You can all disregard my last post (opps, thats not meant to be a Nov 11 reference)
Things are now sorted out and I will have a key – Yay.
Now, I just have to decide if I want to make a point about the complete failure of church process that led to this happening, or if I should just let it all slide.
I want to make the point, especially since it is an abuse of concensus decision making, no not abuse – its neglecting to use it the way it is designed. But, Im not sure its worth the effort.
Im seriously so pissed off that I can hardly think.
I have been locked out of part of the building that I run kids club in – the part with the kids toilets in it.
The result, not suprisingly, well, I’ll let you guess. And then think one step further than what you just guessed.
Its just not OK. We are trying to provide a caring and supportive Chistian environment for these kids – well, at least I am, im not sure what the church is doing. It seems more like they are trying to make it has hard as possible for kids to enjoy themselves, and learn about God. And they must not want anyone to come back.
So Im pissed off, what gets me even more is that I have now said more than once that i need a key. I shouldn’t have to argue my piont about this. I should have just been given one at the start.
Its a good thing that this is my last term, I think that I would be drafting a resignation letter if there were any longer to go. And I have to say, I wouldn’t encourage anyone at this point to take this job, ministry is hard anyway – with an unsupportive church I dont think its worth it.
Filed under: church
Im still feeling crap, but Im not going to bore you with more winging at the moment.
Today was the cut off date for orders for our Pie, Cake and Lamington drive – a NCYC fundraiser at church. I had been worried about it, people didn’t seem to get that we were (are) trying to give them a break from donating to us, so we provided a way for them to hit up their friends and families.
After doing the totals tonight, we are selling 344 items, including 59 dozen lamingtons!
It takes the total profit for the pie drive to $721.65! and our total fundraising to over $3500.
Sometimes with my job I feel like I keep talking but no one is listening, especially when it comes to NCYC stuff. But overall, there is the sense that ‘Oh, Good, someone is doing something with young people’ is all they get from what I say.
Im encouraged by the pie drive, not only because it takes some pressure off with money, but because it means that at least some people are paying attention and care about what I am saying. Its a nice feeling.
PS, If you are even remotely interested in NCYC and the Keiraview group going, click here. There is even a way to vote on the webiste to direct the path of our next fundraising stunt.
Well, I am completely exhausted.
I have been running around a lot trying to make sure that things are all good for me to go away for 4 weeks.
I think that most work stuff is covered. I still need someone to cover scripture on Tuesdays, and someone to hang out with Lauren maybe, apart from that I think it is ok. Its not as good as I had wanted to make it, I had been hoping to modularise everything for kids club to make it easier for everyone, but I didnt get that far. I do have the bible story for each week though.
As for actual holiday plans, They are almost done too. I just need to find a way to get from Århus to Paris. It looks like I will have a weekend in Paris which is a nice suprise. That had not occurred to me until today, I have to arrive at Taize on a Sunday, so it makes sense to spend a couple of days in Paris before going there.
My energy levels aren’t coping with the increased activity. I feel like I haven’t stopped for about a week and its showing. I have forgotten to eat two days in a row. Thats something I need to work on.
Thats probably enough for one post. At some point I am going to have to blog about my run-in with the scripture teachers at the scripture teachers meeting. I have decided that I dont have a problem with conservative christians, I just have a problem with them pushing their view on everyone else. There is no space for differing opinions or beliefs with those people. I find it hard to deal with. I guess what I am saying is believe what you want, but dont expect me to believe it too.
I was at School of Discipleship in Canberra over the weekend.
It was really good, interesting, challenging, with new people to meet and get to know.
Ched Myers was the main speaker, if was fascinating. He was talking about an entirely different way to live and a different way to view and participate in our economic system.
Mostly, I was impressed that every thing he said he backed up with the new and old testament. Everything he said about the new testament was taking into account what the old testament said too. I really think that I need to spend more time looking at and understanding the old testament.
Most of the ‘different way to live’ stuff was stuff that I had been thinking about already, I just like that he managed to tie it all in with Faith. I am now more convinced that going vego is the right thing to do and that buying local organic produce is the right thing to do.
The more I have processed it, the more I think that I need to lay aside my own goals and actually set my goals to make the world a better place. I think that there is still room in that for me to be happy and healthy and have some fun.
