Moved Mountains

New Blog - Caught

2009-04-17T13:48:00.003+09:00

I've decided to start afresh with a new blog - focussing mostly on my/our involvement in the community development (missional) side of things.

I've signed up with Missional Tribe and that's where you'll find me from now on, if your interested.

The address is: http://caught.missionaltribe.org

Hope to see you there.

Andrew

Eclectic

2009-02-12T19:14:00.002+09:00

I've been enjoying Snow Patrol's new CD - A Hundred Million Suns - over the last few weeks. My taste in music is varied. I like hard rock - was once in a pub band that played hard rock, and I still enjoy AC-DC, P.O.D., Creed and other heavier bands. But I also enjoy other stuff. The John Butler Trio is good, I'm a Crowded House fan from way back (was really upset by Paul Hester's untimely death). I enjoy blues and get into a bit of BB King and John Lee Hooker and recently have been listening to a new, young UK artist called Newton Faulkner with the album Hand Built by Robots.

But there is definitely something about Snow Patrol that keeps me coming back for more. The first album I bought was Chasing Cars. The palpable yearning that exuded from the lyrics hooked me. I don't know any of their earlier music, but their latest album, while very different to Chasing Cars, has grabbed me in a similar way. Lightbody's lyrics are poetry. He captures something of the human condition in a way that is rare.

A great new collective of EMC church types has hit the netwaves in the form of Missional Tribe. This place has an amazing collection of blogs from many of the well known, and not-so-well known missional practitioners and commentators. It's fantastic to have such a rich resource so readily available and I fully recommend checking it out and, signing up and setting up your blog.

Within a day of joining I had Frank Viola send me a "friend request"!

Lastly, you should check out Hamo's latest post. It is a quote from Eugene Petersen on the mistake of falling into the trap of believing the mission of God is immediate in its effect.

Finshing up in paid church work

2009-02-07T18:49:00.004+09:00

Tomorrow will mark the last time I speak at Binningup Beach Christian Fellowship in my paid role as the churches "pastoral worker". I accepted an offer to work with the City of Bunbury as their youth development officer earlier in the week.

I had already resigned from the church but was not due to finish up until April, so this has brought the finish forward a bit. The new position is full time and involves the development in implementation of youth focussed programs and projects for the City. I'm excited about starting, and also a little nervous.

I'm also a bit nervous about finishing up with the church. I've been working for the church for 4 years now -3 in a paid capacity. I feel like I have invested a lot of emotion and time into this community of Christians and while in some ways its difficult to let go and move on, I am also looking forward to a change of scenery, away from some of the restrictions and difficulties of church work.

Alternate[Or] Community continues to be a focus for Alyssa and I. We both envisage this taking over as our primary "church" from now on. Although we will still maintain ties with Binningup and will be holding a house meeting here around once a month which we hope, one day, might turn into something more regular in the town.

Becoming

2009-01-28T11:03:00.005+09:00

When I first starting working for the Binningup church I had a few goals. One of them was to catalyse a movement of the church away from the fringes of the local community in both the minds of the members and the community itself.

Back in 2005 we published a flyer with information on the church. Yep, the thinking behind was probably a little more attractional in focus than we would like to admit now, but it included the slogan "A part of your community". This was the first outward expression of this goal. Even though the majority of the members and most of the leadership at the time had no idea how that would work.

The front of our original brochure

This week I feel like that goal has been achieved, that the church has corporately managed the move from an irrelevant institution to an active (and even proactive) member of the town.

Around 3 weeks ago the church was asked by a community group (one that in the past has been quite openly antagonistic towards the church) to organise the Australia Day Breakfast for the town. What eventuated was a coming together of 4 different community groups in a great effort to serve and raise funds for the community.

The church was joined by members of the Surf Club, the Watersports Club, the Tennis Club (and some of the Alternate[Or] Crew from Bunbury to fill a few gaps) in setting up, serving and making the breakfast happen. More than 200 people turned up and well over $1000 dollars was raised to put towards cricket practice nets and new tennis courts for the town.

The community in action at the 2009 Aussie Day BBQ

While there will always be those who will want the church to stay on the fringe, for the most part things are changing and the church is now really begining to be seen as a part of the local community, caring about many of the same things the rest of the community cares about and wanting to make a real difference in the town in positive ways.

Way back in 2005 when I first started talking about this kind of thing, someone called me an idealist. Well, maybe I am, but I think this is proof that having ideals isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Are our attitudes to alcohol killing our kids?

2009-01-20T16:26:00.002+09:00

The West Australian Newspaper published the results of a joint study between the paper and HBF (a health insurance organisation) in WA where more than 650 people between the ages of 15 and 30 were questioned on their attitudes toward alcohol, drugs and binge drinking.

76% of those polled admitted to regularly binge drinking*.

This afternoon (after reading the survey results in the paper) I was told a 16 year old boy died on the weekend after "sculling" (rapidly consuming) a bottle of whisky on Saturday night. This boy was a part of the extended network of young people we work with through Alternat[Or] and his death has hit hard. But not hard enough to change young peoples drinking habits.

Our attitude to alcohol is killing our kids.

This is something we need to take incredibly seriously.

Through my work professionally, and informally, in working with, mentoring and diverting young people involved in problem drug and alcohol use, I have found the number one most effective way of achieving positive change is via meaningful, genuine, ongoing relationship.

I have seen many young people completely change their attitudes and behaviour to drug and alcohol use through an ongoing process of engagement and mentoring/discipleship.

Unfortunately, there are not many of us willing to invite young people into our lives, and even fewer willing to critically assess their own liberty - their own social use of drugs - and they way it impinges on the development of the next generation of Australian adults.

What are you prepared to do? What are your answers and/or experiences in dealing with the cultural of heavy drinking that exists in our society?

*Just a quick disclaimer! I'm working from memory. If this isn't the exact figure, it's pretty bloody close. I can't find the results online and don't have a copy of the paper as I read it while having a cuppa in the cafe this morning.

God's still in the hot seat on UK buses

2009-01-19T11:31:00.003+09:00

English blogger, Chris Goan, posted this yesterday on the current atheist advertising campaign on UK buses. I posted on this back in October last year, when the campaign was first announced.

Chris draws a couple of interesting conclusions at the end of his post, including pointing out the unfortunate way aspects of Britain's evangelical right seem to be dealing with it - adding fuel to the atheist's fire in the process. Chris also links to an interesting story on the BBC website about a Christian bus driver who refused to drive the buses featuring the atheist'
s bill boards.

I wonder how long it will be before the same campaign is run somewhere in Australia? How would you react if it did run in your home town? Should Christian's hold the monopoly on use of the media for evangelistic purposes?

Picture nicked from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7832647.stm

Israel, the innocent victim?

2009-01-14T21:15:00.004+09:00

Those with a Facebook account, check out this photo album from Michael Prysner.

Hamas are in the wrong. They should not be firing rockets into Israel or attempting to provoke war. But, Israel is so, so incredibly wrong in retaliating in the way they have. So much devastation, so many deaths. The cycle of violence and hatred is perpetuated.

I can not even begin to understand the blind, biased attitude of those who support Israel in this action. Look at these photographs and then tell me that Israel is doing God's will!

Not feeling guilty?

2009-01-14T08:33:00.001+09:00

These videos will soon change that!

And

Thanks to Blind Beggar

New Moves in Mission

2009-01-12T10:15:00.003+09:00

Yesterday arvo Alternate[Or] met for the first time in 2009. We are changing the way we are doing things a little this year.

Last year we met on Thursday afternoons in an office in Bunbury. This was ok, and meant that we were easily accessible to some of the younger crew we are involved with, but it also meant that, for those of us with families (which was just Lyss and I for most of the year) we couldn't all meet together regularly at the same time and with the kids.

This year we have a new family, with kids (yeah!) joining us and so we are moving things around a bit. We will now be meeting alternate Sunday afternoons in team members homes. The format is going to be similar to our Thursday arvo gatherings, but we are also going to share some tucker and incorporate communion into this.

Social Sunday's will continue every second Sunday as a purely endeavour and as a means of introducing people to our community and offering support and engagement in healthy aspects of community for those on we are invloved with, the youth and some of the families that are now starting to join us for our fortnightly BBQs.

"Action" continues to be an important part of our community and we will kick off the year in this regard on Australia Day. We have volunteered to help out Binningup Beach Christian Fellowship (where I am currently employed in a pastoral role) cook and dish out the Aussie Day breakfast for the town. Should be fun with anywhere between 150 and 250 people expected to attend!

The mentoring I've been doing for the past 18 months or so will also continue, although a number of the young blokes I have been involved with have found their feet and are working and doing ok at the moment. This will change the way this side of things operates, with less of the street work and probably more time spent socially. Although there are still a couple of guys needing ongoing support and advocacy with court cases coming up, and with alcohol and drug issues, trying to get straight and find work.

So that, I think, has most of our bases, as a Community Development/Urban Mission project covered. Here's to what should be an interesting and, hopefully, fruitful year!

New African Self Help Group Video

2009-01-07T21:38:00.003+09:00

I've just uploaded a new mini-doc showcasing Day 4 Community Aid & Development Inc's Self Help Group networks in Rwanda.

These groups are amazing in what they achieve for their members. We are trying to replicate these networks and the sustainable business projects that have come out of our experiences with these networks elsewhere in Africa (we are currently working with a community in Bungoma, Kenya and in Kampala Uganda on similar development projects).

So, check out the video!

The future of the "established" church

2008-12-28T18:58:00.003+09:00

I haven't posted directly on this topic for quite a while. There have been a number of reasons for this. In one sense it has all been a little too close to home. I am employed by a local church with a traditional, denominational history, and I began to see that many of my posts on this subject where just a little too close to home. I also have been trying to sort through my own convictions and the motivation behind them.

But I was asked the question again today, "what do I see as the future of the church?" And so I thought I would think "out loud" and post some of my thoughts here.

In a nutshell, I think the established church is dying. Not dead yet, but well on its way.

The main indicators of church's demise, as I see them, come from the church's role in contemporary culture - Christianity is increasingly becoming marginalised and established, traditional-denominational expressions of church now exist on the fringe of the local (and increasingly secular) community.

Community action for most churches involves marketing of religious goods and services (handing out balloons with the church's website address on it in the local shopping centre for instance) to a shrinking sympathetic demographic, in forms borrowed from and perfected by MacDonald's and Coke et al. Social action comes with press releases and self aggrandisement.

Even though all these things point towards the death of the established church in its current incarnation, I don't necessarily think the local church has to die. I think there is a hope of rebirth. But it means change. It means converting from business-inspired marketing, to Jesus inspired living. It means reconsidering leadership models and practice, it means reconsidering the role of the church and what it means to be the church in and for our world. It means understanding that being missional has very little to do with going on an overseas mission trip, planning an "outreach" event in your suburb, or participating in the next you-beaut mass media evangelistic project.

Despite the whining of some local church pastors that EMC practitioners or commentators don't have a right to comment on the local church, I think it is important to point out that most of the criticisms being leveled at the established church are coming from people with extensive experience within established, traditional-denominational, settings. They aren't people standing on the outside, looking in and pointing fingers.

But change isn't easy, and in most places is almost impossible. If the leadership isn't in the picture it's unlikely the church will adapt - those members who want to see things change will eventually leave when it simply becomes to hard to keep working within a structure in which they don't fit. If the members don't see the need to do things differently, then leadership will find it very hard to make things move. So, I think we are probably about a generation away from the large-scale demise of the local church in its current form. Those that come to grips with the changing environment and adapt accordingly will make it (it's going to be tough!), those that just keep on doing what they've always done (or at least what Hillsong or Saddleback or whatever whoever is the flavour of the month this month did!) will go the way of the dinosaur.

This isn't a simple subject (you've seen the number of books on the topic!), but it's a subject worth getting real about. This involves established churches taking a serious look at themselves and being willing to take the pruners to the dead wood while putting "history and tradition" to one side for the sake of the future. It also involves proponents of the EMC being willing to build bridges into established churches wanting to make changes, recognising the role that does exist in the neighbourhood of the future for long-established (yet significantly modified) expressions of church.

If you're wondering if you're church is really missional - check out this post from Brackish Faith and this post from newly commissioned "Senior Pastor", Hamo, at Backyard Missionary.

Christmas Spider

2008-12-25T10:35:00.005+09:00

I found this little beauty with a brood of youngsters (several hundred) in the shed this morning. The off-white bits of fluff around it are it's egg sacks. I should have photographed it with a coin to show the size, it was about the size of an Australian 5 cent bit.

For the uniformed (or the un-Australian) it is a redback spider, probably the most venomous spider we have in WA and one of the most venomous in the world.

In its nest I also found the mummified remains of a 7 or 8 cm long 4 toed skink - left overs of a rather hearty spider meal!

We seem to have a lot of spiders around here - wolf spiders and daddy long legs are the most common. After nearly 16 years together Alyssa is finally giving up on getting me to kill or remove these little lovelies. They are great natural insecticides and help keep the mossies under control in summer.

My general rule with the redback is, if they are not around where the kids play then they get to live. Otherwise they are just too dangerous - a small one can easily kill a child of Ashleigh's age with one bite. One this size could probably even make an adult critically ill. Unfortunately I had to dispatch this one and it's babies to spiders heaven. Not worth the risk to the kids or the dog.

Anyway, from the Rigg family (and their spiders), Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Benediction

2008-12-24T15:05:00.001+09:00

A Franciscan Benediction:

May God bless you with discomfort,
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger,
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

My God bless you with tears,
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their
pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

From - http://www.toddhiestand.com/a-christmas-benediction/12/

A Christmas Thought

2008-12-23T13:10:00.004+09:00

A few years ago, as I planned a Christmas Eve message, it struck me how we tend to want to leave Jesus, as a baby, in the manger at Christmas, and then jump forward to Easter and fix him as a thirty-something man to the cross, while forgetting about the life he lived in between these two, important, events.

Even when we describe the gospel we tend to still focus on the nativity and the crucifixion. So often I hear the gospel described in too-simple terms as the Father sending the Son to die for us. Of course, this is true, but it is not the whole truth.

Jesus did enter time and space as a baby. But he didn't stay that way. He grew into an adult and he lived a life that serves as an example to those who claim to follow him, today.

In this light then, Christmas is not so much about the "Christchild" as it is about the incarnation. About a life that was lived among humans as an example for humans of the way God intends us to live.

Instead of thinking and talking about a baby in a manger this Christmas, I am going to be concentrating on celebrating the life that was lived (the gospel in its fullness) between the manger and the cross.

Saving Christians

2008-12-08T21:48:00.002+09:00

I finished reading Rob Bell and Don Golden's book "Jesus wants to save Christians" about a week ago. It takes, what the authors call, a new exodus perspective on the biblical story. In a nutshell this means the first exodus forms a basis for understanding the mission and ministry of Jesus - a mission that had firmly in its sights the alleviation of the suffering and the hardship of the least. Of those enslaved.

The New Exodus is one perspective, taken from the side of the weak and marginal and the God who cares about them. We're interested in the big story because that's what the Bible is—a story that unfolds across history. Who are the major characters, what's the plot, how do we take part in it? Perhaps this is why Jesus can be hard to understand. It’s hard to understand the later parts if you haven't been brought up to speed on where the story has been so far*.

I'm a fan of Rob's and read this book hot on the heels of his other new book, "Sex God", and found it drew together many of the themes concerning kingdom and gospel and the link between being the body of Christ and caring for the least in our world - in other words, social justice.

I recommend it as an easy, introductory read on what is really quite a deep subject.

Here's an interview with Rob from Relevent Magazine, in which he discusses the book. Out of Ur also posted a 2 part review of the book which you can read HERE (Pt 1.) and HERE (Pt 2).

*Bell - Online: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7569

Understanding love

2008-12-08T14:39:00.004+09:00

Surely, exiles need to recover a more biblical understanding of the nature of Christian love for God. If loving God is not just about singing love songs, what more is involved ... Love, then, in the Christian framework, is an action. It is a verb, not a noun. To love is to do something for others, not neccessarily to feel something for them. It is to desire their spiritual growth, so that they might blossom and grow and become everything that God intended them to be in the first place. And, interestingly, this is also how we love God, by serving God's creation.

This is not to suggest that there won't be feelings attached to our love of God and others. (Exiles, Frost, M. pp. 308, 310)

Rwandan child choir to perform at UN

2008-12-08T09:30:00.004+09:00

The message of Forgiveness coming from the mouth of babes! These young orphans and vulnerable children from the beautiful country of Rwanda in Africa between the ages of 11 to 18 years of age will delight and inspire their audiences in song, drumming and dancing! December 2008, USA – In December, a group of Rwandan children will arrive in the U.S. as young cultural and peace ambassadors to take audiences on a journey into the lives of the Rwandan people through music, dance, costumes and drumming. They are known as the MIZERO Children of Rwanda which in Kinyarwanda, the language of their home land, means "HOPE." MIZERO EPK video

While many organizations are helping Rwanda recover from the 1994 genocide, few have addressed the issue of cultural brokenness. "My vision for MIZERO is to build, bring and to spread hope to Rwandan children through our vibrant music and dance traditions. It is my goal to mentor them to help them discover the power of forgiveness as I have, to help these young ones grow up free from hatred, bitterness and the spirit of revenge. This use of the arts combined with the message of forgiveness can help these children heal their wounds from the past and put a stop to violence and any future genocide through this next generation of young leaders" says MIZERO founder and CEO, Jean Paul Samputu

The UN has declared the year 2009 as the Year of Reconciliation. Samputu and MIZERO have embarked on an impassioned 2009 schedule filled with activities that focus on 'Forgiveness as a Step to Reconciliation'. This includes the 'Forgiveness Tour', various conferences and concerts, and global conferences called 'Gathering of Forgiveness: A Step to Reconciliation'to be held in
Rwanda in February and July which will also commemorate the 15^th year of the Rwandan genocide.

This inspirational tour's highlight will be the children's performance at the UN at theGlobal South-South Development Expo, in conjunction with the Fifth United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation on Dec. 19^th http://ssc.undp.org. They have been invited to perform at the conference: Advancing Cooperation between the United Nations and World's Religion. which will take place in New York on December 16^th 2008 at UNICEF Labouisse Hall. In addition, the MIZERO children are looking forward to exchanging with children from various schools in the Greenwich, Connecticut area. They will be 'jamming' with the Djole Drum and Dance Company from South Carolina who will be making a special trip to New York City to meet with the MIZERO children. The MIZERO children will experience Christmas with the gracious hosts from Foxhill Bruderhof Community in Walden, NY.

