Author: <span>Rebecca Matheson</span>

Justice

I’ve been hearing a heap about it lately. Through erm, Gathering’s (that would be ‘chapel’ held during the day at Tabor) by Stephen Said’s talk on Justice and TEAR , and in our class on ‘Spiritual Activism’ and Urban Seed by Marcus Curnow and in the sermon at my Grandma’s church which was on Hospitality and vastly relevant.

“From the very beginning and throughout the Bible, God’s privileged one is consistently the enslaved instead of the supposed free, the outsider instead of the insider, the sinner instead of the righteous, the wounded instead of the healthy, the lay instead of the clergy, the poor instead of the rich. I dare you to try to disprove that.”

originally from here but I got it from here (which is Stephen Said’s blog which I read upon occasion)

Anyway, Social Justice.
I don’t know if I fully ‘get it’. I’m defintely not really inclined towards it.
I do think it should play some kind of part in my life however I am not entirely sure how.

I grabbed a Micah Challenge bookmark today, and stuck it on my wall (which is starting to fill up with all sorts of interesting postcards and art 🙂 to remind myself to check it out sometime, and of the whole ‘Justice’ issue.

Yes I should look into this kind of stuff more. I have really only just started toying with vague ideas of even bothering to think about it.
I guess there are ways in which I help in the background, hmm lets see I helped fix up the Catalyst website (don’t laugh there is much to be done)…. which is something my work is involved in.

The truth is, despite not being entirely involved or having a passion for this kind of thing, it still interests me greatly.

I am not set out employed or consumed with the passion of social justice.
I could say, or start to recognise that my interests lie closer to home, within this beautifully huge, terrifying, uncharted territory of the obsessive trap of being online 24/7.

Stupid online youth ministry… hardly any resources behind it (that was a friendly ‘stupid’ don’t misinterpret please).

that saying….

I intend to go to the Genunie Connection day thing later in August… and will hopefully get some partially useful ideas. It looks interesting regardless.

*edit… and that post just petered out into nothing related to Social Justice. ah well.

Had Marcus Curnow from Urban Seed do our Spiritual Growth lecture today…
(found out later he’s actually related to me…. *this is starting to get embarassing the number of lecturers I know)

What think you of this? (Put your thinking into the context of being around a lot of broken/homeless/druggies… hey even ourselves) Basically ‘Shout to the Lord’ – Lament style.
Read more about what was behind this here
it is interesting.

I oddly like this version.

Shout to the Lord (Angry)
(Lyrics: Marcus Curnow 2005)

Why Jesus? Why favour
Those who do not like you?
All of my years I cry bitter tears
I wonder where’s your mighty love?

No comfort, No shelter
Where is the refuge and strength?
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to question You

Shout to/(at) the Lord
All the Earth, let us bring
Powerlessness, tragedy
Rail at the King
Mountains fall down
And the seas will roar
Hear the sound of the pain

I long to see the work
Of your hand
Forever I’ll seek you
Seek to understand
Nothing to hold
But the promise I have
In you

I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
Sixpence None the Richer
(Originally performed by Brian Wilson / The Beach Boys)

I keep looking for a place to fit in
where I can speak my mind
and I’ve been trying hard to find the people
that I won’t leave behind

they say I got brains
but they ain’t doing me no good
I wish they could

each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin’ for myself
but what goes wrong

sometimes I feel very sad
sometimes I feel very sad
sometimes I feel very sad

I guess I just wasn’t made for these times

every time I get the inspiration
to go change things around
no one wants to help me look for places
where new things might be found

where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out
what’s it all about

each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin’ for myself
but what goes wrong

sometimes I feel very sad
sometimes I feel very sad
sometimes I feel very sad

I guess I just wasn’t made for these times

I guess I just wasn’t made for these times
I guess I just wasn’t made for these times
I guess I just wasn’t made for these times
I guess I just wasn’t made for these times

Open file

Currently listening to… (set the scene 🙂
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons – Winter

I wish…
That certain people would talk more about themselves
That I would talk less about myself
That I was encouraged more
That I could find it easier to love my sisters
That I spent more time with Dad
That I got along better with Mum
That I took the initiative to call people, to spend time with them
That I would want to spend more time with God and not feel guilty when I want to do other stuff.
That I would act the same around everyone, that I could just be myself

I want to one day…
Wake up in the same bed with someone I love (get married)
Go back and visit the Solomons, see if the dog I left over there would react the same way it did when I came back from 3 days of being on camp
See live theatre of- Les Miserables, Handel’s Messiah… almost anything else
Write a book
Have a SITAG reunion
Have a baby
Visit Europe

DVD most wanted list:
Les Miserables (the Claire Danes one)
Love Me if you Dare
Amelie
Little Women

Random Facts

I called my dog Job not because of the ‘great sorrow’ most see, but because of the ‘great faith’ I found in that book.

I actually lost lost my first tooth. I spent all day with a little friend at a school in Brisbane looking for it.

I think 1996-1998 somewhere in those years I was first introduced to the internet, I was facinated from day one.

The first computer games I played were a, ‘create a dinosaur’ and ‘learn sign language’ – DOS.

