Top Five - Kid's party foods

My son Joel had a combined 2nd birthday party today. It got me thinking... how much I loved party food as a kid. Here's my top five;

1. Fairy bread - who's idea was this stuff? Calling it fairy bread was pure genius. All kid's love the idea of a bit of magic.

2. Jelly - We had it at home sometimes, but it was always better at a party. Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate.

3. Frankfurts - What is really in these things? I probably don't want to know, but dipped in sauce they tasted sensational.

4. Sausage rolls - What is really in these things? I probably don't want to know. Just add sauce (Is there a theme here?). Party size of course.

5. Cake - It was all in the design (cricket bats, footballs, guitars, tigers...) and the icing... oh so sweet!

Top five - aussie beers

Beer is one of the great joys in life. The variety produced by Australian brewers has never been better. Unfortunately australians and their beer have historically been famous only in terms of quantity consumed, but I'm happy to say that for me and these brewers quality is the main focus. Here is my top five.

1. Barons - Wattle seed ale.
The 'brave boys at barons' produce this outstanding dark ale as part of their native range. Caramel, coffee, wholesome.

2. Moo Brew - Wheat beer.
This boutique Tasmanian brewery produces this fantastic cloudy wheat beer. Smooth, creamy with a hint of citrus.

3. Outback Brewery - Pale Ale.
There are plenty of great aussie pale ales. I'm not suggesting that this is the best, but it is a little known Gem. Fruity, fragrant, sharp.

4. Coopers - Sparkling Ale.
The first aussie beer that really made me lick my lips. It sparkles in flavour, but the beer itself is cloudy. Hoppy, bitey, refreshing.

5. Gage Roads - Premium Lager.
Again, how to choose 1 Premium Lager from all those on offer (and some would call me un-Australian for not choosing Crown), but this is something special. Tight, a hint of sweetness, cool and clean.


Others that could easily have made it:
James Squires - Amber Ale.
Little Creatures - Pale Ale.
McClaren Vale brewing Co - Vale Ale.
Barons - Lager.

Top Five - Reasons to be a Christian

The top 5 reasons to be a Christian.

1. Jesus.
In the words of Philip Yancey,

"God is, in a word, Christlike. Jesus presents a God with skin on whom we can take or leave, love or ignore. In this visible, scaled-down model we can discern God's features more clearly.
I must admit that Jesus has revised in flesh many of my harsh and unpalable notions about God. Why am i a christian? I sometimes ask myself, and to be pefectly honest the reasons reduce to two: (1) the lack of good alternatives, and (2) Jesus. Brilliant, untamed, tender, creative, slippery, irreducible, paradoxically humble - Jesus stands up to scrutiny. He is who I want my God to be."*

2. Adoption.
In the words of J.I.Packer,

"In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship, and establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater."**

3. Meaning and purpose that death does not destroy.
In the words of N.T.Wright,

"...when Jesus rose again God's whole new creation emerged from the tomb, introducing a world full of new potential and possibility. Indeed, precisely because part of that new possibility is for human beings themselves to be revived and renewed, the ressurrection of Jesus does not leave us passive, helpless spectators. We find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs, and commissioned to go and make new creation happen in the world."***

4. A multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual joining of people.
In the words of John Piper,

"I infer from this that the beauty and power of praise that will come to the Lord from the diversity of the nations are greater than the beauty and power that would come to him if the chorus of the redeemed were culturally uniform. The reason for this can be seen in the analogy of a choir. More depth of beauty is felt from a choir that sings in parts than from a choir that sings only in unison. Unity in diveristy is more beautiful and more powerful than unity of uniformity. This carries over to the untold differences that exist between the peoples of the world. When their diversity unites in worship to God, the beauty of their praise will echo the depth and greatness of God's beauty far more than if the redeemed were from only a few different people groups."****

5. The local church.
In the words of Eugene Peterson,

"Men and women are not admitted to the community by presenting credentials of love skills, nor do we maintain our place in the community by passing periodic peer reviews on love. We are here to be formed over our lifetimes into a community of the beloved, God's beloved who are being formed into a people who love God and one another in the way and on the terms in which God loves us. It's slow work. We are slow learners. And though God is unendingly patient with us, we are not very patient with one another. Outsiders, observing our embarrissingly slow and erratic progress in love, wonder why we bother. Well, we bother because God is love: he created us in love; he saved us in an act of love; he commanded us to love one another. Love is the ocean in which we swim. So what if many of us can only wade in the shallows, and others of us can barely dog paddle for short distances? We are learning and we see the possibility of one day taking long, relaxed, easy strokes into the deep."*****

*The Jesus I never knew. p265. Zondervan, Michegan (1995).
**Knowing God. p233. Hodder and Stoughton, London (1993).
***Simply Christian. p99. SPCK, London (2006).
****Let the Nations be glad; the supremacy of God in missions. p.199. Baker Academic, Michegan (2004).
*****Christ plays in ten thousand places. p.312. Hodder and Stoughton, London (2005).

Top Five - reasons to like McDonald's

I know, I know... There a plenty of reasons to dislike Macca's.
It is fat laden, sugar boosted, calorie dense food that promotes obesity (especially amongst children to whom they advertise most aggressively).

But here are a few guitly reasons to love Macca's;

1. 24hr service - A quick cheeseburger meal at 1am after finishing a shift at work hits the spot perfectly.

