U2 Live from the Rose Bowl (Oct 2009)

Looking Forward To A Great 2008

Happy New Year

Happy (belated) New Year! How time flies. This is going to be a year of big transitions for me as I'll finally be moving out of Australia. After 6 great years of witnessing God's abundant grace being poured over this nation, I feel it's time to move on to my next season of life. I leave humbled and honored that God allowed me to be a part of something so wonderful in building His Kingdom in this part of the world.

Happy MLK Day

And in honor of Martin Luther King Jr on his birthday, I've posted U2's tribute to a man who shaped a nation by daring to live out his dream. Let's keep his dream alive ...

Currently Listening Rattle and Hum By U2 MLK

U2 3D + Podcast Updates

Podcast Updates
We finished our series on Colossians this past weekend. You can get the sermon outlines and MP3's below.

Part 5 of 6: Living a Christ-Saturated Life

• Sermon MP3 download here
• Sermon Outline download here

Part 6 of 6: Making the Most of Life

• Sermon MP3 download here
• Sermon Outline download here

Memory Verses updated here.

Currently Listening Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Super Deluxe Edition) (2CD/DVD) By U2 Rise Up

Bowling, Beauty and U2 Baby!

At the Strike at King Street Wharf

Our pastoral staff at Wesley Mission went bowling last week and we had a blast. Our champ was Kao Lee (who oversees the Chinese congregation), followed by yours truly, and third place was my fellow American Don Everhart. A couple of our admin staff were in golf mode, thinking the lowest score wins ... but it was fun hanging out in a casual setting for a change. I posted some more pictures here.

Hyun's Interview in ReSEARCH Magazine

Hyun hates it when I brag about her, but she was interviewed recently for a University of New South Wales science magazine "ReSEARCH". I put up some more pictures and the link to the magazine site here. (This part of the post might disappear once Hyun finds out what I did! So read it while you can! :)

And last but not least, U2 has released a 20th anniversary edition of their classic album Joshua Tree. This was the album that skyrocketed them to super stardom. Not only is the album completely remastered, the Super Deluxe version also comes with a second CD of B-sides and rarities PLUS a DVD of their concert in Paris from 1987. Simply awesome.

Currently Listening Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Super Deluxe Edition) (2CD/DVD) By U2 Running to Stand Still

Prosperity and the Poor

Christianity Today has an article on the rapid spread of the prosperity Gospel in Africa and it's heartbreaking to read that it is because of America they have this destructive teaching in their churches.

"[The prosperity gospel] is the most sweeping movement within the continent of Africa," says Dolan. "The African people at large in the church have bought into it hook, line, and sinker. It offers tremendous promise to an economically deprived people."

It's also an issue of controversy for some of the larger churches in Australia. But instead of holding up cash and cars in front of people to chase after, I'd much rather see the Western Church helping to feed the poor and heal the sick. There was a great interview of Bono (of U2) by Bill Hybels during the Leadership Summit last year and I think Bono's "Gospel" to Africa is a much better one for us to embrace and proclaim.

Currently Listening All That You Can't Leave Behind By U2 Grace

YHWH

A cool video for an awesome song.

New Years Day by U2

Have a Great Christmas

I'll be leaving for the US tomorrow morning and then traveling to various places in the US so I wanted to take this time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May God bless you richly as you spend time with loved ones. So have a great Christmas ... and as for me, I am looking forward to an awesome New Year. :)

Currently Listening Rattle and Hum By U2 It's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

U218 Out Now

Currently Listening U218 Singles [CD/DVD Combo] By U2 With or Without You

U2 Concert in Sydney 11.10.06

Sorry for the delay, but it took awhile to upload all the videos. :)

Here's the set list with links to some video clips from the actual concert:

Main Set

City of Blinding Lights [complete song + Vertigo intro]
Vertigo [short clip]
Elevation
Until The End of the World [short clip with Edge]
New Year's Day
Beautiful Day [most of the song + clip 1] [clip 2] [clip 3]
Yahweh [most of the song]
Walk On
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own [complete song]
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday [short clip of "no more"]
Bullet The Blue Sky [short clip]
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In The Name of Love)
Where The Streets Have No Name [Intro + short clip]
SMS Fight for Poverty [clip 1 + clip 2]
One [short clips]

Encore 1

Zoo Station [short clip]
The Fly [Intro + Ending]
With or Without You [complete song + clip 1 + clip 2]
SMS Thanks [The names of those who texted]

Encore 2

The Saints Are Coming [short clip]
Angel of Harlem [complete song + clip 1 + clip 2]
Kite [complete song]

Back to Him

It was simply awesome. U2 are an amazing live concert band so it was totally worth the 8 month (!) wait. It was possibly the fastest 4 hours of my life ... and it was cool to be surrounded by other die-hard fans to sing along with for every single song.

And as usual, there's always at least one powerful spiritual moment for me when I hear them live ... this time around it was during their songs "Yahweh" (with 70,000 crying out to God) and "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" ... truly a worshipful moment for me. I can't wait till heaven (or maybe sooner?!?!) when I can meet them and do some songs together, praising our Savior (hopefully Edge will let me play guitar with him!).

Currently Listening Saints Are Coming By U2 & Green Day The Saints Are Coming

Coming Soon ... U2 Pix

Currently Listening How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb By U2 Yahweh

U2 in Sydney Tomorrow Baby!

Where the Streets Have No Name



FINALLY!!!! :) I am super excited right now!! :) They rocked the Gold Coast Tues night and are now heading to Sydney. The video above is one of my favorite songs of all time ... and an awesome reminder of heaven. And it's one of my favorite versions of the song too, performed at the Super Bowl after 9/11. There's more to U2 than just awesome music. For a closer look, here are some links: Interview with 60 Minutes, Interview with ABC, Interview with Australia's NINE.

In the City of Blinding Lights

Currently Listening How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Deluxe) By U2 Vertigo