Website

Hi Guys,

Just letting everyone know that the website is back online sorry for the down time I've been a bit distracted with work issues lately and let the subscription lapse. All systems go now see you all soon.

Cheers, Nigel

An Alternate Reading of Poverty

Scott and I recently read a great article titled 'An Alternate Reading of Poverty' by Jayakumar Christian. There was lots in it about power structures and maintaining the status quo along the lines of Walter Wink's 'domination system', making the point that poverty is essentailly about disempowerment and oppression and power in the hands of some at the expense of others. It also speaks of poverty in terms of broken relationships, exclusion from the mainstream and fragmentation of community. Hopelessness that comes from the history of people and the narratives that shape people's lives is a powerful force shaping the experience of poverty. He also outlines the inadequate world views and the marring of identity that perpetuates and defines the poor. Most significantly for me was how Christian describes the underpinning of poverty by principalities and powers. More than interpresting these principalities and powers in a political and economic sense, Christian exposes their spiritual nature and the web of lies that ties all the above aspects of poverty together.

I remember during our time in Thailand being confonted by the deep sense of evil that was holding people on poverty, particularly in the slums. It was a realisation that there was more than a political or economic injustice occuring. There was a presence of evil that wanted to destroy people. At times it made the whole exercise of working against poverty feel hopeless.

Increasingly I'm feeling that our response needs to be multidimensional but always undergirded by prayer acknowledging the spiritual dimention of the battle we are in when we seek to challenge the status quo that keeps people in oppression and bondage.

In the article Christian concludes that we must respond to the poor in a way that addresses the whole context of poverty in a way that is more about transforming movements than projects. Our response must be spiritual, proclaiming the truth in the face of lies which requires that if we are to be agents of transformation we must be transformed oursleves. That is we need to be growing in our relationship with God, living with intergrity and in life giving relationships. He contends we must 'graduate to becoming communites where celebration, diversity and accountability are importnat hallmarks'. We need to become a prophetic and coventnal community that knows the discipline of standing in 'the counsel of the Lord' before rushing to help people. 'We must be equiped with the whole armour of God, the gifts of the Spirit and prayer and fasting as tools for social action.'

So for us splendid nobodies it is an encouragment for us to support one another as we deepen our spiritual lives and seek to be fruitful for God's kingdom.

Rachael

John Smith

Hi All,

John Smith spoke at Church on Sunday, He's an old man now, battered by life, but he still spoke with passion, positivity and excitement, he was really encouraging and inspiring. He spoke of many things as is his style but two stood out for me:

• The importance for the Church (ie christians) of having a real connection with Jesus, he challenged people about reading and re-reading, being immersed in the Gospels. This is something I've been reading and thinking about recently, and while I can say that I've read the Gospels a number of times in recent years I know I've got a long way to go in really immersing myself in what we know of Jesus life.

• The challenge of breaking down the implicit 'Temple Theology' in our church institutions.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Nigel

Ethereal Jesus

Hi Guys,

The holidays are over, so I thought I'd start posting again. I've just finished reading ReJesus the new book from Hirsch and Frost, fabulous book really insightful, and as usual when I got to the end of it I could hardly articulate in my mind one thing that stood out to me in the book, some times I think I read too fast and don't digest enough.

So I resolved this time to re-read the book and underline and note my thoughts and reflections, and I thought it might also be helpful to post some of them here too.

The first chapter of the book is titled 'How Jesus changes everything' and it explores how vital having a true understanding of who Jesus was/is is to our lives as disciples and followers. The authors, make a very valid point that over a period of time the Church has over emphasised the divinity of Jesus resulting in an otherwordly, ethereal Jesus who we can worship but can't follow, which is ironic because Jesus in the Gospels calls the Disciples to follow him on a number of occasions but never demands their worship.

In reflecting on this point it occured to me that this kind of Jesus is quite convenient for many of us middle class christians because on the one hand we can write lovely songs about our love and devotion (queue the Hillsong CD) for this Jesus, and get all the good feelings we like and on the other minimise the call to follow him because well he's God and he's not really human like us.

