Thoughts for life from 'Click'

I watched 'Click' (Adam Sandler) last night with wifey. It is very hard to get through the movie with a dry eye. We watch sadly as Adam Sandler keeps fast forwarding lifes moments while reaching for the always elusive "next big promotion", hoping that it will bring him and his family the happiness and security that they 'need'. He eventually dies - divorced and lonely - having realised too late that he has missed the happiest moments of his life.

Shortly before he dies, the person who gave Adam the 'gift' to fast-forward life reveals himself as the 'angel of death'. And it immediately gave me a revelation of the true nature of Christs words in John 10:9-11:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
mayhave life, and have it to the full."

I felt really sad for Adam Sandlers character in the movie, but even more, I felt sad for myself and the many other men and women in this country who let life pass them by in the vain attempt to grab more and more stuff. More security, more money, more things. We work long hours, often past 7pm. We give our best efforts to our careers that never provide the security we desire, meanwhile our families get the scraps of our time and attention.

I heard a pastor say once "I've spent time with many people as they lay waiting to die on their death beds, and I have never heard any of them say 'I wish I spent more time in the office'."

We all know that is true, but we never seem to apply that lesson to our own life until it's too late.

When I was relaxing during my honeymoon in beautiful Ubud, I wrote that I would no longer give my best attention to my career while avoiding my family. I will forsake promotions and raises if it means spending the quality time with my family that we all deserve. It wasn't long after I returned until I found myself once again, in the office up to 7pm. But it wasn't to gun for the promotion - it was simply to achieve my daily tasks. The demands of big business never cease.

I saw alot of myself in that movie. I am always looking ahead, and rarely enjoying each moment as I experience it. While I am not one who worries about promotions, etc, I do worry about the future alot. Where will I be in 5, 10, 15 years? Will my children have a safe and comfortable life with a roof over their head, attending the best schools, going on the best holidays? What must I sacrifice now to give them that? What will I sacrifice at the time to maintain that?

I've come to believe that Jesus' words are just as relevant today (if not more so), than they were when first spoken 2000 years ago (Matthew 6:24-26)

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and lovethe
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and Money.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more importantthan
food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds ofthe air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenlyFather
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Why do we put our trust in our career? We are disappointed time after time with mass redundancies, and bottom-line cost-cutting mentality. Yet we keep hanging on, hoping that it will come through for us at the end.

Why not commit yourself fully to God? Accept your job as a gracious gift from the Father, but entrust yourself fully to His care. Believe that your heavenly Father is your provider and that your job / career is his means of provision. And treat your job as though you would treat any other gift given from your Father - with respect. Do your best for your company, but not at the expense of your family, personal life, and integrity.

'Click' helped to give me a reality check. Embrace every moment of life. Don't worry what tomorrow will bring, because all we have is today!

Why this blog?

There is a strong desire in my heart to give my all to Christ. I believe that he asks nothing less of me, but to sacrifice all to live out the dream of God, and to be His body on earth. I do not hide from the fact that what we are called to is not easy. There will be times of joy and times of pain. I do not acknowledge a half-gospel that preaches the materialistic comfort for Western society. I acknowledge a full gospel, whereby I am called to be a disciple. I am on a journey to follow Jesus. I want to say sincerely in my heart “for me to live is Christ” but I am afraid. I am afraid of what I will lose, and I cannot yet see clearly what I will gain. But this path cannot be followed based on what I will gain, but must be followed out of love. Love to live as the creator intends. Love to serve my brothers and sisters – all of God’s children. Love to see culture transformed into the fulfilled dream of God. Love to see creation come into holistic community. Love to see oppression and injustice cease. And love to see all people come into relationship with their creator.

I will use this blog to share some of this journey with you. I’ll also post meanderings, book extracts, poetry, news commentary, and general life/culture stuff.

3 weeks off

I'm off to Indonesia for three weeks. The first week will be quite hectic with marriage preparations, wedding rehearsal, etc. But the next two weeks will hopefully be a time of relaxation and recuperation from the past 2 years (this is my first break of any kind in two years). I just want to learn about Gayle, learn about God, and learn a bit more about myself in quietness.

Please keep us in your prayers.

In Christ,
Daniel.

Greeting from friend for Wedding

Semoga Allah Menghimpun yang terserak dari keduanya,
memberkati mereka berdua dan kiranya Allah
Meningkatkan kualitas keturunan mereka,
menjadikan pembuka Pintu-pintu Rahmat,
Sumber Ilmu dan Hikmah Serta Pemberi Rasa Aman Bagi Umat

May Allah gathers what are scattered from the two,
bless them gracefully, and may Allah boost the quality of their offsprings,
and make them the openers of the benefits of god,
source of science and knowledge,
and the bringers of peace for the kind.

(this is the prayers of my prophet during the marrige of his daughter Fatima)

Good luck and god bless your marriage Dan!

Book: God's Politics - Why the American Right Gets It Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It

I just finished an eye-opening, inspirational, and challenging book. It is written by Jim Wallis, and is called “God’s Politics. Why the American Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It.” Despite the reference to American Politics in the title, this book is a full frontal challenge to our Christianity, and what it means to be a Christian.

The title refers to the American religious / political landscape which is divided into two groups: the Republicans and the Democrats. Or, the Religious Right and the Liberals. Bush’s Republican party was elected largely by the Religious Right who were playing the right cards in regards of a few hot button issues such as gay marriage and abortions. Bush’s Republican party is also pro-rich, pro-war. The Bush government has granted billions of dollars of tax breaks to the richest of society, and has raised the Iraq occupation budget into the billions of dollars. All of this has come at the expense of the poor. The Bush government has literally taken money from the poorest of the poor to fund wars and increase the wealth of the rich. The biblical prophets warned about such evil. Yet the religious right in America has gone along for the ride.

In America today, saying that you are an Evangelical Christian is synonymous with saying you hate gay people, you don’t care much for the poor, and you are pro-war. The conversation of religion has been hijacked by agendas of American politics.

This book is filled with hope for better days and exposes the futility of our religious and political thinking. It is a book that I believe teaches the heart of responsible living and Christian citizenship, and it is a book that sheds light to the heart of Jesus on all of the issues our world faces today.

I highly recommend it for all who want to find out what the true meaning is of responsible Christian citizenship. I definitely rate this 5 stars.

Inspirational - Jim Wallis' letter to his students

I read Jim Wallis’ letter to his class [Faith, Politics, and Society] at Kennedy School of Government. It is inspirational, and I thought that it would help most people who read this blog.

Dear Class Members,

You are a bright, gifted, and committed group of students. There are probably many people who tell you about your potential, and they are right. You are people who could make a real contribution to the movement for social and economic justice that we dreamed about the semester.

In that regard, I would encourage each of you to think about your vocation more than just your career. And there is a difference. From the outside, those two tracks may look very different or very much alike, but asking the vocational question rather than just considering the career options will take you much deeper. The key is to ask why you might take one path instead of another – the real reasons you would do something more than just because you can. The key is to ask who you really are and want to become. It is to ask what you believe you are supposed to do.

