Building our own home . . . . . .

So, we have a block of land in Strathalbyn SA and we're considering building on it now. We have just been to the bank and they will loan us the $ so the process begins. The problem we have in front of us is that we would like to Owner-Build to an extent but also need the bank to supply the $ and this combination sometimes doesn't quite work, so we'll see. We have some contacts but will have to work out that first obstacle.

The Block, nice and flat!!

Our block of Land runs east west and is long and thin so the idea is to use the orientation of the living rooms to the North side. We are also going for a skillion roof design that will let plenty of light in and warmth in winter but keep the sun off with fairly wide eaves to the north in summer. We are hoping then that our energy costs will be pretty low, using passive design to work for us.

Insulation wise we are going for the 360 Series 100mm thick Timbercrete blocks in double-brick around the externals of the home with some 150-200mm blocks for some internal's as well as some timber-frame / plasterboard walls to break up the look a bit and for ease of partitioning some area's. Timbercrete in winter will also act as a good Thermal mass for holding and releasing warmth in winter

So, that's a start, it'll be a long journey but if you're keen to follow our progress then tune in. I'll probably post on my personal fb page as well as the Timbercrete page.

Feel free to make comments anywhere or suggestions / questions if you have any . . . . . . . be back soon with our first concept designs.

Off to Thailand

Hey all. We're going on a holiday to Thailand later on.

Any thoughts etc would be great.

We're heading to Krabi, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Khorat.

Let us know if you know anything coz any heads up on accomodation etc would be great.

I'm probably going to Blog a fair bit on our trip etc especially as there doesn't seem to much info out there on travelling to Thailand as a big family.

Anyway, watch this space.

Timbercrete Building Blocks are Bullet Proof

Timbercrete Retaining Wall Blocks

I hate all your show

After being a fan of Switchfoot for a fair while I have been keen to hear Jon Foreman's [lead vocalist of Switchfoot, not pianist from Australian idol :) ] individual cd, 'Limbs and Branches'. Knowing though that it was a bit softer on the ear from what I was used to with Switchfoot I wasn't oozing with enthusiasm. A friend lent the cd to me a short time ago and I've been loving it. Not just because of his music though but because of Jon's heart and cutting lyrics, probably the foundational reason I have respected Switchfoot for so long.

The BIG song on the cd for me is 'I hate all your show'. It pretty much comes from the bible - Isaiah 1:11-17 but also has a bit in it from what seems like Jon's experience of Church (as an institution) and what the Church has or hasn't been to people.

The picture to me, of Church from the song and when thinking of the mainstream church through the eyes of the verses in Isaiah, is like a religious place where religious practices are organised but rarely do they make an impact on the majority of people living on this earth and rarely is it what God is looking for in His people. This is a generalistic comment but I think it would be reasonably fair to say that through what I have experienced, more time and resources have been spent on religious practices in the mainstream church than simply being a group of people eagerly attempting to be more like Jesus to the people around them & the world in need.

The contrast for me is that Jesus made an impact on people pretty much everywhere he traveled .

This has made me think long and hard about the impact I allow Jesus to have through me without leaning on the fact that I go to a church every Sunday and this being the facade that states I am a follower of Jesus.

Here's the lyrics:
I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when you’re singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you’re praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There’s blood on your hands

You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don’t fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There’s blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let’s argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let’s argue this out
You’ll be one of the clouds
Let’s argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can’t love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can’t stand at all, all

I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Latest

Well, been a while since the last post so thought I'd scribble because of avoidance to other tasks while eating a toasted ham sandwich.
So we sold the block of land so that's cool. Hopefully we'll get another one soon but we might just hang off and see what then interest rates do. This means I'm getting a new car. A Holden Crewman, I love it and should have it in a couple of days.
I'm hanging for footy to start. I've landed a position as coach of McLaren U14's after sitting an interview in front of a panel of 7 people. I've never had a job interview with that many people and this isn't even paid! I also can't wait for the Power to start playing again. New faces and players, new fitness coach and Josh Carr back (Thanks Mark) should be a good year in 2009.
Spoke and sang at NCCC last Sunday A.M and if there's anything I miss at times from the Institutional style of church it's the Singing and Preaching. All in God's time though.
Otherwise, business is a tad slow but am hopeful of it picking up in the new year.
That's about all for now.

