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WOW!!!! I have not blogged since I was in America over a month ago and for that I apologize. I pray you forgive me. There’s a lot on my mind and heart so hopefully I can get it into blog format.

N e way, at the moment I am sitting at one of our properties called rosebery waiting for some people to come pick up brochures. I’m just gathering my thoughts and I just realized that I live in Sydney Australia, and I’m on staff at one of the greatest churches in the world… 1) how on earth did I get here, and 2) it is an honour to be here surrounded by greatness… N e way back to planning my week… Have a great one

Right now I am sitting in a gym at Santa Ana college watching my best friend practice his salsa moves. Santa Ana is called a little mexico. There are 500,000 people who supposedly live in Santa Ana although the census will only say 350,000 live there. This city which is located in the lush Orange County is mainly Spanish speaking.

Now I am a middle class Caucasian male from the east coast who lives in sydney Australia. I relatively have nothing in common with these people besides the fact that we are all made by our creator. To say the least we are a clash of cultures, but I still need to be able to relate with these people because I have no idea who I will encounter and the context of this hypothetical encounter.

If there is one thing I have learned on this trip so far, it’s that the world is big and small all in the same. I need to be opened minded and double eared. I need to hear what the bible is saying and what the world is saying and I need to be able to speak to what’s happening in the world with a biblical responce. The bible says to be all things to all people, and I think that’s so wherever you go you can have a voice and a response in a biblical manner in any situation.

MV

Well after arriving in Newport on Saturday I have already learned some new things. There is a website called pandora which is literally changing my life. It’s an online radio station which is kinda like genius feature on the ipod, you can put in a song or band and it will make a playlist which is a similar genre. Its such a cool thing…. I always thought I was the nerd out of my friends, but it seems i have been trumped… till next time

MV

Well the other day in my scripture class I read a quote on the wall that said ” don’t ask what the world can do for you, but what can you do for the world”. I think JFK might have been a bit small minded. He talked about his country and it was a phenomenal speech, but what if we looked bigger and outside of our “box”.

I was reading a book called “a generous orthodoxy” and Brian Mclearen, the author, was talking about what we could accomplish as christians if denominations would stop focusing on what seperates us with church models and theology and focuses on what brings us together… I recon it’s time we do something…what if we focus on the similarities??? Perspective changes everything…

MV

Well I am leaving in 3 days to go back to America for a few weeks to get a new visa and then come to the promised land. I have been looking forward to this break for a while because I will get to hangout with my best friend, but I have also been waiting to have a rest…this is bad… You shouldn’t have to escape to get rest. You can rest in Jesus and out of that work from a place of rest..this is huge!!! Thanks Joel a’bell for reminding me….n e way next time you’ll hear from me it will be from a different continent

MV

I am in the business of pastoral leadership. In this business you are always looking for people with potential to take on things and move them to the next level of leadership. On the other hand there are people out there who are trying to be noticed and get picked to go to the next level. Here is my advice on how to get chosen….STOP trying to be noticed, just be yourself. All the people I have noticed and brought with me on this journey of leadership are people who I have found are simpley themselves…. Stop trying to get into the lime light and just be yourself and you’ll eventually end up somehere you never expected to be….in a good way….

MV

Well my laptop got stolen…. my beautiful….white…..apple macbook….. man i loved that thing….. its all good though….Here is the 3rd reason why i blog…. I can do it anywhere, I can add a post from my phone!!!!! and now that I dont have a laptop, i will be doing it from my phone….. anywhere at anytime i can blog when there is something to talk about…. there it is….. jump on it!!!!

MV

Communication as we know it is changing….blogging….twitter….everything is changing and never before have people been able to communicate in the way we do today. The world is advancing and the times are changing and as the church we need to be ahead of the curve….”the world is pe

One of the reasons I blog is because it gives me a voice… Now sometimes I blog about absolute nonsense, but it gives me the platform to speak and be heard in this world and allows me to give my opinion for whatever it is worth…. I remember talking about voting with one of my teachers back when I was 17 and he said this ” voting gives you the right to complain “…. I was put off because I didn’t get it…. I thought it gave you the right to put the best person in the white house… What he meant was, don’t complain about the government or anything else that comes from the decission of you not voting. You lose your opinion if you don’t vote.

I want to be able to have a voice and by blogging I do

MV

I have the greatest oppertunity in the world….to do ministry with my friends!!! Now at face value this is an amazing thing, what could be better than building the church with you friends??? If this is done poorly it could be the end of a friendship. To do this well it requires respect from both parties and balance… Now I have the privilege of running a ministry called Voltage and along side me are some of my very good mates… now they have to respect that I make the calls and for a lack of a better word I am the boss. I need to understand that they are my friends, but they are no different than any other leader. I have lived with people whom I lead and I will never talk about Ministry or work at home unless they bring it up or I am praising them for being amazing…. Ministry with friends can be a blessing to heaps if you understand the balance and respect that comes with it…

MV