The MIZERO foundation welcomes financial donations, donation of Christmas gifts for the children, or if you can make available a van or bus for transportation needs while in NY and the tri-state area. If your group, organization or church would like information about having the children perform at your event, anytime from December 27^th through to January 23^rd, please contact us at (438) 275-5147 or (828) 507-1848 or email us at mizerofoundation@gmail.com MIZERO Children of Rwanda believes that through music and arts, youth receive self-confidence, life skills and creative expression to help them heal and go forward. These children are sharing their gift of music and performance while raising awareness about the 1 million other orphans of Rwanda.

Congo Appeal - Every cent helps

2008-11-30T19:44:00.003+09:00

Day 4 Community Aid & Development Inc. have just launched an appeal to raise funds for the purchase of food, blankets and clothing for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Goma, north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

They are working in with a local church organisation recommended by Claude Nikondeha of Amahoro Africa.

The appeal is only running for a short time - the aid is required urgently so we are trying to raise as much as we can by the 15th of December.

No matter where you are in the world, you can donate online via Day 4's secure credit card gateway - http://www.day4.org.au/donate.htm.

If you are in Australia, please contact me (Andrew) via the Day 4 website and I can give you bank account details for direct deposits into our account.

If you do use the credit card gateway, please make sure you put "Congo" in the "Order or Item Number" field.

We also have flyers which I can email to you if you are willing to advocate for this appeal within your faith community, workplace or among family and friends.

Thanks in anticipation of your prayers and support.

Questions for Brian

2008-11-24T11:27:00.004+09:00

When I first started exploring what the Emerging Church really was all about, one of the first figures I came across was Brian McLaren. He appeared as a much debated, controversial and rather enigmatic figure that I found difficult to draw any hard conclusions about.

Most of the stuff I read on the net about Brian was polarised. People seemed to love him and lift him up in an apostolic manner, or hate him; demonising him and branding him a heretic.

Since I first raised my questions on this blog about Brian almost 2 years ago to the day, I have had the opportunity to read several of his books and the privilege of meeting him and hearing him speak on several occasions. I even spent 3 days sitting next to him at a conference in Uganda last year.

Between the polemics offered by those who adore and those who demonise, I have found a man who is inspiring, unassuming and deeply committed to drawing others into a life centred on and lived out of the way of Jesus Christ.

Brian's two most recent books - Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change have probably had the greatest influence on me, inspiring me to take seriously the way I live my life as a follower of Christ.

In an article published on the Christianity Today website back in September, Scott McKnight looks at some of the central themes of McLaren's work and the way in which they've influenced the emerging/emergent movement and challenged the standard, two dimensional evangelical understanding of the gospel and in particular Jesus' own emphasis on the kingdom of God.

McLaren tells us that he could only see this kingdom vision of Jesus when he came to a "place of cynically doubting much of what I had been told about Jesus." To use the words of fellow emergent thinker Peter Rollins, the Northern Irish philosopher at Ikon community, McLaren experienced the "fidelity of betrayal." He had to betray the Jesus and the gospel and the church that nurtured him to become faithful to the Jesus of this kingdom vision.

But rather than simply critique the positive aspects of McLaren's influence, he goes further and poses, what he says, are some necessary questions.

McLaren grew up among evangelicals; we'd like him to show the generosity he is known for to those who ask theological questions of him. The spirit of conversation that drives much of his own pastoral work urges each of us to answer the questions we are asked, and the Bible encourages those who ask those questions to listen patiently and to respond graciously. The lack of the latter has so far inhibited the former. This can be taken as a plea on behalf of all concerned to enter into a more robust, honest conversation.

McKnights questions for McLaren centre on his (McLaren's) theology of the cross - which, according to McKnight, is nowhere near broad enough; And the relationship between the kingdom and the church - while McLaren has dealt extensively with the kingdom, he has not gone far enough, says McKnight, in thoroughly defining the kingdom and in describing or developing an appropriate ecclesiology.

The whole things is well worth a read - McKnight gives a good overview of both the books in question as well as providing something for the fans, and detractors, of McLaren to think about. Hopefully, if he hasn't already, Brian will also respond.

Child Slavery - Still no action from the chocolate makers

2008-11-21T18:40:00.004+09:00

Back in March I posted on an "action opportunity" a few of us from Alternate[Or] Community in Bunbury were involved in - helping raise public awareness of the child cocoa slaves in West Africa.

We ended up with around 80 letters urging action from the big chocolate manufacturers, signed by Easter shoppers at one of Bunbury's main shopping centres.

Yesterday, World Vision, which is behind the "Don't Trade Lives" campaign, released a new video on YouTube, calling the big chocolate manufacturers to get their act together and put a stop to the use of slave labour in cocoa farming in West Africa.

Mark Newnham from World Vision said yesterday; "The chocolate industry has repeatedly failed to adequately tackle labour exploitation in West African cocoa fields... bubbles of nothing. Big Chocolate, just say YES and stop using child labour in cocoa production."

You can find out more about the unconscionable actions of the chocolate manufacturers at www.donttradelives.com.au, there is also an online petition and ideas for action that can be taken to help raise awareness of slavery on "Abolish Slavery" day of action on the 2nd of December.

Doh

2008-11-19T16:57:00.003+09:00

I've been running my little "tent making" business (doing basic software fix-ups and troubleshooting computers with problems) for around 3 weeks now. Generally it's been going well.

On average I've been getting about 2 or 3 jobs a week, which is about the level I had hoped for.

Today, though, I met my first hiccup. I was checking out a laptop computer that had been malfunctioning. I disabled the usual dozen or so nuisance start-up processes - all the software that runs unnecessarily when you first boot up your computer, slowing everything down- and did a re-start. That's where the trouble started.

The computer proceeded to log on to Windows, showing the desktop wallpaper and then, automatically, log itself off. I tried booting into Safe Mode, booting from a Windows boot disk and everything else I could think of, all to no avail.

So I fessed up. I told the customer what had happened and that I was unable to go any further with fixing the problem. As the problem I was now experiencing was similar to that experienced by the customer in the first place (the machine sporadically shutting itself down) I thought it could be related.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I now have one, extremely dissatisfied customer (fair enough too!) who has opted to take their computer elsewhere. I've spent the last two hours researching the problem on the net and think I have found an answer. I've also spent the last two hours ruminating over the fact that I think, I caused the problem in the first place!

In the end I called the customer back and told them what I thought had happened. At least that way they can pass this on to the new guy and he can, hopefully, go straight to the root of this most recent problem and rectify it. I also offered to cover whatever it costs to rectify this issue, if indeed it was I who caused it in the first place.

Sometimes I think I should have concentrated more on finding work marrying and burying people - much easier in the long term.

Christians live no differently to non-Christians

2008-11-19T10:18:00.003+09:00

Rick Meigs has posted another challenging gem.

His claim, based on the research of the Barna Institute, is that;

Simple observation confirmed by numerous studies have found that how American Christians live and their basic beliefs about life are no different than those of the non-Christians.

He says the majority of American Christians operate out of the credo - "live your life, share your faith", but contends the missional imperative is to "live your faith, share your life".

I think the Australian church is in pretty much the same place.

You can read the whole thing HERE.

Congo Trouble

2008-11-19T10:04:00.004+09:00

The situation in the Congo is desperate for thousands of people now flooding the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in and around the city of Goma in the north east of the country (the North Kivu region).

I have managed to make contact, through Claude Nikondeha of Amahoro Africa, with a church in Goma that is dealing directly with the thousands of people (including many children separated from their families and at the mercy of unscrupulous predators). I am currently working with my colleagues in Rwanda to find a way of getting humanitarian aid (blankets, clothing and food) accross the border into Goma and will post more details of this, and ways you can help support this effort, in the very near future.

In the meantime, and as you read the excerpts from my communication with a Congolese pastor, please continue to pray for the situation and those affected.

Dear Andrew,

Shalom from Goma. How encouraging and how good to be in the family of God's people! ... Your email is a relief in itself. It gives me joy to serve our IDPs who come desperately from the fighting areas. Praised be the name of our living and comforting God. We are fine in the Lord, my family and I. We are in the town of Goma even though the threat is big, the Lord has assured us of His presence and protection.

We are safe and serving our people in the town of Goma and around Goma. We are doing the little He enables us to do. Some times we feel discouraged, sometimes you find low spiritually when you see Innocent people, created at God's image suffer such a kind of injustice. But yours prayers have lifted us.

... since the first day, our church have been active in active ministry to the IDPs. We are collecting clothes, food for them and then our church building and schools hosted them. In the day they are outside... But with time we have been overwhelmed as the war continues to take other dimensions. For hospitality sake many are hosted in families

As a church, we are using our church medical centers to care for them when they are sick. As a church we are also involved in trauma healing and peace building especially at this time when hatred can arouse from the hurting innocent people. My church has appointed a Crisis committee at this time and I am heading the committee. We meet every day to see what is happening and what is needed to be done and where. Pray for us.

The problem we are facing is that all the supplies are becoming expensive that almost all the families are suffering the consequences because rebels have cut Goma from most of the centers we get most of the items from.The needs are as follows: Food, medecines, blankets, clothes.

As for us as a family, it is only food that we need.

But above all, pray for us, for the country, for the international community that seems for close the eye on what is happening in East Congo. The just judge will bring justice and light to this suffering. Send messages of courage and comfort. We need them

I love you even though we have never met. I also bless you. Shalom. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow

Yours in His love

More soon.

Community Transformation

2008-11-17T10:10:00.004+09:00

Rick Meigs shares another example of community transformation over at Blind Beggar.

It never ceases to astound me how limitless the opportunities seem for making a difference and creating something of genuine community in the community.

Have a read here.

TV and Happiness

2008-11-16T12:10:00.005+09:00

Livescience.com have reported the findings of a recent study into happiness and have found that unhappy people watch more tv, on average, than happy people.

While happy people reported watching an average of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after taking into account education, income, age and marital status.

In addition, happy individuals were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read a newspaper more often than their less-chipper counterparts.

The researchers aren't sure though which comes first, the unhappiness or the TV watching.

Justice and "Justice"

2008-11-13T19:58:00.003+09:00

Over the last 20 years I've spent a lot of times in courthouses.

The first few times I went to court because of things I had done. More recently I have been there in support of others. In between I spent time at court as a journalist and a news cameraman. I was even once assaulted at court, resulting in a fractured knee cap.

I have a pretty good understanding of the mechanics of court. I know when to bow. I know not to leave my sunglasses on my head, and to turn my mobile phone off. I once saw a lawyer throw his pager across the court room when he forgot to turn it off and some one paged him. The judge had already cautioned him once about leaving it on. His response seemed a little extreme, but the judge saw the funny side of it.

I have been asked to advocate for clients before the court and even mediated a few disputes at the request of the court.

I have come to see that justice, real justice, the kind of justice that leaves you feeling like a wrong has been properly put right, is often missing from the justice system.

A parent looses access to their children because their former spouse is prepared to lie and they are not.

A homeless man is sent to prison because he spent a few nights in an unoccupied house, trying to get out of the cold and the rain.

A child abuser is set free because the person he abused is unable to face him in court and because his family, out of misplaced loyalty, are prepared to lie for him.

A 14 year old boy, charged with a minor stealing offence, is sent to prison because his family refuses to cover his bail and he ends up getting gang raped while inside.

Yesterday I attended court again with a dear friend who is trying to do something I too often take for granted; have a relationship with his children.

He can't afford a lawyer and so represents himself. His former partner has a lawyer who is prepared to sprout his clients lies as if they are facts. To denigrate a man who has spent the last 10 years just trying to be the best dad he can be.

As I listen, everything in me wants to scream out "this is not justice!". When I hear the lies - blatant lies that fly in the face of things that I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears - I want to grab the lawyer and shake him and ask him "what are you doing? Why do you so want to damage this man? What has he ever done to you?"

As we leave the courtroom, I wait by the door for the lawyer to exit. There are so many things I want to say to him.

Maybe it's not as clear cut as it seems right at this moment, maybe he's just doing his job.

As he emerges I call across the room to him, "My friend ..." He looks up at me with a smile, "You make a mockery of the notion of justice!" His smile rapidly vanishes and the colour drains from his face. He turns quickly on his heal and walks away from me.

He's just a man after all. I find myself feeling a little sorry for him. I think I scared him. I wonder what lurks in his past. What pain he has suffered, what kind of relationship he had with his father. Whether he has ever experienced true justice. Where a wrong has been made right.

I wonder if true justice can only ever come about through omnipotence. Maybe this is why God reminds us that, at the end of the day, vengeance is his domain while loving our enemies is ours.

Trouble in the Congo

2008-11-09T19:08:00.005+09:00

I am finding myself troubled by the current situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Around 18 months ago I visited the border town of Gisyeni/Goma in north western Rwanda/north eastern Congo. We met with a delegation of around 20 Congolese pastors and church leaders who travelled from their villages and from Goma, across the border into Rwanda, simply to greet us and to pray with us. It was quite a moving experience.

We didn't share their language and interpreting was difficult. I was asked to pray for them, which I did - I don't know if they understood the words. Some of them then prayed for us. They didn't ask us for anything, except to remember them.

We spent a few more minutes together, shaking hands and exchanging hugs before they gathered their things and disappeared back over the border into the DRC.

I do remember them. I find myself wondering what their lives are like right now. How the fighting is impacting them and the people they serve. I wonder if any of them have been killed.

I feel, right now, that I would like very much for us (through Day 4) to be able to do something but I know that, in reality, there is little good that we can achieve. We're too small and fundraising has been incredibly slow this year. But we can pray. I also promised those Congolese pastors I would remember them, and I would ask you to look closely at their faces (you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it) and remember them before God too.

Walking in the sand

2008-11-09T18:47:00.003+09:00

Lyss and I have started using daylight savings to our advantage and, instead of walking around the streets in the evening, have taken to walking up the beach.

On Friday we walked about 4km. Today we walked 6. Ashleigh (6) and Luke (9) decided to walk with us. At first both Lyss and I were a little annoyed. We were hoping for some "alone" time. But in the end it was nice to enjoy the world-away-from-people with the kids.

One of the best things about living in Binningup is that within a few minutes of walking you can be completely alone without a man made thing in sight. Just the ocean, and the dunes, and the birds.

Lyss says the ocean reminds her of God. It reminds me of God too, but it also reminds me of the 10 days I spent sailing on the STS Leeuwin when I was 19. I was a young addict and the 10 days without my drugs, (except for smoking which was allowed then) crewing a tall ship, was an exhilarating experience.

On certain days, when the ocean is wind blown and the swells are large and messy, it brings back vivid memories of riding massive swells beneath the grey skies of the Southern Ocean on the three masted barque.

Today they kids found the dried skeleton of a seahorse, and a starfish in a similar state. They also collected bright orange sponges and speculated about the predominance of the colour red in the oceanic things we saw washed on the shore. "Perhaps", said Luke, "it's because of blood".

Before turning home we paused to worship God and reflect on the beauty of his creation. The kids thanked him for the ocean and the sand and the way in which we can enjoy it together as a family. Ashleigh asked if we could sing "Amazing Grace" for the dead starfish. So we did.

The love of the Father

2008-11-01T18:58:00.002+09:00

The innermost desires of man
Do naught compare to the love of God
As He reaches out to touch the wayward life
Of one who would call on Him
The love of a Father that wells within at the very sound of the voice of His child
Calling, asking, loving, yet so frailly
The love of a Father that would see all so clearly
Yet as if blinded by pride refuses to condemn

Bali Bombers Execution

2008-10-24T12:41:00.002+09:00

As a follower of Jesus Christ I am oposed to the death penalty. As a follower of Jesus Christ I am opposed to the execution of the "Bali Bombers".

If you agree, pass it on.

Amahoro Africa Video

2008-10-22T16:34:00.003+09:00

Tim Keel has posted a video about this years Amahoro Africa Gathering in Kigali, Rwanda. I have had the privilege of participating in the last two Gatherings and also hope to be at the third, to be held in Johannesburg in South Africa, next year.

If you're from Australia and interested in attending (and perhaps participating in a field trip to Rwanda as well) please contact me or visit the Day 4 Community Aid & Development Inc. website for more information.

Amahoro Africa from Andy Michael on Vimeo.

Unfortunately we didn't get a spot on the video! But Fuzz Kitto, a fellow Antipodean, did a pretty good job of representing the Great South Land.

Poverty in a sea of affluence

2008-10-22T10:48:00.004+09:00

Considering my last post dealt with the collosial amount of money both Christian and humanist organisations are seemingly willing to throw away on advertising I thought this story may present a contrast for consideration.

While finishing off a good feed at our fortnightly Alternate[Or] BBQ at the Jetty Baths in Bunbury, smack bang in the middle of the towns most upmarket, water front suburb, we were confronted with a heartbreaking scene.

A man, in his mid 20s, dressed in unwashed clothes and barefooted, walked into the park and made his way among the well dressed families and couples lounging around, enjoying their bbq dinners and sipping their wine and boutique beer. He made his way from rubbish bin to rubbish bin, looking for left over food he could take with him. He didn't waste much time. He was methodical in his approach and disappeared into the bushes almost as quickly as he had appeared.

I was left thinking about the contrast this guy, and his life, presented as he made his way among the manicured garden beds in the shadow of million dollar mansions. I thought about the leftovers we had in our esky and started to chase after him with the goal of offering him our food but wasn't quick enough and thought better of making a scene and embaressing him.

I think in future we might try and do something (low key, don't want to embarress anyone) with the food we have left. One of the purposes of our fortnightly social is to provide a way for some of the young single (and homeless) guys we are involved with to get a decent feed. Even in doing this we often have a fair bit left over.

So my question to you is, and I'm looking for inspiration, how do you serve the least in your area? How do you go about reaching out to people like this guy, without strings or church centred expectations?

And, what do you think about a church culture that will raise 100's of thousands of dollars for high profile, event and media based "evangelistic" activities while not directly addressing the needs of the "least of these" living in their own backyards?

Leaving God on the bus

2008-10-22T10:20:00.004+09:00

There was an interesting article in the West Australian this morning (you can read a similar one here) about moves by England's atheist brigade - the British Humanist Association - to run billboard advertisements on Londons buses claiming "God probably doesn't exist" and urging people to live their lives any way they want in response to this incredibly deep and profound claim.

The campaign has been funded by Britains leading evangelist for atheism, Richard Dawkins, who, according to the Age newspaper said; "This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think — and thinking is anathema to religion."

Apparently the atheists were sick of seeing advertisements on buses promoting Jesus and threatening people with "eternal damnation" and so thought they would run a campaign of their own in response.

The cost of the campaign is more than $27,000 (Australian).

While obviously dealing with slightly different motivations, this campaign reminds me a little bit of the Jesus all About Life campaign happening over here in Oz. The irony is the atheist campaign is a little more financially efficient. While $27,000 is still a lot of money, it isn't anywhere near as much as the sweet half million the JAAL crew are trying to raise for their Western Australian media campaign.

