competing priorities?!....

I was reading an article tonight about the United Nations Millennium Development goals. Kevin Rudd is over in New York at the moment discussing with the UN the progress towards these goals that Australia signed up to in 2000. Australia committed to give 0.7% of gross income to foreign aid.

You can read the full article here... http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=637293

There was one line that struck me, and kind of made me a little angry. When asked why 0.7% was merely an 'aspiration', Rudd replied "we have many other competing priorities on the Australian budget and those will take priority".

That's a fair enough call, but Rudd can't leave it at that. He has to tell us what these competing priorities are. Are they tax breaks for the rich of our country?. Or are they improving our education system?. Is it to invest money into early intervention for at risk families?. Is it to end our disgraceful housing crisis?. What exactly are these 'competing priorities'?.

Maybe if Rudd explained this, i would understand a little more why he isn't contributing more to foreign aid. No matter what the reasons, I still think there's a way we could balance it all out so we could still help with foreign aid, and fight the injustice in our own country. I somehow think in a prosperous country like Australia, we could do it.

Meanwhile, while we figure this out, a child dies every three seconds. Every day 16,000 children die of preventable starvation, malnutrition or related sickness. That's more than 6 million each year.

By the time I've written this blog about this topic, it'll be too late for some children... That grieves my heart, and I'm sure it grieves Gods heart.

Just a thought or two.

For Him Alone.
Ness

The Pathetic Poor

Just read an awesome, thought provoking blog on "Just Salvos" (link on the right).
Check it out... be challenged. I certainly was..

For Him Alone
Ness :-)

trusting your 'gut instinct'

This past week or so I've been up in Sydney on a rather unexpected trip up here due to family reasons. While unexpected, I've learned a few very important lessons in a very short period of time. So I thought I'd share some of it with you (even though I'm not sure who 'you' are! lol)

For the last little while, things have been happening in my life that I haven't quite understood. I've continually been praying "Lord, I trust in You with all of my heart, and lean not on my own understanding, but in all my ways acknowledge You, knowing You will make my paths straight (prov 3:4)" I'm constantly reminded that God has a much bigger perspective of my life than I do. Our human perspective is so unbelievably limited. God sees the bigger picture of our lives... pictures that include other people, other things etc, things that we don't understand.

I'm so glad that I can absolutely trust the Maker and Creator of the universe with my life. It's not always easy to trust Him... sometimes I want to take things into my own hands, but I know that Gods way is the best way, and it's a way that will bring glory to His name.. That's what I want!

I have also (re) learnt the value of the 'gut instinct'. I can't explain why in full detail, but the end story is the gut instinct is good. And when you've made a decision based on that gut instinct, there's a great sense of relief.. Gee its good. Sometimes i wonder if that gut instinct is God trying to speak to us?..

So the end result.. I'm heading back to Melbourne on Tuesday night. After seeking out God, I'm trusting my gut instinct.. I'm trusting God.. knowing He has plans for me. Plans not to harm me, but to give me hope and a future.

For Him Alone
Ness :-)

fallen in love with the streets...

I was thinking the other day, what's life going to be like for me after my experience here in Melbourne. This year has broken me, changed me, and opened my eyes (and my heart) to a different world. I will never be the person I was at the beginning of the year. I've seen too much, experienced too much for it not to change me for good.

I've been reading a book called "unchristian" which talks about how non Christians view Christians and the church in general. I've only read one chapter so far (called Hypocrisy), and its challenged me so much... I think the whole book is going to be challenging. One guy, who works for the church in the community talks about the separation between the church and the neighbourhood. He says:

"There is a separation between church and neighbourhood. And hypocrisy- talk without action- plays a part in this divide. For the young people who grew up on the streets, its an age old story: the drug kingpin knows their name, but the pastor does not. The teachers at school don't think they can learn, but they conquer the "street classes" just fine. The street culture always pursues and welcomes them, but the doors of the church are only open on Sunday. The church wants them neat and clean, but the streets take them as they are."

He goes on to say that he co-ordinates mission programs for college age students (much like what I'm doing here in Melbourne. He says that young adults come to his program ready to serve and listen to the voices of the rarely heard. They set out to bring Christ's love outside of the church walls. These young adults quickly discover a loyalty to their new neighbourhood. They fall in love with the streets and all those who live there.

He continues...

"This should be a match made in Heaven, but it isn't. Instead it turns out to be a sharp gust of wind, extinguishing the flame of trust that these young adults kept lit for their vision of "church". When they return home from their experience, they find their church is not ready for the neighbourhood kid who comes to youth group for the first time without a Christian foundation. The homeless man that really smells when he comes to the service. The building fund, pew fund, or organ fund lose their importance when you encounter hungry people daily. Those who have put in a year or more living with families in pain, people on the street, and victims of injustice, quickly lose respect for the church.

I believe that today, young adults are starting to see the church as a place that has not dealt well with the poor and the outcast, whether it be a homeless man in the city or a suburban teen who struggles with addiction.

Young people will not communicate with and seek help from parents, pastors and teachers whose lifestyles and passions do not match their words and faith. They will go to those who will embrace relationship with them; those who are also hurting and who are willing to share it.

