Aussie Sammie

"Mexican can go to college"

2011-11-24T13:11:00.001-06:00

When we took some of our "bubble" students on a field trip to OU, I had no idea how profound the learning experience would be. We were trying to encourage those on the cusp of math success that maths can be fun. OU's K20 center put on an excellent set of algebra-related activities. We toured the engineering building, where the engineering students told us about the Latino Engineering Club. If the students learned nothing else, this summary makes it worth every hour of late-night planning.

"We ask ourselves, 'Whoam I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you notto be?"
-Nelson Mandela

The Thrill of Hope

2011-08-13T16:59:00.004-05:00

"The thrill of fishing is the pursuit of something that is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope."

-Brian McLaren

Immigration Debate

2011-05-22T18:30:00.001-05:00

"I would invite all Latin people to do nothing for about two weeks so you can see who really, really is running the economy. Who cleans the sheets? Who cleans the toilets? Who babysits? I am here to give voice to the invisible."

-Carlos Santana

gems of teaching

2011-03-12T15:03:00.005-06:00

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

life on the other side lately

2011-02-02T15:26:00.003-06:00

I've been too busy for my blog lately, but thanks to a massive snowstorm am locked in my sister's house with enough time to finally update. So, for those of you who don't know, I'm finally teaching. I'm at US Grant High School, in Oklahoma City, which is quite an interesting school. It's a turnaround school, which means it's had such poor results that they were allowed to fire over half of their teachers last year, and start almost from scratch. It's 70% Latino, 90% eligible for free lunches, and has quite a reputation to overcome. Almost 1/3 of our students are significantly late on a regular basis.

And I love it. I love teaching, because I have fantastic and creative students. Their creative energy is not always focused at the most productive targets, but they are a blast. A challenge and a blast. The first day of class I was reading the rules, because everyone told me to come in and lay down the law, and a student interrupted after the rule "No inappropriate language." He said, "What the F#&* is inappropriate language?"

Aside from the fun behavior management issues, I've been doing my best to find ways to make maths interesting. I found a really cool website with statistics that I may be able to incorporate into linear correlation lessons of some type. And if you have 20 minutes to spare, here's a really good video about it. http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html

Also, for you Sydney-siders, I highly recommend at least going to see Shane Claiborne in March, though it looks like the whole conference would be pretty cool. http://surrender.org.au/

"We're going to stop complaining about the church that we've experienced and try to become the church that we dream of."

-Shane Claiborne

I may never get tired of Anne

2011-01-04T13:06:00.002-06:00

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down. Perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways. Perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music. Perhaps...perhaps...love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."
-L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

I like my job

2010-10-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

but I am still applying for teaching jobs.

There is a strip of Doonesbury, in which Mike Doonesbury is sitting on a stone wall, contentedly snacking on a sack of something while being harangued by the self-appointed campus radical, Mark Slackmeyer. "Doonesbury, this country is being torn apart!" Mark rages. "I just can't stand by and watch it happen!" He vows to "fight 'till death to make this country great again!"

Then, with Mark still mid-rant, Mike tilts the open sack toward him and politely interrupts to offer a chocolate-chip cookie. In the last frame, Mark is wearing a boyish grin of rapt delight as he bites into one cookie, his left hand buried deep in the bag to grab another. Having silenced his friend, Mike gazes out at the reader with a smile of his own and observes, "Even revolutionaries like chocolate chip cookies."*

There is a contradiction within many people in this world: we, on some level, long for social justice; but, we also want chocolate chip cookies for ourselves.

As much as I enjoy crawling around ceiling tiles breathing fiberglass, I'd rather be doing something more with my life. And really, the principle of making air conditioning more energy efficient is a bit of an exercise in fashion flaunting. It was GORGEOUS today! Turn the air con OFF!

Speaking of fashion, the peace and love signs of the 60s are making a small comeback, in clothing at least. Tragically, I can already see it diffusing into apathy and materialism once again.

"The counterculture revolution of the 1960s began when people said, “Something is missing. Something is wrong. There must be something greater than this.” And they were right! There must be something greater than eating and drinking, working and sleeping, existing. There must be something greater than the American Dream. There must be something greater than simply getting a good education so that you can find a good job and have a good family so that your kids can get a good education and find a good job and have a good family so that their kids can a get a good education . . . . Is this really it? Is this why God put us here on this earth? There is more!"
-The Call

*I lifted this description of the comic from The Atlantic, October 2010.

Brian Mashburn paints a beautiful picture

2010-09-26T15:59:00.001-05:00

The ink is black; the page is white.

It might be easier of the rest of the Book followed suit.

One of the hardest things for me to get used to as I've joined new churches both in the states and overseas is how very different each is - yet many claim to be only following the pattern of the Bible. Furthermore, many claim to be more right than the other guys, shaking their heads sorrowfully at how far off track "they" are.

I read a blog by Brian Mashburn, which directly spoke to this struggle of mine. Click here to read it.

Brian says, "Jesus himself said that salvation does not come from following the Bible. It comes from him. And that is the purpose of the Bible. To get us to him for life (John 5:39-40). Too many try to squeeze some set of rules out of the Bible to follow unto salvation, when according to the Bible, being in relationship with Jesus is what brings salvation. And I would suggest it brings about a much more holy, spiritual, and devoted Christianity, too."

So next time I feel the urge to tick boxes on a list to ensure my rightness, I'm going to sing. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

"There is more than one way to ‘kill’ the Bible. You can dissect it, analyze it, abstract it. You can read its ragged stories and ragamuffin poetry, and from them you can derive neat abstractions, sterile propositions, and sharp-edged principles. (One wonders why God didn’t just give the abstract system instead of all the stories and poetry!) You can sanitize the text of all evocative language, paradox, multiple perspectives, and interesting, three-dimensional people to end up with cute little morals, simple two-dimensional systems, and flat, boring prose that reads like a legal code or assembly instructions for a bicycle..."
-Brian McLaren

Man's Best Friend

2010-09-13T07:16:00.003-05:00

Ruger was the runt of the litter. I can imagine as the dog-shoppers scrutinized the squirming little bunch, they surely thought they were getting the healthiest, cutest puppy. They were wrong. My brother definitely got the best black lab that ever lived.

She doesn't follow orders very well, but she endears herself to us anyway - simply by her obvious display of love. Her unmatched wonder at each blade of grass pales in comparison with the firecracker of joy set off by a family member's arrival home. She can't contain her happiness enough to remember to let her feet touch the ground before she takes the next leap. Really, if I could only dribble a basketball with as much bounce!

I reckon if I valued spending time with people - grumpy, prejudiced, imperfect people - the way my dog does, this world would be a jollier place.

There are times she misses her owner, as we all do. Sometimes she sits in melancholy stillness - as though she can sense the raw ache that still washes over our hearts from time to time. Then she'll let me cuddle, or even offer her paw to hold hands.

Though her true owner shadows my thoughts while I play with Ruger, she's been one of the most comforting parts of being home this month. The connection between those who loved and still love him stretches even between me and a dog. She brings the solid but sometimes doubted knowledge that life is good, with every wag of the tail.

"Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."
-first line of the Presbyterian Catechism (and stolen from A River Runs Through It)

Why I Have No Sense of Humo(u)r

2010-08-20T22:09:00.005-05:00

I was worrying about finding a job, and was home a total of 4 days before I was offered 3 jobs. I'm working in Oklahoma City for a contractor. I really enjoy the problem solving involved, get to use a bit of my math, and work with really fun guys. Also I like helping companies save energy on their air con systems, though I still think we Americans are too addicted to air conditioning, no matter how "green" the system is.

A coworker, who is a blast to work with, occasionally makes jokes that are racially tinted. I don't want to appear to have no sense of humor, but I can't bring myself to laugh. I can't even bring myself to smile. My attempts have so far come out distorted, which may look a bit disdainful and self-righteous. I know that my friends have no hatred in their hearts toward members of other races. I know they even have friends whose race they repeat cracks about. So why does this bother me so much?

Well, one of the jokes was that we should "seed the clouds over Pakistan to finish the job and solve our problems." I just imagine faces of people lost in the floods over there. I read an article in the New York Times which vividly described families mourning their losses. I don't know if the joke was supposed to be in the cleverness of the thought, or in the shock value of breaking cultural taboos, but I find it disturbing that Pakistani people could be considered enough of a "problem" to make light of their plight. It makes me think of this song:

One of the other jokes involved the "N" word. The joke was harmless enough, but I flinch at the word. I guess just because I know that it is deeply offensive to my brothers and sisters. On npr today, the infamous clip from Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio show was played, and the anchor interviewed John Ridley afterwards. She respectfully asked a question I have heard many ask: "Why is it okay for black people to say the 'n' word; but not white people?" He responded, it would not be okay for me to go to a nascar race and start telling Jeff Foxworthy redneck jokes. It would not be received well.

He's right. There would be an uproar. The other reason it's not something I want to do, though, is simply that I think this type of humor covertly promotes the social acceptability of negative ethnic stereotypes. In fact, that word itself dehumanizes, because it labels people in an "other" category. I haven't figured out a graceful way to not laugh yet. If you have any advice for reacting to jokes that make you uncomfortable, I'd love to hear it.

"You learn that your labels for different people groups are insufficient, because people are far more complex and unpredictable and intelligent and creative"
-Rob Bell

Happy Interdependence Day!

2010-07-04T13:24:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-claiborne/this-july-4th-lets-celebr_b_633710.html

姐姐

2010-06-01T21:19:00.006-05:00

With the cloud-dulled creep of day (dawn doesn't crack in China), the local farmers are out in the parking lot displaying their giant vegetables. The old people are stretching on their playground, and the scents of steaming 包子 waft over. Katie and I walked to class to surprise her students with her double. If you have low self-esteem, you should go to China. I've never felt like more of a celebrity. When we walked into her 8am class, the students collectively gasped, and simultaneously burst into applause. Throughout the class, while they were supposed to be testing, I would glance up to see students sneaking pictures of us with a phone.

We similarly awed each of her classes, perhaps permanently inflating my ego. Eventually it might get old, constantly staring down the barrel of a camera; but I grinned every time I caught a stranger unashamedly snapping our photo. We're either stunningly beautiful, or foreigners are quite rare in the more remote cities of 湖北省. When one student approached me to ask if he could practice his English with me, he got so nervous he started trembling. When I actually accepted his request, his face flamed red and he started stuttering so badly it was hard to keep conversation alive. This is not normally the effect I have on men, and I must confess that my head hasn't shrunk yet.

Chinese food = amazing. Chinese attempts at Western food = worst idea ever. I loved 四川 vegetables. KFC, on the other hand, was questionable. Katie and I were presented with a tower of Chinese sweet bread, heavily drizzled with ketchup. The students were so proud of their American treat that we were forced to morph our grimaces into smiles and swallow a few bites before insisting that we'd eaten recently. Also, peas and ice cream should never have met, and they DEFINITELY should not have produced offspring.