Religious or not, I would invite you to consider your calling, more than just the many opportunities presented to graduates of the Kennedy School. That means connecting your best talents and skills to your best and deepest values; making sure your mind is in sync with your soul as you plot your next steps. Don’t just go where you’re directed or even invited, but rather where your own moral compass leads you. And don’t accept others’ notions of what is possible or realistic; dare to dream things and don’t be afraid to take risks.

You do have great potential, but that potential will be most fulfilled if you follow the leanings of conscience and the language of the heart more than just the dictates of the market, whether economic or political. Rather than merely fitting into systems, ask how you can change them. You’re both smart and talented enough to do that. That’s your greatest potential.

One of you told me as we said goodbye last night, “When I started this course, I was cynical. I’m not cynical anymore.” Nothing could make me feel better about teaching this course. Cynicism really comes out of despair, but the antidote to cynicism is not optimism but action. And action is finally born out of hope. Try to remember that.

Wedding Countdown

It is 10 days to go until I am on a plane to Bali. 14 days until I marry my beautiful fiancée. We have been together since April 2001 (with a short break in between). I can’t believe how fast the day is coming. All sorts of emotions are being felt – but I’m confident that what we are stepping into has the blessing of God.

Our itinerary
October 15 – arrive in Bali
October 15 – finalise paperwork at the consulate
October 16 – finalise band and entertainment details
October 17 – final inspection of the wedding and reception venue. Meeting with the minister who will conduct the ceremony. Cocktail party for all wedding guests.
October 18 – chill out. Spend the day with my family and friends.
October 19 – Marriage!!!
October 20 to 22 – Honeymoon in Seminyak(3 nights)
October 23 to 24 – Honeymoon in Kuta(2 nights)
October 25 to 30 – Honeymoon in Jakarta (6 nights)
October 30 – Return to Perth
November 6 – Return to work

Okay, Jakarta may not seem like the ideal honeymoon location but it will be quieter than usual as most Jakartans celebrate Idul Fitri. There will be plenty of space to shop. We will have family and friends in Jakarta who we can catch up with. It should be great. I’m also hoping to take a trip to Bandung.

So, all of your prayers would be much appreciated as we celebrate this time. Here are some prayer points:

• Pray for the safety and protection of every guest, family member, and Gayle & myself
• Pray for the smooth transitions between hotels and airports – There are a lot of people to be concerned about, and I don’t want this to become a logistical nightmare.
• Pray for the Spirit of Christ to be present with Gayle and myself as we enter this new chapter of our lives together.

Thank you all, and may you be joyful as you know that God is always present with you.

Common issues seen fresh through the eyes of Jesus – Introduction

This article is to lay a foundation to explore more deeply the duties of one who follows Christ. There is a difference between believing in Jesus and being filled with His Spirit. Christians must move beyond simply believing in Jesus. Most Christians believe in Jesus up to a point – and that point is the Cross. If most of us are honest, we will probably say that we have not moved past that point by picking up our Cross and following Him.

Many Christians simply have enough Christianity to make them miserable. Just enough Christianity so that they don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t have premarital sex, don’t swear, and go to church. They hear about the joy of the Lord but very rarely experience it. I want to clear up some of the issues that can help us see deeper into the richness of God and HHis heart for the world. Hopefully, by doing this, we will be able to move beyond a bunch of rules and regulations and see life through the eyes of Christ himself.

Many churches today have stripped their congregations of the true joy of Christian discipleship by stripping the message of Jesus from its cultural context and converting it into neatly packaged self-help messages. Messages designed to be ‘seeker-friendly’ and to create believers only.

The message of Christ has been distorted and watered down. The message of Christ has become aligned with militarism, legalism, being rich, Zionism, and making scapegoats of the least of society. In the US there is a call to renewal that is reclaiming ground for the true message of Jesus. Armies of young people are rising up and proclaiming “we want to be the living and active body of Jesus here in our world today”. We are seeing this in the New Monastics and other Christian groups across the US. They are literally denying themselves and making conscious decisions to live poorly among the ‘least of society’ so as to be incarnational to them – as Jesus was in Palestine 2000 years ago.

My favourite preacher, Tony Campalo was at a Southern Baptist convention in the US. The Southern Baptists are renowned to be the most hard-lined legalistic Christian group in the country. As he spoke, he said “I know that you are currently debating whether or not the Bible is inerrant. Well, it doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t because your not going to do what it says anyway.” Do we see ourselves in that accusation?

The common theme that will run through these articles is Gods heart for all of mankind, particularly the ‘least of society’. God created all people in His image. Each person has an intrinsic worth and value that is the essence of human life and transcends class, race, religion – even self opinion and actions. But our society has taught us that our worth and value are based on our net worth and value. I.e. how much money we have, or what our degrees are, or our circle of associates, or our position in society (and indeed the church).

The Bible speaks about Gods concern for the least of those in society – those on the margins and the fringes. Gods concern for those who have been forsaken by Governments, big business, and indeed – their own neighbours. Those left behind by national and global economic growth. Those who live without quality of life, without dignity, and without hope for tomorrow. Those who struggling each day just to survive. They are living in a way that was never intended and a way that breaks Gods heart.

Meanwhile many of us in the Body of Christ – the church – live lavish lives. We spend our time building our empires. Spending on our fancy clothes. Our luxurious houses. We treat Jesus teaching that “You will always have the poor among you…” as an excuse not to heavily invest in the poor. Are we so blind not to see what Jesus was saying? He was not saying that as an excuse to turn our hand away from the poor, but was instead talking about the social positioning of the disciples. Don’t forget where Jesus was eating. He was in the house of Simon the Leper – the lowest person in Society in Jesus day. Jesus was telling his disciples that because of they are – because of your mandate – you will always have the poor among you. In other words, you will always be around the poor. (Note – I am not against home ownership. Indeed, I believe that for government to provide a path to home ownership for ever person is a key in combating poverty).

The scriptural basis for these articles comes from the prophet Micah who says:

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).

In the upcoming months, I will hopefully post a series of articles which will take a different look at some of the life issues that we have esteemed as particularly important in our Christian walk. However, I will take a different slant on these issues. I will attempt to look at them through the lens of Christ. Jesus was very straightforward in what he said about certain issues – and the reasons for these can be found throughout the old and new testament. Remember that before the world, Christ was. Here is my disclaimer: I am not educated by Theological Seminary. As much as I can, I want to look at the words and the life of Christ and use that as the lens through which we view some of these issues. I will leave the "meanings" and "interpretations" to the scholars, and we will just take Jesus at His word. I also admit that I am far from living to the standards of Christ - but I know that I am loved and forgiven. He gives us the grace to walk with Him. He will never leave or forsake me. I just ask that I can be internally honest about my motives and worship and follow Christ in truth.

The first issue that I will look at is that of sexual purity. I will look at this through the lens of Christ and His heart for the poor and needy. I believe that once Christian males (and non-Christians for that matter) get this into their hearts, they will no longer take pleasure in pornography or sexual promiscuity.

