Social Justice Soapbox

A new thing...

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 08:01:00 +0000

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19

Photo by qinghill

An uncomfortable truth

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 09:29:00 +0000

'Early Light' by Tony Armstrong - CC BY 2.0

One of the reasons for my absence and a contributing factor to my return is that I have had nothing to write about. Well actually there are lots of things that I could have written about (politics, refugees, children in detention, poverty, mission, justice...etc.) but the problem is it would have been empty words. I claim to be passionate about justice and mission but you wouldn't be able to tell from my actions. Since our move I realise it has become all talk and no action.

Now I could make plenty of excuses...
- I'm still settling in to a new town/church/ministry/job...
- There's been a lot of change
- We've been through some periods of uncertainty
- I've been busy with work/study/church...
- I've had a baby
- I'm just focusing on my family/marriage/baby/cat right now...
...and probably plenty of people would tell me that these things are valid.

However, the uncomfortable truth is that
- I have become comfortable
- I have not been intentional
- I have not prioritised this part of my life
- I have been talking the talk without backing it up with my actions.

Ouch.

I confess these things as the first step to rectifying the situation and exchanging what is comfortable for how I am called to live, intentionally prioritising the pursuit of Kingdom things and living out the talk.

Thanks for bearing witness.

It's already 2015!

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 10:59:00 +0000

I sit here smiling to myself as I read over the previous blog post, summarising 2013 and wondering what 2014 will look like... Here I am again, more than 12 months later about to do the same thing again.

Each year seems to move faster than the previous one. It makes me feel dizzy just thinking about it. The cliched saying that the only constant in life is change is certainly evident in our lives and for some reason a few of the big things happened in quick succession. At the beginning of the year I took on the role of Acting HR Manager at work and started some study in HR to assist with the steep learning curve. It was a great experience. There were some challenging and rewarding experiences and I learnt a lot. I then returned to my previous role for just a few weeks before heading off on parental leave in October.

On the 12th October we welcomed the biggest change to our lives, baby Elijah. He will be six months old on Sunday and he is a complete delight. At about the same time that Elijah arrived, Tim entered discussions with the Church regarding the potential for him to take on the Senior Pastor role. Just before Christmas he was offered the role and we returned to Ballarat to catch up with family and to have a rest before embarking on a new ministry adventure.

I don't know what's in store for the rest of the year but I hope that it will a year of love and laughter. I'm still getting used to my new roles as mum and pastor's wife and trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together. I continue to ask the big questions about who God is calling me to be and continue to struggle with not knowing 'the plan' even though I know that I just need to be faithful and obedient in each step, leaving the rest to Him.

Here we go again...

Looking back

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 12:16:00 +0000

Tim and I, much like many others, have been reflecting on the year that has passed and wondering what 2014 will look like. I always find the beginning of a new year exciting, imagining the possibilities and not yet having painful challenges or heartbreaking disappointments. As I get older I also take pleasure in looking back. It's an opportunity to see God's work in our lives and be thankful for His blessings. It's also an opportunity to reflect on lessons that have been garnered through the experiences of the year, both positive and negative, that I can take with me into the next year and years ahead.

Unlike this blog which was quiet, 2013 was anything but. There was nothing about the year that I could have predicated. There were many highlights including our trip to Cambodia and the Philippines, meeting one of our sponsored children, lots of laughter with new friends and quality time spent with old friends. We've shared in the celebration of marriages, new babies and baptisms. We've seen God work in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

As I look back on the year I am overwhelmed by God's provision for us - Jehovah Jireh - the Lord will provide. When we said yes to pursuing full time ministry God's provision was evident as we blessed with work and a home and a community of people who embraced us immediately as family. This year God's provision has been equally miraculous as we have walked through challenges and uncertainty. His provision for us has been far beyond anything that we might have imagined for ourselves.

One of the examples of this has been the developments that have taken place for me in my work. In a matter of 12 months I have moved from a temporary admin position, to a temporary learning position that allowed me to combine my skills in education with my passion for justice. There were some hard moments along the way when I applied for some permanent opportunities but was unsuccessful as well as some other challenges that made life a little uncertain.

