Nathanael Baker

Moving to wordpress....

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:12:00 +0000

Hey Readers

I will be moving my blogpage to www.nathanaelbaker.wordpress.com

As such this blog will not be updated from now on.

Good Cheer

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Sam Ng, a freind of mine has been recently exploring how to social projects in Wellington. His first project he is implementing is Good Cheer. The idea is this:

They pick a project – some type of good deed. For example, buy the homeless a hot lunch.
They have a sponsor, for example, a local bakery.
They have a reward, for example 50% off your next purchase at that local bakery.

The first project was to give out coffees at the Mary Potter Hospice, and they have been so successful that they are thinking of stopping donations.

Best Practice Series

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Mosaic starts a new series tonight. Blub below

Budding out of the hope series comes a conversation about the best practices that lead to life. Breaking the idea of “best practice*” out from its cubicle container into the open air of life:

What are the best practices to live life to the fullest?
Sound big?

Don’t worry this is a series of the small practices, the disciplines, the things you build your life around that build us into the best people we can
be.
Series starts August 1st.
Sundays, 5pm at Massey University
Massey, Wellington Campus,
Lvl 1 Student Union Building,
Click here for location map.
Free parking available.

Area 51 Art Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:59:00 +0000

Heres the Art panel that we created on Tuesday night.

Expressions of Community

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:03:00 +0000

Last night our flat held its flat night. This is a time for us to get together, discuss things, and also have a bit of time hanging out with one another.

Last night we went to work creating a flat panel. This is a colloborative peice of art by us all. What was awesome was to see our different expressions of art come together, to create a beautiful peice of work. We all told different stories, expressed ourselves in different ways on paper, but the story is interconnected and interweaved.

The artwork is to me is a visual expression of our flat, a group of individuals, made out of different brushstokes marks and shadings from thier different journey, who come together to make something new which is beautiful, interwoven and connected.

Hopefully I can put a copy of the artwork up online in the coming days.

Journey of Area 51

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:24:00 +0000

I am hoping to do a running set of posts on living in community and in Area 51 (my flat) in particular.
This is because most of my last 6 months has been figuring out how to create a awesome flat culture and community feel in a flat. This has been a dream of mine since I went flatting. I wanted to be about creating a space where people could live well together, caring for one another and growing in relationship with one another.

I moved into Area 51 (our flat) one and a half years ago. We had a pretty cool group of flatties, but we never wrestled with what it means to be a group journeying together. I tried to gain momentum, during the first year, but failed miserably.

At the end of last year, I began discussions with some fellow freinds who live across the road who have created a awesome community of people, who principly came out a church youth group and have now formed a community of 20 people (from both christian and non-christian backgrounds) who are trying to live well in community together. Principly it started a discussion about whether area 51 would like to house members of the community, but also as a way of develioping a flat culture and community in my beloved flat.

At the end of last year, my now good mate, Chris Silvester moved into the flat. Chris' strength is activation, he lives and breaths the ability to create things, and enjoys new expressions. Me and him went about the process of trying to gain momentum in the flat, and then in March our flat began the process of transformation, when Kate another member of the flat community moved in from across the road.

What I have discovered from this experience has so far has been the importance of partnering wtih others with the same vision. I often crave autonomy, but a key principle for facilitating change and creating moment is to partner with others. Real momentum in area 51 was gained when a greater part of the flat held on to the dream and vision for living well in community. Once thisn ocurred we began change.

Newtown Art Collective

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:39:00 +0000

My mate Chris Sylvester has set up the Newtown Art Collective. A space where budding Newtown artists can exhibit thier latest works. Check it out.

RandR

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:21:00 +0000

This last weekend I went up to Auckland. The reason I went up was to see Rob Bell speak. But due to unexplained reasons this had been cancelled. I had booked cheap flights on Air New Zealand, so decided it was worth me going up and taking some time out from my busy schedule.

What I discovered from taking this short time out was the importance of rest. I have been so busy lately I have not taken stock on whats been going on.

Another great part of the weekend of spending some time in kingsland with Auckland Mosaic, i had the joy of relating with them and their friends, and had some great conversation with people.

A fail was not to get any writing done, but it definitely was a good time to process ans be thankful for rest,

Learning to let Go

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:17:00 +0000

I am writing this blog on my phone on the bus as I go to work so please forgive me if there are even more mistakes than normal.

Last night I led Mosaic expressions. The theme was around letting go. It was inspired from me listening loads to the artist Lauryn Hill, and particularly her song "freedom time."