At the end of the day, while the atheists are obviously trying to get God off the bus (I'm sure He is actually more in favour of environmentally friendly means of transport such as walking anyway), it's interesting that in the process they are leaving him in his seat!

Whether the money is coming from atheists or Christians, I think these kinds of moves present a moral and ethical delima in that they waste a colosal amount of money on what is pretty much a dead end action that serves only to line the pockets of advertising agencies and the companies that sell the space on billboards, in newspapers and television. The upside to the atheist's campaign is that it actually may serve to get people talking about God in a meaningful way allowing Dawkin's anathema - thinking followers of Jesus - an opportunity to engage in meaningful, relational dialogue with those whose interest is piqued by the bus billboards in a way I don't think the JAAL, church centred, campaign will.

Leadership - The Church's Biggest Failing

2008-10-20T12:44:00.002+09:00

I attended a Forge intensive in Perth on the weekend. Hamo asked me to do a presentation on the stuff we've been doing in Bunbury with Alternate-Or Community, involving ourselves in the lives of marginalised people, and so was able to kill two birds with one stone and sit in on some of the presentations.

One that got me thinking was presented by Brad Flynn and focussed on co-dependency in leadership. In the context of Brad's presentation, co-dependency related to the way congregations draw their self-value from the pastor or leaders, and the way the leaders have to be "needed" by their congregations in order to find value in themselves.

This got me thinking about the "clergy/laity" divide again. It's something that for many years has made my stomach churn.

It is my opinion that any view of leadership that embraces, either purposefully or unconsciously, the idea of there being any place for an "anointed" priestly class within the church, is fundamentally flawed.

I would even go as far as saying it is one of the modern churches greatest failings and is the cause of many of the issues we face in our established congregations in terms of lack of commitment and involvement in the life of the church and the broader community. It creates a shallow, comfortable environment which actively abrogates the responsibility of all believers to live their lives as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It also forces those who challenge this way of thinking to the margins of the local church or out of it all together, thus stripping it of valuable resources and allowing the flawed philosophical, ecclesial and theological premises at play to have free reign.

CEO leadership models in the church are sinful. Plain and simple. The sooner leaders put the gospel before job security, power and control, or even before the expectations of the institution itself, the better. Leaders, we need to empower our fellow disciples by being the first to take this stand. To be willing to put aside the power structures which create a comfortable secure environment for us, for the sake of the gospel and the future of our local incarnations of the church. Encouraging and facilitating a paradigm shift among those we serve.

Equity - Give Young People a Go!

2008-10-15T17:26:00.006+09:00

It really, really pisses me off when I experience first hand or hear stories of young people being given a hard time simply because they are young people.

A 19 year old friend of mine told me today of an experience he had at a job placement agency yesterday. He was essentially called a liar and given the brush off by the customer "service" person responsible for "serving" him. When he told her that he knew someone who worked at the plant and gave the name of the same person, she proceeded to tell him that no such person worked there and then didn't follow any of the process, my young mate had been told was supposed to be followed, in assessing his suitability for a job. She simply took his name (not his phone number) and said they would "be in touch" on the off chance something came up!

Thankfully, the person he knows at the plant is my wife and she is going to follow this up with the manager responsible for work placement who will hopefully follow it up with the placement agency and he will get a fair go at the job.

The thing is this kind of thing happens everyday. People in positions of authority (whether real or imagined) choose to lord it over young people just because they can.

A couple of years ago I stood and listened to a customer service officer at the South West College of TAFE lecture a young person I had taken in to enrol in a TAFE course, on his enrolment. The guy assumed the young bloke would be unsuitable for the course simply based on how he looked, and proceeded to tell him this. After a few minutes of listening to him berate the young bloke for no reason at all, I asked him if the enrolment form was filled in correctly and if he was the person who was responsible for receiving it. He replied that it was and that he was the man. I then asked him why he simply couldn't have just accepted it without giving the completely unnecessary 5 minute lecture. He took the form and didn't reply. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the application form or the way in which the kid was enrolling.

It had taken me 3 weeks to convince the same kid to front up and put his application in. He had very low self confidence and was sure his application wouldn't be accepted. Had he been on his own he would have probably lasted 10 seconds before telling the bloke "where to go" and walking out without putting his paperwork in. Ironically (two fingers to the bloke behind the counter), in the end he was accepted into a pre-apprenticeship course in carpentry.

Another friend recounted a story of walking into a church as a young person seeking information on God and being told by the pastor to leave and only come back when he was dressed appropriately for the "house of God". He was wearing a tee shirt featuring a heavy metal motif. Thankfully he was smart enough to realise the pastor didn't really have a handle on God and my mate encountered God elsewhere and now is a follower of Jesus.

My final example actually happened to my wife, who is quite small (and cute!) last year. We were both out doing a letter box drop around Binningup just on sunset when a dog started barking at her as she dropped a flyer in a letter box. Lyss had a beanie on and a jacket and it was getting dark. The home owner came out to see what was going on with his dog and saw Lyss and mistook her for a young boy. He called out aggressively "hey little bloke, what are you doing? Did you think you could stir up my dog hey!" He got a bit of a surprise when Lyss turned around and told him she wasn't a "little bloke" but a 30 something lady and that the problem was his dog!

These are by no means isolated incidents. It's real easy for all of us to bemoan the lack of respect young people seem to have for authority or for their elders. But at the end of the day what goes around comes around (Jesus referred to it as "reaping what you sew").

So here's my "pay it forward" challenge for the week. The next time you're faced with a young person, no matter how surly or grotty or standoffish they appear, why not take the time to consciously treat them with respect and dignity and see what happens? At the very least, I know that they will notice it, and they will be grateful for it, even if they don't show it outwardly.

Pic by Binababy12 -http://www.sxc.hu/photo/995276

Ugandan Connection

2008-10-13T11:05:00.004+09:00

Lyss and I have had a friend from Uganda staying with us for the last week. Alyssa and I met Paul Kiviiri at the Amahoro Gathering in Kigali in May.

For the past 10 years Paul has been working to build bridges across tribal divides and establish new forms of church among southern Uganda's marginalised, nomadic Tutsi tribes people.

The tribal culture prevalent throughout Africa makes this kind of work difficult. It also creates many of the problems we hear about in the west and associate with politics. It is virtually unheard of, even in the Ugandan church, for relationships and ministry to extend beyond the tribal lines.

Paul says it took him 5 years to build the trust of the nomads he is involved with and he still struggles to gain understanding from the other local church leaders for his approaches to church (I can relate to that!).

The churches Paul has been involved in developing following the nomadic people around. They are not fixed to a place and they seek to meet the real day to day needs of those they are formed from. A big part of Paul's work is training up the leaders, many of whom are illiterate, and helping them to impart the way of Jesus to their fellow tribes people. He is also having to tackle issues such as bride-selling, polygamy and traditional spiritual beliefs.

Paul himself knows, as most African's do, what it is to struggle. He was born into a polygamist family during Idi Amin's reign and spent much of his teenage years as a street kid. Even though life was difficult he managed to put himself through school and train as a primary school teacher before becoming a youth pastor in a Kampala church. His heart has always been with the people though and he made the choice to leave the institutionalised church behind in order to pursue a ministry that would break down tribal barriers and share the love of Christ for all African people in meaningful and culturally relevant ways.

It's been a great privilege to have had Paul with us this past week and for him to meet and spend time with the people we are involved with her in the South West.

Paul's story is another example of the way God is working around the globe to revolutionise mission and to move His church into a new era.

Desalination - Part of the Problem

2008-10-01T18:16:00.002+09:00

Just over 12 months ago the then Premier of Western Australia, Alan Carpenter, announced that his government was going to build the states second desalination plant in the tiny and politically insignificant town of Binningup, a couple of hours south of Perth.

Previously the government had looked at tapping into the Yaragadee Aquifer, an underground supply of fresh water underneath the states south west corner. This area (the Busselton area) is a pretty popular holiday spot and, compared to Binningup, more heavily populated. The decision to tap the aquifer was met with protest of the possible environmental impact of the decision and so, as a political hot potato, the plan was dropped.

Instead the Binningup desalination plant was announced.

There are a number of issues with the proposal.

Firstly, the location; the area slated for the plant is virgin coastal bushland. It is earmarked for future residential development but is currently untouched and is home to various endangered species of birds, reptiles, plants and marsupials.

Secondly, the process itself; desalination (or at least the process to be implimented in Binningup) is an energy-hungry process. It is also a polluting process in that it pumps tons of hypersalinated (i.e. super concentrated salty water) back into the ocean along with other nasty chemicals in concentrated form.

Thirdly, it's short sighted; Yes, we have a water shortage that is probably only going to get worse, yet rather than simply increasing the amount of water available, we should be looking at ways of changing our cultural dependance on water. The same water that is wasted by heavy industry and wasted on water-hungry private and public gardens. Adding a dirty, energy hungry solution into the mix is only going to provide a short term answer to the problem. In realising this, the government also plans to build a second stage of the Binningup plant at some later date, doubling production.

My internet connection is playing up and I can't access the pages I am thinking of, but if you Google "desalination" you'll find plenty of references on the net. You can also join the "Say No to Binningup Desal Plant" group on Facebook. Here's one link I could access - it'll take you to the local action groups website, there are news updates and other links there.

But, most importantly, if you see the kind of desalination plant proposed at Binningup as a problem now is a great time to let your local politicians know about it (particularly if you live in Western Australia). We have a new state government in place, and even though they have said they are going to follow through with the development of the Binningup site, now is a good time to lobby them and let them know you are opposed to it and why. The more people from outside the Binningup area that make a fuss, the more likely it is the government will listen.

If you're around Binningup on Saturday, the local action group is having a stall at the annual Binningup Spring Carnival. You could drop by and find out more.

This kind of thinking is the same kind of short sighted thinking that, if not nipped in the bud, adds to the greater global environmental problem one small step at a time. This may be one small plant, but you get enough of this small scale industry in politically insignificant areas and it all adds up to a much bigger problem, the results of which are difficult, if not impossible to reverse.

In the big smoke

2008-10-01T18:00:00.000+09:00

Well my incredibly slow GPRS internet connection (courtesy of my mobile phone) has allowed me to connect to Blogger tonight so I can post! How did I ever use the net before high speed broadband!

I've been in Perth with the kids since Sunday arvo. We went and saw Wall-E at the cinema on Monday. It's a good show with a very current, "save the planet" message. It's a good way to get the kids thinking about God's world and looking after it, and what happens when we don't. It brings home some of the stuff going on in our own back yard in Binningup, such as the possible development of a nasty desalination plant less than a kilometer from our house.

Yesterday we went to the Perth Royal Show. This was an incredibly expensive exercise, but we did our bit and caught trains pretty much the whole way. The kids had a great time. Sam and Luke tried out the bumper-cars and then we all went on the chairlift. This scared Ashleigh silly for about 5 minutes and then she seemed to settle into it.

I bit the bullet and went on the "megadrop" and got my own mini-adrenaline rush.

Tomorrow it's back home to our Thursday night Alternate[Or] get-together followed by a Water Corporation Community Reference Group meeting in Binningup.

Opportunities for Action

2008-09-19T19:51:00.003+09:00

I'm pretty excited about tomorrow. A week or so back the Bunbury City Council contacted me to see if Alternate[Or] Community could provide volunteers for a graffiti art "installation" in a council car park. A bunch of local young people have spent the last few weeks learning some of the finer points of street art and are going to now have the opportunity to do their thing on a council wall.

The council is making a day of it - there's gonna be food and stuff for the kids etc. Finding volunteers can be difficult and the council was struggling in this regard. While we may not be eliminating all their volunteer problems, 5 of us from the Alternate[Or] Community crew are going to be helping out.

This is another great opportunity to show the community that followers of Jesus are interested in the same things they are, particularly when it comes to improving our community, for our crew to work together for something other than ourselves and to show our kids our faith in action in the community.

We also have our Social Sunday this Sunday and have a visitor from the South West Environment Centre coming to talk about local environmental issues. If you are in the area and would like to come and hear what they have to say you are welcome to drop by. We'll be hanging out at the Jetty Baths park and play ground and having a BBQ dinner. It all starts at 3.45pm.

Emerging, Emergent, Emerged?

2008-09-16T18:41:00.006+09:00

The Blind Beggar posted a link to this blog post from Brother Maynard, who takes a critical look at the use of the word "emerging" (and it's variants) to describe alternative and new forms and expressions of Christ centred faith and faith communities.

While I have never fully understood the difference between the "emerging church" and "emergent" (this might have something to do with the fact I'm an Aussie), BM reiterates comments made by TSK on the way the term "emergent" (or should that be "Emergent") has been franchised by Emergent Village and turned into something of a marketable brand name. To the point in fact that TSK is now going to stop using "emerging" to describe any aspect of his own involvement in the movement.

Raises the question, if we abandon "missional", as some have suggested we should, and we throw out "emerging" and its variations, how are we going to end up describing ourselves? Maybe we should just go back to calling ourselves "the church"?

Blessing of the fleet

2008-09-03T13:22:00.006+09:00

On Saturday I performed the annual blessing of the Binningup recreational fishing club "fleet". This represents one of those rare times our community actually seeks out a "religious" person. It's a good opportunity to talk about Jesus in a specific, but non-threatening way and, as I see it, to help make the link between the real world and the things that matter to people (like fishing) and the way of Jesus.

This year I focussed on "creation care". Recreational fishermen have just had a new load of changes imposed on them by the powers that be, for the simple reason that our fish stocks are at incredibly low levels.

Most recreational fishermen do the right thing. They realise the importance of looking after what we have if we are going to keep it. What I wanted to point out was that this is also the way God wants it.

Back in Genesis God gave the first humans two clear commands; 1) Procreate (i.e. have sex and kids) and; 2) Manage the created universe on God's behalf.

I assumed most of those gathered (especially given the number of kids running around) weren't having too much trouble with the first point, and so focussed on the second.

At a time when the government is making it harder to catch fish for fun and at the same time is going to build a polluting desalination plant not more than a kilometre from where I was standing on Saturday afternoon talking about caring for the environment, the creation care message seemed particularly relevant.

Even for people who probably don't consider themselves to be terribly spiritual, the act of looking after our environment is a spiritual act. To look after the world is, at least in part, to fulfil something of the role we were created for. I wanted those gathered to consider the point that when they were looking after the world, the were partnering with God.

Cluster bombs and Australia

2008-09-01T12:22:00.005+09:00

I posted on this a couple of days ago. Since then I've done a bit more research and found that Australia has signed the "Convention on Cluster Munitions" treaty and has therefore agreed to not produce, use or proliferate cluster munitions.

Australia did baulk at signing at first because of a recently purchased cache of "smart bombs" worth $14 million, which could possibly have been classified as cluster bombs. Apparently they don't and so we are among the 107 signatories.

The treaty will be officially closed and ratified in December at the Oslo Conference after which time the treaty's clauses will be introduced into legislation by the participating countries.

Here's an SBS news report on the signing of the treaty, including Australia among the signatories.

We have met the enemy ... Them & us in the institutional church

2008-09-01T10:12:00.004+09:00

I've been speaking on John 17 for the last few weeks. We're working our way through the whole chapter, which is actually an amazing, inspiring, information packed prayer of Jesus'.

Somewhere between the upper room and the last supper and the Garden of Gethsemane and his arrest, Jesus prayed this prayer in the presence of his disciples. In the precious last minutes of his life with his beloved friends Jesus poured out his heart to God.

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a church camp on the subject of evangelism. One thing that came out of the workshop's I ran over that weekend was the way so many of those gathered viewed those who were not fellow Christians. It was clear that, for the most part, non-Christians were seen as the enemy.

Yet when it comes to fellow, clean, middle class people with similar ethics and values, to those of the predominantly middle class, evangelical church it was easier to let the thoughts of "enemy" pass. But what about people of other religions, or other socio economic or racial groups (especially those with a different culture to our own)? Or people who are quick to point out the failings of Western Christianity? Or homosexuals or atheists? Or people who criticise the church? With these "kinds" of people many are quick to draw a line in the sand. They may even say, these people are wordly, and we are not. They are the enemy, they are not God's!

In John 17, as Jesus prays for his disciples, he makes a subtle, but interesting point. It's so subtle that it could easily be overlooked - I had to point it out during our discussion at yesterday's gethering.

Jesus says "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word."

Where did the disciples originate? Jesus says they came from "the world". Jesus also says, at this time, before they were "given" to him, they belonged to the Father. I think this says something about the people who are not yet aware of Jesus or are yet to join him as a disciple. It says that even though we like to draw lines and put people in boxes and find enemies to excuse our lack of action, God doesn't. Before these guys were taken from the world they were the Father's.

If we look at what Jesus is saying here about the disciples, and if we make the (reasonable) assumption that the disciples where no more or less special than you or I or anyone else then, I think, it becomes clear that there is no one on the planet who isn't already God's. There is no enemy among the people of planet Earth.

When we look at people through the framing story of God's love, even people who exist, day to day, without an understanding of God or his love, we see things differently. A world of action opportunities. Not opportunties to preach or coerce or manipulate, but opportunities to serve, and stand along side and love and support and befriend. Opportunities to share in the work of the "Word", which was passed to the first disciples by Jesus and which has been handed down through the generations and over the centuries to us, today. It is a work that goes something like this;

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

As Walt Kelly's comic strip character Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us"!

Cluster Bombs put children and civilians lives at risk in Georgia

2008-08-29T12:31:00.006+09:00

I received a press release from Dani at Survivor Corp. yesterday (a link to the release is at the bottom of this post). It details Russia's use of cluster bombs in it's recent military action against Georgia.

Cluster bombs, along with their close cousins, land mines, have been responsible for horrific injuries to children and non-combatants in current and former conflict zones around the world.

In May this year 107 countries signed a treaty in Ireland, agreeing to cease production and use of cluster bombs in armed conflict. Several countries have avoided signing the treaty and are downplaying the dangers of the bombs to the civilian population in conflict zones. Most notable among those refusing to sign are the governments of the USA, ~~Australia~~ and Russia.

~~As an Australian I am appalled at the Australian governments stance on these weapons and the lame excuses they are offering for refusing to sign the treaty.~~

Australia is a signatory. I made a mistake! See this post for more information (updated 1 Sept 2008).

I would encourage all readers to follow the links included in this post to get a better understanding of the problems these weapons are causing around the world. Working in former conflict zones I have seen the results similar weapons, such as landmines and other unexploded ballistics, have on the unsuspecting civilian population. Even years after conflict has ceased, these weapons still pose a significant risk to life and limb.

