One assessment coming up is our 3 minute short film, for our location camera class. The theme is “mercy and compassion”, although this is just a starting point.

One of my ideas so far is to follow a homeless man for a day, documentary style. It would be done in the style of the cpmpassion documentary played at conference. I’m not so sure of the exact story yet, or even if I want to run with this idea.

I do know the following: I don’t want this to be a throw-away project. I want it to mean something. There has been a lot of talk of getting the best projects submitted to the Australian Christian channel for broadcast. Plus, over conference I developed dome great connections with GodTV, which is had a potential audience of a few hundred million. Who knows where it could end up, and who’s life it will impact.

So here is a call for suggestions — what ideas do you associate with mercy and compassion? What message can be comnunicated in a 3 minute story that can change the world? Please email, facebook or comment me any ideas your have.

If you were to ask me that one question, i would simply answer “around”. which is precisely where i have been. 

Hiding at the college library doing assessments, moving house, mid-semester break. It has been a busy and fun time.

College is doing well, we have roughly 27 assessments due in roughly 27 days, but I was smart and completed a quite a few in advance. Thats not to say that I don’t have a multitude to tackle now. There are actually a few videos i have been editing i will be able to post soon, to share with you all. Might be my first post on youtube?

I am now the proud owner of a picasa web album, which you can view here[http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alex.cvitanovic]. Or, for all you web-savvy users the RSS is available here[feed://picasaweb.google.co.uk/data/feed/base/user/alex.cvitanovic?kind=album&alt=rss&hl=en_GB&access=public]. I will definately be updating that frequently with all my photos. I have just been getting into HDR photography, so you might see some of my first HDR works on there too. 

Mid semester break was great, just got back today. tonight. 11pm. Ben and I had a very relaxing week in Port Stephens, checking out the local wildlife (birdwatching, midnight kangaroo hunting…the usual) and eating great steak. The weather was actually quite cold, but sunny, not great weather for beaches.

Thats all from me, I have to go do assessments.

[Only 46 days to conference!]

When The Saints

by Sara Groves

lord i have a heavy burden of all i’ve seen and know
it’s more than i can handle
but your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and i can’t let it go

and when i’m weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

i think of paul and silas in the prison yard
i hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

and when the Saints go marching in
i want to be one of them

lord it’s all that i can’t carry and cannot leave behind
it all can overwhelm me
but when i think of all who’ve gone before and lived a faithful life
their courage compels me

and when i’m weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

i think of paul and silas in the prison yard
i hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
i see the shepherd moses in the pharaohs court
i hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

chorus x2

i see the long quiet walk along the underground railroad
i see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
i see the young missionary and the angry spear
i see his family returning with no trace of fear
i see the long hard shadows of calcutta nights
i see the sister standing by the dying man’s side
i see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
i see the man with a passion come kicking down that door

i see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road
i see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

chorus

Okay my favourite lines in the song are the ones in bold. It just a perfect picture of the redemption. Brooke Fraser did an AMAZING version of this at colour conference, and I really hope it is on her new album (although I don’t think she would release a cover song).

Its been a while since my last post, and I promise updates coming soon (Friday at the latest) — and I promise detail!!

The house I am staying in is very nice. Its a three story, with about six bedrooms and three living areas. The backyard is MASSIVE (the area would be the same area the house takes up), and contained within one corner are in chickens. (Yes, people in the city have chooks! shock horror i know). Also, three dogs and several birds. There was once a rabbit, but it met a tragic end too explicit for wordpress (okay it ran away, but i had you going).

The house itself is located in Rouse Hill (one of those newly developed areas), about 10 minutes from Norwest where Hillsong is. There is a massive shopping centre here (its supposed to be one of the biggest in Sydney when its done). Really modern with timber glass architecture. There were heaps of security guards (i saw 5 in a 50m stretch) and I couldn’t figure out why, but later I read in the paper that there was a bomb threat there last week.

The family is wonderful. Dee and John are the parents (middle aged, very nice people) who have five kids (I think? I keep losing count) three boys aged 17, eight and six and two girls aged 16 and six.

I am missing everyone at home, especially mum and the Taylors. Mum is having her knee replacement tomorrow, Hillsong is praying for a miracle recovery.

Tomorrow I finally get to actually start studying. I can’t wait. This is it, the beginning of a change in me that will be irreversible. After years of waiting I finally get to learn bible. Im majoring in TV and media for the first year, seeing as that is where my gifting is. No telling where God will take me.

Someone is knocking on the door, better finish up (and explain to them why I had the computer in the bathroom, lol)

–Alex