Month: September 2010

A typical start on a weekday


This morning there was unusually more people at the station. The weather remained not-so-balmy. It was about 7 deg – not too bad but still cool enough to make me wonder why I wasnt in bed. The train pulled up right on time which was good, since it has been late recently. Of the 5-6 who would be on the platform most morning, all are familiar faces. Most of them are tradies – plumbers, painters, sparkies (electricians) etc.  We’d all grab a seat on a separate row and either read or sleep…

The train would pull up at Melbourne Central a bit before 6am and I’d proceed to purgatory (ie the gym) to do my penance.

About an hour and a half later I’d be at Swanston Street directly in front of the RMIT, waiting for a tram like this one.

Most trams go my way – except nos 1 and 8 – and it’d be another say between 15-20 minutes before it’d pull up outside my office.

I’d read or listen to something on the way. Winter’s fine but in summer the non-air conditioned cars can become really awful.

This is where I’d pull up and do another round of penance.

I’d be locked up in here for the next 10 hours or more.

I have proof in my potato white limbs.

I dont see the sun…. 😦

Lead, Follow or Get Out Of The Way


Was it Clinton who repeated that very useful mantra?

I am just a tad fed up with some ex-church colleagues.  They throw general statements around, stomp out and then make pathetic attempts to light small fires  to get their way. What a load of rubbish. What a lack of personal character, let alone leadership qualities.

I was just saying to someone that quite frankly, we should stop wasting time with the likes of such people. They will attempt to vent whatever pathetic little voice they have left on whoever who would feel sorry or courteous to still listen to them. The smart ones would rightly think such views rubbish. We really should stop wasting time on these people.

By all means accept them with open and sincere loving arms when they decide to be smart about it and lose their little self’s that’s preventing them from becoming what they ought to be. Until then, we should all ignore them and move on.

A Fool of a Lawyer


That’s Alex Stewart from Brisbane. The 29-year-old must have thought it hilarious to video himself tearing up pages from both the Bible and the Quran and using it to wrap tobacco before proceeding to light up.

I know life’s often hard and one can always use a laugh and take oneself less seriously but life is also short enough to think about things more seriously and make it all count. This sort of just gives a free kick and show how foolish one can become if one holds on to atheism. Really if there’s no God, why take anything seriously?

Alas, God is. His word according to John, is Him. So it’s kind of really foolish to mock it the way this young lawyer did. It’s a bit like the Chaser mob maybe, where the mantra of life is – have a laugh. All else is secondary. One day, something will happen in their lives which will change this mantra forever. When that day comes, I hope people like Alex Stewart will have unburnt copies of the Bible around, to have a means of seeking what it all means.

US Open Treat


What a treat to see the two gladiators slugging it out, as always. Djokovic looks the better player and should progress with Roger Federer battling hard to hang on but seems just a touch “lazy”. 4-4 in the 5th now. Wow…

The Swinging House


This Rob Oakeshott fellow has got to be one of those post modern guys who must appear, at all costs, to be one who has agonises over decisions he has to make. All we wanted – the nation wanted – was to know what the decision was. It is a given he has agonised over it, because fairly or otherwise, he was one of the three who has accidentally become the holder of the nation’s future in so far the government was concerned. He, Windsor and Katter did not deserve to hold that kind of power and it was bad enough we have had to wait and wonder if we were going to have a government or was it back to the polls.

To see him navel gazing and pontificating the way he did on Tuesday arvo was so very annoying. What’s worse, stuff he was advocating was just pure poppycock. How is the parliament to function – just gather around and talk even more endlessly than they have already been doing? Group hugs? I shudder at the potentially revolting inclusiveness of this variety.

That was Tuesday.

Yesterday, Tony Windsor had some issues with the mining tax. He wanted it included in the agenda of some tax summit with the Treasury but Swan had not plan to. So it was an issue and again magnifying glasses were raised to look for cracks in the “rainbow coalition” that is made up of 72 Labour, 1 Green, 1 Whistle Blowing anti-Iraq war Tassie in Andy Wilkie and 2 Independents which included the navel gazing tree hugger Oakeshott. What a bunch.

Today, it is the turn of the Greens to wake us up and remind us this rainbow is about to disappear soon. Bob Brown now is making noises about siding with the Coalition (not the rainbow variety) about matters such as parental leave scheme and healthcare. So potentially the 73 Coalition seats bolstered by the Westie Tony Crook may have Adam Brandt the Melbourne Greenman (it gets stranger by the day). That – at least for those issues Brown made noises on – brings it to a 75 votes each way tie.

