Rob Bells Drops Like Stars tour
We plot, we plan, we assume things are going to go
A certain way and then they don’t and we find ourselves
In a new place, a place we haven’t been before, a place
We never would have imagined on our own,
And so it was difficult and unexpected and maybe even
Tragic and yet it opened us up and freed us to see
Things in a whole new way
Suffering does that—It hurts,But it also creates.
How many of the most significant moments in your
Life came not because it all went right, but because....It all fell apart?
It’s strange how there can be art in the agony…
The Drops Like Stars tour is a two Hour exploration of the endlessly complexRelationship between suffering and creativity—And I’d love to see you there. (Rob Bell in SA in June 2010)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Snow Skiing in Dubai…
Well last night I went snow skiing at Ski Dubai… what an incredible experience… I loved it from beginning to end. I must say I was blown away by how amazing it actually was to be skiing inside a giant fridge… The concept and design was just so fascinating. Its obviously hard to compare it to mountains and lengthy runs, but as far being as close to the real thing… its as good as you get. The runs were relatively short, but definitely long enough to put in a few turns and jumps and speed. It is an ideal place to learn to ski or snowboard before hitting the real thing. It was a great warm up for France next week.
What's in a Name
Some people have asked how I come up with the name Extreme Gravity for my blog? Well let me explain my thoughts behind my choice. Gravity is something that always draws you in, it’s a part of everyday life. It affects everything and without it, life would cease to exist. Gravity is something that you can’t see, although you can see the effects of it. In the same way, God is a little like gravity, you can’t see Him but you can see the effects of Him all around, He is always there. Without Him we would cease to exist. He is something that is constantly drawing us into him. Without Him we would be floating aimlessly around in the atmosphere, with no direction.
This is a little exert that my friend Jason wrote, it adds well to what I am describing here. “Lets take gravity. Its a natural law; it operates everywhere in our explored universe, and thank God for that! True, we can't fly because of it, and it would be quite nice to fly. But he'd be a fool who calls gravity a curse for this limitation of freedom. For 2 reasons: Firstly, have you ever meditated on how utterly indispensable Gravity is to our very existence? Without gravity there'd be no eating, because there'd be no food, because there'd be no plants, because there'd be no soil, because it would all be space dust! Without gravity there'd be no drinking, because there'd be no water, because it would be space vapour. Without gravity we'd live at about -273degrees Celcius because there'd be no sun, because all stars including our splendid sun would dissipate into the vast abyss of gravity-less space rather than holding together and generating the heat that warms our lovely little planet. Without gravity you could not walk, drive, play rugby, or open the fridge. Ladies, i'm afraid long hair and skirts would have to go. I guess the same goes for some guys.
Secondly, and now let me flip your mind just a little: while gravity in one way limits our ability to fly, in quite another way it provides the only means by which we can fly at all! yip, i said it: gravity is the only reason we can fly. now of course i mean controlled flight; but i think you'll all agree that helplessly floating off into the endless cosmos would put a mild dampner on... well pretty much the rest of our life! Its controlled flight we want: the ability to control our trajectory through the air or space to go from point A to point B in a reasonably certain amount of time. flying is in some ways an experience, in other ways a means of fulfilling plans and purposes, but is always only desirable as an instrument of either pleasure or purpose. floating off helplessly into space would eliminate any choice whatsoever, devastating all our desires and purposes and taking over our entire experience of life, rendering us powerless to actually live life at all. The very freedom we sought would eliminate all freedom altogether. Now the only reason we can fly in the way we do (in 747's, for example) is because the downward force of gravity is counteracted by the upward lift created by the wings of an aircraft, and we are able to balance the two out to provide ourselves with controlled upward and downward movement. Without gravity, there would be no downward force. But there would also be no upward force! there would be no atmosphere, so there would be no air pressure, so there would be nothing to create "lift". You could have wings the size of texas and you wouldn't create a nano-Newton of upward thrust. And so there would be no controlled flight. Some might say we have space shuttles which quite happily enjoy controlled flight by using thrust. Well, i'd pay a lot of money to see you trying to build a space ship without gravity!”
So there you have it… Extreme Gravity, I wouldn’t live without it.
This is a little exert that my friend Jason wrote, it adds well to what I am describing here. “Lets take gravity. Its a natural law; it operates everywhere in our explored universe, and thank God for that! True, we can't fly because of it, and it would be quite nice to fly. But he'd be a fool who calls gravity a curse for this limitation of freedom. For 2 reasons: Firstly, have you ever meditated on how utterly indispensable Gravity is to our very existence? Without gravity there'd be no eating, because there'd be no food, because there'd be no plants, because there'd be no soil, because it would all be space dust! Without gravity there'd be no drinking, because there'd be no water, because it would be space vapour. Without gravity we'd live at about -273degrees Celcius because there'd be no sun, because all stars including our splendid sun would dissipate into the vast abyss of gravity-less space rather than holding together and generating the heat that warms our lovely little planet. Without gravity you could not walk, drive, play rugby, or open the fridge. Ladies, i'm afraid long hair and skirts would have to go. I guess the same goes for some guys.
