The Fantastical Adventures of Professor Jon and his Confabulatory Funtraptions

Back in a Blog-coloured world

Ahh it's good to be home in the virtual world again. I finally have no excuse not to blog! Maybe I should do some kind of list of things that have happened since I left this electronic paradise that I'm typing in?
Nah! I think I'll just put my 2 dimensional feet up, order a drink from www.beer.com.au and listen to the best of some digital band that has made it big...but only on the internet. Yep, it's - Home sweet home.

Where Did all the Time go?

Christmas seems to have snuck up this year and caught me unawares. I started my Christmas shopping today and have met with some success, though not as much as I would like. I think you really have to be in the mood to shop, you have to be filled with the "Spirit of Giving" which I believe is a spiritual gift that I am lacking in. I think I will make my next year's reslolution to be much more organised than I was this year. So I will pray glory to God in the highest, Lord gift me with giving and shape my character to be like your son who was born and gave the ultimate gift of salvation.

Checking off the list

Well so far I've managed to tick off a number of activities that I said I wanted to do. On Saturday I went and saw Harry Potter with Helen. I t was pretty cool, but I was a bit disappointed with "He Who Must Not Be Named". I thought he was going to be scary and he turned out to be kind of average. They also didn't show half of the cool things from the book.
I also got to see the live show of the Messiah on Sunday. It wasn't like U2 or Les Miserables, but it was still a good performance. I sat there during the second half and marvelled at all the choir and the audience standing and singing centuries old worship songs. I wondered how many of them were Christians and how many even realised that they were glorifying God? You may ask why it was in the second half that I was having these thoughts. In the first half I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. Not because it was boring, but because I hadn't slept much and I needed sugar and caffeine.
I'd like to thank my sponsors at Coca Cola for their refreshing ice-cold beverage.

I went for my first adventure into the CBD today which was fun. There are so many cool book stores everywhere, so I spent most of the time with my head inside a book. I don't think this is an effective way to see the sights of Sydney, but I've got the rest of my life to see tourist attractions.

I sat in a park today and ate a jam-filled doughnut as I watched homeless people go by...

Sydney is Fun

So living in Sydney is not so bad really. I quite like the whole bigness of the place. It's kind of fun to think - What am I going to do tonight? And to realise that I finally have some options to choose from. My days are getting busier which is a good thing as I like to have creative things to do, especially when it come to church stuff.
Things that I would like to do in the next few weeks are:
Go to Dosa Club
See Harry Potter
Go to a fun party
Explore New Town
Catch random trains and buses, check out where I am, then find my way back.
See a live show (or 2)
Sample exotic foods
Watch the sunrise in my new state of NSW
Meet more friends
Tell one random person on a train about Jesus
Teach an old dog a new trick
Get a mime to speak
And more...

New minds with No Programs

If the world is to be saved, it will not be by old minds with new programs but new minds with no programs at all. Why not new minds with new programs? Because where you find people working on programs, you don't find new minds, you find old ones. Programs and old minds go together like buggy whips and buggies.

Programs are sticks planted in the mud of a river to impede its flow. The sticks do impeded the flow. A little. But they never stop the flow, and they never turn the river aside.

Programs make it possible to look busy and purposeful while failing. If programs actually did the things people expect them to do, then human society would be heaven: our governments would work, our schools would work, our law enforcement systems would work, our justice systems would work, our penal systems would work, and so on.
When programs do fail (as they invariably do) this is blamed on things like poor design, lack of funds and staff, bad management and inadequate training. When programs fail look for them to be replaced by new ones with improved design, increased funding and staff, superior management and better training. When these programs fail (as they invariably do), this is blamed on poor designs, lack of funds and staff, bad management and inadequate training.
This is why we spend more and more on our failures every year. Most people accept this willingly enough, because they know they're getting more every year: bigger budgets, more laws, more police, more prisons - more of everything that didn't work last year or the year before that or the year before that.
Old Minds think: If it didn't work last year, let's do more of it this year.
New Minds think: If it didn't work last year, let's do something else this year.

I found this in a book called "Beyond Civilization" by Daniel Quinn when I was unpacking; it's kind of controversial and the type of books I used to read when I was younger. Not really sure how I feel about it now, but it's fun to think about.

My New Home

Well I made it to Sydney in one piece and had a fun adenture along the way. I even managed to get to Commi Dinner on my way into Sydney which was fun. My life is already beginning to get busy again and I'm enjoying the new and interesting opportunities that this big city has to offer, even as I'm simultaneously recovering from Christmas Concert production week at my old church.
What's even better than all that is I get see see Helen all the time!!! That has to be the coolest thing ever about Sydney!
Thanks for the warm welcome all you Commi Dinner people! You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome, especially when it comes to his "Vegetarianism".

