Worship Unplugged BOOKLET

It's final drafting time for a booklet that's been three years in the making!!
Worship Unplugged is a workshop planning process fostering partcipation
and the reinvention of worship...
a raft of creative ideas and some thoughts about mission...
context and underlying stuff behind the need for change!!

Many colleagues, e-groupers and others ideas get a spot in the 150+ ideas...
It should be printed within the fortnight!!

It's near completion had a page of text added today as I caught part of the
Memorial Celebration for Steve Irwin!!

It's one of three examples I'd cite as evidence that:

• there is little seperation between the secular and the sacred
• that the church is on the margins of our community
• we must worship in our context and access real issues and liturgy in doing so

1. The Bali Tribute following the bombings

This event led by Geraldine Doogue [albeit a Catholic by background] and included stirring and teary music from Wendy Matthews [The Day You Went Away] and Iva Davies [Great Southern Land] .

There was everyday 'liturgy' [defined as the work of the people] and the deep symbolism of a reflective pool for the placement if flowers.

It was not a religious observance an clergy [ecumenical or multi-faith] were not in leadership.

2. The second was Kerry Packers State Funeral [with Peter Faiman as Producer] and the speeches, choir, use of audio-visuals and the clear processes of moving through a grief assisting process.

3. Third was today:

Steve Irwin's memorial was a stunning event. His mate and Manager John Stainton combined brilliant stuff to make it all work!! Aboriginal greeting, spoken liturgy, the music of John Williamson and others, appropriate use of audio-visuals. The symbol of his Toyota 4WD that was packed up to the strains of 'True Blue'. The bloopers reel was great. With Stainton as curator, the two worship leaders were Anthony Field 'The Blue Wiggle' and Steve's mate Wes who ran the Zoo!! Anthony was a great choice to help kids and adults alike, grasp the sense of the occasion!!

As well as being a remarkable event [not a dry eye anywhere] its a reminder that if we as 'church' do not access real life, its symbols, issues and flow and bring them to worship with authenticity and integrity THEN we will be left behind!!

Not an alb in sight!!

Worship Unplugged # 40 Everyday Symbols

Symbols are useful to promote reflection, to provide a visual cue for memories and as objects to focus thinking on a theme. They don't just need to be pieces of paper, religious relics, crushed leaves or silver goblets!!

Everyday symbols can represent a theme, location, person or story!!

For example:
surfboards
hats
photos
small rocks
shoes

What you choose depends on the focus and the point you want to invite people to think about.

They nearly did it!!

After denying the Slime a few times in the last decade except when we didn't make the GF...
the two blues almost pulled it off today!! They made personnel changes specifically to cover the defensive lapses in the backline and it worked, they toughened up in the forwards and went straight down the middle in patches BUT just couldn't sustain their pressure for the full 60 minutes. Their lineout, general handling and choice of options let them down just a little and gave Merewether enough ball to pull out two fortunate tries. If only they had caught the second half kick off on the full it may have been very different. Merewether were in a bit of frustrated trouble not being able to dominate the way they had all year... this year their backs could actually catch but when the ball went back inside they struggled!!
In the end the killer was an attempted chip kick over the head of a 190cm plus Jason Toby which he gloved well and raced away to score from... up til then I thought Wanderers were going to win it!!
They lost by 6 points... There's always next year boys!!

Jim Moginie and The Family Dog

Well, I never made it to Newtown last month [too tired on the last Tuesday of] but I am looking forward to the sounds and wizardry of Jim Moginie [largely responsbile for Midnight Oil's guitar sound and planety of their lyrics] steps onto CD with his new band. My copy of 'Alas Folkloric' is as they say 'in the post'. Stay tuned!!

In other music news U2's ZOO TV on DVD is out Monday...
U2 are recording new tracks at Abbey Road in London
Eskimo Joe are set to scoop the awards this year at the ARIAs [29th October]

I have been impressed with whoever does their A&R work ever since they're need to move beyond what became known as 'the cardigan song'... "I could ne-ver wear that sweater!"