"Have a fun!"
-poster at English Village

中国

2010-05-13T15:58:00.008-05:00

I used to associate airports with excitement - they meant I would see Grandma and Grandpa, or that someone was headed on an exotic adventure. These days just seeing an airport is enough to ram a spear through my side, up into my heart. It means that I'll be leaving people I love. With a wonderfully touching farewell party fresh in my memory, and carry-on bags distortedly obese with notes to encourage me on the plane ride, I repeated to the less trusting part of myself that I will see these people again. I would have been much more jelly-legged about walking through those hateful security doors which block the sight of my friends if my sister wasn't waiting on the other end of 2 flights.

When I was searching cheapo flights home, I jokingly typed in a stop in China - just to see how expensive it would be. Knowing it was impossible, the fact that the lowest price had me spending 6 days in 武汉 didn't settle into my brain until I'd landed in Wuhan, spent 45 minutes communicating that my bags were lost with the help of the nifty Chinese/English cheat sheet my roommate had lovingly written out, and finally cried at the sight of my other half. It was only cheaper than a direct flight to the US by $100, but I have to be thrifty with the money my supporters have given me, right? I wouldn't recommend Air China to anyone who wants to sleep while traveling, but I can go without sleep for a long time if it means I get to see Katie. That was the best $100 I've ever saved in my life.

I was told by airline staff that my bags were checked all the way to Wuhan, and didn't understand the announcement that I was supposed to pick them up in Beijing to go through customs. Or maybe I was just distracted by the baskets of complimentary lighters enticing the 30% of the population that doesn't smoke to try it. Thankfully, Katie was fluent enough to explain the mistake to the workers, and arrange to pick up my bags later that evening. I stood by and marveled at their politburo uniforms. We hadn't planned to spend all day in Wuhan, but standing in the rain under one broken umbrella trying to find a taxi driver who knew of a coffee shop was still the best few hours in quite a while. Katie haggled a black market van ride back to 宜昌which was cheaper and more comfortable than a bus. After a passenger moved to sit by me, then recoiled at the sight of my white skin and brown hair, I understood one word of his protest to the van driver: "foreigner." I felt properly introduced to the amusing obstacle course that is life in China in that one day.

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts or measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
-George Elliot

Grace

2010-04-07T21:32:00.003-05:00

As we study the bible with the girls from China, we always spend time talking about words they don't know before we talk about the deeper meaning of the passage. We spent a bit of time on the word grace, but I couldn't seem to put my finger on a definition. So I got out my phone and looked up definitions on google. I still couldn't find one that really seemed to capture it. Finally, I looked up lyrics to this U2 song. It's not a definition but it is a clearer picture than straightforward Mr. Webster.

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that
Changed the world

And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness
In everything

Grace
She's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk

She travels outside
Of Karma, karma
She travels outside
Of Karma

When she goes to work
You can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips
Between her fingertips

She carries a pearl
In perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings

Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace finds goodness
In everything

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

2010-03-25T04:57:00.006-05:00

I marched in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.

Tony Campolo tells of taking his first group of students on a mission trip to Haiti. The evening they arrived they went to a little cafe down the street from the hostel where they were staying. A group of impoverished street kids kept peering through the window, no shirts, stomachs distended, hands out in a pitiful plea for something to eat. The waiter quickly saw what was happening and rushed over to the table and pulled the shade down. "You won't enjoy your meal if you have to look at this" he said. But it was too late. They were there, after all, trying to follow Jesus. Campolo said it struck him that whereas sometimes we want to pull the shade down, avoid the painful realities out there, find a way to tame those tough biblical challenges; getting to know Jesus involves sometimes pulling the shade up, letting him shake us up a bit, seeing things we'd rather avoid, recognising we are citizens of another kingdom whose ways of doing things aren't always comforting or easy. Jesus, it is said, comes to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable - and there is much truth to that.

And so, I marched in the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. I know that's not usual behaviour for HIM workers, but I wonder if it isn't where Jesus would have been. I marched with a group of Australian Christians who wanted to apologise to the Gay Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer community for the lack of love encountered in the church. They are known as the "100 Revs" and are a group of ministers who signed this statement of apology:

The church has often been profoundly unloving toward the GLBT community. For this we apologise, whatever the distinctive of our Christian position on human sexuality - to which we remain committed. We are deeply sorry and ask the forgiveness of the GLBT community.
We ARE NOT official representatives of our churches or denominations.
We ARE NOT making a statement on the biblical position on gay and lesbian relationships.
A couple of people have raised their concern that involvement in the Mardi Gras may be seen as an affirmation of the promiscuity and lewdness that are part of the parade.

This is certainly not our intention. The Mardi Gras remains the iconic Gay and Lesbian event and as such is the best way of communicating with the GLBT community as a whole.
So while there is much of the Mardi Gras which disturbs us, it is the best place to communicate with those we are trying to reach - a strategy that was familiar to Jesus (Matthew 11:19; Luke 5:27; John 8:3-11).

There is a group of people I once detested, but am called to love. It's hard to love people if I avoid them like the plague, so I went to Darlinghurst and met people. There were moments of resistance, but also moments of resonance as I heard stories from men and women who felt unworthy of love by God. People are told by their families that they're "disgusting" or abominations. Hearing story after story of isolation, criticism, secrecy, and outright hatred, I was disgusted by what God's people have put God's people through. So I joined the march, hoping to come in humility to the ones I may disagree with.

I heard a man named Craig's story of gay bashing and rejection by his family and church. The raw heartache conveyed by his eyes and voice - even still after several years - was not something I could shrug off. I wept. I can't do the story justice, but when a man feels like God hates him and slashes his wrists with glass hoping to die because he is "going to hell anyway," then is attacked and beaten into intensive care while walking down Oxford Street, then refused contact by his twin brother and mother, it is amazing that he would want to talk to a Christian at all. It strikes me that we have the capacity to create hell on earth for people.

In vilifying a group of people, we can excuse ourselves from treating them like human beings. Depression rates within the homosexual community are 4 to 6 times higher than the rest of society. The LGBTIQ community has the highest suicide rate of any community in Australia, with the likelihood 10 times higher if they come from a faith background. I shudder to think my lack of love and compassion has contributed to significant mental health issue for some people. There are broken hearts and anguished souls in our city of Sydney. Wouldn't it be beautiful if they could hear, "you are not God's mistake"? For a long time I've thought this was a simple issue of choice, but the Caster Semenya controversy last year opened my eyes to the fact that 1 in 2,000 people are born intersex, and that is a complexity I'm sure they didn't ask for. I cannot imagine the depths of alienation and isolation experienced by Semenya and people with an other than heterosexual orientation.

As I marched, I noticed the faces when people realised what they were reading on our posters. Surprise, hope, gratitude, and warmth shone back at us. We were blown kisses - kisses that weren't lewd; merely kind. The most common response was, "Thank you!" We saw some spontaneously burst into tears when they read our messages of repentance and love. I have no doubt that behind the overwhelming emotion is stories. I hope some of the scars can start to be restored, perhaps aided by our little walk. With each step I took, I hoped to be spelling out love. In walking beside these people, our legs may utter more than our lips.

Actually, I'm a little uncomfortable with some of the language I have used. My heart sort of skips a beat whenever I say "those people," because that type of language says I am something other than "those people" I am called to love as myself.

"You have never looked into the eyes of anyone Jesus does not love and did not die for. No one."
-Shirley Guthrie

You don't have to wear that dress tonight

2010-03-15T01:44:00.005-05:00

Mardi Gras weekend, I was wandering around Surry Hills, which is near the red light district for those of you non Sydney-siders. There's a reason I was there, but that shall be covered in another post. I had about an hour to kill, so I wandered around poking my head in op shops (thrift stores) and people watching, which is a very interesting occupation mardi gras weekend in Sydney.

I finally wandered up to the old sandstone church building which was my destination, but the evening activity wasn't starting for another half an hour. I noticed a lady in her mid-late 40s sitting on the front steps, so I asked if I could sit down with her. She was wearing a low cut leopard-print singlet top, and a black mini-skirt so short that when she sat down you could see her knickers.

I asked if she was going to the concert tonight - which she obviously wasn't - but I was just making small talk. Small talk wasn't necessary as she quickly opened up her life's story to me. She was homeless, and had been on the wait list for government housing for 3 months, with no end in sight. (I've met people who claim to have been on it 7 years!) As I listened, she smoked a couple cigarettes, washing the taste down with a bottle of cheap white wine. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, with the fringe (bangs) sweeping across her forehead and falling in her eyes every once in a while, requiring a toss of the head.

She shared that she goes to counselling 4 times a week, and I silently thanked God for counsellors. I kept glancing at her arms, where scars in the inner elbows from shooting up were visible, but tried to keep looking her in the eyes as she spoke. Several times as we talked, she got up to run after cars with only one man in them, but none of them stopped. She told of her inability to keep her job because of back pain, and how the medication didn't relieve it. She said she receives a medical disability pension but it's not enough to live on because she doesn't get an apartment subsidy until she can afford an apartment.

After about 30 minutes one of her attempts to get the attention of a driver worked. A cab driver pulled over. She ran back to me and said, "I'd really love to talk to you again - I don't have any friends." I gave her my phone number, but said I'm not in the area much. As she climbed into the car with that man, my heart hurt for her.

The NSW Parliamentary Select Committee on Prostitution found that, at any one time, there are 1500 –2200 female sex workers in Sydney working in private situations, through escort agencies, brothels and on the streets. While some are sex working to survive others see it as a money making business opportunity. A 1998 national inquiry revealed that at least 754 young people under the age of 18 regularly engaged in sex work predominantly for survival. Something like 12% of sex workers take the risk of working for themselves on the street. They are considered the low-life even in their own community, are paid the least and see the least other options for their lives. Tamara seemed to be working for herself, as near as I could tell.

According to Hope Street publications, "for those working the street, their introduction to sex work often arises from a history of abuse or sheer financial desperation, usually mixed with drug abuse. Women face feelings of despair and worthlessness; health issues including mental health, poor nutrition, exposure to communicable diseases; exploitation and violence on the streets, poverty, limited education and thus limited employment options, social stigma, family breakdown, a sense of alienation from God and the church, legal issues, a high risk of suicide or self harm. The need to concentrate on daily physical survival causes denial and dissociation from emotional, mental and spiritual needs."

Sex work obviously affects more than just the body. As one woman said, "It rots your soul."

Please say a pray for Tamara.

"People, even more than things, have to be restored,
renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed,
never throw out anyone."
-Audrey Hepburn

1 Corinthians 4:20

2010-02-22T03:58:00.003-06:00

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

I thought Guantanamo was getting shut down...

2010-02-17T16:21:00.003-06:00

Are we still torturing people?

"No empire can survive without resorting to torture against those who refuse to bow to its power — by act or even by omission or even by sheer accident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those who get in the way of its demand that human beings abandon their uniqueness and bow to uniformity, as Caesar forces his own image onto every human body, drowning the Image of God in a flood of agony."
-Rabbi Arthur Waskow

hat tip: Chip Kooi

a bit from the book I'm reading

2010-02-14T18:17:00.003-06:00

"It is remarkable that a large section of the creation story is given over to a separate and distinct account of the creation of woman... Such a separate narration of woman's creation is without parallel in ancient Near Eastern literature....

