"The poor will always with be with you."

... and so will our opportunity and responsiblilty to respond to them!

I was just reading the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY site and read the about the difference the $4billion Howard promised to overseas aid over the next five years, a promise he made at the UN Summit in September, will actually make. Read the pdf by clicking on the purple words "boost in aid" on the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY site.

I am somewhat baffled by Christians who use the phrase "the poor will always be with you" as a cop-out to not doing anything about poverty (spiritual, physical, emotional, etc)!

From my understanding, Jesus said that as a response to an ignorant group of people that judged a woman's worship. The Jesus I read about in the Bible was revolutionary in the fact that He modelled actually doing something about poverty: HEALING people so that they could work and earn, EXCORSING people to release them from spiritual torment, FEEDING people spiritually and physically, RAISING people from the dead physically and emotionally.

Jesus talks about the kingdom of God being like a man holding a lavish banquet and sending his servant to gather people from the streets, the waysides, the lonely and outcast places, and bringing them in to eat, be accepted and valued, to be without want.

Yes, the poor (collective) will always be here. But what about the child the dies this moment, and the one that dies in three seconds time, and the one that dies in three seconds time, from poverty, that we can do something about???

The dying art of letter writing...

This week Stephen and Steph in jest commented on the formality of a thank you letter I sent them: it "sounded like a had a chicken up my bum." I was somewhat taken aback, though amused, by the comment.

Recently I decided to uptake again, what I percieve to be, the dying art of letter writing. In a world of business and technological communication, we have lost the sense and sensibility of handwritten cards, notes and letters. We have forgotten the etiquette of writing a thank you note for a meal shared or a kind deed rendered. We have lost the significance of prioritising the time to write a letter, or make a call to a friend or family member as a sign of love, care, responsibility and friendliness.

I was brought up writing thank you letters for gifts, and writing letters to friends and relatives, most significantly for the purpose of respect: of the person and of the social "to do". Language was also very important. When I was quite young, my letters were to be written first as a draft, so I could be checked for and rehearsed in the conventions of correct grammer and language. I still take particular note of the conventions and elegant language when writing. I have set aside Monday nights to write, looking forward to writing letters of friendship and love, cards or notes of thanks, and expressing my heart to those separated from me by distance. In this I am unapologetic.

How lovely it is when we open the mail box to find a personal letter, with a handwritten address, from a relative or friend! Let me leave you with some other's thoughts on the matter...

"What cannot letters inspire? They have souls; they
can speak; they have in them all that force which expresses the transports of
the heart; they have all the fire of our passions. They can raise them as
much as if the persons themselves were present. They have all the
tenderness and delicacy of speech, and sometimes even a boldness of expresion
beyond it." Heloise To Abelard

"It is the immemorial priviledge of letter-writers to
commit to paper things they would not say: to write in a more grandiose manner
than that in which they speak: and to enlarge upon feelings which would be
passed by unnoticed in conversation." C.S. Lewis

"Something happens to our thoughts and emotions when we
put them into a letter; they are then not the same as spoken words. They
are placed in a different, special context, and they speak at a different level,
serving the soul's organ of rumination rather than the mind's capacity for
understanding." Thomas Moore

And now, I will bid you good health, and continue to take up my pen (a beautiful Venetian Murano glass ink-dipping pen my father recently brought me back from Venice) and continue on my merry writing way... adieu

This time Matt inspired me...

Matt posted a blog on Religious Barbies. This reminded me of one of my fav sites, and a chick I really want to buy.

Introducing... Feral Cheryl

"Here she is, the anti-Barbie, fresh from the rainforests of Northern New South Wales, Australia.
This 34 cm vinyl doll runs barefoot, dreadlocks her hair with coloured braids and beads, wears simple rainbow clothes, has piercings and a range of tattoos, and even a bit of natural body hair.
Feral Cheryl is modelled on the green extremists, known as ‘ferals’ from Australia.
In contrast to the ‘fashion doll’ mentality, Feral Cheryl does not have an extensive wardrobe, or high heels, or swimsuit, or gym gear, or wedding dress or cheerleader outfit. She needs no sports car or hairdressing salon, no disco stage or shopping mall.
Her motto is "Live Simply, Run Wild". Her only accessories: a bag of home grown herbs*, a sense of humour and a social conscience.Each Feral Cheryl doll is individually crafted with a variety of coloured beads, bindis and a range of tattoos, so there are no two exactly the same.