The latest album could be INXS in their heyday, could be Icehouse at their best etc...
and yet has that haunting rock pop sound that's so popular at the moment...
they left bands like Palladium & Lo-tel in their wake after the initial success!!

Oils!! Oils!! Oils!! Oils!!

For the last few years I have threatened to buy a ticket to the ARIAs on speculation that Midnight Oil would be inducted into the Hall of Fame!! I believe it will happen this year!!
They have sidestepped the now stand alone event mid year and one or more are still held back for the last Sunday in October... don't be surprised if Bono is present to induct them..
AND standby for SONY to cash in with or without the direct involvement of the band
with a new 'Greatest Hits' release called "Flat Chat"... check out below!!

http://chaos.com/product/flat_chat_greatest_hits_690482_10365.html

"Power and the Passion"
People, wasting away, in paradise
Going backward, once in a while
Taking your time, give it a try.
What do you believe
What do you believe
What do you believe is true
Nothing they say makes a difference this way'
Cos nothing they say will do
Take all the trouble that you can afford
At least you won't have time to be bored
Oh the power and the passion
Oh the temper of the time
Oh the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line
I see sunburnt faces around
With skin so brown
Smiling zinc cream and crowds
Sundays the beach never a cloud
Breathing eucalypt, pushing panelvans,
stuff and munch junk food
Laughing at the truth,
'cos Gough was tough till he hit the rough
Uncle Sam and John were quite enough
Too much of sunshine too much of sky
It's just enough to make you wanna cry
I see buildings, clothing the sky in paradise
Sydney, where the nights are warm
Daytime telly, blue rinse dawn
Dad's so bad he lives in a pub,
its underarms and football clubs
Flat chat, Pin Gap in every home a Big Mac
And no one goes back, that's that
You take what you get and get what you pleaseI
t's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees

Wanderers v Merewether Carlton [The Slime] 2006

My old team as player coach [I'm having a break] plays their Grand Final on Saturday 10am... and the Slime are better than last years version... their backs can actually catch and run and one or two more old stagers in the forwards keep them rolling!!

Here's the thing, if the inside backs can communicate and move up together in a better line the Slime's former Australian touch footy rep at 5/8th will be as frustrated as last year and run out of ideas. The forwards need to up the pace of the game and keep it there and some of the old legs need to be subbed a bit earlier and get the fresh troops on... all the best boys!! Turns out I'll be there to look on now!!

Go the Knights!!

Up against it with Brisbane BUT if the coach has a good plan and the defense is on song they can do it... Knights by 7!!

Twin Lights

Afganistan, Iraq, Central America, you name it... the United States takes its 'God is on our side' attitude and funds despots, trains militia, sets them up with too much temptation for corruption, drug trade or simple hunger for holding on to power and then has to invoke military action to correct previous policy!! Democracy and the War on Terror are the terminology this decade, communism, independence, freedom have had their turn...
If its not military action or intelligence its consumerism, TV, values and 'manhattanisation' AND STILL there's lots to admire, love, tour or enjoy!! LA, New York, sports, movies etc

BUT regardless of all this... whatever the opression or big picture issues... whatever the trashy pop culture...
Nobody should be hijacking planes and flying them into buildings... 5 years on not much has been learnt but its still a human tragedy on a huge scale... the people of that city are unique, compelling and attractive in their diversity, humour and grunt!!

Worship Unplugged # 39 M&Ms Prayer

Use colour specific M&Ms or alternatives sweets to symbolise types of prayer points and share from a bowl or cup for each group.
RED something you're concerned about
YELLOW something about God
GREEN something you are thankful for
BROWN something you own up to
ORANGE something about others
BLUE something you'd like to change

Snaps # 1

I'm introducing a brand new feature to pumphouse from now on...
called Snaps #
These will be photos I have or get hold of that are significant because of
some story or sense of occasion...
I'm doing this to 1. share my story and 2. to build up a memoir of stories for talks, input etc.

