More fires, more floods

Here,  in Perth, we have lost up to thirty five homes over 12 hours and the fires are still out of control.

AM – Fire devastates homes in Perth’s east 07/02/2011.

In the east, flood damage from storm and cyclone directly affecting thousands is still being assessed.

I noticed in news reports on the fires that people were being arrested for passing barricades to get to their threatened homes. I wonder if this is a manifestation of ‘disaster fatigue’ – that people are becoming blasé about personal safety because extreme natural events across the country have been part of our scene for about six weeks straight.

Anyhow, spare a thought for emergency workers – firefighters, police, rescuers – professional and volunteer – whose tasks stretch ahead to some unknown horizon at this stage.

Spare a prayer for those who have lost all but their lives and who must begin the process of reconstruction.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundaries

WordPress is impressing this challenge upon us bloggers, so I grabbed the camera and prowled the boundaries of my workplace & abode. We often say we live and work in a fish-tank – exposed to all. I was surprised to see how many “boundaries’ were in in evidence.

The first was the one set up by these ants who seem to think rain is on its way.

Not to mention our grand old tuarts guarding the pathway in.

Then look at our fences!

There are a few more, but that will suffice to demonstrate that even at our most open we need our boundaries!

Praying for Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands

What a way to tour the world! The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes us to these three countries, which for their size, have had strong parts to play in modern history. We join the rest of the planet in prayerful thanksgiving for some legacies and intercession for some challenges surrounding the good folk of these nations.

At the Prayer Cycle’s invitation, I repost the coming week’s prayers here. More general background on Luxembourg is found here.

Give thanks for:

  • The Protestant Church in the Netherlands. May it continue to serve as a witness towards the visible unity of the church.
  • Christians who make a strong witness for justice and peace in our world.
  • Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Brueghel, Vermeer and all those who, with their art, have given us new eyes to see.

Pray for:

  • Tolerance and mutual respect between the Flemings and Walloons in Belgium.
  • Drug users and those who sell drugs, that they find comfort and strength in God instead of substance abuse.
  • The church’s vitality to attract once again those who have lost interest in the faith.
  • The hundreds of asylum seekers at the borders, who are turned back to where they came from without exception, and who are deported without any hope of a better future.
  • A healthy and open discussion between those who believe and those who don’t, between those born in these countries and those who came later, so that people don’t let themselves be tempted to develop racial prejudices.
  • People to respect each other’s identity.
  • Neighbours to live in peace with one another instead of treating each other with indifference and suspicion.
  • Young people who cannot find a job after finishing their education.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the sun that always rises, but never sets.

You are the source of all life, creating and sustaining every living thing.

You are the source of all food, material and spiritual, nourishing us in both body and soul.

You are the light that dispels the clouds of error and doubt,
and goes before me every hour of the day,
guiding my thoughts and my actions.

May I walk in your light,
be nourished by your food,
be sustained by your mercy,
and be warmed by your love.

Quizzing the Sermon on the Mount

Jesus looks over the crowd and declares “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…”
How did he know? What did he see in the disparate mob gathered there? Fisherfolk, tax collector, tenant farmer – the curious, the cynic and the desperado.
Was he declaring what was already innate or something that was yet to be? Or both?

Answers gladly received as I prepare Matthew 5:13-20 for Sunday’s harangue.

Watching Egypt

A few of my friends are nervous about Egypt right now. Some are predicting an outcome similar to that of the Iranian revolution. Others see the possibility of the beginning of a new phase of more open and accessible governance as opposed to repressive and despotic regimes in the Middle East.

Truth is, much remains unknown while the dramatic events in Cairo and Alexandria are still unfolding.

Two articles from the last day are helpful in background however.

The first is the Huffington Posts’s “4 Reasons Why Egypt’s Revolution is not Islamic.” It lays a lot of inaccurate comparisons to the Iranian Revolution to rest.

The next is from Jim Wallis (Sojourners) who critiques his country’s role in the lead-up to and aftermath of the current events. His article, Let’s Be Honest About Egypt, concludes:

“There are three crucial tests now which will determine what will happen next in Egypt. First, will the protests that were started by a new generation young people who want a better and more democratic way of life remain peaceful? Second, will the military keep its promise made last night not to attack our “great people?” And will the United States be willing to abide by a new democracy in Egypt that doesn’t have to always agree with American “interests?””

Finding a use for parallel universes…

I think parallel universes would come in handy at times. Right now I’m setting up several meetings that involve different people from disparate settings. My usual mode is to send out an email saying “Give me your days and times and I’ll attempt to match them up using the most common denominator.” Invariably the days that suit some, others urge me to avoid at all costs. If we had access to an asynchronous parallel universe or two we could handle calendar clashes – just slide from one reality to the next!