I finally found the courage to resign from my teaching position in Victoria even though I still did not have a permanent role. I think God was waiting for me to let go of that role, because within about a week of doing that my manager handed me a letter which stated that my learning role was now permanent. We celebrated, I was totally stoked. I love my job and I love working for Compassion. I was satisfied but it turns out God wasn't quite finished. Shortly after being made permanent I was asked if I would be interested in temporarily taking on a management role during a period of transition within the team I work in. Only by God's hand is this even possible but that is what I am doing now. As of the start of the year I have stepped into this new role for six months. It's an opportunity that I could not have imagined.

This is just one of many examples of His provision last year. I do not know what the year ahead holds but I look forward in anticipation to seeing God work in powerful ways.

All honour, glory and praise to Him.

Grace: How deep the Father's love for us...

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 10:22:00 +0000

Em - Mayfield Church of Christ 1/9/2013

Listen: Grace: How deep the Father's love for us

Ephesians: 1:2-14

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realmswith every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

I Am the Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:21:00 +0000

Tim D - Mayfield Church of Christ - 21/4/2013

Listen: I Am the Gate

John 10: 1-10

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I Want More

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:44:00 +0000

I've just finished reading 'Kisses from Katie' by Katie Davis with Beth Clark, the story of how Katie at 18 pursued the call of God on her life, moving to Uganda to minister and live out Jesus' instructions to take care of the poor, the widow and the orphan. She walked away from a life of material comfort and went against the tide of societal expectations to live out God's call on her life. She established a ministry that takes care of the needs of hundreds of children as well as being a mum to 13 adopted children.

As I started reading I felt like I could understand her. I saw reflected fragments of my own heart. When she describes falling in love with a Uganda, I recognised that feeling. When she talked about being wrecked by Jesus and the desire for more, to live and act as he calls us to do everyday, it resonates with my soul. When she described her frustration and discomfort with the wealth and abundance of stuff when she returned to America for a time, I was reminded that I have felt that. On one level, reading her story was encouraging for me as I sometimes feel quite alone as I wrestle with this stuff in my own heart and mind.

On the other hand I've found it challenging and I feel uncomfortable. For despite my heartfelt desire to act in obedience to God and to live out a genuine and biblical faith, I easily succumb to the patterns of the world, becoming comfortable with security and stuff, settling in to routines that don't require daily reliance on God and living selfishly instead of selflessly.

I want more.
More of His will in my life instead of my own plans.
More of His priorities instead of my own selfish desires.
More of His love, grace and mercy instead of my pride and comfort.

Lord, hear my prayer.

I AM the Light of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:07:00 +0000

24/3/2013 - Mayfield Church of Christ - Tim

LISTEN: I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Image by freefotouk

Telling the world about Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:46:00 +0000

13/1/2013 - Mayfield Church of Christ - Em

Listen: Being a Jesus Follower: Telling the world about Christ

1 Peter 2: 9-11

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

A Christmas message...from Spiderman?

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:40:00 +0000

16/12/2012 - Mayfield Church of Christ - Tim D

Listen: Christmas Message

Speaking Words of Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 06:19:00 +0000

I watched the film 'The Help' (Taylor, 2011) for the second time last week. It's a great book and film, set during the American civil rights moment in the 1960s it provides plenty of stimulus for discussion, but there are two scenes that have been playing on my mind in the last two weeks as I've spent time with our youth kids.

In the film Aibileen Clark (played by Viola Davis) is an African American woman who works as a maid caring for the house and young child, Mae Mobley, of a white couple. Mae Mobley receives very little attention or affection from her parents, and the little attention she does receive is mostly negative. Aibileen is the one who is effectively raising Mae Mobley and sowing words of encouragement and affirmation into her life. There is a scene early on where Mae Mobley is sitting on Aibileen's lap where she speaks positive words into Mae Mobley's life, "You is smart, you is kind, you is important". These are also the final words that Aibileen speaks to Mae Mobley after she is dismissed from her position. It was these two scenes that I have been thinking about while spending time with our youth.

Tim and I and our leadership team (and the wider church community) are in a privileged position with our youth kids. We have the opportunity to speak words of truth into their lives. For some of our kids we will be one of many voices who are investing and building them up, and we can add to that. For others, we may be one of the few or only voice of truth. We have kids whose parents and families are distracted or disinterested or, for many reasons, unable to speak truth into the lives of their kids. We have a responsibility to share the truth of the gospel and of God's love and we have the opportunity. I want to make sure that we are making the most of that opportunity.