New blog direction

I have been absent from this blog for some weeks now, and have not written anything meaningful for much longer. I have re-evaluated what I do with this blog. I have decided that I will use it as a place where I will place some of the articles that I write, a place to put the sermons that have deeply challenged me, a place to put quotations to stir and inspire, and occasionally, to let you know what I am up to. My posts will be few and far between, but I hope that what I do post is something of quality – something that you can give thought to. If you disagree with anything that I say in my posts – please leave a comment to let me know. We can talk about it and maybe we can both come away with a deeper understanding. I do not fear mistakes. I only fear creative and constructive responses to those mistakes. Thank you for those who take the time to read this.

Quote of the day

When Christian leaders go to government to call for sweeping structural
change, we have more integrity and power when we can say: "We are part of
Christian communities that are already beginning to live out what we are calling
you to legislate." Our call for costly changes in foreign policy toward the
Two-Thirds World designed to implement greater global economic justice has
integrity only if we are a part of Christian congregations that are already
beginning to incarnate a more simple lifestyle that points toward a more just,
ecologically sustainable planet. Our call for nuclear disarmament and
international peace has integrity only if there is growing peace and wholeness
in our families and churches.
- Ronald J. Sider

New dialy scripture and quotes from Sojo mail

"[God] has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Prayer of St Patrick - Breastplate

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield overshadow me and cover me.
Christ, be under me; Christ, be over me.
Christ, be beside me on my left and my right.

Christ, this day be within and without me.
Christ, the lowly and meek.

Christ, the all-powerful, be in the heart of each to whom I speak.
In the mouth of each who speaks to me -
in all who draw near to me, or see me, or hear me.

Amen.

A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future

A new article on ChristianityToday.com. An appeal to live the biblical narrative.

Need some motivation?

Asia's Young Entrepreneurs

Human trade - what can we do?

I was going to give this post a different name - "Hate / Passion / Compassion / Fear". Today I read an article at the Jakarta Post that details how Human Trafficing is a major issue in Indonesia. Human Trafficing is an issue that makes my blood boil. Hearing of the stories of some of the women, children (and boys) who are trafficed across the world for prostitution, sex slavery, and slave labor brings tears to my eyes.

I can honestly say that I hate people who profit from human trafficing. I hate those people who use the services of trafficed human beings. And I hate those who who exploit trafficed human beings. I hate them with a pure hatred. Do you know what these girls suffer? I have had to force myself through the testimony of the humanitarians who have worked to free these girls. These girls are lured from their kampungs (villiages) with promises of work in the city and moeny to send back to their poor struggling families. Rather, they are kidnapped, smuggled abroad and sold as sex slaves. Others are locked in dungeons and used in forced prostitution. They are constantly drugged to numb the pain. The average life span of a girl forced into this work is 14 years.

Here is an extract from the article...

Indonesia is a hub for trafficking. Young local women are often hired under the pretense of overseas employment as domestic workers, only to end up in forced prostitution in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

High rates of poverty and unemployment, along with low levels of education, have been blamed for the ease with which people in Indonesia are exploited.

I have strong feelings for Indonesia. I love the Indonesian people, and I would like to help in some way. But what can I do? What can someone from a different culture do? I have a passion:
I want to start a school in Indonesia. I want to provide a safe place for the vulnerable Indonesians to come. A place where they can be accepted, protected, cherished, and grown. I want to be instrumental in making this happen. But what can I do? I have no money? I have no skills in teaching? No social services, limited cultural knowledge? What could I possible do? This is the fear.

Due to underlying religious hostility in Indonesia, it is hard to get humanitarian Visas, and once granted, you are monitored for proseltyzing. Indonesia is majority muslim. But the way that I see it, this is not a muslim issue - it is a human issue. We have an obligation to our neighbours, to protect them from exploitation. To protect and serve the vulnerable. If not a human issue, the disciples of Christ are without excuse - We are commanded to protect the vulnerable. We are commanded to serve them. The Prophets made this clear for us.

So what can I do? I don't know. Pray? Seek? Knock? God, please make a way. Lead me in Your will.

What do I want to say to these girls? You are never dirtied. Though the world exploits you, you will never lose your value in the eyes of God. And because of that, I will never view you as dirty. I will accept you as my own family and in someway, try to show the love of God for you. You are precious in Gods sight.

What do I want to say to the human trafficers, and all those who profit from, or exploit the services of human trafficers? Your days are numbered. God will rip the cover off all iniquity and your blackness will be exposed for all the world to see. Repent and pay restitution while there is still time for you to do so.

What do I want to say to every person who labels them selves as "Christs"? This is YOUR problem. It is not the missionaries, or the Indonesians. It is your problem. If you don't act, who will. Don't use the bullshit excuse that God has not called you to help. Poverty is your problem. Oppresion is your problem. The poor are your problem. Read the prophets. Read Christs words. You were told to prioritise two things. Love of God and love of others. If you are a follower of Christ, don't you believe that you are to follow Christ? What did Christ say?


and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10)

learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)


The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, (Luke 4:18)


I am preaching to myself here as much as anyone else. God help me to stop being selfish. Help me to live beyond myself. Help me to live by example. Help me to be a humble servant of Christ. Like Christ, not viewing myself more highly than I ought to, but to humble myself and be a servant of others. God, may Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done.

What world is real?

What world is real? The more I read the bible, the more it becomes obvious to me that there is two worlds. A physical world, and a spiritual world. It's not that I ever denied or doubted that, but sometimes, I become oblivious to that.

We're spending this month on the topic of prayer at church. One thing that I know is that Prayer is natural. It is something in every human being that always tries to cry out beyond ourselves. Even in communist regimes, where the government has tried to stamp our religion by force, they still cannot stamp out the internal yearning for more beyond ourself.

For instance, in communist Russia under Stalin, and communist China under Mao, the people were taught to "think" of their dear leaders when their work was difficult, or when they were dissuaded by the communist ideologies. In China, people were often forced to confess their sins to Mao in a prayerful form. They can try to wipe out religion, but they can never wipe out what is natural to every human - an internal desire for a spiritual Father. These regimes simply put man in the place of God.

I was encouraged tonight by a story of Elisha. It is found in 2 Kings 6:8-22. Here Elisha and his servant, surrounded by an enemy army. The servant was distressed but Elisha was calm. Elisha prays a simple prayer "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha". (2 Kings 6:17).

In the physical world, there was every reason to fear. But Elisha realised that the spiritual world was much more real. He could see into this spiritual world. What is stopping us from seeing into this spiritual world? I believe that we have become numbed and too attached to the natural (too much tv, too many sensory experiences, too much visual entertainment). It's time to examine ourselves and ask, what world is more real to us?

Artificial

Everyday we see their screams on the media screens
But we just sit here relaxed protected by our serenity scenes.

These scenes we build based on the marketing speel.
True happiness always seems so real.
But in our serenity scenes, we will never feel.

We've made a god of ourself.
We bow to its every word through deed and mis-deed.
Striving to satisfy.
Planting descrated seed. These seeds only grow into desecrated trees.
No healthy fruit. No green leaves.
It doesn't matter though. We can make it artificially good anyway.
Where there's a will, there's a way.