Young adults are turning away from a modern church that they see as nothing more than hypocritical. Standards and rules without sacrifice and solidarity is hypocritical. Christian rhetoric without tangible acts of love is hypocrisy. Churches on every corner with hurting people outside is hypocrisy.

A large building with little connection to the streets is essentially empty."

I agree. Whatever I decide to do after Melbourne, whatever doors God opens up for me, I'm going to keep my passion and fire burning, because I know that its a fire that God has lit inside of me. I might end up in a super traditional corps (church), but it's there, with Gods help, that I'll live a lifestyle that is being the change she wants to see. I'll preach the gospel at all times, using words when necessary. Often actions are so much louder than words.

Interesting thoughts hey. We need to bring the church and the community back together, they can't be separate anymore. That's not the way God intended it to be. We've gotta stop being worried about the small insignificant things and start grieving for our community that hurts right in front of our eyes. And then we've gotta let that stir us into action, not being content with a mediocre existence anymore.

That's all from me tonight!

For Him Alone
Ness :-)

God cares about humanity..

Today is class we were talking about how God cares about a WHOLE person, and what that means. It's not just about saving a persons soul, but about redeeming every part of them.
I mean God makes it clear that He cares about a persons body, about humanity. God cared about humanity that much that he came to this earth and put skin on. He came as Jesus. That to me just shows how much He really cares about our humanity.

That's an interesting concept here at 614. I whole heartedly believe it. But there's some people here that we know know God, but they still live a life dependent on drugs and alcohol. Are they still going to Heaven? Yes! Of course they are? Is what they're doing sin? I'm not so sure.. Does God weep over these people? Absolutely.. undeniably.

Just a bit of my rambling... some big concepts in there.. something that I'll be chewing over for a while.

For Him Alone
Ness :-)

A New Season

Yesterday while I was in Target, I almost shiverred when I walked past the newly displayed swimming costumes. It was an obvious reminder that Summer is almost upon us (even though it's Spring has only just started). The year is going so so fast! And the Seasons keep on changing. Before you know it we'll be in Spring with full swing..

The change of seasons just reminded me of the different seasons in our lives. Some seasons are seasons of happiness, where things go good. Other times its a seasons of testing and temptation. Another time it might be a season of learning and growing (although I hope i'm always growing and learning)...

Whatever season it might be, I know that my God is with me, and has so much to teach me and show me. I pray that every season, no matter how hard it may be, will bring glory to His name.

For Him Alone
Ness :-)

Are You The Pharisee?

For one of my classes I've been reading "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Phillip Yancey. It's been a really really interesting book, and has made me think about Jesus in a whole new light. This week we had to read a chapter titled "mission: a revolution of grace". I was intrigued simply because of the title, so I read with interest!

The first illustration spoke a lot to me (and also convicted a lot of my fellow class mates). Here's the story. Yancey says:

When discussing what has happened to the church, and why we aren't focused on the down and outs anymore , like Jesus was, someone in the class suggested that legalism in the church had created a barrier of strict rules that made non Christians feel uncomfortable. The class discussion abruptly lurched in a new direction, as survivors of Christian colleges and fundamentalist churches began swapping war stories. I told of my own bemusement in the early seventies when the redoubtable Moody Bible Institute, located just four blocks down the street from our own church, was banning all beards, mustaches, and hair below the ears of male students- though each day students filed past a large oil painting of Dwight L Moody, covered with hair, therefore breaking all three rules.

Everyone laughed, everyone except Greg, that is who fidgeted in his seat and smoldered. I could see his face flush red, then blanch with anger. Finally Greg raised his hand, and rage and indignation spilled out. He was almost stammering. "I feel like walking out of this place" he said, and all of the sudden the room hushed "You criticise others for being Pharisees. I'll tell you who the real Pharisees are- They're YOU (as he pointed at Yancey) and the rest of you people in this class. You think you're so high and mighty and mature. I became a Christian because of Moody Church. You find a group to look down on, to feel more spiritual than, and you talk about them behind their backs, That's what a Pharisee does. You're all Pharisees.

WHOA!! does that convict you? Because it sure convicted me, and everyone who was in class with me this afternoon. How much do we bag out other denominations?. I was thinking in particular of Mike Gugilemucci (forgive my spelling) and Planetshakers. How quick were we all to point fingers? Being The Salvation Army, how much do we look at other churches and say "oh you're not as socially orientated as we are". We are NO better than them. God desires UNITY in the church, not factions and bickering between them. Really, we're a bunch of pharisees. Despite the issues that a particular denomination has (and no denomination is excluded from that!) God uses us, sinners, to bring glory to His name and draw people into relationship with Him. We cannot, and must not discount the work that each denomination does, despite their particular methods.

I know I can be a bit of a skeptic sometimes when it comes to the Pentecostals, and in particular the whole mega church movement, but can I say that God hasn't used them to spread the message of the saving power of Jesus? NO! I cannot and must not. I'm sure people look at The Salvation Army and say "What a bunch of cooks with their uniforms and their militaristic ways".

We are all sinners in equally desperate need of our God.

That's the bottom line.

For Him Alone
Ness :-)