Woman is described as a "helper fit" for Adam. What Eve is (2:19), the animals are not (2:20). Interestingly, the writer has described Eve with a word which preponderantly is applied to God elsewhere in the Old Testament. The "helper" par excellence is God. The helper who is invoked for assistance normally is stronger than the one who stands in need."

-Victor P. Hamilton

acroa

2010-02-10T01:44:00.003-06:00

I finally forked over my $20 to see the much adored Avatar in 3-D. I am typically a movie snob, so I wasn't incredibly surprised to be bored halfway through. The visuals were impressive in a video-game like way. The planet dreamed up was beautiful, and I did want to hop through that glowing forest. David Brooks wrote a striking critique, which points out some of the things that got under my skin. Be warned that if you haven't seen it and plan to, this review will spoil bits of the plot (that is if the countless other movies with the exact same plot haven't already).

Really, it wasn't that bad. Well, no worse than many other movies I've seen anyway. But that $20 is quite important, because it looks like I'll be coming home within the next few months, due to a lack of funds. If you want to help out, you can send cheques to

Memorial Road church of Christ
attn: Helpers in Missions
2221 E. Memorial Rd.
Edmond, OK 73013
USA

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
-Jim Elliot

pics

2010-02-05T22:29:00.005-06:00

This week included wind surfing, badminton, and game night. One of our members got wind surfing gear at a garage sale, and graciously spent an afternoon teaching us to do it. It was a blast!

"I pray like everything depends on God; I work like everything depends on me."
-Saint Teresa

Calling All Gang Members

2010-01-27T21:27:00.001-06:00

Arresting "someone's grandma, or the milkman, or some guy who has just worked a 16 hour day and is trying to get home as fast as he can" for jaywalking is not appealing to most policemen. When the Cincinnati Police Department adopted a zero-tolerance policy, they hoped to reduce street crime dramatically. Though over 2,600 arrests were made, the city's murder count in 2006 was the highest since records had been kept. It seems that there are always new criminals to fill the hole created by imprisonment.

But the only way to stop them is severe punishment, right?

I just read an article by John Seabrook, telling of a radical approach to the problem of gang violence. I realise this has nothing to do with my work in Australia, but I love to see stories of redemption in everyday life.

They call out known gang members and past offenders, and ask them to stop. A letter is delivered, inviting them to a meeting. An astonishing number actually come, probably out of curiosity. Social workers, clergy, and ex-gang members are there to offer life coaching, job counselling, and the message: "What you are doing is wrong and we know you can do better." It sounds really soft and starry-eyed...

However, the evidence shows decreases in crime upwards of 50% in areas of High Point, North Carolina; dramatic reductions in the murder count in Cincinnati; the closure of an entire drug market in New York. This approach, called Ceasefire, doesn't have a perfect record, but it is a bold and humble police department which can admit that peace through superior firepower is not working.

When police chiefs are willing to stoop down and reconcile old conflicts, as Chief Streicher of the Cincinnati PD did, it is a beautiful thing. A man approached the chief, saying he wanted to get out of the gang, but he had a felony conviction, and doubted he could get a job. "I'll get you a job." Streicher said. "You want to be a roofer? My friend can get you on a roof tomorrow." The man accepted, and so far, he has been gainfully employed.

At one call-in, a prosecutor held a one-hundred dollar bill up and asked, “Who wants this?” Everyone in the room shouted for it. He crumpled it, stamped on it and asked, “Who wants this?” Everyone still called for it. He spit on it and asked again, “Who wants this?” Everyone still wanted it. “Why?” he asked.

“Because it has value,” one of the attendees explained.

“That’s right,” the prosecutor replied. “And you still have value too.”

"The world is overcome not through destruction, but through reconciliation. Not ideals, nor programs, nor conscience, nor duty, nor responsibility, nor virtue, but only God's perfect love can encounter reality and overcome it."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Australia Day Awesomeness

2010-01-26T18:21:00.004-06:00

I spent Australia Day at Botany Bay National Park - at the site where Captain Cook first landed. We had a picnic with some aboriginal Christians, sang, and prayed for reconciliation among the peoples of this land. We pray that the glaring gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and other Australians will be eliminated. We pray that the areas where Indigenous people are tied to family, land, and culture would be brought up to standards in education so that employment will be as accessible as it is to those in urban areas. We pray for hope for the hopeless. We pray that the church would care for the marginalised the way that Jesus does.

I topped it off with beautiful coastal views, fish and chips, and Them Crooked Vultures in concert. One of my friends got me the ticket for Christmas, and it was a fabulous way to celebrate Aussie Day. A kid at the concert remarked, "The old man is sitting down at the keyboard," as though he thought John Paul Jones was too old to be in a metal band. My friend replied, "That old man is a legend!" It's not any old man that can look bored while smoking a bass like that. The band is Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Alain Johannes from Queens of the Stone Age, and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin. It was an amazing experience for the ears.

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
-Gandhi

Warringah Youth Day

2010-01-20T00:34:00.005-06:00

Tradition the month after Camp Challenge is to have a full day for the youth and young at heart to get together and go to the beach, in addition to our night-time worship and sermon. We served a BBQ for 98 people, then walked over to Curl Curl beach for swimming, volleyball, and fellowship.

Before the lesson, a collection was taken up for the earthquake relief in Haiti. $661.20 was generously given by these teenagers to help people they've never met. But they know that the burden is too big for Haiti to bear alone. And it gets a little lighter as more and more people decide to carry it together.

We gave what we raised to Bergeaud church of Christ in Les Cayes. They run an orphanage which houses 40 children. There are numerous organisations working in Haiti, if you want to give. One such trusted group is Haiti Partners, which is a grassroots partnership in the country for the long haul, working to make things on earth as they are in heaven.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
-Anne Frank

a late Christmas story

2010-01-11T03:41:00.005-06:00

Hearing "Merry Christmas" wouldn't incite anger in most people. Somewhere in my brain, I know it shouldn't in me either, but when people wished me merry Christmas this year, my gut wanted to reply "Bah humbug!"

As if I could have a merry Christmas without my family. I couldn't even think about Christmas without tearing up. I was a bit angry at anyone who dared to insensitively wish me happy Christmas.
It's hard to even have a Christmas, much less a merry one. Mom and Dad canceled it this year.

But.

The world is filled with incredible people. Some of them are the Wall family in Bairnsdale. They invited me to be a part of their family's Christmas. I don't possess the language skills to describe how much sacrifice and kindness that family showed me. It is as though inviting strange people into their family were as natural as breathing. I was zapped of energy all week, completely no fun and even distant in my conversations. Yet they treated me as though I were one of their own. They also invited a few old ladies from the community, and a boy from China.

Some days it's easy to wonder, "Where is God?"
But people like the Walls make me look around and think, "Where is he not?"

The transition from bitterness to gratitude was stealthy, and only possible because of the unconditional love of people I can never repay.

Christmas can also make me cynical simply because of the amount of materialism we're bombarded with. That too faded away, when one lady told me about the coolest gift she had given to all her employees. It was jewelry made by former prostitutes, given a new start and a new job.

God of the oppressed, we lift up all those trapped in modern slavery–those in forced labor, those in debt bondage, those in forced prostitution. We pray that you would bring justice–through us and through others: freedom for the captives and liberation for the oppressed. Where there is sadness, let us bear their grief. Lord, make us instruments. In Jesus’ name we ask all this, amen.

PS. Thanks to Sami Sullivan for first asking me, "Where is He not?"

Beloved

2010-01-06T03:03:00.005-06:00

No cross-dressing transvestites were in sight at Woolloomooloo on a Saturday night, but as I handed out warm meat pies, I was entertained by 5 or 6 men singing songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show. I really wasn't expecting to get entertainment from the non-street performer homeless folks in Sydney. As they sang and danced with complete abandon, I was struck by the evident camaraderie. It was something many suburbanites might be envious of.

As we tried to show how much Jesus cares about the people stuck as mosquito fodder on the streets of Sydney night after night, one of my fellow volunteers started telling about her favourite theologian, Jonathan Edwards. She said she likes his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, in which he says,

"The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours."

She continued to tell me how we need to preach like that; really scare people into following Jesus. I asked her if it was a similar fear which had first convinced her to convert, but interestingly, it wasn't. She had been attracted by a sense of community.

I hope that was we hand out food and some share the good news, we are not giving the impression that God is a monster. One man walked by, looked straight in my eyes and said, "I hope you burn in hell." As I reflected on it, I could not blame him at all. It's incredibly patronising to come down from the rich Northern Beaches, hand out a bit of food I would complain about eating, and then disappear again until the next time I'm bored on a Friday night. Later, when he got in line and I handed him a meat pie, I thought about how demeaning it must be for him to accept a handout like this. God forbid that it should be an impersonal act so that I can go home and pat myself on the back then brag about it to my supporters.

I'm very thankful we don't preach at these marginalised people in the style of Edwards. The beauty of the gospel I fell in love with says that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it - because God so loved the world. He came down not for the healthy, but the sick. Shane Claiborne talks about "dirty theology" -

that we have a God who is always using dirt to bring life and healing and redemption, a God who shows up in the most unlikely and scandalous ways. After all, the whole story begins with God reaching down from heaven, picking up some dirt, and breathing life into it.

That includes you, and that includes me. Because our God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Reflections on Clifford's Birthday.

2010-01-02T03:33:00.004-06:00

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty glad that 2009 is over. I'm glad that there are things such as new years, so that you can shut a door on old ones. A very wise being must have designed the world to include sunsets and sleep, so that no matter how utterly horrible one day has been, rest and darkness separate it from the next. Jan. 1 may be a purely imaginary line to draw, but it helps to look forward to 2010 as something different. Seasons change (unless, like me, you hop from one side of the world to the other and get 4 summers in a row).

I thank God for so many people this year that I can't even begin to name them all. I've learnt a lot about myself this year. I think I've showed the uglier parts of my heart to more of my friends. It's hurt more than I really thought was possible, but I also think I've seen more love from my church family than ever before. 2009 ended at Camp Challenge, with some fabulous people and lessons, and one great God.

I hope for 2010 to make the most of the situations I find myself in. That's a pretty general resolution but the specifics are in my head. I also hope to notice the Lord's activity more regularly. I hope to appreciate the people I often take for granted. And love love love.

Sometimes a light surprises
the Christian while he sings;
it is the Lord who rises
with healing in his wings:
when comforts are declining,
he grants the soul again
a season of clear shining,
to cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation
we sweetly then pursue
the theme of God's salvation,
and find it ever new;
set free from present sorrow,
we cheerfully can say,
let the unknown tomorrow
bring with it what it may,

It can bring with it nothing
but he will bear us through:
who gives the lilies clothing
will clothe his people, too:
beneath the spreading heavens
no creature but is fed;
and he who feeds the ravens
will give his children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither
their wonted fruit should bear,
though all the fields should wither,
nor flocks nor herds be there;
yet, God the same abiding,
his praise shall tune my voice;
for, while in him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

campsftd

2009-12-11T03:50:00.002-06:00

Barbecued kangaroo, toys for needy children, and a sunburn from floundering around on a surfboard make this Christmas season unusual for me. The sisterhood Bible study group and the brotherhood group go together last night for a siblinghood Christmas party.

