Christmas New Year and stuff like that

I found an old message I sent out a few Christmases ago... I've adapted it for now...

I have decided to declare my New Year's resolutions even though I don't do that sort of thing and never intend to keep them anyway - but you never know...
#1 ignore the television for the summer... I totally ignore TV news anyway - I have done for 3 years now and there are no side effects - but there are huge benefits... for instance, I am more pleasant to be around because I no longer argue out loud with the newsreaders about their content, their assumptions and their blatant manipulation of the news in order to entice an audience.
#2 instead of drinking too much, I have decided to drink less more often. (I don't think I drink too much anyway but have decided to make this resolution just in case I am tempted).
#3 befriend dairy farmers. Actually I will only need to befriend one and immediately there will be the thrill of basking in the company of someone who has $800,000 plus surplus money this year. If I earned $800,000 in one year I could move a few mountains, but these people have received on average $800,000 as a bonus payment above the existing record payouts for milk this year - come on you lot... do something amazing with that money!
#4 stage a protest at the cost of cheese, milk, butter and meat. The cheese prices have doubled in the last three years - why? Everywhere you look there is a blimmin cow eating grass. Our water ways are being polluted with the excess nitrates from all the fertiliser applied, the cows fart all the time, and every farm looks the same with huge paddocks and all the trees removed. This has to be bad for the land in the long term... good things in excess always have a cost... so at least can't we get discount milk products??? Soon we will have to import cheese because our local stuff costs too much - how dumb is that when there is a bloody cow wherever you look?
#5 stop swearing
#6 live each day as if it is the last one. This might sound easy to you but it is not for me - it means not wishing any time away (including the shitty things of life) and it means never winning Lotto because I will not invest in it (I know that this is radical counter-culture thing in NZ society, to not believe that something will appear out of nowhere and make my life all better, but I am prepared to stick out in the crowd on this one). Another way of putting this is to live life to the full... each blessed minute... I put this to the test this year when I went to visit the dentist. There I was sitting in the chair watching as the needle approached and saying to myself - live in the moment mate... look for the good, take the pain, wear a gummy smile on your face as you part with a significant proprortion of your weekly income - and hey, it was ok! I have finally found a very competent dentist! (And I will have this to say to my new-found cow farmer friends: "Go to the dentist as soon as possible and you will have only half the pain you usually have because with your big payout you won't notice what happens as you do the tally up at the reception desk!)
#7 make more time to talk with George Bush about why I think his foreign policy is nothing more than fearmongering and doing wease [Rory (see comment below) thinks it is wees but I think he only thinks that way because he is such a small guy] into the wind, and advise him to read Brave New World by Huxley. If he is not available I will set up a meeting with Condolezza Rice and the people standing for election as President. This is very important.
#8 vote Labour in the 2008 election. The signs are there that Labour may struggle to hold office after the election, and as I have a heart for the underdog I will vote for them. Added to this, I still don't detect any heart at all for the underdog in the National Party's policies.
#9 try not to save the world in 2008. You might think this is silly, but to actually step back and trust that God has the salvation thing in hand is a big thing for any Christian. I truly wonder how many people would hear God saying 'Shut up and let me handle this' if they would only shut up and listen to God instead of putting words into God's mouth.
#10 make war less, make love more, stop to smell flowers, smile at children, take a deep breath before responding to fools, and give thanks in all things.

#7 looks do-able but I may struggle with the rest

Truck progress #10

$12,810 as of today - a few parishes have had people contribute... St Mark's in Avonhead, and St Martin's in St Martin's (yeah I know) - they have had an ongoing relationship with the Meier's and wanted to support this! Thanks! There's room for a few more to be on board as well!

A Touch of Sleeve

On Monday night I was involved in the launching of my friend Susan Bell's amazing book, A Touch of Sleeve. Susan asked if I would be the launcher which was an honour and a privilege (if the two things aren't the same!). Around 90 people gathered at the University Bookshop and we had a lot of fun... the neat thing was that Hisashi (who the book is about) was able to be there. He is in his late 80's.

Hisashi is Japanese and has done what Japanese men don't do - he has recounted to Susan his experience of life in Japan during World War II, the defeat and occupation. Culturally he has broken a kind of taboo - and according to a proverb he relates, been the frog who opens his mouth so wide that the contents of his insides can be seen...

The insight into Japanese life that comes from this opening his mouth widely is profound. I read some of the early draft chapters (that have since been radically revised as the book took its current shape) and the account of the fire bombing of Tokyo in particular was both harrowing and astonishing.

Until now, little has been known of the Japanese side of the war experience.

Susan with Hisashi's help has opened the window for us to look in - it promises to be a break-through book and I wish Susan well!

It is available around the country for $39.95 - I hope people get the opportunity to read it.

http://www.longacre.co.nz/books/Sleeve.html

Truck Progress #8

I didn't get time to do the Friday update - so here is Friday and Saturday combined...

we are up to $11,000! One couple were particularly generous sending in a $2000 cheque! That really helped. Things had been a bit slower...

Hopefully there are some others out there who will help us meet at least the truck cost of $20,000! But we are over halfway!

I am in Dunedin for a couple of days to catch up with Anne and help launch a book - more on that later so the next update will be Wednesday.

Truck progress #6

$7450 after today's mail. What was really pleasing was to receive three donations from people who have heard about it from others! Great! Thanks!

Truck progress #1

Today's mail contained the first cheques for the Vanuatu Truck - $1100 - we are on the way!

A Truck for Vanuatu

THE EBULE TRAINING CENTRE IN PORT VILA, VANUATU
NEEDS A TRUCK

A photo I took of Rob Meier & trainees at the Ebule Urban Training Centre

And Anne and I are trying to raise $25,000 in three weeks so that it can be purchased. We have sent out 108 letters to people we know with the following options:

#1 Tell us where to go
#2 Say ‘Oh I wish I could but I have no spare cash.’
#3 Ask for more info – email or phone Mart the Rev
#4 Be bold and make a commitment, post it to us asap

Cheques made out to 'Global Mission office' can be sent to Martin & Anne Stewart, 5a Truman Rd, Bryndwr Christchurch. Receipts will be issued for tax purposes.