I suspect like these first pictures, the deeper meaning won't be immediately apparent
but will be about me putting pics out there and continuing to reflect on what they mean to me. This may well only ever be expanded upon in other places!!

Sometime I'm sure I'll have a timely reason for including them in this blog!!

Today you'll see 3 images:
All from November 2000 Thanksgiving in New York and it was friggin' cold...
One is me in one of my favourite places in the world 'Times Square'... what it says about me is this is not a bush track, the Grand Canyon, or Koscuisko... its a cold footpath at the centre of the pop culture universe... the US culture I like many have a love/hate relationship with...

It's vibrant, trashy, alive, as significant as hearing someone speak Chinese, the royal jewesl in the Tower of London, some leaning Tower in Italy etc etc... but that's just me...

I think I bought about 12-15 t-shirts on this one short trip. We followed up our 1998 Autumn visit with a 2000 winter before starting a family... it was about -8 degrees C.

Another is Simone and I at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for which our visit was timed.... we headed to the naerby McDonalds for lunch and stayed in NY long enough to see Destiny's Child at the switching on of the Christmas Lights in Rockefeller Plaza...

Another is the famous Soup Kitchen suggested by Late Show staffers as a good place for a story to the writers of Seinfeld!! That's right... I'm the customer with the Triple J radio backpack paying for my soup from the guy who inspired 'The Soup Nazi'.

It is exactly like the show and he is not impressed, especially with the banner on the wall advertising Kenny Kramer's [The real Kramer] Seinfeld Reality Tour where the bus stops off on the way round. It was a spin out to have been past two years earlier on the bus tour when the shop was closed and then to come back and buy soup from the 'Soup Nazi'. Everyone in the line is talking about the impending ordering and their memories of the Seinfeld episode [even wishing others with complex orders luck] and then standing in virtual silence within earshot of the front counter. The shop is virtaully a hole in the wall with big stoves, two assistants and the boss tasting and serving up soups at a fair rate from about 11.30am daily!!

You stand in a line that stretches around the block, we were early but, people do wait an hour... you order and step to the right, you pay and then move off with your brown bag of thick soup in a milkshake container, your bread and piece of fruit!!

I got bread!! Cop that Costanza!!

The beef soup was enough for breakfast and lunch!!
The poor woman ahead of me had bought soup for herself and a sick friend and their partner and she got flustered ordering different soups....
I was waiting for "NO soup for you!!"

Everyone knows what each person in the exchange was thinking BUT nobody is game to comment!!

I recommend a visit to the Soup kitchen in the cooler months [he shuts up shop and holidays in Italy in summer by all reports]

This and our previous trip taught me about the charm and attraction of the city of New York. It's busy, open all hours and full of trashy pop culture, characters, theatre, sports, merchandise and TV HQs for all kinds of networks and programs.

Our summer visit took in a successful stint at the front of the Letterman Late Show standby audience where 20 people didn't turn up and we got to see John McEnroe and Chrissy Hinde perform!!

We certainly visited the World Trade Centres, the Empire State [playing Midnight Oil on my walkman in our 9th week away from Oz], saw the Lion King on Broadway, the Met, Starbucks, Tower Records and Barnes and Noble at the neginning of the Cafe in a bookshop trend...

Statue of Liberty, Statton Island Ferry, a game at Yankee Stadium [I've been a follower of baseball and the Yankees since childhood], NBC Store, Planet Hollywood, NBA Store, Macy's, Tom's Diner and even Flushing Meadow and the New York winter Rugby Sevens!!

Staying at the Westside YMCA was a unique way to meet New Yorkers [and to have one shot by Police whil we were on our way back to the building to get jumpers for the baseball game that night!!]

Stood outside NBC over breakfast and met Al Roker and Mat Lauer...

