My God-daughter Juliet's end of year dance concert. She was brilliant (of course!)



while her brother Braddon watches on...

from the depths of the last rush of essays

Listening is a rare happening among human beings. You cannot listen to the word another is speaking if you are preoccupied with your appearance or impressing the other, or if you are trying to decide what you are going to say when the other stops talking, or if you are debating about whether the word being spoken is true or relevant or agreeable. Such matters may have their place, but only after listening to the word as the word is being uttered. Listening, in other words, is a primitive act of love, in which a person gives self to another’s word, making self accessible and vulnerable to that word.


- William Stringfellow

last days of college...

Robbie and Kathryn

Congrats to Robbie and Kathryn on the wedding last weekend at West Epping. A few photos on show, the rest over at the smugmug site.

playing with a new lens

The Otway Ranges

"The substance of belief, in other words, is not that the Bible is true, but rather that that towards which the Bible points us is true."

Douglas John Hall, "Thinking The Faith", p.120

the carlo five

would you trust these men?

Trafalgar Studio

The first of the shots from last night's recording session for the Youth Unit CD. Low moody light, grainy 1600 ISO shots, and collingwood winning (just) on the radio in the background. mmm

A comfy little studio in Annandale with a long history. Apparently it was one of the centres of the music industry in the 70's - hosting such luminaries as Cold Chisel (Khe Sahn was done there) and Air Supply. And now to add to that diversity it has seen the genius of rock god Newton and his compadres from "a thousand lights" - not to mention Rossy, Adam, Mitchell, Kent and myself. More photos on flickr.

Australian Summer

"Australian Summer" by Luke Eve, winner of the 2005 Tropfest. An incredible short film - all about hope and grief within an Australian context. I've used this is in a number of settings (worship, training and discussion groups) and it's an fantastic tool for opening up what hope might look like. Is hope an illusory promise that we never really get to, but keeps us getting up every day? Is hope the stories that we tell to make sense of life? Who gives us hope? What does it cost to offer hope to another?


Australian Summer

Add to My Profile | More Videos

new ninja music

from "the heavy"

A Sleep of Prisoners

A few requests for the poem by Christopher Fry that I read at SoD...

"Dark and cold we may be, but this
Is no winter now. The frozen misery
Of centuries breaks, cracks, begins to move;
the thunder is the thunder of the floes,
the thaw, the flood, the upstart Spring.
Thank God our time is now when wrong
comes to face us everywhere,
Never to leave us till we take
the longest stride of soul we ever took.
Affairs are now soul size.
The enterprise
Is exploration into God.
Where are you making for? It takes
so many thousand years to wake,
but will you wake for pity's sake!"

study fatigue

supposed to be studying...




























though I can't help but wander out in the winter sun

Taking the mid-year break from college to research my long essay (which is on Douglas John Hall's theology of salvation). And it feels like I've been sitting with my head in these books for a long time now. But amidst the grind there is some absolute pearls that stand out, such as this one where Hall begins by quoting Moltmann;

""Faith in the resurrection... sees the raising of the tortured and crucified Son of Man as God's great protest against death and everyone who plays into death's hands and threatens life." It involves no public spectacle, no undoing of the past, no overcoming of the humiliation that has preceded it. It too prevents nothing that worldly powers determine to undertake. It gives the believing community no power of its own beyond the power of memory, love, and courage."

- D.J. Hall, "Professing the Faith", p.450.


Memory...

Love...

and Courage.

what would Australia look like if these were truly and deeply embraced? What have we forgotten? Who have we not loved? And what have we feared?

Just trying out some new editing software and reworking some old shots. The dishevelled midnight tale teller that is comrade smithy...

Annabelle's baptism prayer

You are loved Annabelle
though you may not know it yet,
you have heard its whisper in your Mothers’ touch, your Fathers’ voice
and that tippy-toed roaring energy that is your big sister.

You are loved Annabelle,
by all this family and all these friends,
though you may not know it yet
And all their stories
and all this life
will be a strand of who you are.
Just as you have already become this chubby-cheeked, opera-squealing part of ours

You are loved Annabelle,
though you may not know it yet
by the very God who created you and everything around us
From the blazing majesty of Antarctica,
to the ever-changing greenery of your Birtles Avenue home.

So when the water runs across your head
know that you are loved
not because of anything that you’ve done, or anything that you’ll do
Just because of the gift you are to all of us

And when the sign of the cross
is placed upon your frowning little forehead,
know that you stand in that great tradition
of those who claim God’s faithfulness in Jesus,
“Goodness is stronger than evil,
love is stronger than hate,
light is stronger than darkness,
life is stronger than death,
victory is ours through him who loved us.”