As citizens of the world I think it is imperative we speak out against, and raise awareness of, actions that put the lives and standard of living of the vulnerable at risk. The more people who are aware of the situation in Georgia, and are aware of the significant number of Western governments condoning Russia's action through their own refusal to support the ban on these weapons, the more likely it is we will see a change in the way things happen.

People! Write to your politicians about this. Tell people you meet about this. Raise awareness of the fact that ~~our~~ your government (if you are an American or a Russian) wants to freely use similar weaponry in a similar way in other parts of the world.

The first link here is to Survivor Corps' media release. I'd encourage other bloggers to post the release or a report on Russia's unacceptable actions in invading a sovereign territory and use of cluster bombs. The remaining links are to related news articles.

Please drop him an email or send him a letter ~~telling him how abhorrent it is~~ telling how glad you are that a modern, western nation like Australia would ~~refuse~~ agree to sign a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs. ~~The more people who speak out against this the more likely they are to change their approach to this issue.~~

Survivor Corp. Press Release

Russia 'used cluster bombs' in Georgia - ABC News Report

Australia baulks at cluster bomb ban - Sydney Morning Herald Article

The Cluster Munitions Coalition

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith

I'd also encourage you to contact your local Federal members, this is an important issue of global responsibility taking and accountability.

Thanks Dani for bringing this issue to the fore!

Busting Frames - Paradigm Shift in the Church

2008-08-27T21:43:00.005+09:00

About a month ago I wrote about Brian McLaren's coverage of, what he calls, "framing stories" in his book Everything Must Change.

The concept of framing stories is not anything new. In the past they have been referred to as "world-views" and could also be called paradigms. Paradigms exist at many different levels in culture and society.

The interesting thing about a paradigm is it creates an interpretive lens through, if we think of it as a frame, everything within its boundaries is viewed. Evidence supporting the paradigm is kept and evidence refuting it is re-interpreted until it fits or, if this isn't possible, it's discarded. The problem with paradigms is they can be extremely difficult to refute, particularly where they become the common currency and voices of dissent are marginalised, no matter how convincing their evidence.

The tendencies with paradigms, however, is once the evidence against them becomes overwhelming a shift takes place. The old paradigm is toppled, like a dictator in a coup, and replaced with a new paradigm. The new paradigm takes over as the interpretive lens.

This process of paradigm shifts is very evident in the history of the church, no more so than now. The "old" paradigm, that of the Christendom church, is being challenged by a "new" paradigm and a shift is taking place. Originally (and even now in many places) the evidence against the old paradigm was refused, ignored, or assimilated. More recently a clear division began to appear - the old paradigm on one side and the new on the other.

For those of us involved in the process of transition within established churches the goal is essentially that of instigating a paradigm shift. But it is slow and it is painful, particularly where a lack of awareness exists of the manner in which the old paradigm affects (or dictates) the way the church is viewed and should operate. It's possible for two people to be discussing the same thing and to be at complete odds with one another simply because their paradigms are different. For example, what is "the gospel" in an institutionalised, Christendom setting may not be "the gospel" in an EMC setting.

If we don't fully appreciate this we are never going to be able to fully understand the process of transition. It will seem to those looking at the EMC through the interpretive lens of the old paradigm that there is something wrong, something missing. That the things being talked about and the actions being taken are somehow not right. That while there may be some merit in the approach being advocated to fully accept it is to "throw the baby out with the bath water". In the example I gave above, if "the gospel" seems to mean something other than (or more than) Jesus substitutionary death on the cross it's considered suspect, and often, no matter how hard we try to explain it and make it make sense it just won't. Simply because the other party is viewing it through a completely different lens. A lens that essentially has to be smashed if any significant move forward is to be made.

The great photo at the top of this post is from Rubenshito and is used with permission.

Creating Community from Scratch

2008-08-26T19:39:00.004+09:00

One of the questions I am wrestling with at the moment is how to create community from scratch? Particularly with reluctant, or at least suspicious participants.

I've been toying with this question for most of this year, specially as it relates to the affordable housing project I currently working on with the Alternate[Or] crew in Bunbury. One of the key parts of the project is the community engagement aspect - this is where we introduce participants in the project to a supportive community, rather than simply book them in for an appointment with the program social worker.

It's been this theoretical aspect of the project that has gained the most interest from those we have presented it to. Most people (particularly those without a hard commitment to particular aspects of professional helping & social work theory), including a couple of politicians, recognise the benefits of engaging disengaged people within a supportive community, instead of just plugging them into the professional merry-go-round. Of course there is a place for professional services - all of the members of the organising team from Alternate[Or] are also involved in the community services sector in a professional capacity.

This is a real problem - particularly in a demographic that has been over-referred and knows the professional machinery, and how to manipulate it, all to well. People prefer what they know, and are going to be reluctant to step into something new - particularly if it is being suggested by people with a spiritual bent.

Obviously there are some important ethical considerations at play as well. We can't be manipulative, or deceptive about what we are trying to achieve, we can't demand participation and, some would say, we can't make engagement in the community aspect compulsory for participation in the project.

So how do we effectively navigate these new waters? How should we approach the dark, less travelled roads that exist between the real community - the one where everyday people live, work, struggle and die, and the world of professional helping?

I have an idea of my own, it comes from my African experiences, and I will post it here later on. In the meantime, if you have any experience with this I would love to hear what you have to say. Suggestions and ideas based on other peoples efforts in tackling this same problem are very much welcome.

Paintballing - Battlefield wounds

2008-08-24T12:55:00.010+09:00

Andrew (left) & Sam, before the injury

WARNING: If you have a weak stomach, you might not want to look at the last photo posted below. It contains gore.

Alyssa and I took a bunch of young guys (16-19) paintballing yesterday in Dwellingup. We had never been before and I was looking forward to it.

Lyss was pretty nervous, but got involved anyway and the other guys were all pretty gung ho about it all.

Things started out pretty cool, we played a couple of team games and then, in a game of "capture the flag" one of our guys, Sam, decided to make a break for the flag, which was planted in a bunker of sorts. We covered him with paintball fire and he dived headfirst into the bunker. When he didn't resurface after about 30 seconds I began calling out to him. Then he appeared, mask off yelling "don't f...n fire, don't f...n fire!". Of course everyone did keep firing, the other team turning him into the paintball equivalent of a Pollock canvas.

I made a run for him when I saw a steady stream of blood flowing down his left arm and noticed a gaping wound along his wrist. He had badly gashed his left wrist, exposing a pumping artery and a few tendons in the process. It seems the bunker was lined with bits of colourbond patio decking (really a stupid idea) - essentially roofing iron. It was mostly covered by bits of old carpet, but Sam's wrist came into contact with a section which wasn't covered and worked like a razor blade along his wrist.

We got him off to hospital in an ambulance from where he was sent home, his wrist in a bandage but unstitched, because there were no surgeons available to look at his wrist and severed tendons. He was told to front up to the emergency department of the Bunbury hospital at 8 o'clock this morning, where (as of 15 minutes ago - it's now 12pm Sunday) he's still sitting waiting to be seen. Our medical system is shot - when a 19 year old with severed wrist tendons can't be seen to immediately and is turned away from 3 different hospitals there has got to be big problems. West Aussies take note - we have an election coming up in two weeks time, what is our government doing to fix our pathetic healthcare system?

Here are the photos (the last one is the gory one):

The Binningup Lads on the field - Ready for action

That's my girl! Lyss on the field. Girls were provided with extra padding - the black vest (on top of the God given stuff).

Sam (on the ground), Alyssa and Andrew after the injury - Sam's left wrist - the one with my hand wrapped around it - is the injured one.

The injury - the white bits are tendons. He partially severed at least one (click to enlarge).

The guy running the paintballing didn't seem to have much first aid experience - which was a bit of a concern - and was happy to let Alyssa and me take care of things. I asked for a first aid kit and was presented with a single gauze pad and gauze bandage. Not really sufficient given the amount of blood leaving the wound.

Rose coloured formaldehyde

2008-08-17T12:05:00.004+09:00

Over 20 or more years hanging around the edges of church and the last 10 or so years playing an active role as part of it, I've heard many stories of the "old saints". People who's lives exemplified Christian living. People who we should strive to be like.

The interesting thing about many of these stories of men (I can't think of any women among them) who rose at 4am every morning to read the Bible in the original Greek, and who prayed on their knees for 2 hours each day and who never swore, or complained, or farted (ok, I added that), is the way they imply perfection.

I have often wondered if the reality about these guys lives, paraded like protestant versions of All Saints Day icons, is really as impressive as the legends would have us believe. I have also often wondered if these stories have really served to spur on those who hear them to better things, or, as in my case, they simply served to further instil a sense of alienation in people who where already struggling with their own inadequacies, weaknesses and failings.

Personally, I think the only perfect example we need is that of Christ. That's not to say we shouldn't look to the examples set by godly men and women through the ages, but we should do so in the recognition that they are not the icons of perfections some in the past have made them out to be. Perhaps we need to throw out the rose coloured formaldehyde so widely used in the preservation of the lives of the "old saints" over the last 100 years or so and get back to being real about the struggles, joys and difficulties of life lived as a disciple of Jesus Christ - the one, true icon of perfection.

A Grass Roots Movement

2008-08-13T18:19:00.004+09:00

I snapped this on my trusty phone camera just now while out walking through the barren wasteland of "Lakewood Shores stage 4".

Nope, it's not supposed to be Mary or Mother Theresa, rather it's a cross formed from live buffalo grass. A combined reminder of the relationship between the cross of Christ and the call for his church to return to its origins as a grass roots movement.

There aint no such thing as a coincidence!

Action!

2008-08-13T17:03:00.005+09:00

The whole idea of 21st century people observing their way to faith (see my last post) is incredibly important to understanding evangelism and discipleship. This is one area that keeps spinning me out in terms of our Bunbury experiment.

We made action an important part of our group from the start. This has included things such as a street-side awareness campaign on child cocoa slaves in West Africa, and collecting money (our weekly 'offering') to give to local organisations involved in helping people at the street level. We also talk about it a lot at our meetings - why it's important and the way it's intrinsically linked to the message of Jesus.

It's really exciting to see these values rub off on the young blokes, and even more so to see them willingly and actively taking initiative in their own lives in this area. It goes to show how critically effective the "observing and talking" side of things is when compared to the more traditional discipleship approaches.

I think when we try and separate action from discipleship (someone recently commented that action wasn't "spiritual") we end up with a lopsided, ineffectively narrow version of the gospel - one that may make sense on an academic level but is difficult to apply to life in the real world.

It's also really encouraging (although not essential to our commitment to action) to hear the stories we get back from the groups we have helped. Stories of making a real difference in individuals lives. These stories spur us on and encourage us to keep doing, in Jesus name, the things we are doing.

Talking and observing the way to the faith...

2008-08-04T11:48:00.003+09:00

Most people are seeking a spiritual aspect of life. Spiritual transformation into Christlikesness has always been the right thing to do. We now know that the reputation of Christianity and thus effective evangelism, hangs upon it. Current research shows that un-Christian, un-Christ-formed faith and practice is the single biggest obstacle to making new disciples of Jesus.

It used to be that people primarily listened their way into the faith; today they tend to talk and observe their way into the faith. Thus two primary roles of Jesus’ followers are listening and embodying authentic Christianity. Through re-practicing Christianity we can break the negative word-of-mouth of what has been called an “un-Christian” faith.

From Todd Hunter's "Three is Enough groups" blog.

Beijing Olympics, Commercial TV & School Projects

2008-08-04T10:38:00.004+09:00

I was watching the 7 Network's (my old employer) morning news show, Sunrise, this morning and was taken by the "big sell" they are doing on China. Of course it's all because of the Olympics.

The show was broadcast live from Beijing and all the presenters and guests were sprouting praise for China; it's military precision in everything from street cleaning to flag raising and the wonderful way in which the country had embraced the "Olympic spirit".

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I am finding the way in which our commercial media is going gaga over China infuriating. Tienanmen square is only mentioned in terms of it's value as a tourist destination, attempts at cleaning up the place only talked about in terms of aesthetics and no mention whatsoever about China's atrocious record, past and present, on the human rights front.

You could be forgiven for thinking (my tongue's in my cheek) the media had sold-out (or been bought out) by the Chinese regime and were now working for the Chinese equivalent of Orwell's "Ministry for Truth".

For the record, I think anyone who says China's record on this front has nothing to do with sport has their head up their arse. No matter how well the Olympic opening ceremony goes off or how many gold medals our athletes win (or how much money our commercial networks make from selling out to a Communist regime) it will not change the fact that people are living and dying under the oppressive control of one of the worlds worst human rights offenders. Only a few months ago the world was up in arms over the Chinese governments sale of a shipload of weapons to Mugabe's tinpot regime in Zimbabwe. How soon we forget!

My kids are all doing projects at school on the Olympics. I sat down and talked with them about all of this the other night and we are working out a way in which they can make sure they include the truth (in a kiddie way) about China's treatment of its people and minorities in their class presentations.

Please visit Amnesty International's website and check out some of the things you can do to help raise awareness of the situation in China. I would like to propose a synchroblog on this, but as this blog doesn't get many visitors that's not going to work - but if you do read this and own a blog, please consider blogging about it and encouraging your blogging friends to do the same.

Let's not let sport (and the genuine good-will the Olympics generates) become a mask for China to hide behind!

Boom time

2008-08-02T17:39:00.005+09:00

My 2 year old printer, which cost me $400 new, broke down a couple of months ago. Every time I tried to print it spat an ambiguous error message at me. I'm a little bit handy with a screwdriver and so I went about poking and prodding it to see if I could find the source of the problem. Unfortunately, to no avail.

I rang Canon to find out who was the "authorised repairer" in my area and was given the number of a local office machine retailer. When I rang them I was told they would look at my printer for a non-refundable inspection fee of $90 and, if I decided to go ahead with the repair they would charge for that on top of the inspection fee.

I said I thought this was a little extreme and was promptly told they didn't care. They had enough business and enough people willing to pay the inspection fee that my business was meaningless to them.

In the end they did me a favour. I hunted around on the net and found a forum dealing with the same error message. A couple of respondents managed to "fix" the problem by turning their printer upside down and banging and shaking it violently. Having nothing to lose, I gave it a go, and it worked! No $90 inspection fee and no need to buy a replacement.

Over the last few days I've been visiting car dealers. It's time to trade our old 6 cylinder, V6 four wheel drive. It's costing us too much in fuel and repairs and we're opting for a smaller, 4 cylinder SUV instead (while I've still got some of my redundancy to spend!).

While most of the dealers were keen to do business with us, I did come across one who didn't seem to give two hoots whether or not we bought a car from him. His best deal was only marginally (talking less than a couple of hundred dollars) better than the recommended retail price on the car manufacturers national website.

I'll pay recommended retail for a can of baked beans at Woolies but not for a new car.

I think there's a link between the car dealer's and the office machine repair centres attitudes. It has something to do with the fact our economy is currently booming. People are happy to part with their money without too much thought given to whether or not they are being taken for a ride.

The problem with this kind of thinking - something the two other car dealers I visited seemed to realise - is that boom times don't last forever. There will come a time (some are saying its almost here) when people are going to be less inclined to pay through the teeth for everything and more inclined to remember where they got a good deal in the past and the way they were treated by the people behind the counter.

Something to think about!

McLaren and The "Framing Story" of Evolution

2008-07-23T10:09:00.005+09:00

I've been devouring Brian McLaren's latest book, Everything Must Change with much fervour over the last week or so. I've just finished reading the section on "framing stories" (part 3 of the book) and suggest this is perhaps key to the "emerging" understanding of Jesus and his mission. It's also probably key to understanding why the modern church must change the way it approaches the gospel and the world in which it exists.

But, I also think the framing story's concept has something to say about one of the most influential framing stories of the last 150 years, a framing story Brian often directly and sometimes indirectly deals with in many of his books. That is the framing story of evolutionary theory.

I am a creationist. Once upon a time I would have prefixed this title with "young earth" or "biblical". More recently my understanding of the source of my identity has changed and I don't feel the need to "identify" myself in this way any more. Yet, "creationist" still describes how I understand God and his work as the cause of the universe.

A framing story exists in this view of God. In the past my understanding of this framing story was hard, dogmatic and disconnected from the gospel. Now I feel I can freely admit some of my struggle with certain aspects of the Genesis creation account, aspects that cause a few problems if viewed as historical events. I have to confess I find it more difficult to accept the talking serpent of Eden than I do Balaams talking ass (i.e. donkey not backside). However, I still struggle greatly with the concept of theistic evolution which steps well outside the conceptual order present in the creation story of Genesis 1 and 2. It talks about a God who is in control, and who presents his creation in a finished form. It gives us a picture of the "re-created" earth, so popular (and rightly so) in emerging theology.

It stands over and against the framing story of evolution.

Yet evolution is as significant a framing story in our day and age as the divinity of the Caesars was in their day. While Brian is quick to point out the way Christ's message opposed the framing story of the Roman Empire he is just as quick to accept the framing story presented by evolution.

While I have moved away from trying to build a definitive counter-theory I can say with confidence that I understand the science on both sides of the fence. Thanks to a freedom of post modernism, a freedom to question, I feel I can say the holes on the scientific creationists side of the fence are no less significant than those on the evolutionists and, at the end of the day, the difference of opinion comes down to the very framing story's employed by the debaters and discoverers themselves. At either end of the scale are extremists (maybe Dawkins and Ham?)

Yet there appears to be very little middle ground in these arguments, at a least not any middle grown that doesn't require compromise, the kind of compromise represented in Everything Must Change by the example of the Herodians and the Saducees, willing to accept aspects of the Roman Empire in order to build security for themselves. According to Brian though, Christ's way opposed this.

The framing story of evolution proclaims "survival of the fittest" yet Christ proclaims "love your neighbour as you love yourself". The framing story of evolution proclaims "blind processes and chance" while John proclaims Christ as the "creator of the world".

I began distancing myself from the creationist movement a few years ago because I started to see shortcomings in the approach and practice of those involved in it and the contrast it created with the life of Christ in the gospels - the same as the shortcomings and the contrast created by much of the modern evangelical church. However, while the details may be hotly contested and debated (but this is healthy, right?) and the science tested, the theory of evolution stands out as an inferior framing story when compared to that given to us by God in Christ. And just as Christ stands over and against the framing stories of the Middle East of the Roman period he also stands over and against the modernistic, scientific framing stories of the late 20th and early 21st century.

I think the concept of framing stories is so incredibly important in understanding and contextualising Jesus' ministry in the first century but also in contextualising and understanding his ministry in the world of the 21st century. I think, as this seems to be one of the central points of Everything Must Change, Brian would agree. Yet I think it is also something Brian may have overlooked in his acceptance of the "facts" of evolution and its place in our understanding (framing story) of the modern world - influencing everything from archeology to psychology.