Lauryn Hills music often tells the story of her struggle with fame, the persona that was put on her by the industry and who she really is, and her spiritual jounrey to wholeness. Which she ascribes to letting go of those things the world held dear and focusing on those things that a true wealth.

Galatians 2:20 sums up this nicely; "Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impressed God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine", but it is lived by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"

One of the great motiffs in film and culture for letting go is to throw a stone out, i led an activity around that idea.

Activity
What unhealthy practices are you attached to (e.g. Unhealthy self talk, sarcasm. Aloofness, temper tantrums)

What response would you like to cultivate instead?

Throw a stone into thhe water to represent you letting go of the unhealthy practice.

New Zealands explaination on the BP Oil crisis management

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:03:00 +0000

Great Satire

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:07:00 +0000

Dim-Post has a nice little reflection on the political headline of today. As usual, political satire is often the best way to tell the truth in politics

Lower Hutt based Countdown retail worker Richard Loa announced today that he was deeply embarrassed by revelations that he had been taking items from the store without paying for them.

Loa, a 41 year old checkout operator and frozen foods section assistant team leader came forward today to admit that over a period of four years working at the Wellington supermarket he had taken home bottles of wine, frozen chickens, vitamin pills and razor blades on a weekly basis
.
‘I now accept that this was wrong and I apologise for it,’ Loa said. ‘In my defense the rules around whether or not I could smuggle out bottles of shampoo in my gym bag were vague and unclear.’

It is understood that Loa came forward after Countdown management announced that they had installed security cameras in the staff changing rooms. These showed footage of Loa eating two large boxes of Lindt chocolates valued at $44 while on breaks during a busy weekend shift.

‘That’s when I decided that coming clean and explaining everything was the right thing to do,’ Loa said, adding. ‘The chocolates were consumed while I was doing my job although I concede that the security footage is not a good look.’

‘I would have paid for the chocolates myself but I didn’t have any cash and it seemed more convenient at the time to stuff them under my shirt and eat them in the toilets,’ Loa explained.

Loa announced that he would repay the value of the chocolates and other items consumed but would not be stepping down from his position as frozen foods assistant team leader.

‘I’ve made a mistake and I’ve done the right thing and fronted up to it,’ Loa said. ‘I acknowledge that it’s not a good look but frozen food placement faces a lot of challenges and I have some exciting ideas on how to tackle them so I’d like to put this whole thing behind me and move on.’

This attitude is not shared by Loa’s employer Progressive Foodstuffs who have dismissed him without notice or by the New Zealand Police who have arrested Loa on five charges of theft.

Mosaic: Originals

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:24:00 +0000

Mosaic is holding a artistic showcase Mosaic: Originals, on Saturday 19 June 2010.

The aim is to show off some off wellington's unknown and budding talent, and is including performances from
Andrew Fruean,
Leah Hutchison,
My Dear Watson.

The will also be storytelling, poetry and any other original pieces

Entry is free but donations towards helping Habitat Humanity in Wellington can be made at the door.

The Deets are:
Saturday 19th June, starts 8.00pm
Level 1, Student Centre, Massey University, Entrance E, Tasman Street, Mt Cook

It would be great to see you there

The Jesus Manifesto

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:06:00 +0000

I was lucky today to recieve an a not so advanced copy of Len Sweet and Frank Violas latest book Jesus Manifesto (it came out on the 1st in the State). Following through with the publishers desire, I will blog a few thoughts every few days on the chapter.

The Jesus Manifesto's writers conviction is that Christology is the central to our modus operundi as communities of faith. Sweet and Viola's beleif is for communites of faith to rediscover thier purpose, they must rediscover Jesus. Sweet and Viola state that "to faithfully represent Jesus in our time requires re-presenting him."

This idea follows through a conviction I hold dear, from some hard learned experience - for us to be faithful to the message of Jesus we must know Jesus and continue to dive into knowing who Jesus is. For us to do this, we often have to cut through layers of filth and grime, put in place by religiousity and past christianese. We often have to become like archeologists cleaning away the grime, to rediscover the beauty beneath. This is often painful. Through the expereince of trying to follow Jesus - I have learned what my prejudices are, where my selfishness plays out, and how far I will really go to care for my neighbour (often not far enough.) I have learned that I continually try to domesticate Jesus, so that I can continue living my blase life.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book. Should be interesting

Communication fails...

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:54:00 +0000

As some of you I have recently taken up playing ultimate with a group of mates regularly. Its a way to keep me fit and get to know a group of people better.

We had a game yesterday - and some interesting developments occured in this game. Our team was not doing very well and two of our players who were both passionate about the game started to try and sor the issues out. But what happened was an amazing example us failing to communicate. The two were trying to sort out the issues, but began talking past each other. Both were annoyed at each of other and thier team mates as they felt as if they were not being appreciated by the others.

