Worship artist and a homeless guy

I've heard about Carlos Whittaker’s Blog 'Raganmuffin Soul but haven't really ever tuned in. This past week Carlos released a Worship EP that moved to the top of Itunes charts. Profound considering this, I believe was the first original work he'd ever released.

Check out the video below. There is a precious moment towards the end of this video clip thats captures what this guys is all about. He's singing out on the street you're a 'God of second chances' for a video clip, when a homeless Jamaican guy comes right up to him in the street and starts worshiping and singing along with him. Its the most precious unscripted moment on film I've ever seen. You can only imagine how alive and real those words became to Carlos... let alone the disheveled homeless guy that day! No mistake is too great... no sin to big... God is a God of second chances! Praise him today.

Grab copies of Carlos' new songs on itunes here.

Australia day in Tennessee... what I miss about home right now

January 26 marks a special day on an Australia's calendar - Australia Day! Officially its a day to remember the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships that came in from Britain in 1788. However in reality, its a public holiday where Aussie's have a barbie, go for a swim, play a game of backyard cricket or just soak up some sunshine doing something outdoorsy.


Well, I'm in Nashville, Tennessee almost as far away from the sunshine and heat as they come so I thought I'd share some things I'm missing right now!

1. Pool parties with @festivallinda. How dare she twitpic pics of their pool party!!!

2. Eating a big roast lamb! Seriously I have very few friends here who'd even join me if I cooked one. Sam Kekovich would seriously be horrified! Watch his passionate plea to the world to eat lamb here.

3. My family... my niece and my little sister are probably going fishing with their pink girlie fishing rods!

4. Ginger Beer, lollies, Cadbury Chocolate (I know America has Cadbury... but take a close look at where it is made... Hershey's factory... not cool!), Bakery's with fresh bread, lamingtons and meat pies, sausage rolls, fish and chips... just to name a few.

5. The beach... what more do I need to say?

6. A roomful of Aussie's accents, people joking around... mostly lots of sarcasm and bad jokes.


What I love about Nashville though...
1. The people that make this place feel like home. You know who you are... home is where friends make you feel loved and at 'home'! Thank you for welcoming me into this town!

2. It's country feel... the rollin' green hills (at least thats what you see from the sky when you fly in during the spring!) the shades of Autumn... the (ever so slight!) chances of snow.

3. Grinning to myself everytime I hear a REAL southern accent! Sometimes I still don't believe they really talk like that :-p

4. My friends graciously letting me brag on Australia and they even eat the 'Aussie' food I make and say they like it!

5. It's cheaper to fill my car up with fuel here and to eat out!

6. We almost speak the same language! Every now and then I'll have to explain 'I'll shout' or how long a fortnight is... but most of my friends have gotten use to my lingo and understand me or just grin and pretend they did!

So cheers! Happy Australia Day! Find your local Outback Steakhouse and celebrate - even though they wont even realise there even is an Australia day! Below is a video of our shenanigan a few years ago at the Coolsprings one! Where you there?

Click here to watch if doesn't load.

13 things to do in South East Queensland, Australia in FOUR days!

Recently I had the privilege of having two American friends come to my part of the world - Southeast Queensland in Australia. I had four days to show off my country so put together basically a four day which I think... left the girls impressed!

So here's 13 things to do in South East Queensland!

DAY ONE
1. Check out South Bank on Brisbane River
You'll find a place safe for the whole family to go swimming, great places to eat, markets, beautiful parks to stroll through and see the view of Brisbane city. You can even check out for free Queensland Museum or Queensland Art Gallery. You can jump on a city train or a bus and to Southbank Station.

2. Enjoy the river by catching a CityCat to Brett's Warf
At Brett's warf you'll find lots of places to eat. We walked the short distance to Hamilton Hotel where we bought a good pub meal. Kangaroo steaks are even on the menu!

3. Experience Brisbane by night.
Catch a CityCat back to Southbank and walk across to the Victoria Bridge to the city - or just get off at QUT or North Quay. The city has late night shopping on Friday nights. Lots of pubs, clubs and places to eat. Also walk to and check out the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens - if you're there in the evening watch the skyline for the millions of bats!

4. Late night at Mt Coot-tha
For a spectacular view of Brisbane by night drive (or catch a cab) to Mt Coot-tha and grab a coffee and cake from Kuta Café. Lovely romantic place to end your night if you have a date!



DAY TWO
5. Hit the famous Gold Coast
You can catch a train or bus to the beach but if you can beg, steel, borrow a car that would be make the rest of this trip easier! And try and find somewhere to stay the night. If you can't find somewhere free to gatecrash try wotif.com for last minute deals on great hotels. I recommend going to a not-so-touristy beach like Burleigh Heads, Currumbin (checking out Elephant Rock) or Palm Beach. Surfers Paradise is a big tourist trap next to the beach. I'm not a big fan. Be sure to douse yourself in Suncream and if you like your skin avoid the beach from 11am - 2pm. (We didn't and got burnt even with suncream on!)