Can you help?

We will post a running total each week!

A lot of music at the moment

Anne and I have just had an influx of new cds and dvds that we are loving after a few months of the decemberists, crowded house and the cowboy junkies new album

Here is what has pushed the buttons for us...

Bruce Springsteen's Magic (some of the old magic that got us hooked with his The Rising album) Liam Finn's I'll be lightening, (which has some startling rhythms - the title track stands out so far and has Neil Finn demonstrating his genius on bass), David Gilmour's Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD is a classic - especially enhanced by having Crosby and Nash singing, and the Cowboy Junkies Trinity Revisited - it is a CD and DVD where they go back to the Holy Trinity Church in downtown Toronto and do the same tracks as the original The Trinity Sessions album of 20 years ago with a few other musicians in tow. We watched the DVD for the first time last night and it was quite brilliant. The cinematography is fantastic and adds to the wonderful sound. It was recorded in a day just like the original. Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt and especially Natalie Merchant, add ouitstanding vocals to Margo Timmins' (pictured) uncomplicated sonic genius.

If people are new to the Junkies then I have suggested they start with The Trinity Sessions, but now, they need to start with Revisited.

We are also in the process of purchasing tickets to the Split Enz concert in Christchurch next March - yeah!

Crowded House Concert

Well, it was great!

Pluto had the hard graft of being first up - they had a few good sounds in their set but the mix was wrong and we worried that this would be the problem of the venue...

But Supergroove settled that with their Blues Brothers style and sound - they were wonderfully energetic and the sound was great. Che Fu was stunning. I hadn't seen them live before and I was most impressed.

But the night belonged to Neil Finn and his team. The lift professionally was amazing from band to band, and with Crowded House, we entered the stratosphere. I was pleasantly surprised with the choice of songs - many from Together Alone and a few of the more obscure songs from their debut album and only three from Woodface (Fall at your Feet, Weather With You & Four Seasons).

The new songs came across really well although I found Transit Lounge didn't come across as well as I hoped ('though the reviewer in The Press seemed to like it the most - actually it was a poor review - he seemed to be trying to provide an intellectual analysis of the three bands aside from the reality of it being a live concert - and his claim that half of the House set was from the new album was quite a stretch given that in the two hours there were only five or six songs off Time on Earth - actually I was amazed how little of the new album they used and wished they had done my favourites Pour Le Monde & English Trees).

What that reviewer also missed was mentioning the brilliant set. The unusual images, the light and the blend of effects was very artistic and kind of theatrical - after U2 and all their stunning computer-generated effects I couldn't imagine that there cound be a visual equivalent offered by another band - but there was here.

The three encores was much-appreciated as well... a great night thanks!

Crowded House Day

Tonight Anne and I are off to see Crowded House play in Christchurch with Supergroove & Pluto! Yay!

Remembering Parihaka

A colleague, John Hunt, reminded me this week that the 5th November is the anniversary of the invasion of the peaceful settlement of Parihaka in 1881 and the subsequent arrest of Te Whiti, Tohu and many others, and their incarceration in the South Island without trial, so that their land could be given to settlers.
John reckoned that it was of more significance in a NZ context to remember this than Guy Fawkes… I am planning to do this on Sunday with the whole focus on what happened at Parihaka. In light of recent events in NZ it kind of fits that we think about things from another angle… and Te Whiti’s non-violent passive resistance stands out as model for us all as to the way we might live the gospel… apparently Ghandi knew of Te Whiti and his way.

[the painting is by Seraphine Pick of Dunedin]

Here’s a poem…

THERE WAS A MAN

There was a man
preached peace
to warrior chiefs.

He built a pa
at Parihaka.
Soldiers burned it down

robbed the people
of their land
and livelihood.

He preached
to them as well.
They would not listen.

Our history
would be different
if they had.

How much longer
must we reap
their bitter harvest?

J C Sturm
[thought to be the first Maori woman to receive a university degree in 1949]

10 years of the St Stephen's Community Centre

And we are having a party! If you are in Christchurch, come along on Friday 26th 6pm - 7.30pm to St Stephen's, cnr Aorangi & Ilam Roads!!!

the decemberists

My daughter Hana sent Anne and I a copy of The Crame Wife by The Decemberists. It has been very well-received - I'm about to rave about it!

This music - folk-rock style, is very very good. The musicianship is tremendous, and the lyrics and singing unique and absorbing. The songs are folk ballads with guitars, drums and a glorious Hammond organ, with a few other instruments from time to time.

Last week we took Hana, Sam and Josh to the Gold Coast in Australia and this was the only CD we had in the car - we didn't get sick of it but all liked it. That in itself is quite something for we all have quite varied musical tastes.

I think you can download some songs from their webpage... http://www.decemberists.com/

I highly recommend this album!

article in Candour

Candour is an on-line journal for people in ministry in the Presbyt Church in NZ - I was editor of it years ago. Recently I was asked to submit an essay on hope in a climate of fear... here is what I came up with...
Fear: the enemy of hope that dances to death’s tune.