Rwanda and Amahoro Africa 2009 - The "Emerging" church on the African Continent

2008-07-15T10:17:00.005+09:00

If you've ever thought about visiting Africa and experiencing life and faith of the locals there's no better time than 2009.

Visit Africa
Make a Difference
Change your life

Day 4 (the aid and development organisation I manage) are teaming up with Amahoro Africa to offer a package that includes the 2009 Amahoro Africa Gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa and a couple of weeks on the ground in Rwanda. A package is also available through Day 4 that features the Gathering only.

We have around 10 places available for the combined package so please, if you're interested contact me ASAP. If you know others who may also be interested please share this information around.

Amahoro Africa Gatherings are an amazing time of connecting with emerging leaders from Africa and around the world, of learning and being inspired by the work of God among his people in Africa and beyond. Speakers include Claude Nikondeha (you can read more about Claude in McLaren's new book, Everything Must Change), Brian McLaren (author of The Secret Message of Jesus, Church on the Otherside and other best selling books), Richard Twiss (Native American activist, author and theologian) and many other inspiring African leaders - some like Edward Simiyu have featured on Moved Mountains in the recent past.

You can read all about the Gathering on the Amahoro website and about the Day 4 Community Aid & Development side of things at the Day 4 site.

Problems with professionalism

2008-07-14T09:38:00.006+09:00

Last year I posted a couple of times on some of the upside to professionalism (you can read posts 1 and 2 here and here) in some aspects of ministry. While there is clearly a need for a professional approach and for professional caring, just as important is the need for care at a community level.

One thing I seem to keep coming up against from one particular segment of the professional caring community is a reluctance to see any benefit in grass roots or community attempts to address resilience issues. Social work theory seems to push the line that the only people properly equipped to improve this world are professional social workers. There is a level of professional arrogance and academic snobbery that exists among social workers in my area that is difficult to address (it's entrenched) and, as I believe it influences policy in many government departments, is preventing communities and community groups from more efficiently addressing many of the problems in the world around them.

This week, through Alternate[Or] Community, we are starting to get the wheels turning on a couple of grass roots community initiatives. The first is the development of a low-cost accommodation program, in conjunction with a local real estate agent with a social conscience, and the second is to begin talking with some of the local pollies about the youth drug and alcohol situation in the town and possible ways of helping the local community build resilience in simple, yet effective ways.

So far, in my discussions with others about these two issues, the professionalism issue has raised its head a couple of times. The general feel is that volunteers and/or grass roots organisations can't make things like this happen. I have been told that these concerns are the realm of the Government and professional organisations and should be left to these to sort out.

Most of these comments have come from Christians.

It's easy to see, with attitudes such as these, how the church has ended up in the position of thinking building a bigger church building is the same things as serving the community - this was actually the gist of a report in the local newspaper 2 weeks ago. The local mega church is expanding its building and its representative was reported as saying how much the community would benefit from the bigger building!.

After today, we should have a plan of attack in place for our housing project and by the end of the week the ball should be rolling on the other issue. I am hopeful the housing project will be something that can be replicated by others in our area (I'm going to "challenge the churches") and also elsewhere, and I'll post further on the drug and alcohol side of things as they progress.

Recycling my identity

2008-07-12T18:59:00.006+09:00

I've been thinking and praying a lot about identity these last few weeks. Even blogged it a few times.

While I have been pondering identity in general terms - i.e. how do we, as followers of Jesus, draw our identity from him, & how badly has the church failed in leading it's people to do this well to this point in time - I've also found myself thinking about my own identity.

To be sure, in the past I have drawn my identity from many places - least of all from Jesus. As a small child I drew it from my family. As an older child, suffering regular physical and emotional abuse I began to draw my identity from my abusers rather than my family. I identified myself as worthless.

Later on I coupled my "worthless" identity with that of drug addict. The two went together well.

When I started studying media, and began working in commercial television I began to draw my identity from my industry. It was actually an industry that a lot of people seemed interested in (if only in a shallow way). While I was never famous myself I knew, and hung out and partied with people who were. I liked the way this kind of vicarious popularity worked. The worthlessness of my childhood had never really left me, I was still an addict, but this new identity - the broadcast media identity - was certainly the best so far.

Somewhere along the line though God started playing a more prominent part in my world. I didn't realise it at the time, but he was beginning to create for me an even newer identity. But it was going to take time.

After I met Alyssa and became a Christian I continued to struggle with identity. God didn't "zap" me in the way I was led to believe he would. The things that had been done to me as a child and my "worthless" identity still weighed on me and so I went about trying to make my life seem worthy through becoming "someone". Along the way I realised I wasn't bad at public speaking and began working on-air in TV and radio. This gave me some confidence and before long I was offered work by a large, high profile, international Christian ministry. I began speaking at conferences organised by them and, for a time, was regularly published in their internationally distributed magazine.

It felt like I was being given something I had never had before. But at the same time my understanding of my place in God's plan began to change. The life Jesus lived seemed to contrast completely with the kind of life I was seeking meaning from. In the end I turned down the position offered to me and began seeking a different way of living out my life before God.

My true identity in Christ was becoming clearer as I began to "emerge" from church traditions, past hurts and the sense that even among members of God's family I was never really welcome to be myself.

Today, I still struggle with feelings of worthlessness at times. There are times when I am depressed, and feel useless. But, as time goes on, I am feeling, less and less, that I need to draw my worth or purpose from the way other people see me or from the lack of interest shown by others in my life.

Not that long ago I thought worth came from publishing a book, or from having lots of visitors to my blog, or from being a requested public speaker. Now though, I don't have any of these things. Even though my life doesn't show any of the signs I previously associated with success - even with Christian success - I now know I am involved in something big and wonderful and incredibly low key, as I am involved everyday in the lives of people, forgotten by much of the church and society, but not by God. And just as they are not forgotten, I know, I am not forgotten either. That even in my unworthiness, God is still for me and I have Jesus Christ as the proof of this.

My identity now is that of a husband, a father, a friend, a pastor, and a missionary - all of which are influenced by the greater identity of Jesus Christ as I imperfectly seek to live out of all that I am learning of him and his Way, and to share the love he has shown me and my family, to others along the way.

Challanges on the road to Nirvana

2008-07-08T13:45:00.003+09:00

The last couple of midweek meetings with Alternate[Or] have been challenging.

I'm learning being inclusive is difficult. Particularly given the vast demographical differences in our group's make-up. 2 of us are involved in a pastoral duties in a local church context, one of us is a refugee from megachurch pentecostalism and the remainder of the group are new to the whole God scene.

I am finding how inadequately prepared I am when away from the level playing field of the established church - a place where everyone is a Christian, knows what to expect and can sit quietly while it's served up to them!

I'm struggling with ways of making our time meaningful for everyone - those already following Jesus as well as those who are still in the early stages of learning and growing and working out whether Jesus is for them. 2 guys in particular come to mind.

I really like the idea of the 3 is enough groups - but they're just not practical at the moment. I'm trying to spend one-on-one time with the 2 guys in question and have even gone as far as trying to dissuade them from coming along to the spiritual meetings, but they insist on coming back every week. In fact they are more regularly at these meetings than at our social gatherings yet they continue to disrupt and show disrespect, leaving me frustrated and others wondering what the hell we are supposed to be doing.

While numbers are not a good measure of success, in terms of resources, more people with a higher level of maturity in the faith would be great at this point in time.

Blog Wrap

2008-07-08T13:11:00.003+09:00

Still working through some older posts as I try and catch up with my Bloglines backlog.

Matt Stone @ Glocal Christianity has linked to some audio versions of the Bible in different languages (including Tamil and Punjabi!).

Steve Knight @ Emergent Village has linked to a piece of Emerging Church history in the form of a slide show by Brad Cecil from way back in 1999 and entitled Ministry in the emerging post-modern world.

JR Woodward reviews David Fitch's book The great giveaway on his Dream Awakener blog.

Helen @ Conversation at the Edge has an interview with Christine Wicker, author of a new book entitled The fall of the evangelical nation: Crisis inside the church.

Rick @ Blind Beggar has posted a link to a summary, by Brother Maynard, of all contributions to his recent Missional Synchroblog.

And finally, fellow West Aussie, Geoff Westlake, wonders whether social isolation is the answer to society's ills, on his (relatively) new blog - Wwwestlake.

Gen Y role models for losing faith

2008-07-06T18:54:00.005+09:00

Here's the first part of an insightful and somewhat scary post from Mark Sayers:

The fact that young adults are leaving the church in the West in droves is hardly new news to any of us. (You can download my PDF resource as to some of the reasons why here.) However what a lot of parents, pastors and leaders don’t know is that pop culture provides models and examples to Gen Y’s of how to turn your back on your faith.

Sayers goes on to detail the way (particularly American) pop culture has provided a series of role models for 20 something girls to ditch their faith; Britney, Jessica Simpson and the latest, Katy Perry.

I wonder if this is more of an American phenomenon though - scary as it is - caused to some degree by the veneer of evangelicalism which exists in many places in the US. Because Christianity is cultural, at least to some extent, it is more likely to be treated as a fad.

Do you think Aussie Gen Y'ers know or give 2 hoots about Britney's or Jessica's or Katy's ostensibly Christian past?

Either way, it's well worth reading Sayers' post. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "post Christian"!

You can keep reading HERE

Exilio

2008-07-04T18:40:00.005+09:00

I've started going through the Exilio program with our small group. Exilio has grown out of Mike Frost's book Exiles (incidentally, a great and in some ways challenging read) and uses an action and reflection approach to learning - so along with some hefty reading exercises, and Bible study, there's also some practical home work which Mike refers to as "missional experiements" (this has most of the group cringing).

One of the exercises given in the "Bible study" part of the course is to begin reading through the Book of Acts - in a public place. Some of the group first thought this was a missional exercise in itself. Thankfully it isn't - not that I have any problem with people reading their Bibles in public, rather says Mike, the public reading is about bringing the text of Acts to life:

When we read Acts in public spaces our imagination cannot help but ask the question, "What would it look like if the Book of Acts happened today in this cafe. park, train station, shopping mall?". We find reading the Bible surrounded by people who are yet to discover God's love deeply affects our understanding of the reading. (Ignition, p.7)

I put this to the test today. I was supporting a young member of our Bunbury community (Alternate[Or]) during a court appearance and had plenty of time up my sleeve while waiting for his case to be called. So I read the first 2 chapters of Acts in the courthouse. At first I thought the whole "public reading" thing sounded a bit wussy, but, in reflection, I think it did, to some degree at least, affect how I viewed the text. Particularly the section describing Peter's address to the Jews and Jewish converts at Pentecost. The bit that really jumped out and grabbed me was the following:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (ESV)

Particularly given my location at the time I was hit (again) by the important place repentance holds in the ordo salutis (order of salvation). It made me think about the young bloke I was with and his genuine interest in Christ and his life and what it would mean for him to become a disciple. It also made me think about the sheer lack of anything even resembling repentance I have seen in my many visits to the courthouse over the last 10 years or so (not to mention my own appearances before the Magistrate when I was a younger man!).

Thankfully today's result was a good one for my young friend. A reprieve that will hopefully help the process of repentance and forgiveness along.

As for the practical side of Exilio I think I have plenty of things to choose from without having to dream up a whole new missional experiment.

How do our expectations affect community?

2008-06-29T19:28:00.003+09:00

Nathan commented on my post on the Jesus All About Life campaign and some of his comments got me thinking.

What does it take to create genuine community? All the things that come to mind are really the same things I am looking for in community. In line with this I have tried really hard to make the things that I value about community the things reflected in our attempt at community building; belonging; acceptance; love; respect for diversity; willingness to serve one another.

Ultimately though, one thing I know, is that I ultimately find my identity in Jesus Christ and therefore my sense of belonging, acceptance, love etc. also rests in him. Because of this I can (imperfectly) be accepting of others failings and shortcomings. I can give others a second, and third, and fourth (and so on) chance. I can participate in reconciliation, can advocate and mediate and to the best of my ability, be there for others when they need me.

But - unfortunately - even when I am involved in all these things, to the very best of my ability, I am going to fall short. I cannot be in all places at once. I can not be everything to everyone in the way needed to make a perfect example of genuine community a reality.

I will let people down. I will not love unconditionally all the time. There will be times when I am too tired, or too busy or too involved with other things to be there for the people who need me. I have a family which comes first meaning others will miss out on my time because of the time I need to spend with them. I have limited finances (even more limited now that my work with Mission Australia has finished) so I won't be able to endlessly help out with other peoples finances or buy lunch or a coffee for everyone that drops by to see me. You might get me on a bad day and I might snap at you. I might use the wrong words when trying to deal with an issue that crops up and I might offend you.

And if those people that drift in and out of our community, are not led to a relationship with Christ, and do not ultimately find their belonging and acceptance in him, then they and others will be continually let down by me.

This, I think, is why so many others attempts at community building either fail, or fail to be more. We expect a lot of the individuals that comprise the community. And when they let us down it's natural to think the ethos behind the community has failed. I've lost count of the people who have told me they have given up on God because of bad experiences with the church.

Perhaps if we can do a better job helping people find their identity in Christ, rather than in a denomination or congregation or particular style of worship, or in our models of leadership, we will find a community that is closer to that represented by our ultimate example of community - the Holy Trinity - and that more closely resembles the kingdom Jesus so regularly taught about while he was here on earth. A community that is able to recognise the limitations of its human members but nonetheless able to thrive because it is squarely built upon the way of Christ and finds its identity in him.

Can TV Advertising Entice Non-Believers into Church?

2008-06-24T15:31:00.005+09:00

I want to be really careful how I write this as I am aware it could possibly illicit an emotional response, but, given my experiences over the past couple of weeks I really feel I have to say something.

I received a letter in the mail yesterday from an organisation calling itself "Jesus all about life" (JAAL for short). It wasn't the first time I had received something from them. I have been the recipient of unsolicited emails from them for a few months now.

JAAL are running a sophisticate, national church marketing program with the goal of engaging the "unchurched" community in church run activities. The crux of the campaign is a series of television advertisements which will be broadcast in W.A. throughout the month of October.

Churches can register to participate in JAAL for $100. Registration ensures any prospective seekers responding to the TV advertising will be directed to the JAAL participating church closest to them, and also includes a JAAL pack participants pack which has a DVD evangelism course and ideas for running "special" JAAL events.

Now the whole thing is pretty standard, attractional/evangelical church fair. It's based around the "build it and they will come" philosophy of church growth. Nothing new or terribly thrilling in all of that.

Some of the adverts (you can view them on the JAAL website) are ok in their content and all are professionally produced. And, according to the information on the site, it seems the JAAL crew have put a fair bit of time and effort into researching Australian's attitude towards the church and Christianity. So, while the JAAL project is obviously a genuine, well intended effort at raising the profile of Jesus Christ in the general community and getting new people into the church, I predict the real results are going to fall way short of the expected outcomes. In this sense it looks and sounds like so many other recent attempts at faith marketing that, when critically assessed, have all fallen flat - the recent push by Churches of Christ to get an intelligent design video to every secondary school student in Australia, Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven" campaign and Nicky Gumbel's Alpha, to name a few.

What really grabbed me about JAAL, and perhaps what is ultimately the difference between this campaign and most of the others, is the overall cost of the campaign. Until receiving yesterday's letter I hadn't given much thought to how the JAAL team were going to get their adverts onto the box. I guess I assumed they would be aired for free like the (cringe-worthy) Christian Television Association announcements of the 80s and 90s - used as fillers in the early hours of the morning and during kids after-school programming. But that's not the case at all. JAAL is a prime-time, hit 'em in the face, campaign. And as such, the JAAL team are requiring a minimum financial commitment just shy of the $500,000 dollar mark (that's half a million dollars if you are having trouble counting all those zeros!).

When I read this my attitude towards the project changed from mild amusement to irritated frustration. I find it incredible that after 15 years (at least) of failed church marketing programs and projects, the JAAL crew can justify raising and spending this kind of money on something that, given the track record of all the others before it, is unlikely to produce anything that even remotely resembles value for money. Especially at a time when the community services sector is chronically underfunded and underserviced.

This is particularly irritating to me at this time because the successful youth drug and alcohol program I have been managing for the last 3 and a half years has just shut down due to lack of funding. And mine isn't the only one.

It makes me wonder how much could be achieved for the kingdom if the same amount of time and effort put into this project were put into encouraging the church to participate in and provide funding for community based programs that actually transform live - and have track records to prove it! Half a mil would have kept Kick Start (my program) running for another 3 or 4 years. Yet the track record of the church when it comes to these kinds of things is abismal. They simply aren't interested.

I wonder if, when the hoohaa fades away and the dust settles and churches begin to take down and pack away their "Jesus All About Life" banners and coffee mugs if anything really will change? Or will it simply be a matter of time until another genuine group of well meaning Christians come along with another expensive way of "guaranteeing" bums on church seats?

What do you think?

Re-Imagine Consultation

2008-06-18T18:17:00.005+09:00

We had Hamo down from Perth last night for our "consultation" - and he didn't once ask us to cough or say "ahhhh".

I was (pleasantly) surprised by the turnout. There were a few faces I didn't expect to see which is always a good thing. Overall, I think it went well. It was certainly encouraging to hear how those involved in the Re-imagine process expressed their thoughts about the process and the journey in general.

Being the one who usually does most of the talking (ho hum) it was good to sit back for an hour and just listen; I think maybe I should try and do this more often.

Social Sundays - Alternate[Or]

2008-06-16T11:06:00.006+09:00

We started our Social Sundays again yesterday. During the summer we were meeting every second Sunday for a BBQ at the beach, but with the change in weather and a lack of decent alternative meeting places our social get togethers fell by the wayside.

The social aspect of Alternate[Or] has been pretty important. It has proved to be a way of introducing new people to the group and in just about every case these same people have ended up joining in our spiritual gatherings.

The dynamic of the group has changed over the past 8 months too. We started with a rather large group of people, most of whom would have identified themselves as Christians - most were disgruntled with the church scene in one way or another or were looking at fresh ways of expressing their faith.

Unfortunately just about all these original people have stopped coming and have pretty much cut off communication with me altogether. This has been difficult for me. I struggle with this being a failure on my part yet I don't really know what to do about it, or what I did to make it happen in the first place. I enjoyed the company and input of all these guys and miss their involvement. The only thing I can guess about the reason for their discontinued involvement is that the community wasn't meeting their needs or expectations.

While this aspect has been discouraging, the other side of the picture is encouraging. One of the most important aspects of what we do is the determined act of creating a place of genuine belonging for those who do come along. We seemed to have achieved this, at least for those without a church or Christian background. While the numbers of Jesus followers involved with us has decreased dramatically (from around 30 down to 3) we have seen an increase in unchurched people joining in. We know have a regular group of around 6 or 7 - not including the kids.