Im even more convinced that going to Thailand is a good choice. I think that some time with people who are not as privileged as me will be helpful, it will help me to look at my life from a better perspective. At the moment I struggle because I compare myself to both my church friends and my non-church friends, it meants that I cant actually attain either standard. I cant be good at both. I cant have the investments and financial security and live out my faith. I guess that is the thing, compared to 90% (ish) of the worlds population I am quite secure, I know that the chance of me ever going hungry is pretty low. That is going to have to be enough for me, if I dont own a helicopter or a yacht then that is OK. If I dont own a home or a good car, then that is OK. If I cant go on as many holidays as I am used to then that is OK too.
I think actually spending some time with actually poor people will help to give me the perspective that I need to be able to do this without feeling gypped.
Other thoughts on SoD. I struggled a bit with some of the organisers. I felt like we were being treated like a group of children, or more accuratly a herd of cattle. We were constantly being told where to be and being moved around. I didnt like it and so rebeled, maybe not the most mature option, i know that, but I didnt realise that until too late. Its just a shame that people running something like this feel as though they cant trust a group of adults to behave like adults.
Anyway, I had fun and was challenged and have a lot more thinking to do. Especially around economics and what messages I want to send around the global economy (through purchases, choosing not to purchase, earnings, choosing not to earn etc)
Filed under: church
My brain has finally kicked into NCYC mode, we need to get our stuff organised and raise some money to get us to Melbourne in January. So far there are about 15 people going from my church.
The following fundraiser, which I would love to do but am not game enough and would not get permission is stolen from planet telex (Darren Wright). Its fantastic. I find it especially funny as I am about to go shopping for the ingredients for soup that I will be selling at church tomorrow morning. 
I like to call it “Oh no, not another lamington drive”
The concept:
a) We need money to do something that is important, you know its important, we know it’s important and the idea that we actually should run a cake drive or a quiz night so you can support it is pure silly, give us the money, this is important. This is too important to waste time and money fund-raising, lets all just give money in support, open your pockets, write a funding application to the local government, dip into the church reserves, hold a special service for people to give money towards the cause… just get the money into the project.
b) If we do not make *insert percentage* of the funds by *insert date here* we will run a lamington drive and annoy the rest of you and the community around us with so many lamingtons that you won’t want to see one ever again. We will intentionally flood the lamington market thereby sending the lamington market to record lows, we would instigate a lamington market crash. When we make *insert cash amount* we will cease the drive and continue asking for your support without the need of a fund-raiser.
c) If we have not made *insert another percentage* of funds by *insert date here* we will run a car wash at every church service until we make *insert amount of money here* and everyone will be asked to participate in and donate money towards. We will wash and scrub, buying more car polish out of the money you have helped us raise and wasting the water that is becoming more important to the community to keep your cars clean. Together we will make this church the home of the Clean Car and we will show off to the rest of the community for our cars are the cleanest in the land. After the funds have been raised to make up the percentage we will go back to our regular schedule of asking for money to support the venture.
d) If we have not made *insert another percentage* of funds by *insert date here* we will run a quiz night, a bush dance evening and a live music venue to make up the money that we have not yet made, everyone in the community will also be asked to participate, coordinate, clean, cook, provide time towards the venture. Together we will go deaf due to loud noise, tired due to the need to set up the lighting and sound equipment, sore because of packing up and lugging heavy equipment and angry as we each drop boxes onto our toes or slip discs in the process. After these events we’re back to asking you for money without a fundraiser.
e) if the money has not been raised by *insert date here* this is because of your lack of support to the program and by now you will be exhausted. Seriously, this could have been done differently, we offered an easy way out, you made it this difficult and because we still have not made the money to do this we will hit you with another lamington drive until we are able to run the program. You might be sick of lamingtons, but we’re sick of asking for money so we can run this important program in the life of the church and the community that God has called us to. We’re beginning to question your faith in us and the mission to which we’re called… we could have made this money easily over at another church, next time perhaps we’ll try that…
f) of course if we raise the money by *insert date here* we would skip steps b through to e and as a celebration we would hold a thankyou meal and celebration after church for free and on top of everything else the church will also cancel ALL meetings for a month in celebration of the ministry that we’re supporting.
Thankyou
The Fund-raising Team for the “really cool and important missional activity”
I could see this happening…. but whats more important i could see this working in a church setting, the idea that we give money towards a project because we should rather than because they’re holding a cool fund-raiser… there’s the challenge
There has been some interesting conversation on my post about heaven and hell.