* the doll comes with a small stash of dried basil."

Isn't she fabulous!!

Semianniversary

David and I will be celebrating our semianniversary this Saturday (6 months anniversary, but anni means year, so have adopted semi make up my own word). Yeah! Should be a good day & weekend.

(All smiles)

The scariness of "inspiring" Matt

Matt Stone is such a funny man, especially when he is "inspired"... you never quite know what to expect!

Matt said my last post, When the joke is no longer funny..., "inspired" him. Check out the crazy stuff he found: Thank God these guys weren't gospel writers!

Oh Matt, you make me laugh.

When the joke is no longer funny...

In reference to Matt's comment on my posting The local vs. global challenge, that

"If cross-cultural mission is not relevent to these students its essentially an
admission that they are not relevant to our pluralist culture,"

I have to assume such students, and Christians who think like them, are responsible for the posters outside churches that are just way beyond even a joke!

This week as I have driven past a certain local church I have come across a poster that makes my stomach turn, my blood drain, my face fall... The green poster had a picture on a man reading a book with a look of sheer terror on his face and his hair on end. The caption:

"Try reading the Bible, it'll scare the hell out of you"

followed by a gentle God verse. Are you also horrified? It sounds like we read an R-rated horror novel or something. Only an insular Christian would think such a play on words witty and relevant. I would love to hear some Christian and non-Christian reactions!

IMF making poverty history...

Check out the good news on the IMF delivering the goods in the effort to make poverty history...

IMF drops poor countries' debt. 25/09/2005. ABC News Online: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1467892.htm
"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to wipe out the debt of 18 of the worlds poorest nations after rich countries bridged differences that had threatened a pact first signed in July..."

Woo hoo!

[Thanks Mel for passing on the good news]

Creation Care: A Prayer*

Creating God, you have given us a vision of a new heaven and a new earth ...
Resources conserved
Earth tended
Atmosphere cleansed
Trees planted
Injustice ended
Oceans teeming
Nations at peace

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
Alert nations, enthuse churches,
Receive our commitment and so entwine our lives with Your purpose
Earth and heaven will then sing of your glory.

Amen

*Poem found at Oikonomia, which Matt Stone found at Eco-Congregation.

The local vs global challenge

I have been increasingly frustrated at late by an attitude of many of my fellow students at college and pastors I come into contact with. Whenever cross-cultural mission becomes the topic of discussion, many instantly shut off, declaring, "That is not relevant to me, I am called to Australia."

What the???????

I am not sure if they have openned their eyes lately, but more often that not, the two neighbours on either side of their house, and those in their street, are quite likely to not be born, or have parents born, in the same country as themselves! Cross-cultural mission not relevant?

So, they are called to pastoral or congregational ministry. Does anyone in their suburb live in a different subculture to them? Does anyone speak a different language at home or dress or eat differently to them and those in their church? Cross-cultural mission not relevant?

So, they are to be a youth leader, kids' church worker, pastor, music ministry leader, home group leader, etc? Are there not people in their team that can be trained and raised up to serve cross-culturally? Are there those attending their programs that are of a different cultural or subcultural background to themselves? Cross-cultural mission not relevant?

Today, in the Mission Spot at college, compulsory to all first year, full time students, David Crowe from InterServe spoke on a such an issue as this. Yeah! David spoke about having and local and yet global view - not either/or. After some basic biblical teaching on the theology of mission, he gave a beaut example of what this means:

When one is playing a racing computer game, what you see on the screen is the steering wheel and the road ahead through the windscreen. This is the local perspective. What you are doing in the here and now. However, there is a split screen. There is also a birds-eye-view of the whole track, with your car and the other cars marked. This is the global view. This view puts your work into the frame of God's bigger picture, and helps you see and plan for other work at different points of the "track".

