cheap thrills

Read my Amazon Guide for Aussies to figure out how much you will save, and by clicking on them from my page and buying them you support a church plant! Here is the list I would make if I had enough power to make some reading compulsory. We all know the helpfulness of the one-page description that introduces books of the Bible in Study Bibles. The below are an expansion of that one page.

They are not meant to be read in one sitting. In fact, you probably will only read 1 chapter of the first two books in the first month. Here is an example of how I would use it:

1. So I’m starting a series on Matthew in my small group. I would read Matthew. I would probably write down all my questions before turning to the first book – "How to read the Bible Book by Book". This gives me 8 pages about the book of Matthew, about it’s author, it’s time of writing, where it was written, who is he writing it to etc… Most importantly it will alert me to things I need to look out for.

2.A few chapters into Matthew I’d find some parables, and want to know what bits are important. Is everything in a parable true? Is it just the lesson that’s important? Are there always parallels between the characters and real life, that we should try and decode? The second book has a chapter on this genre called "parable" – and it gives me the keys to understand which bits are important and which are not.

3. Lastly whenever I came across a term I had no idea about, I’d open the New Bible Dictionary, which is exactly what is sounds like, a dictionary but of Bible words. Done. To understand trickier bits I’d need to turn to a commentary, and I’ll post a list of good ones soon.

After years of going from free host to free host, I’m using a professional level domain host in the US, that costs US$95.40 a year, but if you refer someone you get paid US$97. Each time. Potentially this is a good way of making money. I have only referred one person so far, but that’s enough each year to take care of the cost of having a hosting service that is a so good. You can put unlimited domains on it, and you get a free dot.com when you start.  Want more?…

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You can read the posting directly before this one to see some of the dangers of using Google’s Search Box on your website, and this is especially true of Churches. On Google’s page with the code for puting a great little search box on your website, they give you three options.

1. Google Free web search
2. Google Free SafeSearch
3. Google Free web search with site search

I want number 4, which doesn’t exist, but its easy to make it yourself…

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Google’s search bar on you site makes a lot of sense. It’s powerful and only takes a few lines of code. But as I observed on the Anglican Media Melbourne Website (http://www.media.anglican.com.au/), sometimes it actually works against you. I had a request for information on "what the church says about sexuality"? I remember there being some sort of "official" statement somewhere, and after chasing link around for a little while ended up at the abolvementioned site. Aha! A google search box. No doubt that will help me find any statement thats been released. So I plugged in "sexuality" an hit go, searching only the Anglican Media Website. That should be safe! Unfortunately it doesn’t just return results from the website, but also sponsored links. Here was what I got:

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I’ve lately considered cutting off my dreadlocks. I like them, but not like I used to. I am probably more scared about how I will feel when I lose them. I’ve cut off my dreadlocks before, and mourned until my hair was long enough to start again. I’m also concerned about my image. Having dreadlocks says alot about the person I am, and apart from being asked if I have any pot, I’m pretty happy with how I think people see me. If I were to cut them off, what would my image be? Now I can wear anything and the dreads still are the winner when people form their opinion of me. Having dreads means you don’t have to worry about anything else.

So I thought I would share my dreadlock adventure before they departed me, especially how to make dreadlocks. Why? Isn’t this information out there? It seems to be, but I think 99% of it is crap. Total bollocks.

I have never let anyone else touch them. They are my own work. I put product in them twice. Twice ever. Thats right, only twice in 5 years. When I first put them in, and two weeks later. Now I don’t do any upkeep. None. In summer I wash them once a week, in winter when they start itching, and they don’t smell.

Dreadlocks shouldn’t be hard work. They shouldn’t need wax all the time, and they should need no rubber bands or cotton or any other scheme to keep them together. They just sit there, and you play with them.

Interested in how to make your own dreadlocks with no help, that look good, and don’t require any product after the first few weeks? Tune in for Part 2, coming as soon as I write it, and more particularly my photographer gets back into the country.

For now some frequently asked questions.

You didn’t do them yourself, you got a professional.

Okay so not a question, but the answer I give is “whatever”. I take pride in the fact that no one else has ever touched them, and it’s going to stay that way.

Don’t they itch -or- can you wash them?

Yes. Not if its summer and I’ve washed them once a week. In winter they won’t dry if I don’t sit in front of a heater for an hour, so the answer then is – hell yes. I wash, mainly the roots. The rest is like a sponge and sucks up as much shampoo as you through at it. It gets clean though. The outsite at least, the insides of a dreadlock will form a later part of this series. Anyone with access to a lab that can tell you the what certain things are like in NCIS, email me.

No way, but your a minister. What does the church way about that?

Nearly as common as ’so your training to be a priest, so you’re not going to get married’. My church says nothing. Okay some of the older members have said something. One (one of my favourites) asked the Vicar if I could shave and cut my hair (at this stage I resembled that good father lion from Lion King), because she thought the others weren’t taking me seriously. She was smart. Proved by the fact she loved my preaching.

Know where I can get some weed?

no, and further weed cannot help you escape the coming judgement.

(I’m still actually to try this – but have practiced my serious face enough that it should be good.)

Stay tuned for part 2, The First Week – which has the basics, and Part 3, the next 2 weeks. After that there should just be about 3 things left to say, ever.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Someone let the thinktank that came up with this slogan know that I for one am sold. After hearing of the book “Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything” which applies economic theories to fields that it really shouldn’t – like parenting, the relationship between sumo-wrestlers and teachers etc… I decided, why not apply conservation theory to my relationships, specifically to how I give advice?

So, in an effort to conserve, I am posting information here so that I can reduce the amount I talk, reuse advice even after is ceases being helpful, and recycle, I don’t know, others peoples’ material as if it were my own.

I also plan to make lots of money. Well, at least get a free book. Which is why you can, from the convenience of my own blog, order the book Freakonomics from Amazon.com, and I will get a hefty referral fee. Maybe not so hefty, but if I refer 20 people to it, I can order my very own copy, and then tell you if it was worth buying in the first place.

Here is the link… oh no it isn’t… something didn’t work… maybe I need approval first… Amazon people – hope you like my one post!