Coffee Doco... it's an interesting watch if you're a lover of Java.

Check it out here.

ukulele...

Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody"on the ukulele... check it!

Is Hell Dead?

In the below Time article about Rob Bell and his latest 'controversial' read, "Love Wins", I spotted the quote below and thought it was fantastic because, once again, I feel that, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with Bell, he treats me like the ADULT Child of God that I am rather then a spoon fed infant to often assumed upon believers...


Bell insists he is only raising the possibility that theological rigidity — and thus a faith of exclusion — is a dangerous thing. He believes in Jesus' atonement; he says he is just unclear on whether the redemption promised in Christian tradition is limited to those who meet the tests of the church. It is a case for living with mystery rather than demanding certitude.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2065080,00.html#ixzz1JXHyi13h

Is it okay to live with mystery as a Christian? We seem okay with it when we quote C.S Lewis and relate God to a dangerous Lion... and we seem okay with suggesting that God is bigger then any one individual can comprehend, so why do we get all hysterical when one man asks some questions? Why does it seem we freak when a discussion is kicked off about a potentially grey area in the Bible?

I have plenty of questions still, thousands, regarding God, Jesus and the Bible... but I am okay with that because I know God has it sorted and that he is still taking questions, and involved in my personal journey of discovery when it comes to who He is and who I am. I like that I don't have it all figured out, because it prompts me to get involved with Him and His Church so we can figure it out together.

But what happens when the Church cuts you off when you can't figure something out?

If I weren't a Christian and I was looking at this from the outside I would make the assumption that the Church is extremely insecure... just sayin'.

Wouldn't it be nice....

Have read a couple of blogs and watched a couple of interviews about and with Rob Bell's latest book "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived." and I have gotta say it is really horrible the way people are attacking its author.

Heck, if you don't agree with what the book is saying - you're allowed, but where is the love? From all I have read and seen of Bell he always seems to operate with honesty, integrity and humility.

That, my friends, is Christ-like...

Writing anonymous, slanderous comments and posts about the man is not.

You are allowed to disagree. But not to hate.

wouldn't it be nice if the church could get together and be okay with some of the areas that are a little grey? Wouldn't it be nice if we could be of one heart and one spirit, even when we disagree?

Instead we still seem to spend so much time hating each other rather then loving one another, as the word commands. We'll get there...

Have a read of of this little article - the title suggests Bell "punches back" but I say he responds in a well measured and very humble manner...

Couple of interesting Reads...

Hey guys - read these two pieces over the last couple of days and thought they were interesting. I am not sure how to interpret either or how the thoughts presented in these articles may impact the 'living out' of my faith and relationship with Jesus as yet but I may keep you up to date...

Article 1: JC and the cool gang





Article 2: Things the Church can learn from Tim Minchin

tequila...

"When it comes to tequila, I plead ignorance. If I’m lucky to be in the hands of a knowledgeable bartender or agave enthusiast, I happily let him/her guide me toward whatever’s right for a given cocktail (be it a traditional margarita or a Jaguar) or neat nightcap with beer chaser. But when I find myself confronting, without a lifeline, that overgrown jungle of tequila bottles on the back bar of your modern-day high-end Mexican restaurant, I balk — especially when the bartender can only describe what’s in each bottle with various synonyms for “awesome.”"

Above is a great blog exert from Drinkcboston.com for anyone who enjoys tequila but has no idea what they're on about. I will be putting this knowledge to good use at Mamasita's today over lunch... for the entrire article click here.

Jim Carrey - Background Guy 1

"LIKE A G6" - Far East Movement - "LIKE JESUS" Parody

Banksy = Genius

Check out this link for banksy...

Kobe Bryant Top Plays: 1999-00

TEDxHouston - Brené Brown

Tom Chatfield: 7 Ways games reward the brain...

Really interesting thoughts that could possibly be interpreted and utilized when it comes to building a strong and productive leadership team perhaps?

"We're bringing gameplay into more aspects of our lives, spending countless hours -- and real money -- exploring virtual worlds for imaginary treasures. Why? As Tom Chatfield shows, games are perfectly tuned to dole out rewards that engage the brain and keep us questing for more."

To check out Tom Chatfield's TED Talk on 7 Ways Games Reward the Brain click here.

Killing time in malaysialand...

Been in KL for just over a week, most of the time has been spent shopping, eating or just killing time in the hotel room.

Tonight we're at Club twenty-one in bangsar. The crew here is the best so far. They were on time to training, took notes & really engaged with what we were sharing.

