All posts tagged brisbane

If my teen knows any scripture by heart . . .

by noel.piper on September 12, 2011 in Oceania, Recommendations with 4 Comments

Update:
Great news from Colin for us Americans –
“While Amazon slumbers, free shipping of Colin “stuff” to the USA here .” 

Bourke to Beaconsfield

 

 

Colin Buchanan happened into the Australian music world almost by chance (if one believed in chance), when friends encouraged him to enter a contest for songwriters. Since then, he has won 9 Golden Guitar Awards from the Country Music Association of Australia.

I’ve never had the opportunity to observe his appearance before a country music crowd. But 3 times I was there when he walked onto the stage of a Christian gathering, before a crowd filled with 20- and 30-somethings. They went wild.

Super SaviourWhen he strummed a few chords and began singing, 2000 or more vigorous voices joined him. Colin is #1 with Australian Christian children, even the ones who have become grown-ups since the years they started singing along to his songs.

We brought back some of Colin’s books for our grandchildren. Each is packaged with a CD of the corresponding songs. Last I heard, one of the grandsons was poring over his book and insisting that the author’s name is pronounced Colon Butch-anan.

We also brought them some of his DVDs. To watch Colin’s music videos is to watch a man who has no inhibitions about being as childlike and imaginative as the children he’s singRemember the Lording for.

Two of  our grandchildren were with us overnight last week. They watched their DVD 4 or 5 times and left our house singing at lung-top, “10-9-8, God is GREAT!” Thank you, Colin. Does a grandma’s heart good.

One man in Australia told us, “If my teenagers know any Bible verses by heart it’s because they learned them from Colin’s songs.” What a legacy for one man to leave! And, Lord willing, he’s not done yet.

(You’ll notice, at Amazon for example, that Colin’s work is not very available here in the US. Maybe Practise being Godly (Little Lights)a bunch of us need to click on as many items as are marked “Let me know when this is available.”)

 

 

 

 

 

Jet lag strategy

by noel.piper on September 6, 2011 in Oceania with 1 Comment

My strategy for jet lag is to milk it for all it’s worth for as long as possible. So, since today is just my 2nd full day back home from a 15-hour time zone difference, I must still be pretty much good for nothing, right?

That means I better just take it easy and finish organizing photos from the trip. I’ll let you look over my shoulder to see some Sydney scenes and some Brisbane shots and some favorite food and coffee in Brisbane.

As long as I’m woolly anyway, staying amongst my photos lets me feel like I’m still traveling. (Woolly is one of the useful words we picked up in Australia–fuzzy-headed, muddled).

What’s your jet lag strategy?

Muesli, melons, & meat pies

by noel.piper on August 29, 2011 in Oceania with 2 Comments

Yeah, I guess there is sort of a food focus in these posts, isn’t there? Just think of all the new possibilities in a new place.

But if food isn’t your thing, this newest batch of uploaded pictures does include some other things as well.

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Make sure your name is entered for the Mystery Prize(s) from Down Under. So far, you can enter up to 3 times–#1 and #2 and #3.

Photos — Cruise, Koalas, & Friends

by noel.piper on August 28, 2011 in Oceania with 3 Comments

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree . . . ever wonder what he looks like? (Hint: the photo is not kookaburra.)

In photographs from our Miramar Koala Cruise up the Brisbane River to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, you’ll find him, along with kangaroo, koala, cassowary and . . . and. . . and what’s that on my hamburger?

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Make sure your name is entered for the Mystery Prize(s) from Down Under. So far, you can enter up to 3 times–#1 and #2 and #3.

Photos — Minneapolis to Brisbane

by noel.piper on August 28, 2011 in Oceania with Comments Off

We’ve arrived in Sydney. The internet at the hotel is so fast it’s making my head spin–at least compared to what we’ve had earlier. So as I have time, I’ll post links to my Shutterfly photo share page–Nations Be Glad.

Looking back to the beginning of our trip one week ago, here are photos from Minneapolis to our arrival in Brisbane, including lunch on Mt. Coot-tha.

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Make sure your name is entered for the Mystery Prize(s) from Down Under. So far, you can enter up to 3 times–#1 and #2 and #3.

