Much ado

A modern day parable. We have a little solar flower, which sits near one of our big French windows, soaking up the sun, and for most of nearly every day it is a minor flurry of activity, with leaves and flower moving constantly in a pleasingly un-coordinated manner!
During a time of prayer today, Monika rightly observed that our little solar flower is symbolic of much of church life, and our own. We soak up energy from the Son, and respond by producing a flurry of un-coordinated activity - which, just like our little flower, produces absolutely nothing. Being active but producing nothing is what the flower is supposed to do - and achieving this gets the flower noticed, as it taps irritatingly against its plastic flower pot.
I shall remember that flower each day, and pray that I may be saved from such unproductive activity, designed to attract attention but to produce nothing. I shall take the flower to meetings, to help save us from such a fate. I shall share this parable with anyone who will listen. And in doing so my unproductive solar flower will bless others in spite of itself - as God, in His mercy, enables me to do.

Value judgement

One of the new stated values of Church Army NZ is "Sharing Jesus radically on the margins." But I have moments of self-doubt when I am no longer sure that I know where the margins are or who dwells there, let alone how to begin sharing Jesus with them.

We could discuss further, read more books, attend other conferences and write further documents, because that seems to be the default position of much of Christendom. I am aware of the great danger I am in - as I train others in evangelism, run seminars and workshops in evangelism, speak at conferences in evangelism, enable and support others in evangelism - that I forget how to actually connect with the hope-less and unlovely and invite them to follow me in the most exciting, exasperating, exhausting journey ever - as a follower of Jesus.

So this Sunday we are heading for the margins - otherwise known as Avondale Market. Here thousands gather week after week to browse, socialise, saunter, and occasionally purchase. A minority are white. The Christians will be there, faithfully witnessing, apparently oblivious to the fact that nobody is listening.

Our task is both simpler and infinitely more complex. We will seek the margins, to see who we find there. A read of the Gospels tells me that Jesus spent most of his time at the margins - in a social, religious, moral and physical sense - so I expect to meet him there, along with some of his friends. We will seek to follow Jesus on the margins and see who joins in. I might get a whole new seminar out of this!

Balanced evangelism

I struggle sometimes with the tension between "proclamation evangelism", and "presence evangelism". Speaking words that nobody has any interest in is a waste of time, but just being there isn't enough either! So I found these thoughts from members of a Servants of Asia's Poor team in Mexico supremely helpful.

"Through being here we have seen the effect that living in poverty has on people’s self-belief and hope. Poverty is limitating; it entraps people in lies that speak to the very core of their being and robs them of their joy and dreams. If transformation is to come to communities and people trapped in these kind of circumstances, it has
to offer more than just financial gain or improved living conditions. While these things certainly help people to have access to better goods, services and opportunities, they don’t necessarily touch people to their core, and help bring about internal change in how they see themselves and their community. Spiritual transformation, however, has the ability to break down lies and distrust
and build healthy new paradigms and core-beliefs.

This is something that can’t be forced and can’t be achieved by what we do. It is the work of the Holy Spirit guiding and calling a person into new life with God. And it
can achieve true and lasting transformation in a person’s life. Having said this, spiritual transformation has to be wholistic. It has to touch a person’s physical needs as well. As the adage goes: a starving person thinks of nothing but food. So we need to realize that at times the best way to share God’s love with another is by offering them food when they are hungry, clothing when they have none, or friendship when they are lonely. When we fail to seek wholistic transformation our desire to see hope where there is hopelessness will always fall short."

To which I have nothing to add.

Camping out?

Normally, it is great to be in a country which leads the world in welcoming each new day - but Harold Camping, with his prediction of the world ending last Saturday at 6pm, left NZ facing the rapture before anyone else could test his prophetic accuracy. We all know now, as we knew then, that he was wrong. I was saddened by the whole sorry episode, and the way in which it brings the followers of Jesus into disrepute once again - but pleased that most Christians displayed grace and sympathy to his misguided followers, rather than ridicule or condemnation.

Repentance, admitting I got things wrong, asking for forgiveness, and expressing a desire to do better next time - this is all at the centre of the Christian life. How we are perceived as thinking that we are better than everyone else - when the reality is that we know all too well our "sinfulness" and our need for God's mercy and grace, I'm not quite sure.

But then along comes such a brother as Harold Camping. He got it wrong in 1994, and he got it wrong last Saturday. Surely now he will admit his stupidity in doing something Jesus plainly said we would not be able to do? Surely this time round he will slink off into embarrassed oblivion? Sadly - no! Instead he now informs the bemused, irritated world that the rapture will be five months later - I would tell you the actual date, but frankly, I don't care.

