film get made again?

'Mission Impossible Rogue Nation' As good and as schlocky as ever

'The Man From Uncle' loved it though it did spend a whole film setting up 2-3 more films
I can now add 'The Martian' which I felt I shouldn't like but really did

There might be something really good that I missed but I suspect the top two in my list will end up being seen in coming weeks/months 'Hunger Games: Mockingly Pt2' and 'Star Wars VII: Force Awakens'

"Meet the Mob" UP LATE

   I am sooo excited to be heading along to "Meet the Mob" Uplate next Thursday 16th October thanks to ABC Newcastle 1233 Radio and Jill Emberson who has been doing these brilliant interviews with local indigenous people sharing their amazing stories. This will be a chance to meet some of the featured 'mob', hear some music and just enjoy the night!! Will have to work out who might enjoy coming along for the ride...

So Much Entertainment So Little Time!!

"Matilda" onstage by the brilliant Tim Minchin
Peter Garrett 'in conversation' launching his memoir
Taylor Swift at Homebush [great lyricist in her non boyfriend songs as shown by Ryan Adams]

Not a 'bad' list I guess... BUT...

What do you do if your 'partner in crime' isn't keen to head to Sydney to catch Stephen Fry OR could think of nothing worse that the vineyards on a hot humid day when Paul Kelly and his Merri Soul Sessions are in town, so you don't have a ticket and therefore so far haven't made the time for either?

Just some of the outstanding offerings that won't make the schedule I fear...

A few tasks to go but reason to be preparing well at the same time

Morisset Uniting Church

All my family, friends and colleagues are invited to my 'Induction' as Minister of the Word with the congregation at Morisset Uniting Church!!

7.30pm Friday 13th November
Morisset Uniting Church 10 Stockton St, Morisset

"Community, National, Global Reflection 2015

Just a reflection from an Upper Hunter perspective on community, national and global happenings to remind us of the exploration of where God might be active in the community

William Webb Ellis

Tony 'Indiana Jones' Abbott

"Activewear"

   I have a theory in my 'listening and observing the community' that's so vital to my vocation. If I see different young people wearing something newly random three times in a short space of time, then it may be the latest trend. e.g. bucket hats, flat brimmed snapbacks, sling bags and so on... same goes for music, food fads etc
   One such example was me asking an astute friend [maybe about 3+ years ago] what they had noticed and the response was emphatic... lots of women had been walking around the Uni, attending lectures etc in their gym clothes [activewear]!! Spot on as the trend exploded, with Lorna Jane etc
   Today, my best researcher found this clip [thanks also news ltd]... here's a celebration of this fashion phenomenon!! Gold!!

Uniting Justice Press Release

Read Uniting Justice Press Release about the Government Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis here

"Dangerous Conversations" October 30th to November 1st

"Amazing Grace" Gurrumul and Paul Kelly

"Stuck" by Oliver Jeffers

"Big Blue Sky" Peter Garrett Memoir

   This year's project for Peter Garrett seems to have come to fruition and nicely, not in time for Father's Day!! Well played Peter! That said I look forward to the reading and the local Book Launch 'Audience with' styled event at City hall in Newcastle in October when I'm on holidays!!

It's been a while...

   Just shows how busy I have been in recent months that I have dropped right off this blog... too much  life, too little time to reflect and document!! To get the ball rolling I'm adding my 250 precise for a Presentation in November!!

“Forming Disciples in Mission” Colloquium 18^th November 2015 Rob Hanks

  

   If discipleship is framed by engagement with Scripture and commitment to authentic relationships with God, others and self, how can people be helped to explore that and make connections with daily life in their context or their current cultural ‘address’? In encouraging communities of faith to embrace a shift from propositional to narrative faith, what kinds of ‘missional’ events or activities and experiences would it be wise to offer? What are our proudest stories of doing something differently? What one change could we create that would make a huge difference?

This paper shares the story of and unpacks the practices of:

- Storytelling about ‘a different story’

- ‘Eternity’ and the Australian National Museum in Canberra

- Contemporary Biographical ‘Stations’ of everyday people and their story

- Comparable contemporised ‘Stations’ mirroring that through the stories of Biblical Characters

- ‘’Meaningful Soles’ or story sharing installations using people’s shoes and telling their story

- ‘Mission Exposure’ in a national youth event, an Adventure Camp and Young Adult Leader formation

   These flesh out aspects of “Youth Ministry 3.0”[i] and “OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook”[ii] and it’s ‘haunting questions’ for youth ministry and the forming of disciples in mission. The ethos and actions are equally applicable to people of all ages. It’s also aimed at encouraging shared ideas, reflection and discussion as others seek to undertake similar journeys of forming disciples in mission.