After all, we make our own way.
We build our own empires, get fat, but all the while, we remain detached -
from humanity.
Depravity has become our tradition.
Seeking first our own desire, aiming higher and higher
but sinking lower and lower.
Until there's nowhere else to go.

We stop and see that we have destroyed our souls.
Now we want to change.
But it's too late. We're dead.
The Universal Sustainer heard the cry of the dispossessed and the transfer has taken place.
The land is theirs.

Countless denials

How many times did I ignore His voice –
Calling me to follow Him?
How many times did I close my eyes and sleep –
When he wanted to talk?
How many times did I give less than my best –
When that’s all He has given me?
How many times did I disobey –
Bringing shame to His name?

I cannot count but I know it’s many
Each fault has added a brick to the wall of my heart
Driving me from my God – further apart
Not by His will, or by mine
But just a part of humanity
It happens all the time.

When will this wall come down – how will I know?
Rescue me God from this prison of self.

Favourite movie

My favourite movie of all time is “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Here are two quotes from the movie.

There’s nothing we can hold onto in this world. Only by letting go can we
finally possess what is real.

Crouching tigers and hidden dragons are in the underworld. But so are
human feelings. Swords and knives harbour unknown perils, but so do human
relationships.

Thursday night thoughts from North Perth cafe

I found a cool cafe in North Perth that offers free wireless, so I am here now blogging. I don't usually blog this much, but since I spent the past week recovering from a flu, and now I just cant be bothered going to the gym. I will start the gym again next Monday.

My fiancee messaged me today with a simple message "77 days". A constant reminder to my wedding date in October.

I'm still in a lost period at the moment. Thinking about where I want to live, what I want to do, etc. I am a university graduate and I have a good job. I am also commencing the path to getting professionally certified as a solution developer by Microsoft. But, man, life is full of so many choices. The desires of my heart are drawing me in a different direction. It's now that I need God's peace. I see two paths set before me - both are viable options: 1. Will I set my life to just buy a house, have children, play golf, play church, and then die? or 2. Will I set my heart on Jesus and live for Him in every decision, every thought, and every action? Will I follow where he leads even though I don't know where we're going? Will I put my own desires to death and seek the will of God? It is no loss to seek and live God's will. I heard a quote recently: "Man is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

This Saturday I am going to a meeting to listen to a Chinese business man speak about mission work in China for professionals. Although I have no real desire to go to China for missions (my heart is in Indonesia), I'm hoping to get alot out of it.

People I have felt comfortable around.

I’ve been thinking about the people in my life who have made me feel comfortable and free in my relationship with them. Sometimes I feel that I am being judged or measured up by the people I know. But, there are many people who I have felt free to be openly and honestly me. Here are some of these people.

I remember Eyob. Eyob was by far the most genuine person that I had ever met. What you see is what you get. Eyob was the loveable and friendly guy with an abundance of friends. Yet, even when we couldn’t have been more different, Eyob proudly took me as his friend. He took me to his friends and family and help me up as someone who was a true friend. Eyob is a great influence and blessing to everyone who knows him.

I remember Christina and Peddy. They were associates / friends while I was at uni. Although our cultures differed greatly, I felt very comfortable around them. I could be myself freely. Peddy is an Iranian Muslima. She knew my stance for Christ, yet she happily counted me as a friend. I am grateful for these girls.

And yes, I remember my Zambian mate – David. I felt free to be the annoying person that I sometimes can be around him. If you can still be a friend even after seeing my annoying side, then you are quality.

I think of my family. This is the place where I feel most at home. I have never been judged or condemned for anything that I have ever said or done. I have spoken harshly to them, yet I have never heard a bad word in return. I’ve only received love and acceptance back from them. For this, I am eternally grateful.

And then I think of Gayle – my beautiful fiancée. Her example of acceptance and love is strong. Gayle knows everything about me and she still chooses to marry me and journey with me for life. In Gayle’s company, I experience the meaning of love, forgiveness, and acceptance. Words cannot express my thankfulness.

And then I think of Yahweh. Although I was an enemy of God, a sinner, living for myself in everyway, God chose me and took me as His child. God chose to take me – scars and all – and give me His robe of righteousness. He gave me His only Son to be tormented and spill His blood so that I can be forgiven and accepted. Nothing I had done, and nothing that I could do will ever separate me from the love of Christ. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Christ has done this for me. I am eternally grateful. I am eternally His.

There are many others I could mention here, but these are the ones that spring to mind. I don’t have a strong ongoing relationship with some of them, but they are people who at one point in my life made me feel free and accepted to be myself around them.

Make Poverty Personal - Chapter 1

I have read a very good forward and intro, which could have substituded for a compelling read itself. Many of my notions of wealth and poverty were shaken in those chapters, but I have not plans to summarise them here. Onto chapter 1.

Ash makes the assertion that we cannot have a good understanding of the bible unless we have a deep appreciation of Moses and the Exodus event. After playing a little mind exercise I begin to understand why. The reader is asked to imagine himself (very detailed) as a Hebrew slave suffering under the brutality of the Egyptions. We are asked to imagine crying out to God for help, and imagine hearing of a man named Moses living in the wilderness - a man who God has called to help - but for 5 reasons, Moses declines God's order.

Moses' 5 excuses (Exodus 3:1-4:17)

Excuse one: Who do You think I am? (Exodus 3:1-12)
Excuse two: Who are you really Lord? (Exodus 3:13-22)
Excuse three: What will people think? (Exodus 4:1-9)
Excuse four: What skills do I really have for this? (Exodus 4:10-12)
Excuse five: Surely someone else can do this? (Exodus 4:13-17)

It was at excuse five that the text says "The anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses." I encourage everyone to read this Exodus account for themselves, because I am sure that we will see ourselves in Moses - in this very human response to God. Moses came up with five excuses very quickly. We can all relate to atleast one of them. And unfortunately, most of us require only one to legitimise watching from the sidelines.

Critical Questions:
What does this story reveal about what Moses was like?

This story reveals a man who was not too unlike myself. A man who thinks and feels unacceptable to God. A man who allows issues of his past shame him from stepping into the role that God had called him to (Moses had killed a man). I can relate to everyone of MOses excuses, because I have used every one of them myself. We view Moses as a hero in the biblical story, but his beginning is not too unlike our own.

What does this story reveal about what God is like?

This story reveals to me a God who is passionate for all of his children. What would have looked like a series of coincidences in MOses life, was infact (as it appears to me) a series of divine appointments. being raised in the family of Pharoa - having inside access. Being a jew. If anyone was ready for the role of liberating the Jews from oppression, surely it was Moses. God had led Moses to this moment through his whole life. It shows me that God does have a plan, and when he asks us to do something, at times - we are the only person who can do it. There is no one else. We are the unique person that God has groomed and chosen to fullfil my unique mission on earth. If I don't do it, it is a slap in the face to God, and a denial of my reason for existence. God cares enough about His children to shape and mould individuals for specific purposes.

What is the nature of poverty in this story?

I see poverty in this story as being a lifetime of hopelessness and helplessness. The Israelites were trapped - outnumbered and surrounded. They were crushed - physically and spiritually. Their Egyption captors held them as objects. Simply objects to do the dangerous work and build the Egyption empire. After full days of back-breaking labour under the whip, they would come home, see their children already asleep and feel utter dispair and hopelessness in the knowledge that their children are destined for the same future as them.

