How fragile is life.
That the world can fall away
beneath your feet.
It's a truth we so often ignore,
block-out, forget,
and try to bury.
But at times like these
it rears its ugly head,
as if to tease our very souls.
Your life is but a speck in the sands of time,
A blot upon the earth,
A chasing after the wind.
Who will remember you when your gone?
And how will your hoardings
grant you redemption?
If the world fell away from beneath your feet,
Would you be ready
To stand through the falling?
Or will you have someone to catch you in His arms,
To hold you close,
and wipe away your tears.
Someone to give your life meaning.
Someone to banish the pain.
Someone to carry you home.
Well I don't know what you made of the whole "Live Earth" thing. Personally I was pretty scepitical about the whole thing. Global Warming seems to be one hell of a problem, with no easy or even tangible solution. At least with something like Make Poverty History and Live Eight there is a clear goal and purpose - namely to forgive debt, increase aid and promote fairer trade. But with Global Warming, at least at this stage, there is no simple three step plan. Renewable energy is not sustainable and sustainable energy is not renewable.
All the same though, I think they did a pretty good job of raising awareness, and encourging people to make simple little changes.
And the music was awesome.
And can I just say, Crowded House rocked out! It was great to be able to see them this time, unlike at the Opera House in 1996 when I was hindered by my little legs!
Missy Higgins
John Butler Trio
The Crowd, after Crowded House "Took the Lights Out"
"Our task is not to interpret the bible, but to understand its interpretation of us." - Phillip Jensen, NTE 2006
I was reading through Daniel 5 today.
In the story, a hand comes down out of nowhere during a feast that the King of Babylon is having, and starts writing on the wall. Daniel is called to interpret the words, which he does:
- Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
- Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
- Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
And that very night, the Medes and Persians invade, and King Belshazzar is slain.
The writing on the wall is a warning. The words are an affirmation that God is in control, that we will all die, and that we will all be weighed on God's scales and found wanting - and none of the things we have stored up for ourselves in this life will be able to save us from that.
In fact, Jesus says exactly the same thing in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21):
"God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'"
As I thought about being weighed on God's scales, I realised that I am in no way ready to bring an account for the things I've said and done, or failed to do. And while I know that by the blood of Jesus I am saved from God's wrath (praise God!), I know that I will still be weighed, and called to account for my actions (Rom 14:12, Heb 4:13).
And so, like the Babylonians, I too need to see the writing on the wall, and take heed. So often I forget that how I live now matters. I see the grace, I embrace the forgiveness, but I forget that it all came at such a cost.
Mene - Know that God has numbered your days.
Tekel - Remember that on God's scales you will be found wanting.
Peres - Forget the things of this world, for you can't take them with you.
Do these things, and I guarantee, you will see the true wonder of the cross.
Ok, so it was almost 10 weeks ago now. But I've only just sent out the last thankyou card, and I've only just uploaded the photos. So let's say it was last week and run with it, k?
Thanks heaps to Shannon and Chelsea for taking all the photos. There are more on flickr, but here are a few to get ya started:
The Families
The Garden
Fairy Floss
The Girls
Danny, Joel and Amy
A New Proposal
Since when did Hot Cross Buns become Easter Buns?
The Cross on these buns is the only reference that remains to what Easter is all about! It's not about chocolate bunnies, 4-day weekends, time with family and fruit cakes. It's about the CROSS. It's about the death and ressurection of God's one and only son - Christ's pain, God's mercy, our redemption!
When we visited a High School in Cessnock last year, I was shocked by how little the kids - and I mean year 11/12 kids - knew about Jesus. I mean, they didn't even know that Easter was a Christian holiday!
Forget deepest, darkest Africa - they have the gospel. In fact, just last month, they sent missionaries to visit and encourage our church! And why wouldn't they. Their country is now 95% Christian - our's is something like 5%.
It's a powerful thing to realise that your living in the biggest mission field the world has even seen. We are surrounded by people who fail to see the majesty of God's love for them, the infitity of His grace, and the power and pain of the cross.
For to them, it's just a fruit cake.