Our kids are fearfully and wonderfully made. They are loved by God and He has a plan for them. These are the things that we want to sow into the hearts of our youth. We want to be a voice of truth in their lives.

Do you have opportunities to speak truth into the lives of the people around you? Are you making the most of these opportunities?

Why a mission trip?

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 05:21:00 +0000

Halls Creek 2010

Short term mission trips are currently receiving a large amount of criticism at the moment, just google 'short term mission' and see. While in some cases there is good reason for this criticism and I agree with the sentiment I still feel strongly about the power of a short trip to transform the heart and mind of those that choose to go.

Perhaps the term 'short term mission' is misleading. What I'm really talking about is an exposure or awareness trip. 'Short term mission' implies that those that are going on the trip are going to achieve something for someone else and these sorts of trips can do more harm than good. An exposure or awareness trip is not about heading off to change the world or the community that you are visiting, it is about becoming a learner and opening yourself to being changed.

With this in mind here are four reasons why I believe Christians should go on an awareness trip.

1. Getting out of your comfort zone creates space for God to work in you.

The process of physically leaving your context and comfort zone opens the way for spiritual change. You don't even have to go very far, a suburb you wouldn't normally feel comfortable in, the inner city, the outback or yes, a developing country. It doesn't matter where. what matters is leaving the things that you rely on, the things that make you comfortable, the things that we turn to instead of turning to God.

2. Jesus tell us to GO

The principle of 'going' is something that we can't ignore in the scriptures.

Here a couple of examples:

The Great Commission- Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (emphasis is mine)
Jesus' final words before his ascension to heaven- Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (emphasis is mine)
Going is a part of the discipleship process. Jesus sends his disciples out to learn and to minister and to grow (Matthew 10, Mark 6, Luke 9).

We could have a much larger conversation about the principle of going but I'm just going to say if we are told to go and it is was an important part of the growth process for the disciples, as a disciple of Jesus myself, I want to experience this part of the process and obey his instructions.

3.Going on a trip expands your vision of God, the world and how God is working in the world.

So often we reduce our vision of God to be something small, something within our understanding and control. A genie type being who can be taken out of our pockets to grant wishes when we need something. Moving beyond our context and experiencing God in the world broadens our view and challenges the way we think about ourselves. It can be a humbling experience to realise that we are not the centre of the universe and that God is much more powerful than we give Him credit for.

4. A short term trip makes the scriptures come alive.
When you read about Jesus tending to the needs of those around him, healing the sick and ministering to the broken whilst sitting among the sick and the broken it becomes real. When you read Matthew, ^{for example,}“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."(Matt 25:40), and you're surrounded by the poor and the marginalised, you can't help but be challenged and convicted. I dare you to read Acts, not in the comfort of your home or church but out in the world, and not be changed.

You don't have to go far. This is not about saying that everyone needs to travel to a developing country. The call to go is about moving beyond your familiar and comfortable context. You could go to the poorest suburb in your city, experience an urban mission in your nearest capital city, venture into the regions of your home country that are poor and marginalised, or yes, travel overseas. But if you say yes to going and you adopt a posture of humility and a willingness to learn and be changed, you will experience something powerful and life changing as God works in you.

Cambodia 2003

Dareton NSW 2010

Halls Creek WA 2010

Day 8 - Hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:30:00 +0000

A gentle nagging in my belly and a slight headache are really the only two symptoms of my fast today as I mark off day 8 in Steps of Justice 30 days. The challenge today was two-fold. Firstly, to fast from meals for the day and secondly, to find a practical way to care for the hungry.

It has only been in the last couple of years that I have started to explore fasting as a spiritual discipline. It creates a space for meditation and prayer and a quiet sacrifice. Today, instead of using my lunch break to eat and socialise I was able to use it as a time to pray for those that are hungry in our world, an estimated 925 million (FAO, 2010).

The world produces enough food to be able to feed the global population but their is inequity in the access. For most of us in the developed world we have an excess. We consume far more calories than we need, we have fridges and freezes filled with more than we need and and we waste so much. In Australia it is estimated that 40% of household waste is food (FoodWise.com.au). I am guilty of all of these things.The 925 million people who are hungry do not have access to land that will enable them to grow their own food or sufficient income to be able to purchase it. What a messed up world.