In todays world, this is still existent. Slaves are still existent. Sex slaves, child-labor, and also some slavery that is not as obvious - minimum wage workers in the US, China, South-America, etc. Complete hopelessness. They can just live on a prayer. They cried out to God for help. God heard and sent Moses.

How does God respond to the excuses Moses gives not to get involved helping liberate his people facing misery?
To answer this question, I will take an extract from the book...

After Moses fifth excuse, the anger of the Lord boiled over, and...

"This was to have long-term, tangible consequences for Moses, not least that he would miss out on entering the land promised to his people once they were freed from slavery. The Lord was not some kind of super machine to be swithed on and off. Rather, the Lord reveals a deep passion, expressing deep feelings about his people and Moses detachment. The Lord was deeply hurt, and his frustration boild over. Do anything, this text seems to say, but don't take God's patience for granted.

Still angry, the Lord worked out a solution with Moses. "What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can sepak fluently... he shall serve as a mouth for you and you shall serve as God for him... The Lord arranged for Aaron to partner with Moses... it is a good example of the way God can ring people together, contributing strengths to others' weakenesses. Aaron could speak well, and Moses felt he needed this." (pp 28)

Make Poverty Personal - The Bible's call to END oppression

I will begin posting on a book that I am reading called "Make Poverty Personal" written by Ash Barker. I will begin by writing part of the blurb from the back of the book as a brief introduction.

There is an immediacy about the summoning God of the Bible. The call of that God draws us, without big words or abstract thought, down and dirty into the economic reality where the truth of God's kingdom is at stake. That immediacy in God's call is replicated in this powerful, compelling study by Ashley Barker. The book makes clear that the author has been seized by the near-to-hand crisis of poverty as a life-or-death issue for the world and consequently a life-or-death issue for the church.

I will post a brief overview of each chapter as I complete it.

Middle-east conflict: an arab christian perspective

There is important dialogue occuring on christianitytoday.com between a middle-eastern Christian leader and american christian's concerning the current situation in the middle-east. i have read through briefly and recommend it to everyone who wants a good insight into the situation and has a desire to seek peace and not war.

'Who Is My Neighbor' in the Lebanon-Israel Conflict?
We Risk Not Just Suffering, But Annihilation
Another Point of View: Evangelical Blindness on Lebanon
The Middle-East's Death Wish - and our's

Our faithful Christian citizenship means that we cannot be naive to world issues. I hop that these 'open letters' are encouraging and enlightening to all of you.

God's Politics

I am reading a new book called "God's Politics - Why the American Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It". Here is an excerpt from the introduction.

We are not single-issue voters.

We believe that poverty – caring for the poor and vulnerable – is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries? (Matthew 25:35-40), Isaiah 10:1-2)

We believe that the environment – caring for God’s earth – is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it? (Genesis 1:15, Psalm 24:1)

We believe that war – and our call to be peacemakers – is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ policies pursue “wars of choice” or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threads? (Matthew 5:9)

We believe that truth-telling is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ tell the truth in justifying war and in other foreign and domestic policies? (John 8:32)

We believe that human rights – respecting the image of God in every person – is a religious issue. How do the candidates’ propose to change the attitudes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners? (Genesis 1:27)

We believe that our response to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies? (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13)

We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue. Do the candidates’ positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS – and other pandemics – and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life? (Deuteronomy 30:19)

We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation of religion or our congregations for partisan political purposes.

By signing this statement, we call Christians and other people of faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than claiming God’s endorsement of any candidate.
This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.

Wallis, Jim [God's Politics (2005), pp xxix-xxx]

Discerning world issues - crisis in the middle east

A recent post at SignPosts prompted me to make a similiar post. As Christians, we can not fall simply offer support to wars, and relax in complacency and be ignorant to the world around us. I like the way Jim Rice from Sojourners has put it.

"As Christians committed to the cause of peace, our role is not to "take sides" in the struggle, in the traditional sense, but rather to constantly stand for the "side" of a just and secure peace. We can ignore neither the horror of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians (including direct attacks on school children) nor the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories (with all its "collateral damage" to Palestinian children). We must have the vision and courage to stand against the acts of violence by terrorist organizations, as well as the massive state violence by the region's military superpower, while avoiding the trap of positing a false "equivalency" between actions that are not equal.

We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by the political, strategic, and moral complexity of the situation to stand back and do nothing."

I don't know all the answers, but I do know that our ignorant complacency is unacceptable.

New Links

I have added two new links to my blog side bar. Here is a bit about them.

Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid), an ex-president of Indonesia, is a combination of many professions: an intellectual, author, columnist, public speaker, cleric, politician, activist, peacebuilder, artist, and soccer commentator. He is also a charismatic leader of Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, which boasts a membership of more than 45 million.

"I have been called ‘Chrislam' because I am so close to Christians," Abdurrahman Wahid is quoted as saying.

LivingRoom - A space for life, is an emerging missional community in the Inner North of Melbourne. "We are a small group of people seeking to live life to the full and to join Jesus in his life giving process in the inner north of Melbourne. We call ourselves LivingRoom because we want to be a life giving space where people connect with the teachings of Jesus in natural and culturally relevant ways." This is their blog.

Desparate boy scout

This picture took my attention, and I thought I would share it.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was surprised Sunday by a desperate boy scout, who slipped through the presidential security detail and asked for money to pay his tuition fees. The scout, 17-year-old Dhimas Gumilar Taufik (left in photo), said financial difficulties drove him to challenge the tight security and give Yuhoyono a begging letter. (JP/Abror Rizki)

Stress

My ability to handle stress was tested today. I don't know what happened, but systems were down at work and I was responsible for getting them running again. I won't divulge too much details about this system, but it had the potential to affect thousands of people.

Long story short... I was not a very nice person to those who did not cooperate with me. I need to work on this.

Thought 1: The Kingdom – Capitalist or Socialist?

My thought is, do you believe that God’s kingdom is a Capitalist kingdom? That is, a kingdom that encourages everyone to become wealthy? Do you believe that this kingdom encourages people to use their talents to make a lot of money at the expense and exploitation of others? Okay, let’s remove the extremity “at the expense, or exploitation of others”. Do you believe that this kingdom encourages people to use their talents to become very rich so that we can grab every luxury that this Western nation has to offer? Would you say that is the kingdom principle of finance and economics?

Or, would you say that Kingdom economics more resembles a perfect Socialist state in which every person uses their talents to make a sustainable living? Where excesses of grabbing everything that promises to satisfy (but rarely delivers the answer to that promise) is refused? A study of the Old Testament (especially the Jubilee laws contained in Leviticus) would give an insight to God’s heart on this matter. Entering into the NT, I am certain that you will not find any meaningful example of scripture to support the ‘Capitalist’ kingdom. Indeed, just from a surface reading, the Gospels and Acts support (I believe) the ‘Socialist’ economic model for the Kingdom.

