mdbennett.net

Getting Old

2010-09-07T13:00:00.000+12:00

For some reason (perhaps it is the immortality of the soul) I don't really feel like I'm getting any older. I don't think that I'm the only person affected by this condition, but birthday's roll around and I still feel pretty much the same as when I was 19 or 20! However there is something happening that is beginning to make me feel as though I might be getting a little older ...

That is the birthday (yesterday) of my eldest child. He turned 8 yesterday and it did begin to make me wonder if I'm starting to get a little old ... I imagine it will get worse when he beats me up a hill on his bike, or running down the street! However for now, I think I'm locked into my youth!

Slide Time

2010-09-04T10:00:00.001+12:00

Finally I have a phone that lets me upload videos directly to my youtube account .... This one is the 2nd time JN rode the slide by himself (the first time we weren't recording and her kerplonked off the end of the slide on his head)! Next time (in the video) MJ catches him, 3rd time he (JN) manages all by himself!

Dynamic Discipleship #2

2010-09-03T11:30:00.000+12:00

In thinking through what it should mean to follow Jesus (i.e. be a disciple) I guess it would be somewhat helpful to look at how he lived. Not being a biblical scholar I can probably only comment somewhat anecdotally ... It would seem to me that Jesus mixed his Sunday's up! Sometimes he was at the synagogue (technically the Sabbath but a minor point), and other's he was out doing stuff.

In fact he caused quite the stir at times, one being Luke 13:10-17 (when Jesus heals on the Sabbath), another being when the disciples are picking grain in Mark 2:23-28 (there are many more but I'm trying to keep it short)! In both cases Jesus has a few sharp words to say to those who are questioning the actions. Mark 2:17 sums it up perfectly:

The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

How much of my Sunday activities are about religious requirements or duties? Will these cause others to honour God?

I want to be a clone!

2010-09-02T13:00:00.000+12:00

I remember as a teenager having a couple of albums that I listened to over and over again. I also remember that some songs in particular stuck in my head not just because of the music, but because of the words. One song in particular I really liked musically and lyrically was I want to be a clone by Steve Taylor. The song was called I want to be a clone. Oddly enough it was extremely cynical (probably why I liked it so much) but bang on the money (as a generalisation).

Even today as I listen to it or recall the lyrics when speaking with someone who insists on doing things this way or that way I can't help but realise the truth of them and pray I encourage people to embrace the unique being God created them as:

I'd gone through so much other stuff
That walking down the aisle was tough
But now I know it's not enough
I want to be a clone

I asked the Lord into my heart
They said that was the way to start
But now you've got to play the part
I want to be a clone

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

They told me that I'd fall away
Unless I followed what they say
Who needs the Bible anyway?
I want to be a clone

Their language it was new to me
But Christianese got through to me
Now I can speak it fluently
I want to be a clone

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

Send in the clones

Ah, I kind of wanted to tell my friends and people about it, you know?

What?
You're still a babe
You have to grow
Give it twenty years or so
'Cause if you want to be one of his
Got to act like one of us

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

So now I see the whole design
My church is an assembly line
The parts are there, I'm feeling fine
I want to be a clone

I've learned enough to stay afloat
But not so much I rock the boat
I'm glad they shoved it down my throat
I want to be a clone

Everybody must get cloned!

Dynamic Discipleship #1

2010-08-31T07:30:00.000+12:00

So over the weekend B1 (aged almost 8) was involved in a sports tournament on Sunday. We decided to let him play for several reasons. However my question (which I think will be asked gradually over a couple of posts) is this something a dynamic disciple would do?

It would seem to me that the general feeling is that it is OK for this happen from time to time BUT on Sunday we should be in Church (perhaps I'm reading the general feeling wrong but that is how I see it). This confuses me somewhat as I'm not sure Church as we know it (again a sweeping generalisation) doesn't automatically lead to dynamic followers of Jesus.

