Prayer for Peace

In light of what is happening around the world currently and especially in our own country, it is timely as we lead up to the season of Advent where we prepare for the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we should remember that we are all one family united by virtue of our intrinsic value - we are all made in the image of God Almighty.

I have come upon some beautiful prayers that we can use when asking our God to grant us, and the whole human family peace.

Prayer for Peace by Pope John Paul II

Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace,
who are yourself our peace and reconcilliation,
who so often said, "Peace to you", grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love.
Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.
Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.
May all peoples on earth become as brothers and sisters.
May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all.

Mulsim Prayer for Peace

O God you are peace
From you is peace and unto you is peace
Lord, let us live in peace
Receive us into your peace
To you be praise and honor
We hear and obey
Grant us your forgiveness Lord
And unto you be our becoming

Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk in the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation
Neither shall they learn way anymore.
And none shall be afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

I envisage a world where no human shall live in fear. No person shall cry from the pains of hunger. Those who have plenty will share with those who have little. All men and women will see in their neighbour the image of the Everlasting God, and treat their neighbour with the utmost respect and honor.

Lord, grant us peace.

An October Update

It's been a while since I posted anything original. the truth is, I have been busy and have lost a passion for reading and posting blogs. I haven't lost my interest in the global subject matter, but when I come home from work I just want to relax and switch off. I haven't even been reading books.

It's Sunday arvo and I am preparing a presentation that I will deliver to a large group of colleagues this Friday. The topic is "A Personal Response to the Issue of Poverty". It is part of my companies 'Continuously Grow and Improve Campaign'. I usually have alot to say about this issue, but even now I am drawing blanks. I seem to have lost my creative streak. The aim of my presentation is to encourage people to find a cause and get involved in the effort to alleviate poverty. For some that could mean Child Sponsorship, for others it could mean Ethics in Business, and for others still, it could mean making better consumer choices. If any reader has some input, please e-mail me.

On Church. I went to Catholic mass this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a full choir and much of the mass was sung by the Priest. I have been studying the Catholic faith recently and it was refreshing to approach the Eucharist with new understanding. One of the highlights of the mass for me was when the choir (approximately 50 people) sung the Apostles Creed in Latin. Beautiful.

Work is going well. I have hit a dry patch in my current project and am looking forward to its completion so that I can move onto bigger and better things. My patience and endurace is being tested daily. There are lots of good opportunities to imitate Christ that I seem to be passing up. I have just reminded myself to try better tomorrow.

A couple of good friends are currently applying for Visas to move to Perth from Indonesia for work. I look forward to having them here.

Other than that, nothing much else is happening. I'll post an update if there anything.

St Francis of Assisi

I read today for the first time the story of St Francis of Assisi. Most people who aren't from the Catholic tradition will know him through his quote "go out and preach the gospel to all the world, and if all else fails, use words". Most Catholics know him as the founder of the order of friars - or the franciscan monks.

I would like to make a dedication to St Francis of Assisi – the man who dared to live according to the Gospel – according to the way of Christ. St Francis turned his back on a life of affluence to embrace the mission of God through voluntary poverty. St Francis continues to inspire many people in their journey of Christ through the living of monastic lifestyles – living in the most poverty stricken places in this world, forsaking all that the world has to offer, to show love to the marginalised, and themselves be transformed.

When a Bishop showed horror at the Friars hard life, Francis said, "If we had any possessions we should need weapons and laws to defend them." As Terry Matz comments, "Possessing something was the death of love for Francis. Also, Francis reasoned, what could you do to a man who owns nothing? You can't starve a fasting man, you can't steal from someone who has no money, you can't ruin someone who hates prestige. They were truly free."

This is the famous prayer attributed to St Francis –

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, 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.

My prayer -

Father, thank you that St Francis continues to inspire many today to take up there cross and follow you. Help us to remember who he followed so that we may always have the right perspective - keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. Lord, help all of your children to be honest in acknowledging the things that we have pledged alliegance to. May we let go of everything that hinders us from living a Godly life in Christ. May we take seriously your call to take up our cross daily and follow you. May your will be done.

Daniel.

Posters from emerging grace

These posters were made in response to people taking swipes at the emerging Church. Here are some of my favorites. I believe they portray what "emerging Christianity" is all about. Honesty with self, honesty with others, humility toward God, and sharing our lives. You can view the rest at Emerging Grace.

Broken and precious

The title of this blog, 'Broken and precious', refers to you and me. I just come from doing my Thursday night grocery shopping in Vic Park and it seemed as though the Holy Spirit was yearning inside of me for the people I saw. I became sad for the people I saw.

I saw a young man, very handsome, about 25 years old, with his mother or his wife (they were Asian and so I couldn't tell her age too well to assume). He seemed to suffer from turrets syndrome and made yelping noises constantly throughout the shopping centre.

I saw an old man smoking a cigarette. His entire body jerked with every step he took.

I saw a young woman who was troubled in her mind. She walked with no shoes and shouted abuse at people for no apparent reason.

I wanted to be their friend. I wanted to reach out and hug them all. I want to be the person they can call a friend.