Thinking about this has made me realise how I still have a long way to go when it comes to identifying with the real Jesus as the writers of the Gospels describe him. The authors suggest that we need to be studying and reading and dwelling on the Gospels and seeking to be captivate by the flesh and blood Jesus found there.

Cheers,

Nigel

Hi all, 

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all this weekend. Have felt challenged to do more writing and reflecting in general and I guess this blog site is as good a place as any to write on and you can all ignore it or comment if you like.

 The importance of writing, speaking, reflecting etc. has come as I read Brian McLaren's book 'Everything Must Change'. He talks about how we need a whole new framing story- I guess that is like a world view, because we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and so we should no longer view things in the same way, with the same values and assumptions. As Christian it's easy to insert believing in Jesus and accepting personal salvation into our western, consumerist, busy lifestyle and our individualistic mindset. But McLaren argues that we need a whole new way of seeing and new habits of thinking along with transformed ways of living. But we need courage to believe against and beyond the dominant system of our day. A system that is animated by greed, power, self interest, fear, domination and violence. To oppose this system we need to undermine its power by refusing to believe in its assumptions and live out a new framing story a new way of seeing, believing and living that is empowered by love, reconciliation, liberation, hope and faith. So the battle begins in our minds and hearts. We need to tell different stories and play different songs. We move to the beat of different drum. So the work of the Kingdom begins with imagining  a new future and helping each other see God the Father and his Kingdom the way Jesus teaches us to see. We need to 'be transformed by the renewal of our minds'. Therefore, writing, and speaking and story telling and sharing are not just words but good deeds.  Rom 8:6 'The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace'. May our words and our fellowship be controlled by the Sprit of Christ so that we spread  life and peace around.

Rachael

Family/Children's time at retreat

Bec and I have been working and come up with some stuff to do over the retreat. We will be looking at Lamenting in the context of Easter. Are you Intrieged (probably more about my spelling than anything else).


We will be bringing some quiet time activities for children to use such as puzzles books colouring sort of stuff. Could each family bring their own outdoor and or sporting equiptment that they might like to bring.

Looking forward to catching up with you all and retreating.
Blessings Katrina

Hi everyone,

I hope this gets through to everyone ok!

Scott and I have been planning the input for quite some time and as the time gets nearer want to share with you what we have been working on. In light of the Missional Collective, our aims/objectives/daily practices etc, we thought that it would be appropriate to spend time looking at the Beatitudes but also the book of James as there are significant similarities.

In preparation for the retreat in around four weeks time, if possible, it would be helpful if everyone was able to read the book of James and also the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Scott will be in touch in a little while with a few questions/things to ponder to help us in our discussions/reflections. Several of the couples seem to have the book "Plan B" by Dave Andrews which focuses on the Beatitudes. It is a fairly small book and readable in a limited time frame. From what I gather, the Schirmer's, Litchfields (S&R) and Tretheways all have a copy. If others who have not had a chance to read it to date could do so before the retreat this may be a valuable thing to do.

In some ways it may seem like a lot of "homework", but hopefully it will be seen in the light of background information that would help to form/shape our time together rather than having to spend hours reading while together.

At this stage, if we were to adopt a similar program to last time, we have thought it would be a helpful thing after arrival and afternoon tea, to spend time sharing as a group what has been happening in our lives since we met and spend time praying for one another. Then, we would have an introduction time of an overview of James etc. In the evening after the kids have gone to bed, we would perhaps have a deeper discussion based on the readings. Then, in the morning, either before or after our "acts of service", we would continue on.

Who is responsible for putting the overall program together this time? Last time Katrina and Bec kept things ticking along. Therefore, does this mean it is Scott and my turn seeing as we have the main input spot or shall we leave it fairly flexible?

We are not sure who is included in this email and wonder whether it may be possible for members to be pass this on to others who are considering joining us over the weekend too.