Secondly, and now let me flip your mind just a little: while gravity in one way limits our ability to fly, in quite another way it provides the only means by which we can fly at all! yip, i said it: gravity is the only reason we can fly. now of course i mean controlled flight; but i think you'll all agree that helplessly floating off into the endless cosmos would put a mild dampner on... well pretty much the rest of our life! Its controlled flight we want: the ability to control our trajectory through the air or space to go from point A to point B in a reasonably certain amount of time. flying is in some ways an experience, in other ways a means of fulfilling plans and purposes, but is always only desirable as an instrument of either pleasure or purpose. floating off helplessly into space would eliminate any choice whatsoever, devastating all our desires and purposes and taking over our entire experience of life, rendering us powerless to actually live life at all. The very freedom we sought would eliminate all freedom altogether. Now the only reason we can fly in the way we do (in 747's, for example) is because the downward force of gravity is counteracted by the upward lift created by the wings of an aircraft, and we are able to balance the two out to provide ourselves with controlled upward and downward movement. Without gravity, there would be no downward force. But there would also be no upward force! there would be no atmosphere, so there would be no air pressure, so there would be nothing to create "lift". You could have wings the size of texas and you wouldn't create a nano-Newton of upward thrust. And so there would be no controlled flight. Some might say we have space shuttles which quite happily enjoy controlled flight by using thrust. Well, i'd pay a lot of money to see you trying to build a space ship without gravity!”
So there you have it… Extreme Gravity, I wouldn’t live without it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Earth Hour
Earth Hour 2009 is a global initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature which acts as a Global call for action to every individual, business and community to take a stand against Climate Change. To show your support, sign up now and commit to switching off your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm local time.
2008 saw an estimated 50 million people taking part. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour. This year, 2009, Earth Hour will see the lights go out on some of the most recognised attractions on the planet, including Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Merlion in Singapore, Sydney Opera House, the iconic 6-star hotel, the Burj al Arab, in Dubai, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the world’s tallest constructed building, the Taipei 101. Earth Hour 2009 has one major aim: to unite the citizens of the world in the fight against climate change in order to convince governments and world leaders that our planet cannot wait any longer. There simply isn’t enough time, and therefore 2009 is a colossally important, if not the most critical year, to take action on climate change. 2009 is the year we decide the future of our planet.
Remember that the more people involved, the greater the impact, so be sure to spread the word by telling friends, family, colleagues and anyone else you know about Earth Hour.
2008 saw an estimated 50 million people taking part. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour. This year, 2009, Earth Hour will see the lights go out on some of the most recognised attractions on the planet, including Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Merlion in Singapore, Sydney Opera House, the iconic 6-star hotel, the Burj al Arab, in Dubai, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the world’s tallest constructed building, the Taipei 101. Earth Hour 2009 has one major aim: to unite the citizens of the world in the fight against climate change in order to convince governments and world leaders that our planet cannot wait any longer. There simply isn’t enough time, and therefore 2009 is a colossally important, if not the most critical year, to take action on climate change. 2009 is the year we decide the future of our planet.
Remember that the more people involved, the greater the impact, so be sure to spread the word by telling friends, family, colleagues and anyone else you know about Earth Hour.
The Shadow Proves the Sunshine
Well its been quite a while since I last wrote, its not that I haven’t wanted to write but with many deadlines etc it made it quite difficult even spare a few moments. I also have been moving around as I have yet to be living in a permanent place, so that has also made it a little difficult to cultivate my thoughts, emotions and the experiences that I have been having over the last few weeks.
Well im rapidally approaching the 2 month mark and what a whirlwind it has been, lots of ups and down, highs and lows of being out of your comfort zone. March has almost come and gone and I have not shared much with you of my journey so far… but I suppose that’s ok. I learn something new everyday about myself about life and about God, sometimes this is all to overwhelming and its hard to express, but these may all be summated in the God, because without him; me, you and life would cease to exist.
A question that has been on my mind for the past little while is whether everything is connected, is God apart of the everyday detail of our lives? Does he care about the ‘insignificant trivialities that we experience day to day’? I hope I will be able to illustrate that the answer to this question is a resounding YES, its has to be! Maybe we just lead lives that make us more and more disconnected so when we question the ways things are, we end up confused, frustrated and we harbour doubt and unbelief. Something that I have come to know is that revelation and understand and learning, is process. We are here on earth to journey to discover the deep mystery of the universe, at the heart of the matter we are discovers that need to discover how to walk in the abundance and in the power that God has promised us.