Annabelle, you are loved.

(PS Thanks to Cheryl for the inspiration)

return of the faithful

June 23rd will not just go down as a great Collingwood win over the Swans in Sydney, but also as the day of the Return. Jimmy and Uncle Rob, welcome back!

Bootsy has the story here.

faith and politics

Go here for the transcript from a great discussion panel organised by Jim Wallis and the Sojourners community, with several of the Democratic Presidential candidates (Obama, Edwards and Clinton).

Of course there's the usual political rhetoric - but alongside of that it's fascinating to here some of these highly public figures talk of their personal struggles with prayer, forgiveness, sin and discerning God in the midst of life. Worth a read.

For a different angle on the event, the NewYorkTimes covers the event here.

urbanstone hits the bottle...

or rather I'm hitting the wine label :)

A cafe in Bronte is putting out a small run of its own wine, and is using one of the urbanstone photos for the Botrytis Semillon label (pictured left). I think I'll have to check with my culinary consultant Prof Crawford as to what goes with such a sweet wine as this one?

Regardless, this is definitely a lucrative side-trade I'll be very happy to develop. If I could just figure out what photos would be in demand for a good shiraz label from N-E Victoria? Hmmm...

what's in my coffee?

Great article - interesting movie. Hope it makes it to Australia. Read the article all the way through - nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

"Bean counting

50 Number of countries where coffee is grown.

2bn Number of cups of coffee consumed each day.

42 Number of beans needed to make one espresso.

80-140 Milligrams of caffeine per cup.

£40bn Amount generated by annual sales.

3 cents Amount received by an average coffee farmer for a $3 cup of coffee."

Hoodoo broken

The 'woods finally break their 12 year run of losses at the Gabbatoir - despite the best efforts of the white maggots. Beating Brisvane in Brisbane must be one of the greatest feelings in footy (other than a GF or beating "pigs-arse" Carlscum). Like an oasis after 12 longs years of denial, last night would have been magical - unless your name was Bootsy, and at 3 quarter time the call comes through that your daughter is ill and needs you now! Dave your reward must be great in heaven for resuming fatherly duties - or atleast, write this one down for the history books. So that when we're in our 60's at the MCG, Beth knows that she needs to come and ferry us home again - singing victoriously all the way of course.

Junmo

Junmo, originally uploaded by urbanstone.

Reconciliation service at college - Junmo reading, with Pearl (Our aboriginal elder) and Anita (Lecturer in theology and liturgy) behind.

Sydney Film Festival

Yes, the Sydney Film Festival is back again and it looks like an impressive line up of styles and genres. Everything from a "behind the scenes with Pixar animators", a cluster from contemporary Turkey, a doco on Australian hip hop that I'm very keen to see, and a cracker from Samuel L. Jackson. Plenty to see - even for fans of the Bruckheimer style (ronaldo? rossy?) - so hop to it and see something different.

BTW I'm definitely going to see "Words from the city" on June 22nd, so anyone wanting to join our little group is most welcome.

winged critter

winged critter, originally uploaded by urbanstone.

"Can we hold the cup of life in our hands? Can we lift it for others to see, and can we drink it down to the full?" - Henri Nouwen

the godfather of soul

For those of you with a love of all things funky (yes, bootsy I'm looking at you), then this is a must. Solid Steel is a record label/radio station/podcasting outfit from the UK that puts out a podcast every fortnight of some emerging DJ's mixing up some great music. The latest one from solid Steel regular DK is a James Brown tribute and is an absolute gem.

So, either download Solid Steel podcast #56 from iTunes (it's free!), or visit the Solid Steel website and hunt around for the DK "James Brown" mix.

Myall Lakes

A couple of days exploring Myall Lakes with Larissa - even ventured out canoeing with the camera (great fun, certainly made me concentrate on staying afloat a helluva lot more!)

Dark Point with its incredible sand dunes was a highlight. Never seen anything like it before.

Ros and Tony's Wedding

Congrats to Ros and Tony. A fantastic day out on the lake at Toukley (April 7th). Plus a whole lot of fun to tag team with fellow urbanstone artist - Jackson (ably assisted as always by Ms Clarkson and young Henry) - for official photos on the day. You can see the photos over at our smugmug site here.

new amon tobin

easter postcards

Cheryl, who's been working with prison inmates in Victoria, has prepared some postcards to be handed out on Easter Saturday.