To slightly change a very famous prayer -
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things about myself I cannot change;
the courage to face up to and admit and change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Back in Christchurch

I was not sure what to expect on my return to the earthquake hit city - how much would things have improved in the 5 weeks since I was last here? My overall impression is that we are still at sticking plaster phase - doing immediate tasks, but not yet into long-term rebuilding. Roads are mended, holes and cracks filled in, only to re-appear with the next aftershock. Portaloos and chemical toilets are an improvement on long-drops in the back garden, but a genuine flushing toilet still is my preferred option! The big decisions about the long term future are yet to be made.

In some places, unsafe or partially collapsed buildings have been demolished, and roads have been cleared of rubble. Shops are open, trying to operate business as usual, adjacent to red-stickered unsafe properties, or empty cleared plots.

On our arrival, we stopped at the site of the CTV building, where nearly 100 died - one end remains intact while the rest has been cleared. You can see the height of what was a 6 story building, and the size - a poignant reminder of the terrible destruction suffered. It is a place to be quiet and reflect, and my preference would be that it is left in this condition as a raw memorial. Let's not sanitise death and tragedy and human powerlessness.

We visited the Sumner-Redcliffs area, a beautiful part of Christchurch, now living under the continuing threat from looming cliffs with loose rocks and boulders. Life carries on as normal, and yet of course it cannot.

At some stage houses will be assessed, demolished and rebuilt, or extensive repairs carried out - meaning the residents have to move out. Areas have been found which will become temporary communities, for up to five years, with transient populations. There is an obvious and desperate need for a Christian presence, and the church is aware of this, but unsure how to respond. We visited one such site - hundreds of campers vans parked side by side - in effect, a one room home. Can people really cope in such conditions - I doubt it. We were horrified - imagine living for weeks on end, in a one bedroom house on wheels, with just a few feet between you and the next van. I am not sure what other facilities will be made available, but someone, somehow, has to try and make life bearable by offering community. When asked what ministry his church would offer to one such camp, a Vicar suggested it was more the kind of thing Church Army would be equipped to do. And he is right, but who, and how do we finance them?

Back in the day the National Director would simply send Church Army people to Christchurch and they would find somewhere to sleep at night, and somehow get food etc - but that isn't how we operate any more. Shame, because I suspect that by the time we are ready to respond, it'll be too late!

So, impressions so far - enormous needs and opportunities, but equal frustration because our response feels so inadequate. Who will come and join us?

My next blog will tell you what is happening, and how what we can do and are doing is making a difference.

The last lap?

I have just read an advertisement for "Affordable retirement units in the Diocese of Waiapu" - the blurb reads "Our villages are ideal for the over-55's seeking independent living in friendly and supportive local communities." Excuse me?! Over 55's, that gives me very few years before I can settle down in my comfortable chair and slippers. A sobering thought. I had better get a move on.

My current book is "We have recovered" by Steve Baughan, who is my equivalent in CA USA. It tells how those with full on addictions have recovered using the Common Solution Recovery Programme, with classic AA input. Addicts are particularly prone to procrastination - working through some of the steps, but not all. One phrase caught my attention - "‎"Wait" is often the door to never."

There are countless reasons why now is not the best time, why we should not rush in, why we need to plan carefully, why we need to get others on board, why we need to avoid spreading ourselves too thinly, but when all is said and done a heck of a lot more is said than done. If 55 is the beginning of the end, there really is no time to wait.

Having complained in my last blog about the number of people on the CANZ mailing list who never contact us or send donations, I must praise the number of people who have responded with such generosity to our recent Together magazine - we have had a steady flow of donations large and small, many targeted for Christchurch, which leave me humbled and deeply grateful. We even received a parcel from England containing "toys and treats" - I can't wait to see the kids' faces when we these are handed out when we visit Christchurch next week. I'm excited about going back, and hope to blog more frequently!

What's Director to do?

I am in the final stages of preparing our magazine, "Together", which goes out three times each year to church leaders, churches, friends and supporters. One of the things I've been meaning to do for while was to trawl through our database, and see how many individuals have not contacted us for four or more years - and by definition have given not a cent during that time.
What a depressing task that was - precisely 641 people fall into that category. They receive our magazine year after year, and perhaps read it from cover to cover and use the contents to pray for us and to promote our ministry. But really? Many will give it a cursory flick through, then lay it aside or simply bin it - not considering the wasted resources of time and money.
So each will receive a little piece of paper with the next edition - inviting them to reply and let us know they want to remain on out mailing list. and I hope many will choose to make the effort and do so.
Passivity sometimes infuriates me - how right it is that we ask forgiveness not just for the wrong we do, but for the good we do not do. Tomorrow I shall walk to our local Muslim Centre, find the Imam and seek his forgiveness for the idiot American who thinks it is cool to burn the Qur'an, and explain that not all Christians are like that. What an impact it would have on Muslims in the West of all Christians humbly did the same.