So the decision wasn't easy, but I will explain my rationale over the next post or 2.

The Soccer Season

2010-08-30T17:00:00.001+12:00

Alas the soccer season (well for E) has come to an end ... It has been a good year and not only has he enjoyed playing, but I've enjoyed being his coach. In his final game of the season his Uncle John was able to be there (he is from out of town) and he shot this video of E scoring 1 of his 2 goals on the day. He has a red bib on (as they were playing another Petone team):

Do you like Windows?

2010-08-27T09:30:00.003+12:00

Recently I was lamenting how people embrace Windows from version to version without complaint but freak out completely if they get given a different operating system to use (be it Apple OS/X, Linux, or anything else). It seems to me that in general we (the general population) are comfortable with Windows and will happily find our way around new versions without complaint ... in fact we want new (and different) versions of Windows. Why?

Is it that we find it comfortable? Is it that we like it? Or is it that we're so resistant to change, drastic change, that we deceive ourselves by thinking that upgrading to a newer version isn't really changing at all? Whatever the reason it astounds me that we're happy to settle for what we have and know instead of pushing out into the unknown and exploring.

Personally I'm an explorer ... and not just with technology. Nearly all aspects of my life seem to revolve around exploring new things. It isn't that I'm bored or unhappy ... it is just that there are new mountain bike tracks to be discovered, new cafes to drink coffee at, new countries to experience ... everything out there seems new and exciting!

Technology Revolution

2010-08-26T09:30:00.000+12:00

Has there actually been a technology revolution? If so what is the revolution? Technology is great but I'm not convinced that there has been a revolution as a result. Best I can tell what has happened is we have better access to information and that access can be from anywhere. Also the processing of information can happen a lot faster. But a revolution?

A technology revolution would surely mean that my life had been completely changed by technology. I'm not convinced that it has (but maybe I'm short sighted in this regard). The transformation that has happened is that I'm connected to sources of information and able to access answers to questions I have more quickly now (especially helpful if you want to look smart during a quiz).

I think a technology revolution is coming, but to date it would seem that technology is just connecting us to information and speeding some processing up. IT hasn't transformed my life, it is more something on the edges of it. I'm sure it will be more embedded soon, so much so that living without technology would be extremely difficult ... but right now? ... you could unplug yourself and live a perfectly normal and fulfilling life!

A Mis-spent Youth

2010-08-25T08:00:00.000+12:00

I have quite eclectic musical tastes as can be evidenced in looking at my CD collection. However I have recently been re-acquainted with two bands and musical styles that featured heavily in my youth. Getting in touch with a mis-spent youth has happened through the old fashioned way of talking to people as well as through the marvelousness of Internet connectivity!

Ironically some might say, I'm also now involved in a band which was also a large part of my youth, a Big Band (think Glenn Miller, Roger Fox, etc). This is on the trombone, which I prefer referring to by it's original name, sackbutt. Amused? Read all about it here!

Stryper (check them out on Wikipedia or at their official website stryper.com) lived in my tape walkman 80% of the time and even now I can still sing along to most of the words and track all the guitar riffs and solos. One of my favorite tracks Calling on You is here thanks another wonderful gift from the Internet, youtube!

The Death of Evolution

2010-08-24T11:30:00.003+12:00

The following story is from the book The Death of Evolution by Jim Nelson Black. I've heard many stories like it, but never including someone as prestigious in the world of science as Newton (although I guess I am assuming it is THE Newton)!!

I can't make a convincing argument for creation, but I think I can point out significant flaws in evolution (other than just this one)!

One day a colleague who did not believe the Bible's account of creation stopped by Newton's laboratory for a visit. When he spotted a model sitting there on a large table, he walked over for a closer look. He reached out and touched the metal rods and, like clockwork, the tiny planets began to move in well-oiled precision...

"What a magnificent machine!" he exclaimed. "My dear Newton, you must tell me: who made this amazing contraption for you?"