One viewpoint is that people reject God and so therefore would go to hell. I have been thinking about this, the reject God part. I actually dont think the majoring of ‘non-christians’ reject God, I think they reject the Church, they reject Church doctrine, they reject the idea that everything is so absolute, they reject christians (as Christians are seen as hypocrites). But I really dont know if they reject God.
Now, of course, some do. Im not saying this applies to everyone. The conversations I have with people about faith generally involve someone disputing doctrine or perceived rules with me. People talking about sex, drug/alcohol use, the anti-divorce thing, or the homophobia thing.
They very rarely involve talking about the question ‘is there a God’ and focus on what the church has said is and isnt Ok to do with your time, your life.
Personally, I think there is great freedom in knowing God and knowing that relationship is secure, regardless of what science discovers, or what the church says and does etc. Im still trying to figure out how to communicate that though.
Why have we made it so that a belief in God comes hand in hand with a belief in heaven and hell?
I generally try to avoid the expression ‘believe in God’ I actually think that is not the issue, the issue is has this person had an experience of God that they can name as God.
But why do we wrap up this idea of Heaven and Hell with having a relationship with God. Why cant we remove that part and go about living our lives with God?
Why do we saddle people up with the who guilt factor and the whole eternity factor before they even acknowledge the presence of God? I dont get it , and I dont want to be that type pf person.
Last night I was at a Seder dinner. Its passover at the moment (one of the strange years where easter and passover are not at the same time).
This Seder was at a Jewish persons house and was attended my Christians, Muslims and Jews. It was fascinating.
We went through the passover story, which is in all 3 bibles (or sacred texts or whatever you want to call them) and ad some amazing conversations. I cant remember enough to be able to go into detail, the problem with really good conversations is that someone says something and you think ‘thats amazing, I hadnt thought of it like that, I need to think about that more” but then 2 mins later the same thing happens with something else and you lose the first one.
The only one that sticks in my head at the moment is that the Torah explains when Moses sees the burning bush and says he had to turn side on to see more clearly. We were talking about how useful that concept could be in life if we look at disputes or something and actually change our position to see more clearly.
I was also amazed at how similar so much stuff is across the three religions. The compassion, the love of God, the view that you have to stand up for what is right in the world. I apologise now if my spelling of these words are wrong, but for food to be kosher it means that it is also halal. So everyoene could eat the food that was served. The ideas presented in the dinner were great, things about removing all ego.
Well, I dont know what else to say really, but it was really cool. Im keen to participate in more of that kind of thing and learn more. Everyone there was so tolerant of each other, there is the basic understanding that our religions have the same roots – they all come from Abraham. There was respect that we are all people of faith and we are all spiritual people, so hurting or insulting someone was just not an option. It was fantastic.
I was at this other thing last week where the guy lecturing said that he didnt care if people ignored the rest of the bile, as long as they read the gospel. I didnt like it then, but I like it less now. If the bible is a way that we can see, learn and experience something of God, then that applies to the whole bible. And if we are going to understand the new testament properly, we need to understand the old testament too, because that is what is referenced and that is the culture and context that the new testament is set. That is (was) Jesus’ religion.
Filed under: church
Have a look at this. I am trying to find devotions I can do with a 2yr to year 2 group. This looked good until the last few questions…
Im really not a fan of teaching to become Christian so that they go to heaven, its not at all what I want them to get from our devotions.
Today we will start a lesson series on the parable of the sower. Sower is another name for farmer. We will follow four different groups of seeds throughout this lesson series. We we see that although Jesus was speaking about seeds in the parable, the story really applies to people. Today we will see how the seeds that fell on the path are like people that have no interest in God.
Matthew 13:3-4,19 (Parable of the Sower – seed that fell on the path)
Give each child a copy of the handout (click here for handout) or have the kids find Matthew 13:3-4,19 in their Bibles. Ask for volunteers to read the passage or if you prefer read the passage to the children yourself.
Discussion Questions:
1. What does sow mean? What is another name for someone who sows seeds? (plant, farmer)
2. In our story today, where did the seeds fall? (on the path)
3. What happened to the seed that fell on the path? (birds came and ate it up)
4. Will we get to heaven by just hearing the Good News about Jesus?
(no, we must receive the Good News and then ask God to forgive us.)
5. Does the evil one (Satan) try to steal God’s message from our hearts? (Yes!)
6. Why would the evil one want us to forget God’s message? (So we wont follow and worship God)
7. How can we keep from forgetting God’s message? (Read our Bibles, pray to God, Worship God)