Having a split view of mission and ministry is so important. One cannot deny that Australia has many cultures and subcultures present. How valuable it would be for those in ministry to be trained in cross-cultural skills and stratelgies by cross-cultural workers (ie. missionaries), missiologists, cultural anthropologists, mission agencies and aid & development agencies. And should have the opportunity to visit another country on a short term trip with a mission or aid & development agency, to truly understand the issues of others around the world.

Imagine the impact, effectiveness and grace of our churches then! What is your local and global vision for life and ministry?

Springtime!

At about 6am this morning I went outside to collect my clothes from the laundry. I was instantly taken aback by the gentle sunshine filling the new day, the beautiful melody of the magpie and the tweetering of many other birds about the place...

I love Spring! It is filled glorious blooms, warming sunshine, gentle breezes, and quenching rains.

My garden is starting to come alive with colour. Some plants are proudly flowering, while other plants are shyly daring to sprout green from the winter earth. Spring seems to be such a gay festival of life, of loveliness and fun, and many eagerly seek the hotter months to come. Yet to me, Winter is the hero month...

Winter is lifeless, hopeless, dry, chilling and desolate, yet somehow, all who pass through this sobering, broken season rarely reflect on their journey as they collapse into the rest and harmony of the new season. Here is my favourite poem at the moment:

"Courage is not the towering oak
That sees storms comes and go;
It is the fragile blossom
That opens in the snow."
Alice McKenzie Swaim

May I honour all of you still in the Winter season. Treasure the journey you are on, and remember Spring is on its way!

Toward Kingdom Communities

I have been increasingly concerned about the lack of social action and social engagement in our preaching of the gospel - we seem to be only preaching half of the message (note: Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God was at hand, and now come - not merely personal, indivindualistic salvation). As I personally have been looking at the practical faith community/church ministry of mission and the role of a church in a community, I have been burdened by a constant, piercing message. I believe this is God's message for His church in Australia at the moment, and I am struggling to figure out what this means for myself, my church, and for my faith community Anything Goes.

I believe this is a two fold message, and two phrases have been repeated at the many conferences and meetings I have been attending, from international to local grassroots speakers, from the Forge National Summit to Hillsong Conference...

1. If my church shut up shop this week, would my community notice? Is the community service and life giving family that is my church, by leaving, dissolve the web that binds this community? If not, what is my church not doing?

2. Revival. NOT revival as traditionally seen: movements of pray or singing, etc. But revival to God's intention of church: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, providing family for the lonely, giving hope to the hopeless, binding broken hearts, offering God's mercy, grace and salvation, etc.

As I said, I am stumbling over what that means practically for me and my church. This morning in my Church History B class at Morling College we looked at what the definition of evangelical was. Author David Bebbington penned four features:
1. conversion (experience new birth)
2. the Bible as the sole authority for all faith and practise
3. activism (social engagement)
4. crucicentrism: atonement, the cross as substitutionary
We looked at how over the last 400 years the balance of these has not always been in equilibrium, with the activism one often being the one that disappears. How can this be if the other three are taken so seriously? They all point to such, do they not?

Coming up is an event that touches on such issues. It explores the practical question:

"How does my church connect relationally with those in need in our community without marginalising its own congregation?"

The event is called Toward Kingdom Communities, October 24, speakers are Dave Andrews and Alan Hirsch. For those interested, contact organiser Elizabeth Gorham pr@bcs.org.au

Make Poverty History

This Saturday Sept 10 is White Band Day for the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and Micah Challenge campaignes, seeking our government to take seriously the Millenium Development Goals they signed to half global poverty by 2015.

Check out these sites for more details: www.makepovertyhistory.com.au and micahchallenge.org.au