Visiting Melbourne and the stream of consciousness that gets me to KYCK

If only they had some Rugby League reporting in the media I could probably live in Melbourne. Sarah and I greatly enjoyed our first trip to Mexico and look forward to visiting again someday in the future. Highlights included the Shanghai Dumpling Restaurant down one of Melbourne's famous laneways, and getting half price tickets to the musical Fame. I also enjoyed discovering the CD of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis playing over the stereo in a vintage clothing store. Other highlights were Sarah and I whispering to each other 'Stinking cheaters' every time we saw a Melbourne Storm jersey.

The lowlight was without a doubt getting accosted by restauranteurs as we strolled along Lygon St looking for a bite of Italian food. For the record we went to the first place that was full of people and didn't have a spruiker standing out the front. My guess is that historically, as well as standing out the front hassling passersby, someone had the brilliant idea of giving out business cards, and it seems now everyone is following suit and shoving them in your hand before you can say no. I didn't really look at the cards until I emptied my pockets that night and discovered I could have received a complimentary drink from La Spaghetteria Ristorante. It doesn't even sound like a real restaurant, just like someone has tried to make "The Spaghetti Restaurant" sound authentically Italian.

The only thing hampering my enjoyment of the break was that I pretty much felt guilty the whole time about the amount of money we were spending. This has been one of the hardest things about being supported by others to do Christian ministry - not feeling able to spend money on anything over and above fairly basic survival needs (by Western standards). Also we're digging into savings by about 6K this year and when you're already spending more than you earn, its hard to pay for a holiday. Even though a break was severely needed, I'm already anticipating the first snide remark from someone about the cost of going to Melbourne for three days. I promise I won't throw a punch at them, even though I will probably imagine myself doing so in an elaborate Scrubs daydream kind of way.

While reflecting on my tightarse tendencies, I was reminded of the great teaching I got at KYCK (Katoomba Youth Convention + another K). From Ecclesiastes we were spurred on to make the most of the days we have, enjoying God's creation in the knowledge that there is more to life than stuff.

Having reflected more on KYCK over the past month especially in chatting with my mate Dave K, we worked out what was missing from KYCK this year, and I think it springs from having four preachers. Ecclesiastes was taught really solidly from the point of creation, but was lacking in being read in light of redemption. There was an evangelistic talk which moved from the frustration of life to salvation, but this was aimed at conversion and recommitment to Jesus. What was missing was one of the talks needed to go more specifically to the resurrection of the dead, which is the guarantee that the proclamation of the gospel becomes the work of this age which will last, which has eternal meaning and consequence.

I'm certain this view is held by all on the platform, and was often implied in the call to "don't waste your life, but just do something", but there was no individual talk which specifically brought this out. Super strong on creation, weak on redemption (over and above the call for people to become Christians).

Now this may have been a deliberate decision based upon the reading of the age that we are in, and as a paid gospel worker I personally needed to hear the creation stuff. But for most of the youth, I would suggest they would have benefited from hearing Ecclesiastes more specifically in light of redemption.