As this goes live, it’s 1 January 2010 for most of the world.

And this is the last post on Shaping The Space.

The first post was on 1 January 2009. You can see it in its entirety here, but I’m going to repost part of it below because I think it’s a good way to wrap up the year of space shaping that has now ended.

Why am I shutting this down?

It’s purely a consolidation thing. For the past 5 months, virtually all posts on this blog have also been on at least one other, and that’s the one I’m going to keep.

And to say I’m shutting down is a little strong…it’s all going to be here, collecting Cyrillic spam comments (though French seems to have become the current vogue spam language), and searchable for all who care about my Hillsong album review.

So, to continue following my space shaping adventures, come find me:

http://www.davidgoodwin.com – my home page, and definitely still a work in progress
http://words.davidgoodwin.com – I started telling my story on various blogs late in 2009. I’m consolidating all of that, and probably more.
http://music.davidgoodwin.com – a new page where you can listen to (and download, if you’re mad) some of my music from over the years
http://blog.davidgoodwin.com – the blog that will be continuing…you’ll need to update your RSS feed, or you can subscribe via email, but you can be sure all the inanity you’ve come to know and love will still be going on over there.

Thanks for being part of these space shaping adventures during 2009. Love you all!

One of my favourite ever lyrics from one of my favourite ever singers. It’s one of my favourite ever songs really: Kevin Max “Shaping Space”, which obviously has inspired the name of this blog. I was really saddened when Kevin’s solo career just didn’t happen (well, not in the way it deserved to), and to read about all the personal turmoil he endured ‘back in the day’. But I love that God uses the most fallible of humans for his greatest works, as so often they (we) are the most malleable. Just look at all the stuff-ups that Abraham, David and Solomon did, just for starters! Yet it’s their steadfast faith we remember – not the failings of their human frailty. God’s grace is absolutely amazing! And it gives me great great comfort.

And they said we wouldn’t last
And they said the years would break our backs
So here we are again my friend
To mystify their narrow plans
You and I were meant to be
Much more than they could see
You and I are made to stay
As they waste away

We are shaping the space
And harvesting places
We’re the princes of the universe
We are living together
In the here-everafter
In the temple of the evening Son
We’re the princes of the universe

It’s a prophecy of long ago
It’s a blueprint for the journey home
And we’re writing as we stumble on
Making history to build upon

You and I were meant to be
Much more than they could see
You and I are made to stay
As they waste away

We are shaping the space
And harvesting places
We’re the princes of the universe
We are living together
In the here-everafter
In the temple of the evening Son
We’re the princes of the universe

And the raven in the towerclock
Spins poetry and devil talk,

And the woman by the endless well
She’s drawing water from the mouth of hell
“And these are the days”, she says…

Wayne Westcott speaking at a Christian Business dinner challenged those present that true balance in life demanded a focus on more than the physical. He commended the Portland YMCA for recognizing that.

“If our priorities are spirit, mind and body, let’s not be afraid of the message of Jesus Christ. If we’re going to call it a YMCA, then let’s not be ashamed to use the word ‘Christian.‘” he said. Eugene Wallace, chair of the organising committee, said “the YMCA owes its existence to divine guidance. It has been led by God, inspired by God and sustained by God,” he said.

A number of other YMCAs nationally are pursuing a similar focus on Christ. About 150 people from YMCAs across the nation gathered in a Colorado meeting in October to discuss promoting such change from within. Bob Hall, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette, echoed Wallace’s call for a fresh vision of God’s historic role in the worldwide movement. “We must not ignore or forget this wonderful spiritual legacy,” said Hall. “It’s the foundation of our organization—it’s in its DNA,” he said.

Source: Christian News Northwest via Australian Prayer Network

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straight from the riotous fun of the Copenhagen Climate Conference…we bring you…

The Environmental Movement’s Fossil of the Day Awards: 

1st: Ukraine

for having worst reduction target in the world – a 75 per cent increase from current levels.

2nd: Australia

…and other non EU industrial nations known as the ‘brollies’ or umbrella group…  for proposing that “carbon capture and storage” projects qualify as CDM projects. :/

3rd: Ukraine…again!

for not telling anyone how it is spending the €300 million windfall it pocketed from selling surplus emission credits to Japan.

HT: Giles Parkinson via Business Spectator

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We had such a good weekend – relaxing, eating, enjoying each other's company, eating, not thinking about everything else we have on plates (well, not much anyway), eating.

Did I mention eating?

A long overdue break.  And for a couple of foodies, a weekend in the heart of Australia's foodbasket was an excellent idea.  Then again, most of the ideas my brilliant wife comes up with are excellent, so it's no surprise.

Funny how I took WAY more pictures on our way home than I did during the 3 days we were actually in & around Orange.

Enjoy, and if you have any questions, you know what to do.

Btw, at some point in the near future, Diane will have her own post over at http://www.numptard.com of her pics.  While mine are all from my iPhone & some help from CameraBag, she took hers on our Sony Cybershot 10.1 megapixel "real" camera, and she's processing the pics with a little more finesse than me.

