The Day After...

Well, another Christmas is over...but the first I've spent in NZ in 3 years...I think the novelty of a white Christmas is still something to enjoy...I think we'll do snow next year...

The midnight service @ cession was great - a good crowd in and what can only be viewed as some very positive responses to the message through communion. A number of people responded in significant ways...and it wasn't an "easy invite" - I didn't leave too much room for people to just participate for the sake of it. That was pretty cool. Preached on "The Parable of the Great Banquet" in Luke 14 drawing in the image in Isaiah of the Messiah as a banquet...my Mum came too which was cool and she even brought a friend!

Christmas Day I was on keyboard duty and my sister and her family came! My sister participated in communion for the first time to my knowledge since she got involved in the Anglican church (briefly) as a teenager.

We spent Christmas Day with family. Tried not to eat too much. Scored lots of coffee and red wine - as presents I mean, not by consumption! Present of the year was a new coffee grinder - a burr grinder which is a superior version...my wife did very well. I'm coffeed out today as a result!

Managed to get all the new technology working:

• My new PDA (IPAQ) which I saved my birthday money from 2003 and 2004 to buy - a contact got it for me cheap so I ended up with $10 to spare - that's some serious delayed gratification!
• A digital camera funded by various cash gifts from the last few months which we wanted for baby photos for our US family
• A web cam for a family Christmas reunion over the internet - was a lot of fun seeing everyone!
• A DVD player - part of Kristen's present haul - I wasn't going to get one but got a deal through my sister that gave me 2/3 discount! How could I resist?

Slightly amazed we have all this stuff. Sometimes that whole provision thing is quite arresting. Anyway, a day of lazing around today, watching cricket and DVD's with my wife - I got her the DVD of the first movie we saw together, so we enjoyed watching it again.

More of the same tomorrow I think.

Jonesboy