2. Drive thru - what would a road trip be without one stop under the golden arches?

3. Free WiFi - staying connected shouldn't be this cheap!

4. The big Mac - special sauce is so special.

5. The controversies - is soft serve ice cream really made from pig fat? Is it really apple or choko in the pie? Can you really become fat, depressed, develop liver dysfunction and heart disease from just 1 month of eating?

Top Five - reasons to love coffee

Coffee is one of the oldest and most important world commodities. It is mysterious and powerful.

Reasons to love it...

1. The smell - earthy, rich and pervasive. Wafting enticingly from cool coffee houses.

2. The kick - invigorating, energising and kinetic. Just what is required on these winter mornings.

3. The taste - bittersweet, bold and smooth. Always different; evolving, elusive.

4. The fellowship - warm, stimulating and intriguing. Minds come together over the dark brew.

5. The commodity - grown in some of the world's poorest places. When a fair price is paid, much good can be achieved.

Top Five - Opening songlines...

I love listening to song lyrics. The first lines of a song can be poignant, witty or funny. They can instantly create a scene or tone. Here are some of my favourites.


1. Dave Matthews Band, Dreamgirl:

I would dig a hole all the way to China
unless of course I was there
Then I'd dig my way home
If by diggin I could steal... the wind from the sails
Of the greedy men who rule the world

2. Counting Crows, Round Here:

Step out the front door like a ghost into a fog
Where no one notices the contrast of white on white
And in between the moon and you the angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right

3. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA:

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up

4. Eagles, Take it easy:

Well, I'm running down the road
Tryin to loosen my load
Ive got seven women on
My mind,
Four that wanna own me,
Two that wanna stone me,
One says shes a friend of mine

5. Bryan Adams, Summer of '69:

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played 'til my fingers bled
It was summer of '69

Other worthy contenders:
U2, Where the streets have no name.
Pearl Jam, Daughter.
Jon Bon Jovi, Blaze of Glory.
Bruce Springsteen, Thunder Road.
Cold Chisel, Khe Sanh.

Top five - smells

The sense of smell is a powerful thing indeed. Some smells bring pure joy, others connect you with past experiences, and still others build anticipation of good things to come.
These are my top 5 smells:

1. The smell of the dirt as the first heavy drops of rain from a thunderstorm beat down.
2. The smell of sizzling garlic in a wok.
3. The smell of freshly cut grass on a summers day.
4. The smell of freshly ground coffee.
5. The smell of jasmine flowers.


Oh there could have been so many others...

Top Five - swimming experiences

I love to swim. Pools, lakes, rivers, ocean... all can be spectacular in there own way. Over the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to dive deep into cool water several times.
It got me thinking... what are my most memorable swimming experiences.

1. Coffs Harbour, Baombee Beach, April 2006. Clear blue/green water; clean 2 foot swell; long body surf rides onto the sand; solitary; peaceful.
2. Thailand, Krabi, January 2002. Brilliant sunny, hot day; Clear, shallow water; towering limestone mountains; joking around with a good mate.
3. Dorrigo, Dangar Falls, January 1999. Icy cold, clear water; sitting beneath the falls on slimy, mossy rocks; activity for our beach mission group.
4. Malaysia, Perhentian Islands, August 2006. Swimming over a shallow coral reef; diving down to swim within metres of green sea turtles; a great holiday with my wife.
5. Forster, 1 mile beach, January 1995. Outstanding 2-3 metre waves; awesome power; body surfing across the face; a great swim with dad.

Top Five - Christmas Carols (in order)

Christmas carols are an indispensable part of Christmas. Here are my top five:


1. O Holy Night - performance appended.
2. Joy to the World.
3. Hark the Herald angels sing.
4. O come all ye faithful.
5. God rest ye merry, gentlemen.

Top Five - Sandwichs

I love a good sandwich. There are many types. Here are a few of my fav's.

Top Five Sandwichs.

1. Cream cheese, Roma Tomato, Salami on crusty italian loaf.
2. Subway Meatball sub with the lot (yes, that includes jalapenos).
3. White slice, beef sausage, sauce oozing onto the hand...
4. The great aussie bacon and egg roll (BBQ or tomato sauce depending on the mood).
5. Chicken schnitzel, lettuce, mayo, salt and pepper on wholemeal.

Top Five - Music Albums

I love music. There a great songs, there are great artists, and there are great albums; when all the songs combined create a tone, a shape, a feel that surpasses the achievement of each individual song.

Top five music albums I own.

1. U2 - The Joshua Tree.
2. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run.
3. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue.
4. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me.
5. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet.




[I know this is cheating, but some others that could have made the list...
Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory.
Pearl Jam - Verses.
Radiohead - The Bends.
Texas - White on Blonde.
Sting - Brand New Day.
Counting Crows - August and Everything After...]

Top Five - Sydney Tourist Activities.

As a bit of light relief (and because I think it's fun) I'm going to start a new series called 'Top Fives'. It will be a broad ranging tour of things I think are good and will hopefully get you thinking about things you like (things to be thankful for?).

To Begin...


The Top Five Activities for tourists/visitors in Sydney.

1. Bronte to Bondi Walk.
2. Circular Quay to Manly Ferry.
3. Fish and Chips at Balmoral Beach.
4. Picnic in the Royal National Park at Wattmolla Beach.
5. Dinner then whatever's on at the Opera House.


You can see I have a bias for beaches...