As I recall it, Alvin Tofler predicted in his 1970’s book Future Shock that fear and anxiety would be some of the by-products of our crazy fast-changing technological world, with people getting left behind because the future will come at them too fast. It looks like he was right… the proliferation of Prozac and other anti-depressants among people in the so-called developed world would suggest that depression and anxiety are part of the cost of change.
But I wonder if along with fear being a by-product of our peculiar society fear is also being used as a mechanism to manipulate people. Here are a few examples I can think of:
- the fear-mongering about a possible bird flu epidemic. A year or so ago we were ‘done for’ and people were stockpiling tamiflu pills, even though there was next to no evidence that those pills would be able to treat a virus that didn’t yet exist. Why the panic when there wasn’t anything we could do about it anyway?
- the projection of worse-case scenarios as actuality – we saw an example of this last month with President Bush announcing that inaction against Iran will likely result in nuclear holocaust. But more commonly we see this in the use of statistics as a way of projecting the future, and the results are almost always bleak. We even see these worse-case scenarios being used to provoke certain kinds of mission-action in the church. I find this use of statistics to predict the future of the church highly speculative and rather manipulative. A colleague listening to such stuff was reminded of a frequent comment from one of the characters in Dad’s Army who, speaking out of his congenital pessimism, would announce in almost every episode: “We’re doomed Captain Mannering.” Statistics are usually suggest we are doomed – and they get us all scrambling around in a dance of death . I think it was Lloyd Geering who suggested in the 1960’s that the last Presbyterian and Anglican would be meeting to close the door of the last church in the year 2000. Um… not quite, I like to think that God had another idea about that.
- fear of the enemy being used to stimulate nationalism and economic growth. This has been a consistent feature of the way successive United States administrations have behaved since World War II. As I understand it, from my geo-politics studies at university, the US has operated on a war economy since 1941… the economic growth from being almost constantly involved in warring has been astounding, and has, in the eyes of the powers that be, justified hideously large sums being used to manufacture the machinery and armaments of war, as well as popping up to the moon and back. Whether the enemy exists or not isn’t all that important – enemies can be created… (do you remember President Reagan invading Grenada?) Iraq is once such creation. The irony of the first Gulf War was that the missiles being directed at US aircraft by Iraqi forces were made in the US! It turns out that for many years Iraq had been supplied US arms as a buffer against Iran. While I am cautious about conspiracy theories, is it too much to imagine that the first President Bush deliberately left Iraq’s leadership intact for another day when it would be more convenient to invade? But then a problem emerged… there needed to be a reason to invade. Umm… what if we say that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction? Now we are being told that Vietnam wasn’t so bad, but that it was the leaving of it that was a problem!
- the proliferation of end times theory as fact (the worst of these can be found in the hideous Left Behind novels), and the associated justification of violence, prejudice, intolerance, scape-goating and ignorance, as well as a laziness when it comes to attending to the tasks of making peace, caring for the environment, loving one’s neighbour, etc.

Of course there are many more examples, but what is most disturbing is the complicity of the church in this fear-mongering. I believe that hope is the attitude that Christians are called to exhibit in a fearful world that seems to bow to the triumph of death. Christian hope is not blind optimism or reality avoidance, but a living demonstration of there being a bigger story – a meta-narrative as some theologians describe it.
This big story is the narrative of God’s saving work in the world; the presence of the kingdom of God among us, yet still to come in its fullness; and a living into the reality of the victory of Christ over the powers of this world that seek to dominate us [see Colossians 2:13-15].
I believe that there is an explicit call for the people of God, who find themselves to be strangers in a strange land, to nevertheless live fearlessly, confidently and hopefully in God’s promises [Isaiah 43 etc].
It is our calling as the church of Jesus Christ to demonstrate to the fearful world that there is another way of seeing things for live this side of the incarnation, we live this side of the ministry of Jesus, we live this side of his death on the cross, we live this side of his resurrection and we live this side of his ascension. Thus we live hopefully, not fearfully. We live to the tune of life in its fullness and not to the march of death in all its fearfulness.
William Stringfellow, a lawyer and theologian, offered these words for the church in a world where the powers of fear and death seem to be reigning:
“In the face of death, live humanly. In the middle of chaos, celebrate the Word. Amidst babel… speak the truth. Confront the noise and verbiage and falsehood of death with the truth and potency and efficacy of the Word of God. Know the Word, teach the Word, nurture the Word, preach the Word, defend the Word, incarnate the Word, do the Word, live the Word. And more than that, in the Word of God, expose death and all death’s works and wiles, rebuke lies, cast out demons, exorcise, cleanse the possessed, raise those who are dead in mind and conscience.” [An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land 1973 p143]

on Christian political parties

I've submitted the following letter to the editor of The Press in Christchurch...
Destiny & Future NZ
I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to political slogans or a set of policies, thus the notion of Christian political parties bothers me.
Destiny/Future NZ say they want to put families first, bring ‘morals’ into the political arena, and that ‘life means life’ in relation to how we treat violent offenders. But how can this be done in a way that doesn’t a)marginalise people who don’t fit into traditional categories; b) look out for those who are different from those in the Christian party, and c) restore offenders to a meaningful life with the possibility of release being the incentive for the changes they make? Aren’t these also gospel imperatives?
Jesus associated with those who the religious powers of his day marginalised. He challenged those who tried to enshrine God into a set of laws. Jesus never formed a party, instead, he called them to account. Herein lies what Christians can offer in the political arena: a voice among the voices, influence, encouragement, a reminder of what is important, and a challenge when necessary.
I have a few friends in Parliament and a colleague standing for Council who are all Christians. They are good people who I trust to bring an important and necessary gospel-informed perspective to the debates of the day. But they are not there suggesting that the gospel can automatically be turned into policy nor are they saying that their perspective represents what it means to be Christian.

