Published January 31, 2007 by

Up to my elbows

I am going to go mad shortly.

I have spent much of today up to my elbows in messy code, trying to widgetize perfectly nice but perfectly useless blog templates. It just makes sense. All WordPress templates should at least have the option there to run with widgets, they make life a whole lot easier. They shouldn’t be put up for download unless this is the case.

Clearly I have not succeeded, the actual code you have to add isn’t all that much, but then it screws with your design and however much tweaking goes on in the CSS it wont budge.

As for what I’m having a stab at redesigning… well the Advco8 site needs something new and it’s current template is also unwidgetized.

Why not just go for a standard template? Well I do my best to find one that I like but there always issues with font size, random images, headers, colours, positioning… so however close you get there is more that must be changed.

I should just properly teach myself how to make them from scratch.

Design General Widgets

Published January 31, 2007 by

Vineyard Worship

To further the word on the street, there is a new Australian Vineyard Worship Website.
There a few minor little technical issues, but design is nice and the idea and content looks great!

Di’s blog Shared Worship will be moving across there some time in the next little while.

Church General Ministry Music

Published January 31, 2007 by

Smallness

Interesting how fast the world seems to go by. I found this through Say No to Crack this morning and thought I’d have a go at seeing if I could get YouTube to co-operate. It’s stunning stuff, just a pity it’s spoiled by the misspelt ‘piece’ at the end.

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.

-Deut 32:1-4

General Life Movies

Published January 30, 2007 by

PostOD and more

One for the Road has a post that is worth your while:

Why I am growing to appreciate and value all kinds of christian – but especially the old kind…

While I’m going on about links, Matt Hill pointed me towards Red White You which is a new online youthy Christian community that a) looks pretty cool b) looks like it has some decent content. Unlike Gush which is currently forums only, this has some articles (like the old Gush). Probably apt to mention now that my Gush days are pretty much up, I’ve decided to be involved in the TEAR Vocare course/program this year and with that, uni, leading youth, work, the odd ESA camp, the occasional post on Advoc8, moving out etc… I’ll have more than enough on my plate.

Other good news is that today I got a call from where I used to work (MBO) and they’ve pretty much offered me my old job back with the view to getting me in on some half days (fitting in around uni) and perhaps a whole day. So work is pretty much sorted! I am very pleased to be heading back into such a fantastic work environment. I will still probably apply for the other job I’ve mentioned previously as it is graphic design type work which makes some sense in getting more experience, but we’ll see.

General Life Post of the Day Work

Published January 29, 2007 by

Running Scared

The more I think about:

  • The Kingdom of God
  • Social Justice
  • A purposeful life
  • Selflessness (which is much easier to talk about than do)
  • Living with every action, word, moment etc… in line with how God I think would have me live
  • And so on,

The more I get discouraged.

I can hang around on a lazy day (guilt point one) and listen to Tracy Chapman and songs like Material World as one example, which I will quote here because the lyrics are fairly direct,

You in your fancy
Material world
Don’t see the links of chain
Binding blood

Our own ancestors
Are hungry ghosts
Closets so full of bones
They won’t close

Call it upward mobility
But you’ve been sold down the river
Just another form of slavery
And the whole man-made white world
Is your master

You in your fancy
Material world
Create in your own image
A supreme god

Your Virgin Mary
Your Holy Ghosts
Claimed to be pure of heart
Have hands that are stained with blood

You in your fancy
Material world
Don’t see the links of chain
Binding

I start thinking of all the things I could be doing (guilt point two), should be doing (guilt point three), aren’t doing (guilt point four), am doing that I shouldn’t be doing (guilt point five), my lack of planning for things that could be done at a foreseeable point in the future (guilt point six), the things I still want (guilt point seven) and the things that I want and may be able to justify but really shouldn’t (guilt point eight).

So much of me wants to not get to the point where I haven’t done all the things I wanted to do.

I would love to have “Been there and done that” or/and “Been there and doing that” in living effectively for God. Living simply. Living intentionally. Living with boundaries in place for appropriate rest (Sabbath). Living to best of my God given skills, talents and giftings. Working where I’m suited. Marrying someone for more than self fulfillment. Treating ‘my money’ as God’s and using it appropriately, along with my time.

It is much too easy to wait around until a more convenient time (guilt point nine). Than to sit down and seriously work out what needs to change.

I’d love to have the capacity to think big and act on it instead of think hesitantly, glimpse big, back off because big is too big despite things needing to start small. I never quite know where to start.

General Life