Hillsong Highlights

It was awesome to go to Hillsong Conference again this year. It is always awe inspiring, encouraging and challenging. It was awesome hearing Pastor Judah Smith for the first time and hearing Pastor Mike Pilavachi for the first time. Judah (29 years old) was amazing. I loved the way he combined God’s word and humour together in his messages and I loved his maturity and heart for people. Mike Pilavachi was outstanding as well. His message on worship, evangelism and justice was incredibly challenging. He was absolutely hilarious as well. Joel Houston ‘winged’ a main session as well, in front of 17,000 people or so, he hit a home run for sure. It was awesome hearing his heart for justice around the world which I felt really captured the heart of God and of a young generation of Christians that is rising up. He did an outstanding job. Brian Houston as always was incredible, Joyce Meyer is fantastic and the worship amazing. As always God spoke to me; encouragingly, challengingly, and directionally. If you have never been to Hillsong before or at least not in a while you need to go in 2009; it’ll be outstanding.

Australia so far...

Been having a good time in Australia so far. Really looking forward to Hillsong kicking off tonight. The opening is always reasonably spectacular.

Went to Hillsong Church yesterday and heard Judah Smith preach. He was fantastic. First time I had every heard him live.

Also went to Parramatta verse Penrith yesterday at Parramatta Stadium. Great game and heaps of fun. Petro Civoniceva is huge!

Rest of the time has been spent in food courts and shopping malls. I'm sick of shopping though.

Really missing Lisa and Annamari but having a good time. It's cool talking to Annamari on the phone though. She just listens and says 'dad, dad, dad,' back the whole time...

Hillsong 2008

It is exciting to again be heading of to Hillsong Conference. It really is a highlight each year. I always come away inspired, refreshed, challenged and impacted by God in a massive way. I'm really looking forward to God speaking to me over the next week or so.

I'm also looking forward to going to two NRL games while away. Penrith v Paramatta on Sunday afternoon and then Roosters v Titans next Friday night. They're going to be awesome! Go Para and Go the Roosters!

Only bummer is leaving Lisa and Annamari behind. Lisa was going to come but we hadn't planned on her being 8 months pregnant at time of take off. I'll miss her and Annamari a lot. After Hillsong though only 30 more days till baby number 2 is due. That will be exciting. We look forward to having either little Chaz Michael Michaels McAuley if it is a boy or wee Marge Maggie Lisa McAuley if it is a girl. Can't wait!

While I'm away I'll fire in some twitter updates that'll load themselves onto my blog, (singing 'I love technology...'). So you can keep a track of what we are up to if you like.

Five Things I'd Like to Do

Here are five things that I would like to do one day. In no particular order...

* Build the HMS Endeavour - I'd still like to have a crack at building a wooden scale replica of the Endeavour. I'm not the most crafty type guy in the world so I think it would be a challenge I would enjoy. It's a masters level project but why let that stop you.

* Write a novel – I would want it to sell well of course. I like to imagine one day sitting at the airport and seeing someone waiting for a flight, reading my book, that they have just purchused from the airport book store. Probably be better if I stoped imagining that though and started imagining what the book was about; and got writing.

* Catch a Mahi-mahi - Mahi-mahi are a type of game fish, I have heard them described as the champaign fish of the sea. I have eaten Mahi-mahi on a couple of occasions and they are beautiful fish. It would be awesome to real a big one in!

* Play golf at St Andrews - Or Augusta National or Pebble Beach. It would be awesome to have a round of golf on one of the finest courses in the world. I'd want to get my handicap down a little before I played, it would be fun though.

* Sail somewhere - I'd love to go on a long distance sailing trip, like from New Zealand to Fiji or one of the other Pacific Islands. It'd be an awesome adventure.

Five Places I'd Like to Visit

Here are the top five places I would like to visit. In no particular order...

* Portsmouth, England - In Portsmouth you can visit and take a tour of the HMS Victory. This is one of the grandest sailing ships of all time. It was Lord Nelson’s flagship and is famous from the battle of Trafalgar. It is a first rate, 100 gun ship, that was completed in 1765.

* Los Angels, USA – Although I have already been to Disney Land, I’d love to go again and take Lisa, Annamari and the rest of the family. I know they would love it. While there it would also be a grand opportunity to travel a bit further, at least around California.

* Great Wall, China – I have always been fascinated by the Great Wall of China. I think China would be a pretty fantastic place to visit as well. I’d also be interested in seeing the Forbidden Temple, Shaolin Temple, the Terra-cotta Warriors, Chengde Mountain Resort, Shangri-la and the Mogao Grottoes.

* Pearl Harbour, Hawaii - I'd love to vist the USS Missouri, it is a United States Battleship on which you can take guided tours. You'd also be able to visit the USS Arizona Memorial and check out all the other cool things Hawaii has to offer, like the Pipeline.

* Machu Picchu, Peru – Home of the ‘Lost City of Machu Picchu’ there would be plenty to see and do here. The Andes would be awesome to visit as well, especially having already been to the Himalayas. And, if you are going that far you may as well whip across to Brazil and journey up the Amazon.