The message of Jesus has been irresponsibly aligned with big business, capitalist excesses, and the pursuit of wealth. The teachings of Jesus do not support this. I believe that the Kingdom teachings of Jesus called for radical commitment, to the extent of heavy sacrifice so that the least fortunate may have an enhanced quality of life.

Some clarifications: First, There is a difference between socialism and communism. I do not suggest for a moment that the Kingdom reflects a communist model. Nor do I suggest for a moment that the current models of socialism do justice to the true ideology of socialism. If the word ‘socialism’ has negative connotations to you, please make up a new word. The thought that I want to convey is that, in my eyes, the kingdom is far from capitalism – therefore any attempt by the church to follow a capitalist model themselves is, in no better words, unfaithful to the idea of finance, economics, and social justice as conveyed in the Bible. Also, I do not relate the concept of consumerism and capitalism (although, in some ways the two are inseparable). The church lives in a consumerist society, we should neither attempt to withdraw from it nor should we attempt to adhere 100% to this culture. (We are to be in the world. The world is not meant to be in us.)

Second, I do not have a “poverty” mentality (as some modern Pentecostals would like to suggest). I have a view / mentality of the kingdom as a flourishing, prosperous kingdom. A kingdom wherein social justice exists. Social justice must be paramount in order for the now marginalised, outcast, and oppressed to enter into the plans and purposes of God for their life. Social injustice (in all of its shapes and forms, usually resulting in poverty) strips people of their inherent dignity that is theirs by being made in the image of God. Many Christians are co-partners in the area of social injustice simply by their career choices. An example of this is, a CEO of a large production company that uses 9 year old children in Chinese sweat shops to assemble their products, risking death, suffering very low quality of life etc. But of course that CEO would make statements like “I am blessed. I am blessed to be a blessing.”

Third, I am not naïve to the fact that anyone with a bible could point out that God blessed Solomon and King David with great riches. But I stress the need to study scripture a whole. Do not isolate one sentence from scripture to the rest of the bible. Look at the flow through scripture. Jesus heart went out for those who were downtrodden and oppressed. The King himself associated with them daily – even eating in the houses of the untouchables (the lepers). He made statements to people like the rich young ruler (when he tried to justify his righteousness) to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. We can not neglect the poor and needy in our profession of our faith. How do we use the resources and talents that God has given us to further the kingdom? When it comes to finances, are we being kingdom minded? Some peoples concept of the kingdom resembles corporate America, bigger is better is richer. Be honest with yourself. I will be honest – it used to be my view. My theology is not complete, but I have had a paradigm shift. I am looking at this through new eyes now.

Articles of the week

Weekly, I come across very interesting articles written by an assortment of people in our global society from professionals, missionaries, activists, etc. Some of these articles help me alot in my journey. My knowledge is constantly expanding due to the great research and thinking that these writers have done.

So, I thought that I will post a weekly list of the best articles that I read each week. Let me start with this one - "Hybridity or The Third Space and How Shall We Describe the Kingdom of God". This article, written by Dr Jonathon Ingleby (Head of Mission Studies, Redcliffe College) has some interesting insights into our current culture, and how cultural identity is established. I have not fully read this article yet, but plan to on my trip home from work this evening.

Dr Ingleby poses this question: "Is it really possible to build identities beyond cultural and national boundaries?" It is a good question, and a good article, particularly for those people, like myself who are not part of any particular ethnic group, but mix. Am I Australian, or am I Portuguese? Or am I the culture that I spend most of my time with (Indonesians/Filipinos)? Or am I neither? Although I can identify with these cultures, I do not feel at home in any of them.

If you read this article, I would like to know your thoughts.

The Kingdom

I have been absent from blogging for quite a while. I am working on a project at my company currently. I am writing code for a new CRM system that will soon be implemented. It's at times difficult to stay focused since I have many job roles here. I am constantly being torn between each of them.

I am doing alot of study lately, mainly concerning the Kingdom of God. I am learning more than I thought possible in this area. Many of my supposed beliefs have been turned on their head, and its as though I am experiencing great refreshing as I receive these truths.

Among my current readings are 'The Secret Message of Jesus (Brian McLaren)', 'Make Poverty Personal (Ash Barker)', and the Gospel of Luke. I am reading the Gospel of Luke with "new eyes". That is, I am reading it out of the context of 'church' and in the context of 'culture'. I am seeing Christ's message in the context of his immediate society, and the universal society over all.

The more I read, the more I come to believe that we have missed the true message or infact, only focused on one part of that message - His death and resurection (no small feat i might add). What about the rest of the message? The Kingdom part of the message? No, not Kingdom as an after life thing, but the Kingdom that Jesus said "is at hand"? The Kingdom that is "within us"? Parable after parable in Lukes Gospel speaks of this Kingdom, and I believe that we need to revisit this for what it is worth.

Are we prepared to think and pray long and hard about these things? We ought to be. Otherwise we are liable to miss the greatest story every told - a story that we are a part of.

Update - blogs, emerging, and conference

I have taken a break from blogging (both writing and commenting on other blogs). I don’t have very much to say that isn’t already being said by others. My favourite daily blog is Andrew Jones. Andrew’s writings mainly concern the emerging church and his life as a missional Christian creating community in a post-modern world.

Not long ago I finished reading Emerging Churches by Blogger and Gibbs. I was inspired by much of what I read. The authors provide an unbiased look at current church planting done by missional Christians in a post-modern world. There were many light-bulb moments as I realized more what the kingdom of God, as preached by Christ, could look like here on earth. I began to feel more at peace with things I had been thinking about lately concerning church, and more at peace about my recent move from the charismatic seeker model of church.

In this, I have been challenged much more in many life areas. I am learning to about a holistic approach to worship (encompassing every action, every word, every thought, every relationship). God wants our lives 24/7. We can’t hide from God although we can sometimes hide from ourselves. Our lives should genuinely reflect a Christian journey and not simply a church script.

I am going to a book launch breakfast this week for Michael Duncan. In 1985 he and his wife, Ruby, with their two children relocated to the Philippines and moved into the very heart of a third world squatter community. For many years they lived and worked among the poor. Michael soon became the Team Leader of the work in Manila. Their concern was to bring about holistic transformational development and this necessitated being fully engaged in relief work, community development, social justice, evangelism and church planting. In 1994 the Duncans returned to New Zealand and since then Michael has continued to be involved in urban work both in Australia (Melbourne) and New Zealand (Auckland). He has been a Senior Pastor of churches in both of those cities.

Since 1976 Michael has also been a speaker in many countries of the world. His own personal testimony, his involvement amongst the very poor of the world and his gifts in communication has taken him to many different groups and places as a communicator. By way of example, last year whilst in Fiji he was invited to speak to the elite group of soldiers imprisoned in Suva who were caught up in the recent coup in that country. And then just recently he had the privilege of speaking to over 100 Hindu students, many of them lepers, whilst in India. And then, very recently, he had the opportunity to speak at a special memorial service In Australia for some of the victims over the Bali tragedy in Indonesia. Michael is often asked to speak to youth conferences, churches and mission gatherings.