a story I'm thinking of using on Sunday

Christian counselor Dennis Linn tells this wonderful story about how his mind was changed about God. He describes how his image of God was like stern old Uncle George, that Good Old Uncle George was the sort of person that people respected the old fashioned way [raising arm and fist to indicate 'respect' by brute force]. Then he tells this story of how his mind was changed:
One day Hilda came to me crying because her son had tried to commit suicide for the fourth time. She told me that he was involved in prostitution, drug dealing and murder. She ended her list of her son's "big sins" with, "What bothers me most is that my son says he wants nothing to do with God. What will happen to my son if he commits suicide without repenting and wanting nothing to do with God?"
Since at the time my image of God was like Good Old Uncle George, I thought "God will probably send your son to hell." But I didn't want to tell Hilda that. I was glad that my ... training had taught me ... to [instead] ask ..., "What do you think?"
"Well," Hilda replied, "I think that when you die, you appear before the judgment seat of God. If you have lived a good life, God will send you to heaven. If you have lived a bad life, God will send you to hell." [In other words, Hilda's God punishes and rewards. Our image of God has changed much since Moses, has it?!] Sadly, she concluded, "Since my son has lived such a bad life, if he were to die without repenting, God would certainly send him to hell."
Although I tended to agree with her, I didn't want to say, "Right on, Hilda! Your son would probably be sent to hell." I was again grateful for my theological training which taught me a second strategy: when you don't know how to solve a theological problem, then let God solve it. So I said to Hilda, "Close your eyes. Imagine that you are sitting next to the judgment seat of God. Imagine also that your son has died with all these serious sins and without repenting. Your son has just arrived at the judgment seat of God. Squeeze my hand when you can imagine that."
A few minutes later Hilda squeezed my hand. She described to me the entire judgment scene. Then I asked her, "Hilda, how does your son feel?" Hilda answered, "My son feels so lonely and empty." I asked Hilda what she would do. She said, "I want to throw my arms around my son." She lifted her arms and began to cry as she imagined herself holding her son tightly.
Finally, when she had stopped crying, I asked her to look into God's eyes and watch what God wanted to do. God stepped down from the throne, and just as Hilda did, embraced Hilda's son. And the three of them, Hilda, her son, and God, cried together and held one another.
I was stunned. What Hilda taught me in those few minutes is the bottom line of healthy Christian spirituality: God loves us at least as much as the person who loves us the most.
[as told by Paul J. Nuechterlein in a stunning sermon I am going to have to borrow heavily from http://girardianlectionary.net/year_c/proper19c_1995_ser.htm]

Glenn babes

Here he is in all his billboard glory!!!

fridge magnets

And while I'm at it here at St Stephen's we have a little mission to a village in Ethiopia where we help care for 60 elderly people with a modest amount of money, as well as helping the odd village with their water supply. This year as part of the mission report in our Annual Report we are including a fridge magnet for people to stick on their... fridges...

U2 communion thingee

In Christchurch we're working towards a kiwi version of the U2-charist worship service containing music by U2...

A group of us Presbyterians are holding it on 7 October (World Communion Sunday) at 5-45pm in the Hornby Community Presbyterian Church. I've tried to reproduce the poster for the blog...

Elections coming

I'm about to go and take a picture of my colleague Glenn Livingstone's billboard... he is standing for the local community board and the City Council... what is annoying is that he already has a moustache thus it is hard to deface the billboard - not that I have ever done that kind of things before but never before has it been a friend who I can make fun of in this way!

Before I go and get it here's a Leunig cartoon that kind of illustrates the path that politicians take... be careful Glenn! [source: The Age webpage]

Emerging from the wilderness

Not only have I not blogged since my return from Vanuatu, but I have been without the internet. Five weeks off-line has been ok actually.

The Vanuatu experience was fantastic - the highlight was the week at Talua Ministry College and the warmth of the people, their generosity and their searching questions. I also enjoyed the snorkelling opportunities.

The night-time dogs and early-morning roosters incited murderous thoughts, and the stolen passport was a bit of a problem but otherwise... it was great!

I am currently reading Chris Crump's story of her 18 years on Nguna Island near Efate where her husband Ken was a minister, doctor, dentist, farmer, mechanic, and whatever else, in the late 1930's to 50's. I knew Chris and Ken and know some of their family as well - the story is all the more interesting because of my trip.

My ten days have nothing on those years of commitment and at times great sacrifice, but it was good to be there and remember them and the many others who have served over the years in that lovely country, as well as make friends with the Meier's and Parkes who are serving over there at the moment.

hey

Halo from Vanuatu
This is the first oportunity I have had to get blog out - getting on line costs quite a bit so... it will be short
Phil and I are having a great time - the weather is warm to hot and fairly dry...
Our first night in Port Vila was below average with all the dogs in the area barking all night... all night, mostly it was one telling the story with others offering encouragement (kind of like what I think Alcoholics Anon meetings are like) and then another would take up with a story... now I know it, dogs do talk... but I wish they didn't!
The next night they did the same but we were more tired so got more sleep but not what we need. I have only had one of those.
We went around Efate Island on Thursday with Rob & Barb Meier - it was great though the road was appaling in places and I forgot to take my camera (it was camouflaged on the sleeping bag!). I included a picture from the air of Havannah harbour where the US Pacific Fleet was stationed in WWII - quite a place.
The people are lovely - warm, friendly and safe to be around. The local food is quite nice.
We have been snorkeling at Hideaway Island...- the fish are stunning and our trip out a bit where the fish around us were sometimes a metre long easily rivaled the Barrier Reef trip of a few years ago.
I also got to deliver the 2000+ condoms that St Stephen's people collected to the Family Health Centre - they were very pleased with us!
I was scheduled to preach at a church in Port Vila but they never got to me... this despite assurances that it had been set up from the NZ end. Apparently this is not the first time. Oh well, we got a rather long-winded thingee in the Bislama tongue instead...
The flight to Espiritu Santo was great with the aerial views quite spectacular. Talua Ministry Training College is well-run and the first of the seminars seemed to go quite well with very thoughtful responses from the students.

Off to Vanuatu

I head off tomorrow (Wednesday) to Vanuatu, where among other things, a colleague and I are conducting five days of seminars at Talua Ministry School on the island of Espiritu Santo. I doubt that I will get to blog while there but you never know.
I embark on this trip with luggage including over 2000 condoms - a gift to a family health clinic from the people of St Stephen's - many of whom have gone to their doctors and asked for a prescription! It has been quite entertaining hearing of the reactions of the doctors when some fairly elderly widows have made their requests!
I wonder how it will be going through customs with my 'supplies.'

Two great albums in the CD player...

The latest music I'm listening to and loving are Crowded House's latest: Time on Earth, and Cowboy Junkies latest At the End of Paths Taken...