My prayer of the day is for the immigrants who are making their way over, or have tried to come over, or who didn't make it over. I pray that no more boats will sink as people flee their homes seeking asylum. I pray for peace in the war-ravaged places they flee from, like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. I pray that politicians will not use the plight of these vulnerable children of God to further their own interests. I pray that we'll awake to the fact that we're all immigrants.

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

-Elie Wiesel

AHAAFWO

2009-11-30T07:57:00.000-06:00

Thursday morning I went for my run along Manly beach without even giving a thought to what day it was. I'd been just trying to pretend that the holidays weren't happening this year. As I ran, oblivious to the special day, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the sun rising over the Pacific. I simply had to thank God for life.

I carried on the rest of the day without it resembling Thanksgiving at all - tutoring 1st graders and talking to people at the aged care facility. The Pacific Rim students from OC were in Sydney for a short time, so I got to eat pancakes for my Thanksgiving dinner with Caren Feuerhelm, who was my student teaching advisor. It was so fabulous to see her!

Friday a couple of the OC students came over to bake pies with me. We didn't mind that it is summer here, that I don't have air conditioning, or that being in the room with the oven produces rivers of sweat.

Saturday I drove a couple people up to Pearl Beach for a barbecue, and had a great day disturbing all the crabs and starfish in the rock pools. We had a soul-soothing devotional up in Gosford, then got to see everyone Sunday night again at Youth and Young at Heart.

I'm thankful that I don't have a life of routine that I can sleepwalk through. I'm thankful that my fridge is infested with food. And as absolutely beautiful as my surroundings here are, when I think of the things I'm most thankful for, I mostly list people. I'm thankful that even when I don't feel overly thankful, God keeps loving me anyway.

"My religion consists of a humble adoration of the illimitable superior Spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds."

-Albert Einstein

books not bombs

2009-11-19T04:38:00.000-06:00

Probably the best perspective I've yet seen on a strategy for Afghanistan.

Tea and Strumpets

2009-11-17T00:12:00.003-06:00

Thing #601 that I love about Australia:

6 meals a day.

Seriously, what genius came up with this system?

We have brekky, morning tea (which consists of coffee or tea and fingerfoods like scones with jam and cream), lunch, afternoon tea, tea (supper), and "supper" (dessert late at night)!

One of my favourite ladies down here invited us over for morning tea today, and we ended up staying over 2 hours. She is a wonderful encouragement to me, even though she's not a member at Warringah anymore. It's such a great idea to invite people in just for a cuppa and to talk. I suppose we do the same thing in the states over a complete meal, but much more getting together could be done if we drank tea.

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."
-Mother Teresa

slraset

2009-11-14T22:42:00.004-06:00

Pythons aren't usually the first guests I think of when I think of a ladies' retreat. This weekend, at the Warringah ladies' retreat near Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, three pythons dropped their heads curiously over the rain gutter at the invaders on their balcony. They were at least 6 ft. long, and came back to visit us several times during the weekend. Some of the ladies enjoyed their presence more than others. :) I wish I had some pictures to share, but my camera is still in the states.

The whole weekend was such a fantastically refreshing and renewing time for me. We had to stretch our definitions of "Warringah" in order to get 15 women there, but it was SO SO SO great to get to know them all on a deeper level than "hi how are you" between worship and class on Sundays. Pam put a huge amount of work into organising the retreat, and I think we all connected with our Lord this weekend. We dove into Matthew 26:36-46 where Jesus showed us (among other things) that he knows what it feels like for friends to fall asleep, and to fear death, and to feel abandoned by God - in other words to be human.

Since I've always loved the great outdoors, I just relished our hour and a half of solo meditation time. When I worked for Wilderness Expeditions, I used to get 3 hours of solo time per week in the beautiful rockies. I hadn't realised how much I needed that time in God's creation to get my soul singing this weekend. I had to skip the grief & loss group that I've been going to, but sisters in Christ help more than any class ever could. Being back in Australia after losing my brother has been quite hard, but it would have been impossible without them.

"Faced with an optional question in an examination paper, one considers whether one can do it or not: faced with a compulsory question, one must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer; you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. Not only in examinations but in war, in mountain climbing, in learning to skate, or swim, or ride a bicycle, even in fastening a stiff collar with cold fingers, people quite often do what seemed impossible before they did it. It is wonderful what you can do when you have to."
-C.S. Lewis

So we will do what we have to do, with a little help from our friends.

Who Sinned, That This Child Was Born Uninsurable?

2009-11-10T22:51:00.002-06:00

by Gunnar Cerda

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” (John 9:1-3 NRSV)

My son, Benjamin, is a great kid. He is smart. He has a great sense of humor. He loves slapstick humor and NASCAR. In 7th grade this year he is in advanced science and advanced math. He has the potential to be an actuary or an aeronautical engineer when he grows up.

Benjamin also has an Individualized Education Plan. For despite his gifts in science and math, he struggles profoundly with receptive and expressive language skills. His challenges with motor skills make it difficult for him to write for extended periods of time. The classroom can become overwhelming for him at times, causing emotional and mental “meltdowns.” For all of his gifts, Benjamin is equally beset by challenges in areas many of us take for granted every day.

See, Benjamin has Aspergers Syndrome, which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Some would call this a “disability.” Insurance companies tend to call it a “pre-existing condition.” Truth be told, it is about as pre-existing as life itself, having existed since birth.

One in every 150 children is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorders. Because of this “pre-existing condition” label, the effects of Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as remedies, therapies, and supports are not covered by insurance companies. This means that hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of children do not have access to health care, even if their parents do.

When the question was posed to Jesus ages ago, it was the same basic question we face today: Who sinned that this child should be marginalized and excluded from full participation in society as a person of sacred worth? Jesus’ answer then is just as relevant today: No one sinned, and no one deserves to be excluded.

Our kids on “the spectrum” have done nothing to “deserve” the challenges which they face; they did not engage in any reckless or detrimental activity through which they brought about their challenges. In short, they have not sinned.

And neither have their parents. There is no activity in which parents have engaged which “caused” autism. In fact, there is nothing they could have done to prevent the lifelong challenge they now face. In short, there is nothing that was done which should have deserved exclusion from full participation in society, or removed such a person from the care and compassion of the community, either then or now.

Jesus does offer another perspective, however; he invites his followers and listeners to look at the situation through a different lens — the lens of faith. It is as if to say, regardless of how the situation came to be, God’s realm can be seen through this opportunity. Through healing and reconciliation, the Glory of God, which is love, can be seen in the world today.

This is the same invitation which calls out to us today, for God is still speaking. We have the opportunity to raise our prophetic voices on behalf of those who have trouble expressing their thoughts and needs. We have the opportunity to speak for those whom society has marginalized and designated “disabled” and “uninsurable.” We have the opportunity to for a new future, one where those who have been outcast are re-integrated into the beloved community of caring.

Health-care reform is not simply some ivory tower debate. It is a real issue which affects real people — people who already pay for insurance, as well as those who can not acquire coverage. It is an issue which calls for all of the children of sacred worth to be treated with steadfast love and justice.

Rev. Gunnar A. Cerda MDiv, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and lives in Delaware, Ohio.

Ode to a Roommate

2009-11-05T23:50:00.003-06:00

The 219 Condamine family is missing a house member today. We took my roommate, Chunni, to the airport this morning to go home to China. She's been so fun to live with for a year, and we'll really miss her a lot. We've had a blast playing games, learning to cook each others' food, and teaching her English slang which gets used in hilarious contexts. It's also been great learning about Chinese culture while my sister is living in China.

It takes a pretty special person to put up with me and my smelly shoes for a year. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into at our bible study last year, when she suggested we all look for a place together. I do know that my life has been so blessed by her questions about faith, her generous spirit, and our talks late into the night. I suppose for rent's sake I should look for another person to live here, but I just don't think anyone can replace Chun.

The Billion Dollar Gram

2009-11-03T00:03:00.005-06:00

Information Is Beautiful has collected a several dozen buckets of data — about the way money is shuffled around in the world — and given us a sense of our priorities.

The graphic is very interesting. For instance, African nations could repay their debts to western nations with just eight months worth of the bribes received by Russian officials each year. If the porn industry gave away half its yearly revenues, that would be enough to feed every kid in the world for a year. (Think of the new customers that would create! It’s win-win-win!)

Check it out.

"For a long time I was sponsoring an orphan in a really tough place somewhere in Africa. But not anymore. I was watching TV late at night and this ad came on and I realised, for that same amount of money, I could be getting a coffee every single day!"
-Kent Annan

Calvin strikes again

2009-10-27T03:42:00.003-05:00

My favourite comic has always been Calvin & Hobbes. When I was little I only liked it for inspiring me to revenge on babysitters (I should write them all letters of apology now), but even now I still love this little comic strip. Bill Watterson is a genius. I don't mean to get political on here, but one thing I really appreciate about Australia is its environmental concern. Recycling is expected everywhere, carrying reusable shopping bags is the norm, and they were the first in the world to rally for the International Day of Climate Action.

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down?
We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason."
-Jack Handy

Conservapedia

2009-10-20T23:26:00.004-05:00

The Bible isn't conservative enough for some people. Thus a website has been launched, modeled after wikipedia, to translate it without liberal bias. I wish I were joking. I didn't even finish reading the introduction, because I'd rather be tasered, but I liked Stephen Colbert's take.

Prayer of St. Francis

2009-10-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

tmwhhagba

2009-10-18T17:32:00.004-05:00

Have you ever heard of Norman Borlaug?

I'm slightly behind, but I thought this was a cool opinion article by Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe.

“He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Scores of universities conferred honorary degrees upon him. Research institutions on three continents were named after him. He was greatly honored, and for good reason: He is reckoned to have saved more lives — hundreds of millions, perhaps a billion — than any man in human history. Yet until...he died at 95, you could have asked 1,000 people at random, and chances are 998 of them would never have heard of Norman Borlaug.”

Saturday morning before the teen only event, One of the teens and I went for a sunrise walk, and ended up here:

I love that views like this are walking distance from my house!

"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!"
-Calvin

ANZACers and beards

2009-10-16T02:19:00.002-05:00

Thursdays I volunteer at the War Vets Retirement Village. Some of the residents are victims of dementia, so at times it can feel a little pointless to try and have a conversation. Sometimes, though, even when the dialogue makes no sense at all, if I start to walk away I see panic and yearning on their faces. My friend "Bubbles" yells for help every 5 minutes. She is mostly ignored by the staff, because her pleas are so constant. Since I was new, I didn't know this was a regular occurrence and asked her what was wrong. She couldn't say a word, but clutched my hand as if she were hanging off a cliff by it. When I finally started to walk away, she yelled out, "Please don't leave me here in the corner!" I told her that I wasn't allowed to take her out of the lobby, but she pleaded, "I'm afraid no one will see me." I asked her who she wanted to be seen by, but she only repeated herself. There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. I can't imagine how lonely it must be to sit in a corner ignored by 60 people even when yelling for help.

One lady forgot how to take a bite of the biscuit I had just handed her, but she remembered quite vividly adventures with her sister in their childhood.

