E-BLAST - 30 NOVEMBER 2014

Delma and her craft trolly bag - they travel - at least twice a week Delma is out the door with her craft trolly bag, either going to a class, doing a tutorial, helping someone with their craft and particularly making cards. Delma has been busy with hand crafted Christmas Cards. Delma is in Grafton for 4 days visiting her 87 year old mum. The plan is to be home Monday afternoon.  

TRIBUTE TO PHILLIP HUGHES

Tribute: Phillip Hughes is extended to the Australian cricketing fraternity. Phillip was hit by a fast ball and never regained consciousness. Basil Sellers had a special place for Phillip as his first scholarship holder to wear the baggy green. The bowler Sean Abbott is also a Basil Sellers scholarship holder. Mark's 29th edition of the Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter is published. Photo: 2000 NZ Tour Mark with Steve Waugh in Hamilton.

COOLYROCKSON CHURCH SERVICE 2015

Bob Newman CEO CoolyRocksOn met with Mark on Wednesday and confirmed that the 2015 CoolyRocksOn Church Service will be held after its huge success last year. CoolyRocksOn is held for the week to the June long weekend. Praise the Lord.

AUSTRALIA DAY 2015

Australia Day 2015 will be another Brisbane / Gold Coast young writer get together at the River Park in Tweed Heads for a family lunch. This is the second time the picnic will be held - held first two years ago - last year a few young writers met at Timeout in the Tweed for a bbq. Photo - Bridget Brenton and Kandima Awendila.

AIRCRAFT COMING AND GOING

Aircraft can be seen coming and going into and out of the Gold Coast Airport from Timeout in the Tweed. There is a spot outside Mark's office which overlooks the canals and the flight path. Mark calls it "Preacher's Perch", Wesley calls "Pop's Cafe". Men from the Chamber of Commerce, Sport, Ministry and Basil Sellers chit chat with Mark and watch the planes. 

E-BLAST - 23 NOVEMBER 2014

Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter - 29th edition - released at the end of this week. The editorial team is Allan Border, Greg Chappell, David Boon, Kim Hughes, NSW & VIC Cricket. Mark is the editor. This issue is featuring respite. The 1994 photo was Mark with Allan Border celebrating his 10th year as the Australian cricket team chaplain. He presented each cricketer with a New Testament provided by the Bible Society.

CRICKETERS PANEL

Cricketers panels are common today and Mark has been invited on quite a few. This one was at the Festival of Cricket in 2006 with Peter Philpotts, Mark Waugh and John Benaud - Mark the cricket chaplain is on the end.

UNI STUDENTS, HAMILTON 2000

Mark toured alongside the Australian cricket team to New Zealand in 2000 as team chaplain in his 17th year and spoke at breakfasts, dinners, schools and universities. This photo is in Hamilton with Mark speaking to university students. NZ young writer Jeremy Suisted from Cambridge (near Hamilton) may know some of these faces.   

BBQ LAGUNA QUAYS RESPITE

Barbeque in full swing at Laguna Quays Resort in the car port entertainment area - look past the fence and you can see how close Respite Bay is - there is a beautiful on shore breeze 24/7. Next missionaries due end of the week. 

LAGUNA QUAYS PALM DRIVE

Laguna Quays Palm Drive has been cleaned up after the Chinese purchased the resort. I've been saving this photo. On the master plan, the long term future there will be Chinese shopping and eating places along both sides. It is quite spectacular! The Laguna Quays Respite cottage rear fence attaches to the resort.  

SPORTS WRITER

Wesley writes the EPL (English Premier League) for Christian Today. His article is Wednesday in the 5 week Cycle. He cracked some ribs playing indoor soccer, out of action for 8 weeks including his squash. He came for dinner Tuesday night and then took Delma and Mark for coffee at Coolangatta. 

E-BLAST - 16 NOVEMBER 2014

Suzette's Ride for Hope (fund raiser for cancer research) - Midge Point Beach - last weekend. Young writer Josh Hinds and a school chaplain last July helped this local community by putting together an on-line newspaper as the hard copy version closed. Kim Hanson who ran the hard copy transferred to the on-line version and thus continued the weekly news. This photo and story was the main news for this week. This week another mission booking for Laguna Quays Respite taking up essentially the 2nd half of January.

DAVID GOODWIN - SPORT WRITER

David Goodwin from Melbourne has taken up the vacant sport writers spot left by Auckland's Brad Mills. David is with the Salvation Army media unit and is a cricket tragic. His first article was on the Pakistani spin bowling attack and his next article is this coming Wednesday 19 November. Meanwhile Christian Today's Natalie Chu and I have agreed that in 2015 the weekly Sport Article will take up the available 4th daily column available in the Christian Today 'Comment' page, thus freeing up a Comment column each Wednesday   

DELMA HAPPY IN MINISTRY

Delma's hearing loss has been a blessing to many as even with hearing aids means she prefers to be see people face to face to help her lip read a little. Delma is out for every day of the week at something (morning or afternoon, lunches, or both) and the oldies at the nursing home love her visits. Delma often gives card making tutorials, attends two KYB groups, helps at the church cafe Thursday mornings, tennis once a week, two craft groups, then church functions and the rest of it. The calender needs to be consulted to find time for Mark and Delma to do anything together.   