6. Go shopping
Robina Town Centre is ROCKING right now! Shops for every budget and the most amazing chocolate place ever - Max Brenner!



7. Go snorkeling
Check out the tides and go for a snorkel at the mouth of the tweed river near Point Danger. Best to go as High Tide is coming in to try and avoid being swept out to the ocean. There is really an underwater world out there!



8. Eat at Coolangatta
Kirra Beach is the gateway to Queensland's Gold Coast and is has one of the widest sand bars - amazing. We grabbed dinner at Thai Coola Restaurant (plenty of options though - Fish and chips, Mexican, Sushi...etc) and then strolled down to an holiday amusement park and had some fun with our cameras.

DAY THREE
9. Get some local church culture
We happened to be on the Gold Coast still for a Sunday so I took everyone to my home church Beachside Christian Church. We actually went after another quick snorkel... so you can dress super casual. People roll in from the surf to meet with and worship God.



10. Experience the breathtaking views of Byron Bay
We then headed south into the next state, New South Wales to visit Byron Bay. This is a little hippie town thats becoming more and more of a major tourist attraction. 'The Cape Byron Lighthouse is Australia's most easterly light being situated on the most easterly point of the mainland. It is also Australia's most powerful Lighthouse.' More If you have more time then we did I recommend going to the exclusive Watego's beach and walking to the top of the cape to the Lighthouse. If you're there in the right season you might even see whales or dolphins. Seriously one of my favourite destinations.

11. Go a-drivin in the country to Stanthorpe

The 3.5hour drive

The incredible views


We then hit the road a little further south and then west and drove through the Great Dividing Range. It was unprecedentedly green and beautiful. Often struck by severe droughts this country would have looked totally different just a month before. The American's got to see their first 'wild' Kangaroo enroute! We then stayed at a farm just South of Stanthorpe with friends. There are heaps of quaint little villa's to stay at around Stanthorpe or Girraween. Here's just one site with info. If you're into coming to Australia to work for a season - you can come to this town to pick fruit and earn a bit of cash. See here for more info.



DAY FOUR
12. Go 'bush walking' at Girraween National Park
You could spend all day walking to different cool locations at Girraween. We went to the Pyramids - huge Pyramid shaped rocks that give you a great work out to climb. They are made from granite. We then went to the underground river. This was my favourite part. The river was fairly low, so you can climb down into it and see the way the years of rushing water has highly polished and uniquely carved the granite.



You'll be sure to see heaps of Kangaroos, Lizards and you might even see a snake! Its a bit deadly :-)

13. Take your time and drive back to the big smoke (city)
There's plenty more to do in Stanthorpe on the way back home. Check out the wineries. Have a meal at a local cafe. Stop at Heavenly Chocolate on the way out of Girraween... or check out the UGG BOOT LADY if you are there in the cold and need to rug up!

Our four day tour of South East Queensland and the little drive through Northern New South Wales truly was awesome. I love Australia. We drove just over 600kms and saw Australia in all its glory... or at least just a fraction of it! I highly recommend you save your dimes and make it happen all you American's who keep telling me 'I really want to go to Australia one day' :-)

Tragedy hits Haiti again... the $25 challenge!

As you are probably aware Haiti has been hit by another major earthquake. Huge devastation. You can see the photos streaming here if you need some visuals. Friends of mine here in Nashville who support and help Haiti throughout year have set up a way we can give right now to help these already poverty stricken people get back on their feet. Will you join me on the $25 challenge wherever you are in the world? Click on the DONATE NOW but found at conduitmission.org.


This article has been written by Darren Tyler founder of Conduit.

We’ve heard reports that there is destruction all around. Haiti is predominantly made up of shacks. The vast majority of buildings are made up of unreinforced concrete. Think about the damage in a place like California with all the reinforced concrete buildings, and imagine what a waste land it would be with out any of those safety standards.
The images will be coming very soon of the death, destruction and suffering that is already going on. We don’t know the exact needs, but we do know that there are going to be desperate needs.
I’m not asking where is God, I’m asking where is the church. This a time for us to shine in the darkness.
Please pray. Stop whatever you’re doing an pray. And then..
Our friends in Haiti can’t ask you. We can’t hear their cries for help, or their screams of pain and fear, but please know that they are real. They’re not statistics, they are humans that God loves.
I’m asking on behalf of them.
I challenge you and everyone you know to donate $25 to Conduit Mission. We will give EVERY penny you donate over to Restoration Ministries in Jacmel Haiti as soon as the banks will allow.
Please, don’t take this lightly. Please know that you can make a difference. Maybe you fast a day or two and use that money. Maybe you put something on craigslist. Or Maybe just go through the cushions. Pray about it, and give as the Lord leads.
This is our time to be a Conduit of His resources from our land of plenty to a land desperately in need.
Please forward this to whomever you can.
Thank you.
Darren Tyler

To donate NOW please go to www.conduitmission.org hit the donate now button. Thank you

American's coming to Australia

Last week, my friend Holly and her friend Jessica came from the US to visit me in Australia. They landed here on New Years Eve ready to party! It was great seeing and hearing them get excited about this country and hearing them comment on things they noticed were different. The following Video is a little video blog they did ... captured in the car on the way to the Gold Coast.