Newton paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Nobody."

"Nobody, you say? How can that be?"

"Yes, that's right," Newton insisted. "The balls and belts and pulleys you see here came together entirely by accident, and by some unknown miracle they move along in perfect orbit just as you see them now."

At that point, the skeptic realized what Newton was saying. How foolish to think that a detailed model of the solar system could come together by accident. But how much more foolish to think that the earth, moon, and stars-and all of God's creation could come into existence by mere chance.

Bible Summary

2010-08-20T11:00:00.011+12:00

Through the wonder that is Twitter I've found someone (biblesummary)who is going to summarise every chapter of the bible into a single tweet (meaning 140 characters or less)! This seems monumental and it will be interesting to watch how some chapters are summarised (especially those with long genealogies)! I'm so impressed and intrigued I'm not only following them to hear it as it happens but I'm also dedicating a page on my blog to it happening!

Watch it happen on Twitter or on my biblesummary page (here).

Significant Moments

2010-08-19T08:00:00.000+12:00

I was listening to a Tony Campolo podcast in the car about Father's Day and he raised a very interesting point. The point doesn't only apply to Father's but to all of us in our lives. He was talking about the significant moments he thought existed while raising his kids. To add intrigue to this his son has written about the significant moments he experienced with his Dad (Tony) while growing up. The result?

The moments that Tony thought significant and foundational were not moments that his son listed as being significant! My initial thought was to give up on trying to invest in my kids because the things I believe will be good aren't! However as the podcast continued Tony told us the significant moments his son had recorded.

The reality is that significant moments happen both when they are planned & scripted and when it is a 2 minute conversation or 3 minute detour on the drive somewhere. The point is we don't know when these significant moments will occur. The truth is they happen without us realising.

Kids (actually all people) most often don't listen to what we're saying because they're too busy measuring your words against your actions. When we talk about giving money to good causes my kids already know how much we're spending on life, entertainment, and ourselves ... so what they hear is filtered by what they've observed.

Significant moments happen when the consistency and transparency of my life intersect with the opportunity to explain in words why I live that way. This is what came out (to me) in Tony's podcast. I highly recommend listening to Tony's podcast, they are current, topical, and he is a highly intelligent, well informed, and biblically knowledgeable person. Look here for the details.

Random Question

2010-08-18T09:30:00.001+12:00

Mobile phones today are getting smarter and smarter and people (like me) are doing more and more with them. It isn't just a phone for me, and I use it for more than just calls and text messages (which all mobile phones do)! They can (if you buy the right model), do oh so much more. For me?

For me it gives me access to my email (work & personal), calendar (work & personal), contacts (work & personal - there is a theme developing here), tasks & journals (work & personal), instant messaging (work & personal), navigation (thankyou Google maps), music, podcasts, social networks (Twitter, LinkedIN, TripIt, Lotus Connections, Facebook, etc), the Internet, games (when you're delayed somewhere), and many other things.

Add to this the fact it is a camera (still & video) that lets me share the photos instantly (well as quickly as the Internet connection uploads them) on Flickr, Picassa, my blog, and Facebook.

So after all that rambling (no surprise there I'm sure), my random question for the day is IF mobile phones are getting smarter and increasingly simply mini-computers (and they are), then what is going to happen to the traditional mobile devices (laptops and ... well laptops)?

Top3 Podcasts

2010-08-17T12:00:00.017+12:00

Since becoming a two car family my intake of podcasts has increased dramatically. They are a great way of keeping up to date with technology, music, or to learn new things. My list of podcasts seems to change every now and then as some I only listen to a couple of times before deciding it isn't that valuable to me! Today I'm posting my Top3 podcasts which AREN'T technical and AREN'T related to the Church/Christianity/Bible!