Tomorrow’s Friday – thank God it’s Friday. Who knows – it may be a very short while before we go to the polls again. Phil Baresi my local candidate should not put his feet up too comfortably – the game may be back on again.

Dove? Love!


This Quran burning fiasco thought up by the Dove World Outreach Centre in Florida (it only happens in America?) is seriously misguided.

This phobia against all things Islamic has been played up by right wing America for so long now. I get endless streams of emails and youtube clips warning against the march of Islam. Often these emails are outright lies. Many recipients have foolishly forwarded these materials without making the simplest and quickest of checks. Kiddo once showed me the “Let-Me-Google-That-For-You” slap in the face type of site and senders of such emails should acquaint themselves with this facility.

We live in such angry and confusing times that clear thinking is more important than ever before.

I can’t understand how burning Quran can further the kingdom of God. Even if we are compelled to consider Muslims enemies, we have been asked – commanded – to love our enemies. The universal edict to love our enemies as ourselves requires an even higher standard of adherence when we are taught Jesus himself is love. Loving Muslims is not the same as believing or giving credibility to Islam or the Quran. In fact loving them is how we are to start sharing with them the gospel and the saving grace of God. If we are bloody minded in surging ahead with our chest thumping brand of Christianity and continue to initiate pogroms of sorts such as this. We are further than ever before, from reaching out Muslims with God’s love and be a bridge to share the saving grace of God with them. We have to start believing that when they see God’s love and saving grace, they will be lead by the Spirit to see the foolishness of man’s independent attempts to reach God, including via the Quran. Jesus asked us to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. There can be no better context to apply this wise command from our Lord.

Gay Church in Malaysia? My Gay Thoughts Revisited


Gay Church? (Re-publishing in light of current interests in Malaysia…)

I have friends whom I think may be offended by what I’m about to write in this entry. It concerns homosexual practice. If you are one of these people, I hope you know by now that I believe God is real and He cares about us. He has great plans for us and I trust Him enough to know these plans are great ones. There is only one condition – that I must let Him be God and not try to play His role for Him. So, whatever my personal views may be about homosexual practice, they are secondary to what God has said in the Bible about the matter.

Personally, I don’t have any problems with homosexual practice. I am not one, have no such tendencies, and am prepared to accept that there are many with homosexual tendencies or preferences. To many, these tendencies and preferences are so strong they do not want to keep fighting them. They think perhaps life is to be lived, not fought against. They think a relationship is about commitment and sacrifice and building something together and there is nothing in a homosexual relationship which inherently precludes these virtues. I agree with these views. I would have subscribed wholly with them and would have supported same sex union as a logical consequence of these views. These however, are my personal views. As a Christian, I believe my personal views are not always the right ones. They can’t be. To insist that my personal views must prevail is to breach the condition set out above. His (perfect) plans wont work, and mine, which are no where near His (perfect ones) would kick in. My views really are a distant second to His, which is perfect.

I honestly do not know what to make of claims that homosexuality is a natural thing. It’s like someone who prefers one food to another, or has the natural tendency to use his left arm instead of his right. How can preference for one food over another or using one arm over another, be such a bad thing? Honestly, I don’t know. I dont know what harm there would be if say, half the world is gay. Maybe the world population would go down. The nucleus family would no longer be the norm. Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. If homosexuality becomes as common as a heterosexual union, it would be the first time since time immemorial, that the issue of parenthood becomes re-examined and the accepted convention of 2-sex parents is no longer. I don’t know what that does to the psyche of a child and how that affects his or her development and what sort of adult that child eventually becomes. It is such a vexed issue. It would certainly mean discarding what has worked for centuries, in favour of/exchange for acceptance of certain sexual preferences. Assuming the gays are right and it is perfectly “natural”. It is still only our way, not God’s. In fact, God wants us to subrogate our natural ways to His ways. The Bible speaks of dying to self in order to live. There are in any event, lots of things we naturally want to do but don’t, because they aren’t good for us. We wont go there for now however.

There is a Malaysian pastor who is now contemplating a gay church. This is just a bit whacky. Not that homosexual practice is whacky. It isn’t. It’s quite cool actually. It is however, against God’s ways. Jesus preached love and forgiveness and acceptance. That is true. He also however, preached obedience, repentance and judgment. These aren’t cool. They are however, core teachings of Jesus. To start a gay church would be like starting a church for any other perpetrators of any other practice which is against God’s ways.

