Doing things backwards

I have just been reading this book, see? About this guy who discovered some things that the church had kept hidden for years. And the deeper he dug, the more he found out. And the angrier and more dangerous the church became... I thought I'd read the book, because I'd seen the movie, and in fact, toured some of the locations when I was in Europe. Yeah, backwards. Always do things the hard way, I think that's my motto. Get a paper round, then decided that learning to ride a bike would be a good idea... stuff like that.
Anyway, this guy discovered all these ancient secrets that the church was not to keen to see revealed. Secrets about core belief systems, about faith and grace, stuff about who Jesus really is. Stuff that would turn the church on it's head, and take so much political and spiritual power out of the Pope's hands. And unlike Dan Brown's potboiler, it's all true.
This guy, whose name was Martin Luther, discovered, as he studied the ancient scriptures in Hebrew and Greek, that you didn't need a priest to intercede between you and God; that paying no amount of money to the church or 'good works' would get you into heaven, only by faith; and the traditions of the Roman Catholic church were mostly of man, not of God. Contraversial stuff.
'Only Scripture' was his cry, 'if I am wrong', he said 'show me where in God's word'. Luther's Reformation of the church completely changed northern Europe and Western Civilisation. His translation of the Bible into modern (16th Century) German placed God's word into the hands of the people for the first time in hundreds of years (and actually formalised the German language), so that people could see for themselves what God was saying.
An incredible story of how, after a long period in the Dark Ages, where the light was held by very few, God's truth burst into the world again, and it came through one poor monk who stood up against the might of kings, the Holy Roman Empire and the Church itself.

now and then...

About two weeks ago I was looking through a few old things and found my photo album from my trip to Amerika, in fact, I found the one that featured Jenn and Andy's wedding. Jenn was one of the team I went to Jamaica with back in '98. Wow, that's 8 years ago! I stayed with Jenn's family for about a month, a period that included the wedding. I thought that the Spangler family were pretty wonderful for taking in a stray, homeless Aussie, especially during the height of wedding preparations! And how great was the wedding? I don't think i've ever taken so many photos in one day, with so many different cameras!

Jenn's brother Scott and his girlfriend Tez (my name for her, it's an aussie type nick), said I should come back and take photos at THEIR wedding too!

Unfortunately they forgot to send me an airline ticket...

Anyway, I was having a spot of nostalgia and was wondering how things were going over in sunny Pennsylvania. As so often happens you make some great friends that you know you will last, but you lose contact. It's sad, but when there is a planet between you, it can be hard, even in this global village we live in. I said a silent prayer for them, and hoped all was well.

Only a couple of days later I got an email. From Jenn! Wow! The timing was uncanny! I replied, and included the address of Honzablog. Next thing you know Jenn has a blog of her own so I can catch up with her news! Two days ago was her wedding Anniversary! Congrats you two! As I said, I was just thinking of you. They have three kids, hopefully all as cute as their mum.

And then a couple of days later, so does Tez! And she links back here! Scott and Tez have two kids (they got married without me...), and I really hope that they are as cute as their mum too!
So, to all the friends of Tez, or Jenn, or anyone who remembers me or Murray from our days in PA, a very big welcome to honzablog!

As soon as I can work out time differences, there are people in Amerika who can expect phone calls very soon! Much to talk about!

Illustration friday... SACRIFICE

Eeek! It has been so long since I have contributed anything to Illustration Friday! This week's topic is Sacrifice! Wow, such a deep topic, and one, as someone who tries to adhere to Christianity, I should really attempt to portray. You know, trying to share a bit of subtle light in the on-line illustrating community. But how do you portray sacrifice in an illustration without being preachy or obvious? You want to make people think and not just get a meaning at a glance, then move on to the next website.
And also, and more to the point? How can I produce a net-worthy illo when my computer is playing up as it is? I mean, really I could go out and buy a new computer tommorrow. I would LOOOOOOVE a new computer!!!! If I could buy one largish item this month, thats what it would be. However, I am in a place where I really need to squirrel away as much money as i can this year, because I am hoping things will be very different for me in January. A new adventure beckons. I must harken to the call. But to do this I must look at my priorities, and that means... sacrifice. No new computer. Hoping my old car will last another 6 months.
Huh. Sacrifice. Maybe I can't draw sacrifice, but perhaps I can illustrate it with my life... Sacrifice isn't cool, isn't part of a post-modern lifestyle, but it does build character, and in the long run it's the better path to take.