Ok, so it's been a while since my last post. I guess life at home is just a little more boring than travelling the world. Mind you, that doesn't mean that a lot hasn't happened. The engagement party, starting full-time work and a "mysterious website that could potentially revolutionise the way Christians communicate" have all been keeping me super busy.
But the biggest change for sure, has been starting full-time work. I now work as a Graduate Accountant, for Bovis Lend Lease.
Now I've worked in an office before - I've even worked at Lend Lease before. But there is something different about starting for real. And not just the strange fact that you're now paid to do the work!
- Firstly, you instantly become a senile creature of habit. You wake up at 6am everyday, and you make sure you're in bed by 11pm. The thought of anything else scares you.
- Secondly, you find your mind consumed with thoughts of work. No matter how hard you try to keep them out, they still manage to seep in... until (in my case) you start doing spreadsheets in your dreams!
- Thirdly, you start to really value the simple things in life. Like Public Holidays, sharing lunch with friends, and did I mention Public Holidays?
Yes, full-time work is a whole new story. And a 45-year long story at that! But you know what, despite the things above, I am really enjoying working for Lend Lease. God has blessed me so much with an awesome team, a cracking building (pictured above) and even a weekly biblestudy with fellow employees!
And of course I'm working to live, not living to work. How sad it must be, for those who fail to see, that there are brighter horizons indeed.
Well it's been a while since I got back, but I've finally got round to uploading some photos from my time in New Zealand, with Sabs, Kate, Lem, Chalky, and Bessey (our trusty ride).
There are lots of photos on flickr, but here is a quick sampler:
Team New Zealand
Driving in Bessey
Cruising the "Clear Blue" Waters
Baylys Beach, 8km from Dingy Dargaville
When you don't have an Esky
Sunset Magic
In other words... it was awesome!
Well Cheney's in town, stirring up the lefties and causing traffic chaos. I saw his motorcade go past today while I was walking in the city. The motorcycle police seemed to be having a jolly-good time, angle-grinding their bikes as they skidded dangerously fast onto George St.
The motorcade itself however was pretty tame, at least compared to the one I saw in Berlin for Condoleeza Rice. Why don't you play count the policemen (thanks Graham for the footage):
Ok, so it's been a while since my last post. But what with all the travelling, restarting Sunday School and then the engagement party, I've been a little busy.
The Vietnam Memorial, Washington DC
I've uploaded some of my favourite photos from America onto Flickr. I'll put the NZ ones up a little later. What I want to share today though, are some more stories from my travels.
If you ever go travelling, may I strongly suggest that you try and find a local church each Sunday. You'll meet great people, learn more from the bible, and be encouraged as you see how God is working all over the world. [1]
On my trip I stopped at four churches:
- A family church in the UK on Christmas Eve (where the Pastor looked just like Mr Bean in Keeping Mum)
- An English speaking Anglican church in Madrid (we're talking hymn-book, robes, communal cup)
- Jman's church in NYC (Justin spoke on , except now he gets to pronounce "wrath" the American way)
- A Baptist church in Washington DC (which I didn't know at the time is actually quite a famous evangelical church, pastored by Mark Dever)
The thing that challenged me the most however, was how welcoming most of the people in these churches were. In NYC I met some great people, including Lily and Brent, who graciously took me out to lunch after the service and filled me in on the best stuff to see.
And in Washington DC, I was invited back to someone's house for dinner, and then given a personal 2-hour tour of the US Capitol building by a Texan Congressman's intern named JD. I got to walk in the underground tunnels, stand in the magnificent (even by European standards) Rotunda, and watch Congress in session (which you can only do if you're invited by a Congressman or their staff). As a West-Wing fan, it was truly one of the highlights of my trip, and I'm so grateful for JD for taking the time to show me round.
Me and JD "on the hill"
All-in-all I was overwhelmingly impressed by how welcoming these churches were, and challenged to be more welcoming myself to newcomers at 645. I think it's sad that people could easily walk into our church, sit in the corner, and walk out again without anyone noticing them.
