September, 2006:

It was a thrilling game right until the end but the mighty West Coast Eagles held on for a one point win against the Sydney Swans in today’s AFL Grand Final.

Tomorrow morning we fly out, wearing Eagles colours, to the home of AFL, Melbourne.

Once we’ve reminded enough Victorians that they didn’t even have a team in the final four teams this year, we’ll fly to Sydney where we’ll proudly display our colours once again in the home of the team the Eagles beat to take the cup.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: West Coast Eagles – AFL – Grand Final – Sydney Swans

Is it no longer rude to chat throughout a performance these days?

I’ve experienced this annoying habit a few times over the past few months including at last night’s school concert. While we were trying to concentrate on the incredibly cute kids performing stories about Bible heroes on stage, the family behind us felt it was a good opportunity to catch up on the day’s highlights. I think there had been a lot of highights for them over the day.

Everyone’s kids, including ours, did a wonderful job but the chatting behind us was only interupted by the yelling of their infant.

I just about made it through with a smile still on my face but I must admit that I could have done without their phone ringing and the ensuing conversation during what was, until that point, a very moving crucifiction scene.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Rudeness – Mobile Phones – School Concert

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. It was a lofty dream. His dream was, and continues to be, the inspiration for many people, not just in his homeland of America but right around the world. His dream wasn’t just something he wished would happen, he went out of his way to start making it happen.

Many of us have big dreams. We dream of injustices being corrected, of wrongs being righted, of the world’s wounds being healed. We dream of poverty becoming history and of people being able to live their lives in peace.

I wonder what big dreams you have. Are they just dreams or are you finding even small ways to see those dreams move towards reality? We can all play a part in seeing big dreams develop and become real.

Then there are the smaller dreams. By smaller I don’t mean unimportant I just mean that they are dreams on a smaller scale, closer to home. My smaller dreams are vitally important to me.

I dream of seeing my children growing up to realise their full potential. I dream of growing old with Pauline, my one true love. I have many other dreams too, far too many to mention. Some relate to family, some to faith, some to work and various other areas of life.

What are your ‘small’ dreams? What are those things that impact your world? Are you just hoping for those dreams to become reality or are you actively working towards seeing them happen?

We all have big dreams. We all have small dreams. Then there are the tiny dreams. What do I mean by tiny dreams? In Harry Nilsson’s Puppy Song he sings, “Dreams are nothing more than wishes and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true.”

Tiny dreams are more like wishes, mostly wishes that only benefit ourselves. I’ve got plenty of them too. They’re not earth shattering dreams but things that would be wonderful if they hapened but it won’t really rock my world if they don’t happen. Some are possible, others are just in the realm of ‘that’d be nice’.

I dream of winning Lotto but seeing as I don’t play Lotto that’s not likely to happen. I dream of seeing the West Coast Eagles win the Grand Final this weekend. (That’s very likely but my world won’t fall apart if it doesn’t happen.) I dream of my income one day exceeding my outgoings. I also have a wild dream about coming home from our upcoming holiday to find that the Backyard Blitz team have been to our home and tamed our wild garden. (I am officially the world’s worst gardener.) My life would be ‘nicer’ with some of these tiny dreams being realised but they’re not really part of the big picture.

So, do you have big dreams, little dreams and tiny dreams? Are you actively working towards seeing some of those dreams burst into life? What will you do today to change tomorrow?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Dreams – Wishes – Hopes