There's so much more... Central Park, Wolman Rink, SOHO, Tribeca, Ranch #1 Chicken...

The metling pot of cultures and lots of evidence of getting most things about multiculturalism right is palpable... and the bagels aren't bad either!!

They know how to do a celebration and the Police are like no other I've seen [and are pretty much exactly like most US shows you see... except a heightened sense of not overstepping whoever is in charge and an almost obsessive need to delegate that authority to someone else until its time to pull out a gun... I kind of get the whole "NY's finest and bravest" as they call the Police and Firefighters!!

Steve Irwin

It was very surreal to be at the taping of 'Enough Rope' today awaiting Ian Chappell and others and looking forward to the interview with Raelene Boyle later tonight!! First of course we knew that the Don Chipp interview was to be replayed and now the interview with Crickey Steve Irwin would be also!!
The studio was in a slightly shocked and tense state as Andrew Denton recorded adverts, intro's and outro's for the various aspects of tonights show before returning to the days schedule!!

Mmmm, remarkable!!
Anyhow, got to talk to Andrew and thank him for his inspirational belief in the power of stories... and got to personally hand him an invitation to send in a pair of shoes for 'Meaninful Soles' mentioned earlier in this Pumphouse blog!! I hope its a positive response when Andrew has time to get back to me in November!!


Like him or hate him!! RIP Steve Irwin

Planet Earth BBC series

Picked up a copy of the series I'm sure others are well aware of, but the cinematography is magnificent. I decided not to wait until the next time I need a visual feed to a screen that just plays through on mute... but if I had the DVD maybe I'd design something to do with it first...

Attenborough narates of course and ther'd be use for that too, but my primary thing is some footage you don't see everyday!!

I think it'll be too distracting in a more normal yet creative worship space so I won't use it this week!!

Pearl Jam to play Newcastle Ent Centre!!

Having caught Pearl Jam on their last trip to Oz [stunningly brilliant!!] I was content to not make the drive down the F3 one more time later this year... then comes news that three Newcastle punters petition has been successful and the boys will play Newcastle for the first time!! Pity about the barn-like sound of the Entertainment Centre BUT it is definitely good for local fans!!

The YOU Tube FLIPSIDE !!

Tassie YouTube star calls it quits

Louisa Hearn SMH
August 28, 2006

"Emmalina, an 18-year-old YouTube hit from Tassie, has bowed out of internet stardom
for good after her computer was hacked and her privacy invaded, sparking fears
for her own safety.
The chatty video blog entries recorded from her bedroom first began to appear
in the "most viewed" rankings on the popular YouTube video in June and some
of her more controversial posts attracted more than 300,000 views. She even
has her own Wikipedia entry.
Emmalina's video blog, however, came to an abrupt end earlier this month when
she stripped her profile and all of her video content from YouTube. The explanation
for this, written on YouTubetalk, was that someone had hacked into her computer
and obtained recent pictures and videos from it that had never been posted online
as well as "incredibly private files".
Although she operated under a pseudonym, another determined follower had
uncovered her personal details and circulated them online.
Emmalina declined to be interviewed by us this week because she said things
had already got way out of control.
"People forget that I'm a real, normal young girl with a life, feelings and a right
to privacy," she said.
Her spectacular rise to internet fame gave rise to a multitude of YouTube
dedications, spin-offs and spoofs, as well as a rap song dedicated to her popularity.
But, as many new-found celebrities discover, along with the adoring fans came
the critics and the creeps - a fact that Emmalina admitted to us, in an interview in
June, that she was struggling to accept.
She said at the time: "When you put something on the internet, it's there for
everyone to see. But the nasty comments are pretty discouraging and you do
get a lot of them."
Max Markson, managing director of celebrity agency, Markson Sparks, warned
that the openness of the internet represented a double edged sword for those
seeking notoriety.
"If you put yourself out there on YouTube or MySpace you are moving into
open area and giving your privacy away. If all of a sudden fame comes upon you,
all the negatives as well as the positives come with it," he said.
Part of Emmalina's appeal was her lack of pretension and the witty, self
deprecating captions that she dotted throughout her video blog. Although
her focus was on everyday and sometimes mundane topics ranging from
her pet guinea pigs to her interest in yoga, her occasional raunchy dance
routines often ranked highly among viewer ratings and attracted a lot of
public commentary.
In some of her most highly viewed posts, she boldly took some of her
critics to task, chiding the email responses to her videos from those she
described as "haters" and chastising the "creepy old men" who posted l
ewd messages on her own and other YouTube videos featuring young
women.
However things eventually became too much for Emmalina and she
claims there was no choice but to leave YouTube once her personal
privacy and security had been breached.
"Every day I logged in and discovered more and more cruel spoofs,
harassing videos, death and rape threats, incredibly nasty comments
and God knows what else. I can't take it anymore. YouTube 'popularity'
is hell unless you're a f---ing saint with nothing to hide, or you have
indestructible confidence," she wrote in her last post on YouTubetalk."

