"Texas State Representative Gerry Mandering introduced
a bill that would require anyone who plans to commit a crime to
give their would-be victim at least twenty-four hours notice in
writing or orally, but only in certain crimes."
Not sure of the date or the details - but this is one of many Governments Goofs in "For Seeing Eye Dogs Only" - and eBook from Free-ebooks.net. Maybe I have got too much time on my hands but this book is good for some laughs - even if the stories are true.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Coral Bay
The
wind is a part of life on this coast from September to April. It always blows, sometimes gently and sometimes not.When the wind is mild the place is magnificent, the sea is calm, the day is warm. If the wind is a bit stronger it is a little uncomfortable.
Here we have experienced both - but the few days spent on the southern part of the Ningaloo Reef have been well spent.As with all the spots along this part of the coast there are tours to do. Every day could be spent on a boat or a quad bike. And every day could cost $70 - 300 per person as well. We chose one trip, a
couple of walks, a few hours snorkeling off the
beach, and a little but of sunset watching.At the end of a hard day on the beach we also had time for cappuccino and cake. I can thoroughly recommend the carrot cake at the Coral Bay bakery.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Weeks @ Worship 2
Port Hedland
The Uniting Church was near our caravan park and there was a small group of people who met for worship. A Frontier Services pastor was leading, in the absence of the regular minister, and I was the lone male. It was a comfortable and welcoming environment where visitors were over half the total worshippers. One other visitor had been to Africa a number of times with Medicin sans Frontiers. Having recently read "The Heart of Darfur" by Lisa French Blaker it was interesting to chat with one of the team who had been there before her. While each persons perspective and experience is different the perseverance and quiet suffering of the people remains a common theme.
I was taken by an image which seemed to be the mission statement of this small congregation. It was good, but there seemed to be something missing.
Tom Price
After some quieter times of worship it was a bit of a shock to be in a congregation were children and adults were present in equal numbers. 26 adults and 26 children worshipped at the Baptists on SAO Sunday. In this tradition SAO meant 'Save an Orphan', and has morphed into 'Share an opportunity'. During the service it was good to learn that at least l0 children were being sponsored by families in this congregation. Here was a lively, noisy, active, connected congregation that had a quiet focus beyond themselves.
I was reminded of the orphans and urchins of Mbeya, of kids who hang around the markets and mothers who sit patiently trying to sell some fruit or vegetables to feed, clothe and educate their children. Child sponsorship makes a difference, but the needs remain great.
Exmouth
Where the range meets the reef we worshipped with the Exmouth Christian Fellowship. There were many children present, and the service was largely led by the lay people. I confess to being surprised that the pastors were an older couple (recognition of two birthdays indicated that the sixty mark had already been left behind) and confess that I was not sure what to expect as the message bega. At the end I left with food for thought and a bit of a challenge. Perhaps I should not be surprised about the people God uses.
Personal and practical life experiences were used to illustrate Scripture - in a very sound, straightforward, and helpful message.
The idea that David learned to trust God through his parents was not new, but the contribution of his working environment to his faith development had not been given enough attention. Perhaps it was the naming of those barren hills as his place of work, and as a hostile place, that emphasised it. Or it may have been the connection with our own hostile and uncomfortable working environments that drove it home. Yet in those environments we can, and must, trust God for safety, protection and wisdom. Thanks to Pastor Linda for that reminder.
The Uniting Church was near our caravan park and there was a small group of people who met for worship. A Frontier Services pastor was leading, in the absence of the regular minister, and I was the lone male. It was a comfortable and welcoming environment where visitors were over half the total worshippers. One other visitor had been to Africa a number of times with Medicin sans Frontiers. Having recently read "The Heart of Darfur" by Lisa French Blaker it was interesting to chat with one of the team who had been there before her. While each persons perspective and experience is different the perseverance and quiet suffering of the people remains a common theme.
I was taken by an image which seemed to be the mission statement of this small congregation. It was good, but there seemed to be something missing.Tom Price
After some quieter times of worship it was a bit of a shock to be in a congregation were children and adults were present in equal numbers. 26 adults and 26 children worshipped at the Baptists on SAO Sunday. In this tradition SAO meant 'Save an Orphan', and has morphed into 'Share an opportunity'. During the service it was good to learn that at least l0 children were being sponsored by families in this congregation. Here was a lively, noisy, active, connected congregation that had a quiet focus beyond themselves.