Here are some photos from yesterday's social.

The Kids

Most of the regular crew (below also)

We have a pretty basic website here and you can visit our Facebook page here.

Blog Wrap - Week 1

2008-06-15T21:28:00.003+09:00

I use Bloglines to keep up-to-date with my favourite blogs. For those who don't know, Bloglines is a blog reader. It takes all of the latest posts from the blogs you tell it to access and collates them all in one place. It makes it quick and easy to get the latest news from your favourite bloggers.

Bloglines also allows you to save posts for future reference.

Something I've been meaning to do for a while is link to some of the many interesting posts I've saved in my Bloglines account. They date back a while, and I have quite a collection happening, but, thought that I would start sharing them around with a regular "Blog Wrap".

So here goes - this weeks interesting blog snippets are:

Christian Radio on Glenn's Re-Dreaming the Dream blog.

Some interesting and original thoughts on "Respecting Strange Gods" from Matt Stone.

A new blog (at least it was new when I saved the post back in April) on "Lectio Divina for the Ipod Generation" from Emergent Village; and David Fitch takes on Mark Driscoll's claims that the Emerging Church doesn't have any convert (he should come and see what we are doing in Bunbury - most of our regulars are brand spanking new believers with absolutely no Christian background!) in this post also from Emergent.

An "Ancient Celtic Prayer" from JR Woodward at Dream Awakener.

"10 Reasons Why Men Should Not be Ordained for Ministry" from Helen at Conversations at the Edge.

Rick Meigs from Blind Beggar responds to the all pervasive "Come and See" mentality that exists in much of the Evangelical church around the world.

And finally:

A post on a very current and important topic from Hamo at Backyard Missionary, "Radical Hospitality and Incarnational Mission in Suburbia".

Enjoy!

New Day 4 Videos - Rwanda

2008-06-15T09:58:00.004+09:00

I've started editing together the brief promotional videos I shot while in Rwanda a few weeks ago. These two show are new intro and a promotional video of one of our finished projects - Mountain Rain. Mountain rain was completed in 2007 and represents our first finished sustainable community development project. It's one we are very proud of because of the effects it has had on the community.

The music is from Rwandan music star (and follower of Jesus) Jean Paul Samputu.

There are several more videos on the go and I'll stick them up as they become available.

I welcome any comments about the videos.

3 is enough

2008-06-10T17:31:00.004+09:00

"3 is enough" groups are an initiative of Todd Hunter. They remind me a little of something called "prayer triplets" which have come in and out of vogue here in Oz (and I guess elsewhere around the world) from time to time. However 3ie groups have some distinct differences.

Here's what Todd has to say about them:

Three is Enough Groups are a simple way to practice following God in the way of Jesus. They are not an end in themselves. Their focus is on God and others and the spiritual transformation such a focus brings.

As an important byproduct, they are an antidote to the massive image problem currently ascribed to Christians and Christianity. This unfortunate viewpoint keeps many people from entering life in the Kingdom as a follower of Jesus. Spiritual transformation into Christlikeness has always been the true goal of Christian faith—now it is utterly strategic.

Everything you need to know about the concept and about getting a group of your own started is on Todd's blog.

The start of something new

2008-06-03T22:55:00.003+09:00

Today is a special day.

I was called to a meeting with our state manager today, a meeting I had been half expecting for about a month now.

I was told that the community services program I run had not been refunded and as such was being shelved. As a result my position was being made redundant.

In just over three weeks I will finish three and a half of the most amazing years of my working life. In this time I have been privileged to work with more than 50 young men, struggling to find their way in the world and have met and built friendships with work colleagues that, I hope, will last a lifetime.

Kick Start has taught me loads - about people, about leading, about management, about God and the way he works in people and through people and through situations. About belonging and loving the unlovable and making the world a better place. About living incarnationally and being the church.

If anyone has any work going (about 2 days per week would be good), don't hesitate to drop me a line! :)

What does real evangelism look like?

2008-06-02T12:29:00.006+09:00

Being nice to people doesn’t get them saved. You need to present them with the bad news about their sin, tell them about Jesus and the cross, and bring them to a point of decision. That’s what Jesus called us to do, and anything short of that is just a cop out.
As quoted by Randy Siever - Doable Evangelism - Busting the Myth of "Pre-Evangelism"

A few years back I would have whole heartedly signed up for this statement of mission. I was convinced the only way to see people saved was to hit them with the bad news about their final destination and the Good News of the cross.

The reality was, even though the theory seemed to make a lot of sense, the practice really wasn't working.

Looking back I think I had been convinced that faith was a commodity of sorts that had to be "sold" - in fact the approach I had been taught to take was one very closely aligned to that taken by network marketers.

Now network marketing is something I have tried on a number of occaisions without much success (I know it works for some - it didn't work for me and, thanks, I'm not interested in going there again!). I know quiet a few people who are into it and I have many times seen the end result of the standard approach - broken or damaged relationships!

Generally, the approach is pushy, demanding and offensive (I know not all network marketers work this way). The assumption is the prospect "needs" what you have to sell and it is your job to convince them of it. Sometimes this requires a feined attempt at friendship (the network marketer's equivelent of what Siever is referring to as "pre-evangelism" in his post) in order to win the prospect over.

In my personal experience, the "friendship" is often quickly forgotten when the program is rejected. I have spoken to many people who would describe themselves as "victims" of this kind of high pressure approach to business.

The approach has a conditioning effect. Once you have been "hit up" by a network marketer once or twice you get to know the warning signs. Out of the blue contact by an old aquaintance who "wants to catch up and talk to you about a business opportunity" is enough to send cold shivers down your spine. The warmth generated by the out-of-the-blue contact of an old friend is readily replaced by an overwhelming desire to do bodily harm to the person on the other end of the phone.

Unfortunately I know just as many who would describe their experiences with Christians in a similar way.

Another Amahoro 08 Blog

2008-06-01T13:50:00.002+09:00

On the Amahoro Africa front, I found another blog reporting on the gathering. It belongs to Tim Keel from Jacobs Well community in the US. As far as I can tell he and I are the only bloggers to report on the gathering. He gives a run-down on sessions with Annemie Bosch and Brian McLaren that I (unfortunately) missed due to my bout of malaria.

Back from Africa

2008-06-01T13:13:00.005+09:00

We arrived back home early Friday morning after a 7 hour flight from Thailand.

Things got off to a bit of a scary start on take off from Bangkok - the plane began climbing at full thrust as usual, until, about a minute into the climb, the pilot leveled out and throttled down. There followed a deafening noise and the plane began shuddering violently.

Alyssa and I were sitting in an exit row with the two flight attendants in their jumpseats directly in front of us. When the noise and shuddering started they stopped chatting and gave each other worried looks and exchanged glances with two other attendants on the opposite side of the plane.

When the emergency exit lights came people around us started making noise. My reflex action was to grab Lyss' hand and begin praying in here ear!

The noise and shudders lasted about 30 seconds and then the pilot increased thrust and began to climb again. After about an hour of climbing the pilot came on the intercom for the first time, without mentioning anything about what had happened. To say the rest of the flight was a little nerve-wracked is probably an understandment.

While not completely sure what happened, my own flight training and flying experience tells me the most likely source of the problem was the undercarriage which possibly did not properly lock in place after take-off. This would explain the throttling back, leveling off and the horrendous noise (resulting from the drag caused when the undercarriage was put down and back up again). It also explains the emergency exit lights as these come on automatically when the landing gear is extended.

While it wasn't a serious issue, it would have been nice if the Thai Airways flight crew had explained over the intercom what was going on. The whole incident left quite a few passengers obviously rattled - Lyss and I included.

It's good to be back and to see the kids. And also to reflect on the last 2 weeks and things we have seen, heard and participated in.

Jesus the CEO

2008-05-30T01:15:00.004+09:00

CEO leadership and the church - it's one of my pet hates.

I was recently on the board of a relatively large Christian organisation where Jesus "Leadership secrets" were offered and discussed at each board meeting.

While the intent of the person offering the "secrets" was genuine and well intended, the "secrets" often left me a little hot under the collar at times.

Rick Meigs recently comment on this same topic on Blind Beggar. He writes:

Chris Blumhofer writes a needed corrective at Out of Ur on the trend to make Jesus the greatest CEO of all time.
Reading the Gospels for leadership principles like team building, vision casting, or ’seeing the potential in others’ makes a mockery of authorial intent and historical-cultural backgrounds. Such readings appear to take the Bible seriously, but they don’t do it justice; they simply create anachronistic interpretations.
People need to stop using the Bible to justify their church-as-business paradigm. Chris correctly observes that Jesus was not first-and-foremost a leader with a message for us, but rather a savior who loved the world enough to die for it. He was consumed with the idea of servanthood. If leaders want to follow Jesus example, they too should be servants.

Something more to think about.

On the way home

2008-05-29T21:23:00.003+09:00

We are in Bangkok at the moment. We had a 7 hour wait in Nairobi and 11 hours here. Only 5 hours to go til we board the plane for home.

Lyss and I are in an internet cafe at the moment. We just checked out of the "day rooms" at Bangkok airport where we had a few hours kip and relief from lugging (way too much) hand luggage around.

I'll finish updating Africa when I get back to Oz.

See you then!

Ikawa Inziza (Good Coffee)

2008-05-26T02:21:00.004+09:00

One of my favourite things about Rwanda (and Africa in general) is the coffee. It's usually served steaming hot in a large thermos. Milk isn't always readily available and so powered milk regularly takes its place, even so the taste is amazing.

I find myself having three cups with breakfast most mornings - don't tell my Dr!

We've also found a great cafe this time. It's ~~an American~~ Rwandan but has a very Western feel, with "real" coffee and it aint half bad. They use local Rwandan beans and serve Western style food, which is great when the matoki and maize starch start to get a bit mundane (watch the burgers - mine was rare on the inside tonight). For any interested travellers, it's called Bourbon Coffee and is located in the Union Trade Centre in downtown Kigali.

Ikawa inziza Rwanda!

Kigali

2008-05-24T19:15:00.005+09:00

Expat Aussies and Embassy staff at the Kigali Serena

We left La Palisse yesterday at around noon. We were expecting our lift at 9.00, but T.I.A!

The extra time was actually a blessing as we got to spend around an hour chatting with Native American activist ,theologian and gathering speaker Richard Twiss. Richard is of the Sioux/Lakota tribe and plays a role in preserving his culture. On the last night of the conference he sang a traditional song for us to the beat of a hand held drum. The song predated whitemans occupation of North America and spoke of the existence of a supreme being to whom prayers should be offered. His point was God was with the American Indian people long before white man.

He spoke of the attrocities the whites enacted against the native Americans. Of small pox infected blankets sent out to the tribes (biological warfare), of "battles" in which the US Army wantonly killed men, women and children in order to dominate and erradicate the Indian people.

There were many analogies to our own colonial treatment of the Australian Aboriginal people. A people who also had God with them long before the white man set foot on Australian soil.

I remember a story told to me by an old Walpiri elder at Willowra in the Tanami Desert - he said the creator God was known by his people and worshipped, but his name and true identity had been lost in the passing of time. His said he was thankful for the missionary who came and reintroduced his people to God.

We chatted with Richard about his church in Seatle and about the ways in which it was finding a place among the marginalised of the city. The addicts and dealers and homeless. He said his job was to help keep the leaderships feet on the ground, not succoming to the church growth circus. Although he said there was interest in his church fom those wanting to capture what they are doing and turn it into a formula, including from one of Perth's own mega-church leaders!

He gave us some contact details for friends who are involved in a similar demographic to ours, although they are 15 years into it. Hopefully we can connect and learn something from them as we continue our work with the marginalised in Bunbury.

Last night we spent a pleasant evening at Kigali's only 5 star hotel - the Serena. We saw an ad in the East African paper at the start of the week for a gathering for Aussies in Rwanda and thought we would rock up.

We found an interesting bunch of expat Aussies. Nurses, a World Vision project manager, teachers and an agricultural consultant and a lady involved in the development of rugby in Rwanda - as well as a representative of the Australian Embassy in Kenya.

We had a nice African BBQ meal (goat and chicken and salad) and drinks, all on the Australian government - not something we were expecting when we arrived last week. I tried the local beer, Primus, and was pleasantly surprised.

Of the group only one was a bloke, the rest were women, mostly single women. One lady had lived in Kigali with her Rwandese husband for 9 years.

Today we have had a quiet morning browsing the tourist stores, buying presents for family and friends.

Amahoro Gathering - Day 3

2008-05-23T16:27:00.007+09:00

The malaria seems to be under control. The dizzyness has all but gone and the fever comes and goes. I have been told the artemisinin treatment is strong and fast acting.

Today was another full on day. The morning featured presentations by local Christian organisations involved in the reconciliation process - uniting Hutu and Tutsi. We heard directly from Hutu perpertrators, including a lady who was fairly high up in the Hutu administration at the time of the genocide, a Hutu lady who was married to a Tutsi man who was killed in the genocide and a Tutsi woman who lost most of her family. I have never heard the tribal differences spoken about as openly. Previously I had been told that it is illegal to publically speak about the tribes in this way. The government is promoting one Rwandan people, and in the process pushing discussion of ethnic differences and opinion underground.

I met a Rwanda guy the other day at lunch who now lives in Sydney. He spoke about the reconciliation process in Rwanda and his own journey towards reconciliation. This was the first time he had been home to Rwanda in many years - he's lived in Australia for 12 years. He said the institutionalised form of reconciliation promoted by the Rwandan government was not working. Simply not mentioning the tribes has done nothing to heal the wounds and ethnic tensions still existed.

He hoped Amahoro would provide some answers to genuine reconciliation for Rwanda. Reconciliation from the heart and not from the government.

The feeling I get when I speak to Rwandans is the genocide may be 14 years in the past but the tensions that lead to it are still very real in the present.

The situation in Kenya was also addressed through a presentation led by a man I am privellaged to call a friend, Pastor Edward Simyu.

Like a Kenyan Martin Luther King, Edward led a convoy of Christians through the road blocks in January, risking his life in the process, to take Jesus message of reconciliation to the people behind the ethnic violence.

Edward introduced us to Joy, a Nairobi residence and member of his peace convoy to Eldoret. He also interviewed a number of Kenyans who had experienced the violence first hand. One guy, a pastor called Peter, still lives in a displaced persons camp as his home was destroyed.

There were different opinions on the source of the violence. One thought it was spontaneous - a direct result of the elections, another believed it was planned before hand as an act of ethnic cleansing. Whatever the cause, there is little doubt Kenya, like Rwanda before it, has a long road ahead.

I felt humbled and honoured when Edward asked me to pray for his country at the conclusion of his presentation.

Can the church be a part of the solution?

This was the question addressed by Brian McLaren in his presentation on pre-emptive reconciliation. Obviously it is too late to pre-empt the trouble that resulted in the Kenyan violence and the Rwandan genocide, but there is an oportunity for the church to act now. To be a part of the healing process. Bringing people together and promoting forgiveness.

McLaren portrayed the kingdom of God as standing over and above the kingdoms of the world. He described Jesus story as being superior to the stories of domination, revolution, purification, isolation, and alienation (I might try and expand on this a little later). Instead of domination McLaren says, Jesus calls us to servanthood, instead of revenge, reconciliation. Instead of purification (or ethnic cleansing), acceptance, healing and love. Instead of isolation, engagement.

As I think about everything that has taken place over the last few days I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm also feeling again like I am participating, in a very small way, in something big,something of global significance.

Today we head back to the guesthouse. The rest of the week will involve business meetings and trips to view projects we sponsor. We are also meeting with the Australian Ambassador to Kenya this afternoon. I hope to be able to discuss Australia's future involvement in Rwanda.

Malaria - Amahoro Gathering Day 2

2008-05-22T15:12:00.002+09:00

Day 2 of the gathering has been a write-off for me. For the last few days I have been sweating profusely and feeling a little off colour. Yesteday morning I awoke with fever and dizziness. It turns out I have contracted malaria.

I spent the day in bed and was given a treatment by a local doctor which I had heard about while still in Australia. It's contains a substance called artemisinin which is a powerful anti-malarial, only recently discovered.

As a result today I am feeling much better, though very week and still feverish. I hope to attend the presentations and thus be able to report back here later on.

I have told my African friends that I have now been initiated and am an African now for real!

Reconciliation - Amahoro Gathering Day 1

2008-05-21T13:53:00.001+09:00

The focus of the Amahoro Gathering this year is the Gospel of Reconciliation.

Today we had introductory sessions from speakers from Rwanda, South Africa and Australia.

Sean Callaghan, a South African now living in London, spoke about the relationship between our theology and our concept of God, and therefore reconciliation.

He started by saying for a long time we have had things round the wrong way. Our ecclesiology (mode of church) has informed our methodology which has led to the tendency for Christians to compartmentalise people into two groups – those who are “in” and those who are “out”. However a theology of reconciliation, says Sean, gives us something different.

He pointed to the Trinity as the ultimate example of a reconciled community. A relational, loving God. This view of God informs our own praxis of mission.

He went on to look at the broader African context in relation to reconciliation; the Rwandan context (the 1994 genocide); the relationship between reconciliation and truth, justice and restitution and finally, pre-emptive reconciliation.

In terms of my church context a couple of things grabbed me. Sean asked the question; “What does the church I am from say about the God I represent?” He talked about the way in which the church has been complicit in atrocities such as the apartheid system in South Africa and the Rwandan genocide. This, he says, is because of a misunderstanding of who God is – the God of “ins” and “outs” rather than the God of reconciled community.

Another interesting point related to the relationship between theology and justice. Is our view of God as a criminal judge (a punitive theology) or do we view God as a judge who wants to set things right through restoration? A social justice rather than a punitive justice.

It will be interesting to see where this discussion leads us over the next few days. I think while there is an obvious relationship to the African continent, the topic is also very relevant for Westerners, and Aussies.

The second speaker was Frida Gashumba, who, as a 14 year old girl, miraculously survived the genocide, while the rest of her immediate family were killed. She has written a book about her experience which I am going to see if we can purchase to sell through Day 4.

We also heard from a Hutu lady called Maria who has embarked on the courageous work of calling members of her tribe to repentance. As a result of her work she is unpopular with many Hutu’s. She made the point, while the government in Rwanda is trying to publicly eliminate the tribal system, the reality is it still exists and many of the feelings and philosophies that resulted in the genocide are still festering away in the community. She believes the only way to truly move forward is for an acceptance of the existence of different tribes and the taking of responsibility by the Hutu tribe for the genocide. While many Hutu’s did not participate in the genocide (including Maria) I imagine the kind of response she is seeking is similar to that of the recent churches apology to the Australian Aboriginal people and also that of Aussie PM, Kevin Rudd. Not necessarily a blanket admission of guilt, but a taking of responsibility as a way of moving forward and experiencing genuine reconciliation.