You could see both players get increasingly frustrated and angry with one another, leading to a failure in our performance as a team.

What was interesting was how the conflict permeated through the rest of our team as we were playing. Another member of my team, who was suffering from a bad cold did something that on the face of it was small but was blown up to needing a negative remark. Another player at the end of the game was remarking with disconcertion about the fact that everything was being blown out of proportion for what was a social game.

The lack of cohesion in our team was a result of our lack of communication. We had no communication for most of the game. When we did communicate and talk and take stock, we played loads better and scored some great points.

Communication is so key for community, and for teams. We need to learn to be healthy communicators, this means being proactive listeners and sensitive communicators with one another.

Gulf Coast oil spill

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:32:00 +0000

This is a useful site for comparing the significance of the Gulf Coast disaster -
http://paulrademacher.com/oilspill/#

I have created one for Wellington, New Zealand, my home city, here -
http://paulrademacher.com/oilspill/#Wellington

The Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:54:00 +0000

Ok, I will let you, my readers into a little secret. I want to write a book, it may not be published, but I want to write a book.

I have decided I will use some of the material that I produced during my time doing lent this year.

The challenge for you is to identify which posts from the lent series were your favourite, and let me know why. You can either email me, or put your posts up on the blog.

Feel free to identify any other blogs that I have written as well.

Peace out.

Nathanael

Untitled

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:02:00 +0000

Look at all creation, it is good. God created it for his pleasure.

Look at yourself, past the outwards appearance, past your inward feelings of awkwardness and anxiety, you were created by a loving God, for his good purposes.

To be someone of change

You are more than just a number to God, more than just an avid consumer, to be had by the market. You are his child, to be in relationship.

God he sees past the pimples, the freckles, the blochy makeup.

God loves to see your inquisitiveness, he loves to see you create, make. He loves seeing you grow.

New eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:00:00 +0000

I wrote this poem for an expressions session a couple of weeks ago back for Mosaic. I don't really think its that good, I was stressed and tired when I wroted this poem, and the next poem, but I thought I would share them with the world anyway.

Fresh eyes

Have new eyes – see the world through kids eyes.

When a kid views the world, they see unseen possibilies.

When an adult looks at chairs and tables, they see them as objects to sit on. When a kid sees a chair and table, he sees the possibility to build a fort to fight away his enemies, and to hang with their friends.

When an adult sees a pile of mud, they see a inconvenient pile of mud, when a kid sees this mud, he ses the ability to make mud pies.

When we see lines, we see constraints, kids don’t worry about the lines, they see the possibilities

Sexy Coal

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Dismantling Me

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:17:00 +0000

Dismantle me Lord.
Make me new-
take the scales out of my eyes, make me see a new again
Let me have fresh eyes, for all your creative beauty

Let me not view the world through my eyes -
damaged through years of cynicism.
my eyes which have become too sensitive to your light and beauty.
replace them, be the optometrist.
give me new eyes,

Let me see the beauty in those who mourn, let me see beauty in the poor. Let me see beauty in those who long for justice, let me not see the beauty in those who long for you.
Let me not focus on the temporary, but focus on that which is last, faith love and hope

Performance - Les Murray

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:11:00 +0000

I starred that night, I shone:
I was footwork and firework in one,

a rocket that wriggled up and shot
darkness with a parasol of brilliants
and a peewee descant on a flung bit;
I was busters of glitter-bombs expanding
to mantle and aurora from a crown,
I was fouéttes, falls of blazing paint,
para-flares spot-welding cloudy heaven,
loose gold off fierce toeholds of white,
a finale red-tongued as a haka leap:
that too was a butt of all right!

As usual after any triumph, I was
of course, inconsolable.

from
Subhuman Redneck Poems, 1996

Reflections on a banquet meal

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:16:00 +0000

..."A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'" (Luke 16-12)

Jesus once described the kingdom of God as a feast that we are invited to. At Mosaic last night we were asked to reflect on this, and write dear God responses to God on the feast. Here are my responses:

Dear God, I find it hard to give up my own agenda, I mean, isn't this party all about me. But it isn't its about celebrating you.
Dear God, you put so much effort into this moment, and I take it all for granted. I should be grateful that I was even invited.
Dear God, the food is so good, I have never had food so tasty, the ambiance is amazing. I should have invited my friends.
Dear God, why are there so many hookers and junkies at this party, I can deal with there being respectable people. But the person over there, he was throwing up on the street last night. You deserve more than these folk. It would be easier if the person sitting next to me didn't should out obscene words every couple of minutes. I then look at myself, I am just the same, maybe I don't want to look at my own reflection. That I don't deserve this as much as everyone else in this room.