I have meet many new people over the last few weeks, I have attended a number of awesome events, such as the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament, Dune bashing in the desert, beaching, brunching, Souk (market) visits, Musuem Visits, Mosque Cultural experience… etc etc ( I will try upload some pics and notes about these various experiences). Dubai is a place were worlds and cultures collide, it is a place were humanity tries to define itself or its identity in what it achieves, what it has and what it will have in the future.
Times in Dubai are very uncertain, especially in the markets and in business, as they are world wide. However, this reminds me that we need to build our lives on a God who does not change, who is constant, the same yesterday, today and forever. A God who provides for our every need. Everything in this life is temporary and everything built by human hands will one day fade away. The band Delirious, ask the question in their latest album, Are we building a kingdom of comfort or the Kingdom of God. Wow that question has never really left me. it is so challenging to ask ourselves, is what we do, spend money on for our own kingdoms or the kingdom of God…(I have a long way to go)> Is life all about us or is it all about God? I think this has significance when we are trying to figure out how everything is connected, or for that matter disconnected and we attempt to connected it all together but end up failing. I belief that God is interested in every detail of our lives, he wants a relationship with us that is so intimate that he shares all our joy and sorrows . He is a God who is involved in our everyday and our everything, for it is in Him (Jesus) that everything is held together.
There have been times here where I have felt like I haven’t had it all together, where I have only been thinking about my own kingdom, my own needs desires… in these times I have lost focus about what God has planned, not only for my life but for the world. How selfish , we invariably act as though we are god and have all the power and the control, but the reality is that we don’t. Yes times can be hard… life can be dark, but God is there through it all, we have his grace his mercy his love and most of all His spirit… Is it not Him who lives in US? So when life looks a little bleak and things don’t make sense… look up at the sky, know that its going to be alright, it really will be, the sun will rise tomorrow and it’s a new opportunity for a new day, realise that the shadow proves the sunshine. Let us walk as children of the light.
Well im rapidally approaching the 2 month mark and what a whirlwind it has been, lots of ups and down, highs and lows of being out of your comfort zone. March has almost come and gone and I have not shared much with you of my journey so far… but I suppose that’s ok. I learn something new everyday about myself about life and about God, sometimes this is all to overwhelming and its hard to express, but these may all be summated in the God, because without him; me, you and life would cease to exist.
A question that has been on my mind for the past little while is whether everything is connected, is God apart of the everyday detail of our lives? Does he care about the ‘insignificant trivialities that we experience day to day’? I hope I will be able to illustrate that the answer to this question is a resounding YES, its has to be! Maybe we just lead lives that make us more and more disconnected so when we question the ways things are, we end up confused, frustrated and we harbour doubt and unbelief. Something that I have come to know is that revelation and understand and learning, is process. We are here on earth to journey to discover the deep mystery of the universe, at the heart of the matter we are discovers that need to discover how to walk in the abundance and in the power that God has promised us.
I have meet many new people over the last few weeks, I have attended a number of awesome events, such as the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament, Dune bashing in the desert, beaching, brunching, Souk (market) visits, Musuem Visits, Mosque Cultural experience… etc etc ( I will try upload some pics and notes about these various experiences). Dubai is a place were worlds and cultures collide, it is a place were humanity tries to define itself or its identity in what it achieves, what it has and what it will have in the future.
Times in Dubai are very uncertain, especially in the markets and in business, as they are world wide. However, this reminds me that we need to build our lives on a God who does not change, who is constant, the same yesterday, today and forever. A God who provides for our every need. Everything in this life is temporary and everything built by human hands will one day fade away. The band Delirious, ask the question in their latest album, Are we building a kingdom of comfort or the Kingdom of God. Wow that question has never really left me. it is so challenging to ask ourselves, is what we do, spend money on for our own kingdoms or the kingdom of God…(I have a long way to go)> Is life all about us or is it all about God? I think this has significance when we are trying to figure out how everything is connected, or for that matter disconnected and we attempt to connected it all together but end up failing. I belief that God is interested in every detail of our lives, he wants a relationship with us that is so intimate that he shares all our joy and sorrows . He is a God who is involved in our everyday and our everything, for it is in Him (Jesus) that everything is held together.
There have been times here where I have felt like I haven’t had it all together, where I have only been thinking about my own kingdom, my own needs desires… in these times I have lost focus about what God has planned, not only for my life but for the world. How selfish , we invariably act as though we are god and have all the power and the control, but the reality is that we don’t. Yes times can be hard… life can be dark, but God is there through it all, we have his grace his mercy his love and most of all His spirit… Is it not Him who lives in US? So when life looks a little bleak and things don’t make sense… look up at the sky, know that its going to be alright, it really will be, the sun will rise tomorrow and it’s a new opportunity for a new day, realise that the shadow proves the sunshine. Let us walk as children of the light.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
My Arabic Business Card on 100% Recycled Paper
I got given double sided business cards today... one side English and the other side Arabic
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