How to keep track? Outlook already allows multiple calendars. Those who still carry appointment books could colour code them. You’d have to be extra vigilant, of course. Trying to remember which universe you absent-mindedly left your car keys in would be an extra challenge.

Back to school – or school at home?

To home school or not? Today’s article in Eureka Street discusses its benefits against a constrained and competitive school system.
We are long past our child’s school days, but we had to work hard to ensure his particular needs were met through the public system.

The argument seems to be that home-schooling provides a more confident, well-rounded and self-motivated individual, while too many lose their way in the classroom. Of course there are exceptions, and home schooling depends on effective access to resources, socialisation and a wholesome environment – an equal challenge for for both home and institution, testing the resourcefulness and creativity of all concerned.

Perhaps two pertinent affirmations arise from the debate – parents cannot afford to be uninvolved in their children’s education, and education is not just something that happens in school hours.

True Grit – a Review

I don’t know if the Coen brothers intended it, but their remake of the 1968 Charles Portis novel made famous by John Wayne plays out like the conflicted symbiosis of  Freud’s id, ego and superego.

The self-assured 14 year old Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) confidently represents the ego – self-aware and able to negotiate what she wants – in this case vengeance on the man who murdered her father. One-eyed and grizzled US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) is the id, cunning, almost animal like, but no match for the insistent drive and purpose of the young woman who hires him (against his will) to track the killer through the western frontiers. High minded Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) supplies the superego; he is also after the killer for his own reasons. The interplay between these three characters could be seen as a fascinating study of the war within each of us – our baser instincts, present conscious drive and our higher yet censorious self . Each discovers its need for the other, each has the chance to show ‘true grit.’

On another level, the bleak and grim background of the American western frontier in the 1880s displays the grandeur and the poverty of the elevation of the unquestioned and unexamined idolatry of the rise of the individual. Virtue is seen in the height one can attain by beating the other down. When connection is made, it is through grudging admiration of the other’s ability to shine in cunning and manipulation.

And I thought I was just going to see another Western!

Australia & the World Pray for the UK & Ireland

Many countries deserve our thoughtful prayers from week to week and we are certainly mindful of the dramatic events affecting millions of people in Egypt right now. Focused attention on troubled and changing regions does not deplete a disciplined and planned approach to prayer, however.

Ireland and the  United Kingdom comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales are the countries featured on the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle this week.

The Church of Christ at Wembley Downs participates by featuring the week’s countries in newsletter, feature wall and Sunday morning intercessions. Groups and individuals are encouraged to pray for these countries through the coming week. The following prayers are from the featured web page.

Intercessions

Give thanks for:

The witness of saints and missionaries, who faithfully proclaimed the gospel to these and other lands.
Ecumenical initiatives to bring Christians closer together.
The work for justice and peace in which Christians join with others to imagine a better world.
Centres of Christian renewal.
Tartans, bagpipes and boys’ choirs singing in ancient cathedrals.
Poetry and song.

Pray for:

Immigrants and asylum seekers who seek a better life in these countries.
Reconciliation and an end to enmity between peoples.
Strength for those who combat racism.
Churches which try to be faithful to Christ in the midst of secularization and change.
Those who feel they have been left behind: the homeless and unemployed, those whose education seems inadequate or their skills out of date, and those who are long-term patients in mental hospitals.
Those whose industry has been ravaged: the coal miners and slate workers who know of pit and quarry closures and who suffer emphysema and pneumoconiosis, the farm and land workers who have lost their livelihoods and have seen their communities changed dramatically, the factory workers who have lost their jobs, the young who cannot find work, and the elderly who depend on support in residential homes.
Prayer

Lord, you made the world and everything in it;
you created the human race of one stock
and gave us the earth for our possession.
Break down the walls that separate us and unite us in a single body.

Lord, we have been divisive in our thinking,
in our speech, in our actions;
we have classified and imprisoned one another;
we have fenced each other out by hatred and prejudice.
Break down the walls that separate us and unite us in a single body.

Lord, you mean us to be a single people,
ruled by peace, feasting in freedom, freed from injustice,
truly human, men and women,
responsible and responsive
in the life we lead,
the love we share,
the relationships we create.
Break down the walls that separate us and unite us in a single body.

Lord, we shall need ever new insights into the truth,
awareness of your will for all humanity,
courage to do what is right even when it is not allowed,
persistence in undermining unjust structures until they crumble into dust,
grace to exercise a ministry of reconciliation.
Break down the walls that separate us and unite us in a single body.
Lord, share out among us the tongues of your Spirit
that we may each burn with compassion for all
who hunger for freedom and human dignity;
that we may be doers of the word and so speak with credibility about the
wonderful things you have done.
Lord, direct us in ways we do not yet discern and equip us for the service of reconciliation and liberation in your world.