SPRING LIGHT

Spring Light was the art work Mark painted for this months Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce 'business card' draw. Each month Mark paints a smallish art work for the Chamber's business card draw. During the year Mark's business card was pulled out of the jar - one was a Tweed Heads Bowling Club Sails restaurant dinner for two which he gave to Andrew and Sophia Sinclair from Christchurch when they were here for the young writer conference. The second was a dinner for two at Twin Towns Horizons restaurant which he gave to Daniel and Danielle Stott from the Gold Coast (Danielle won the 2014 young writer award). The business card drawn for this art work (Spring Light) was the Tennis Club who are building a new club house where it will hang.

SURF LIFE SAVERS AND VOLUNTEERISM

Mark has written an article for December in his daily Christian Today column on the Surf Life Saving movement and volunteers. His researches show that the local church ministrations to a plethora of the community through its volunteer ministries is a mainstay of Australian society. Former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello recently said that it would bring the Commonwealth of Australia fiscally down if the Government was to pay for each and every volunteer.

BEACH WALKS HARDER AT TWEED HEADS

Whereas Mark and Delma go for a morning beach walk when at Laguna Quays Respite, when at Tweed Heads - much harder to find the time. Mark is up at 5.30am for PSI (young writer article distribution to Christian media) and his writing and devotions; by 8.00am it is breakfast; after which it is to the Post Office. Delma is usually up at the same time for her devotions and then goes for a morning 30 min walk to the river and then reads the young writer articles over breakfast (Mark prints them out). Pic - at Coolangatta beach last weekend.  

E-BLAST - 9 NOVEMBER 2014

Christian Article Registry Depository (C.A.R.D.) was launched on Wed 5 Nov. developed by Josh Hinds (Spiders Touch IT), school chaplain and a sport writer. It is receiving Australian, New Zealand (Ramon Williams) and world wide (Assist News Service), evangelical (New Life) promotions as well as Christian Today and many others. Check it out please -

http://www.christiantoday.com.au/article/christian.article.registry.depository.card.a.unique.research.site.for.christian.writers.and.editors.released.today/18180.htm

JEREMY DOVER TAKES ON SPORT

Jeremy Dover (left) presenting Brad Mills sports writer from Auckland NZ - a Tronson du Coudray desk painting at the Sept young writers conference. Jeremy in 2015 is becoming the Sport Writer coordinator receiving the Monday article from the sport writers and after reviewing, forwarding it to Christian Today. Mark has done this for 4 years and this is a very pleasing development. Brad has stepped aside with David Goodwin from Melbourne filling that sport writer spot.  

COLLATING BLOGS

Bridget Brenton and Lisa Goetze the two singers at the Sept young writers conference both run their own Blogs in addition to their writing for Christian Today. Mark is currently collating a list of all those young writers who write their own Blogs or blogs published elsewhere. These blogs need to be listed on their C.A.R.D. registry. Mark has been recommending anyone interested in serious writing to start their own blog. This weekly E-Blast is a photographic blog with notes.

ANDREW AND SOPHIA SINCLAIR

Andrew Sinclair with baby Guy with Australian Panellist retired barrister Gavin Lawrie at the Sept young writer conference. Andrew and Sophia and baby Guy are relocating from Christchurch to Sydney in mid January where Andrew is doing bible college at SMBC (Sydney Missionary Bible College) and Sophia the NZ CMS editor is taking on one of my PSI roles - receiving the articles from the Week coordinators and collating them for Christian Today. 

LAURA AND CHARLEY

Laura Veloso and Charley Goiris at the Sept. young writer conference. Both from Melbourne, Laura is one of the PSI Week co-ordinators for the young writers and with sister Belinda Croft creates the young writer conference videos. Charley is one of three youth leaders at Crossways in Melbourne and gave her testimony at the Banora Point Baptist Church the day after the conference. Charley is also developing a professional modelling and actress career path. The young writers have voted for Charley, our support network is being asked as well - follow the prompts please -     

http://www.starcentralmagazine.com/actresses-2/2014/10/28/actresses-of-the-month-november-2014/

BIRTHDAY CAKE 63

Mark's 63rd birthday (Wed 5 Nov) the cake made and decorated by Delma and celebrated with them (Sun 2 Nov) was Paul and Julia Baber and children Raphael and Celesta. Julia put Skype onto Delma's lap top, Paul silicon parts of the roof, fixed the leaking washing machine, and a couple of other fiddle jobs. Zach Radloff came over on Thurs 6 Nov to fix the audio speakers for Delma (hearing disability) and tidy up her lap top. Thankyou everyone!