In no particular order BUT with an explanation as to why I think it is so good here are my Top3 general listening podcasts:

A History of the World in 100 Objects - This is a BBC podcast that traces the development of society as we know it through objects. Starting off with things we take for granted the podcast explains how the object transformed the lives of people at the time. It is fascinating to hear a snippet of history in 14 minutes and realise how much little things (like a bowl) have changed the world we live in!

Enzology - Is a Radio New Zealand podcast that tracks the fantastic NZ band Spilt Enz. Using conversations of the band members themselves you hear about the evolution of the band through their early days in NZ, then Australia, the UK and the US. They recall different gigs candidly and speak openly about their relationships, how they worked and what happened. It is a fantastic journey with a soundtrack of Split Enz music.

Digital Planet - Another BBC podcast but it ISN'T technical. In short (under 30 minutes) weekly episodes the Digital Planet podcast reports on how technology is transforming society around the world. From text messaging medical systems in Africa to input systems like that in Minority Report this podcast gives you a glimpse of just what technology can deliver to us. The podcast isn't technical so is a great listen if you want to hear about the technology transformation that is starting to occur.

The Little Things

2010-08-16T12:00:00.000+12:00

It is the little things that often cause the most disappointment. A forgotten catchup, a missed comment, a change unnoticed. We go through life with lots of little disappointments and all too often they are the ones we can't shake and matter more than we let on. Why?

This article here points to the reason (well the reason for that person)! HOWEVER it seems to be so true of myself (and others close to me)! We (well I) get disappointed when someone doesn't act the way I would have. I expected they would, and in the case of work, I communicate what I expect, BUT they just aren't me (I hear that collective sigh of relief)!

The sooner I let people be themselves and realise they have different capabilities and capacities to me the sooner I'm be a little less disappointed!

Getting what you want

2010-08-12T09:00:00.000+12:00

Having kids made the following excerpt from a book standout to me. More than that, wanting a full and exciting life where I don't miss out on anything has always been something I've aimed for. I'm not complaining about what I have, where I've been, or what I'm doing, FAR FROM IT! It is just Shauna Niequist in the book Bittersweet summed it all up. Getting what you want is easy ... just costly! Read on for an excerpt from the book.

I love the illusion of being able to do it all, and I'm fascinated with people who seem to do that, who have challenging careers and beautiful homes and vibrant minds and well-tended abs. Throw in polite children and a garden, and I'm coming over for lessons.

Out to lunch one day with my friend Denise, I asked her about it. Denise is a mother of four, and a grandmother, and she works and writes and travels and cooks, and ... she seems settled in some fundamental way... And this is what Denise told me: she said it's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What's hard, she said, is figuring out what you're willing to give up in order
to do the things you really care about.

Her words from that day have been rattling around inside me for years now... She was right. Deciding what I wanted wasn't that hard. But deciding what I'm willing to give up for those things is like
yoga for your superego, stretching and pushing and ultimately healing that nasty little person inside of you who exists only for what people think.

The Birthright

2010-08-11T10:00:00.000+12:00

This isn't my thoughts, but through a Zondervan publication I read the following. It is an excerpt from the book The Birthright, but John Sheasby with Ken Gire. Click here to learn more, or to read an excerpt click here. Or read on to see how The Birthright sums up the person I follow ...

God never wanted to treat people as enemies. He wanted to treat them as friends, hoping they would trust him. It was only when Israel refused to trust him that God added the law see Gal 3:19). But that addition, said Paul, could not subtract from the covenant or promise given to Abraham (see Gal 3:17).
God had always wanted man to come to him in simple trust as a child to its Father.

Enter Jesus. Full of grace and truth. Full of love and kindness. And, dare we say it, full of fun. No wonder the tax collectors and sinners loved him! Jesus loved them, accepted them, and, to the horror
of the religious establishment, enjoyed their company. He was the fulfillment of Amos's prophecy [Amos 9:11-12]. He was the tabernacle of David (see John 1:14), the place where God meets "the rest of mankind" (Acts 15:17). He was God living in a human tent, totally approachable to the vilest sinner. Totally accepting of the worst offender (see John 8:10-11).