Neil Finn has been a long-time favourite of mine and it is neat that Crowded House have found a new life despite the tragic death of Paul Hester. The melody lines Neil comes up with in the songs are some of the richest I have heard... Pour Le Monde & English Trees... sublime!

As for Cowboy Junkies - this album has a 'heavier' style to it [but hey, this is folk rock so not too heavy!]... stronger guitar than usual and some great use of orchestral backing (a first as far as I recall).

If you are looking for great new music to listen to, these albums are the best I have heard this year!

Here's someone elses Junkies review... [read it by scrolling down until you see the album image]... http://images.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/13/cowboyjunkies.jpg&imgrefurl=http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/spew/concert_alert/index.html&h=500&w=500&sz=24&hl=en&start=40&tbnid=M8NWSlltmTem0M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcowboy%2Bjunkies%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

Dolphins fail crucial intelligence tests thus are not suitable candidates for baptism

I found the following remarkable article as I have been preparing for my visit to Vanuatu.

Study: Dolphins Not So Intelligent On Land

http://www.news.vu/en/living/Vanuatu-Daily-News-Satire/060216-vanuatu-dolphin-study.shtml

This article is helpful in confirming among other things that dolphins are not human. This may be a shock to some people, but it is better that this is stated for the public record. Humans are able to perform their tricks on both land and in the sea.

I have had an ongoing discussion with a friend and colleague over whether our dogs should be baptised or not. [My friend is the most reluctant host of a dog - so reluctant, in fact, that the word host is stated here in the sense of the relationship between parasite and host, rather than in the sense of hospitality that might exist between guest and host.]

My friend has argued that being made in the image of God and able to worship God, freely respond, etc are the essential preconditions for baptism into the church. He has stated firmly that our dogs are not of such a precondition... I haven't had the opportunity to ask him whether dolphins would have a better chance of being suitable for baptism. But I was about to until I read the attached article.

Until today, my argument would have been that dolphins are as intelligent as humans, or possibly, more intelligent... this was to be backed by studies of:

the size of dolphin brains,

their ability to communicate,

their dexterous fins,

their ability to ward off sharks and avoid warfare (a quality clearly superior to humans and an obvious living out of the 'blessed be the peacemakers' teaching of Jesus,

their concern for global warming and other global issues,

their ability to laugh at themselves (and us)

and, of course, their interest in theology albeit some difficulty in the communication thereof beyond their own species...

But now they have proved to have failed in some crucial intelligence tests... maybe the baptism question has to be suspended until they can pass the crucial out-of-water intelligence tests.

a terrible force and a terrible urgency

At some thoughts one stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide 'I will combat it by humble love.' If you resolve on that once for all, you can conquer the whole world. Loving humility is a terrible force: it is the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it.

- Starets [Elder] Zosima, from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Through her encounter with Soren Kierkegaard, Anne talks of sin as alienation from God... our actions reflecting our distance from God, rather than limiting it to morality (i.e. immoral behaviour is a reflection of our alienation). So how do we attend to that alienation and its various expressions? Dostoevsky's Zosima offers the way... loving humility.

How I long for the church to behave in such a way... a humble posture before the towns and cities and nations it finds itself in... but how far short it falls of this. Too often the church behaves as a power... demanding servitude, presenting a posture of arrogance and control, hierarchical, self-righteous...

It doesn't need to be this way - indeed there is nothing in Jesus suggesting any other posture than loving humility... but what mountains he moved!

I'm part of a church that is struggling as a denomination and in many aspects of its national, regional and local life. And in such times of struggle it is tempting for the institution to assert power in the name of turning things around as if this is possible from on high. I believe that for the church nothing of lasting value is possible from on high unless it is in the right spirit... the spirit of Jesus its Lord. Loving humility... that's the way - attending to the small things - good relationships, caring structures, communities where people can find meaning and sanctuary, a confident expression of the gospel-hope... these are the important things...

I wish I was more confident in these important things being held to the fore - but increasingly we look to the corporate world for the answers to our struggles... the corporate world where service is usually over-shadowed by profit-lines and people are seen as commodities. How heavily do we borrow from the corporate world and how much should we resist its ways and wiles?

Loving humility is the measure... a way that moves mountains... why has the church lost confidence in what should be its key posture?

I suggest that the key influence that has led the church down the wrong path is the western consumerist culture... its dominance over us has blinded us - we have been duped.

I believe it is time to see it for what it is, name it, expose it and set about recovering the gospel way.

Two more Ben Elton books

I've just finished reading another two Ben Elton books (not at the same time you understand... I do have my limits!) and they have once again been very good reads. In both books, Elton plays with the irony of those critiquing the fads also participating in them.

The most enjoyable of the two was the whodunit Past Mortem, it has a great interplay between the two investigating officers, a clever plot, rather horrible serial killings and a gripping climax. The theme of bullying is cleverly addressed, and its dimensions in both school, workplace and beyond are well-covered.

Dead Famous manages to expose the pathetic, fluffy, and morally decadent side of the whole reality TV thing (Big Brother etc) yet, of course, without such programmes achieving their high ratings, Elton would have not had the material on which to base a novel...

I am no great fan of the maniuplative side of TV - that's part of why I hardly watch it and why I detest so-called reality TV. I watch TV for escape not reality!

I have another of his novels in the bookshelf, but I might have take a few days off to reacquaint myself with the others in the reality of my house!

Samaritan Part 2... crowds, bullies & compassion

Here's Part 2 of the sermon... it wasn't at them in one hit but filtered through the service...
http://www.ststephens.co.nz/ministry/sermons/collection/20070715.1184468665.php

90 years on since WWI's Passchendaele battle

WWI's Passchendaele battle is being noted this week and over the next few months. I am reluctant to use words like commemorated or celebrated... the only triumph was folly. Something like 500,000 allied soldiers died at Passchendaele - the sheer stupidity of the manner of many of those deaths is the lasting legacy. New Zealand has its own 'noting' over there in late October marking a day when 2,500 NZers died on one horrible day.