The activities director tries to come up with little diversions to make their days a little more interesting. When it was chilly and windy, we made hot chocolates with marshmallows along with afternoon tea. We were asked, "What's the occasion?" and Brenda answerd, "We just wanted to do something special for you, because you're gorgeous." Although I'm not sure how the men felt about being called gorgeous, she got smiles from a lot of people.

Listening to the same story 4 times in 20 minutes may seem inconsequential, but I am thankful I have the opportunity. They have some great stories, though even if they were boring stories it would be an honour to listen. The nurses and physiotherapists are too busy to sit and talk. I've learned from Brenda that just to coax out a smile is an accomplishment for the day.

"Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilisation is the way that it cares for its helpless members."
-Pearl Buck

and I just think this is worth at least 10 minutes of everyone's time

when the lasagne stops coming

2009-10-09T23:21:00.005-05:00

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing...that is a friend who cares.

-Henri Nouwen

arvaagqfgh

2009-09-30T20:54:00.004-05:00

I just realised that I've been loving videos on my blog lately. I'll contact my analyst to find out what that means. Well, here's another one from the mentoring project.

The Mentoring Project - Elephant Musth Cycle from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

Sorry Katie, I know you can't watch them over there. It's just an ad for something you can't do anyway.

"Now the darkness only stays at night time
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
No it's not always going to be this grey
All things must pass
All things must pass away."
-George Harrison

Revive Camp

2009-09-29T02:14:00.005-05:00

We drove I think 24 teenagers down to Victoria for camp this weekend. 13 hour drives are always great for getting to know each other and good times. Although it rained all but 5 minutes of the weekend, it was an excellent camp.

The theme was Here I am to Worship: Where who I am and who God is meets. We had some really talented artists share how they proclaim who God is through different mediums, and took a few looks at how life is worship.

The Sydney group at "macka's" en route.

"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."

*PS. Will Solis took these photos

We Spend Billions on These?

2009-09-23T01:43:00.002-05:00

"The best way to get rid of your enemy is to make him your friend."
-Abraham Lincoln

ouch

2009-09-22T02:46:00.004-05:00

Apparently running can make you smarter. Unfortunately I didn't run enough before this weekend to realise that running a marathon with the amount of training I did not do was a bad idea. It was a lot of fun, but when I got to tutoring this morning I had to stop and just gaze fearfully at the set of stairs requiring my ascent. Somehow I made it up them to help those 2nd graders, but I've seen turtles go faster.

Since none of my friends were dumb enough to run with me, I had a lot of zoned out reflection time during the race. The last 6 k's or so, a couple of guys started talking to me, and told me how much easier it is if you have someone to chat to while you run. (By that point, the movement I was making could hardly be called a run.) So they slowed down and stuck with me, just to make my time a little more enjoyable. I love nice people!

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."
-Sir Edmund Hillary

Bob Marley was right

2009-09-14T00:31:00.003-05:00

I listened to a conversation yesterday, in which the telling of racist jokes was justified because they had originally been told by a member of the race being derided.
The other defense given for the jokes was: "It's all in good fun."

I wonder though, if before we have our fun, we ought to ask a few questions: Does this joke detract from the value of a human life? Are we welcoming, loving, and treating the stranger with dignity (Matthew 25:35, Deuteronomy 10:19, Exodus 22:21, Hebrews 13:2)?

Until the philosophy which holds one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
.

Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes

As the mountains surround

2009-09-05T02:41:00.009-05:00

Apparently beaches weren't enough for my sister when she came to Australia; she had to see some snow too. On Monday, Katie and I planned to attempt Mt. Kosciuszko, the highest point in Australia. Before we even got to its base, God was turning our heads:

I lost count of the rainbows we saw that day, though I'd say it was in the ballpark of 12. The snow was still metres deep and there was a massive cloud hurling 100kph winds on Tar Gan Gil to discourage us from climbing, but we still had a great time wandering around the misty "mountains" and throwing snowballs.

Friday, watching my sister walk through security at the airport was incredibly painful. I went out to La Perouse and watched the ocean waves crash on rocks for about 4 hours. Each time a wave was launched about 10ft high, it's remnants would form a rainbow on their way down.

Maybe it's a stretch to make anything of some wet conditions mixed with sunshine. I'm sure heaps of people witnessed the same charade of colours without batting an eye, though probably not in such ridiculous numbers. Yet as I bombarded God with my thoughts, it seemed to me that he was casually replying. After all, the rainbow came with a promise:

Day will always follow night,
the warm days of summer
will always follow
the cold and snow of winter,
as long as the earth shall be.

Delerium

2009-08-20T17:50:00.001-05:00

It's hard to describe the past couple of months, but two things are for sure: it was terrible, and we were surrounded with love. It's not that friends can do anything to take the pain away, but somehow we come out of the fog to realise that we've survived, and that God really does have hands and feet to cook us food, make us eat it, do our laundry, hug us, hold us up, listen, remember, and countless other acts of service that we don't even know about. The only way I could leave again is knowing that Mom and Dad's church family is still there, still caring for them.

Katie and I arrived in Sydney Monday morning, still a bit shell-shocked and weary, but my friends here have made it clear that they'll be with me every step of this transition too. I'm so excited for her to meet these wonderful people, and see a little of this beautiful country. It'll be a tough year, but day by day our Lord will see us through.

"This is the most profound spiritual truth I know: that even when we're most sure that love can't conquer all, it seems to anyway. It goes down into the rat hole with us, in the guise of our friends, and there it swells and comforts. It gives us second winds, third winds, hundredth winds."
-Anne Lamott

Quote for your day.

2009-06-12T02:55:00.002-05:00

"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it."
-Winston Churchill

sunshine on the water

2009-06-08T23:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the Queen's birthday, so a national holiday. It turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day. Jamie, Chunni and I hiked up to the top of Dobroyd Head to eat a taste of America (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and admire the harbour. The word is that the whales are on their way North for the winter, so we took binoculars and searched - but no luck this time.

This morning I tutored a few kids at Harbord school. I realised after I helped a student with a word that I was teaching him my accent. I said, "can't" instead of "cawn't"... I might have to adjust my speaking when I work with 2nd graders.

a love stronger than fear

2009-06-06T05:18:00.004-05:00

"God is love" inscribed on an athlete's tracksuit caught a bit of attention in 1968. Later that year, Peter Norman had the opportunity to put 1 John 4:8 into practice.

Life magazine said it was one of the 20 most influential images of the 20th century. Two African Americans and one white Australian took to the winner's dais and, motivated by their shared faith, all wore Olympic Project for Human Rights buttons while the black Americans raised their fists.

Gold medal-winner Tommie Smith and bronze medal-winner John Carlos approached silver medal-winner Peter Norman after the race. They asked if the Australian believed in God, if he believed in human rights, and if he would join their witness. Norman explained to Carlos and Smith that he had been raised in the Salvation Army, where service to Christ was never separated from service to the poor and the hurting, that he understood the importance of their cause, and that he would be honored to join them.

"We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, 'I'll stand with you'." Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman's eyes. He didn't. "I saw love."*

After the ceremony, Norman explained himself simply: "I believe that every man is born equal and should be treated that way."*

What is sometimes missed is that Smith and Carlos took to the dais with no shoes - as a sign of the poverty and suffering of black people.

The black gloves were about the cry for freedom to the God who hears and acts on the cries of the oppressed. In Egypt many years ago, or in various parts of the world today.

The bowed heads were a sign of prayer. The kind of prayer that longs for God's reign of justice, peace, and joy "on earth as it is in heaven."

The actions of all three men cost them dearly. Tommie Smith and John Carlos were kicked out of the athletes' village, suspended and banned from the Olympics. For the Australian Peter Norman, participating in the organised action cost him his athletic career and he was not chosen for the next Olympics despite being one of the fastest men in the world. He still holds the Australian record for the 200m.

Thanks, Peter Norman, for the reminder that God is love.

Hat tip: Jarrod McKenna

seebeedub and cataract

2009-06-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

A group of women came over from texas to put on a "renewal" for ladies in ministry here in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, called Come Before Winter. We sifted and pondered Psalm 103 until I was practically sick of it, but I loved hearing all the insights shared by wiser and more seasoned ladies! Through classes on reading structurally, reading prayerfully, reading theologically, etc., what struck me the most was not a specific passage pulled out, or a Hebrew word's meaning, or any of that. It was watching the psalmist remind himself of God's goodness.

"Some psalms are addressed to God; some are spoken to other people - the righteous, the sinners, Israel, the Gentile nations... But in Psalm 103, the psalmist is speaking to himself."
-James Montgomery Boice

Camp Cataract down near Campbelltown was really good too. I stayed up til 2 in my cabin being inspired by some awesome girls sharing their faith and struggles.

Speaking of China

2009-05-24T03:07:00.003-05:00

One of the girls we study with every Wednesday was baptised this morning. She's in year 11, and has been coming to our Bible studies for a few months now. She told her mum yesterday that she wanted to become a Christian, and her mum said, "Yeah, go for it!" Now, her mum has begun studying the Bible in China!

Please pray for "little l" as she begins her walk with Jesus. (I won't post her name on the internet for safety's sake.) Praise Him for the way His Spirit moves!

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
-Abraham Lincoln

中國

2009-05-19T22:40:00.003-05:00

On April 30, 2009, 18 house church Christians and leaders were arrested by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers, while they were gathered for communion at a house church in Xinye city, Henan province, according to China Aid Association. The Christians were taken to the PSB office in Xinye city and each forced to pay a 1,000元 fine. Currently 16 Christians are still being held by the PSB, including 10 preachers from Hubei province. The imprisoned pastors are, Wang Donggui, Yang Chengqun, GuoDaying, Hao Xuecheng, Lun Zhidian, Lian Fengmei, Chen Mingao, Ren Zhiai, Zhai Laoxue and Zhai Jinai. I'm praying that the believers remaining in prison will be released, asking God to encourage and protect persecuted believers in China, and praying the testimonies of Christians will draw non-believers into fellowship with Jesus.

We have a study tonight with 6 girls from China and one from Korea. Please pray that all who search for Him will be filled with joy and gladness in Him.

上帝是很好

nudge nudge ;)

2009-05-18T00:21:00.001-05:00

The fact that this fellow laments the writing of the book The Second Incarnation by Harris and Shelly is enough to recommend it to just about anyone in the Churches of Christ that cares about the church today and where it is headed.

So, if anyone is looking for ideas for a birthday present for me...

:)

Funky Friday

2009-05-15T19:27:00.003-05:00

On the 3rd Friday of the month we have an unforeknown number of 7-12 year olds at the building for games, a sausage sizzle, singing, a lesson, and craft. It's supposed to be an outreach activity, but this month all of the kids were from the Christian school.

Jamie and I have taught them some new songs, like If You Love Jesus, The Fruit of the Spirit, Thumbody Special and I've Got Confidence. I hope they'll be a little more relevant than singing the books of the Old Testament.

"Everybody has to change, or they expire. Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons."