We don’t for example, even think for a moment about say, a paedophile church. Before you scream murder, I’m not equating paedophilia with homosexuality. The obvious argument that one damages innocent young children while the other is between consenting adults is a familiar one with which I agree. However, again those are my views. They don’t matter. God’s views do. In fact they are the only ones that do. One doesn’t even have to proffer any arguments which a paedophile may put forward to justify the practice. You don’t need for example, to produce scientific evidence to show maybe some children aren’t damaged and may even acquire some life lessons. I know that is repulsive. I know society simply does not find paedophilia acceptable. My point is there will always be subjective views. Expert opinions change. Community rejection or acceptance of any matter is subjective. What is now unacceptable may be acceptable at different times, just as what was previously unacceptable may now be acceptable. The only objective standard is God’s. Okay, that is my belief. I know that to be true, because it is right there in the Bible (eg 1 Corinthians 6:9).

You know why the church today has credibility issues when they shout and thump their chests against homosexual practice? It is the issue of consistency. Homosexual practice is a sin, as is theft, lying, killing, jealousy, covetousness, and all the other practices listed in Exodus somewhere as well as in other parts of the Bible. In fact, remember Billy Graham’s 7 deadly sins? You hardly hear the church condemning these anymore. Why condemn homosexual practice but keep silent on theft for example? Why no word against murder? Why has the church not examined for example, the actions of people like George W and Robert M to see if they have perhaps committed murder? I know I know. George was defending his country, you may say. Really? From what? Terrorism? I thought that was in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and maybe Afghanistan? From oil drought? Ah…maybe he was then guilty of covetousness? Or did he not remember that and the other stuff in Exodus 20:15ff? If in lying and coveting Iraq’s oil he let his own view prevail over God’s that is as much a sin as homosexual practice is. Why didn’t the church condemn it but pretty much cover its head with ashes over homosexual practice?

So to the Malaysian pastors and churches crying out against that gay pastor, I say well done. However to sound a bit more credible, you should also take a stand against other practices which are against God’s ways. How many church goers in Malaysian churches today are guilty of sharp business practices (theft, lies, coveting)? How many have mistresses? How many overtly support regimes which condone murder (I have in mind the Malaysian police which the general public in Malaysia believes have committed murder in the summary execution of suspects in shootouts, pushing addicts off buildings, bashings in lock-ups and prisons leading to deaths)? Why does the church single out homosexual practice as a sin to condemn and leave the other iniquities alone?

So back to that gay church – no it wont work. I believe gay people in Malaysia aren’t Christians. If they turn up, it wont be because they are Christians – it would be because they are gay. It would be just another gay club. You cant for example preach on godliness because to be godly you need to well, subscribe to His ways. A homosexual practitioner has chosen to choose his own way over God’s. If however the intention of that church is to help practising gays get rid of that practice then that would be a great thing. That pastor could set an example and say homosexual practice is a sin in that it goes against God’s ways. It wont be a cool or popular thing to do, but godly.

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Self Must Die


One of my favourite television programs is the Band of Brothers. My favourite episode in that series concerns a Lieutenant Spiers. In that episode, Easy Company had emerged from a torrid time in a forest in Bastogne under freezing conditions. They were asked to take over the little town of Foy from the Germans. Easy Company was under the charge of an ineffectual commander and couldn’t break through the German defence until Spiers stepped up and took over. Spiers stepped up, took command and lead from the front. He blazed through and ran from one vantage point to another, methodically and courageously picking out snipers and artilleries. His brave feats lead Easy Company to complete victory and they overcame the enemy.

Later as the men took a well earned rest, someone asked Spiers how he did it. What was his reply? He said:

The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.

To function as a soldier, one has to accept that he is already dead. The sooner that acceptance occurs, the better the soldier will be able to function.

Dying to self is essential to effective function. He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose. These were the words of Jim Elliot the missionary was killed in Ecuador.

The Bible has always taught giving up of self. The elevation of self is the greatest lie the devil perpetuated to continue to suppress man and deny him the fullness of life that self sacrifice was meant to bring. Leave the 99 sheep behind to seek that one lost sheep and forgetting the nine coins in order to find the one which is lost. Giving up what we have – which we can’t keep – to find the greater gift given by God – which we can’t lose. The devil seeks to stoke our egos, our self.