YOU Tube Guitar Whiz!!

From colleague Bruce Mullan...

The YouTube mystery guitar whiz.
Another YouTube star, with over 7.5 million hits already.
An anonymous guitar whiz playing "an exceedingly difficult rock
arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon". But who is it?

The NYTimes<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/arts/television/27heff.html
reveals his name (Jeong-Hyun Lim) and reports on the background to the
arrangement of "the great one-hit wonder of the baroque period".

See the video first <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8

Worship Unplugged # 37 Lollies

This is probably listed amongst the first 20 or 30 Unplugged's BUT a plastic tub of lollies used as part of the invitation or call to worship goes a long way towards settings an informal and friendly atmosphere and beginning for worship!!
I recommend: party mix, snakes, milk bottles, fredo frongs and jaffas all mixed in...

Keep them handy or keep them circulating!!

YOU Tube

Up there with MySpace.... Since last mentioned here YOU Tube has taken off as a crazy space for uploading all kinds of personal or captured videos... including the old guy recently made famous by his musings and whinges each week!!

Here is the Chaser take on Hillsong as an example...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEAWPcbTw8k

Of course I can't vouch for all the content!!
Pop culture that is impacting free to air and pay TV future...
because YOU can choose what you watch on the Tube!!

Row M Seat 30 "Snakes on a Plane"

Just like asking for a lilac lightsabre... Samuel Jackson signed up for this film based solely on the title... if you believe the media hype that is!!

It's generating spoof posters, sequel titles and will no doubt find its way into "Scary Movie 8"

More once I've seen it of course!!

SIM SWEATSHOP

http://www.simsweatshop.com/

Jonny Baker came across this site that would be of interest to supporters of fairwear or anyone wanting to end the injustice of sweatshop footwaer and clothing production!!

Not a bad virtual intoroduction to the issues and the plight of many people across the globe!!

Music

At the risk of repeating myself here's a list or songs I'm enjoying as well as finding useful in worship, reflections, as backing or playlist tracks...

Diesel 'coathanger antennae'
Kasey Chambers 'Nothing At All'
Shane Nicholson 'I Know What You Want'
Alex Lloyd 'Sometimes'
Missy Higgins 'Sound of White'
Bob Evans 'Don't You Think It's Time'
Eskimo Joe
Youth Group

Geez... I miss the Oils...

Oh well, Powderfinger are going back to the studio later this year and Silverchair have done the hard work.... there's hope yet...

Row M Seat 30 "Boytown"

Not released until 19th October you can't miss the pre-publicity for Mick Molloy's new film "Boytown." It's a story about the reformation of an 80s boy band attempting to revive their success!! Mick and his brother Richard have a pretty good track record of funny films [if a little stereotypical]...
Glen Robbins is reportedly great in this flick!! [as ever]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472615/

"Sunshine to Rain" Dragon Liberation Blues Acoustic Series

Today I picked up a copy [recent CD embargo broken] of the Liberation Series latest from Dragon with the very capable Mark Williams singing for the late and lamented Marc Hunter!!