- Don Miller, Through Painted Deserts

Every Grain of Sand

2009-05-12T00:46:00.000-05:00

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.
In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear,
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer.
The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name.
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space,
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

Justice

2009-05-07T05:53:00.001-05:00

Justice - do you rulers know the meaning of the word?
-Psalm 58:1

read: Finding Faith

2009-05-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

Two kinds of religion are common in the world, it seems to me. First, there is no shortage of religion that is demanding - and graceless. Do this, don't eat that, travel here, say that, give this, accept that, observe this, forego that. And if you fail, you lose. Game over.

Second, and probably even more common these days, is gracious religion free of demand. You treat your wife like dirt? It's okay; after all, you weren't properly potty trained as a child. You broke your wedding vows? Nobody's perfect; it's okay. You make lots of money and keep it all to yourself? Not everybody's a Mother Teresa; it's okay. You drink too much, or listen too little, or complain excessively, or show gratitude infrequently or never? So do lots of other people, and we must maintain a good self-image, so it's okay.

Do you see the problem? Graceless demands leave us feeling guilty and defeated. Demandless grace leaves us apathetic and self-righteous. What we need is a demand that calls us to live a better life than we are currently living. But that call must come with compassion and grace, so that when we fail, we hear, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." This is exactly what I find in Jesus...and that strikes me as a livable path, a yoke I can bear, a yoke that is in fact easier and lighter than any other option I have tried or heard of. Another ring of truth.

This is by no means the best section of the book, but I wanted to share it because of its relevance to grace conversations I've had recently, as well as our studies with some from a culture bent on attaining perfection.

rwe

2009-05-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

“When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Add to the Beauty

2009-05-02T22:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity - but just working at their booth at a home show in Darling Harbour. I was kind of expecting to be bored for 5 hours while people walked by, but I was amazed at the amount of interest we got. Many people had never heard of Habitat, but were intrigued by the idea. I met at least a dozen builders and electricians who wanted to contribute their abilities somehow. I met a lot of skilled and unskilled people just interested in helping others.

People make me happy.

With Kindness

2009-04-28T22:02:00.001-05:00

Quote-o-the Day

2009-04-27T22:07:00.002-05:00

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee."

-William H. Walton

Jesus was homeless

2009-04-25T21:47:00.004-05:00

I occasionally go with a group called Jesus Cares to feed the homeless of Sydney. This Friday, at Woolloomooloo, I just sat in the door of the van and handed out hot meat pies until we'd given out half and had to save some for stop 2. A girl was singing Jesus, Lover of My Soul. I generally don't know who to talk to, so I try to look for people who look lonely in the crowd. I saw a man sitting off by himself in the back, clapping along. I headed his way to make conversation.

"Do you know this song?"

"Yeah, I learned it back in the 80s."

So I just sat next to him and sang along. The next song she played I didn't know, so I made some more small talk. I always feel deep curiosity for how people ended up on the streets, but I never want to pry too much. Somehow, he started talking about how yesterday at Salvo's (Salvation Army - the Aussies can't leave any word long that can be shortened) a lady read them a story. He couldn't remember what it was called. I was mostly focusing on his lament that he never had a mother to read him a story, and how touched he was that someone had read to him. He said the story was about limericks, but questioned himself immediately, "Is that the right word?" I knew that a limerick was a type of poem, but was afraid of patronising him by pointing this out, so I just waited for him to continue. "This man made these little wooden people called limericks..." I jumped.

"Was the main character Punchinello?"

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds right. I really liked that story."

I sent a text message to my sister, who replied that the people were called Wemmicks. The story was You Are Special, which our good friend used to read us anytime we'd had a bad day. (Sometimes it's nice to be treated like a child.) It's one of my favourite stories ever, and I'm so glad to know that someone shared it with these people on the streets.

He said to me, "I'm going to go get another cuppa coffee before youse leave." As he reached for his cup sitting between us, I saw that a giant cockroach had somehow jumped inside. It was almost the length of his styrofoam cup.

At stop 2, I handed out the remaining meat pies, then the joke man found me. I'm so happy that he recognises me and calls me a Yankee, though I don't exactly appreciate being called a Yankee. He asked me if I had any jokes for him, but before I had a chance to think of any, he decided to tell me some instead. "What did the hatstand say to the hat? 'You go on ahead.'" :)

Then I introduced myself to another man who was full of complaints against the Sydney police. He had a valid grievance against backpackers, saying the line at Vinnie's yesterday had more backpackers in it than homeless people. If I'd seen any, I would have given them a piece of my mind, but I'm sure they're not conscious of the fact that they're stealing from the poor - they're just taking advantage of free food. He also said that with all the bushfires in Victoria, and floods in Queensland, the homeless shelters have gone from having a queue of 20 to 200! People have had to migrate to Sydney because there is simply no shelter in the rural "bush" areas. He also thanked me profusely for being out there on a Friday night. I said if I hadn't been, I would have just been at home reading. He had some sort of karma philosophy, and kept telling me that these good deeds would come back to me. I think I've probably already received my reward because I'm bragging about this on my blog, but I wish I'd said something about thankfulness for grace instead of karma. Karma would be bad news for me.

At the end, we prayed, and invited those who were still standing around to join us. We prayed for shelter for this teenage girl out there. We prayed for even just a floor for her to sleep on, or something. It struck me... over half of our group could have been the answer to our prayer. I mean, we have a gigantic couch at our house that she could have slept on. I just... don't know how we can pray for something like that but expect it to come from somewhere else. I couldn't take her with me, because I had plans the next day and couldn't leave her there by herself, plus my roommates would be asleep, and I should ask their permission before bringing a bum to the house... and so on...

But how hollow those arguments sounded to me. If I wait until it's convenient to help people, will I ever?

On the drive home, my fellow volunteers talked about how they were afraid she would be molested as Cathy had been. I didn't know that about Cathy. She always has greasy, stringy hair, carries her plastic grocery bags which hold her blanket, jumper ("hoodie" for the Americans "bunnyhug" for the Canadians), and the 2 sandwiches we give her for the next day's sustenance. She won't look up at me when I ask her how she is. She answers "fine" about as cheerfully as I answer after OU's loss to texas (as if that MATTERS anymore) all the while scrutinising the socks peeking through the holes in her shoes.

It makes me really wish I had some counselling training. I just have no idea what to say to people sometimes. I guess the main thing I try to communicate is that I'm not afraid of or repulsed by them. I try to shake their hands, or touch them on the shoulder, look them in the eye, and remember their names. I don't try to shove Jesus down their throats. The side of the van says enough: "Jesus Cares." They know why I'm there. So I'm a listener, which seems to be a rare commodity judging by the flow of words. I hope love is conveyed. A used blanket and a peanut-butter-only sandwhich don't seem like much to give, but it's better than nothing, right? At least I tell myself that.

God is not bloodthirsty

2009-04-23T01:35:00.005-05:00

But I do not need the bulls from your barns
  or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
  and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird on the mountains,
  and all the animals of the fields are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
  for all the world is mine and everything in it.
Do I eat the meat of bulls?
  Do I drink the blood of goats?
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
  and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
   and I will rescue you.
-Psalm 50:9-15

Beach Biking

2009-04-22T01:53:00.005-05:00

Bruce organised a bike trip this morning for the church and friends. Unlike his typically rough mountain biking adventures, this one was on smooth pavement and relatively short, so kids and amateurs could join. We rode about 12k along some paths, finishing with a barbecue at Shelly Beach. Chunni hadn't ridden a bike since she was 7 years old, so it was like she was on one for the first time in her life. She did really well, though.

While the men were running the barbie, the boys and I took off to jump on rocks along the coast. We raced each other around the other side of the headland, searching for crabs and watching the massive barrelling waves crash. Shortly, we realised the tide was on its way in, so we scrambled back to our bikes on the higher rocks.

Road Trip

2009-04-20T23:33:00.009-05:00

The Easter holidays have been fabulous so far. With the year-round school here, they do 10 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Since most of our volunteering activities cease when the schools aren't in session, we've had some time off.

We spent the first part of our holidays driving a van full of young people down to a camp on Lake Nillahcootie in Victoria. The camp was about The Book of Revolution. I really enjoyed spending the time with some of the Christians south of the border, playing card games, hearing some good lessons, singing around a fire, and skipping rocks on the lake. I also learned a little bit of how to play cricket... and lost spectacularly at soccer. (--> singing This Little Light of Mine with the kids)

(<-- Climbing a tree with a koala) When camp was over, Jamie, Chunni, and I went to Rebecca Wall's home in Bairnsdale. We relaxed with her family, saw heaps of wild koalas, and took the coastal road all the way back to Sydney. We made it just in time to eat with the girls at Campbelltown's sisterhood.

"I love to live on a mountain top
And be fellowshipping with the Lord
Love to stand on a mountain top
Because I love to feel my spirit soar
But I must come down from that mountain top
To the people in the valley below
Or they'll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord”
-Acappella

sweet old ladies and algebra

2009-04-07T02:11:00.004-05:00

We occasionally go to the nursing home to visit a lady named Marie. She suffers from Muscular Dystrophy, and many times cannot even punch the remote control unassisted. While we were chatting, a nurse brought her a cup of coffee, and I held it up for her so that she could drink through her straw. She chugged it all in about one minute without seeming to stop for air. When I reminded her to breathe, she replied, "I had to drink it fast or your arm might get tired."

I don't know if I've ever met anyone so ridiculously selfless.

Afterwards, I tutored a 9th grader in maths. I found out that the Australian order of operations is different - and I can't quite figure it out.

John Wayne Syndrome

2009-04-02T23:44:00.009-05:00

John Wayne is the classic American hero. He always came in and kicked the bad guys around, giving them what they deserved. In John Wayne's world, there are 3 types of people: the good guys, the bad guys, and the victims who need to be saved from the bad guys. When evil men threaten, he swings in with fists a-flyin' and guns a-blazin' to save the day. In this worldview, you only have two options: meekly submit and become a doormat, or fight back.

This is John Wayne Syndrome.

To simplify the world like this is kind of attractive. It makes reactions to injustice seem like easy decisions, and most of our movies reinforce the syndrome. Even the church with its just war doctrine and cheerleading for particular wars backs it up.

If our responses to evil were truly limited to the way of the coward and the way of the warrior, it's obvious that the way of the warrior would be better. Even Gandhi said that.

A person operating with John Wayne Syndrome cannot comprehend why anyone would advocate nonviolence. Perhaps this is because we see it as weakness, rather than creative problem solving. Maybe we don't truly believe that Jesus' way is actually better. Some may think it's crazy but "obey" because he said to turn the other cheek.

There are a couple of main problems with this mindset. The first is that people cannot be boxed into categories of "good" and "evil". Actually I'm pretty sure that Jesus said no one is good except the Father. Even when people do absolutely horrific things, and seem to be the embodiment of evil, well, they're still people. Derek Webb said it pretty well:

"How can I kill the ones I'm supposed to love? My enemies are men like me."

Another place the syndrome breaks down is the assumption that nonviolence simply makes us weak. Please take a look at the writings and strategies of Martin Luther King sometime. Men are purposeful, tough, and brave to nonviolently resist.

question of the day

2009-03-31T19:49:00.000-05:00

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you’?”
-William A. Ward

Day 50

2009-03-26T23:52:00.002-05:00

Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, has now been missing 50 days, and there is increasing concern for his life. He was last seen being hauled away from his home by more than a dozen police officers on February 4. Reports from inside China indicate he is undergoing brutal torture.