They are absolutely brilliant.

Go here to see them and read the story.

black is the colour

thank you Matt

one of the songs that changed my life

Vote David Out

via Jimmy

waiting

"The greatest proof of Christianity for others is not how far a man can logically analyze his reasons for believing, but how far in practice he will stake his life on his belief"

- T.S. Eliot

reflections from the pool

photos, war and story telling

Thanks to Kent for pointing out this SMH article on the role of photography, storytelling and truth. The shot won the World Press Photo of the year and is set in Beirut. There's been quite a controversy over questioning which story the photo is telling - tourists amidst the wreckage of war; or people returning home? Do they fit they fit our stereotype of what war victims should look like?

It raises so many questions about journalism, war and our consumption of images (which the SMH article points to). For me though the question raised is about the nature of photography and storytelling. Photography at its best is evocative and suggestive. It is never definitive - even when it first appears to be. Unlike a lot of mainstream media, photography should raise the possibility of story, allowing the viewer to recreate it within their own minds - with multiple possibilities extending out from the emotions and reactions brought forth.

See Mark's blog for some further thoughts.

Restoring the Primacy of Reason in an Age of Fundamentalism

Barry Jones is a fascinating figure - quiz show champ, Federal Minister for Science in the Hawke government, and Australian national treasure. Recently he gave the eighth annual Manning Clark lecture, entitled "Restoring the Primacy of Reason in an Age of Fundamentalism". Now maybe a lecture doesn't sound like your thing. But let me encourage you to listen - this is one of the most inspiring and intelligent reflections upon our times that I have heard.

You can download it from ABC Radio National site here or it is available as a podcast on iTunes, also listed under ABC Radio National.

Hot Fuzz

From the makers of Shaun of the Dead comes this absolute gem of a movie - Hot Fuzz. For all the times you've sat through one of the ten squillion Lethal Weapons, bounced off the walls during Bad Boys or yippee-kay-ed for Die Hard - this one is for you!

But don't mistake this simply for a spoof of all things police. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a formidable comic team in their own right. Supporting performances from Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Edward Woodward and Bill Bailey also shine through.

Haven't laughed this much in a long time. Rossy, it is criminal that you haven't seen this yet!

"Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence."

4 stars

Stations of the Cross 2007

St Ives Uniting Church is working in collaboration with fifteen of Australia's top visual artists to host an exhibition/conversation around the Stations of the Cross.

‘The traditional stations are an existential prayer with a much wider frame. It is a pattern of life shaped by the human journey; from the time we become aware of our mortality or finitude through our sufferings’.


The exhibition will open with a ‘BREAD AND WINE’ RECEPTION from 6-8pm Thursday April 5. Please come and bring your friends. The exhibition will be in St Ives Uniting Church Cnr Douglas Street and Mona Vale Rd., St Ives. (phone 91445795)

new blogs

well, one new blog anyway - the long lost travel diaries of our very own pint sized fashion queen (otherwise known as the Indian dramas of Sammy C ) have begun! Sam Charlesworth has landed safely in Chennai, suffered the shock of what's innocently called "traffic" on the streets and even managed to find time for shopping! Which, while humourous, in not surprising at all. You can follow her adventures and send messages of support to her at her much more stylishly named Saffron Threads blog.

And another blog has moved house - Rah has set up shop in the very fashionable wordpress district - and so can now be found here.

Portrait #1: smoke

Late last year I was asked to join in a photographic portrait competition with some friends from flickr. The idea being that we would each provide 6 portraits; each of a different subject; each that tells something of the subject's story. So there is no pursuit of glamour for its own sake - but simply, how do you intentionally capture something of the person?

The first set of shots is tentatively entitled "smoke". Geoff Smith is the subject (although Suz pops up in the photos as well) - and the desire was to capture Smithy mid-conversation, late into the evening, with that slightly dishevelled look that he manicures so well!

This photo ("turn away") is from the first batch that I've begun to process. Click on the photo to see the other "smoke" shots that I've done so far. Any comments, criticisms or questions are very welcome!

the missed opportunity

a fascinating article here by the former US Senator Lincoln D Chafee (Rep) on the alternative choices to the Iraq invasion. How swiftly we rush to wage war on the misguided leadership of a handful of men.

2007 Budgewoi Open

another year and another Budgewoi Open has come and gone. Despite the rain not affecting the game, it's fair to say that tennis was the loser this year, while the local chicken shop may have been the winner. Hmmmm, not a good sign boys. And as has become custom, Ronaldo Joyce took out the annual body surfing competition, with Dave running in a credible second.