We should definitely do something about hunger in our world, but I also think I/we need to examine our own excesses and do something to change the way in which we consume.

Want to start now?

1. Go to The Hunger Site to make a food donation daily. All you have to do is 'click'. For each click the sites sponsors donate food.

2. Go to FreeRice.com to answer trivia questions. Each correct answer earns rice for the World Food Programme.

3. Donate to the emergency appeal for West Africa food crisis.

4. Volunteer at a local Soup Kitchen or Soup Bus.

5. Investigate what you can do to reduce your own food wastage. Go to FoodWise.com.au for some tips.

http://www.wfp.org/hunger/map

Day 2 - Gender Injustice

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:29:00 +0000

Gender injustice is such a big issue and I don't really know what to say here. I've spent some time surfing the net looking for resources to direct my thoughts and prayers for today's focus. Here are a couple of things that I have been looking at that I thought I would share.

Image from The Girl Effect

The Clock is Ticking (The Girl Effect)

Wikigender - an OECD Development Centre project that is drawing together literature, research and media around gender issues. There are links to many other resources.

Girls Discovered - a collection of maps and data on the status of adolescent girls worldwide.

Steps of Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:04:00 +0000

For the month of October I am participating in Steps of Justice, 30 days of focused meditation, prayer and action around issues of justice.

The first day of this process was an action day- no shoes Monday. I've gone without shoes for the day, while praying for the millions of people who live on less than $2.00 a day.

For me, wearing no shoes is a bit of a novelty and not too much of a sacrifice (it's a long weekend and we're hanging out in a beach side community so we don't look too out of place). I have felt a little self conscious and a bit soft as I wince as I walk my pampered feet over a rough surface but for those in our world who can't afford shoes it causes much bigger problems.

I met a man while on a Soupbus shift who lived on the streets in Ballarat, through winter, without waterproof shoes. His poor feet were constantly wet and his health was at risk. In some environments the health risks that come from having bare feet are even more extreme. In locations where hygiene and sanitation is poor the risk of picking up a parasite that can make you very sick and even cause death is increased. Cuts and grazes on the feet are more prone to infection because they come into contact with dirt and bacteria when they are not protected.

We take wearing shoes for granted. We think shoes are about making a fashion statement and take them for granted, failing to realise that having one pair of shoes (let alone a cupboard full) is a sign of our wealth and privileged lives.

Take a few moments to be thankful for what you have and to pry or those that do not have the same access to things that we take for granted. Take it further by donating a pair (or more) of shoes to the Salvos or by investigating ways you can provide shoes for those in a developing country.

It's also not too late to join Steps of Justice for the month of October. Check it out here.http://www.stepsofjustice.org/events/october-justice-awareness-month/

Justice in the life of the church

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:50:00 +0000

16/9/2012 - Mayfield Church of Christ - Em

Listen: 'Justice in the life of the church'

Acts 4:32-35

³²All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Who is my neighbour...who am I?

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:19:00 +0000

2/9/2012 - Mayfield Church of Christ - Tim D

Listen: 'Who is my neighbour...who am I?'

Philippians 4:4-9

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The Power of a Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:17:00 +0000

I have always sponsored children. First while growing up we sponsored as a family and then later, Tim and I have sponsored children of our own. I must confess that I enjoyed receiving letters from those children and I was always got a buzz out of receiving a new photograph and seeing how much they had grown and changed but we were never very good at writing letters ourselves. I knew it was possible, but it seemed difficult, not all child sponsorship programs emphasise the letter writing component or have clear processes for the collection and delivery of letters. Let's face it, above all I was slack and selfish.

It has been three months since I started my new job and it has given me incredible opportunities to learn more and gain an insight into child sponsorship. It has not taken me long to see and be challenged by the power of a letter for a sponsored child and their family. I have heard stories of the deep connections that have been made between sponsors and their children. Words of love and encouragement have been spoken to the hearts of children. Sadly, I have also heard stories about children who do not receive letters, who wonder if their sponsors don't love them or aren't interested. I am guilty of this. I have realised child sponsorship, like many other things, is not about the money but it's actually about relationship and it's in the exchange of letters where this relationship is built.

I encourage you, if you don't already write to your sponsored child, to try. It doesn't have to be long or a work of art, you won't regret it. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to write to your sponsored child, please contact the organisation that you sponsor through and see if they can connect you with someone who can write on your behalf. There are people out there who love writing letters, and who will write on behalf of those who are unable.