The situation is critical, and with each day that passes, Gao Zhisheng's life hangs in the balance.

Because of Gao's work defending house church Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government wants to silence his voice. ChinaAid president, Bob Fu calls Gao's torture "the most severe persecution in China's modern history." Gao's wife and two children, who have also been abused and tormented by the police, escaped to the U.S. less than two weeks ago. His family is afraid that authorities, furious at their escape, are taking revenge on Gao.

ChinaAid and The Voice of the Martyrs, together with Gao Zhisheng's wife and children, call on all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice to speak out on Gao Zhisheng's behalf by signing a petition to free Gao.

» Sign the petition at www.FreeGao.com

2009-03-24T21:56:00.002-05:00

My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like you, O LORD?
You recuse the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
-Psalm 35:10

So far I have raised $6,705. I still lack $26,295 of the budgeted figure. If you find yourself with an excess this month, and feel called to give to the HIM program, you may send tax-deductible donations to

Memorial Road church of Christ
Attn: Helpers in Missions
2221 E. Memorial Road
Edmond, OK 73013
(and be sure to put my name somewhere in there)

If you find yourself with an excess this month, and feel called to give to the poor instead, I would say that's probably actually God's voice.

Thank you again to those who have donated, encouraged, prayed for, or supported me in so many ways.

A Mob of Kangaroos

2009-03-19T20:18:00.003-05:00

I tutor a 3rd grade girl named Zara every Friday morning. She struggles with her reading. Yesterday's tutor had told her the book was too hard for her. She told me the book was way too hard and must have said, "I can't" at least 23 times. Once she started reading, though, she read it much faster than she's been doing. It is so good to see improvement, and to see kids prove themselves (or past tutors) wrong.

No, I didn't see a mob of kangaroos in Sydney; that was just the name of the book.

Tuesday thoughts

2009-03-17T14:32:00.004-05:00

We've been babysitting for this mothers' prayer group, called Care, Share, Prayer for a while now, and the number of kids we have varies quite a bit week to week. This week we only had one baby, and his mum held him most of the time, so Jamie and I were pretty much unneeded. The mums just included us in their group instead of sending us home. We simply went around the room and shared how we met Jesus. I think the Lord knew that I needed this encouragement rather than playing with kids yesterday. I was very blessed by the sharing and prayer. These ladies have a very strong faith despite parents opposed, spouses opposed, etc. I'd keep typing but I've got a sunrise to watch.

Quote of the day: "The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. "

2009-03-08T01:34:00.003-06:00

I'm teaching class on Sunday mornings. Today I only had one student, a 5th grader. We read 2 Kings 4:1-7. I just love this story because it shows that God cares about poor people.

Interesting

2009-03-04T23:56:00.003-06:00

John Mark Hicks speaks about women in the Assembly

it's a perspective that I'd never heard before. Highlights:

Reading 1 Corinthians 11:10 with the literal active voice (”has authority”) instead of the presumed passive voice (”sign of authority”), Paul states that a woman has authority (has the right!) to pray and prophesy when she honors her head through the covering. This led me to a critical point: in the early church women audibly prayed and prophesied in the assembly of the church even while they honored their husbands (or the men in the assembly). Consequently, it was not a violation of the created order (to which Paul appeals in 1 Corinthians 11) for women to pray and prophesy–to lead in the assembly through prayer and prophecy–since they could do so and at the same time honor their heads. Leadership, then, does not necessarily imply headship!

Since Paul approved audible female participation in the assembly in 1 Corinthians 11, he could not have meant that they should be silenced in 1 Corinthians 14. So, what did he mean? I concluded that he either meant that disruptive women should be silent (e.g., the wives of the prophets interrupting the assembly with their questions or women babbling in disorderly Greco-Roman cultic style) or that women were precluded from “judging” the prophets (which is the view I take in this presentation). Paul did not prohibit women from speaking per se, but from a particular kind of speaking, a disruptive or intrusive speaking.

My God and I

2009-03-02T20:07:00.000-06:00

The stars shine over the ocean
The stars shine over the sea
The stars look up to heaven
The stars shine down on me
The stars will shine for a million years
for a million years and a day
But my God and I will live and love
Long after the stars have passed away

the request of our lips

2009-02-26T20:19:00.004-06:00

Please pray for the extinction of the bushfires down in Victoria. There have been scorchingly hot days, which combined with years of drought and gale-force winds has incinerated the hilly area. Wildfires have obliterated entire towns, leaving over 180 people dead - and counting, more in hospitals and thousands homeless.

I've only smelled the smoke up here, but I shudder to realise who or what is burning and how large the fire must be for smell to travel so far.

It has been incredibly devastating, and is not over yet. The ray of hope, or raindrop of hope, if you will, is seeing the outpouring of support from the rest of the nation. People are donating money, time, food, clothes, accomodation, blood...

As we mourn with those who mourn, please join us in our petition to our Lord. We ask that these flames will be blown out to sea, or into already desolate areas where it will cause less mayhem. We pray for those who have lost loved ones, and/or all their possessions. We pray that the God of all comfort will show himself in these peoples' lives, and that we the church can demonstrate that our God is love.

Psalm 18

2009-02-23T19:06:00.002-06:00

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
. my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
. and I am saved from my enemies.

In my distress I called to the LORD;
. I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
. my cry came before him, into his ears.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
. he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
. from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
. but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
. he rescued me because he delighted in me.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
. to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
. but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
. but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
. my God turns my darkness into light.

As for God, his way is perfect;
. the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
. for all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD?
. And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strenght
. and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
. he enables me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands
. and your right hand sustains me;
. you stoop down to make me great.
You broaden the path beneath me,
. so that my ankles do not turn.

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
. Exalted be God my Saviour!
You exalted me above my foes;
. from violent men you rescued me.
Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
. I will sing praises to your name.
He shows unfailing kindness to his [people] forever.

The dots are because I don't know how to indent without them. Yes, I cut out the parts that didn't resonate with me currently. I'm not all about battle imagery, but the psalm is good.

2009-02-18T22:36:00.002-06:00

Last night during our Bible study with Chunni, Ellen, Diana, and Susan, we read about Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. The girls usually underline words they don't know, and ask us the meanings after we read. Last night one of the words was "gospel" but Chunni looked it up in her fancy Chinese-English dictionary in her phone. I saw that she had written the definition in Chinese characters next to the word. I asked her if she knew what it meant, and she showed me the definition in her phone:

Folk or soul music consisting of a genre of a cappella music originating with Black slaves in the United States.

Haha, it's a good thing I asked.

quote of the day

2009-02-17T00:12:00.000-06:00

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."
- Carlos Castaneda

math and dominoes

2009-02-12T19:01:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we met with Harbord Primary School, and told the principal we were interested in volunteering. It looks like we are going to start tutoring in a year 6 maths class for students who are struggling. I will be there 2 days a week.

Last night we had 4 of our Chinese friends over to play games and cook together. They made a lot of delicious dishes, but I think the only one I can pronounce is fried rice. It was really fun to hang out with them apart from our weekly Bible study.

arrested for feeding the poor

2009-02-11T17:33:00.003-06:00

Orlando Food Not Bombs (FNB) has been sharing food with the poor and homeless in Lake Eola Park since the summer of 2004. Some local business owners and residents, who were upset with seeing the poor fed in the park, complained to city government leaders. The mayor and city council reacted by passing an ordinance specifically designed to stop FNB from sharing food. The ordinance limits a group that is going to feed 25 or more people to no more than two such feedings in a park per year, and requires that a permit be obtained.

When the ordinance was first passed, the groups moved to the sidewalk and streets a block or so away from the park, but after continued city harassment moved back to the park. FNB, acting with churches and groups such as Code Pink and the ACLU, began sharing food in a manner that strictly complied with the ordinance. Each group would serve no more than 24 people, had a table clearly labeled with its name, and the dishes (which are collected and washed) were counted to make sure there were no more than 24.

Despite all of this, at the conclusion of an Orlando police undercover investigation that, according to the Orlando Weekly, cost taxpayers $65,000, FNB member Eric Montanez was arrested. His alleged crime: feeding more than 24 people. His weapon: a ladle.

The result was twofold. One: A jury who understood the concept of "unconscionability” found Eric “not guilty.” Two: The arrest scared away groups and people who were participating, especially some of the church groups, who were afraid of being labeled "law-breakers."

Yes, it is unconscionable to let people go hungry, in a city of plenty in a nation of plenty. It is also unconscionable to persecute those who feel called to serve the poor and subject them to arrest and prosecution.

A month later, six more FNB members were arrested for violating another city ordinance, “disturbing … (the) repose of any individual ....” The specifics of their offense: protesting the anti-feeding ordinance outside a restaurant venue where the mayor was holding a campaign fundraiser.

Article by Alan Clapsaddle.

Thankfully, it is not illegal to feed the hungry in Sydney. Jesus Cares meets every Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm in West Ryde to prepare and pass out food. If you're interested in going with me this Saturday night, holla.

HIS ministry

2009-02-09T17:01:00.000-06:00

"As long as you are looking for God to bless 'your' ministry, you are wasting time. He only blesses his ministry..."
-Alan Beck

some things I'm praying for lately

2009-01-29T04:18:00.004-06:00

that David's mum's surgery will go smoothly
that Chao and Ellen will see love in us, love in the one they're reading about, and develop a greater curiosity about Him.
that my teaching the elementary aged kids will go better than it did at camp. Well, I just pray that they'll learn something in spite of me.
China - Chinese government authorities have denied Hua Zaichen, 91, visitation with his imprisoned wife, 79-year-old Shuang Shuying, according to China Aid Association (CAA). Zaichen, who is deathly ill, requested a final meeting with his wife to say his goodbyes, but officials refused to grant the request. “Authorities say Shuang Shuying is not allowed to leave prison before February 8, 2009, the end of her two-year sentence. Officials stated that if her husband died before then, she would be allowed to see his body for 10 minutes and would have to be chained, handcuffed, shackled and wearing a prison uniform,” CAA added. I pray for this family that has endured many hardships for the sake of their faith. I pray for Shuang Shuying to be released. I praise God for their courage!

I will give thanks

2009-01-26T22:16:00.002-06:00

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
-Psalm 7:17

So far I've raised $6,405. $26,595 to go.

If you find yourself with an excess this month, or ever, you may send tax-deductible donations to

Memorial Road church of Christ
Attn: Helpers in Missions
2221 E. Memorial Road
Edmond, OK 73013
(and be sure to put my name somewhere in there)

Thank you again to those who have donated, encouraged, prayed for, or supported me in so many ways.

Australia Day Disgrace

2009-01-26T21:44:00.002-06:00

Hundreds of drunk teenagers turned Australia Day celebrations ugly yesterday as they stormed through the corso (very near where I live) causing chaos and chanting "Aussie Pride."

Youths damaged stores, cars, and even attacked one Asian girl, jumping on her car and punching through the windscreen, showering her with glass. She suffered bruises, cuts, and bleeding. Police down played racial motives.