Ghost Rider, Match Point and Underworld all got a viewing, but in a slight variation this year, not only were movies watched but the finishing touches were put on the latest "Love Your Work" production (photo of Director Joyce hard at work above) - rumoured to be tentatively entitled "The Grave Secret of Prairie Dog Hill".

Wayne surprised everyone by only being 6 hours late this year, while the character of the whole Open was diminished by the absence of Greyham "I-think-I'm-going-to-die" Stoney.

The organisers were happy to declare 2007 -
"the most relaxed Budgewoi Open ever"

(other than the part where Charger managed to get all the way to Budgewoi before remembering to check for the keys)

Meditatio

In the back’s low hollow sometimes
a weightless hand guides me, gentle pressure
so I tack soft as a sailboat. (Go there)

Soften the space between your eyes (smudge
of eucalyptus), the third eye
opens. There’s the wide vermilion sky

by Mary Karr

procrastination tool #277

to commemorate the ending of another cricket season, and the joyous return of footy (Swans v Pies tonight in a practice game at North Sydney Oval) - procrastination tool #277 is test catch cricket.

What's for dinner?

Tagged by Rah to answer one of those perennial questions - "If I could have four people to dinner (past or present people) who would they be? And why?"

Hmmm, now I could simply pick from my usual A-team list of friends and family - but I suspect that that's not the point of trying to weasel out some fascinating angle of my personality that I haven't written about endlessly (though clearly Nicole thinks that's already happened way too much ; )

So,

Walter Brueggemann - because he's a mean story teller; he holds a heap of wisdom; and I've used his work and quoted him so much that I probably owe him a few shouts here or there.

Billy Connolly - another great story teller; makes me laugh till I break; and I love that accent.

Myf Warhurst - Presenter of Spicks and Specks and the Triple J breakfast show. Loves her music, good interviewer and slightly funky. Would be a good foil to the other personalities, let alone a fascinating person in her own right with a thousand stories from the Australian music scene. Keeps it grounded a little more.

Sean Penn - a fascinating mix of progressive political stances, a history of really powerful acting roles, an inside into the cult of celebrity and a seemingly prickly personality. Love to know what makes him tick.

So there you are - sounds like quite a dinner, and for once I haven't named Jesus, Bono or Mick Malthouse? And in the grand tradition of tagging I nominate Jeff, Ray and Linz.

(Photo courtesy of LynnInSingapore - check out her other cool photos!)

Cover of the new album for French rock band, One Chair Left
(notice the photoshopped version of this urbanstone photo)
Not really sure what they're like, but I'm waiting for a copy when the album is released.

movies, movies movies

1. One of the SMH blogs raised the topic of wisdom from movies to live your life by. All the usual suspects are named - American Beauty, Ferris Bueller, Shawshank Redemption and Fight Club. Raises a few thoughts though - which movies, what wisdom? (As I have admitted many times before, much of my theology is drawn from Lord of the Rings). However it was this discussion of Star Wars that was most disturbing - "A movie that taught us to believe in ourselves. Like Luke Skywalker, you too can succeed, even if you cause the deaths of your uncle and aunt, tongue kiss your sister and murder your father." rrrright...


2. By contrast, Jimmy has finally seen Donnie Darko and is trying to work out if it actually made any sense, or just looked really cool. Anyone game to give us a summary of what it's trying to say?

3. As for me, well, like Darren I saw "Pan's Labyrinth" recently. Now that is an incredible film. It doesn't really fit into the usual categories - as it has elements of a violent drama set in the Spanish Civil War, a very powerful statement on the role of mythology and story, a fantasy adventure and a commentary on the current western political situation . That's quite a mix. Which is the beauty of the film. It tells a strong narrative that allows you to be drawn into the story, which you know is an important story to hear, but it is one that allows you to draw your own meanings and conclusion from it.

Which is sort of the point to this rambling post. There's no doubt that there are times for a story that is fast, colourful and fun - think Indiana Jones, Miami Vice, The Holiday or Sahara. A 1-2 hour jaunt where you are pleasantly distracted, your adrenaline is running and the dilemma's are generally overcome neatly by the end of the film (except where a sequel is subtly pointed towards).

But for me, the stories that linger and play out in my mind are the ones that don't fit all the categories. The stories that are intentionally ambiguous enough to make me wonder. What was Donnie Darko about? I'm not really too sure - but it makes me feel that sense of adolescent dislocation and disturbance. Pan's Labyrinth? Questions of family, loyalty and the power of myths. But only in the hints and questions behind the story.