I was reminded of the orphans and urchins of Mbeya, of kids who hang around the markets and mothers who sit patiently trying to sell some fruit or vegetables to feed, clothe and educate their children. Child sponsorship makes a difference, but the needs remain great.
Exmouth
Where the range meets the reef we worshipped with the Exmouth Christian Fellowship. There were many children present, and the service was largely led by the lay people. I confess to being surprised that the pastors were an older couple (recognition of two birthdays indicated that the sixty mark had already been left behind) and confess that I was not sure what to expect as the message bega. At the end I left with food for thought and a bit of a challenge. Perhaps I should not be surprised about the people God uses. Personal and practical life experiences were used to illustrate Scripture - in a very sound, straightforward, and helpful message.
The idea that David learned to trust God through his parents was not new, but the contribution of his working environment to his faith development had not been given enough attention. Perhaps it was the naming of those barren hills as his place of work, and as a hostile place, that emphasised it. Or it may have been the connection with our own hostile and uncomfortable working environments that drove it home. Yet in those environments we can, and must, trust God for safety, protection and wisdom. Thanks to Pastor Linda for that reminder.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Where the range meets the reef!
A 
week at Exmouth has been relaxing and refreshing.
No traffic lights, just a few traffic hazards as we drive through Cape Range NP on our way to some of the snorkeling spots on Ningaloo Reef. Emus were more a problem on our way to the Exmouth township, but kangaroos that don't move off the road, plus an echidna and perentie that caused a minor stir on the road (three or four cars stopped as people got out to take photos) added to our driving experience. The perentie just kept moving slowly, but the echidna applied its defence mechanism and simply curl
ed up into a ball as people approached. It eventually got across the road.
Photos were taken of these natives, but no pictures are available of the underwater scenes at the snorkeling spots - Lakeside, Oyster Stacks and Turquoise Bay. It is amazing to swim just 10 meters offshore and be on the edge of a coral reef - and it is quite magnificent. Ningaloo Reef is well worth a visit if you like the water. Goggles and a snorkel make a bit of a difference too!
Add
the Lighthouse and spots for whale watching -
its not a bad place to visit.
Just down the road we have an Australian Navy Communications base. There they can probably get in touch with ships (including submarines) all around the world.
Here, at the caravan park below the lighthouse, we cannot even get Telstra reception.... amazing that technology can be so advanced, and yet so incomplete. Still we came here for the reef, not mobile phone reception.
week at Exmouth has been relaxing and refreshing.No traffic lights, just a few traffic hazards as we drive through Cape Range NP on our way to some of the snorkeling spots on Ningaloo Reef. Emus were more a problem on our way to the Exmouth township, but kangaroos that don't move off the road, plus an echidna and perentie that caused a minor stir on the road (three or four cars stopped as people got out to take photos) added to our driving experience. The perentie just kept moving slowly, but the echidna applied its defence mechanism and simply curl
ed up into a ball as people approached. It eventually got across the road.
Photos were taken of these natives, but no pictures are available of the underwater scenes at the snorkeling spots - Lakeside, Oyster Stacks and Turquoise Bay. It is amazing to swim just 10 meters offshore and be on the edge of a coral reef - and it is quite magnificent. Ningaloo Reef is well worth a visit if you like the water. Goggles and a snorkel make a bit of a difference too!
Add
the Lighthouse and spots for whale watching -
its not a bad place to visit.Just down the road we have an Australian Navy Communications base. There they can probably get in touch with ships (including submarines) all around the world.
Here, at the caravan park below the lighthouse, we cannot even get Telstra reception.... amazing that technology can be so advanced, and yet so incomplete. Still we came here for the reef, not mobile phone reception.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Congratulations to the Cats
The Fire Station at Exmouth was the location to watch the 2009 Grand Final.