I also plan to go to the Forge intensive being held in Perth this July. Forge intensives are times of inspirational story telling, radical creative dreaming and vigorous conversation as together we seek to re-imagine how the gospel can penetrate and transform our communities! If you want to find out more about these seminars, please contact Andrew Hamilton at mailto:mhamo@brightontown.com.au re: Forge Intensives.

Emergent conversation 1

This is a topic that I find very interesting lately. I have been engrossed in this emergent conversation and am learning alot. I would like to share some of what I am learning. I will post alot about this in coming weeks, months etc, but I will start with this: God moves by His divine will and is working in this world as I type this. We should find where God is working and get involved. God by the Holy Spirit will lead us.

There are Christian ministers who have a deep passion to minister Christ to the lives of all men and women, yet they don't want to come out of their modern organisatioal structure. The reality is that we now live in a post-modern world and to be effecitve ministers in this post-modern world, we must be willing to let go of our "sacred cows" and engross ourselves in culture. God is working in culture. There is no better example of that then the incarnation. God in Christ. The spiritual meeting the physical. God meets man. Christ was born into a Jewish culture and did the will of God in that culture to establish the kindom of heaven.

So we also, if we are to be faithfull to that calling, must imerse ourselves in our culture to bring the kingdom of heaven to this culture.
Please note the difference - we are not to be of the world, but we are to be in the world. To be a light.


It is not strange that people don't want to attend our modern church services. In many ways it is so foreign to our western culture. It is also not surprising to note that most average Aussies have a favourable view of Jesus. Jesus is not the problem. It is the church that they have an unfavourable view of.

The church as we know it was formed in response to the modern era which was characterised by the sacred / secular divide. The church was put in charge of spiritual matters while the rest of the world tried to create a realm without God.

The post-modern world is seeing the sacred come back into being. Before modernity, one couldn't differentiate between a religous practise and a secular practise. for every practise was deemed to be religous. The post-modern world is now seeing people in all sub-cultures attempting to find truth through all sorts of experimentation. Drugs, sex, music, black magic. Meanwhile the Church is in a corner asking its members to bring people into their community so that they can be cleaned.

I believe that Jesus wants to minister to people in every culture. The goth sub-culture, the rave sub-culture, the clubbing sub-culture, every sub-culture. Jesus wants to bring redemption and healing to all people. The fact is that all people live in culture. That requires disciples of Jesus to imerse themselves in a particular culture and identify with Jesus and transform secular space. We are to be Christ in our cultures.

This is the Church. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20). I believe that community is the key. I will close with this, the one line that I have read which I believe can best summarise the emerging church conversation - "Building christian community in post-modern cultures".

I will post more about this topic. It has captured my mind and challenged me about alot of what I thought I knew about christian ministry. We are deeply loved by God and we have been given a mission - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Meet them where they're at...

I saw this on tallskinnykiwi. cool eh.

Emerging Movement

What is emerging? Lately I have been engrossed in thought and conversation about a new type of Christian living. Many of my ideas have so gripped my heart but many Christians simply set me aside as fanciful. It was then I stumbled across the emerging discussion and found that my ideas are shared by many tens of thousands more people across the globe. This is known as the emergent conversation.

I want to give you some extracts from emergent thinkers that I have encountered so that you will gain a better understanding of this. First I will begin with a definition from wikipedia.

The emerging church or emergent church is a diverse movement within Christianity that arose in the late 20th century as a reaction to the influence of modernism in Western Christianity. The movement is usually called a "conversation" by its proponents to emphasize its diffuse nature with contributions from many people and no explicitly defined leadership or direction. The emerging church seeks to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity as its mainly Western members live in a postmodern culture. While practices and even core doctrine vary, most emergents can be recognized by the following values:

• Missional living - Christians go out into the world to serve God rather than isolate themselves within communities of like-minded individuals.
• Narrative theology - Teaching focuses on narrative presentations of faith and the Bible rather than systematic theology or biblical reductionism.
• Christ-likeness - While not neglecting the study of scripture or the love of the church, Christians focus their lives on the worship and emulation of the person of Jesus Christ.
• Authenticity - People in the postmodern culture seek real and authentic experiences in preference over scripted or superficial experiences. Emerging churches strive to be relevant to today's culture and daily life, whether it be through worship or service opportunities. The core Christian message is unchanged but emerging churches attempt, as the church has throughout the centuries, to find ways to reach God's people where they are to hear God's message of unconditional love.

Doug Pagitt gives 11 characteristics of the emerging church movement and a post-modern spirituality:

1. A Kingdom of God focus - join the Kingdom of God wherever it finds it.
2. Pursue faithfulness to God through new practices, structures and understandings.
3. Tend to have a hopeful and positive view of God's engagement in the world - we should find the activity of God in the world and join it.
4. Committed to loving God and loving neighbor and loving enemy in real ways in this world.
5. Deeply connected to the story of God and the Bible.
6. Living with the guidance of the Holy Spirit - not culture or understandings
7. Theologically active - thinking deeply about these practices
8. Openness to the "other" - outsider, foreigner, doesn't get freaked out
9. Want the good news of God to change the world and be the good news for all creation.
10. We understand community to be an essential part of the Christian life.
11. We are interested in the future more than fighting the battles of the past - we are people who are trying to live the story of Jesus in our world in ways consistent to where we have come from.

from “meltingearth.com”

you might not be emerging if :
-you think or act as if numbers are important
-you are sure you know what the term "pastor" means
-structure / authority are assumed (important / critical)
-your experience of worship is, in practice, quite narrow
-your future has a dependency on a building or buildings
-preaching / a message, sans discussion, is standard fare
-finances play a (perhaps) "undue" role in decision making
-systems / programs are primarily utilized to address issues
-scripture is normally dissected or predigested before ingested
-*doing* kingdom work is valued more than *being* the kingdom
-you've yet to critique the economic metaphor used to describe salvation
-you read, write or employ systematic methodologies of how to do church
-meetings/services are timed to sub-minute intervals, for efficiencies sake
-being cool / vibey / edgy (and not uncool) is somehow key to the kingdom
-dialogue, particularly negative feedback, is avoided - rather than welcomed
-mythological truth has not regained is rightful place alongside factual truth
-time at a divinity school is considered more useful than time at a monastery
-administrative announcements are allowed to disturb the flow of the service
-the terms "music" and "worship" can be substituted without loss of meaning
-your website architecture mirrors corporate america (mission, vision, values)
-you can point to a senior pastor / figure / person / personality in your community
-you believe society or people-in-general consider spirituality inherently irrelivant
-service elements are added without thought to their role in the holistic experience
-emerging church jargon appears on your website - e.g. 'emerging' or 'postmodern'
-you don't give a second thought to employing marketing techniques for your church
-unity is considered important, rather than a (negative) signal of (artificial) conformity
-your resume / credentials / accomplishments / title, appear prominently or are "relevant"
-you fail to see the irony in propagating "emerging-church" products via christian industry
-you talk, lecture, write books about the emerging church without being one in a community
-growing hearts (i.e. for loving God / loving others) is given less attention than growing heads
-what the central speaker has to share is generally the point - rather than the ensuing dialogue

you have yet to deconstruct church
and experience an organic emergence
of something unique to your community

From www.emergentafrica.com/node/60

We're talking about practice: how do we plan public worship experiences in ways that form individuals and form communities? How do we approach the Bible in a world that sees the twin dangers of narrow fundamentalism and shallow relativism? How do we understand preaching and teaching in a digital world that is formed far more by hypertext than linear text? How do we lead boldly in a flattened world? How do we lead gently in a world made cynical by larger-than-life broadcast personalities? We're deeply engaged in the rediscovery of monastic spiritual practices. We didn't invent these - we're not creative - we're just desperate and so we're learning from anyone we can about spiritual practices - and we're seeking to practice them with transforming results. We're exploring what it means to be missional in a local church context; we're trying to imagine what missionality looks like serving in a local church over a long period of time.