Looking forward to getting tonights 2 shows done & dusted so we can get on with the good times...

Tonight my friend Azza Azza (AKA Special K) happens to be in the same country, so he'll be joining us in the revelry, so one thing is for sure - wherever we end up will end up being a great time!

This weekend we'll be in Penang for our last 2 events - then it's back to reality & our amazing ladies!


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Event # 2 - done and dusted...

Second event is down. Crowd and crew was very different at 7atenine then at Ecoba. A little education, training and passion goes a long way as I discovered when hanging out with the boys from 7atenine. They are a very good bartending crew, they know how to mix, flair and work as a team...

Having said that I am a big fan of the peoples bartender. The kind of bartender that builds relational credit in 30 seconds, the bartender that engages with the customer, has a laugh with them and shows them a great time - something the less organized crew from ecoba probably did better... most of the time.

The culture and clientele from both venues is very different. Ecoba punters are very down to earth and relaxed, whereas the regulars of 7atenine were very prententious and less inclined to engage with those who serve them.

Secondly the bar set up at 7atenine was very unusual. A round bar with tables that jet out from every angle. Every table has their own waiter and the bartender never actually engages with those in his venue - in short the bartenders here are pretty much glorified service bartenders, built for speed and efficiency, rather then for customer engagement and service.



Bit of a waste if you ask me because the boys could probably make a heck of a lot more money for the venue and tips for themselves if they had more opportunity to unleash their mad skills on the general public.

As for the show tonight - it went okay. I dropped alot again and really struggled to see the bottles because of poor lighting, but other then that we met some great people and had a great time throwing the bottles and making some good cocktails that ended up selling for over $70aud each with the proceeds going to the local bar crew...

The next 4 days we have off before our next event at club 21.

First Event done...

Andy and I did our first training session, series of 4 flair shows and media interviews at Ecoba in Kuala Lumpar yesterday... it was a long and emotionally draining day but the promoters, Absolut representatives and the local bartenders were all very happy with what we provided them.

Andy and I both struggled during our performances as the bottles and equipment we were provided with were not what we had asked for and this made it difficult for us to flair well, however what we lacked with crazy bottle skills we made up for in showmanship.

All in all we were glad to get the first day out of the way, we met some great people and had alot of laughs - hopefully we'll iron out some of the kinks and make the next 4 events even better then the first.

Malaysialand adventures...

Night one in Malaysialand was spent half asleep at a great little whiskey bar called... The Whiskey Bar.

Andy and I ordered a couple of Old Fashioneds and some food - one hawaiian and one duck breast and mushroom pizza - and settled in for a couple of hours of good conversation.

The Old Fashioneds were okay, but they didn't stock my bourbon of choice, Woodford Reserve, so it wasn't fantastic. The pizza was unreal and we both devoured a couple pretty quickly.

We decided to stick around after the bar crew hooked us up with some free sangria... although it was probably the worst Ive ever had, we appreciated their kindness and hung around long enough to enjoy a hit of 15 year old glenfiddich served over an ice ball...

It was what we needed after the flight and the briefing from our promoters / babysitters was over and I can tell you that I had no trouble sleeping once my head hit the pillow.

Today we spent the day shopping, bought us some shoes, haggled with a few taxi drivers, [and watched about 15 minutes of some crazy eastern eye martial arts film with one of 'em], went over our training and performance notes and called our wives...

Tonight we'll be hanging out with the owners of ecobar here in KL, along with their bar crew, our promoters and probably some of their friends. I am looking forward to some good food, good cocktails, good company and the creation of some good memories...

Malaysia here we come!

Andy & I are in the big yellow taxi heading toward Malaysia for Peak Bartending's international debut.

We will be performing 5 flair shows over 2 weeks for absolut vodka as well as hosting some bartender training for some of the local talent.

Bon voyage!




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Banksy : Simpsons

I Am an appreciator of the artist Banksy, this opening of the Simpsons he directed is no exception...

Motives And Thoughts_ Lauryn Hill (Def Poetry)

Generation NOW series...

Just a quick blog about the Generation NOW series we have launched at the Church I am a part of.

The Series is all about building strong families and relationships while having heaps of fun and creating some good memories and learning some great tools and principles along the way - have a look at our Pastors Blog for a taste.

Check out the Gen Now facebook event invite for more details - anyone and everyone is welcome to come and hang out with us so if you would like to register do so here!