Year: 2010

Posted on

“Young Punks” – you heard it here first!

I’ve recently started referring to high school aged young people as “young punks”. Some friends have even begun to embrace the terminology while blogging, tweeting or speaking. You might think it sounds stupid, but not as stupid as some terms we use.

Here is my ranking of terms for defining this age group:

  1. Young Punks – this is my favourite. It’s a kinda playful and even an endearing description. But if you want to overly allegorise, you could say that the ‘punks’ bit recognises that they are sinners.
  2. Teenagers – I like this. It describes their age.
  3. Students – I like this. It describes their vocation.
  4. Youth – This one is okay. But, it’s also ambiguous. Triple J is a ‘youth’ radio station, which includes many Nirvana-loving 40 year-olds.
  5. Kids – This one is just terrible. Aside from ‘kids’ being junior goats, I think it is patronising and condescending.
  6. Children – This is worse than kids.
  7. Generation XYZ – what the heck is Gen Y or Gen Z or Gen Whatever?!? Too tryhard trendy. Very 2006.

You with me?

Posted on

Never Be Destroyed Part 3 – Know Your Team (Daniel 2)

Our 21st Century global community is full of many impressive empires: Apple™; Google™; Facebook™; Coca-Cola™; McDonalds™; Hollywood™. So much of what these empires do as they conquer the world is very impressive. When Christians compare their humble little gatherings™ with the impressiveness of the world, it’s easy to feel intimidated. In Daniel’s time, the Kingdom of God looked pretty unimpressive: exile in Babylon. Chapter 2 gives a much bigger picture of kingdoms that will come and go.

The scene kicks off with Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man in the world, troubled after having some nightmares (v1). So he gathers together all of the magicians, tarot card readers, witch doctors and psychics; he wants answers (v2-3). But he doesn’t make it easy for the dream team, he won’t even tell them what the dream was, yet expects an interpretation (v5-6, 8-9)!

The dream team plead with him to at least share the dream (v4, 7). He doesn’t. The astrologers answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.” (Dan 2:10-11 NIV)

Continue reading “Never Be Destroyed Part 3 – Know Your Team (Daniel 2)”

Posted on

Moore College Exam Fest

Mid-year exams rock my Winter. We’re currently on StuVac at the moment. Next week it’s game time. So Moore College crew get your exam prep tweets on with this hashtag: #MooreExamFest. I figured the World Cup (pray for it) is on, lots of festivities, let’s make a festival of exam study!! (Probably the single most nerd thing I’ve ever typed!)

There were quite a few peeps who got in the action for #MTCexamcram09. It was good. Here are the 3 reasons from last year:

  1. I’m motivated to study because I see others studying
  2. There are gems among the quotes, reflections and bible verses being shared
  3. It’s a fun and maybe (?) useful way to use social media

Follow the action in the widget above or by clicking here.

Posted on

3photos: Outside Inside

Samuel has just turned 1. Crazy, I remember when he was just this big! Lots of friends and family came over on a gorgeous Winter’s afternoon to celebrate Sam’s birthday and to also witness his baptism. Row made a delicious World Cup Mascot cake to put the icing on a lovely day. The only negative was that we forgot to give out the party bags. If you were there with kids, please come and collect a bag before we eat them all! Here are 3 photos from the morning of Sam’s special day. On the outside looking inside.

Outside Inside 1

see below for the other 2 pics

Continue reading “3photos: Outside Inside”

Posted on

Never Be Destroyed Part 2 – Know Your Identity (Daniel 1)

Fitting in is a big deal for young punks. Not fitting in is an even bigger deal. That’s why peer pressure exists. You know that you’ve done dumb things because your mates were doing dumb things. Part of fitting in is working out who you are and where you belong. Daniel 1 shows Dan and his mates working out who they are and what it will mean for them to fit in or not fit in, in a foreign land.

Daniel 1:1-2 sets the scene for the rest of the book. We’re introduced to 2 kings and 2 cities. Jehoiakim and Nebuchadnezzar are the kings; Jerusalem and Babylon are the cities. These two cities are probably the most important cities in the whole of the Bible. They are in the opening and closing books of the Bible and everywhere in between.

Babylon is the city that represents human self-rule. In Genesis 11 Babylon tried to create a city that didn’t need God. There are Babylons all over our world today. But we know from Revelation 18 that the ultimate destiny of Babylon is destruction.

Jerusalem is the opposite of Babylon. It’s the city built by God. It is the Holy City. The future is certain and it’s good: the New Jerusalem will be inhabited by God and his people for all eternity (Revelation 21).

In part 1 we saw that Jerusalem had been taken over by Babylon. And now the King of Babylon has begun recruiting good looking young men to be part of a 3-year Babylon School Bootcamp (vv3-4). Dan and his 3 good looking mates were chosen to join the school and be part of the king’s posse.

Continue reading “Never Be Destroyed Part 2 – Know Your Identity (Daniel 1)”

Posted on

Preparing God’s People for Suffering

The following video will help you to be prepared for suffering; not if it comes, but when it comes. It’s from a Pastor’s conference, Together For the Gospel, and features Matt Chandler, CJ Mahaney and John Piper. Filled with gospel-centred goodness.

Here are some other resources on the subject:

Posted on

Free Music Friday 08 // Jonnday – So Amusing

Jonnday are a hot young indie pop rock band from the Central Coast. I recently had a killer time hanging out with them in Tamworth. They opened the event with an energetic set and their EP, V for Victory, captures that same energy in a really tight recording. They remind me of No Doubt, fortunately without the 90s ska-pop beats and also without the annoying Gwen Stefani, just the good bits. Seriously, they’re legit. With an increasing number of young punks following them, and more gigs on the horizon, they’re definitely worth checking out. Jordan the drummer is probably one of the best on the planet.

Jonnday and dmdc are giving away one copy of their EP V for Victory. To be in the running, just leave a comment below. If you don’t win, defs worth the $8.45 in iTunes.

Jonnday SO AMUSING (right click to download free mp3)

MySpace | Facebook | YouTube | iTunes | Twitter (ps they’re all desperate for followers on Twitter @rinnylee @jessamypurcell @sammytelford @jordanjonnday)