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.