Win a Toy Story 3 Prize

June 24, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Toy Story 3The day has finally arrived. Toy Story 3 officially opens in Australian cinemas today and thanks to Disney Pixar, you could win a double pass to see the latest Toy Story movie and some Toy Story 3 goodies.

This is an exclusive competition for Australian readers of RodneyOlsen.net and you can enter by filling in your name and email address in the form below.

The prize is a double inseason ticket to see Toy Story 3, a Toy Story 3 T-shirt, a Toy Story 3 mug and a book of Toy Story 1 and 2.

Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3 is in cinemas now.

I’ll be naming a winner on Monday the 5th of July. (Entries close at 8:00 a.m. Monday the 5th of July Western Australian time.)

I want to let everyone know they have chance to win so if you link to this post from your blog, Facebook or Twitter, you’ll get an extra entry. Just let me know in the comments section of this post how you’ve publicised the competition.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
Keep reading RodneyOlsen.net for future competitions.



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Christian Carnival Here Next Week

June 24, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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christian_carnival_lion.jpgWould you like the opportunity to have your blog promoted? Have you published a post that you’d like read by a wider audience?

I’m having some friends drop in next week. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us. The next Christian Carnival is being hosted here at RodneyOlsen.net.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify. You may wish to consider that the readership of the Christian Carnival will be more varied than your usual readership, and you might do better contributing a post with broad appeal.

I’ve already received a number of contributions and I’m looking forward to offering readers of this blog some great links when the carnival is published.

If you’re a Christian and you’ve never contributed before, or if it’s been a while since you have, how about having a look through your posts for this week and choosing something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.



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I Already Know This Stuff

June 23, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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I’m about half way through Berni Dymet’s book Unlocking the Power of Prayer. It’s not a difficult read and most of the time, instead of learning something new, I’m just nodding my head in agreement. It’s stuff I already know.

So why would I waste good reading time on stuff I already know? I wouldn’t and I won’t. That is to say that it’s not a waste of my time. It’s a valuable reinforcement of things that I know but I need to be reminded to put into practice.

Do you ever find yourself reading stuff that you already know? Are you tempted to simply skip large sections and get on with learning something new?

One of the things I’ve appreciated so far in reading Berni’s book is that when he quotes scripture he gives a warning not to skip reading the full passage. He knows that he’s quoting well known stories and that the reader will be tempted to just move ahead but he asks us to take the time to read through what we already ‘know’. He understands that we can become so familiar with a passage that we no longer handle it with enough care. We no longer expect God to speak to us from those particular pages because we’ve been over that stuff too many times already.

Slow Down

Maybe I can join Berni in encouraging you to slow down and spend time on the things you already know. There is so much value in revisiting basic truths and meditating on what they mean for us. Sometimes we need to spend a little bit of time relearning things we’ve let slip over the years.

I’d love to hear about the things that you’ve seen with new eyes years down the track of life. Are there areas of your life that have become stale? Do you need to return to things you thought you learnt years ago?

Berni Dymet

As for Berni Dymet, he’s the Director of Christianity Works in Australia. He has a passion for helping people to connect with God amidst the realities of life. He has an ability to communicate deep, life changing truths in a way that makes sense.

I spoke to him on 98.5 Sonshine FM many months back about his book. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.



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Happy Birthday Mum

June 23, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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I miss my mum …. a lot …. especially on days like today.

If mum had lived she would have turned 90 today. She passed away on the 28th of February, 1987, at the age of just 66.

Please excuse me if I’m a little bit distant from time to time today or if I act a little odd. Well, odder than I usually act anyway.

They say that time heals but I’m not completely convinced. I think the truth may be a combination of healing over time and the the fact that time helps us learn how to cope with missing a loved one.

Memories continue to fade yet a word, a sight or a sound can bring back vivid recollections and a sadness that mum’s not here anymore.

Thankfully we had a good relationship so there are no regrets of things left unsaid or undone.

The best news of all is that we will meet again one day in a place where there will be no more tears and no more pain. I’m not so keen on hastening that day but I do look forward to it …. and it makes me smile.



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1 sleep until Toy Story 3

June 23, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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It’s just 1 more sleep before Australia starts heading to cinemas to see Toy Story 3.

No toy gets left behind.

I’ve seen some great reviews from those who have already seen the movie, including Rove McManus saying on Twitter, “Go see Toy Story 3. Seriously, you will love it…even if you have no child..no heart…hate animation..and cinemas give you hives. Just go!”

The movie opened in the US on the weekend and took a record $109 million. Toy Story 3 became the first Disney/Pixar release to top $100 million in its opening weekend.

The creators of the beloved Toy Story films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favourite gang of toy characters in Toy Story 3. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives?

In the third instalment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. Lee Unkrich (co-director of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine, brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings.

We’ll be heading along sometime soon. The Toy Story movies never dissapoint and many are saying this is the best yet.



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