Stories that create mystery and unsettle me are the ones that actually ask me a question and change me. This divine dissatisfaction is why I believe story, myth, narrative - even movies are some of the most powerful tools that exist. Which are the stories that most drive us and shape us?

Rob's Top 5 shithouse movies that he loves...

Rossy's question continues to fire up some minds and trawl the cinematic depths - Rob has certainly brought new fodder to the table - check out his contribution here.

"A church which pitches its tents without constantly looking out for new horizons, which does not continually strike camp, is being untrue to its calling... [We must] play down our longing for certainty, accept what is risky, and live by improvisation and experiment"

- Hans Kung, quoted in "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch.
(just started reading it - will report back later)

One Crowded Hour

click here to see the video of the #1 song for 2006 (as voted by the Triple J Hottest 100 and myself!)

A Farewell To Sam

(otherwise known as "Hello to Buff Bollywood Boys"). Our favourite Novacastrian refugee in Melbourne, Sammy C, is preparing to take off to India for a year to work in a variety of settings. But as is obligatory before such a bold and adventurous move she had her own East Coast farewell tour. The highlight of course being to sample the extraordinary Crawford hospitality with a host of good friends, great wine and truffle butter (no Crawford event is complete without some gastronomic gourmet delight that is almost beyond belief for us mere mortals used to Vegemite toast)



Unfortunately no photos recorded the impromptu Funky Chicken war cry led by the ever shy duo of Kent and Dave.



Also spent the day in the Blue Mountains, hosted by Tour Guide Smith - large breakfast, plenty of coffee, a secret location, and incredible chilli chocolates. Nice work comrade.

Good luck Sam, we all (especially Nic) look forward to the arrival of your blog, and the tales of wonder and excitement to follow! (and of course the safe return of your renewed and transformed self)

Bronte Beach

Next stop, Tehran

Another commentator points out the likelihood of US/UK military intervention in Iran based on the current movement of troops. Please God, say it isn't so.

rain

pondering the rain, originally uploaded by urbanstone.

another summer afternoon in Sydney

another summer afternoon in Sydney, originally uploaded by urbanstone.

"Photos: Kill Your Darlings"

An interesting piece on how to judge your own photos (hopefully to push yourself to take better ones) from Mark Waddington via Jonny. It uses the tool of looking at the photos from the perspective of the inventor, the child, the lover, the craftsman and several others (makes sense when you read it, don't worry). Definitely worth a look if you're into photography!

2006 Raymo's

Ray has listed his top 5 cinematic moments for the year over at OneRayHill

2006 top 5's

You know I can't resist a good top 5! Lots of the usual suspects, but that's because I love 'em! So here goes the summary for 2006...

Top 5 Movies
1. Brokeback Mountain - tragic, slow paced film that allowed you to think and imagine rather than spelling everything out in block letters. Loved the wilderness cinematography.

2. Water - up there with "Three Colours Blue" for the most visually beautiful film ever. A riot of colours, set with an intensely original story of widows in India.

3. The Prestige - Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan can do no wrong! The makers of "Batman Begins" gave us another intelligent adventure - thrilling with a great twist.

4. Goodnight and Goodluck - compulsory viewing for anyone living in our times of the "War on Terror" - history doomed to repeat itself.

5. Ten Canoes - no description - just go and see it if you haven't. My favourite Australian film in a long, long time. I expected a politically correct "moral" tale of Indigenous Australia - but found something so much more than that!

Honourable mentions: Syriana, Walk The Line and Kenny.
Surprise of the Year: Miami Vice
Dud of the Year: Marie Antionette - (story line? who needs a plot when you got lots of frocks!)




Top 5 Albums
1. "Days to Come" - Bonobo
2. "Desert Lights" - Something For Kate
3. "Moo you bloody choir" - Augie March
4. "Synaesthesia" - Matt Tonks
5. "Convicts" - You Am I

Honourable Mentions: "Collected" - Massive Attack, "Little Cloud" - The Whitlams, "Fire Shepherds" - Loka.

Top 5 Books
1. "How (not) to speak of God" - Peter Rollins
2. "The Fourth Bear" - Jasper Fford
3. "Three Day Road" - Joseph Boyden
4. "The Reformation" - Patrick Collinson
5. "The Formfulness of Grief" - Walter Brueggemann (really an article rather than a book - but it was so damn good that I had to include it!)