Oh, and I know I've talked on Germany a bit lately, but I found this blog on a Salvo kick-off site that mentions meeting up with the Fusion guys in Leipzig. If you want to improve your bilinguality, or have an interest in Australian Salvos meeting Fusion Aussies in Leipzig, then check out:
http://heilsarmee-leipzig-wm2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/siegesfeier-und-aussie-treff-victory.html
If you don't want to you don't have to, but it's not a big sacrifice...

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. tell you what it means zu mich

I was strolling through my local shopping mall yesterday when a young Credit-Card salesman buttonholed the Dad with a young daughter in from of me.
'excuse me, Sir...' he began till he got the brush-off. Then he turned to try his luck on me.
'Hey, buddy...' he started, but my only interest in credit cards at the moment is which scissors are best at cutting them up!

But why did the other guy rate a 'Sir', yet he felt he could address me as 'Buddy'? Do I LOOK like his buddy?

But it made me think of something that happened in Germany, not once, but twice.
Both at Hamburg and in Hannover, while being involved in festivals, children came to me and said 'Du bist ein Clown!' (you are a clown) Yes, I admit I had some face-paint on, and a funny hat, and yes I was acting up at the time, but the point is, to correctly address an adult in German, especially one they don't really know, shouldn't they have gone with the more formal 'Sie sind ein Clown...' ?

I get no respect...

a rare day

It's 6th of June, and for the first time since about 1997 I went to work! I thought I'd better, I probably wont be there next June 6, if all goes well. On previous 6th junes I have taken days off, and remembered travelling to places. Its a good day to travel. In 1998 I started in Dunlo in Western Pennsylvania, and by bed time, and two vans and three planes later, was in Port Antonio in Jamaica.
In 1999 I left Singapore at midnight, and after two planes, two vans and several hours on a train was in Ostrava in the Czech republic. In the middle of that was 8 hours of walking in Prague.
in 2000 and 2001 I was in Sydney for the Hillsong conferences.
Since then it's either been a weekend, or I have taken the day off.
This year, I thought I had used all my allocated holiday days off, what with two weeks with the Commonwealth games, then three weeks in Germany for the world cup, but, as I discovered today, I still had a few days up my sleeve.
So, June 6, 2006, memorable only for being not memorable in any way...
I need less days like this!

Next year I will be somewhere else doing something different.

singin' the Azzuri...

This morning I did a silly thing. I got up at 5am to watch some football. I wanted to see Germany exact some revenge for Australia on the Italians. Or maybe I just wanted to hear some German singing. There are German people I love to hear sing, but in hindsight it was very unlikely that they would be in Dortmund for the game. And even if they were, I don't think I would hear them anyway.
So, about 2 hours of playing time after I got up a goal was finally scored. Unfortunately it was by the Italians. To make sure of it they scored a second one a minute later and the game was over... If only Australia had managed to last out 'til extra time last week, we might've won and found ourselves in the last eight, then beaten Ukraine, Germany, and whoever wins tomorrow and being world champs! What ifs and might've beens. If only... if.. if... If my Grandmother had wheels, she'd be an omnibus....
Still, the singing lasted the whole game, although it was more Italianate rather than Germanic at the end. But soccer songs sound much the same whoever sings them, I think. Thousands of people in full voice, though not a lot of harmony. Singing on the train in Berlin was a wonderful experience (see a previous blog), the feeling of adding your voice to a whole and creating a sound that's bigger than all of you. And the pride of singing for your country in a foreign land is special too.
One day however I will sing with a vaster crowd, inumerable. With people of all nations,including Germans and Italians, singing a song with one accord. We sang 'Ich will von deine Liebe singen, immer von deine Liebe singen' and in English 'I will sing of your love forever..' and 'our God is an Awesome God' and felt a touch of the hereafter in the here and now. But to sing 'Holy Holy..' with the angels will beat anything.

a journey...

yup, i'm back home, feeling a bit sleepy, but I guess you can expect that.
Here's how to get from Friedenau to Bayswater...