And beneath this - beneath the practice - we share this sense that our theology needs desperate revisioning. It's not that we expect to hold a bunch of new beliefs - although that is happening - but it's more that we sense we're coming to believe our beliefs in a new way. We're coming to believe our beliefs in a way which is different from the options that we're presented. And that new way is very hard to define because we're stumbling into it - and maybe making it up as we go along - but we hope that this new way of believing our beliefs is less arrogant and strident and defensive and aggressive, and we hope that it's more honest and deep and properly confident.

I do not believe that the Emergent discussion will form a “new denomination”. I do not believe that lines will be drawn separating this movement from already existing Christian movements. If anything, I could say that it’s effect would mostly resemble the reformation – but without the tearing down and rebuilding. The emergent discussion will challenge all people who think they have a grip on what “church” or “Christianity” is all about. I believe that this movement will have the effect of causing Christians to rethink their theological positions, to rethink what they think they know about the church or Christianity, transform Christians and churches into a missional movement. Present day western Christianity in my view is an entity. Book of Acts Christianity is a movement.

To find out more about this, there is an abundance of resources. One emerging voice that I know subscribes to over 2000 blogs on this discussion. Here are 2 that I frequent: www.jesuscreed.org and www.tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com.

Please feel free to comment if you have any thoughts.

Why an Iranian Nuke Is So Significant

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, writing in Time Magazine says:

Like many physicists who worked on the Manhattan Project, Richard Feynman could not get the Bomb out of his mind after the war. "I would see people building a bridge," he wrote. "And I thought, they're crazy, they just don't understand, they don't understand. Why are they making new things? It's so useless."

Feynman was convinced man had finally invented something that he could not control and that would ultimately destroy him. For six decades we have suppressed that thought and built enough history to believe Feynman's pessimism was unwarranted. After all, soon afterward, the most aggressive world power, Stalin's Soviet Union, acquired the Bomb, yet never used it.

Seven more countries have acquired it since and never used it either. Even North Korea, which huffs and puffs and threatens every once in a while, dares not use it. Even Kim Jong Il is not suicidal.

But that's the point. We're now at the dawn of an era in which an extreme and fanatical religious ideology, undeterred by the usual calculations of prudence and self-preservation, is wielding state power and will soon be wielding nuclear power.

We have difficulty understanding the mentality of Iran's newest rulers. Then again, we don't understand the mentality of the men who flew into the World Trade Center or the mobs in Damascus and Tehran who chant "Death to America"--and Denmark(!)--and embrace the glory and romance of martyrdom.

This atavistic love of blood and death and, indeed, self-immolation in the name of God may not be new--medieval Europe had an abundance of millennial Christian sects--but until now it has never had the means to carry out its apocalyptic ends.

That is why Iran's arriving at the threshold of nuclear weaponry is such a signal historical moment. It is not just that its President says crazy things about the Holocaust. It is that he is a fervent believer in the imminent reappearance of the 12th Imam, Shi'ism's version of the Messiah.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been reported as saying in official meetings that the end of history is only two or three years away. He reportedly told an associate that on the podium of the General Assembly last September, he felt a halo around him and for "those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink ... as if a hand was holding them there and it opened their eyes to receive" his message. He believes that the Islamic revolution's raison d'être is to prepare the way for the messianic redemption, which in his eschatology is preceded by worldwide upheaval and chaos. How better to light the fuse for eternal bliss than with a nuclear flame?

Depending on your own beliefs, Ahmadinejad is either mystical or deranged.

In either case, he is exceedingly dangerous. And Iran is just the first.

With infinitely accelerated exchanges of information helping develop whole new generations of scientists, extremist countries led by similarly extreme men will be in a position to acquire nuclear weaponry. If nothing is done, we face not proliferation but hyperproliferation. Not just one but many radical states will get weapons of mass extinction, and then so will the fanatical and suicidal terrorists who are their brothers and clients.

That will present the world with two futures. The first is Feynman's vision of human destruction on a scale never seen. The second, perhaps after one or two cities are lost with millions killed in a single day, is a radical abolition of liberal democracy as the species tries to maintain itself by reverting to strict authoritarianism--a self-imposed expulsion from the Eden of post-Enlightenment freedom.

Can there be a third future? That will depend on whether we succeed in holding proliferation at bay. Iran is the test case. It is the most dangerous political entity on the planet, and yet the world response has been catastrophically slow and reluctant. Years of knowingly useless negotiations, followed by hesitant international resolutions, have brought us to only the most tentative of steps--referral to a Security Council that lacks unity and resolve. Iran knows this and therefore defiantly and openly resumes its headlong march to nuclear status. If we fail to prevent an Iranian regime run by apocalyptic fanatics from going nuclear, we will have reached a point of no return. It is not just that Iran might be the source of a great conflagration but that we will have demonstrated to the world that for those similarly inclined there is no serious impediment.

Our planet is 4,500,000,000 years old, and we've had nukes for exactly 61.

No one knows the precise prospects for human extinction, but Feynman was a mathematical genius who knew how to calculate odds. If he were to watch us today about to let loose the agents of extinction, he'd call a halt to all bridge building.

Time, April 3, p. 68

The Jesus Creed

"...the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,with all your mind, and with all your strength."
The second is this: "Love your neighbour as yourself."
There is no commandment greater than these.

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

On the United States new found interest in Indonesia...

I began writing my thoughts and opinions tonight about Americas new found interest in Indonesia. I am very sceptical that the great collonialist cowboy now wants to extend a hand of help to Indonesia. I am sceptical for 3 reasons:

1. America knows that there is Oil & Gas in this country
2. America knows that they need military support in this region with the current China situation
3. America knows that they need the support of Indonesian Muslims to win the "war on terror".
   

I feel that America only has America's interests in mind here. Ofcourse many great things will happen for Indonesia once America comes along side. Condoleeza Rice promised that America would invest heavily in the Indonesian education system. That alone is the number one reason to partner with the US. Indonesia needs to increase its standard of education. The number one fault of this country is the number one cause of suffering for it's citizens - Many Indonesians are not educated past primary school because they can not afford it.

This lack of education is the reason behind corruption here. This lack of education is a key contributing factor to terrorism here.

I stopped writing my thoughts and opinions because it weighed heavily on the negative side. While I still hold these thoughts and opinions, I so strongly want to see the standard of living for Indonesians increase, that I will refrain from snarling at the hand that can make that happen... for now.