Month: <span>April 2006</span>

An interesting thing on the radio tonight. Jess had talk-back on in the car and there was this girl talking about a rape and convictions of the guys who were involved and the announcer asks her if she’s forgiven them.

Where does forgiveness fit in the secular, what meaning can it possibly have? Sure we teach little kids to say sorry regardless of religion, it’s polite, it’s the right thing to do. But for what we count as the big stuff like rape, like murder. Why should you – if you are not a Christian or of another religion that finds it important, forgive? What benefit does it have to you? Is it a feel good? If so, then why don’t people think about why? Who does it help? Is it simply a courtesy extended to the other human being? It makes absoultely no sense.

And so Burkie mentions I forgot to blog.
To redeem myself as I really do want sleep just now.

Bonds Hoodies are the greatest!

and that is all I have to say. Wasn’t that inspiring? Thought provoking? Enthralling and wonderful!

I played kiss chasey with the Biblical references during the sermon this morning. So I’m in church and during the “worship” (music) I’m again in the high dry not feeling it, having difficulty meaning it point so I sit down during, (Hihohio its off to work we go) the God of Wonders song and find my mental parallel verse: Psalm 19. Which has at certain points meant a fair bit to me, (Aside from getting the distinct impression that I should go and read it).

So I read Psalm 19 and read it again and again with not all of it sinking in as my mind was going at three million miles an hour. I leave it and more stuff proceeds more normally. Prophesy time someone mentions Psalm 23 with the focus on v.1. Beautifully strange as I was getting into it a bit last night in response to something written in a thread on gush, particularly, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.” Which oddly enough is verse 1. Good thing to be thinking about pertaining to some of my thoughts earlier this week.

Rob was preaching on joy and how we live life in transit. I chased up all the biblical references mentioned and ones that came to mind as he was talking.

For a while I’ve had this ‘live the present’ philosophy although I generally do a fair bit of forgetting. Matt 6:25-34 is the ‘do not worry’ passage, and Mark 10:13-16 talks about the children coming to Jesus.

I was watching a kid last night at Jess’s party. He had a balloon and was entirely entranced by it. He found so much pleasure in his playing and I think I mentioned something to Jo or Clare about it being a pity that when you ‘grow up’ that feeling doesn’t come so easily, if at all anymore.

John 15:9-11 talks about joy being complete. A deeply satisfying life, we want that don’t we? Remaining in God is a curious thing, we are always wanting and waiting and wanting and waiting.

Thirsty Merc has this song Someday, Someday with the line: ” Someday, someday
I’ll know that you love me” I don’t think God’s on about that. There aren’t any someday’s with God. He is constant.

I’m a forward thinking person, a backward thinking person and seldom an ‘in the now’ thinking person.

In the middle of the sermon I again get the push and shove to go read Psalm 19. I have it open and am underlining: “In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.” (v.4-5)

A split second later it is being read out (with no prior warning) the precise verse a word after the one I was underlining. I did a massive double take and was slighly gobsmacked. A bit of a wake up and pay attention perhaps? It worked extremely well.

I don’t understand joy very well a lot of the time. I have complained before about my lack of enthusiasm about almost everything. The word enthusiasm strangely enough comes from, “In theos” or, “In God”. Which is mildly scary when I look at my life in response to that.

I’m not exactly sure why I got bait dangled in front of my face today and was encouraged to follow, the last part of church was far better than the start, I was encouraged as I haven’t had God be that clear in a while, but I don’t know really where it’s all going.

“We too stand under the Cross, unable to do more than bear witness to the ‘Now’ of eternity which is ours, to the Day of Jesus Christ, which is no day, but the Day of Days, before and behind and above the days of our life.”
-Karl Barth: Epistle to the Romans, viii. 23-5.

I recieved this email today from World Vision:

A drastic food shortage threatens the lives of more than 15 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly half of them small children.

World Vision, the Christian relief and development organization, has partnered with Provident Music Group to offer the new WOW Worship Aqua double CD set AT NO ADDITIONAL COST to anyone who gives a gift of $20 or more.

Thanks to grants from the U.S. government, your gift will more than double in impact to help provide food to children and families in sub-Saharan Africa! The need is urgent, please respond now!

This isn’t giving. This is a sad attempt at addressing our greed. Now whoever gets this email also gets an ethical dillema. Do I help or is it playing into the hands of, I’m helping because I’m getting something out of it?

Just slap on a little more irony, the CD is a ‘worship’ cd! Yes, so what? Well… shouldn’t we be doing justice and loving kindness without requiring something, shouldn’t we be giving and helping as an act of worship? But no that’s right, worship is singing songs to God because he gets the warm fuzzies.

On a more pleasing note. Work was quite bearable today. Lots to do. Saw Dan (of the bongos variety) as he works upstairs from me and tends to waste time in Dymocks now and then. Had lunch with Anton (Jan’s dad and my dad’s good friend). Quite strange having lunch with someone from that well sphere. Somehow got on to talking about Jan and Warren, then go figure, he asks me if there was any ‘someone’ in my life atm. Uh, no. Quite funny in a way.

Saw The Inside Man tonight with Jess. Rather good. I did slightly not clue into something rather important at the end but hey, nothing like going with someone who was paying close attention. Good movie though, one part I’d rather have not seen as it was slightly disturbing. I shant give any away however, go see it for yourself.