Hi all, I am crawling back. We are moved in, and internet ready. I have the technology, all I lack is the will!

Anyway, my gorgeous niece was born last night at about midnight. Welcome to Divya Jacqueline Blair!

God is opening so much up around here, mostly it my eyes. My eyes to the plight of the our indigenous brothers and sisters.

I will report more when my head catches up to my heart and eyes!

There she is, with so much life ahead of her. Yet, tonight my wife read me the following statistic and I was numbed:

An indigenous Australian baby born is statistically likely to have a shorter life than a child born in remote rural Bangladesh or Nigeria.

We have a long way to go as a nation, I hope we can all play our tiny parts.

We finally got a house from the Deparmtnet and have moved in! This means no internet for a few weeks though, so I will be back around April 20th.

Till then, miss me…

The Sydney Church scene is really polarised out here, the only way to have a decent chance of leeway I reckon is to be a part of a smaller denomination. Churches of Christ is that up here and I am very grateful to be part of a smaller movement that is seen as “non-threatening”.

Talking to a new and yet very close friend last night was a real eye-opener into the “Prosperity Scene” that many of the churches around greater Sydney are buying into, with all of its’ associated power games, leadership hierarchy ( “This is a Theocracy, not Democracy” – direct quote from a Church Leader), and financial rewards.

There is an entire, almost canonised, set of justifications replete with verses that legitimise the resultant “prosperity” (an all to narrowly defined concept).

Here is the thing that I can’t quite work out:

Jesus spent consistent time in regular contact with people who were suffering, in need and poor.

Most of these leaders do not.

Our society worships Power, Social Status and Wealth.

Jesus did not – in fact, after forgiveness, Jesus main topics were those three.

When the Church takes on and espouses the values of the mainstream culture it loses its ability to be the bearer of Good News. All it can then become is the “bearer of Good Advice” (Frances McNutt).

To this I add: A world in thrall to the gods of wealth, power and possessions is a world that in no way is good for the poor – they have to lose, so that others may win. 

The gospel is good news for the poor (Luke 4:18) and an inconvenient truth for the rich (Luke 1:52-53 – God has pulled the mighty down from their thrones, and lifted up those of low degree. God has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich God has sent empty away).

Wow, how did we get to where we are, all reading the same book?

It is the little things that get me by suprise around here.

We volunteer with a wonderful program called “Learning Ground” which, amongst other things, provides an opportunity for indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to share their stories with one another.

As part of the time I have the privilege of taking about 4-6 “at risk” kids to the park to have a bit of a run around for a while.

Today I had some activities planned so I thought we would be sweet. As we got the park though there was a stolen car that had been dumped and torched right in the middle of the oval. So, all the kids climbed, kicked, jumped and further smashed the car up for fun (this is the thid one I’ve seen in 6 weeks).

They got pretty dirty doing this and as we were walking back I commented to one kid: “your mum is gonna be a bit upset that you got you t-shirt dirty”.

He looked down and saw the dark stains and matter-of-factly commented: “Oh no, she’ll know this is ’stolen car’ stain too!”

There is a normalcy to the lives of those living in Public Housing Estates that is far removed from anything I experienced in Melbourne!

Hi everyone out there! It has been a while since the last post. As you can imagine, there is a slot happening out here at the moment.

I have been temporarily struck down with some sort of virus that has wiped me flat for a day or so, it is quite frustrating sitting around trying to rest as I get eick usually oly once every year or so.

We had a meeting with the Department scheduled for today but they rang and cancelled becuase the agreement had to go back to their legal department. This is frustrating and we pray that it can be resolved ASAP, so we can get on with the business of moving in.

When we move in, Lisa is going to begin vounteering at the primary school breakfast club and we can better get an idea of how and what we are going to structure our weekly commitments around.

Ass Barker is in town and it is great to have his input and insight into things around here. Thanks again for all your support and encouragement, every bit of it makes a difference.

Lisa just had a meeting with the Department of HOusing (NSW) and it turns out that our application for housing has been approved!!

This is a wonderful development, praise the Lord!

As christians, our choices for the gospel usher us into such places, places of insecurity and fear. How we confront them speaks to our conceptions of God - controlling / distant or relational and incarnate.

We left home surrounded by friends, family and love. It was a time of sorrow, yet of great euphoria.

After Jesus wonderful baptism, the Spirit led him into the desert where he was visited by strange wild animals (Mark 1:13). I am meeting some strange "wild animals" in my thought life right now.

It is very interesting to see what is emerging for me in the midst of this chaos.

It is the temptation to seek security and comfort in the little things, like buying an extra singlet or pair of shorts to make it easier to live out of a box.

It would be easy to despair, but here we are, in the chaos, desperately trying to not give into the temptations.

It is worth examining the nature of what Jesus was tempted by in the desert. They are the "Archetypal Religious Confrontations" – power, comfort, security, prestige and possessions. The greek word used for temptation is the same word Jesus uses with the sleeping disciples at his trial and they are the temptations I am feeling right now.

How interesting!

Well most people sort their lives out through beautiful mediums such as art, music or poetry. I think I need to write.

I wanted to call the next set of reflections: Life on the Road but I think Athol Gill beat me (or the other guy who ironically died on the road - Rauschenbusch? Bosch?).

Well now, here we are in Sydney. God truly is the God of the journey. As we headed onto the Hume it is amazing just how things that were uncertain were confirmed as we hit the road.

Firstly, it was in the provision of the caravan through Paxo’s dad, Rob. Next, literally while we were on the road from the airport, another friend in Sydney calls up and tells us that someone in their congregation is willing to let us use their front lawn to put the caravan on. He lives about two minutes from where we want to be! Well, here we are now. The first two nights we have had 38 and 41 degree days. We are literally being tested in the heat.

Our journey has now taken us beyond the threshold of the familiar and into liminal space.

Liminal space is any space that is removed from normal ones. In this particular instance we have found oursleves standing in the doorway between two phases of life.

It is a time of great chaos, anxiety and frustration. It feels so strange, as a man it is birthing emotions within me that are hard to identify and hence deal with.

Yet, it is also sacred space, a place that offers the hope of transformation. This only comes, we are told, if we dance with the pain long enough. Let it be, not to seek to deny, fight or run from it. This hope comes only if we sit and learn from it what it has to teach us. These are the lesons that prepare us for life.

There have been a few early warning shots over our bows too.

"You’ll probably leave after 6 months, too rough here" a 15 year resident laughs at us.

"This place makes you an alcoholic, it is so hot  - are you ready for that?"

There are future challenges before us here as we sit in terrain that is strangely unfamiliar to the touch.

Lisa and I are heading up to Western Sydney this sunday to start UNOH Sydney and the MacCartney’s are joining the UNOH team in the slums of Bangkok on the same day.

Chris and I both have two young daughters and as we were preparing to leave we got news reports about the New Years Eve Bombings in Bangkok. Some of the fatal bombs were detonated in the Klong Toey Slum (where the Barkers and Rod Sheard live). 

Then we received the news that right in the very place that we are praying about, (actually the very street!) there was a street riot between two feuding families:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,21023299-5001028,00.html

Sometimes God confirms things in very strange ways for those of us seeking to be a part of revealing God’s light were it appears the darkest.

All prayers are deeply appreciated!

Blessed are the Peacemakers…that’s no easy task…

Sister Joan Chittester, a Carmelite Nun, in one of her talks let rip with this beauty:

" The only way to be truly wicked in this world is not to break the law, but to follow it to the very letter…"

It made me want to both laugh and cry.

Why was so much of the religion I was brought up on so focussed on "keeping the law to the very letter," especially when Paul was so clear it was a futile exercise?