It's brilliant... at rendering these Dragon classics
at breathing new life into some inspired lyrics
at reminding me of my angst driven and simpler days in late High School and early work and part time Uni years!!
Confusion over who I wanted to snog, spend time with, have as a friend [as if in rewriting history it were only up to me] time on our hands, lazy days listening to vinyl on turntable and a memorable Civic Park Mattara Concert!!

Plus the ill fated foray into Dragon of Tommy Emanuel who fitted "like a fish on a bicycle" and the ego of Alan Mansfield and his Toto inspired keyboard dominance of their last couple of half decent recordings!!
I was and am an unashamed Dragon fan... including their the heady days of drink, drugs and appearances on "Countdown"...

Tracks
1 Sunshine
2 Speak No Evil
3 April Sun In Cuba
4 Are You Old Enough?
5 Body & The Beat
6 Wilder World
7 Still In Love
8 Dreams Of Ordinary Men
9 Get That Jive
10 Magic
11 Age Of Reason (Marc Hunter & Bella Hunter) A REDEEMING VERSION THAT'LL GET A RUN WITH ME IN MY RARITIES AND GREAT TRACKS ELECTIVE COMING TO A CONVENTION NEAR YOU!! AND MAYBE EVEN A BIG SCREEN WORSHIP SOMEWHERE!!
12 Promises
13 This Time
14 Young Years
15 Celebrate
16 Rain
17 Age Of Reason (Hidden)

While Michael Gudinski invented this idea out of the necessity of a shrinking CD market, it has been a masterstroke and has enlivened the careers of a number of performers and bands as featured on http://www.acousticseries.com.au/FrontPage.htm

Michael Spiby, Jenny Morris, and Choirboys have recently toured with Dragon to promote releases from all the above!

Gotta Love Prince Harry

Well, as you know I include lots of pop culture stories here... far from a gratuitous pic its all about the generational differences between the post modern era and what went on behind closed doors in previous generations!!

In other words, this could be a picture from a party anywhere last weekend and also be a completely harmless snapshot in time of two friends sharing some fun... and yes it could also be inappropraite drunken behaviour...

Even better still the picture could be 3 years old and cause the Palace to issue a demand for an apology that the story misrepresented the truth. Again there used to be a time where people in public life had their privacy respected if not covered up... we live in interesting times!!

Joey Johns suffers Daily Telegraph Tall Poppy Syndrome

Make no mistake:

• Andrew Johns shouldn't have been swearing when the match officials missed the knock on this weekend vs Manly
• Coach Michael Hagan should have been more circumspect
• The Club should have been more firm when Johns ditched the ball presentation a few weeks ago against the Eels

BUT

This negative publicity about him started way back when he decided to pick and choose the International Games he could play and toyed with and finally stuck to Origin retirement. The newspaper made editorial decisions about how to handle this particular player and have been riding every headline since!!

You can't be "the games best player ever" for long in this country without the blowtorch being eventually applied... BUT here's the rub...

What does this current treatment have to do with Andrew Johns rescue package to keep him in the NRL instaed of switching to Rugby Union and playing for the Waratahs...

The rescue was a Nine/Packer initiated series of promises... involving future media opportunities!!

News Ltd have a long memory and it hasn't taken much for Joeys media to be fairly negative...

Just as his earlier punctured lung was blown out of all proportion SO TOO is this swearing story... it happens throughout any game and is directed at officials, players, thin air, etc etc..

It'd be all a bit ho hum except its true that the Knights are pretty much gone without him at this late stage of the year!!

Well, the reverse spin was action today as friends and family rue the possibility that if rubbed out Joey will head to Warrington in England to play and now the Appeal against the severity of the charge is in ans we;ll kill a lot of trees reading about it all in the next three or four days!!