The gospel and teen idols

by noel.piper on August 26, 2011 in Oceania with 6 Comments

Johnny spoke twice Thursday in Brisbane–in the morning to church leaders and seminary students, in the evening to a general audience. Both of those gatherings were sponsored by Queensland Theological College, in honor of their 100th anniversary.

In between, we had sandwich supper with a couple dozen Campus Outreach leaders and related pastors, including David & Susan Cunningham. They were with CO and now David is a pastor at Christ Community Church in Brisbane. In one of those “small world” moments, I discovered David grew up in Griffin, GA, just 15 miles from where I grew up. I was a few years earlier, I guess.

A couple of highlights from Johnny’s words during the day. . . .

What is the Gospel? Here are 6 things that are essential to what makes the gospel the gospel:

  1. It is planned by God, not just happening somehow.
  2. It is a real event in history–Jesus died.
  3. Something definite was accomplished at that moment.
  4. It is freely offered.
  5. It is applied to you by the Holy Spirit.
  6. The final result of all these is that you get God.

 

Later, at the supper, a father asked something like, “What would you say to my young teen children to encourage them to keep treasuring Jesus?”

Looking those children, Johnny said: You’ll never meet anybody greater than Jesus. No singer or actor or sports figure. If you could hear Jesus sing! Or preach or play rugby — he’s better than them all.

Young people want to line up with someone they admire, someone they think is great. They want to know all about that person. Do that with Jesus.

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Make sure your name is entered for one of the Mystery Prizes from Down Under. So far, you can enter up to 3 times–#1 and #2 and #3.

Cruise, koalas, cassowary, etc.

by noel.piper on August 24, 2011 in Oceania with 42 Comments

Wind in my face on the Brisbane River. Owl wing brushing my hair. Walking amongst kangaroos and wallabies. Hearing the wild laugh of kookaburras. Smiling at koalas snoozing in the crook of a tree. Marveling at the imaginary-looking cassowary.

That was just some of today. A 90-minute cruise on the Miramar took us to Lone Pine Sanctuary, certainly one of the few places where you can see so many of Australia’s creatures in one visit.

Here in the state of Queensland, the law still allows people to hold Koalas. In was annoying, though, that at Lone Pine, you can only have a picture of the moment if you pay for a ticket. I’m too cheap for that. I suppose that’s one way of protecting the animals from too much handling. There’s also a strict rotation, so that no koala is held more than a total of 30 minutes in one day, with every 4th day off. Kate held one and reported that it is very soft, but smells. (Kate and Josh Etter of Desiring God are traveling with us.)

Perhaps the most amazing animal was the cassowary. I don’t believe I’d ever seen one and certainly couldn’t have told you it looks like a child’s colorful drawing of a cross between an emu and a dinosaur. An armor-plate crest on its head. A beak that could swipe off a finger in a single blow. Wrinkled-leather toes ending in dinosaur claw toes. And taller than a tall man when it stands. I can see why it has the reputation of being the most dangerous bird to humans–a far cry from the chickadees on my bird feeder at home.

And owl wings brushing my hair? That was during the Birds of Prey program. One owl swoops low over the audience, back and forth, very close. Very close.

Oh yes, another thing I hadn’t known. Apparently joeys rest quite comfortably head first in their mothers’ pouches–feet, tail, and ear hanging out.

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Miscellany . . .

Re coffee:

Since one of you recommended ordering coffee wherever possible, Kate and I got right on that, even before we left the Sydney airport. We discovered it’s a different language here–and me still not knowing how to speak coffee in America.

Flat white is coffee with milk in it. You ask for a long black when you want a cup of plain black coffee. Long has nothing to do with the size of the container. You still have to know about grande and whatever. I think long means there’s a longer pouring of coffee, since it’s all coffee and no room for milk.

“Flat white. Is that like a latte?” Kate asked. “Yeah, probably,” our language consultant replied, “But hey! I’m a bloke. I don’t want latte,” he sneered. ”My order is a skinny flat white.” That’s flat white with skim milk. Why flat? I don’t know.

Another travel lesson learned:

Make sure the camera battery charger I pack is the one for my battery, not Johnny’s.

Mystery prize update:

Now you can throw your name in the pot for the mystery prize another time, IF you comment at this post and tell me how you’ve let someone else know about Tell Me When to Pack. You can do it via Facebook, Twitter, Email, phone, face to face, or whatever.