Dim Post on Daylight Saving

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Danyl from Dim Post Blogs

Setting my clocks back this morning had me thinking about what a great little trick daylight savings is for maximizing use of sunlight hours, but also how impossible it would be to bring in such a scheme today: Labour would launch a protest bus tour (‘Stop the Clock!’), the Business Round Table and CIS would insist that we had to set our clocks forward a thousand hours to catch up with Australia, Herald columnists would thunder about Wellington bureaucrats kidnapping the sun for an extra hour every night, the unions would strike for the right to set their clocks back two hours. The government would compromise and set clocks back five minutes for a week in mid-June.

Reflections of Jesus' Feetwashing

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:29:00 +0000

John 13:4-5

…[Jesus] got up from the table, took off
his outer robe, and tied a towel around
himself. Then he poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples’
feet and to wipe them with the towel
that was tied around him

I got to admit, the story of Jesus washing his disciples is pretty weird to me. To a western christian who lives in the west - why was the experience of washing feet so important, and what does it mean for me today.

Unlike today, feet in Jesus's time were the prime mode of transport, particularly for peasants living in the backwater part of a backwater country in the Roman empire. Jesus and his band of disciples would have spent all day walking down the roman roads, in only their sandles.

The muck the disciples received on thier feet represented the journey they had been on during the day, the collection of activities they had been in, both the good and bad. In this act, Jesus connected personally with the past journey of the disciples, and served them in an intimate way.

I wonder if the closest thing to this in our day to day life, would be going to each of our neighbours, and serve them by putting thier rubbish out. Collecting the materials and rubbish that they have collected on thier journey and serve them, in such connecting intimately with them.

All I know, is that people struggle with being served, it strikes at our autonomy as people, especially in the west. We personally beleive that we can get on on our own, and that also other people can cope on thier own as well.

Peters reaction was the same, he remarked - Rabbi, do not clean my feat. One because he thought it was below Jesus to do so, but also because he was embarrased at what Jesus would discover in cleaning his feat. In doing so Jesus intimately connected with his servants and actively showed that to be a follower we are to serve those around us humbly.

In serving, we intimately connect with the needs of those around us. We show people that they have worth in thier humanity. Serving is an act of love that brings shalom to those around us.

Take time to look, and take in. What are the needs that people are facing around you, how can you serve your neighbours. Maybe the first act is to introduce yourself to your neighbours?

What would be an act in our time, similar to cleaning the disciples feet?

Those who understand grace are full of grace...

noreply@blogger.com (Nathanael Baker) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:02:00 +0000

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the
home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman
came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume,
made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the
perfume on his head. Some of those present were
saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste
of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a
year's wages and the money given to the poor." And
they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering
her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor
you will always have with you, and you can help them
any time you want. But you will not always have me.
She did what she could. She poured perfume on my
body beforehand to prepare for my burial." (NIV)

As a young kid, I remember looking forward to the gifts that I got for christmas and birthday, I remember looking forward to getting a electronic brick game, which I cherished for years after, or when I got my first bycicle. I remember being blown away by these presents, as a result I wanted to cherish the joy with a freinds and family, sharing the expereince with others.

When we read the story of the women who anointed Jesus, we often focus in on her and her possible trangression. But we fail to see the heart of the story. This women notices Jesus is the ultimate gift to humanity, and comes to show the whole room who is in the midst.

This lady, who we think is involved in a form of dodgy vocation, notices something that none of the religious people in the room notice, that Gods agent salvation is in the room, and he is offering a gift for anyone who comes and takes on his new way to live.

The women is grateful and shows her gratefulness through pooring expensive purfume on Jesus's feet and washing his head. The lady recognises that Jesus is someone special and shows her gratefulness to him through the ultimate act.

I beleive that Gracefulness results from understanding grace, taking the time to realise our brokeness, excepting it and then being thankful for it, and acting on it.This may mean doing something crazy to show our awe at what was done on the cross. But, "As a writer of an artical I was reading confesses ... "I am not so sure I am that guy. When I read about the actions of this unnamed woman in Mark 14, I find it easy to wonder about the fiscal responsibility of her actions..." I am too focused on my needs, I do not comprehend the fact that my father in heaven did everything he could do for me, so that I could find shalom. I often think I am alright, that I can rely on myself at best, often I forget the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on a cross for the whole world.

Take some time to think about the salvation act this easter and allow yourself to take some time to be thankful. Do something crazy to show your thankfulness.