1st things 1st

2010-08-10T14:00:00.000+12:00

A bit random today, and also potentially a bit of a repeat, but here we go. In my job I get to see a lot of churches (albeit within a single denomination), and they all seem to have a different focus. One could easily argue that they're all part of the body so will all be different parts. All good, but it would seem to me that there should be ONE thing that unites ALL churches, ONE thing that is put before everything else. So today I ask a question ... What is the ONE thing that ALL churches should do?

Love equals action

2010-08-06T07:30:00.000+12:00

So far as I'm concerned it is official ... love equals action! I love N so I act on it. It isn't always enough or the right kind of action BUT love results in action. The same with my boys ... love for them leads to actions. I'm sure you will all agree that loving someone or something leads to action. What action does my love for God result in?

Mobile Blogging

2010-08-05T12:00:00.000+12:00

There really should be a good mobile blogging tool. Actually there is IF you're using Domino as your blogging platform (like I was) and a BlackBerry phone (which I will be until Friday)! You can email a blog in, but that is just messy. You can use your mobile browser BUT it has to support a number of standards (Opera Mini does but I'm not a fan).

I've missed a lot of blog posts lately through illness and through being away from my computer or an Internet connection at the time I gather my thoughts. It has felt like I'm missing something because it has become an outlet for the tangled web of my mind. Sometimes what falls out makes sense, other times my mind is a better place for having cleared that corner up! Either way blogging is a great mental health tool!

When I was a kid ...

2010-08-04T19:30:00.002+12:00

I didn't like it when I had to go and stay with my grandparents. It isn't
that I didn't like them, or there place, or their cooking, or anything it
was just I preferred to be at home ... With my Mum & Dad. My kids?

My kids would move in with my parents if we let them (actually we would let
them, Mum & Dad won't have them permanently)! Why is this? Is it my kids
are different from me? Or is it I have a different relationship with my
parents than they had with theirs?

Maybe it is that my parents see their role differently to the way my
grandparents saw their role? My grandparents saw their role as assisting to
bring us up right. My parents (while they care deeply about our kids being
raised well) see their role as far more fun. Long live the role of fun
grandparents!

Asbo and church

2010-08-03T11:00:00.001+12:00

Is this your church? It can't be mine because they have a pulpit and there is no coffee machine!

Action

2010-08-02T19:00:00.003+12:00

It strikes me that lots of things in life should result in action. Take faith ... it is pointless unless it results in action. Love is futile unless you take action. Without action they're just pontification that mean little (if anything). So if I look at this in reverse, what do my actions say about who I love, and what do I have faith in?

What is church?

2010-08-01T14:30:00.003+12:00

That is the question we've been asking at Petone over the last couple of weeks. It is intriguing and you can answer it from many different angles. The conversation has centred largely around the Jesus revolution that saw Christianity commence. Amazingly Christianity was the first religion that had no temple. There was no special building or holy place in Christianity (well not for the first 300 years).

The first Christians understood that the church was the people. Collectively (and individually) people are the Church building that God is working on and living in (kind of changes Psalm 26:8 a little)! This leaves a question hanging that is:

If we (the people) are the church and not the building, how will this change our weekdays?

One Thing

2010-07-28T16:00:00.000+12:00

What is the one thing that you spend the most time with? I had never thought about it but heard someone else mention it and began to realise that it would be true for me. More than that it would be true for a whole lot of people.

The one thing so many of us spend the most time with is our mobile phone! It is always with us, beside our bed at night, carried everywhere during the day. We probably spend more time with our mobile phone than with any other thing (well some of us)! While they connects us to people (and information for many of them), they also disconnect us from people (because we're not 100% in the conversation).

One thing in my life that has the power to compliment everything I do, or take me away from what is right in front of me. That is quite a powerful device!