I guess my somewhat cynical view of what took place was reinforced reading Ben Elton's The First Casualty, watching the 4th series of Blackadder and the excellent French movie A Very Long Engagement. Of course I recognise that the soldiers themselves were courageous in dire circumstances - they had little choice - they deserved better from their leaders and from the people who got themselves into the mess that was early 20th century Europe.

Harry Potter #5

Josh and I went along to see Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix yesterday - along with a million others...

I confess that I have only seen one of the other movies (the first) and bits of the some of the others... and I was left with a similar ho-hum feeling to the first time.

While the effects are stunning I found the storyline was average... Lottie & Kate from the youth group assured us that the books are much better... so I take their word for it.

I'm more of a Batman kind of guy - if you are wanting to look at the dark side in movies Batman Begins offers much more... but that's just me!

Samaritan sermon part 1

I mentioned part 1 in an earlier blog... here is it: http://www.ststephens.co.nz/ministry/sermons/collection/20070708.1184210610.php

I'm currently being distracted from part 2 which has a range of angles... bullies, crowds, the tongue and an interesting angle on compassion looking at the human sacrifice origins of the original Greek word... something for everyone!

Coffee with a Conscience

I've just placed an order for good coffee for our church...

I know a few people who work for Mission Aviation Fellowship - a Christian organisation who provide aeroplanes for people to access remote locations at modest rates but with high quality service. A few years ago I visited their Australasian headquarters in Cairns along with a look at their aircraft maintenance facilities at Mareeba. They do a great work. (http://www.maf.org.au/)

One thing I found out was how they help support coffee growers in remote highland villages in Papua New Guinea. Effectively, by flying out coffee beans MAF offer an alternative to village people growing drugs...

Alongside this is encouraging Fair Trade-style coffee purchases... in New Zealand, a woman whose husband died flying aircraft for MAF, runs Coffee with a Conscience. I have just ordered a few kilograms for our church & community centre after some gentle pressure from our pre-school music & play parents to improve the quality of the coffee each Wednesday.

Here is the contact address for any people wanting to have quality organic coffee that is guaranteed to support the growers in the New Guinea Highlands: http://www.latitudesix.org.nz/

The lives of others

Anne and I saw The Lives of Others a few days ago at the delightful Cloister's Theatre in the Christchurch Arts Centre... it was profound. We were reminded once again of the dark shadows of 20th century Europe that continued on into our at-the-end-of-the-baby-boom era.

It seems that most of our favourite movies are depictions of the way art/beauty/music can transform people and open a window of hope (As it is in heaven, Life is beautiful, Les Choristes, Amelie etc) and they are all European... interesting. The cinematography was brilliant - I loved the way the main character (pictured) showed joy at the end but with only the faintest change in his quite serious face... the power of film at its best.

The Good Samaritan

I'm working towards a couple of sermons on the Good Samaritan parable from Luke 10:25f. The angle on it taken by Robert Farrar Capon in his Parables of Grace book combined with some of the paintings by an American artist Tim Lowly (http://www.timlowly.com/) lead me down the path of questioning any interpretations of the parable that focus on good works as the answer to the lawyer's question "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

I'll post a way to get to the sermon that emerges next week but leave you with one of Lowly's paintings (Beacon) where he depicts Temma, his severely handicapped daughter, as the person lying helpless on the road who requires neighbours.

Forgiveness

About 30 of us have just finished four weeks thinking about grace using Philip Yancey's What's so amazing about grace as a guide. The whole area of forgiveness predictably gave us a few difficulties.

One of the questions I asked last night was: "Can you forgive someone who doesn't have a sense that they need to be forgiven?" Through the Gospel lens the answer to all our problems with forgiveness is always 'Yes' - seventy times seven etc etc. But this is never an easy yes...

A friend reminded me this week that forgiveness is usually costly... the one who makes the move to forgive may have to bear the burden for a long time, I think this is especially so if the one forgiven doesn't have a sense that there is anything they have done that needs forgiveness.

One conclusion we did come up with in the group is that forgiveness is a gift... a grace... our struggles with it are set within a broader context... God's gracious pardon of us... with God's help nothing is impossible... even the possibility that someone who considers themselves the most wronged can take the first step.

Here's a quote I found helpful... "Because it goes against human nature, forgiveness must be taught and practiced, as one would practice any difficult craft. 'Forgiveness is not just an occasional act: it is a permanent attitude,' said Martin Luther King Jr. What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?"

p137 What's so amazing about grace

A Concert for George

Anne and I have been enjoying watching the Concert for George Harrison DVD, borrowed from our neighbours. What a fantastic concert... a remarkable collection of songs from the often under the radar maestro, brilliant musicianship - Eric Clapton in charge with Jeff Lynne. Dhani Harrison, Billy Preston on keyboards, Ringo and Paul... and Anoushka Shankar (Ravi's daughter & Norah Jones' half-sister) on sitar... and the sense of being part of a community grieving the loss of their friend.

My favourite song was the moving 'While my guitar gently weeps' - Eric Clapton was inspirational and clearly grieving as a camera caught him in a private moment looking away from the audience as the song ended... the version of 'Something' was also delightful.

The concert was in 2002, why does it take me five years to catch up?

Best song of all time

I had a wee yarn with Jim Mora on National Radio this afternoon which was a hoot. He has a 'what's the best song of all time?' slot each day after the 1pm news... I got in with U2's With or Without You from the Joshua Tree album.

So what's your choice of best song of all time??? Hit the comment button below and put in your choice! As long as you don't choose anything by Celine Dion I will make the list of replies into a blog in the next while!

I am working with a group of colleagues on a Sunday evening 'service' on the 7th October where we will use the music of U2 in the context of a communion service. One of our working titles is Sunday Bloody Sunday - "Yeah I'd drink bread and wine if there was a church I could receive in." - the title is from a U2 song - the sub-text is a line from their song 'Acrobat'. Keep on the lookout for the big event!!! I will have more details on this blog once they are firmed up!

- Mart the Rev

Sunday looming... on grace & forgiveness

Here's the first bit of this coming week's sermon (draft)...