I spent last night unable to sleep. I was burdened with the guilt of sin and the sickness that one feels in their belly when they know they have grieved the Holy Spirit with their actions. Once again, I was ashamed and unable to confess for I thought of how I'd abused His grace once again. In my own eyes I was a hypocrite. this sickness continued throughout today.

I realised this night that the sickness I felt was bearing witness to me that I am still loved by God. One who does not have the Holy Spirit does not feel this grief. I realised that the sadness I felt for people bared witness to me that I am still in the vine. God hasn't forsaken me.

I thought of David. One moment writing beautiful psalms, and the next moment seducing a married woman. I thought of the people in Jesus family tree - Rahab (a prostitute), David (a murderer and adulterer), Jacob (hmm... what shall I say about Jacob) (I am labelling them by human terms - not Gods). I thought of the people at the table with Jesus - sinners and lepers. The outcasts of society. The people who didn't have it all together. Not the perfect. Not those who were consistently faithful. People who sinned. People who turned away and returned often.

Then I saw myself at the table with Jesus. I saw that I am part of the biblical story that is ongoing. I am a sinner whose heart has been invaded by Christ. The Holy Spirit has made His home in me. The gift of God is irrevocable. I will serve God all of my days. I will always remember my place at the table of God, in the presence of sinners accepted by grace. Loved. Being renewed daily. Living with mission. A minister of reconciliation.

Know who you are dear child. God has not forsaken you. Jesus has removed the barrier that separated us from God. Know you're loved and accepted.

On music...

"One good thing about music, when it hits, you fell okay"

I've always liked music. During my early years in college, I wouldn't leave the house without listening to some good music. A good song would set the tone of my day. Without it, I found that my day lacked rhythm. I still like music a lot, although I am not reliant on it to set the tone of my day any longer. I no longer listen to a lot of the songs that once got me going, and my musical taste is maturing. Here's my current list of favorite albums.

• Cinta Silver (Glen Fredly)
• The Emancipation of Mimi (Mariah)
• Ultimate (Aaliyah)
• Aku & Wanita (Glen Fredly)
• Monkey Business (Black Eyed Peas)

What makes a good album to me? It's one that I can listen to from start to end and appreciate every song on it. My favorite song list is much to long for this blog, but I'll say that my top 3 songs are:

• L.O.V.E (Glen Fredly)
• Aku Cinta Padamu (Glen Fredly)
• Pengakuan Lelaki (Glen Fredly)
  

But then I have hymns that will last forever, and I cannot categorise... they are beautiful and will last through all seasons. They are:

• I need thee every hour
• Let us love and sing and wonder
• It is well with my soul

Korean hostages in Afghanistan

Pray for the Korean hostages in Afghanistan. Eugene Cho is keeping us up to date.

New books

I've just finished reading Jackie Pullinger's "Chasing the Dragon". It is her story of working in Hong Kong as a missionary the past 40 years. It's truly challenging to say the least. No comfort barrier was left standing for her as she went into the heart of the lawless walled city and spent years ministering to the Triad gangs, the Heroin addicts and prostitutes. This is definately a story that can show you how God can do the impossible through those who are open to Him and obedient to Jesus call.

I bought three new books on the weekend. The first, "Finding Life - reflections from a Bangkok slum", is written by Ashley Barker who I have mentioned on this blog before. He and his wife and children moved into the heart of Klong Toey slum in Bangkok to live with and minister to the poorest of the poor - the drug addicts, the diseased, the sex workers, those with no human hope.

The second book is called "The New Friars" and is written by Scott A. Bessenecker. It is a collection of stories about young Christians who have followed Christs calls to renounce the pursuit for material fulfillment and follow Christ among the poorest of the poor. The blurb reads

"Across the ages God has attracted a few in every crowd who would stick out, act
out and speak out. The New Friars profiles young Christians who have voluntarily
removed themselves from the status quo in order to seek justice and mercy with
the poorest of the world's poor. These new friars are carrying on the work of
the monastic tradition, in the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi, St.
Patrick and St. Brigid, the Jesuits and Nestorians and Moravians. The New Friars
will show you that with God all things - even the uncommon actos of courageous
faith - are possible."

The third book is titled "Eat this Book - the art of spiritual reading" and is written by Eugene Peterson. I have read good reviews, especially from my favourite theologian Scot McKnight. This book "encourages the art of reading the Bible so that it becomes a text for living and growing, not just thinking or behaving...".

I'm excited over these reads, but my prayer is that I don't just read these for informational purposes, but that God prompts me, and strengthens me, to act.

Reading Romans

Today as I was reading the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans I was blessed by this -

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to
shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is
Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:11-13)

After reading this again, I found that I could only respond in one way - "Thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you God".

UNOH with us on the weekend

Ash & Anji Barker, and Shobie Owen from Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH) were in Perth on the weekend. As always, they shared their heart for the marginalised and oppressed and called upon Christians to have a conversion to the poor.

Ash and Anji definately rank high on my hero list. They have given up the comforts of the West to move into one of the toughest places to live on earth (the largest slum in Bangkok - Klong Toey) where they live amongst the poverty stricken and share with them in there struggles.

A challenging weekend that resulted in Gayle and I sitting together and reexamining our priorities in life.

You can find out more about the ministry of UNOH at www.unoh.org or their blog at www.unoh.typepad.com.