Okay – the heading to this post is a bit sensational… but my Total Lunar Eclipse video (see below or go to youtube) has just cracked 1000 views in just under 24 hours!!

While this may not seem like much, it’s a pretty lame video and there’s only been a handful of views that have clicked out from this blog. How did they get there? I’m sure it’s not a featured video on youtube – it’s simply through people searching for it.

CCECYOUTH has 32 videos online – but only a total of about 5000 views.

If you want to get a high number of random hits (something we’re not necessarily aiming for with ccecyouth) simply work out what people will be searching for on a given day. There’s your video name and some tags… the rest is history.

Jesus.

I’m currently watching Hitch. I think it’s a good movie with some good lessons. Here’s 2 quotes from the beginning of the movie:

1. Basic principles: No woman wakes up saying “God I hope I DON’T get swept off my feet today”
2. Basic principles: No matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom.

I think Christian guys need help with the ladies. They just need some help with the broom! If you want to talk… give me a call or shoot me an email.

I bought lunch for Daniel, a guy who asked me for money, in Gosford this morning. He’s a homeless man – about my age. He knows that there is accommodation available but would rather sleep on the beach with a blanket.

Afterwards I went looking for Luke (his real name) around the streets and in the soup kitchen. I couldn’t find him. I haven’t seen him for a long time. I haven’t made enough effort. I’m going to look for him again and/or speak to one of the social workers who knows him.

Jesus is the hope of the world. Pray for both of them that they would come to know Jesus.

Facebook is still annoying (and MySpace is still ugly). You’ve heard it here before. Lots of talk about it. So, this is a facebook mega-post.

This video is capital ‘H’ Hilarious…

Josh Harris has done 3 posts over the last week:

• Facebook Survey
• My One and Only Week on Facebook
• Facebook Follow-Up

The 3 posts chronicle his sojourn into the Facebook World. After a week he quit. For good reasons. But… he had this great quote in his follow-up:

Enjoy Facebook. And if you’re a godly single man, receive it as a gift from God to assist you in nonchalantly building a friendship with a godly Christian woman. I’m serious, men! If you’re mature enough to pursue marriage, Facebook should be “Courtbook” for you. Don’t just sit there, get on the ball and go “poke” a godly girl.

More facebook action:

• The smh had an article on how it could potentially cost Aussie business $5bn a year!
• Ben has some wise tips
• Facebook, culture and community (haven’t read it… h/t craig)
• Facebook Grows Up (haven’t read it.. h/t JT)

Do you do facebook? How long do you spend on it per day? Per week? whatever…

The A-League kicks off tonight. Giddy up!

Here’s my predictions:
Sydney v Central Coast – DRAW
Queensland v Adelaide – DRAW
Perth v Newcastle – PERTH
Wellington v Melbourne – MELBOURNE

Feel free to add yours in the comments.

Last week we started a new series on On the Poddy. It’s called coast youth radio. Each episode we plan to talk about a different issues for Central Coast teenagers (I’m sure it’s applicable more broadly than the Central Coast). The first episode was on boredom.

I’ve been thinking further this week about teenagers, the Central Coast and boredom. When you ask the typical non-teenager what they love about the Central Coast the answer: the lifestyle (check out this vid). People move to the Central Coast to escape the Sydney rat-race. They love that the Central Coast is so close to the biggest city in Australia… but far enough away that they feel like they are in paradise.

Why, then, do teenagers fail to see the joys of the Central Coast lifestyle? Why are they bored? Isn’t the Central Coast paradise on earth? When do teenagers stop being bored and start seeing the goodness of the Central Coast lifestyle?

I don’t have an answer. Maybe it’s because they’ve been brought up on entertainment and they are now bored by their Xbox 720? Maybe their parents are enjoying the lifestyle so much that they are neglecting their teenager? Maybe they don’t have an imagination? I dunno?

Ultimately – you don’t come to Jesus because you are bored… but for an eternal cure to boredom – spend some time gazing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. See him. Savour him. Trust him.

Check it out over at Dan’s blog. Sounds gold.

They are now super-easy to embed in a website – just like youtube. (h/t smh)

One of the things that we’re keen to encourage our Christian teenagers to do is pray for friends who don’t know Jesus. Our hope is that as Christian teenagers understand the death of Jesus for sins, they will understand that their non-Christian friends are in desperate need to hear of Jesus’ love and put their trust in him. We are increasingly seeing this happen.

Problem.

About 60% of our teenagers go to Christian schools. When they’re in year 7 they don’t realise that there are non-Christians in their year group. This gradually changes as they grow older and the differences between the Christian and non-Christian students are more obvious.

Question: How do you help year 7 Christian students work out the non-Christians in their year group?

Suggestion: 1) Let them know that before too long they will start to work out which of their peers needs to hear about Jesus. 2) A good place to start are those who aren’t already part of a church/youth group. There’s normally a good chance they’re not from Christian families and need to keep hearing about Jesus.

Under God we’ve seen youth from non-Christian families hooked into our youth group and Jesus. In God’s mercy we’ve seen whole families come to put their trust in Jesus.

Bible Timeline (pdf) from a church in Sydney. It's very good. Graeme Goldsworthy is the king of timelines – this is very similar – just a bit more detail. Print out a copy and put it in the front of your Bible. It will be an incredible help when reading or studying the Old Testament.

He’s been in the news. This is a timely word:

1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him:

2 “O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,

3 do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,

5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;

7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.

8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

This blog post sponsored by Proverbs 31 (NIV) and HOWARD007.com

www.iagreewithdale.com

Here’s Tim’s sermon from last night. Good stuff. It’s got gear about the mission and strategy of saturdayEV. Big ups Tim.

craig has started a new series on church and state

coast youth radio #1 – boredom – check out our sweet new podcast
i agree with dale text and vid – people are saying it's the funniest yet!

coast youth REVOLUTION* radically changed by the goodnews of JESUS
3 great speakers | 2 great bands | 1 incredible GOD

coast youth REVOLUTION* conference
Friday Sept 7 – Saturday Sept 8 AD2007

Erina Centre (next door to library @ erina fair)

SPEAKERS: Andrew Heard, Paul Dale & Dave Miers

BANDS: Running Home & Revive

Workshops

When you understand the cross of Jesus… it radically changes everything. Join us on our first coast youth REVOLUTION conference as we look at JESUS and learn how to… LIVE THE REVOLUTION

PROGRAM
FRI PM: 7-10pm (program @ 8pm)
SAT AM: 830-3pm (program @ 9am)
SAT PM: 3-6pm (activities & hang time)
SAT PM: 6-10pm (dinner 6pm, program 7pm)

Fri 7-10pm & Sat 830am-10pm

COST = $25 (or $10 per session) Bring some $$ for lunch + Arvo activity (Activity price range $0-$15)

BILLETING AVAILABLE
Contact info@cyrevolution.com or
Dave & Row Miers 4322-2107 to arrange

www.cyrevolution.com
myspace.com/cyrevolution

Download flyer for photocopier (100KB). Download postcard (1.8MB)

saturdayEV launched last Saturday. This video is awesome! Good stuff tim.

www.gocn.org

I gave a talk to a bunch of leaders at a mission training day a couple of weeks ago. The aim was to think through how we reach teenage culture without compromising on the timeless gospel of Jesus’ death for our sins.

The Gospel and Teenage Culture (mp3)

How do you preach the unchanging gospel in your context?