I started learning to listen to God when I fell down a hill in front of some friends after showing off, and when I stabbed myself on this vine, I think it was in the same day – or same week. Funny stupid lessons involving ‘mottos’ and Bible verses.

I like squaredancing… or did about 4 years ago, I haven’t since.

I went through a horse stage.

I used to be able to draw quite well.

I used to collect teddy bears – excessively.

I used to be good at drama… that was primary school.

I was somehow lured into a position where I had to sing something in front of someone when I was maybe 7 – at Girls Brigade. I didn’t sing for a long time. I couldn’t – I was ‘bad’ at it.
I can sort of sing now, but I don’t like to infront of people.

I loved lego. I called my ‘space guy’: Nero… after the Emperor, despite his cruelty.

I went through a ballet stage when I was about 5. I owned a tutu. Mum got Laura and me to go to “Jazz Ballet’ I didn’t want to as it wasn’t ‘authentic’, I hated every moment of it, the teacher was weird, I couldn’t keep up. That ended my facination with that.
That school burnt down later, I might have been secretly pleased.

The first journal I ever kept consistently was entirely about my dog.

I went to a sleep over when I was about 11. We watched a movie (I think I know it now as ‘I know what you did last summer’ – I could be wrong), this has a section where seance is held or something. This movie haunted me for years.

The only disney movie that ever gave me nightmares was the Little Mermaid.

The first CD I ever owned was by Michelle Tumes. I still have it somewhere but I don’t listen to it, it’s a bit embarassing.

I had a experience at work experience in year 10 where the guy who ran the business asked me to, on my break ’empty my mind… etc’. I believe he and his girlfriend were inovled in a cult. I flat refused to his face, and seriously considered walking home. I should have.

I tie memories most strongly to music and to smell.

I do not know if I want to go to uni any more next year.

I like it when guys are courteous and open doors, but not in excess.

I think the guy should always ask the girl out and not the other way around.

I called Hannah a cow this evening.

Sixpence None the Richer is probably the band I like best.

Piano music messes with my insides, in a good way.

Milkyways are the best chocolate, I would prefer it if they made them bigger

I drink coffee and eat chocolate when I’m feeling low
(but not exclusively so)

I’d rather yell at someone and have them do the same, than them not voice what they are feeling.

I am stubborn, bossy when it suits and blunt. Always blunt.

When I can speak my mind and begin to openly disagree – it usually means I am fairly comfortable with those around me.

The best dream I ever had was when I was running along this cliff in some kind of race, with the most amazing scenery, I ended up on this rock looking out at sea, there were killerwhales jumping, all because of God. No description does it justice, even my memory.

I read Swords and Crowns and Rings (Ruth Park) when I was maybe 13. I was way too young to read it then. It is still one of my favourite books. If they made a movie it would be fairly disturbing.

When people cry in front of me, I have a difficult time knowing what to do/say.

2001 was the best and the hardest year I think I’ve ever had.

This year has been the year that has grown me the most, healed me the most and offered me change in a non threatening way.

and I have run out of random things for the time being.

New Testament class – Action Option Journal Entry

Note how the Media refer to Jesus. Where did you hear it? Who said it? Why did they say it? What does it imply about their view of Jesus?

I had to go searching for a mention of Jesus in media, it didn’t make itself known; it wasn’t plastered on a billboard. I don’t watch a lot of TV. I haven’t read the paper for a long time but I was still not overly surprised at what I found when I looked.

I found an article in ‘The Age’, titled: In a Jam for Jesus. It was about a cult. A drastic misinterpretation of Biblical values – the article didn’t tell me this directly, but it was fairly simple to derive it from their literal interpretation of, “Offering your bodies as a living sacrifice” in pushing kidney donation and more alternate/extreme ideas. What frustrates me about stories like this is that non Christians do read them, and draw immediate suspicions about Christianity, often bypassing the ‘cult’ factor and focusing in on the, this is what it means to follow Jesus. That or it subconsciously adds to a ‘anti Jesus’ vibe.

Just as cults are often based around distorted truth, I found another example of this in an article on the Da Vinci Code, a best seller, a different kind of media putting forward wrong ideas of Jesus. The Da Vinci Code however, presents an opportunity for ‘Jesus interest’, which can only be a good thing. It does highlight Jesus in a purely historical context, placing what I understand as fact into a constrained box of fiction.

An article on noisy neighbors, and I quote, “I’ve prayed to Jesus, Buddha, Allah and Gary Ablett.” points towards the view of religion/Jesus being a convenience, a God to pull off the top shelf when you need help. This also emphasises the equivalent value, likening Jesus with sports celebrities. That it ‘does not matter’ which God you pray too, just so long as they are willing to do your bidding.

There is a sign I pass on the train to work – an Essendon footy advertisement that plays of a player’s (Matthew Lloyd) last name. “Praise the Lloyd.” There is reference to Jesus plastered on billboards. Our culture has a very vague idea of who Jesus is and predominantly makes a mockery of what they don’t understand. To me this simply testifies how we constantly fail to portray in our lives who Jesus is.