Busy Little Bee

Yep my car broke down at an intersection the day after i put it in for a service. The weird thing was that it was exactly a week from when Helen's car broke down at an intersection the day after it went for a pink slip. I just so happen to be driving the car both times. I don't believe I'm cursed, but I wouldn't suggest lending me your car, at least not if it just came from the mechanics.

In other breaking news it is six days till I hit the road to Sydney! The Christmas concert is going really well, my packing is going really badly and everything else i have to do before I leave sits somewhere in the middle.

I have said my goodbyes to most of my clients and students at work which was kinda sad as I will miss them all very much. My church has also said its official goodbyes to me. The Youth Pastor got me up in front of the congregation and asked me why I was leaving, he had a huge smirk on his face as he said it. So I told him it was because of love and that I was off to follow my dreams. He gave me his biggest grin so I knew the "love" bit was what he was after. I don't think I went red, but I can't be too sure.
I will really miss my church, I love worshipping there and I have made some really great friends along the way. I will miss teaching my kids drama and putting on shows which are thrown together at the last minute. I've had a great time since I've become a christian and I know the future will be even better.

I got my car put in to get serviced today. I had this horrible feeling that it would end up costing me a lot of money, but I was determined to face my fears so that I wouldn't end up breaking down on some abandoned road on my way to Sydney. Halfway through the day the mechanic gave me his estimate on the amout. I couldn't believe how cheap it was, I was well bellow budget! However by the time I picked the car up the price had more than doubled as the "hidden problems" emerged. I now have to take my car in again on Friday to get all the parts put in which are being ordered up. It was still half of what I thought it would cost, so I gues I should be happy...

13 days to go till I'm on the road to Sydney - That's less than two weeks!!!

A picture tells a thousand words

I've decided that I quite like picture messaging. There's something fun about looking through a little window in your phone and seeing the world through someone elses eyes. I especially like seeing photos which tell a story or capture an emotion which is extra special.

Two weeks to go and my stress is both lifting and increasing. is that possible? It is in the paradoxical "World of Jon".

In other news I love Helen!

Countdown Begins

Hmmm.... So brain/heart/spirit, let me see if I'm hearing you correctly. You want me to sell/throw away/give away everything which I can't fit into a car? Quit work, tell my student/leaders at church that I'm leaving Rocky to go live in the biggest city in Australia; the day after the biggest performance of the year? Say goodbye to friends/family/carnivores and tell them that I may not be back to visit for some time? So you're saying that I'm to follow my dreams and move to the same city as the girl I love, finish off what God has asked me to do at uni, trust in God that I will have a job and accomadation when I get there; and find/meet/run-into new and interesting people who I can relate to in a way which I haven't been able to do in the "Beef Capital"?
Well all I can say is - BRING IT ON! I'm so excited, I can't wait to set-out on this new adventure! Two weeks and one day to go!

I miss Helen.

Today I went to church and saw the Watoto Uganda Gospel Choir. I've got to say I was pretty overwhelmed right from the start. It really hit home that these kids were all orphans who have struggled to survive. They have led really hard lives and it is only by the grace and blessings of God that they are able to live. I felt like crying, I couldn't believe how selfish I am and how insignificant my problems are when compared to what these kids have gone through. I always get like this after a group comes through, but this time it impacted me in a way I can't explain, something has stirred in my spirit and I can't help but be moved to action. God is truly amazing, his ability to transform lives is breathe-taking.

There's a real sense of accomplishment when you finally finish writing a script. Usually it's late at night and you ease back in your chair, listen to the loud pops that your hunched back makes and gaze lovingly at the little box in the corner of your screen which shows the number of pages you wrote. You give yourself a little nod as a way of congratulating yourself and then spend the next half an hour scrolling up and down the script with your mouse admiring how neat it all looks.
Yep life's great when you don't have to see your own handwriting.

Back from Civilization

Well I'm back from Sydney... yep couldn't be more excited to see my dry dusty airport, the familiar high humidity and hot sunny days. Yep... it's ummm.... super. Black Stump was fun, especially seeing all the people I have come to know from Sydney and Melbourne. It was great to be around creative people again and I feel inspired to continue to create works for God's glory no matter where i am. Next time I think I will take less performances to Stump so I can better appreciate the festival; as I spent most of the time either getting ready to perform or on stage doing our shows.
How good was Love Is and Worship and Justice!? I know I'm slightly biased but I really got a lot out of both shows. Congratulations St Stephen's You guys were awesome!

It sucks to leave it all behind yet again - especially Helen! I feel more and more at home in Sydney and it gets harder and harder to leave, but God is good and he wants me here in Rocky... at least for two more months anyway.

Note to self - Don't count down the days Jon.