Take care,

Adam and Scott

hI Katrina here again
Nigel i forgot what to do with stuff, i just came across the Blessing that we use as a family.
the words are

May the Lord bless us and keep us,
With his power be ever beside us,
May the Lord look with favor upon us,
And give us his peace.

So there it is for you all, Nigel could you put it on the resources page for me please.
Ta
Katrina

HI all Katrina here
i have a question about the retreat, as some of us will be staying over until Easter Sunday I wanted to ask about family traditions with regard to easter eggs.

We have as a family the tradition of an early or (earlyish) morning easter egg hunt followed by sharing out of the eggs. Thought it might work well in the farm setting but wanted to get some feedback to see whether others celebrated using eggs or used other things, forms or traditions. Would love to hear your comments.

thanks Katrina

Guidelines for the bride

I have come across this great site which is Follow the Rabbi.  It's worth a look.  Part of the site has "faith lessons" and one is entitled Korazin / Mt of Beatitudes.  

It explores our relationship with God using wedding language;

After asking a girl to marry him, the son would return to his village and build new rooms onto his father's home. The son, anxious to be married, waited for the day when his father declared that the building was complete. Then he could finally marry his bride and bring her to their new home.

Jesus presented a beautiful picture of heaven when he said, "In my Father's house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2—3). This word-picture presented Jesus as a bridegroom, preparing new rooms for his followers in the insula of heaven.

The lesson speaks of how Jesus drew on many family practises that were common in his day, in this case he weaves in a vision of the kingdom of God through the custom of marriage.  as Jesus started speaking these words stated above, his followers would have immediately identified it as wedding / marriage language.

The story then goes on to explore "guidelines for the bride";

When God established the covenant with his people, Moses climbed a mountain to receive the covenant law. Jesus, who came to fulfill that covenant, gave the new covenant guidelines on a mountain as well. But instead of the wilderness mountain at Sinai, Jesus taught on a hill near Korazin.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount gave new guidelines for his "brides" to follow as they prepared for his return. He challenged them with the Beatitudes—a list of virtues that could change the world.

Jesus knew that it would be difficult for his followers, living in an evil world while they awaited his return. His Sermon on the Mount presented a new battle plan for confronting that evil. But it sounded like a strange plan: Fight evil with the weapons of service and love.

In the face of violence and hate, Jesus wanted his brides to demonstrate mercy, meekness, and compassion. By living out the challenges of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' "brides" would demonstrate the greatest love of all—the love of their spiritual Bridegroom.

I wonder what stories Jesus would tell to describe the kingdom of God and his love for his children (brides) in today's language?  I just love it how Jesus used common things / everyday things to get his message across, and that his interactions with people were humble and "plain" - hanging out at people's houses for dinner, attending weddings, fishing in boats - normal everyday things!  And through these things he was able to construct love stories about God and his kingdom.  

It strikes me that we are all common everyday people.  Do we tend to tell stories about God in unusual / abstract ways through obscure actions that common people around us don't tend to understand?

Chris.

...not bad for an old fella...

Discipleship

Hi Guys,

I read an article on the Christianity Today website a couple of weeks ago by Richard Foster and it really resonated with me, sometimes I know, I get the cart before the horse. It also reminded me of what Dave Andrews wrote in his book Plan Be that we have to be the change we want to see in the world, and for me I know I have no hope of being that change except when I'm closely connected with God and allowing him to change me.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the article

...Vast numbers of well-intended folk have exhausted themselves in church work and discovered that this did not substantively change their lives. They found that they were just as impatient and egocentric and fearful as when they began lifting the heavy load of church work. Maybe more so.

Others have immersed themselves in multiple social-service projects. But while the glow of helping others lingered for a time, they soon realized that all their herculean efforts left little lasting imprint on the inner life. Indeed, it often made them much worse inwardly: frustrated and angry and bitter.