Thurs 22. 9:10am lug your bags to Frederich-Wilhelm-Platz and catch the U9 underground train in the direction of Osloer Str. but get off at the next stop at Bundesplatz and go up the escaltor to get an S41 on the ring line going anti-clockwise. Austeig rechts at Jungfernheide and get on a bus. Acording to the plan we had, the airport bus goes from here. Plan is old, it changed a month ago, so catch another bus and go two stops and catch bus 109 or X9 (express service) to Tegel Flughaven. A better plan would've been to stay on the U9 to Zoo Station, and catch the X9 from there. But we didn't know that then. Said 'Seeya' to Daniela, never Goodbye...
11:40 LH183 Berlin to Frankfurt. 55mins
14:40 VN542 Frankfurt to Ho Chi Minh City. 11 hours, 25 mins or so. I meet up with Peter and Graeme and they bring news that the Economy part of the Vietnam Airlines plane is over-booked. We ask nicely and get upgraded to deluxe economy. Very nice, hardly anyone in that section, a bit of extra leg room and we could stretch out on the long flight and get comfy. Didn't sleep though...
Graeme heads off to a backpackers hotel, while Peter and I get the complimentary bus to our Day hotel deeper in the town. For 45 minutes our (thankfully airconditioned - very sticky here) wends it's way through the Saigon traffic, like a whale in an ocean teeming with significantly smaller sea life. This mad-crazy scooter city.
A few hours for spazieren, sleeping and showering before getting on a smaller, less air-conditioned bus back to the terminal, for interminable queuing and news that our plane was delayed. Lot's of sitting around waiting. I read Stasiland while Peter fell asleep in his chair.
Over 90 mins late, VN781 finally takes off. No possiblity of an upgrade, and in fact, my seat has less legroom than normal. There is a metal box fitted under the seat in front at exactly the place I want to put my right foot. So my right leg was always on a slight angle and I was worried that it would affect my knee. However, I did manage to get some decent sleep in for once, and awoke in daylight somewhere over Oz and not very long before breakfast!
Arrived at around 10am 24 June(all times local times), the pilot had picked up time, but it was still an 8 hour sort of flight. Peter was flying on to Launceston and thence by donkey or camel to Poatina. I caught to airport bus to 'Southern Cross Station'. Silly name, most people still know it as 'Spencer Street'. Coincidentally Papestr. Bahnhoff in Berlin has also been recently up-graded and renamed Südkreuz - German for south cross. What's with this city synchronicity?
Anyhow, to plat form ten, get a Belgrave train and get off at Bayswater, then about three stops on the Chirnside park bus (don't recall it's number) and walk down my street.
So that's 6 buses, 3 trains and three planes...
It's easy. Come visit some time.

Berlin... the next days

Saturday night... about 2 thirds of our team went in to the Fan-Meile to watch some live big-screen action with a large crowd. And it was quite a large crowd, the game Italy vs USA was already underway, and the Italians had already scored two goals, one for each team! But we were there for the atmosphere and there was plenty of that! We watched on one of several huge screens set up on Srasse des 17 Juni, (co-incidentally it WAS the 17th day of June.) the screen which almost totally blocked out the Brandenburger Tor. We were split into small groups by the crush of the crowd, but we managed to re-group at the end for a yelling of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi and another group photo. On the train back to Nollendorf Platz, we had a sing off with a bunch of German fans, us singing (very loudly) 'give me a home among the gum trees' and Advance Australia Fair' and 'Waltzing Matilda' and them answering with songs like 'we will win, all others are §$%&' and such like. But it was fun and we got a big cheer from the passengers when we got off.
Sunday night I watched Brasil play Australia at Korps Süd-West Berlin, and was not impressed by the World Champions. A zwei-null win flattered them.
Monday and I went to Potsdam with Daniela, beautiful gardens, old buildings, and much walking on a warm day. Then dinner with Dani and Uta in an Italian restaurant
Tuesday and Uta took me to Treptower park, a very Russian Memorial to the victims of Fascism and the heros of the soviet union... after that we went to the Korps Berlin-Mitte to watch Deutschland play Ecuador. The local boys had a good win, and I saw that Mitte was very different to Friedenau where I am staying now. Kind of Bohemian... On the way home from there, we started to see the local football fans fill the train. Not only were there 70,000 at the Berlin Olympic Stadion, but perhaps 700,000 on the fan-meile. We would've been swamped if we were any later getting through.
Today was shopping with Dani, and now I should be packing, for tomorrow, I return to Ho Chi Minh city, and thence home, to Melbourne.
However Berlin also feels like home, and one day, I will return here.