We can so be more sacrificial in the way that we welcome people. If you meet someone new on Sunday, why not invite them to wherever you're going after church. If they are anything like me, I'm sure they'd greatly appreciate it.
[1] And btw, if your thinking of doing some traveling, be sure to check out Tubeo's site: http://www.backpocketbible.com. There are lots of great tips about staying strong in the faith while on the road.
118.32 - Number of hours I was in New York
24 - Cost of my best investment, a 7-day unlimited metro card
25 - Average temperate while I was in New York (in Fahrenheit)
Hans Christian Andersen in Central Park
103 - The street my hostel was on
11 - Number of quarters required to wash my clothes at said hostel
1 - Number of times I was offered drugs
Me and Jman after Biblestudy - Self Take
3 - Number of times I did something churchy (thanks Jman!)
60 - Time spent queuing at the Empire State Building (in seconds!)
2 - Number of shows I saw (Monty Python's Spamalot, and Stomp)
Walking back along Brooklyn Bridge
18 - Size of the pizza I shared under the Brooklyn Bridge (in Inches)
4 - Cost of a Hot Dog outside Central Park
1,000,000 - Number of Starbucks I must have walked past!
That's what my body has become. A shivering mess of frozen fingers and toes. I'm in Boston, and it's -15 degrees Celsius, with winds gusting up to 30mph - in other words, it's bloody cold! But no snow of course - just lots and lots of ice.
Seeing as I can't go outside, I thought I'd use this chance to share with you some of my favorite photos from my time in Europe. (I'll update y'all on my time in New York and Boston later).
Bull Fighting Statue in Sevilla
The Egyptian Temple in Madrid
Sunset over a Fountain in Madrid
Flamingo Dancing in Madrid
View from Mt Rigi Train in Switerland
The Swiss Flag, while Sailing to Lucerne
As always, there are more photos on my flickr.
Tomorrow I leave for Washington DC, where the weather forecast says there is a 20% chance of snow. I hope it does, for to go through Europe and America for 2 months in winter and not see any snow - what a tragedy that would be!
We arrived by train, Graham and I, just as the prisoners would have. Sachsenhausen. It's just another town on the outskirts of Berlin, with normal people, in their normal houses, doing their normal things. But after just a short walk through the town, past the houses where the SS guards used to live, we arrive at the gate.
Arbeit macht frei. Work will make you free. We walk through into the centre of the camp. As I stand there, I try to visualise the tens of thousands of prisoners, standing at attention - tired, beaten, malnourished and scared. I try to visualise the guards as they call out the roll, and as they taunt and abuse the prisoners.
But I can't. It's all too hard. I know that in the very place I'm standing over 200,000 people once stood; most of whom eventually died in this camp, or at another. But I just can't imagine it. I mean, I'm standing here during the mildest winter on record, wearing a gazillion layers, and my butt is freezing!
After touring the camp - the barracks where the prisoners were crammed into, the cells for solitary confinement, the polls used for torture, the nooses, the electric fence running around the whole camp, the hospital where they carried out "medical experiments", and the cellar where they kept the bodies (you can still see the blood stains) - we headed out to station Z.
As the name suggests, this was the execution centre. Now Sachsenhausen was not a death camp like Auschwitz. People didn't come there to die, they came there to work. All the same, they did execute a mere 30,000 people at the camp. The picture below is of the trench which they would fill with prisoners, and then shoot into. Then other prisoners would have to clear out the trench, before going in themselves.
Eventually they would change this method - it was all too emotional, both for the soldiers and the inmates. Instead they built a building, invited prisoners in for a "medical check-up", and had them shot from behind while they were getting their height measured. It was easier that way.
Leaving the camp, I felt... disappointed. Disappointed because I thought that if I just stood in the camp, and saw and heard things for myself, I'd be able to grasp them; I'd be able to understand. But the holocaust is something that I don't think I'll ever be able to comprehend.
Since then, I've been reflecting on the whole experience. If you asked me what the most painful part of the whole thing was, it would be this fact - that after the soviets liberated the camp, after they saw for themselves the atrocities that had been committed - they did what any logical person would do: they reopened Sachsenhausen as a soviet concentration camp! From 1945 to 1950, another 6,000 people died in the camp.