Still others have a practical theology that will not allow for spiritual growth. Indeed, they just might see it as a bad thing. Having been saved by grace, these people have become paralyzed by it. To attempt any progress in the spiritual life smacks of "works righteousness" to them. Their liturgies tell them they sin in word, thought, and deed daily, so they conclude that this is their fate until they die. Heaven is their only release from this world of sin and rebellion. Hence, these well-meaning folk will sit in their pews year after year without realizing any movement forward in their life with God.

Finally, a general cultural malaise touches us all to one extent or another. I am referring to how completely we have become accustomed to the normality of dysfunction. The constant media stream of scandals and broken lives and mayhem of every sort elicits from us hardly more than a yawn. We have come to expect little else, even from our religious leaders—perhaps especially from our religious leaders. This overall dysfunction is so pervasive in our culture that it is nearly impossible for us to have a clear vision of spiritual progress. Shining models of holiness are so rare today.

Yet echoing through the centuries is a great company of witnesses telling us of a life vastly richer and deeper and fuller. In all walks of life and in all human situations, they have found a life of "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). They have discovered that real, solid, substantive transformation into the likeness of Christ is possible...

...God has given each one of us the responsibility to "grow in grace" (2 Pet. 3:18). This is not something we can pass off onto others. We are to take up our individualized crosses and follow in the steps of the crucified and risen Christ.

All real formation work is "heart work." The heart is the wellspring of all human action. All of the devotional masters call us constantly, almost monotonously, toward a purity of heart. The great Puritan divines, for example, gave sustained attention to this. In Keeping the Heart, John Flavel, a 17th-century English Puritan, notes that the "greatest difficulty in conversion, is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion, is to keep the heart with God. … Heart work is hard work indeed."

When we are dealing with heart work, external actions are never the center of our attention. Outward actions are a natural result of something far deeper, far more profound.

The ancient maxim Actio sequitur esse, "action follows essence," reminds us that our action is always in accord with the inward reality of our heart. This, of course, does not reduce good works to insignificance, but it does make them matters of secondary significance, effects rather than causes. Of primary significance is our vital union with God, our new creation in Christ, our immersion in the Holy Spirit. It is this life that purifies the heart; when the branch is truly united with the vine and receiving its life from the vine, spiritual fruit is a natural result.

This is why the moral philosophers could say, "Virtue is easy." When the heart is purified by the action of the Spirit, the most natural thing in the world is the virtuous thing. To the pure in heart, vice is what is hard.

It is no vain thing for us to return to our first love over and over and over again. It is an act of faith to continually cry out to God to search us and know our heart and root out every wicked way in us (Ps. 139:23-24). This is a vital aspect of the salvation of the Lord.

We are, each and every one of us, a tangled mass of motives: hope and fear, faith and doubt, simplicity and duplicity, honesty and falsity, openness and guile. God is the only one who can separate the true from the false, the only one who can purify the motives of the heart.

But God does not come uninvited. If certain chambers of our heart have never experienced God's healing touch, perhaps it is because we have not welcomed the divine scrutiny.

The most important, most real, most lasting work is accomplished in the depths of our heart. This work is solitary and interior. It cannot be seen by anyone, not even ourselves. It is a work known only to God. It is the work of heart purity, of soul conversion, of inward transformation, of life formation...

Love your thoughts,

Nigel

Hi Guys,

I'm obviously in the swing of things tonight. I just thought I would post this photo of the view from the campsite, this was taken early on Sunday morning.

Cheers,

Nigel

Easter Retreat

Hi Guys,

A thought for the theme of the next retreat, ...Lament... , it ties in well with the beattitudes, and maybe with Easter?, all comments welcome, in fact feedback is imperative.

Cheers,

Nigel

Hello

Hi all Katrina here
Its hard to believe in some ways that it is 6 weeks since we gathered togther at retreat. Just like to share that I had a great time and am looking forward to the next one over Easter. I vaguely remember saying at retreat that i would put something on the website about the retreat but at this moment i have no idea what it was, does any one remember? I was wondering if we could put up some of the words to some of the songs we sang as a resource, was that what i said i would do? I'll have another think and look though my notes and try to come up with an answer. Pray you are all well.
Katrina