Down Under, and another chance for the mystery gift

by noel.piper on August 23, 2011 in Oceania with 73 Comments

A drive up Mount Coot-tha for lunch: that was the first thing we did after we checked into our hotel in Brisbane today. The view over the city was wonderful, especially as it changed so often. Sun and then shadow and rain, then sun again. Thank you for that suggestion–and for all of the great ideas for our time here.

I learned a few things on the way here:

  • Northwest Airline had QSA’s–Quality Service Assistants. They do whatever is needed to smooth the way for travelers with unusual needs, from celebrities to film crews with mountains of equipment to the woman whose husband died in the airport or on the plane. Delta doesn’t have QSA’s, so now that NWA is Delta, it’s not clear whether this kind of service will continue at Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, which used to be a NWA hub.
  • The visa for visiting Australia is applied for online and will show up when the ticket agent prints your boarding pass.
  • Ticket agents working Sunday may be less experienced and think you don’t have a visa (according to the experienced guy at the service desk where we were sent), while agents working on busy Mondays can do it all.
  • If you leave Minneapolis on Sunday night, you arrive in Australia on Tuesday morning. I’m assuming we’ll get that day back on our way home? But I can’t do the math, because when we return, we’ll arrive in Los Angeles before we left Sydney. And wait a minute–I’m writing you on Tuesday, and you’re probably reading this on Monday? AAAGGGHHH, math!
  • It’s not wise to bring any uncooked anything into Australia. They are strict in order to maintain the unique indigenous ecosystem. A flight attendant told me she’d brought a can of natural almonds (i.e. not roasted) one time and it was confiscated. She said if you don’t claim all food, and they find any uncooked items, they will go through everything. So I checked the correct square because of the commercially packaged individual servings of natural almonds in my checked bag. Turns out it was no problem for me. But next time (I hope there’ll be a next time), I’ll avoid the possibility of hassle.
  • The Sydney airport is not well-marked for international arrivals. We wasted 1/2 hour going through unnecessary lines. Next time, I’ll ask directions at every turn.
  • On the Virgin flight from Sydney to Brisbane, Johnny asked for a Diet Pepsi as the cart came down the aisle. The flight attendant opened it, poured it, and asked for $2–the first time we’ve ever had to pay for a soft drink on a plane.
  • Watching Australia on the plane seemed like good cultural preparation, right? But, according to an Australian, it’s not quite like that. In particular, he mentioned the massive cliff and canyon in one dramatic scene. The northern territory is beautiful and rugged, and yet for this scene, the cliff was computer generated.
  • Brisbane is the most beautiful city in Australia, the same person told me. “But don’t say I said so, because I’m from Sydney.” So that’s what he said, but I won’t tell you who he is.

Well, I guess all that’s pretty random. Maybe after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be able to think one thought for more than one sentence.

Here’s a chance to get your name in a another time for the mystery gift from Australia. Subscribe to this blog, using a link in the right-hand sidebar, then comment on this post to tell me you’ve just done it or you already had.

 

Mystery gift from Down Under

by noel.piper on August 21, 2011 in Oceania with 168 Comments

Welcome to Tell Me When to Pack.

When to pack? Right now! Get the laundry out of the dryer and the roller bag out of the attic. I’ve waited a long time to visit Australia and the time has come.

To celebrate your presence on the first journey via this blog, I’m promising a mystery gift to one of you. It’s a mystery because I myself don’t know yet what it is. It’ll come back with me from Australia.

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post. That’s all. But I’d love your thoughts related to this trip, in the spirit of fellow-travelers. Some conversation topic ideas:

  • What would you want to do if you were in Sydney or Brisbane?
  • What gift would you like me to bring back from Australia?
  • Is there anything in particular you hope I’ll post about while I’m there?
  • Do you live in Australia?
But like I say, all you must do is leave a comment. Then I get back home, one of you will be chosen at random to receive the mystery gift from Down Under.

Remember, if you subscribe, you won’t have to wonder when the next post is up. Links are on the right side of this page.

And last, but it should have been first: Huge thanks to Matt Heerema, Web Team Leader at Desiring God, without whom I’d still be staring blankly at blog layout options. I still don’t have to know what to do next because Matt did it.