The crowd of mostly young men, many wearing Australian flags as capes and covered in green and gold zinc like warpaint, was running through The Corso towards Manly Wharf every 20 minutes shouting, "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie". They were shouting racial slurs and demanding girls to take their tops off. Some tried to pull bikinis off females.

While some teens claimed the rampage had nothing to do with race, a number of young men said they hoped the day would escalate into something like the racially-motivated Cronulla riots of 2005.

"We're celebrating we are Australian, f*** the ethnics," one man said.

Another group of teens were spotted on the beach sporting hand-drawn maps of Australia on their stomachs with the words, "F*** OFF WE'RE FULL".

full story - excerpts taken from the Manly Daily, written by Chelsea White and Rebecca Woolley

Youth Day

2009-01-20T01:16:00.004-06:00

Sunday was youth day at Warringah. We had about 100 teens from all over the country to get together again 3 weeks after camp Challenge. We started cooking as soon as worship concluded, and barbequed ooodles of sausages and risoles (the Aussie equivalent to hot dogs and hamburgers, but better). People started arriving at 2, then after we ate we all walked down to the beach. There was a rip, so we couldn't swim, but had a lot of fun playing volleyball, building sand castles, and exploring the rocks along the coast. I got buried and tried out a skim board. It was great to just hang out with all the youth of the area. We headed back to the building at about 5, and Adam Frank spoke about the body of Christ. It was an encouraging and illustrative reminder of just how necessary each and every cell of the body is... and how we don't work when amputated. I like that a body is a living thing, which constantly grows new muscles and changes. Singing with a group that large is something I really cherish now that it's not so common. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. I did bring my camera, but was too busy running my mouth to use it.

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg."
- C.S. Lewis

2009-01-09T22:29:00.005-06:00

Yesterday my friend Roberto went all out for the american football national championship game. He borrowed a projector from Macquarie and made guacamole, bought Dr. Pepper and Reese's peanut butter cups from the extremely expensive american store. Josh, from Harrah, OK, came over too, and we watched the game in style. I was pretty happy to get to see it, despite the results.

In the evening we had an Australian-style barbeque. Michelle is here visiting from Japan so we wanted her to have a taste of the amazing food here. I'm never going to be able to go back to a regular hot dog. AND I found the old-fashioned version of Balderdash at the thrift store up the street, so we had a few hilarious rounds of that.

:) I loooooove my friends.

Jesus' primary message: the Kingdom of God

2009-01-05T17:47:00.005-06:00

John the baptiser's message was: Change your life and turn to God - the Kingdom of Heaven is near.*

One of the aspects of God that I don't think I have a very good concept of is his kingship. I guess that's because we don't live subject to kings in such a way that we understand full submission. In the old testament, the psalms speak of this relationship.

For the LORD Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.*

For the LORD is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.*

The LORD has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.*

He isn't just King of the Jews, though. Daniel emphasizes the undying hope that the whole world will somehow be brought to order under the kingship of the one creator God, YHWH, the God of Abraham.

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal - it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.*

This is the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. It is mentioned 53 times in the book of Matthew alone.

You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you.*

I've heard it said that we shouldn't pray the prayer Jesus taught to his disciples, because his kingdom was established in his church. It seems to me that as long as there is evidence of the curse, as long as the wolf and lamb aren’t feeding together*, as long as there is sorrow and crying, as long as there is war*, as long as there is hatred, bitterness, and resentment — it’s still safe to pray this prayer.

Jesus says things like, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field."*

It's worth selling everything?

But this kingdom seems backwards. The poor are blessed, the sinners are received, the dead are made alive, and the last are first. Jesus came and began reversing the curse. He started putting the world back the way God intended it. Living under the reign of God includes living in harmony with Him, and with others, and with the world He created.

There are so many parables about the Kingdom that it can get confusing. It is compared to a great deal of things. You can go read them all, but the bottom line is that it is here among us, growing*, and gooooooood.

Experience it.

[Thanks to Dustin Johnson, Tyler Goudeau, Shane Claiborne, and N.T. Wright for these thoughts.]

abundance

2008-12-26T18:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday when I went running I found a microwave on the side of the road about 4k away. I guess someone had gotten a new one for Christmas, and thrown their old one out front in the new box hoping someone else would take it. Well I was happy to help them out, so I tried to carry it back, but only made it about a quarter of a mile before my arms gave out. So I stashed it and ran home for the car. I was SO excited to get a microwave. I wiped it out and made sure it worked.

Today, Pam and Bruce stopped by with a Christmas present for us - a microwave!

We've survived for 2 months without one, and within 2 days we get 2! Actually, since the free one worked, they decided to take theirs back and get their money back. It was very sweet of them, though. God has provided everything we've needed and beyond. :)

We're leaving for camp in about half an hour, and will be gone until New Years Day.

If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.
-John Lennon-

my prayer list

2008-12-23T00:54:00.002-06:00

Camp is coming up. I'm teaching 3-6th grades classes daily, as well as being a counselor. I'm praying that we can connect with the kids and bring them closer to God, and that camp will be a growing experience for all.
Praise God my visa has been approved! I am officially allowed to start volunteering in the community and doing "work" type activities. And I'm allowed to stay until 08/10.
Christmas. We're having quite a few foreigners over for Christmas day, but I'm just praying that no one will miss family too much. And that we can make it an encouraging time for them.
China. Underground Christians Arrested – China Aid Association
House church Christians continue to be targeted and arrested throughout China, according to a Dec. 4 report from China Aid Association. More than 50 house church Christians gathered for fellowship in Xiji town, Zaozhuang city, Shandong province on Dec. 2 when Public Security Bureau officials surrounded them and arrested approximately 20 believers. The officials claimed that they would release the prisoners for 2,500 Yuan each. On Dec.3, more than 50 house church Christians were arrested by local police in Tai Kang county, Henan province. At the time of the report, none of the believers had been released. I'm praying that these Christians will be released from detention. I pray that, like Paul, their imprisonment will result in the advancement of God's kingdom.

Andy Goldsworthy

2008-12-18T15:36:00.000-06:00

Is it any wonder I'm not crazy?

2008-12-16T21:45:00.004-06:00

Last night we had our mid-week meeting. There is something about singing off-key with 5 other Christians that just warms my heart.

We didn't have playgroup this morning due to the school holidays, so I spent the time rustling up more volunteer work. I called an organisation called Lifeline, which offers telephone counselling, suicide prevention and education, all kinds of support groups, visiting senior citizens, and thrift stores all over the northern beaches. So they're going to ring me back next week and let me know what they need help with. It'll be a good way to meet people I hope. We also plan to hang fliers at some of the English schools around here to read the Bible and work on English with folks.

So far I've raised $5,905. $27,095 to go.

If you find yourself with an excess this month, or ever, you may send tax-deductible donations to

Memorial Road church of Christ
Attn: Helpers in Missions
2221 E. Memorial Road
Edmond, OK 73013
(and be sure to put my name somewhere in there)

Thank you again to those who have donated, encouraged, prayed for, or supported me in so many ways.

I think I'm going to look at this every day for the rest of my life :)

2008-12-12T18:25:00.001-06:00

“May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”
- Mother Teresa

Friday

2008-12-05T00:13:00.002-06:00

Fridays are about the only day that we don't have a regular activity on. We have funky friday once a month, but today doesn't happen to be the day. So I worked on some stuff for camp for a little bit, did some research on the Holy Spirit, and rang Habitat for Humanity, but found out that I need a CV before I can volunteer for them. Next I have to find out what a CV is and where I can get one. Then I rang Meals on Wheels, but they have plenty of volunteers right now, so they put me on a list to call when someone cancels.

Elaine is moving back to Japan on Sunday, so we had a game night with cake and such instead of our usual Thursday night Bible study. We'll miss her!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T01:43:00.004-06:00

Well Aussies don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but the Pac Rim students happened to be here, and invited us to celebrate with them. So we drove up to the central coast, and they cooked turkey, pies, and loads of other goodies for us. Although it didn't compare with my mom's cookin, I was quite thankful for it.

An interesting article posted by Chip Kooi made me wonder about our holiday of football and gluttony. It really is my favourite holiday, but I hope I keep the focus on what it's all about.

Giving thanks is one thing, but before we give thanks for our "greatness" or power or riches, maybe we should acknowledge that we achieved this greatness through brutality. Some highlights:

But in the United States, this reluctance to acknowledge our original sin -- the genocide of indigenous people -- is of special importance today. It's now routine -- even among conservative commentators -- to describe the United States as an empire, so long as everyone understands we are an inherently benevolent one. Because all our history contradicts that claim, history must be twisted and tortured to serve the purposes of the powerful.

One vehicle for taming history is various patriotic holidays, with Thanksgiving at the heart of U.S. myth-building. From an early age, we Americans hear a story about the hardy Pilgrims, whose search for freedom took them from England to Massachusetts. There, aided by the friendly Wampanoag Indians, they survived in a new and harsh environment, leading to a harvest feast in 1621 following the Pilgrims' first winter.
Some aspects of the conventional story are true enough. But it's also true that by 1637, Massachusetts Gov. John Winthrop was proclaiming a thanksgiving for the successful massacre of hundreds of Pequot Indian men, women and children, part of the long and bloody process of opening up additional land to the English invaders. The pattern would repeat itself across the continent until between 95 and 99 percent of American Indians had been exterminated and the rest were left to assimilate into white society or die off on reservations, out of the view of polite society.

Um, I don't mean to be a downer, but yikes...

MSOBS

2008-11-26T03:41:00.003-06:00

I've been going to the Macquarie School of Biblical Studies on Monday nights, because there is a class on Romans. This week we got into an interesting discussion about forgiveness afterwards. It lasted almost 3 hours. :)

“Forgiveness is an action of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”
-Corrie Ten Boom

things on my prayer list today

2008-11-06T21:24:00.002-06:00

If you care to join.

Afghanistan. Taliban gunmen shot and killed 34-year-old Gayle Williams, a Christian aid worker in Kabul, as she was walking to work because she was “spreading her religion,” reported The Associated Press (AP). The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting Williams, a South African/British national who worked with disabled Afghans. “This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people of Afghanistan. Our leaders issued a decree to kill this woman. This morning our people killed her in Kabul,” Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesperson, told AP. Williams was working for a Christian charity organization, SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises), which has worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan since 1980. In a statement on its Web site, SERVE described Williams as “a person who always loved the Afghans and was dedicated to serving those who are disabled.” I pray for the family of Williams during this difficult time. I ask God to protect believers as they share the gospel in challenging times. I pray Williams’ testimony will draw nonbelievers and Taliban members into fellowship with him.
President-elect Obama. I pray that he has the wisdom to lead America in loving our neighbours. That we will seek justice, express kindness, walk humbly with God and in harmony with our neighbours, our enemies, and God's creation as a whole.
Visa applications. We are in the middle of the extensive process of applying for religious worker visas. We have appointments for medical examinations, blood tests, chest x-rays, FBI background checks, and loads of paperwork.
Studies with Elaine and Yuka. Our Japanese friends do not have much time left with us for Bible study. I pray that we will make the most of the short opportunities before us.
Katie. teaching English in China...

v o the d

2008-11-04T15:50:00.000-06:00

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
- Jeremiah 29:7