At the Wednesday night study group we’ve been wrestling with ways to describe God’s grace. It is not an easy thing for Jesus didn’t seek to describe grace theologically but rather live it and tell stories that illumined it. Thus we get an idea of grace through what a collection of stories points to rather than through a simple proposition. One of the definitions offered to the group last Wednesday was this one: ‘Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.’ [Philip Yancey in What’s so amazing about grace p71]. One of the hardest things to grasp is the order of things – with God it is grace first and our bit later. Grace is unconditional; there is nothing we have to do in order to make God love us for that is simply how it is with God. But we want to reverse the order – we want to have to prove our worthiness. Take the notion of forgiveness for example – our logic is to forgive someone after they have confessed their wrong – if you acknowledge that you have hurt me then I can be in a position to forgive you. Our logic is ‘if-then’ – if you confess your sins, then I will forgive you. And we apply this logic to how the faith thing works – and get to what all the big evangelists seem to say “If you repent, turn from your ways and confess your sins then God will forgive you.”
However, in the logic of grace, this is all reversed. With Jesus, forgiveness comes first and forgiveness is what enables us to begin living lives accordingly to the ways of God. This is not an ‘if-then’ logic but a ‘because-therefore’ logic – ‘because you have already been forgiven, therefore you are freed to respond with a changed life, a heart that turns to God.’ [Paul J. Nuechterlein, Something to sing about].

Reading 'The First Casualty'

I'm immersed in Ben Elton's novel The First Casualty at the moment - what a great read!

Here's a summary I found... [The First Casualty] "...is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle? As the gap between legally-sanctioned and illegal murder becomes evermore blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that the first casualty when war comes is truth. "

And, as I have now finished it, some thoughts of my own.

1. This is the second of Elton's books I have read (I'm a slow starter!) the other was High Society. I found both books got me hooked very quickly, kept me enthralled and both seemed well-researched.

2. the themes in The First Casualty are clever. The morality theme especially... as thing become blurred the conscientious objector becomes involved as a participant in the very thing he objected against. Don't we all? Elton leaves his reader with this unwelcome realisation. Some justification is offered that this is what happens in war, thus the title of the book - but Kingsley recognises that in his work as a policeman he has been part of another kind of war that he cannot any longer agree with in relation to the way that suffragettes and communists had been treated by the law and its agents.

3. some may not like the revisionist nature of his work - it is easier to see the folly of the Great War from this side of it and this distance (and I'm currently enjoying Elton's contribution as a co-writer of the Blackadder 4 series). But I believe that there is no possibility of looking at history through any other means than the eyes we have now... we will always revise history, and we should... if we can get as big a picture on what has happened before us then we might be more attentive to the things that might lead us into another folly - might.

I am looking forward to delving into Elton's nine other novels!

A Tony Campolo story on Grace

Tony Campolo tells about being invited to speak in Honolulu one time and having trouble getting his body to adjust to the ten-hour time shift from his home in Philadelphia. He wound up wide-awake at three o’clock in the morning drinking coffee in an all-night diner. Presently the door opened, and in came about eight women laughing and talking loudly. Campolo soon deduced that they were streetwalkers finished with their evening’s work and relaxing before going home to sleep. One, named Agnes, mentioned to her friend that the next day would be her thirty-ninth birthday.
After the group had left, Campolo got a bright idea. He said to the gruff proprietor behind the counter, “Did you hear that one woman say tomorrow was her birthday? Whaddya say we throw her a party? I’ll come back tomorrow night with some decorations, and let’s surprise her with a cake and everything!”
The man’s wife came out of the kitchen. Both of them said, “That’s a wonderful idea. Let’s do it.”
Twenty-four hours later the little diner was decorated with streamers and balloons. A festive sign was taped to the mirror. The couple had put the word out and a large assortment of night people were gathered. When the prostitutes came in for their usual coffee, the shout went up: Happy Birthday Agnes!”
The woman stood speechless as the singing began. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Nobody had shown her genuine kindness in years. The owner brought out a birthday cake with candles. Agnes was in such shock that she had to be reminded to blow them out.
She paused again, “Well, cut the cake, Agnes!” the proprietor said.
She finally found words. In a whisper she said, “Please… I just… I just want to keep the cake. I’ll take it to my apartment down the street… just for a couple of days. Please let me keep the cake.”
No one knew how to respond, but no one could think of a reason to refuse her request. So out the door she fled, holding the cake as if it were the Holy Grail.
An awkward silence filled the room. Campolo finally broke in with a bold suggestion: “I have another idea - why don’t we pray?” Without hesitation he began to voice a prayer for Agnes, that God would bless her on her birthday, that God would bring peace into her life and save her from all that troubled her…
At the amen, the diner owner said, “Hey you didn’t tell me you were a preacher? What kind of church do you preach at?”
Campolo thought a moment, cocked his head sideways, and then answered with a grin, “I preach at the kind of church that throws birthday parties for whores at three-thirty in the morning!”
What happened next was the most poignant moment of all. The man squinted at Campolo and announced,
“No… no, you don’t. There is no church like that. I would join a church like that.”
[from The Kingdom of God is a Party by Tony Campolo p3-9]

Service with reflections on Mackenzie Thorpe sculptures

Have a look...
http://www.ststephens.co.nz/ministry/sermons/collection/20070603.1181003987.php

Mackenzie Thorpe

Falling in Love

a sculpture in bronze by Mackenzie Thorpe

Photo by Mart the Rev

There's a fantastic exhibition of four of Mackenzie Thorpe's bronze sculptures at the Christchurch Arts Centre for a couple of months. I'm aiming to build next Sunday's service around the themes they offer as well as preach on the one pictured at the induction of a colleague this Thursday. The exhibits with their bronze curves look fantastic against the neo-Gothic Arts Centre buildings. The exhibition has coincided with the opening of a stunning permanent display of sculptures representing the experience of people suffering from dyslexia just over the road from the Centre. Falling in Love is part of the permanent display. I will post my reflections on the Thorpe sculptures on the St Stephen's website after Sunday.

