Author: Nathan Campbell

Nathan runs St Eutychus. He loves Jesus. His wife. His daughter. His son. His other daughter. His dog. Coffee. And the Internet. He is the pastor of City South Presbyterian Church, a church in Brisbane, a graduate of Queensland Theological College (M. Div) and the Queensland University of Technology (B. Journ). He spent a significant portion of his pre-ministry-as-a-full-time-job life working in Public Relations, and now loves promoting Jesus in Brisbane and online. He can't believe how great it is that people pay him to talk and think about Jesus. If you'd like to support his writing financially you can do that by giving to his church.

The game they play in heaven

I’ve been enjoying the thread of discussion started at Al Bain’s blog – Paradoxically Speaking – and the follow up threads on Simone’s… here, here, here, and here.

They’re about a favourite topic of mine – objectivity and absolutes – particularly with relation to aesthetics and if I’m understanding correctly how we can objectively define beauty based on the promise of the new creation.

Simone’s gambit in her first comment essentially nailed her definition to the proverbial mast…

“Something is beautiful if we sense (see/hear etc) in it something that reminds us of something we’ll know in eternity.”

I’m not sure I completely buy in to this argument. I think there’s beauty in things that don’t last, but it’s a temporal beauty (obviously) and there’s something about the fleeting moment that can be appreciated. Singularity is beautiful in a way that eternity can not be. I used the example of sport in particular. Because I don’t know/think that sport will be a huge part of the new creation, and while it should reflect honour and the best parts of human nature that will carry over into heaven – it actually is fun for reasons that are less eternal. The thrill of competition. The adrenalin rush that comes with a tight finish. A well executed play. These things are a meaningless chasing after the wind in the eternal scheme of things.

Will we all have equal athletic prowess in the new creation? I guess I’ve always just assumed so – but I haven’t done much thought on the matter.

If we’re all super athletes then sport is going to be a frustrating blend of perfect attack against perfect defence. An irresistible force against an immovable object. How boring. There’ll be no winning. So what’s the point. This is why I’m not worried if they play Rugby in heaven – it seems fitting. Rugby is full of boring stalemates.

November 26, 2009

Ninja fail

Some stories would be better with pictures…

“Seattle police say a man who thought he was ninja was impaled on a metal fence when he tried to leap over it. An officer who was looking for an assault victim nearby Monday night heard the man screaming for help. Police supported him to prevent further injuries until medics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was in serious condition in intensive care on Tuesday.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt wrote in a department Web site posting that officers thought the man might have been involved in the reported assault, but he insisted he was just a ninja trying to clear a 4- to 5-foot-tall fence.

Witt says the man was “overconfident in his abilities,” and that alcohol likely played a role.”

November 25, 2009

There was an old lady…

This book version of the story of the old lady who swallowed a fly looks beautiful.

You can get it here (bookdepository) or pay more here (Amazon).

November 25, 2009

A shirt to wear in Hamsterdam

This is an actual invention. It is subject to a patent in the US.

It is guaranteed to get you beaten up – or at least protested against by PETA.

“Gerbil Shirt
US Patent Issued In 1999

Hey, are you tired of leaving your small pets at home when you are out and about? Could you use a little more quality time with your gerbils, mice, hamsters or snakes? Well now your dreams have come true with the Gerbil Shirt! The Gerbil Shirt wraps your torso in plastic tube passageways, making your bod a super highway of fun for Binky and Bart. The interior surfaces are textured for traction and have air vents for easy breathing.”

Via Gizmodo.

November 25, 2009

Colour me smurf blue

I like these ads.



Found here.

November 25, 2009

Life on Evergreen Terrace

Just how committed do you have to be to design and build your house based on a cartoon?

I don’t know. Perhaps this answers your question…

Sadly, it’s a house built by Fox and Pepsi as a prize in a competition. Not by some fanatic nutjob. But if you want to try this at home – or with your home – there are some factors to take into consideration.

“The rooms are somewhat small and uncommonly vertical. Doorways are extra-wide and arched, to accommodate Marge’s hair and Homer’s girth. Walls will be painted in bright colors and shaded to duplicate the cartoon’s style. When possible, furnishings and accents, including Marge’s corn-print curtains in the kitchen, are being faithfully reproduced. (Robinson notes that the color of the Simpson’s refrigerator alone changed seven times over the years. The residents will have to paint the fridge themselves.)

“Our people watched 56 episodes of ‘The Simpsons,’ over the course of a weekend,” Robinson said. “One thing they found out, early on, was that (the house) was structurally unsound.”

“No load-bearing walls anywhere,” agreed Joseph Leas, the local director of construction. “They never show closets (on the show); they were a complete mystery.”

Here’s a gallery of shots from the house. Here are some samples.

November 25, 2009

Metal Mario

Another one for the metal head out there. Mario Music in metal form. Exciting stuff…

November 25, 2009

Comical beards

You’ve probably been subconsciously wondering what the following characters would look like with beards for years.

Well, now you know. Thanks to one man, and his blog.

November 25, 2009

How to “humanely” kill an animal

Right. It seems people didn’t like the idea that you can’t “humanely” kill anything you’re going to eat.

Perhaps this is what the soldiers from Townsville should have used. A photocopier shaped “taser” that stuns lobsters so that you can then kill them without them feeling the pain… except the pain of 110 volts passing through their exoskeletons.

The application of a stun (110 Volts – 2-5 amps) causes an immediate interruption in the functioning of the nervous system of the shellfish. By interrupting the nerve function, the shellfish (be it Crab. Lobster or other) is unable to receive stimuli and thus by definition, cannot feel pain or suffer distress (Dr. Dave Robb 2000 – Bristol University – paper on sentience in Crustacea, Baker 1975, Jane Smith 1991, Bateson 2000, Sherwin 2000 & Gregory & Lumsden 2000). The prolonged application of the stun causes a permanent disruption which kills the shellfish.

November 25, 2009

Mmm, bacon beans

Bacon + Jelly Beans = awesome.

It’s true. It’s mathematically provable. You should get yours today.

November 25, 2009

Shirt of the Day: Fashion labels

People are made of some interesting stuff. We’ve seen that in shirt form before.

But if you want a shirt that takes the “label” concept to a whole new level then you should get a load of this…

November 25, 2009

A weak title

Knowing the right button to push is half the battle. This handy chart helps you tackle everybody from Achilles to Satan.

It will be on sale as a poster somewhere, sometime. It’s from here.

November 25, 2009

Paper Pacman pecked a pack of pickled pinky

This paper Pac Man artwork will set you back a cool $300. Or you can just appreciate it online.

Did you know: the ghosts in Pacman were officially named Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde

November 25, 2009

Shirt of the Day: Anatomically Correct

If you’re studying anatomy and want to give your classmates an edge you could always wear this shirt along to the exam.

Otherwise you could just wear it to be awesome.

November 25, 2009

A fish, bowl, existence

If, like me, you risk hemorrhoids through excessive time spent reading on the throne, you may be interested in another way to pass the time while doing your business.

If toilet golf isn’t your thing you might like to try toilet fishing…

November 25, 2009