Finally, it is with sadness that Tim and I have to say goodbye to one of our sponsored children, Frank. We have been sponsoring Frank for quite a few years. Only in the last 12 months did we find the joy in writing to him and now that we have, he is about to leave the program and so I regret the missed opportunities. Frank is leaving the program because is circumstances have improved so much that he no longer needs our support and so we celebrate this but will miss hearing about his life and story.

And so I will finish this post with the most recent letter we received from Frank (before we knew that he would be leaving the program).

Dear Sir Tim,

Before anything else, I would like to greet you a happy pleasant day. As for me, I'm really fins as well as my family. You know sir, I do really enjoyed reading the letter you sent me. Especially when you mentioned about the basketball. We play during our break time and after class. Miami Heat was one of my favourite basketball teams. By the way, we our four brothers, and joking with each other. Sometimes we talk about our school activities, sharing our deepest yearnings in life, and plans when we get older. I really love my family so much, they are my treasures. When I get older I want to build my own house, help not only for my family but also other people. I know that I should strive harder to earn higher grades so that I could get all of this. I believe that dreams do come true. A million thanks to you sir for being my sponsor. It is really a big help for me. Regard me to Madame and Jimmy. Once again thank you and God bless.

Advocacy

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Advocacy is the focus theme for my team's professional and spiritual development at work. Today we started off by looking at these verses.

Proverbs 31:8-9
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Just two verses but they are so challenging and at the same time they speak to my heart and I get fired up. It is also a source of frustration when I come across others who do not see the importance in this biblical mandate or ignore it all together.

More to come on advocacy soon.

Retreat or Pursue

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:40:00 +0000

We have been in Newcastle for about seven weeks and in our house for just over three. There has been so much change and it's tiring. In many ways it's still surreal. It's still a novelty. We're still settling in. It hasn't been long since we last saw family and friends. It's been busy and fun and I've been caught up in meeting new people and exploring new places and rejoicing in all that God has done to prepare the way. However, in the last few days, I've started to come to a new place of thinking, one where there is a choice that must be made about what is next.

On one hand I feel ready to retreat.

That's enough now God. We heard your direction and we acted in obedience, that's why we're here. We've been amazed by the number of ways that you have blessed us and taken care of us. We are thankful and overflowing with joy. But can I stop now? I'm tired. Haven't I given up enough, done enough, obeyed enough.... Can't you let me retreat a little? Let me hide in the daily routines of work and home. Live a quiet life...

Tempting.

But then I feel a tugging on my heart. A whisper in my soul.

I haven't finished yet.

This is a starting point not the finish line.

I haven't brought you here for nothing. I have a purpose.

Do you trust me?

Press in.

I'll reveal what's next when it's time.

Press in.

And so I can choose. I can pat myself on the back for getting this far and then use everything from the last six months to justify retreating into a comfortable, quiet life or I can press in to His love, pursuing His will for my life, in my work and home, and in my new community. I know which one would be easier but which one is going to make my soul sing? Which one is going to mean I grow and change? Which one is going to lead to greater intimacy with the creator of the universe? Which one is going to please my Lord?

I haven't finished with you yet.

Press in.

Life in NSW - Picture Diary

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Our house

Unpacking

Hanging out

Checking out the new view

Fish and chips at the beach

Compassion Australia- My work

Mayfield Church of Christ- Tim's work

Birthday fun - Thanks Ange

Rainbow cake made by one of the youth group kids

Team HR celebrating our 60th birthday

My desk decorated for my birthday.

Celebrating 100 000 beneficiaries with Compassion Australia.

Whirlwind

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 07:35:00 +0000

The past two weeks have certainly been a whirlwind. Two weeks ago today we were in Ballarat doing relatively normal things, trips to the airport, birthdays and catching up with friends. Since then we have managed to move states, start new jobs and find a place to live. Throughout it all, God's hand has been evident in all things.

The move- We still feel a little like we are on holidays. We have been staying with Mark and Sue from the church, meeting lots of people and slowly finding our way around the place. There seems to be plenty to do here and there are lots of great beaches and interesting places to visit in pretty close proximity. The weather has been great. The locals have been complaining of the cold, but the weather really is very mild. Today I've been in a t-shirt and the sun has been shining. It doesn't really seem like July to me.