As a neutral I was not concerned one way or the other, until the game got underway. It would be good for the Saints to win for the first time since 1966. Or so I thought. As the game got underway my 9 years in Geelong kicked in, and I was barracking for the Cats.
It was a good contest, with some interestingly bad umpiring decisions that probably balanced out in the end.
That great South Australian Premiership Coach Malcolm Blight maintains that there is only one statistic that counts - the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the day. Saints kicked poorly and that statistic showed that the Cats won by 12 points.
Two out of three ain't bad
As a neutral I was not concerned one way or the other, until the game got underway. It would be good for the Saints to win for the first time since 1966. Or so I thought. As the game got underway my 9 years in Geelong kicked in, and I was barracking for the Cats.
It was a good contest, with some interestingly bad umpiring decisions that probably balanced out in the end.
That great South Australian Premiership Coach Malcolm Blight maintains that there is only one statistic that counts - the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the day. Saints kicked poorly and that statistic showed that the Cats won by 12 points.
Two out of three ain't bad
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Hammersley Hiking
Truth is the walk into Hammersley Gorge is only 400 metres - not much of a hike.It is the easiest gorge to access and is only about 80 kms from Tom Price.
What makes this gorge distinctive are the folds in the rock which are amazing.
The squeeze was put on here millions of years ago, and the evidence is there for all to see.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the water was cool - bordering on cold - and we managed to have a dip in the spa pool, the upper pool, and in the lower pool.
Hammersley Gorge is also one of the more family friendly gorges in the area.
There are places where the water is easy to enter, the and the 'beach' or 'sandbar' means that smaller children can play there in relative safety.
While lacking in the power and variety of some of the other gorges just looking at the rock folds here forces you to think about the power in the forces of nature.It was a lovely place to spend a Sunday afternoon and we were reminded again of the power of the Creator.
Weeks @ Worship 1
Over the last months we have been privileged to share with a variety of congregations in the Territory and in WA.
Katherine
Meeting in the SDA Community Centre the.Baptist Service was led by lay people while they seek a new minister. The music was good, the children catered for and the message interesting, even if it was on a very familiar passage.
Where visitors and locals were present in equal numbers (school holidays), coffee gave us a chance to chat to one of the locals who has been working with indigenous people for 17 years. One question...how has the intervention affected your work? Answer.. ..It has set us back at least ten years. Seems that federal bureaucracy and public perception decreed that something significant should be done about the deplorable state of indigenous health. The One Size Fits All approach was adopted, and now despite massive expenditure little has changed and local indigenous leaders have been disempowered. When will we learn.
Palmerston
Officers (ministers) in their first church have discovered that theory and practice are different animals. It was good to see them interact with their people as they seek to grow the kingdom and their church. For so many in the evangelical tradition the tension between being church and growing as a church is always strong.
Darwin
One Sunday morning each months given over to the African members of the Salvo Corps. It was great to be there on that Sunday to hear the singing, listen to the testimonies and learn of the challenges that refugees and migrants from Africa are facing even in our prosperous land. The cultural issues are huge, and even prosperity causes problems!
Katherine Take 2
This was our first Sunday evening worship since leaving Melbourne in February. We met at a private home and shared a delightful fellowship meal after worship. In this small group gathering under the banner of The Salvation Army we knew no-one, yet were connected to five of the ten through people we knew well. The worship service was simple, straightforward and personal. It was good to be there -and I continue to reflect on the cry of the disciples 'Lord. save us' (Matt 8:25). Here they recognised that Jesus was able to save them. On that occasion he saved them from physical death. They needed saving for they had no hope otherwise. What is it that causes us to cry out 'save us', and to whom do we call?
Kunnunurra
We left the Territory and crossed into WA. The first weekend we arrived and shared with the combined Anglican/Uniting congregation.
There I was impressed with the kingdom perspective that sought to embrace all. Efforts to connect beyond the congregation and community were evident in a 'travel talk' to which all visitors/caravanners/travellers were invited. It was a good idea, but did need a time limit!