Sent from my iPhone : typos inevitable.

Download now or watch on posterous

Orange Weekend 033.m4v (11486 KB)

Download now or watch on posterous

Orange Weekend 035.m4v (7581 KB)

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One day, hopefully soon, Diane will write a post about her (our) involvement with Christian Solidarity Worldwide.  My intercessory zeal for the persecuted has certainly been fueled by her passion in this area.

The story that follows is (yet another) heartbreaking reminder that we are blessed beyond comprehension, and can’t ever forget that.

As famine looms in Uganda, child sacrifice is on the rise. The crisis hits the poorest fuelling the demand for the rituals. A police report confirms 23 deaths since the beginning of the year. One child abuse worker says unemployment and poverty have caused people to turn to witch doctors in increasing numbers to try and sort out their problems. Lee DeYoung with Words of Hope agrees and notes a startling trend: “The numbers have increased, and at least in some cases, those sacrificed have been the children of believers.”

Christian radio broadcasts have contributed to the growth of the church. DeYoung says, “The church is being mobilized to speak against this terrible evil. When a child is executed in this kind of ritual sacrifice fashion, it is a violation of Ugandan law. However, human trafficking is less clearly prohibited in the legal code.” The rise of the grisly practice has been slow, but steady. According to government reports, last year ritual ceremonies linked more than 300 casesof murder and disappearances. Only a handful of perpetrators were found.

DeYoung says there is an increasingly aggressive presence of witchcraft.  A specially trained police task force has been established to seek to control human sacrifice.  Since then however, there have been 15 more murders. That concerns police, who are investigating another 200 disappearances. DeYoung urges prayer. “It does seem that where the Gospel is spreading, the enemy retaliates. We need to be in prayer that those who experience this may be able to respond, and that the Lord’s provision will prevail.”

Source: Intercessors Network via Australian Prayer Network

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Bondi Beach, with the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in the distant background

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We visited the fresh produce market at Eveleigh Carriageworks today.

We even bought some fresh produce along with the amazing breakfast of porridge and bacon & egg rolls.

This development is a great use if this once-derelict site, with the Carriageworks now the setting for a contemporary theatre space

We love the arts, sweetie.

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The pattern shown here is appealing…as long as it doesn’t continue to just keep on rising and rising back up to the 39C we had pm Tuesday before dropping back to 16C the next day…

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Oh. my. goodness.

So, the first tow truck was too big to fit into the car park.  Despite this being clearly established with the company when the call was put in last night, they still sent the wrong truck this morning.

Two hours later, the second (small) tow truck arrives.  In the meantime, I’d been trying to start the car every now and then.

By the time the real truck had got there, it was exactly 12 hours since we’d discovered the car wasn’t working the first time.  And it then decided it was a good time to start.

WHAT?

Anyway, the tow-truck dude followed me back to the car dealer in case it all went pear-shaped.  It didn’t; the trip back to the dealer was uneventful.

But we still don’t know what was wrong.  Or, possibly, what is wrong.

I actually said to the dealer “clearly, the computer in my car is not a Mac”.  He smiled wryly.

So what now?  At this moment, I’m not sure………..

I do know that all of this isn’t costing me anything other that LOTS of time.  For that, I am very thankful.

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Last night following an awesome prayer meeting at Awesome Church (focussed on 2 Chronicles 7:14, and the 4th night of our 5 nights of prayer called for this week), Diane and I decided we really should get some groceries.

So we did.

Only problem was, when we returned and loaded up our car with the goods, she decided she didn’t want to go anywhere. The car that is, not Diane.

After a fun couple of hours of praying, waiting for roadside assistance, waiting for tow trucks, rescheduling tow trucks due to them being caught up at early morning accidents, walking home with our groceries (thankfully we live very close by, but we were a sight, let me tell you), and right at this moment – me sitting through a test evacuation alarm (oh my poor ears), she’s about to be towed.

If your vehicle has never had the pleasure of getting towed, and none of mine ever have, it appears there are few places less convenient for your car to decide ‘now is the time’ than when you have parked her in an underground carpark.

Apparently, ‘they’ have to arrange for an extraction prior to being towed. This sounds painful to me, but car seems none too phased by the whole ordeal.

Meanwhile, we don’t really know what’s wrong with her. The dude from roadside assist (who was sporting a lot of fiery tats, which might explain why it was so hot in here last night…) reckons that it could be a broken timing belt.

Surprisingly, I knew what this meant, though less surprisingly, I had no explanation for how it could have happened between when we parked the car and when we got back.

Either way, roadside assist dude was a little perplexed himself, and began organising the tow.

Can I just say, if you’re gonna get towed, a spot near the supermarket, great 3G signal, plenty of data on your phone plan, and near-fully charged iPhones make the hours of waiting around far more interesting.

Further adventure updates to come. Needless to say, this is not how I intended to spend my Friday, so I’m trying not to think about the work I’m meant to be doing right now…

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