The house- When we first came up, I had to start work pretty quickly after finishing school and so the plan was that we would fly up, I would start work and Tim would find us a place to live and then come home to finish organising our unit. We thought it would take a week, maybe two.... And then we got here. I started work- no problem, but finding a place to live, much harder. There wasn't much around to rent. What was available was expensive and not that great. When Tim did start going to inspections, he was lining up with 20, 30, 40, 50 other people. We started hearing nightmare stories about how long it took to find rentals. We started freaking out a little. Then a house appeared on the net after being here for about two days. It only had a photo of the outside, but it looked good. We registered for the open house, which turned out to be almost a week later. In the meantime, Tim kept looking at other things and we started feeling like it was going to be a really hard task and was starting to feel discouraged. At the start of the week we drove by the house, we liked what we saw and the area and we both felt like it was the one. We still hadn't seen the inside. I started to swing between having my hopes up and believing like God had set this house aside for us and trying to temper myself, perhaps God wanted to teach us patience instead, and this wasn't the one.

The inspection was on Wednesday. We had been praying constantly. Tim drove past it everyday praying over it. All of our friends and family were praying. Even my new colleagues at work were praying that this would be the one. We got to the inspection. By the time the agent arrived there were 19 other groups of people. Tim counted around 50 people there for the inspection. When it was our turn to go through, we liked what we saw. It was by far the best thing that we had seen and it seemed perfect for our needs. In many ways it is similar to our Ballarat home in terms of size. We had put an electronic application in but Tim had organised a hard copy. We handed our application in on the spot, chatted to the agent who told us that it would take about three days for applicants to be processed and for a decision to be made. We went away feeling hopeful but not wanting to get too carried away.

Thursday morning I sent the lovely Ange an email asking for her to pray. She replied saying that the house was ours. Thursday afternoon,Tim dropped in to work. The agent had already called, the house was ours. We have been celebrating ever since. In addition, the landlord would like to fix up some bits and pieces and paint the interior. We really do feel like God set this place aside for us. Hopefully we will be able to move in sometime in the next fortnight. Tim will head back to the Rat to arrange the removalists.

The job- Tim is about to start his work this week. He is looking forward to it and will be able to focus now that the housing issue has been resolved. I have had a full week at Compassion and I love it. My team is great (Hi Lesley :)) Really encouraging and easy to work with. I'm learning a lot and it is so awesome to be able to do mission, ministry and worship at work. It is a totally different environment to school, and a really nice change. I hope that I can contribute in a meaningful way to the HR team and to the broader ministry.

So that is what we have crammed into a week and half. The next fortnight is going to be a piece of cake after this. Above all we feel totally blessed and humbled by the way God has provided for us in this time of change.

We read this in our prayer time on Friday morning at work. How appropriate.

Psalm 117

(The Voice Bible)

Praise the Eternal, all nations.

Raise your voices, all people.

For His unfailing love is great, and it is intended for us,

and His faithfulness to His promises knows no end.

Praise the Eternal!

A new season

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:10:00 +0000

Tonight I'm revelling in a few moments of quiet and relative solitude. It has been a chaotic few weeks as Tim and I prepared to embark on a new season in our lives.

We are excited by the prospect of this new adventure and look forward to the challenges and new experiences that we will have as we undertake new positions. Tim outlined in a blog post our journey to this point and I have since gained a position at Compassion Australia, which I am very excited about.

With this move comes some sadness as we leave behind family and friends. We are blessed to have so many people in our lives who love and encourage us. We will miss you.

Above all, we feel a great sense of peace in pursuing God and being obedient to His will.

Looking forward to doing a bit more blogging as we start to settle into a new routine. Until then...

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:48:00 +0000

This entry has been written by my husband on his blog To... and I just thought that I would repost it here so that you know what is going on. I'll follow up with my thoughts at a later date.

Hello Blogosphere,

It's been a while, because I haven't really had much to tell you.

So when Em and I were over in Cambodia earlier this year we decided to be open to whatever it was God wanted us to do... I had been studying Theology for 12 months and really wanted to get a job in a church, plus I thought that was where God was leading me towards. Last year I kind of waited for the opportunities to come up, but none really did. So I thought this year I was going to be a bit more intentional and see what happens.