Pagan Christianity; where it hits the road

Here's an excerpt from Pagan Christianity, I love it! I think it's the type of gathering when we meet together that we're discovering and want to pursue. See what you think. . . .

Pg 78 - "What I have written about open meetings under the headship of Christ is not fanciful theory. I have participated in such meetings for the last nineteen years.
Such meetings are marked by incredible variety. They are not bound to a one-man, pulpit-dominated pattern of worship. There is a great deal of spontaneity, creativity, and freshness. The overarching hallmark of these meetings is the visible headship of Christ and the free yet orderly functioning of the body of Christ. I was in such a meeting not too long ago. Let me describe it to you.
About thirty of us gathered together in a home and greeted one another. Some of us stepped into the center of the living room and began singing a capella. Quickly, the entire church was singing in unison, arms around one another. Someone else began another song, and we all joined in. Between each song, prayers were uttered by different people. Some of the songs had been written by the members themselves. We sang several of the songs several times. Some people turned the words of the songs into prayers. On several occasions, a few of the members exhorted the church in relation to what we had just sung.
After we sang, rejoiced, spontaneously prayed, and exhorted one another, we sat down. Then, very quickly, a woman stood and began explaining what the Lord had showed her during the week. She spoke for about three minutes. After she sat down, a man stood up and shared a portion of Scripture and exalted the Lord Jesus through it. Next another gentleman stood up to add a few very edifying words to what he said. A woman then broke into a new song that went right along with what the two men had just shared. The whole church sang with her. Another woman stood and read a poem that the Lord had given her during the week . . . and it meshed perfectly with what the others had shared up to that point.
One by one, brothers and sisters in Christ stood up to tell us what they had experienced in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that week. Exhortations, teaching, encouragements, poems, songs, and testimonies all followed one right after the other. And a common theme, one that revealed the glories of Jesus Christ, emerged. Some of those gathered wept.
None of this was rehearsed, prescribed, or planned. Yet the meeting was electric. It was so rich, so glorious, and so edifying that it became evident to everyone that someone was indeed leading the meeting. But He was not visible. It was the Lord Jesus Christ! His headship was being made manifest among His people. We were reminded again that He in fact is alive … alive enough to direct His Church."

We experienced this on Sunday as God lead us in great discussion on community, on what it means to love each other, on being the parts of the body. It started with some delving into His word with simple application and then it was discussed and really struggled with for over an hour. What I loved most is that it really hit home what it means to be the body and we all went away very affected and challenged to the point that we can't not do something about it. That to me this is learning and teaching and I didn't have to just sit there in rows of seats listening to someone . . . .

Nice Balls!!

The fella's at Enabled have come up with an awesome application for the iphone. If I get an iphone I'm getting me some of these!

Article

Aldinga Beach Land for Sale

Fantastic piece of land, perfect for the lover of country life and the coast. A big 1224m2 block, great for shedding and room to swing a cat or two.
Not even 5 minutes to the beach and close to shops etc this is a great buy!
Get it now and I'll throw in some steak knives!LINK

Agree to Disagree??

I was reading Philippians 2 last night at our gathering and something jumped out at me that I hadn't really noticed before. In the NLT it reads in vs 2 "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose."
Then the phrase came to me from times past 'it's ok to agree to disagree'. . . Paul, here in Philippians, was trying to get the people to unite and stop arguing, it displeased him and obviously it seems to not be the ideal reflection of the body of Christ. After all Jesus says in John 15 I think, something like, my desire is that they (the disciples / followers) would be one as we (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)are one. Because of this verse in Philippians i'm now questioning that phrase, agreeing to disagree, i think it may be a cop-out. I have seen the destruction of disagreeance and from that, disharmony and then the destruction of relationships. On the other hand I have seen what it is like to be a part of a community that agree with each other in heart and purpose. The harmony the relationship, the fact that you can move on as a group and not be just putting out spotfires of disagreeance etc. Does this mean that in everything about life the community need to agree? Well I reckon that could be boring, maybe robotic, maybe cultish. On the core parts of that community though, maybe to agree to disagree isn't good enough. Maybe it should be worked out until agreeance has been settled? Let's face it if this Tiger and this man can agree not to kill each other, maybe we could learn to try and agree on less important things and move forward in love and harmony?