---

[i] “Youth Ministry 3.0 A Manifesto of Where We’ve Been, Where We Are and Where We Need to Go” Mark Oestriecher

[ii] “OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook” Kenda Creasy Dean

Air New Zealand "Men in Black"

"Blossom and Blood" Midnight Oil

The disturbing images of conflict, war and the failure of humanity to live in peace!!

"Short Memory" Midnight Oil

70 years ago tomorrow as people commemorate 'Hiroshima Day' the destructive capability of nuclear weapons and of those who would harness them should not be forgotten!! Here's a song performance from 1983 recalling the same thing!!

Wanderers v The Slime

Here's my Facebook post from the other day...

"It's one of my favourite days of the year tomorrow and I hope I'm over this cold by then!! 

   Wanderers travel the few minutes across to Townson Oval [with it's flint hard cricket pitch] and tribal 'Green Room' to play the local derby against 'The Slime' or the Greens of Merewether Carlton in P3, Colts, P2 and P1 grades... Win, lose or draw the Slime will lift to make it a difficult day for us with their scrappy offside play, kicking for the corners and harassing the referees. 

   These days of course the current players are reminded that every game is important and that you need all your normal motivations to play, you need to be focused on what your job is in the team every week and that just playing the Slime is no reason alone to prompt your performance onfield and that it can prove a distraction and fire up the other team to a performance above their place on the points table. This is not why the crowd will be double to normal turnout. Predictably they rose to the P1 challenge last week and inflicted their first defeat on front runners Hamilton Hawks. 

   So it'll be intriguing who handles the 'it's just another important game in our quest to perform at our best for 80mins' kind of way!!

   Well, I love disliking the Greens, the feeling has always been mutual. It's just a bit of friendly rivalry of course ;) It stems from folklore, from Newcastle High, from Surf Club rivalries and inter club histories of certain players, plus the local derby nature that all relates to. 

   I loved getting set for this special challenge and the encounters it has created in past years, the disappointments, the being outplayed, the fighting on-field, the semi final defeat in 1993 that led to two premierships back to back in 94/95 through addressing our mistakes. I liked getting a haircut the week of a Slime game. I liked the year my hair was dyed bottle blond then rockstar red at a youth camp but I knew it needed to be restored to black before the Saturday as it was Slime week.

   I enjoyed being annoyed at the Big Green Day Out when Carlton had all sides in the Grand Final and I will enjoy jeering at them on Saturday come what may!! The better teams will triumph, the refs fortitude will be questioned and rugby will be the winner. 

   I did prefer the old arrangement of the under Green Room Dressing Sheds where both teams could hear each others pre game rev up and the stomping and singing post match. 

I reckon I lost more than I won [but not Grand Finals], but I loved it.

   Go the Two Blues, in your clinical, we just just need to focus on our structures and jobs like any other week, kind of way, smash 'em... 

Of course then there's the pretenders at Hamilton, the not as tough as they sound Blacks, the fighting May East.... each week a unique challenge. 

Anyhow, the steak sandwiches have always been pretty good at Townson!!"

   So today I ventured in to Merewether and enjoyed a gripping afternoon of great rugby, while at the same time catching up with a few blokes I needed to have a yarn with... and keeping an eye on a few others!!

   In that context 3rds did enough to tough out a good win, Colts worked their way into a dominant display and then 2nds looked a little tired and lost the battle of the ruck a few too many times to lose.    

   1sts were outstanding... I doubt Dan Kevill is guilty of an eye gouge, more likely he was being held onto or held down and put his hand on the blokes head to push himself up and try to get free... either way, a red card send off on a touch judge report should have spelled the end of the stunning midfield defence and the potent wide attack of the side Kevy's hits on their big blokes in the first 15mins were inspiring]. Instead they battled to a lead with 14 men, took most of their chances but had a determined Slime come at them... linnets were lost, a little bit of ball was turned over but at the same time the defensive hits kept coming, they got the ball wide, used their driving tackles well and scrapped their way to 33-30. Sam Gilmour missed early kicks and chose to kick for touch rather than try 48m for 3 points [credit for trying to win] bu they turned the ball over and Wanderers double teamed their close to the ruck hit ups for about 30m and valuable minutes to boot the ball out on full time and bring the game to an end 33-30!!

It's got to be close to the best win I've seen from our blokes at Townson in 30 years... I loved it!! 

Weekend OUT 2015 Full Promo

Weekend OUT 2015 Full Promo from rob hanks on Vimeo.