Genesis 3:4 has the serpent saying to Eve 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Elevating man to the status of God seems on the surface, to be fulfilling man’s “purpose” but in fact is the death knell that sees man separated from God. To truly live, the self is to first die.

To move forward, one is asked to first lay down himself to the extent of death. Jesus has shown us what this means. In John 12:23

23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

So this morning as we remember His death for our sake let us seek to forget ourselves and focus on Him. More than 500 years ago, Nicolaus Copernicus discovered that the earth is not at the centre of the universe. Let us embrace the Copernican revolution and accept that we are not at the centre of the universe – God is. It is not about us. It is all about God and His plans. Let us see things from the perspective of God’s Kingdom and His purpose for His Kingdom. For only then can we be one as His family, as He commanded us to be.

Let us give thanks together

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your gift of redemption in and through Jesus, your only begotten Son. We thank you for His obedience. We ask that you will teach us to obey just as He obeyed. We ask that just as submitted to Your will we too will know how to look beyond ourselves and yield to Your will and Your purpose for Your church. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

In Matthew 26, it says in verse 26:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Let us eat the bread together to remember Jesus’ obedience on the cross.

Verse 27 – Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Let us now drink from the cup and accept the shedding of Jesus blood on the cross for our sin. May God bless us all.

Give – really give – and you will be blessed


Every now and then it clicks and you experience it: It really isn’t about me and it really is more blessed to give than to receive. The Lord is right of course, as He always is.

My local church has been planning a stream of activities which if God allows it to all come to fruition, will see the end of a long chapter in that church’s history. Come decision time, we may well see the start of a new chapter. And so some of us have been thinking of closure in some of the things we have been doing.

For all the tiredness we often feel in carrying out various tasks, and for all the issues and stress we often feel, we really have been blessed.

When we are able to say it isn’t about me or what I want but it is about others and what is best for them, things can change dramatically. It isn’t about whether the legacy and history that has been created (which often is about us) continues to remain. It is rather, about whether God’s people grow in their knowledge oft their God, and whether they grow in obedience and submission to Him. If we dwell on how the church started and keep harping on what it was all about, we may well miss the point of what it should be about.

Looking ahead, the church can be better. It can be better if it is willing to take the step forward. It can be better if we give up what we can’t keep anyway, in order to receive what we can’t lose. The Lord said that too, didn’t He? We can’t keep history and legacy. When we move on either through death or other circumstances, those who come after us will be lead by God to do what God wants His church to do in most cases anyway – build each other up, preach the gospel and establish His kingdom. If what we seek to do now is to further those areas how far should history and legacy go to check that kind of progress? I say the less the better. When we give those up, we will be blessed in return – not in the form of good to us personally but in the form of what good it will do for the Kingdom of God – for His people.

If we are able to truly give, we will be truly blessed.

Changing Constant


It started to rain when I got on the tram last night. It gradually picked up and the rain got heavier. By the time I finished dinner just after 8 it had started to belt down and I think it hadn’t completely stopped till this morning. It was still raining – albeit lightly – when I got off the tram and walked towards the office this morning. The temperature however, ebbed quite a bit. It felt almost balmy this morning – probably hovering around the 12deg mark. So it looks like we’ve retained the good and discarded the “bad” – kept the rain and got rid of the cold… yay…

It is of course, the first day of spring today. Another winter’s come and gone. Another footy finals season is about to begin. Hawks scraped through and will play Fremantle this Sat. Good for maybe a couple more games at best but long on for Grand Finals, probably.

We’ve now gone through six winters since we left sweltering Malaysia. While on the one hand the acclimatization has made it easier to brave the cold, age on the other hand, continues to shake that fortitude. Thankfully a weather report I watched this morning

Last week the central ducted heating broke down and the very next day I took the afternoon off to attend to the repairmen. Leaving if for just a few days was totally unthinkable although we really could have dealt with it by just relying on perfectly effective column heaters. Theresa in particular needed to have the heater going gang busters and my total agreement has a lot to do with a much lower metabolic rate these days and absolutely nothing to do with my thinning top, I’m sure.

Six winters past, sixth spring is here and the windy sunny days of spring in Melbourne beckon. Whereas autumn in Melbourne is a glorious time, spring is less pleasant. Sydney as I remember it, was the opposite. It is sunny and warm there without the gusty winds, unlike Melbourne. For the sixth year we will experience the lashing winds of spring – something Tress gets unsettled over. Every year it is the same. The cold leaves and the winds arrive. Things are continuously changing but remain the same.