People always say that we should learn from history. And yet I look at the world today and wonder if we really have: Cambodia, East Timor, Bosnia, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan. And we so often forget that even Australia (and America) were founded on Genocide.
How can we ever say that humans are intrinsically good? How can I ever say that I'm a good person? The power to commit atrocities, or to sit idly by, lies dormant inside us all. History proves it. If our situations were swapped, and I was in Germany, would I have done any different?
It's 6pm, and I'm at my hostel in Spain. Not without a bit of trouble tho, what with the flight from Egypt being delayed until 2am, missing my connecting flight by a matter of minutes, and then getting desperately lost in the streets of Sevilla (in all fairness though, the hostel didn't have any signage and their directions were pretty shocking!)
But despite the world being against me, I had arrived. And having spent the day checking out the sights with a fellow Aussie named Warwick, I was ready for some real authentic Spanish cuisine. And it was just at that time that a guy called Tom invited me to a free Spanish cooking class. Figuring that it was about time I learnt this whole "cooking" thing for myself, I decided to tag along.
And so we started on our walk through the streets. On and on we went, and as we did I started noticing that the streets were getting dodgier and dodgier. Then suddenly, the guy stops outside a graffiti covered wall, pulls back some Aluminum, and ushers us inside. That's right - my friend had kindly forgot to mention that this cooking class was being held in a Squat!
But after getting over the shock of that, it was actually a really awesome night. Of course, all the instructions were in Spanish, so it was a little tricky. We cooked organic Vegan food (no meat, milk, cheese - no products from an animal). Now cooking meat is easy - you just buy a steak, chuck it on the barbie, and you have one of the tastiest dishes known to man. But making veggies taste good - that's another story!
We made an onion soup, and an onion and potato bake, with onion and chickpeas as the sauce. (These guys really love their onions - apparently they have some special healing properties). And you know what, after a lot of salt, they actually tasted really good!
While we were waiting for the food to cook, we sat back to watch the freaky Diablo guy do his thing - and I tell you what, this guy was awesome. Gob-smakingly awesome. Then we did a tour of the squat. Every wall was covered in amazing art and graffiti. Here's one of the pieces I liked:
With softened hearts, we returned to our hostel via the "scenic route". Reflecting on the experience as we looked for landmarks, we were all really struck by the people we had met. Many of the squatters were homeless, jobless, and in our eyes, hopeless. And yet they had hope. And they had joy. Why? Because in their little rundown squat, they had each other.
Looking back, I think that God has answered my New Year's prayer already - or a least has given me a little more insight into the lives of the homeless. They are people just like you and me - only difference is, they look out for each other.
Please pray for the Sevillian squatters. The government is trying really hard to evict them - there is a court case in February. And pray to thank God for the experience, and the insight that he gave us all.
Let me just say, for the record, riding a camel is really uncomfortable - particularly for a guy! In Aswan, we rode camels for 1hr through the desert to St. Simon's Monastery. This monastery was actually one of the earliest Christian churches. With the Roman persecution, many Christians we're forced to live out in the desert, so they built a monastery out of mud brick. This site isn't very popular however, because some time afterwards, all the Christians were converted into Muslims, and so the place is now a Mosque.
This is Jono on a Camel:
This morning in Luxor, after visiting the Valley of the Kings, it was time for the donkey-ride. Now Donkeys are renowned for being extremely suborn, as we soon found out! They are not grand, they are not graceful. They are just, well, donkeys! And whoever sits on a donkey, looks really really stupid:
It reminds me of when Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a Donkey. He must have looked so silly! Certainly, it wasn't the kind of grand entry you'd expect for God's promised King and Saviour.
Overall however, our donkey-ride was awesome. We raced them like horses through the local village, passed all the kids who were harvesting the sugar cane. Afterwards, we stopped by a street vendor to buy some Sweet Potatoes from his cart-drawn wood oven, while our donkeys decided to go for a stroll through the traffic.
Tonight, we return to Cairo. And then tomorrow I'm off to Spain! Stay tuned for more updates.