Next weekend we shared at the Salvos on the Saturday night. The service included a few indigenous folks, and is one of the first congregations in this part of the world where indigenous
Derbe
The Peoples Church was our choice as the only obvious alternative seemed to be the Catholic service. It was refreshing to see many indigenous folk as part of the congregation, and as participants in the leading of worship. A mission focused on indigenous communities explains why there were many aboriginal families in worship. One of the local doctors was also present. Coming from Zimbabwe a contract to work in Derbe opened up new possibilities. While it was a good opportunity Broome had since become the regional hub...and Derbe's facilities , were downgraded that change. Logistically the change made sense, but not everyone gains with change. The Derbe area no longer has easy access to specialists, and the development of the doctors in Derbe has been out on hold as they lack the supervisors for the upgrading of their skills.
Broome
We were almost a week in Broome and did call at the Uniting Church Op Shop on the Saturday. It was close to our caravan park and the folks were friendly. It seemed a good place to worship the next day. As we approached the church next morning it dawned on us the we should have checked the noticeboard before the event. 9.55 a.m. is a little late to arrive at a service scheduled for 9.00 o'clock. Ooops!
Katherine
Meeting in the SDA Community Centre the.Baptist Service was led by lay people while they seek a new minister. The music was good, the children catered for and the message interesting, even if it was on a very familiar passage.
Where visitors and locals were present in equal numbers (school holidays), coffee gave us a chance to chat to one of the locals who has been working with indigenous people for 17 years. One question...how has the intervention affected your work? Answer.. ..It has set us back at least ten years. Seems that federal bureaucracy and public perception decreed that something significant should be done about the deplorable state of indigenous health. The One Size Fits All approach was adopted, and now despite massive expenditure little has changed and local indigenous leaders have been disempowered. When will we learn.Palmerston
Officers (ministers) in their first church have discovered that theory and practice are different animals. It was good to see them interact with their people as they seek to grow the kingdom and their church. For so many in the evangelical tradition the tension between being church and growing as a church is always strong.
Darwin
One Sunday morning each months given over to the African members of the Salvo Corps. It was great to be there on that Sunday to hear the singing, listen to the testimonies and learn of the challenges that refugees and migrants from Africa are facing even in our prosperous land. The cultural issues are huge, and even prosperity causes problems!
Katherine Take 2
This was our first Sunday evening worship since leaving Melbourne in February. We met at a private home and shared a delightful fellowship meal after worship. In this small group gathering under the banner of The Salvation Army we knew no-one, yet were connected to five of the ten through people we knew well. The worship service was simple, straightforward and personal. It was good to be there -and I continue to reflect on the cry of the disciples 'Lord. save us' (Matt 8:25). Here they recognised that Jesus was able to save them. On that occasion he saved them from physical death. They needed saving for they had no hope otherwise. What is it that causes us to cry out 'save us', and to whom do we call?
Kunnunurra
We left the Territory and crossed into WA. The first weekend we arrived and shared with the combined Anglican/Uniting congregation.
There I was impressed with the kingdom perspective that sought to embrace all. Efforts to connect beyond the congregation and community were evident in a 'travel talk' to which all visitors/caravanners/travellers were invited. It was a good idea, but did need a time limit!
Next weekend we shared at the Salvos on the Saturday night. The service included a few indigenous folks, and is one of the first congregations in this part of the world where indigenous
Derbe
The Peoples Church was our choice as the only obvious alternative seemed to be the Catholic service. It was refreshing to see many indigenous folk as part of the congregation, and as participants in the leading of worship. A mission focused on indigenous communities explains why there were many aboriginal families in worship. One of the local doctors was also present. Coming from Zimbabwe a contract to work in Derbe opened up new possibilities. While it was a good opportunity Broome had since become the regional hub...and Derbe's facilities , were downgraded that change. Logistically the change made sense, but not everyone gains with change. The Derbe area no longer has easy access to specialists, and the development of the doctors in Derbe has been out on hold as they lack the supervisors for the upgrading of their skills.
Broome
We were almost a week in Broome and did call at the Uniting Church Op Shop on the Saturday. It was close to our caravan park and the folks were friendly. It seemed a good place to worship the next day. As we approached the church next morning it dawned on us the we should have checked the noticeboard before the event. 9.55 a.m. is a little late to arrive at a service scheduled for 9.00 o'clock. Ooops!
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