David Tench Tonight

"Zapruder's Other Films" presents arguably the worlds first animated talk show host this Thursday on Oz TV on TEN at 8.30pm!!
Lots of sites, blogs, critics etc have expressed mixed feelings so it'll be interesting to see if this works here... if he displays Andrew Denton's deft touch and questioning style it'll work but if Denton's role is more distant then the jury is still out... guess we'll all see...

Meaningful Soles

Inspired by Paul Hobbs "Holy Ground"
www.cms-uk.org/news/2005/art_and_sole_240805.htm
We have begun the task of inviting nearly thirty people from across the globe to donate a pair of shoes and to share their story for a worship intsallation [a little more secular than Paul's].
I have a copy of Paul Hobbs resource to loan groups or people [CD ROM and stories] and hope to have "Meaningful Soles" set up in a few months!!

What do I mean?
We have invited nearly thirty people to donate a pair of shoes and to tell the story of how those shoes represent something of their spirituality, values, faith?

We will design a space and installation to display the shoes and their stories under the banner of "Meaningful Soles"

Stay tuned for updates on who responds and what they have to say!!

Triple J Unearthed

Triple J seeks next Missy on the net
SMH August 10, 2006 - 1:12PM

The ABC has injected new life into its Triple J Unearthed radio talent quest to find the music stars of the future.
The public broadcaster is looking for the next Missy Higgins, Ella Hooper or Grinspoon - all of whom were discovered by the radio station.
It has launched a new website for the program, http://www.triplejunearthed.com/, in the hope of reaching people in all parts of Australia, from the city to the bush.
"Unearthed has been one of the best initiatives the station has come up with over its three-decade existence," Triple J music director Richard Kingsmill said, adding that some of Australia's top artists were found through the quest.
"It's been a terrific vehicle for us to discover fresh talent, but it's also given many the chance of expressing their music and having that aired across the nation."
Unknown independent musicians will be encouraged to upload their music and profiles, with Triple J listeners able to review the songs.
There is no set competition, but there will be a series of opportunities for talent to be discovered.
One musical act will be selected to perform at Sydney's Homebake outdoor festival in December, while others will win the opportunity to take part in songwriting workshops, professional recording sessions, and the chance to have their music played on Triple J.

Final Piece of U2 Puzzle is in Place

It's TRUE... U2 will perform in Sydney on November 13th in a totally newly scheduled concert with tickets on sale August 11th !!

"Space and Time"

With some worship experiences its as though I develop a picture of the ways in which people will be invited to engage with 'the story' or explore their faith story, from one piece of music or a scattered thought or just the theme... and then the rest of the activity fills it out!!

This worship was certainly not radical, way out, or particularly original BUT was something I thought one mob could cope with and that it might work with modifications in a range of other places... The thinking and planning process was spread over several months and inspirations included: Holy Ground worship art space in the UK; the desire to "do something different"; my resolution at the start of this year not to lead worship anywhere exactly as its normally experienced or whats normally expected... i.e. I would do 'something' which gave me integrity and challenged the comfortable familiar...; and finally a brilliant tirade from Ben Elton's recent stand up tour "Get a Grip" at the Capitol Theatre on 20 July... thats where Psalm 144 came from...

The group at Gordon UC in Sydney have been doing a 'Winter Warmers' worship series where they gather in their hall, enjoy soup and bread as part of the worship time together and still employ their rich musical possibilities in a fairly traditional way...

I took the opportunity of gathering in the hall to suggest 'something different' in response to the invitation to come and lead worship there.. On this ocassion it would be installations/stations or at least choice... that's not always what I choose...

I hold pretty strongly to the power and simplicity of Mark Pierson's "people/a person responding to God" as a simple working definition for worship and secondly that "liturgy" means "the work of the people"...

THE SPACE
was set up with lights largely off, one stand of cans lighting the space, four desk lamps facing walls like an art gallery illumination and two blacklight UV lights highlighting the confession time space... there were two walls to focus on for the initial visuals...