The afternoon concluded with a talk by fellow Aussie, Fuzz Kitto on truth in reconciliation.

Dinner featured a welcome to Amahoro and included traditional Rwandan and Burundian dancers and drummers. Unfortunately about half way through the outdoor gathering the rains came, bringing a rather abrupt end to the night.

Long post – the day was jam packed as is the rest of the week. So much information, so hard to post it all. Muramuke – Catch you tomorrow!

The Joy of Worship

2008-05-19T21:46:00.003+09:00

Well, we're here! The journey was long and tiring. Cramped seats, long waits at airports, but in the end it's good to be back in the “land of a thousand hills”.

Yesterday we worshipped with the Christians on the mountain. I was struck again by the joy these gentle people exude in their worship. The dancing and singing and hugging.

I always feel we are somehow missing something in our sedate services - yet I know culturally, it would be difficult to feel comfortable worshipping at home in Australia in the way of the Africans.

I think the picture (above) captures the joy and enthusiasm of yesterday’s service.

We have just arrived at the La Palisse hotel for this years Amahoro gathering. I am going to try and take notes during the sessions and post blogs. I am full of expectation - the focus of the conference is reconciliation. A tough, personally challenging topic. But I can't think of a better place to be discussing such a thing - Rwanda!

See you soon.

Off to Africa

2008-05-14T14:53:00.002+09:00

I'm just about to leave the kids with their grandparents and jump in the car with Lyss on the first stage of our journey to Rwanda.

It's the plane-travel bit that I dislike the most. Even though I've lost count of the number of times I've flown, I still can't shake that whole "tin cans shouldn't be flying" feeling. Pray for me! :)

Will post again when I get a chance - probably from Kigali on Friday, maybe from Bangkok tomorrow.

See you on the other side!

Incarnation is not ...

2008-05-11T10:02:00.002+09:00

"...incarnation is not about reinventing and compromising faith to fit into contemporary culture selling out, but is getting down and dirty: making the move to be amongst and one of whilst yet retaining purity and modelling holiness in the midst." Ian Emery - posted on Journey's In Between by Matt.

Concussion

2008-05-08T19:12:00.004+09:00

What a 24 hours.

Lyss called me just after 3 yesterday with a rather rattled and rushed message; "go to the school right now! Sam's been involved in an incident. I'm on my way, will see you there."

I didn't really know what was going on but headed for the school anyway. The minute I set foot in the administration building I was met by a tearful Sam (our 10 year old). He threw his arms around me and kept saying "I can't remember anything daddy, I can't remember anything".

I sat down with him and tried to find out what had happened. He had no idea, other than that he seemed to be experiencing some form of memory loss. He even pinched himself, at the same time asking me if he was dreaming! He said he had a terrible headache.

It didn't take long to work out something really wasn't right. He's memory seemed unable to stretch any more than about 30 seconds into the past before resetting - it was like he was on a 30 second loop. He kept asking the same questions without any idea he had, only seconds before, received an answer to the same questions. He had no recollection of how he came to be in the admin building, of me arriving or anything much after lunch time that day.

The school wasn't able to tell us much at all, other than they thought he had been hit by another boy just after school finished at 3pm.

Alyssa arrived and we rushed off to the hospital where he was admitted fairly quickly through the emergency deparment. Even though they were incredibly busy they still gave him priority which was a great relief.

His memory loss and 30 second loop continued on for around 5 hours. He would just say the same things over and over. At one point I pre-empted what he was going to say and he asked me "how did you know I was going to say that?" I told him he had only said the same thing around 50 times already! He just gave me a funny look as he had no idea!

The did a CT scan, ECG and blood test, thankfully they all came back normal.

He was admitted and spent the night in the hospital. Lyss stayed the night in the room with him. This morning when I went in before work he was much better, almost back to normal, and more interested in the Nintendo in the games room than anything much else.

We went to the school mid morning and found out he had been hit - twice in the forehead - after stepping in to help a mate who was being harrassed by another boy.

Tonight Sam still has no recollection of anything that happened between 1.30 yesterday and about 8.30 last night.

All in all a pretty scarey afternoon. Thank God he is ok, and looks like staying that way. He's off soccer for 2 weeks and off school until Monday and under orders to "take it easy", which is something I think he is going to find very difficult!

Ups and Downs

2008-04-26T16:58:00.004+09:00

The last few months have been pretty horrible in terms of ups and downs. I feel like things are starting to level out again now, which is good.

Work has been difficult - new management etc. etc. There's a lot I could say but won't. Thankfully, due mainly to the insight of senior management at a State level, things now look like they will be settling down.

New friends moving off - My off-sider on Kick Start, Tim, recently resigned and had his last day at work on Thursday. Tim joined us from Kununurra on October last year when our previous trainer left us. Tim has has been an asset to the program and has become a great friend. He joined us in our missional venture early on and has been a big part of what we have been doing, both through Kick Start and also in our community. He's heading back to Kununurra where his family is and a new job working in the local District High School. I am going to miss Tim and wish him all the best "up-north".

Tim (on right) with Shane (middle) and me (left) at Tim's fairwell on Thursday
Trainer wanted - With Tim leaving we are now chasing a new trainer. The suitable applicant will have a trade background and experience in working with "at risk" youth. Our program is a drug and alcohol diversionary and intervention program, so an understanding (i.e. non-judgemental) and empathetic attitude is essential. If you think this is you, let me know!

Rwanda - Alyssa and I am off to Kigali in 2 weeks. I am finding that I don't have the usual pre-trip dread this year round. I think it is because I am taking Alyssa with me and not leaving her behind this year. I am going to miss the kids like crazy - I always end up leaving in tears, big sook that I am, but at least Lyss will be with me. I am really looking forward to showing her around and introducing her to my Rwandan family.

Amahoro Gathering 08 - While we are in Rwanda we will be attending Amahoro 2008 which is (very conveniently) taking place in Kigali this year. I attended the inaugeral gathering last year in Mukono, Uganda where the focus was on the gospel of transformation (as opposed to the gospel of evacuation). I am looking forward to catching up with Claude Nikondeha - the man behind the gathering and Edward Simiyu - an amazing leader from Kenya and also Brian McLaren and the other "emerging/emergent" guys from the states who will be there.

The focus of this years gathering is the gospel of reconcilliation and I don't think there is a better place in Africa than Rwanda to be holding such a conversation. Rwanda is a model of reconcilliation for the rest of the world.

I want to try and blog the conference here but, it sometimes takes a while for the message to sink in and for me to more fully understand what it is I am hearing. So we'll see how that comes together!

Guitar at Sunday gathering - for the first time ever I am on guitar duty at our Sunday morning gathering. We don't have a big band of musicians - really just one dedicated lady who plays guitar for us most Sundays. But she's away tomorrow and I was asked to fill in.

I used to play guitar in a pub band - but that was when I was a drinker, and I don't think I played a single concert sober, so tomorrow should be interesting.

Ouch - New Tatt

2008-04-26T16:06:00.003+09:00

I just found this photo, taken with my phone camera, the day after getting my latest tattoo back in early February this year.

Man it looks sore.

Anyone who tells you tatts don't hurt is lying!

New Blog - Reimagine

2008-04-26T15:44:00.004+09:00

Just wanted to let you all know about a new blog launched a couple of days ago by Hamo from Backyard Missionary/Forge.

It's hopefully gonna be centred around the experiences of those currently involved in Forge's Re-imagine process - helping established churches become missional.

Re-imagine something we at Binningup are getting into.

Here's what Hamo has to say about the blog:

The idea is to set up an online space where the local reimagine projects can share their learning, interact and spark ideas with one another ...that it may also serve as a tool to those all around the world who are currently seeking to re-imagine ... the work we do here in WA could be invaluable to many others.

Check it out - reimaginewa.blogspot.com

Chinese Weapons Ship leaves South Africa

2008-04-19T13:37:00.006+09:00

Chinese cargo ship carrying arms shippment to Zimbabwe, anchored off South African coast (picture stolen from Sky News)

A Chinese ship reportedly carying arms and ammunition to Zimbabwe has left the South African coast after port workers refused to unload its cargo and the South African courts blocked its passage through the country.

It is believed the arms were sold to the Mugabe led government by the Chinese government. Opposition parties in Zimbabwe have said the arms would be used against the Zimbabwean public, especially those opposing the Mugabe regime.

Sky News have reported that South African newspaper, the Beeld, has published details of the ship's inventory which includes 3 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 1,500 rocket propelled grenades.

While China's human rights record in relation to Tibet has been in the news a lot lately, it's also worth remembering the Chinese governments ongoing involvement in violating the rights of other minority groups within China - including millions of Chinese followers of Jesus - and their continued involvement in supporting oppressive foreign regimes such as those of Mugabe in Zimbabwe, through the supply of arms and ammunition. Weapons which almost undoubtedly will used against innocent civilians.

I think we (Australia and perhaps the rest of the Western world) should be boycotting the Beijing Olympics. I can't think of a more current and internationally significant way of letting China know that we want nothing to do with their oppressive political system and oppose their involvement in and support of other oppressive regimes elsewhere in the world, not to mention the role they have to play in the persecution of minorities within their own boarders.

Some links to news sites with information on the Chinese ship and its cargo. You can also congratulate the South African dock workers by emailing them from the website of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union website.

BBC News

All Africa.com

Sky News

The pursuit to be like Jesus

2008-04-01T18:09:00.003+09:00

[Emerging churches] do not believe in evangelistic strategies, other than the pursuit to be like Jesus in his interactions with others. They do not target people or have an agenda but rather seek to love all those whom God brings to them. They do not hope for a belief change for their conversation partners as much as a life change. Because of their high level of engagement with other cultures, the sacred/secular split is overcome as they practice the kingdom in their midst, in community.

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger cited in Scot McKnights, A community called atonement (Abingdon Press, 2007).

Support a Rwandan Family - Buy a Goat

2008-03-24T10:01:00.004+09:00

Kigali Self-Help group members with their bank-books in May 2007

The most successful humanitarian programs I have come across in my travels in Africa are centred around small, self-help groups. These groups are mini-communities of people motivated to help one another make difference in their own situations. They are examples of indigenous responsibility taking.

Each group is based around a micro-finance framework and each group is replicable. What makes these groups so successful is their ability to change their individual members living conditions in a very short time and the way they so rapidly replicate. They are an amazing example of networking and viral marketing.

What makes them (IMO) really cool is that they are also an example of the "hand-up" mentality at work. They teach people to take responsibility for their own situation without relying on endless handouts. Instead of dependancy, these groups create interdependancy.

I should point out that the majority of members of these groups are women, there are groups consisting of HIV/AIDS sufferers and all members come from marginalised, poverty stricken communities.

With all that in mind, Day 4 have jumped at the opportunity to add more value, where we can, to these self help groups by offering seed (or capital) funding for sustainable projects operated by the groups. These projects require one-off funding and then will operate over the long term in a sustainable way - generating their own income which covers all operating costs and provides a profit for the self-help group members (an important requirement for the majority of the projects we fund).

Today's project is a goat farming initiative developed by the Muganza self-help group. When complete this project will supply 20 goats to the cooperative, provide a plot of land for grazing and pay the wages of a shepherd.

For AU$185.00 (US$170.00) you can fund the purchase of a 1/20th share of the project (or one goat!). In return you will receive a personal photograph of "your" goat and updates on the state of the project.

If you would like to donate, please visit Day 4's website where you can donate online or via a variety of other ways.

The self-help groups (more than 60 groups exist throughout the Kigali region) are an initiative of the Christian Unity Fellowship, Day 4's Rwandan partners and are an indigenous example of faith in Christ, in action in a transformative way in the Rwandan community.

What do I have to do ...?

2008-03-23T12:26:00.007+09:00

Promotion! It's something I find really difficult. Even though I am so sure, and so confident that what I am promoting is good and valuable and worthwhile it is really difficult to get people to listen and get on board. Maybe I'm just not good at "selling the vision"? Maybe I'm not presenting the right information in the right way - so as to build confidence? Maybe I just don't come across as someone who is trustworthy and so my "cause" is overlooked?

I'm thinking of the work I am involved with through Day 4 - a community aid and development organisation I founded around 5 years ago which has a good track record of working accountably and successfully with communities in Central and East Africa to develop sustainable, locally driven projects which really do have a positive effect on the standard of living.

It's small scale stuff, but still valuable.

Yet I have found it really difficult to get Christian's, particularly emerging-missional types, involved and supporting this work - financially and also through word of mouth and online promotion and support.

I worked in commercial media for a number of years before getting into more people focussed ministry so I understand the pull of gloss and professionalism - and, especially when it comes to professionalism, I support every effort made to promote a professional image. But I think when we are faced (and I'm speaking for myself here as much as anyone else) with a choice between a glossy, professionally marketed cause and a much less glossy not so professionally marketed one we will tend towards the gloss.

So, I want to ask the question - its actually a question I'm going to be asking a few by email as well;

What is it that we at Day 4 need to do to get your support? How do we need to change in order to start to:

a) receive broad support and promotion from organisations (a number of organisations that I am involved with in one way or another will regularly promote "aid" type organisations or initiatives of "friends" but never seem to even look at Day 4) and;

b) receive wider support and promotion from individuals, online and in the real world?

It is really difficult to get your slice of the aid and development "pie" when you aren't able to grow your supporter base.

At the end of the day I have to say though, we don't have access to professional marketers, web and graphic designers or the print media. We don't have any celebrity poster-people or any big CHristian names endorsing us. So improving the way we present online and through our various promotional resources is going to be difficult for us.

At this point in time our supporter base and income isn't big enough to warrant spending hard earned funds on a marketing campain, especially when those same funds can be used to develop a sustainable project on the ground in Africa. So in this sense we are faced with a "catch 22" situation. And I know some of you will say "you have to spend money to make money".

Answers to these questions will really help me to understand what it is we need to do to be more appealing to the public and also perhaps to answer questions people maybe have going around their mind when they are confronted with our appeals or our organisation as a whole.

The Cross - The Centre Point of Easter

2008-03-22T10:56:00.002+09:00

12 years ago Alyssa and I spent an amazing Easter in the Tanami Desert in North Western, Central Australia.

We were invited to an Aboriginal community called Willowra, to celebrate Easter with the locals, the Walpiri tribe.

Willowra station is the centre of the Walpiri homeland and is a couple of hundred kilometers from Alice Springs, the nearest major settlement in Central Australia and home to Alyssa and I at the time.

While we were at Willowra we had the privilege of meeting Eddie, one of the Willowra elders. I still remember him clearly, a weathered old man in red stained, well worn jeans and a faded Elvis tee shirt. Eddie's english was broken and difficult to understand, and our host, a local Baptist pastor familiar with the local language, was able to translate some of his story for us.

Apparently Eddie was the first among his tribe, as a 12 year old boy, to see white people. He remembers hiding as a horse drawn drey pulled into the good grazing lands surrounding Willowra and he and his young friends warily made first contact with these strange, white people.

Eddie and his family and tribe went on to become Christians. So Easter at Willowra was a special affair, celebrated in traditional Aboriginal fashion.

Eddie said he was thankful to missionaries who came and brought them the gospel. He said it was really just a reintroduction to the Creator God. His people, he said, had once known God well, but somewhere along the way the knowledge was lost - they forgot his name, and who he really was, even though they still acknowledged him at certain times of the year and in certain ceremonies. Yet the white missionaries restored the lost knowledge and through them they also came to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

At about 5 o'clock on Good Friday afternoon the men and the women split into two separate groups and began to apply their corroboree dress. They smeared their bodies in red ochre, the women applying white crosses to their arms and breasts and the men, gird only in red loin clothes, applied a fluffy substance, white and brown, to their bodies. And as the sun set they began to dance and sing.

To an outsider like me their language and dance was mesmerising. Even though I couldn't understand the words they were singing it was easy to get the meaning of their performance. It was a deeply moving retelling of the 2000 year old story of the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ in traditional Aboriginal form - a purlapa or corroboree.

My point in telling you this story of our Easter at Willowra is this: as foreign as the Aboriginal Easter celebrations were to Alyssa and I (even though we have lived in this country all our lives), the original, Jerusalem crucifixion is just as foreign. Yet for us as Western followers of Jesus or for our brothers and sisters at Willowra, the message, the power of the event is not lost. The crucifixion transcends culture and time and has power and meaning and a message, no matter who we are or where we are in this amazing world.

Whether we are Australian aboriginals in the Tanami desert, or Indians in Mumbai, or Africans in Rwanda the cross reminds us off the greatest gift humanity has ever received.

Even though there have been many crosses throughout history - thousands have died nailed to Roman crucifixes, soldiers have fought and killed behind crosses emblazoned on shields and under banners baring the symbol - the real significance of the cross of Calvary isn't the cross itself, rather it relates directly, solely to the one who was nailed upon it.

If Jesus was just another criminal, crucified like thousands of others before and after him, then the cross would have no significance at all. It would only be remembered as a symbol of Roman brutality, a historical showpiece or curiosity, much like the hangman’s gallows in an old prison. Enough to send a shiver down your spine but nothing more.

Yet the cross of Christ is not just an ordinary symbol of death – simply because Christ was no ordinary person, no ordinary Jew, no ordinary prisoner.

His death was significant – not just in a Jewish world, or a Greco-Roman world, not just 2000 years ago. But significant in such a way that the echoes of the crucifixion continue to reverberate through all history and into every culture, race, tribe and nation. Christ’s death speaks to us all, no matter what our background or ethnicity. In this way it is unique among all the world religions.

And, while it is and always will be a symbol of death (just look at the numerous crosses marking the places of fatal car accidents), it is also a symbol of love and life.

Philip Yancey writes of this love and the decision faced by the world in accepting, or rejecting it;

Thieves crucified on either side of Jesus showed two possible responses. One mocked Jesus' powerlessness: A Messiah who can't even save himself? The other recognised a different kind of power. Taking the risk of faith, he asked Jesus to "remember me when you come into your kingdom." No one else, except in mockery, had addressed Jesus as a king. The dying thief saw more clearly than anyone else the nature of Jesus' kingdom.

In a sense, the paired thieves present the choice that all history has had to decide about the cross. Do we look at Jesus' powerlessness as an example of God's impotence or as proof of God's love? The Romans, bred on power deities like Jupiter, could recognise little godlikeness in a crumpled corpse hanging on a tree. Devout Jews, bred on stories of a power Jehovah, saw little to be admired in this god who died in weakness and in shame.

... Even so, over time it was the cross on the hill that changed the moral landscape of the world ...