Click here if this video doesn't upload in your reader.

Stay tuned for our four day tour of South East Queensland and Northern NSW!

Christmas wishes from Downunder!

It's time to say 'Happy Christmas'... and reflect on the birth of Christ! Praise God for allowing his son to come to earth as an innocent, helpless Child to live a human life!

I was sent this encouraging quote this past week that I thought I'd share with you all.

“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.” Albert Schweitzer

This Christmas lets reflect on those who've quietly invested in our lives. Isn't it interesting seeing who indeed has been brought our way during the different seasons we go through to encourage us! I'm truly grateful for my friends. Some of you I know real well... some of you I've met on the road just for an hour or two... some via twitter or this blog.

I pray that this Christmas you (and I) are encouraged and brought to a deeper understanding of the true friendship we can have with Christ, the KING who was born on Christmas day over 2000 years ago. And also that we can realise how much impact we can have on someone else's life by giving some time, resources and love. If you have a minute free check out this video from our local Brissy radio station, 96.5 and see one of their local DJ's, Liam Renton, take to the street for a week to find out what its really like being homeless. Certainly leaves you with something to think about!



So blessings to you this Christmas from 'Downunder'.

Christmas Pavlova

Last night I experimented and made a different 'shaped' Pavlova. Using the recipe here instead of making one big Pav I made smaller ones with a piping bag that could be mounted on each other to create a 'Christmas tree' shape. I used plenty of whipped cream and fruit then dusted it over with some icing sugar. Came out pretty good. Only tip - create and serve immediately. Cream doesn't hold its shape for too long!

Happy Christmas cooking!

10 Tips to make this the best Christmas

The craziness of this week has inspired me to write some practical ways to help make this Christmas the best yet!

1. Love on someone - Whatever circumstance you find yourself in this year, look out for someone else to love on and reach out too. Never assume anyone is ok. You may never realize how much joy you will give someone by taking them out to coffee or stopping by and saying g’day. Christmas can be the loneliest times for many people, especially for those who have lost loved ones. You’ll also be surprised at how great you’ll actually feel being selfless.


2. Create a gift - If searching for the perfect gift for someone who has everything has become an odious task, think outside of the box. Make a dessert, some homemade chocolates, grow a plant or make a ‘vintage’ necklace. Save some money in the process!


3. Give life – contribute to an aid organization as a gift to someone and in the process change someone’s future. Some ideas - for New Zealand shoppers check out Tearfund's website and Give a chook to provide a business opportunity for someone in a third world country... if you're from Australia or New Zealand visit Samaritan's Purse and buy a water bottle to give water, or visit Compassion (worldwide) and sponsor a child or even rescue a baby! You'll be surprise at how far a contribution goes!


4. Pool money to buy gifts for nieces and nephews to buy gifts of quality rather than quantity. I’m amazed at how many gifts we can pile on kids and wonder why they don’t appreciate them all. Most of the time, less is more. A thoughtful gift that engages creativity may last for months rather than a couple of hours.


5. Give back – go through the toy cupboard with your children a couple of days before Christmas or even on Boxing Day (Day after Christmas) and GIVE AWAY toys that aren’t used anymore. (THROW AWAY the broken unusable ones!) Clean them up and take them to a thrift shop or a local orphanage.


6. Be satisfied with what you have. Every time we step into a shop we are confronted by thousands of choices of things we are ingrained to think we NEED. Resist the impulse to buy straight away and spend some time thinking about whether or not the item is really needed before adding it to the mounting collection of rarely used items in your house. We cannot have faith in the stability of our economy at this hour anyway!


7. Provide some healthy options on the Christmas meal table. Provide snacks of fresh fruit, veges with homemade healthy dips rather than chips and lollies.


8. Create new traditions - If you don’t have a family Christmas night tradition, invite some friends over to share the leftovers. Share the extra kilo’s around :-). The western world is notorious for ‘over-indulging’ and throwing out too much food. Especially look out to invite people out who may not have had family to spend Christmas with!


9. Love one another – for whatever reason the business of this season tends to cause people to get highly strung and easily stressed out. Season your words, hold your tongue and love even when it feels like you were misunderstood. Make this a time for reconciliation.


10. Most importantly, remember and discover the real reason for CHRISTMAS. Jesus is the reason for our gift giving. God gave us Christ to provide us the gift of Salvation. All we need to do to GET it is to RECEIVE it. Read the historical accounts of Christ’s birth here and here.


Many of these thoughts have been inspired by words from Hebrews 13.

1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.[a] 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Heb 13:1-3

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Heb 13:5

Blessings to you this Christmas! Thanks for stopping by my blog!