New Blog

CALLED OUT

Can't believe it's been a year since the last Eco Living Expo. This show was very good for us this last year, if this year is as good or better that would be great!
So if you're in the area come along! See many green and eco products, such as Timbercrete and help this Earth of ours stay around a bit longer.

Bring it on!!!!

Carbon-Negative Building with Timbercrete®

Great article HERE on building homes that leave a Negative Carbon footprint. Many building products such as clay bricks, use a huge amount of carbon gas to manufacture and then may also not give the home any better thermal benefits or long term energy savings. It pays to look into the products that we use everyday just to see what it takes to manufacture and then how much impact it has on our environment to use.

Being a community of faith

In being a part of an institutional style of church for many years I have come to understand that for many who may attend on a Sunday the church is just that . . . Sunday. Unless of course there are meetings to attend beyond that day.
This makes me concerned about what it means to be a faith community or community of faith.
This of course is what many churches may have been called or known by but I would probably say that it isn't a very true reflection of what the church really is.
We talked about this on Sunday and discussed what our church community would look like if we all lived by faith in God everyday. What does that look like as a community of people? What would it mean to not just fit into the world but to live by faith in God that he is the provider and that he is the total leader. That we don't just do our work, go here, go there because we have always done it but we give our time to what / who God is leading us to. That we don't just spend our $ on whatever we normally may but that everything we had was considered as God's and for His purpose.
What sort of an impact would this type of community have on a broader community?

Timbercrete at the Home Living Expo

Timbercrete Adelaide South had a great weekend at the Home Living Expo this last weekend. Many future possibilities and leads that could be very exciting.
Sorry for not posting lately, been flat out!

Transperancy and Analysis

If only Businesses, Churches, maybe even as people we had analysis like this! There is something about the honesty here and self evaluation that is really good. Some of us don't cope too well with being transperant and allowing others to help us to grow but it seems a footy club is heading in the right direction here. Makes me wonder if there are many things that could be adopted to church life and life in general.
Here's a snippet of what I'm talking about:
"We have a guy by the name of Tim Hart who is employed to sit in the box with the aim, purely, of improving us as coaches.

Before the game, Tim comes into the rooms and senses what the mood is like, how he feels the players are receiving what the coaches are saying and how the players are responding to it.

He listens to our communication in the box and looks at the rotations each coach calls. Tim also assesses how productive we are, how we use statistics and how reactive and clear in thought we are.
Full Article

Power Disaster!

Four losses in a row! We were 47 points up near three quarter time. Too arrogant. Time for some newbies. My Hunch: Out goes Westhoff and Ebert, Thomas out injured for a few weeks. So, in comes White or Willits, Robbie Gray and Adam Thompson. Something has to happen from an effort like that!

Prayer

These blogs have had me thinking about prayer and the usual styles of what we've done in the past. It's been great to read. We've started experimenting with prayer in these ways in our own group and as individuals. I'm really excited about what this means in deepening our relationship with God. Check em out.
Here
Here
and Here

Buildings and Wages in Western Church?

The Christian church has created a bit of an issue I believe and that is the drain that buildings and wages has on its purpose.
It's pretty much common knowledge in church circles that the larger percentage of a church's resources / funds, are spent on the inner goings on of church itself. When I was in a formal ministry role, something like 40% of all income was spent on the pastor's wages. It raises questions for me and the validity of paid pastors. What also is an issue is the dollars spent on buildings, maintenance, technology etc so that a church stays functional.
I have to question whether this money spent really fulfills the purpose of church. Is it not more like Jesus to give to the needy, use the funds for mission in some form, more than on the inner sanctum, more than the importance of the Sunday service?
I can't help but think of the church from the perspective of people on the outside looking in, especially here in Australia. What they see is sometimes a fairly well-to-do institution that can come across as judgmental and middle class. A fair target for an Aussie's tall poppy syndrome. Would it not be more effective if it was humble, generous, more concerned with the community around them and heavily grounded in reality, functioning for the purpose of people?
Where your heart is will probably determine where the $ are spent.