Berlin

Today Honza blog comes to you from sunny Berlin. This morning a good number of the team flew back to Aust. Well, they are now either at Frankfurt Airport, or already on their way to Ho Chi Minh City. The rest of us went to a nice German church in NollendorfPlatz, complete with wireless translation headphones for those whose grasp of the German Language is less than superior.
Later tonight I will go to die Heilsarmee in Friedenau to see my oldest german friends, Uta and Daniela, and watch Australia take on the might of Brazil...
Yesterday we were in Lutherstadt Wittenberg learning all about Martin Luther, and seeing the places he walked, spoke, and nailed things to doors. On thursday night we watched the Luther movie in Wittenberg, so we had lots of context. Luther had an amzing effect on German, European, and world history, just through standing up and saying the church had it all wrong, that they should get back to the teachings of Jesus.
On Thursday we had come from Herrnhut, where for the third time I saw Poland in the distance without actually going there. Herrnhut is, topically, the birthplace of German football. English students studying under the Moravians brought the game with them, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Perhaps in a previous blog you read how the Moravians influenced John Wesley. In Herrnhut, Count Zinzendorf provided a safe haven for the Moaravian Christians fleeing persecution in their own land. From there they started a missionary movement which touched, and influenced most of the world.
It's amazing how much of an influence Germany has on world history, both good and bad. If a revival is to come to Europe it would have to start here. And if ever a place needed to rediscover its incredible christian roots, it's this one. I feel i have a part to play, The harvest is ready, but the workers are so few...

hamburg pictures

Okay, for you who can't find their way in a german website, here's the link to the pictures!

Hallo from Hannover!!!
On Sunday I tried to update this from Hamburg, but there was one or two issues with a slightly dodgy connection and an over-helpfull German boy. But all is well.
The weather has been wonderful, and our German hosts have been so, so welcoming. Before we came to Germany it was cold and wet here, not much different to Melbourne, but in the last week summer has come!
After a few days in a former East German sports training centre where we learnt variuos festival skills, our group broke up into 3 teams of ten and headed out in opposite directions. My team spent three days in Hamburg at the Stadtmission they have a website check it out, they said they would put pictures from our event there. It was very good, and many new people to the church came along and enjoyed the day.
Now in Hannover we are running festivals in the street at Listerplatz, a pedestrian shopping street. There are many mothers with small children around and good contacts are being made.
I don#t have much time to chat, but thank you for your prayers etc. They are appreciated!

pre world-cup practice

Last night I went to the centre of the world's third (some say second) largest Greek speaking city to the arena where 95,000 people gathered to watch Greece, the European Football Champions, take on the Australian 'Socceroos' in a pre-cup 'friendly'. Thousands more gathered in the city to watch the game on big screens. I volunteered to help out on the Salvo Face-Painting team as a bit of a personal warm-up for the World Cup. The crowd, as happens on these occassions, was happy and determined to enjoy themselves at a big Footballing event. These things happen only rarely here, about once every four years, as Australia tries to qualify for the World Cup, and mostly fail. It's been 32 years since the last time the Socceroos featured in the Tournament, (and most of those qualifiers have been torment - so close, but no..)

Anyhoo, I got to do a spot of face-painting, and it was pretty good. I got there a bit late because I had to come from work, but for the first hour I painted mostly the blue and white of Greece, or most popularly, a Greek flag on one cheek, and the Australian on the other. Many people with divided loyalties, but then Greek Australians are a large part of what make Melbourne the Multicultural city that it is. It wasn't until the last 30 minutes that I finally started to get more Australians to paint.

It's the first time I've been to the MCG since they've completed the new stand. They got it finished in time for the Commonwealth games. And it's a huge place. 95,000 is a sell out, although I think the ground can actually hold just on 100,000. We were set up outside Gate One, the new Ponsford stand. After we packed up and the game had safely started, I was able, with the help of a Restricted Access pass, to enter the actual stands, and, well, stand! It didn't entitle me to a seat at all, but I got to soak up some atmosphere, and I was there when Josip Skoko scored. Yay! Australia one nil. Had to leave shortly after that, but I saw the goal!

In the heart of the city, Federation square was packed, and Greek flags and Greek Australian accents were heard everywhere. I spent half an hour there, until my train was due to take me home. One thing you can say about Melbourne and Melbournites, they love an event and will come out in droves for it! It's not every day that the local team gets sent of to the biggest competition in international team sports, and we meant to celebrate.

In a couple of weeks I will see first hand how this happens in another country. I've seen big crowds here at Commonwealth games, Rugby World Cup, and now soccer, and know Australians are generally well behaved and friendly at such events. How will the crowd dynamic be different? I'm not a sociologist, I never sought to be one, but one might be interested...

And now some Scores. Australia won, Greece, nil. And last week at the Fusion retreat we played our own soccer friendly. We divided into two teams (that seems to work best for Soccer), and imaginatively named them One, and Two. I was at one with the twos. The result of that game, the Ones Won, with the scoreline reading One 2, Two 1.