Three data projectors could have easily been four BUT still the worship could be adapted to suit zero projectors... as it was we used two and a looped DVD on a laptop...

We began with a spoken call, introduced 2 communally sung songs
Then came an audiovisual and soup was served!!

The audio-visual worked two screens to "Don't You Think It's Time" Bob Evans
The images were a variety of worship, youth culture and reflection inspiring images!!

The second screen included a piece of writing about 'TIME' and set the scene...
We enjoyed our soup and then began to engage with up to TEN spaces...

The Call to Worship reminded people that this was not entertainment, a concert, a workshop etc but was worship and invited them to take up the invitation... explaining the music, soup,AV and then how the time would be spent!!

STATIONS:

1. Time to Choose
Looped 'Matrix' scene of Morpheus describing that non-one can tell you what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself... with the brief guide offering you the choice of red or blue jelly beans to symbolise your discipleship choice

2. Time to Remember
An Aussie Post cardboard cylinder will play host to the scribblings of those who chose to leave a question, commitment or observation on paper... to be opened again 12 months from now...

3. Time for Games
A choice of Jenga on a table or the Deepspeak cards from St Lukes Innovative Reources.
The cards have various themes moving people from openers to different kinds of values explorations

4. Kids Talk About Heaven
Images and writing were projected on the wall and paper and textas provided for those present to experience the children's thinking and then maybe draw or write about their own stuff.

5. Time for Others
A world map and tealight candles for lighting and placement on the map were supplemented with six larger candles and the Sarah McLachlan clip for "World On Fire".
The larger candles each had a cylinder of translucent paper taped into a tube and placed over them... on the front were printed images from this weeks news...
The Sign explains that Sarah Mcl donated the normal cost of a clip to all the causes and projects listed as possible in the video...

6. Time to Own Up
Black cloth spayed with repositioning glue was taped to the wall. Phone block paper and pens offered the chance to write a confession and stick it up above two 'blacklight UV' lights...

7. Time for Action
The recent story of the young boy in the well known Fred Hollows picture [Giap] was pictured 'today' and we were reminded in the newspaper of Fred mostly working on adults until this day in the crowd a young boy tugged at his shirt... Intraoccular surgery and a miracle later and he can see, wants to teach maths and represents the great work of Fred amongst indigenous and asian communities!!
The article and reference to Jesus unrolling the scroll and naming what he had come to do "food, clothing, sight..." and also the story of the woman who'd suffered bleeding for years and who reached out and touched Jesus clothes...
People were asked to reflect on how they could act to change the world...

8. and 10. Offering Time
The Offering bags and a set of footprint cutouts gave people a chance to respond...
to offer a finacial gifts or to commit to some next steps by writing on the footprint and placing it on the floor.
Psalm 144 informed the reflection and a piece of text about how it used to be that God was seen as huge and we were 'insignificant' and wondered at God's interest in us... not the other way around!!

9. Story Time
A selection of storybooks encouraged people to see what God might be saying through the power of stories... what made them laugh... what they enjoyed reading!!

The exploration lasted 30 mins and we closed with [1] communla song and a spoken Sending Out

It went well on the whole and I have fine tuned some aspects!!
It was all just enough to now know how I would run it again and how I would do it slightly differently...

Either no communal singing or a guitar, voice and tombas...
Call and Instructions/Invitation recorded as MP3 and played as a loop attached to the initial invitational powerpoint slide!!People enter and engage and if there was singing it would be spontaneously led about 10 mins in...

I will probably cut down two Stations to increase the focus!!
But again the feedback was largely very positive from the assembled mob!!

Wanderers v Merewether Carlton [The Slime] 2005

This photo is taken just as I get hit with a full drum of gatorade in the back row!!
A brilliant premiership grand final win over the Slime!!
Outgunned, outsmarted we did it!!
Performed according to the game plan and played as a team with plenty of ticker!!