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.

Alpha beta

We’re running Introducing God at church at the moment. It’s like Alpha, for the Bible minded…

I’ve never done the Alpha course. My opinion of it is largely shaped by criticisms from people I know and respect. But it’s second hand.

For more “second hand” accounts of Alpha you should read this “orthodox atheist” journalist from the Guardian (UK paper) as he blogs the Alpha experience.

“The nearest I’ve come to a religious experience recently is my nightly dose of the Wire. Ain no thang. But I leave St Mary’s looking forward to next week’s session. I spend precisely no time with people openly discussing their faith in a very personal way. Mostly when I think about religion it’s the foolish edicts of preposterous old men in dresses. But sitting down with people who choose to spend a sunny Tuesday evening discussing the meaning of life with strangers seems to be a much more interesting insight into what makes people of faith tick. We shall see.”

July 28, 2009

A bunch of links – July 27, 2009

July 28, 2009

Introducing…

Well, Tim and Amy have a blog. Excellent.

They’ve both had those live journal things for a while – but reading someone’s journal seems so voyeuristic – and Amy informed my of its existence on the down low – so I haven’t given it the kudos it deserves.

I went to school with both of them, and they got married. Those two points are only tangentially related – I had nothing to do with them getting married, or with them going to school together. But that is what happened.

Tim is also responsible for my incredibly diligent work ethic – he scored me the ultimate university job clerking at a law firm. We job shared for a few years. Actually, longer than a few years – we used to reciprocally help each other with delivery runs (he delivered newspapers, me pamphlets)… ahh, nostalgia.

Anyway, now you can get to know them too – courtesy of their blog. So far it’s just Amy. But it bears Tim’s name, so he may be tempted out of the laboratory at some point.

Amy is also the Amy who comments here heaps – and who disagrees with me the fiercest  when I mention things like the environment. So it’s guaranteed to be worth reading.

July 27, 2009

It’s Mac Time

Robyn and  I have created quite the furore on Facebook by announcing our conversion to the cult of Mac.

I’m a long time PC apologist, meaning I have defended the humble personal computer’s virtues against the ravages of Apple’s sleek and appealing curves for years.

Pride comes before a fall.

When it comes to anything smaller than the desktop computer (where I think I’ll always appreciate the freedom to get under the hood) Macs are superior. There’s no denying it. They just work better.

That’s my reasoning – you can tell me I’m wrong here – or on Facebook.

July 27, 2009

A bunch of links – July 26, 2009

  • Staturday: Food and Gas
    A $1 national increase in the price of gas results in a 10 percent decrease in national obesity rates.

July 27, 2009

Square eggs, round wholes

You know what every cubic Caesar salad needs – along with the croutons. Square eggs. Square eggs, think about it. Life would be so much better if there wasn’t a threat of your egg rolling off your plate… you can buy your egg squarer here.

“Put warm peeled hard boiled egg in the egg cuber with the base plate flat on the bottom. Place forming plate on top of egg. Screw the top down until the egg becomes square (best results if egg cuber has been chilled). Unscrew cap and punch base plate up from the bottom with finger. Remove square egg.”

Found here.

July 26, 2009

High stakes photobombing

I must confess that I’m not really excited by the whole Twilight thing. Romantic vampires don’t sit well with me.

Friend Keagan doesn’t like the Twilight vampires because they shimmer. And vampires don’t shimmer. Everybody knows that.

Everybody also knows that vampires are African American and get in trouble for tax evasion. These Twilight kiddies are imposters, and must be dealt with…

July 26, 2009

Rat2-D2

Taxidermy is fun. Especially taxidermy that combines a toy with a mouse and is then sold on eBay.

Found here.

July 26, 2009

A bunch of links – July 25, 2009

July 26, 2009

This sink rocks

“A small cobblestone blocks the source, which starts to spout water meandering down to the basin when the stone is removed. Then, the cobble can double as a plug for the sink”

Found here.

July 25, 2009

Table tennis opens doors

At one time I was mildly addicted to table tennis. It was back in 1999 and 2000. When I should have been focusing on finishing high school. My friends used to gather downstairs at our house for impromptu competitions. Those were the days.

I haven’t really had room for table tennis at any house since. Well, at the first house I lived in up here we did. But I was a full time worker by then, with no time for youthful frivolity.

Now it appears that space is no object for table tennis at home – because you can just convert a doorway into a table. It does limit the heavy topspin round the net return – but you expect to make sacrifices for this sort of awesomeness.

It was designed by Tobias Franzel and I found it here…

July 25, 2009

Wrist watch

I thought the digital amputee who turned his prosthetic finger into a USB drive was hardcore. He’s got nothing on this guy. Who is pioneering a digital tattoo, powered by body movements, and from what I can tell, receiving time updates remotely.

July 25, 2009

Will fly further than a paper plain

Yes pedant, I know I plain appears to be spelt wrong.

A couple of years ago at a work team retreat we were challenged to make a piece of paper travel the furthest. Many people made paper planes. That was the trainer’s intention. I made a paper ball and threw it over the roof of the training centre. I’ve always been one for trying to subvert psychobabble filled training sessions.

Why am I telling you this? Well, paper planes have been the dominant paper projectile for too long. Balls of paper are all the rage.

If I bothered to hand write much, or chuck out any notes, then this would be the notepad for me. The paper is not “plain” – get it? I am sure you do.

It’s designed by a Dutch design mob called Trapped in Suburbia – and you can buy the notepads direct…

July 25, 2009

Time passes in an inking

This calendar is terrific. The ink gradually seeps through the page – filling one digit per day. It was designed by a guy named Oscar Diaz.

“Ink Calendar” make use the timed pace of the ink spreading on the paper to indicate time.
The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. A calendar self-updated, which enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it.”

July 25, 2009

Killer Fast Food

Heart disease is a killer. Fast food causes heart disease. So it’s not a huge stretch of the imagination to see the iconic fast food characters as mafia bosses – like this guy did…

July 25, 2009