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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I know I work for a great organisation when the things that quietly disturb the quiet recesses of my mind are addressed. What do I mean? Well for a while now, I have been acutely aware of how rising fuel costs have driven up the *global* price of food.

You certainly know that the price of fuel has gone up as most of us drive regularly and need our cars. You may or may not know that the price of food has gone up.

If you live in a poor community, then you are certainly aware that the price of food has increased. Dramatically. There have been food riots in some parts of Africa and Asia, not unlike the beginnings of some B grade science fiction stories, as a result of rising fuel prices.

So this stuff sits in the back of my mind and I wonder what to do, what to say, feeling powerless. And the along comes an email from Sally at Tear...

The world price of rice has doubled in less than a year. Other staple foods have reached record prices. And, of course, the world's poorest people are being hit the hardest.

You can help a community help itself by investing in a rice bank.

http://www.usefulgifts.org/gift.php?type=447

Please promote this new gift

Labels: Economics, Faith, Politics, Spirituality, Tear, Theology

Posted by Stephen @ 12:47 PM 0 comments

Monday, May 12, 2008

::Resources-Structural and Institutional Sin

These are the notes for the class I taught last Saturday morning at Tabor Melbourne. For those not there, it is an exploration of the notion of institutional and structural sin/evil.

It was a great class. The thing that made it great was the passion and quality of questions and conversations with the participants. Thanks so much for letting me be part of your learning journey guys!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

Labels: Missiology, Mission, Notes, Resources, Tabor Melbourne, Theology

Posted by Stephen @ 1:04 PM 0 comments

Friday, May 09, 2008

::Rants-Making sense of suffering...

Having a hard time with the disaster in Burma. When the tsunami struck a few years ago, my feelings of anger, frustration and resignation were significant. My framework for coping was stressed to the limit.

This time around, the stupidity of an elite regime is simply exacerbating a situation that simply did not have to have a death toll that is as great as it is. I don't want to think about it. I want to shut it all out and cope with it in ways that are just unhealthy.

What makes the Burma situation a little more complex for me is the fact that Tear has significant partners and fieldworkers (some I know personally) who are in the midst of it all, and we are being kept constantly updated. Try as I might to distract myself, it is in my face.

I am not sure if it will help you, but I have found that some of the reflections of our partners and fieldworkers has helped my processing. You can find them here...

http://tear.org.au/projects/emergencies/burma-cyclone-relief/

You can also make a donation to some of Tears wonderful and faithful partners in Burma too if that helps.

Labels: Burma, Rants, Tear, Theology

Posted by Stephen @ 9:14 PM 0 comments

Monday, April 21, 2008

::Notes from my Tabor class today on prayer and personality

These are the notes for the class I taught today at Tabor Melbourne. For those not there, it is an exploration of the catholic (deliberate lower case "c") prayer forms/traditions/ways that recent Catholic theologians have correlated to Myers Briggs profiles. Enjoy!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

Labels: Prayer, Spirituality

Posted by Stephen @ 4:31 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

::Resources-Those wanting to get started with biblical interpretation...

I have been asked a number of times after talks that I have given, if there is a good place to start in understanding the cannonisation (how the bible came to be composed of the books that are included) process. One particular person was pretty keen to understand the process.

So what do you do when asked such a technical question? Well you ask Ken Baker from Citywesleyan of course! Here is a response that I got from Ken that will hopefully help you if that is a question that you have had also...

The closest I could get to a suggestion is "The Text of the New Testament" by Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland.

This text is a classic and the Alands are the legends of NT work.

In the absence of any ideas re: introduction books, my mind went to this book, but I originally thought that it would be far too academic and far too hard to read.

BUT, I've skimmed through it and it is actually quite readable and grunty at the same time.

Anyway, chapter 2 might be ok.

Labels: Scrap Book, Theology

Posted by Stephen @ 4:52 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 11, 2008

::Notes from Baptist Union SA Myspace Camp

For those of you who were gunning for the notes from the Baptist Union South Australia Easter Camp, here they are! Enjoy!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

Labels: Adelaide, Culture, Gen Y, South Australia, Tear

Posted by Stephen @ 8:50 AM 3 comments

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

::Itinerary-On and off road...

It's getting hard to keep this thing up to date. I have spent the better part of the last week in Adelaide. I was the speaker at the Baptist Union of South Australia Easter Camp. It was a bit of a challenge speaking to people as young as 12 and up to 30ish. Try keeping a group of 170 people spanning those age groups happy!

The feedback I have gotten from Jason Hoet and his team was very encouraging. A number of people, after having a whole bunch of sessions to discuss the radical Jesus, made some kind of commitment to try and respond. In a note passed on to me, one of the campers said "thanks for the brutal altar call. It was real and painful, but I think God wants it like that".

In retrospect, I spent most of my time trying to persuade people not to respond. God calls us to enter into a broken and painful world to make a difference. He calls us not to maintain the unhealthy defence mechanisms (even the socially acceptable ones!), rather he invites us to expose our heart to even greater pain.

It's two edged. You open up your heart to pain and further wounding, means that your heart is also in a place to experience the kind of joy just not possible to dead people.

May God's grace strengthen the first time commitments, the recommitments and the three individuals who chose that night to serve the poor overseas! Looking forward to radical stories in the future!

Labels: Events, Gen Y, Itinerary, Tear

Posted by Stephen @ 4:32 PM 0 comments

Ideas have a mind of their own, and when they get together, woa, what a party!

: Name: Stephen Said; Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

I am National Youth Coordinator with TEAR Australia, spending most of my time helping Christian young adults come to terms with being disciples "in" Pop Culture, rather than disciples "of" Pop Culture. In addition, I am part of the leadership team of missio Dei, a faith community based in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and I am a sessional lecturer with Tabor College Victoria and ACOM. Husband to Lisa and father to Harry and Noah. Founding member of the Melbourne Victory FC.

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