Author Archive
One Hug
But this one was different.
“The men here are bad”, she’d told me a few minutes earlier during my first ever Thai massage. Leaving sons and Thailand looking for work must have been hard, ending up in a dark room in a town known for sexual exploitation must now be almost intolerable.
“The men here are bad.”
How those words cut me. Men who take. Men who oppress. Men who demand.
The extra 200 UAH cash may have been part of it, but perhaps it was the timing and intent. At the end in order to bless rather than at the beginning in order to take.
I got the feeling the room had seen more than mere massage and I felt sick.
She was a beautiful lady. Smiling, a long way from home, almost trapped and working for family far away. Who goes to Ukraine to earn money to send to Thailand?
I bet most days she felt more like a shower after a massage, but today, it was a hug. Really strong. Heartbreaking.
I pray she has more days like this, but we know it’s not likely.
Toyota GT-Four Celica Group-A #148 For Sale
She’s been my faithful friend for a long time now but I can’t keep my collection any more sadly and it’s time to consider a new home for my girl.
- ST205 Engine ‘09
- ST205 Gearbox ‘09
- ST205 ECU (yes mated to the chassis loom – not cheap) ‘09
- CT20b/ST205 Intercooler ‘09
- TRD/Excedy HD Clutch ‘10
- Full 3” Aussie Exhaust + Custom Muffler (aussie one was too noisy) ‘09
- DMS Gold 40mm Inverted Coilovers and Springs (~$3500) ‘09
- 235 Kuhmo Ecsta KU36 Tyres ‘10
- Active Intercooler Water Jets
- Gizzmo EBC II
- Windows go up automatically with alarm activation
- Crazy rare Toyota factory single-din storage thing under the stereo for coins, cards etc
- BOSE Speakers, Alpine +iPod, Custom Slimline Pioneer Sub + Amp
- Reconditioned steering rack ‘11
- New timing belt ‘11
- Noeltec front strut tops and custom bushes on the rear for the DMS
- Redline Shockproof in the Box
- Braided front brake lines
Other features from factory are:
- ABS (only available on Group-As in Aussie delivered GT-Fours)
- Air Conditioning
- Power Steering, Windows etc
A stupid amount of money has gone into this, and I’ve got a list of spares as long as my arm, including some really rare pieces, it did a 13.4 1/4 mile with heaps to spare, got top 4wd at a toymods dyno day and is just insanely fun around the twisties. Such a smooth engine. If you just do the mental maths on the parts on this car you’ll know the value. Engine has about maybe 120,000 on it from what I can tell, maybe less, it was barely used on the 1/2 cut.
Serviced religiously and frequently.. Cons are that the paint is worn on the roof and rear bumper, a little chip on the drivers door handle and the drivers seat has a fray and a few little scratches around the interior trim as expected with the age. Boot trim a little worn and dash vents lifting standard Celica stuff, wheels could be newer…
Returns about 13l/100 around town and < 10l/100 on the freeway.
Don’t buy a tired old GT-Four with a huge list of things about to break, virtually everything that can be replaced has been replaced on this car and it’s extremely reliable and smooth
I don’t want to live *for* God any more
“Dear God, help me to live for you today.”
I can’t pray this anymore.
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R6 Pictures
Hey guys hope this gives you a better look! 
Baby steps
Growing up in a conservative Baptist church in some ways reduced Jesus and grace to a mechanical transaction rather than the rich coloured masterpiece of personal encounter I perhaps subconsciously desire.
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Receiving what you already have
It’s like having a welder in the shed and having no idea how to use it.
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How Compassion ‘gets it’ in online marketing
Three clicks from inbox/facebook to donation? No emotional disconnect?
Yes, it’s possible. And it doesn’t have to be fancy. I found a perfect example today. Take a quick look at Compassion’s fantastic little series of relational, emotionally coherent, relatively low-friction steps.
1. I saw an intriguing link appear on my newsfeed.
I wanted to know who Emilda was. I was intrigued. Win #1. Curiosity and value-matched with me, their target market. I clicked. The lack of information made it more intriguing.
2. Landing page is tight, about Emilda (value focused) and very low friction.
Only eight sentences before the call to action, and these well split up between compelling imagery. The relational tone of the article further drives intimacy.
Let’s raise the money to send Emilda to Greece.
3. Donation page coherence!
I am very pleasantly surprised to see, not a generic Everest of friction to send my money off into the giant fundraising void with the vague hope it might benefit Emilda. No, instead I had a page that looked like it was specially made for Emilda.
So, I’ve gone from Facebook (though, this could easily have been an email campaign), to landing page, to donation page, with complete emotional coherency.
Take a quick look at your process and see if there’s anyways you can reduce clicks, copy and increase emotional coherence.
Amby Park Life
A quick moment with a setting sun reveals a well used John Deer tractor beside some residual wheat after a prior run with the auger.
“Dear God, help me to live for you today.”
I can’t pray this anymore.
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