beach/pizza

We shot out to the coast today and spent the afternoon enjoying the beauty and magnificence of God's creation. And yes, both those words in the title reflect that experience of beauty and magnificence.

Welcome to Muriwai.

Approaching the local Gannet colony.

Sophia was an instant fan.

Rugged beauty.

My lovely ladies.

I was attacked by a rogue wave as the tide was coming in. Sophia thought the water swirling about us was interesting... until it touched her foot.

The real reason we went to Muriwai was so that we could stop at Dante's Pizza in Huapai on the way home. I'm completely serious. We had seen them featured on a local news program and have wanted to try their pizza ever since.

Dante's is the only member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) in New Zealand. You can watch their story here.

This was seriously the best pizza I think I've ever eaten. There's something to be said for fresh, quality ingredients combined with a centuries old recipe, delivered by an excellent pizzaioli. Too often we take good food for granted. From the rugged beauty of Muriwai to the precision beauty of Kevin Morris' handiwork, both are a reflection of the grandeur of God's creation.

week 39

Sophia is 9 months old today!

One of Sophia's favorite snacks lately is foot with a bit of toe jam.

This is our (up-until-very-recently) neighbour Grace. She and her parents just moved to the North Shore of Auckland which is a bit sad because Sophia and Grace really like each other ( and we like Grace's parents).

i'm finally cool

According to this NY Times article I'm one of the cool kids for the first time in my life. Yes!!!

week 38

Sophia loves her dummies (pacifiers). We think we may have a problem in a few months when we start to take them away.

She's not crawling yet, but she's been rolling around enough to compensate for it. She sometimes finds herself in interesting places and situations.

I figured that we needed to let everyone know that as adorable as she is, she isn't always smiles and giggles.

Don't worry, she's okay. This one was taken just a few minutes later.

ex libris

"Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.'... what Paul's mysticism does is to remind us that the example of Christ is only a part, and not even the greatest part, of the redeeming Gospel. Were there no more than this, the contemplation of the perfect holiness of Jesus could breed only despair. No shining example, cold and remote as the stars, can cleanse the conscience that has been defiled, or break the octopus grip which sin gets upon the soul. The evangel of an ethical example is a devastating thing. It makes religion the most greivous of burdens. Perhaps this is the real reason why, even among professing Christians, there are so many strained faces and weary hearts and captive, unreleased spirits. They have listened to Jesus' teaching, they have meditated on Jesus' character; and then they have risen up, and tried to drive their own lives along Jesus' royal way. Disappointment heaped upon bitter disappointment has been the result. The great example has been a dead-weight beating them down, bearing them to the ground, bowing their hopeless souls in the dust.

"But ever since Isaiah, men have been aware that one of the vital distinctions between true religion and false is that, whereas the latter is a dead burden for the soul to carry, the former is a living power to carry the soul.... 'Christ in me' means something quite different from the weight of an impossible ideal, something far more glorious than the oppression of a pattern for ever beyond all imitation. 'Christ in me' means Christ bearing me along from within, Christ the motive-power that carries me on, Christ giving my whole life a wonderful poise and lift, and turning every burden into wings. All this is in it when the apostle speaks of 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.' Compared with this, the religion which bases everything on example is pitifully rudimentary. This, and this alone, is the true Christian religion. Call it mysticism or not - the name matters little: the thing, the experience, matters everything. To be 'in Christ,' to have Christ within, to realise your creed not as something you have to bear but as something by which you are bourne, this is Christianity. It is more: it is release and liberty, life with an endless song at its heart."

- James S. Stewart, A Man in Christ: The Vital Elements of St. Paul's Religion, 168-169.

week 37

So... the Week 37 pics are going up a day late and I have no excuse. I took these last weekend when we went out to Mission Bay. I meant to download them and get them up yesterday and then totally forgot. Anyway, it's been several months since we took Sophia to the beach and it appears that she still enjoys it.

The last three are just a few that I took while we were walking. While our winter days in Auckland can be very wet and cold, they can also be amazing.

week 36

I meant to put these up last night but it's been kind of a busy week and I totally forgot. Apologies to the Grandmas.

it's officially almost official

The Northern Presbytery of GPCNZ met at my office tonight to conduct it's business. The final bit of my ordination process was one of the items on the agenda and I'm happy to announce that my exams and papers have been sustained, all requirements have been met, and presbytery has approved my ordination. Ordination has been scheduled for 13 September 2009. Whoa!

the veils

I came across this CD about a month ago and I can't stop listening to it. Hauntingly beautiful and beautifully tragic pretty much sums up the content. "Sun Gangs" is the third full length album from The Veils, which makes me think I need to go back and get their first two. While they're currently based out of London but Finn Andrews grew up right here in Auckland.

"Sun Gangs" is well worth the purchase.