The balance of power shifted more than slightly that day on Calvary because of who it was that absorbed the evil. If Jesus of Nazareth had been one more innocent victim, like King, Mandela, Havel, and Solzhenitsyn, he would have made his mark in history and faded from the scene. No religion would have sprung up around him. What changed history was the disciples' dawning awareness (it took the Resurrection to convince them) that God himself had chosen the way of weakness. The cross redefines God as One who is willing to relinquish power for the sake of love. Jesus became, in Dorothy Solle's phrase, "God's unilateral disarmament".

Power, no matter how well-intentioned, tends to cause suffering. Love, being venerable, absorbs it. In a point of convergence on a hill called Calvary, God renounced the one for the sake of the other. The Jesus I never knew, 1995, pp.203-205.

Yancey presents us with the challenge, the love, the true power of the crucifixion.

How will we view the cross of Calvary - or more importantly, how will we view the One who was executed upon it?

The Calvary crucifixion is a transcendent event – it truly does transcend time, and culture and religion. The fact that this weekend, all over this planet, people will be gathering to remember and celebrate this single event is proof of its transcendence.

So let us, this Good Friday, this Easter and every day of every week of every year, also remember the significance of the cross of Calvary and the death of the One who was nailed upon it, in freeing us from death and judgment and providing for us the opportunity to accept the love of the living God, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Action Part 2

2008-03-16T16:29:00.005+09:00

Yesterday's attempt at "Action" in Bunbury was a resounding success on a couple of fronts. Although, because of work committments and life, the turnout of Alternate[Or] crew wasn't great. For most of the time it was just Alyssa and I.

One of the Alternate[Or] guys did get a long for a bit though, which was really great, particualarly as she had admitted to feeling really uncomfortable about the whole process when we had spoken about it on Monday afternoon.

After a few minutes of watching us canvass she was into it and going great guns! The fact that people were very responsive to our efforts helped heaps. Most people were really keen to add their name to support the cause of the child cocoa slaves in West Africa. In just over an hour we got around 60 letters signed.

I think we'll try it again in a couple of weeks time, hopefully with a few more crew in attendance.

The best thing about this kind of action (probably any kind of positive action really) is that it is a great learning experience and also helps build bonds within the group - as well as helping raise awareness and gaining support against child slavery in West Africa. This is why I really want to ensure maximum involvement in this aspect of Alternate[Or].

Hopefully this is one tradition that will become a distinctive of our group/church - faith in action!

N.T. Wright on the Bible

2008-03-16T16:27:00.001+09:00

"The Bible is there to enable God's people to be equipped to do God's work in God's world, not to give them an excuse to sit back smugly, knowing they possess all God's truth."

Bishop N.T. Wright

First posted by Dream Awakener.

Action

2008-03-13T13:17:00.006+09:00

We're not just learning the rules, we're palying the game too!

I've been thinking a bit about tradition lately. One of the things that marks contemporary church (as in the Sunday service) is the traditions that are adheared to by the different faith communities.

Some of these are going to be fine, some are going to be completely irrelevant and others are going to be neither.

While I've been accused of being "anti-tradition", I am actually anything of the sort. What I do like to question is the place and purpose of the traditions we hold to, ensuring they are

1) understood by those practicing them,

2) meaningful and,

3) practical (in a sense that their meaningfulness is applicable in the daily spiritual and practical lives of those practicing the tradition).

One of the new traditions we have instigated in Alternate[Or] is a tradition of action. What this means to us is that we won't just be a faith community who meets together on a certain day of the week, we will also be a faith community which is active in real and practical ways in the broader community.

For the first time this weekend we are going to be putting our new tradition to the test. We're heading out as a group, hopefully with a few others as well, to help raise awareness of the plight of the West African child cocoa slaves.

With only a week until Easter we thought it would be good to hit the local supermarkets and use the World Vision, Don't Trade Lives campaign against chocolate slavery as a way of informing local chocolate consumers of what is really going on.

Hopefully this "tradition" will also become a part of our overall committment to discipleship. I see it as a great way to bond with new members and seekers (we have a few of those who will hopefully be joining us on Saturday) and of actively modelling our committment to Jesus through changing the face of the community, and planet - even if only in small ways.

If you are in the Bunbury area and would like to join us, we are meeting at 9am outside Coles in the Centrepoint Shopping Centre, Bunbury. Bring a clipboard and a pen, and lookout for a bunch (it could be a small bunch) of other people with similar!

I'll post a report on Saturday afternoon and let you know how it went.

Shooting Dogs

2008-03-09T18:49:00.006+09:00

I watched the BBC Films production, Shooting Dogs a couple of nights ago with Alyssa. This was an incredibly powerful retelling of the events of the Rwandan genocide, as viewed through the eyes of an aging Catholic Priest (John Hurt) and a young, idealistic British school teacher (Hugh Dancy).

The film was shot entirely on location on the site of one of the 1994 genocide's horrific massacres - the Catholic Church run Don Bosco School on the outskirts of Kigali.

Where Hotel Rwanda was a fairly slick Hollywood production, shot on location in South Africa, Shooting Dogs is a simpler, yet far more moving and impacting look at the early days of the genocide. In fact, it leaves Hotel Rwanda in the dust as it takes a very personal look at the way the genocide unfolds before the eyes of two, Western observers.

Hurt's character, Father Christopher, has spent 30 years on the African continent yet nothing has prepared him for what he would experience as more than 2000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu men, women and children arrive at the gates of his school within hours of the start of the wholesale slaughter. The school is seen as a safe haven of sorts because it also happens to be the base for a platoon of Belgian UN Peacekeepers.

The name of the film, released in the US under the title Beyond the Gates, is a reference to a scene in the film in which the commander of the Belgian forces tells Father Christopher that his men are going to shoot the dogs which are now steadily consuming the bodies of murder victims outside the gates of the school. A few minutes earlier he had explained to the priest that his own soldiers could not fire upon the militia as they murdered the same people the dogs were now devouring. The UN soldiers "mandate" did not allow them to discharge their firearms except if they were first fired upon.

Highlighting the irony of the situation, Christopher, the priest, asks the question of the commander, "Are they shooting at you?" To which the commander replies, "What are you talking about?". Christopher spits back, "It's just, according to your mandate, if you're going to shoot the dogs, then the dogs must have been shooting at you first!".

The story explores a number of different issues directly - conflict theology, the involvement of the colonials in Africa and the lack of outside international interest in the deteriorating situation. The naivety of Dancy's character is reflected in his response to the unfolding events. The teacher launches an expedition to bring an international media presence (a BBC reporter and cameraman) to the school in the misguided belief this would be enough to avert the slaughter of the people sheltering there.

For me two things stood out the most in the movie. The first was the familiar (to me) streets and landscapes of Kigali city . To see the scenes of the genocide played out before the backdrop of a city I know well was quite an emotional experience. It brought home the reality of the Rwandan experience in a very different way to Hotel Rwanda.

The second was the deeply theological question asked of the old priest by Joe Connor, the idealistic young school teacher. It follows from a particularly harrowing scene in which a young mother and her newly born baby boy are hacked to death by machette wielding Inter'a hamwe militia.

After wittnessing the killing, Conner questions the priest about the human body's response to pain, wondering if there is a threshold beyond which pain is not felt.

Connor says, "You'de think there'd be some ahh, something in the design, you know? Some shutoff valve, if you feel enough pain." The priest answers, "I hope so." Connor replies, "yeah, God knows. Maybe we should ask him, if he's still around?".

The priests answer comes later in the movie in what is probably the most poingniant moment in the whole film.

The UN receive an order to evacuate, leaving the 2500 people they have been protecting to fend for themselves. Connor and the priest are to be among the evacuees, the last of the non-military, white personell in the school.

After boarding a truck with his belongings. Connor looks for the priest and sees him standing, smiling peacefully, in the midst of the people. bbviously not prepared to leave. Connor leaves the truck and runs to the priest, asking him what he is doing. The priest tells him that he is staying. The young teacher stumbles, trying to find the right way to tell the priest that he is unable to stay behind with him and begs him to come.

Connor asks him, "Why are you doing this?". Christopher answers softly, "You asked me Joe, 'where is God in everything that's happening here? In all this suffering?' I know exactly where he is ... he's right here, with these people, suffering. His love is here. More intense and profound than I've ever felt. And my heart is here Joe, my soul. If I leave, I think I may not find it again.".

If I were a reviewer and had given Hotel Rwanda 5 "stars", after seeing Shooting Dogs I would have to drop 2 stars from Hotel Rwanda and give this film 5.

I have only found this DVD in one video store and then only one copy. It might be something you have to ask to be ordered in for you, but the extra effort will be worth it.

The film's website (under the American title) can be viewed HERE.

Easter Chocolate Challenge

2008-03-09T11:17:00.003+09:00

According to World Vision around 70% of the cocoa beans used to make our favourite chocolates come from West Africa where farmers are paid a pittance by the big western chocolate manufacturers. Apparently the returns paid to African farmers have steadily reduced over the past few years while chocolate manufacturers continue to increase the cost to the end users of their products, and, of course, their profit margins.

As a result of the incredibly low returns farmers in West Africa are being forced to use their own children as labour and are also purchasing other children, trafficked as slaves by criminal networks, to work as forced labour.

To date hundreds of thousands of West African children have been stolen and on sold to cocoa farmers where they are forced to work up to 100 hours per week and are also victims of abuse and neglect.

World Vision (and Moved Mountains) is challenging all chocolate eaters to take a stand against the child slave trade encouraged by the western chocolate companies by letting retailers and manufacturers know that we - the consumers of their end product - are not satisfied with the way their industry takes advantage of low cocoa prices and therefore encourages the horrific child slave trade in West Africa.

World Vision have produced a letter which they are encouraging people to send to their favourite chocolate manufacturer and a coupon which can be printed out and handed out to your local chocolate retailers (the links here link to pdf files, I suggest you right click and then "save as" rather than trying to open directly from here).

This is something we can all take action against - its easy, and help to make a very real difference in the lives of the poor cocoa farmers and the children that are currently being forced into the slave trade.

Everything Must Change

2008-03-08T18:36:00.003+09:00

A new initiative of Brian McLaren, this website is a social networking site with a specific purpose - promoting initiatives and events that are aimed at transforming or changing the world in which we live. It allows users to post promote and network ideas, events, campaigns etc, and sign up to support the initiatives of other users.

Here's what Brian has to say about it:

When I began researching global crises, I was interested in understanding them - but even more, I was interested in discovering what I could become and do in order to make a difference. My research led to a book, and then some friends, and then some friends and I began organizing a speaking tour. Before the tour even began, I began meeting people who said, "I feel the same responsibility and desire and hope. How can I help?" Soon, the idea for this site had emerged - a place where more and more people can become part of this process of understanding, becoming, acting, and joining together

Check it out and sign up to be a part of it HERE!

Landlords who care

2008-03-04T18:09:00.007+09:00

Homelessness is an issue I face on an almost weekly (sometimes daily) basis. Around 10% of my young charges are homeless at some point during their time with me in Kick Start. I also meet a large number of people of all ages who face the struggles of homelessness on a regular basis.

One of the big issues in my region is a chronic shortage of housing - market rent is at a phenomenal high with the promise of another 5% increase in the next month making it even harder for many first time renters to get into the rental market. Minimum rent is now around the $220/week mark with youth benefits sitting at around $300/fortnight.

Most strugglers, particularly those under 25, don't often even get as far as the application. I visited real estate agents with an 18 year old client late last year and witnessed him being laughed at by property managers who were happy to take his application fee while telling him it was unlikely he would be successful in any application because of his age and lack of "rental history".

As a result quite a significant number of young people are couch surfing - putting a strain on friendships. Others, including whole families, are living in cars, sheds, or just sleeping rough. Emergency accommodation is at breaking point. Services which offer clients accommodation for a strict time period of 3 months are finding they are seeing clients remain in their accommodation for more than 6 months because there is simply nowhere for them to go. Real estate agents have pages of names of waitinglists, making it easy for landlords to simply pick the most desirable tentants every time.

Hostels and back-packers are refusing to take clients from local community service providers because of the large numbers needing a room and the "undesirability" of the clientele. A problem which can be gotten round by lying (something I have done several times now when booking short term accommodation for clients) - simply answering "no, the booking is for me" when asked if it is an agency booking (begs the question "when is it ok to lie?").

Around 6 months ago I was approached by a couple who own an investment property and had heard me talk about the housing shortage. They have a duplex they would like to see used as affordable housing - helping at least a few people to get a roof over their heads. Last week a second couple with an investment property approached me with the same offer.

Over the weekend I was thinking about this. The first couple asked me if I would manage the property for them. I really didn't think this was something I wanted to take on, but it got me thinking about a way of making this work.

I decided to go see a good friend of mine who also happens to be a real estate agent and property manager. He is sympathetic to the cause and has helped me to find accommodation in the past for what would otherwise have been some pretty hopeless cases - sticking his neck on the line in the process.

He was really receptive to the idea of managing properties for landlords who are prepared to be flexible in their lease agreements and are willing to take a less-than-market rent in order to put a roof over someones head. He is also prepared to take on these kind of properties at cost price. While we still have to work out the finer details, I think that we might actually be on to something here.

I am looking at running this through our missional community plant - we have a range of community service workers who are a part of what we are doing - including a guy who works with State Housing tenants who are falling behind in their rent or upkeep of homes (I was going to get around to talking to you about it Shane!!!).

While we might not be able to help everyone, it at least it looks like we might be able to relieve the pressure for some. If you are reading this and have an investment property in the Bunbury area and would like to join in, please let me know. Let your investor friends know also.

Thank God for landlords who care!

Discipleship in a post-literate culture? Part 1

2008-03-01T14:54:00.008+09:00

In looking at this issue I want to start with a couple of important disclaimers.

Firstly, what follows are observations based on personal experience. With this in mind I am perfectly willing to admit they may be peculiar to my mission context - however, as they say, "if the cap fits ..."- if you find something that resonates or rings bells with your context/experience, then please, jump in with some observations of your own.

Secondly, this whole topic is one that I see as being increasingly relevent for the church as a whole as we move into the 21st century and away from the ideals of modernism that were once entrenched in our ecclesiology and culture but which are now quickly falling into irrelevance (again, my opinion - feel free to disagree). Having said this, I want to make it clear that what I am really interested in is the method or practice of discipleship - it is the appraoch the church takes in making and growing disciples that I am calling into question not neccessarily the message we are seeking to impart through the process of discipleship.

I suggested this topic as it is one that I find both interesting and infuriating. Interesting because it represents a challenge I face almost daily and infuriating because of the apparent lack of clarity or open discussion about post-literate, post-christendom, post-modern discipleship in practice in the real world. And the overall lack of available resources dealing with this topic.

I'll start off with a table reproduced by Michael Frost in his article, "Preaching in a post-literate age" as I think it helps shed light on the contrast between the "old" and the "new" in our present culture.

MODERN	POSTMODERN
Things may be proved	Things may be probed
Uses science to remove mystery	Welcomes & celebrates mystery
Truth by reasoning (cognitive)	Truth by experiencing (emotional)
Go from truth to life	Go from life to truth
Deals in facts, dogma, concepts	Deals in interpretations, opinions
Uses exact language	Uses approximate language
Communicates via technical terms	Communicates via myths, symbols
Sees universe as closed, predictable	Sees universe open, unpredictable
Values independence	Values Interdependence
Individualised dreams	Corporate dreams
World view determined by what we see	What we see is determined by our world view
Objectivity possible: Observer & observed are separated	Everyone is subjective: Observer is part of observation
Beliefs held dogmatically	Beliefs are open for discussion
Life viewed analytically	Life viewed holistically
Concerned with what things are (Truth is absolute)	Concerned with how things relate (Truth is relative)
There is one way to live	There are many ways to live

The modern, evangelical church, at least in part because of a shift in culture, has become increasingly irrelevant as a vehicle of the gospel because, while it has been good at the business of theory, it hasn't been great at linking this with practice.

While it may be a generalisation, I think it is an accurate one; the practice of the faith in the majority of modern, evangelical/pentecostal churches can be equated with attending a service on a Sunday, attending an "academic" bible study on a weeknight (or day) and engaging in various church-run social activities at other different times.

You could also throw into this no small amount of pressure put on individuals within churches to "evangelise" their friends by bringing them along to church run or sponsored events where they will have an opportunity to hear a special, evangelistic message.

Now what I have been talking about is the practice of faith within the Christian church. It is the focus or point of the practice of the faith that I believe holds the key in understanding discipleship in the post-literate context and the increasing ineffectualism (did they ever really work?) of the "old" ways of practicising the faith.

I guess none of this is really new. We've debated it for ages, been accused of focussing on negatives, church bashing, or throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

But ...

... I think, if they are completely honest with themselves, most churches know:

1) That their efforts are not as effective in bringing new individuals into the (catholic) church community as they once were and in many cases, actual community engagement beyond the four walls of the church is non-existent.

2) That transferance is the real cause of growth in the churches whose numbers are increasing.

3) That it seems to be increasingly difficult to get any substantial percentage of those attending on a Sunday involved in a more meaningful way, than simply attending the Sunday service or church run social events.

4) That the gulf between the church and community outside its wall's is big - even if this is only acknowledged in the frustration felt from not seeing "new" growth (as opposed to transfered growth).

This is post is starting to get long. I'm going to split it in two (or more bits if I need to). So now I've kinda nutted through the problem (in a very general way), in part 2, I'll try and focus more on my experience with specifics.

This is a synchroblog - If you would like to join in, please let me know and I will link to it and get you to link to other participants.

Synchrobloggers so far -
Glenn Hager - Re-dreaming the Dream
Mmmm, That's Good Coffee

Hermeneutics Quiz

2008-02-29T19:07:00.003+09:00

Rick Meigs posted on this neat little quiz designed by Scot McKnight.

I scored a 59 making me a moderate - kinda where I thought I would have fit.

The main sway in the questions seemed to be between a "fundamentalist" literal understanding of scripture, a contextualised approach that takes into account the historical setting of the original author and recipients and a "liberal" stand that assumes little relevance in the text for modern readers.

My answers swung between all three depending on the questions.

Here's what Scot had to say about the "moderate" score:

The moderate hermeneutic might be seen as the voice of reason and open-mindedness. Moderates generally score between 53 to 65. Many are conservative on some issues and progressive on others. It intrigues that conservatives tend to be progressive on the same issues, while progressives tend to be conservative on the same issues. Nonetheless, moderates have a flexible hermeneutic that gives them the freedom to pick and choose on which issues they will be progressive or conservative. For that reason, moderates are more open to the charge of inconsistency. What impresses me most about moderates are the struggles they endure to render judgments on hermeneutical issues.

What did you score?