Thoughtful words from Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis, the inspirational leader of The Sojourners Community, delivered the following inspiring words at Georgetown University on Sunday, May 20 under the title What's Acceptable? What's Possible?
"... what are you going to no longer accept in our world, what will you refuse to tolerate now that you will be making the decisions that matter?
Will it be acceptable to you that 3 billion people in our world today - half of God's children - live on less that $2 per day, that more than 1 billion live on less than $1 per day, that the gap between the life expectancy in the rich places and the poor places in the world is now 40 years, and that 30,000 children globally will die today ... from needless, senseless, and utterly preventable poverty and disease? It's what Bono calls "stupid poverty."
"...What we see now offends us, offends our understanding of the sanctity and dignity of life, offends our notions of fairness and justice, offends our most basic values; it violates our idea of the common good, and starts to tug at our deepest places. We cross the line of unacceptability. We become intolerant of the injustice.
But just changing our notion of what is unacceptable isn't enough, however. We must also change our perception of what is possible.
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 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 what you want to become. It is to ask what you believe you are supposed to do...
"Ask where your gifts intersect with the groaning needs of the world - there is your vocation."

You can track the whole speech by clicking the Sojourners link over on the left of this blogpage.

Birthday!

Anne did well today... I received a good sized print of Michael Smither's stunning Rocks with Mountain to put up on the wall in my study/office. It is mounted on a thick black block - it will be near my Colin McCahon print In truth - but alas, they have to be copies!

I'm also looking forward to reading a new U2 book... U2 Show by Diana Scrimgeour which includes interviews with behind the scenes crew and organisers who have helped the band on tour over many years. Yay!

CD compilation on my birthday

Here's my cd of songs I've enjoyed through the last year... the list is in order of making it a good mix more than actual preferences although #1 and #2 are tops with me.
Explanation for some of the choices included...
city of blinding lights - U2 opening track at the U2 concert we went to in Melbourne... alluding to the new jerusalem???
isn't it amazing - hothouse flowers used it at a memorable church service & went to concert last year and they sung it!
lungs - cowboy junkies part of an extra group of covers on the one soul now album '04
my black heart - the ghost who walks this is neil mccormick, rock critic and author of the brilliant I was Bono's Doppelganger & U2 by U2 - I imported this from the UK and love it. He also released a song after the London bombings - you can see it on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DECobDuX_YQ Neil is in the middle of the clip holding his child.
wired - mephymology this Dunedin NZ band are finding their way - a great bunch who stayed on their way north to tour in the summer. Check them out at http://www.mephymology.co.nz/ They have some tracks on their my space site from a great concert last year.
window in the skies - U2 used this at church after Easter... great lines esp in opening verse
accustomed to the light - dave dobbyn Dave is one of NZ's heros he played this one evening in ChCh this summer with band & orchestra - profound! As was his version of Cohen's Hallelujah.
map of the problematique - muse me and my boys love these guys, i love this following dave's song
magic bracelets - hothouse flowers from the latest flowers album - full of optimism.
fade into you - mazzy star a song on my brother's compilation that struck a chord, one of my daughter's favourites as well
not ready to make nice - dixie chicks the most 'pop' of the songs on this list... i like the anger but hope they find a way to move on from their stand re George Bush and the stuff that came at them because of it!
nothing wrong with me - the audreys also on the compilation... they won the best blues & roots album in Australia 2006 check them at http://www.theaudreys.com.au/
thunder road - cowboy junkies springsteen's song in junkies style also from the one soul now extra cd
red right hand - nick cave & the bad seeds a close competition with their song do you love me?
angel - massive attack enjoyed this played on The West Wing end of series 4
forever young - bob dylan i honestly hadn't really heard this song until this year!

On the Move - Bono

I've just ordered a copy of Bono's little book On the Move - his speech to a White House Prayer Breakfast and photos he took when he and Ali first went to Ethiopia in 1986. I have a copy of the speech and it is great - and I probably don't need the book (just as I don't really need every CD by U2, a dozen U2 books, pretty much every CD single since 1993 and a pile of rock magazines with articles on U2) but if having it in any way supports his mountain-moving work in Africa, then I'm in!

Favourite Albums

It is a year or so since I started this blog - I began and then stopped for months... shifted cities etc etc.

Two years ago on my birthday I burned a compilation CD of songs I enjoyed the most through the year. The songs didn't need to be new - just enjoyed. I'm about to do that this year and I'll include the list here when it is done.

In the meantime I got thinking about what were my favourite albums. This is more complicated because for me the criteria of what makes a great album means assessing the collection of songs as a whole rather than saying it is great because of a few songs. Thus for me, U2's Joshua Tree has some of their best songs but the B-side (One Tree Hill aside) just hasn't got under my skin. Anne and I have similar enough tastes in music and the question of what are our favourite albums has been a topic I have raised as we have walked in the mornings (not always appreciated when we have just woken up!).

Here's the list so far in order of my preferences...

#1 Achtung Baby - U2 1991

#2 Songs From The Rain - Hothouse Flowers 1993

#3 The Trinity Sessions - Cowboy Junkies 1988

#4 Abbey Road - The Beatles 1969

#5 Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits 1985

#6 All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2 2000

#7 Into Your Heart - Hothouse Flowers 2004

#8 Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd 1973

#9Coming From Reality - Rodriguez 1971
#10 Together Alone - Crowded House 1993

#11 The Rising - Bruce Springsteen 2002

#12 Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd 1975

#13 The Globe Sessions - Sheryl Crow 1998

Anne would want to add Time After Time - Eva Cassidy 2000, I'm not so sure it ranks with the above ones.

Closing in though is the 2006 debut album of the Australian group The Audreys - Between Last Night & Us.

I want to add a compilation my brother put together featuring The Audreys, Nick Cave, Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies & Chris Isaak... it is quite fantastic but it doesn't fit the criteria.

What albums would you rate as your favourites?