Opportunities in Ballarat were particularly limited so late last year I started checking out Church of Christ jobs in New South Wales and other states. I saw a job advertised in Newcastle and thought, 'That would be cool' but then it was late in the year and I didn't get my butt into gear and apply or anything. Upon returning to Australia following our trip I looked for the ad again but it was gone... Assuming it had been filled I thought I'd still send an email to the pastor and find out what the go was. To my surprise it hadn't been filled, they'd just taken it down because it was over the Christmas period and staff were on leave.

I sent my resume off and waited to hear back. In the midst of all this we'd been contacted by another church who did not have a minister and they were keen to start the conversation about me pastoring there. The two jobs were totally different. One, a straight-up youth pastor job and the other, pastoring a church with no other ministry staff and trying to regenerate it by bringing in young families, youth and young adults so it could avoid extinction. Wow.

To cut a long story short. I ended up getting offered both jobs. While it's not all about me, it was nice to be wanted and appreciated for what I can offer.

We had a decision to make.

I have been incredibly blessed in my life. This was the third time I'd been offered two jobs at the same time! In the past I've just chosen the job that I've wanted to do more, but this time around I wanted to make sure it was what God wanted me to do. Em and I prayed heaps. It was hard to separate how we felt about the respective jobs, what we thought God wanted, what we thought each other wanted, what would be best for us and what would be best for the respective communities we may be ministering to.

In the end the decision became clear and we felt/feel much peace about it. We're off to Newcastle where I will be the youth pastor at Mayfield Church of Christ!

Oscar & Em

We're excited and a little daunted by the prospect of our BIG move. I don't think it's sunk in yet that we'll be leaving both lots of parents, siblings, our nephew Oscar (who is the cutest) and our friends. We just have to trust God that he'll look after the people we leave behind. It's been good to be able to test our faith and trust God with where we're going and all that we're leaving behind. It reminds me a bit of skydiving. We're stepping out of the plane trusting the equipment, trusting that the parachute is going to open. But we're not alone because God's got our back (even more than the guy who was attached to my back during my tandem jump).

Em is not sure what she'll do when we get up there so we're just going to play it by ear. She can always do relief teaching but I think she wants to utilise her Masters in International and Community Development - so we'll see what happens. She is awesome and very employable so I don't think she'll have any dramas finding work.

I'll be starting my new job around the 16th of July and I'd say we'd be moving in the 2 weeks before that. We'll be having a farewell thingy at some stage so will keep you posted.

Thanks for sharing the journey with us and please keep praying for us.

The Rich List

noreply@blogger.com (Em) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:12:00 +0000

Image: Australian Currency by Krug6

Last week I picked up the car after it had been at the mechanics for a service. It was long overdue and apart from the service it came back with a list of fairly urgent things that need fixing in the near future. I came home in a stew, working myself up about how much it was going to cost and getting anxious about how we were going to pay for it. In a short time I had worked myself up into quite a state...(Just ask Tim, he bore the brunt of it.)

A couple of hours later I sat down to read over a chapter of 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan for our small group study and was smacked in the face by this section...

"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty- three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time.

Which is more messed up- that we have so much compared to anyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves "broke" or "poor"? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich." p89.

(Underline is my own.)

Ouch.

This is something that I constantly struggle with. I swing from one extreme (seeing myself as "poor" like I did last week) to another (recognising my wealth and feeling an extreme sense of guilt which leads to a strong desire to give everything away).

I'm not sure that either of these responses is particularly good. I don't think guilt is an appropriate motivator for giving stuff away. When Jesus asked the rich man to sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor and to come back and follow him. I don't think that he wanted the man do it out of guilt, but rather be motivated by his love and desire to pursue Jesus.

As I continue to struggle with this there are some things that I want to hold on to:

I do not want to be tight fisted, but rather hold loosely to what God has given. The wealth that I have is not my own, but God's, to use for His purpose.

I need to offer praise and thanks to God for all that He has given.

If God asks me to sell everything that I have or to do something with what He has given, I want to act out of obedience and love.

Above all else I want my life to be about pursing God, not pursuing riches and wealth.

Want to read more? Here is an interesting article I came across today. What Jesus said about capitalism

Need a reminder about how wealthy you really are? Go to the Global Rich List.