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
In Brisbane at the moment. I have been involved in the Forge Intensive on Spirituality for Mission. It was a great conversation held at Bracken Ridge Baptist.On Sunday night, I spent the evening with Joshua Tree, Steve Turner's tribe on the Sunshine Coast. It was a good evening, having conversations around money and mission, and catching up with some old (and new) friends.
Yesterday morning I had breakfast with the crew from City Wesleyan, the community presided over by the luminous Ken and Leanne Baker. Had a great time conversing around the artificial gap placed by the Western Church between Evangelism and Social Justice.
Today I spent the morning at YMIS. We reflected theologically on the nature of conversion and its practical ramifications, as well as
some good reflection on the Kingdom of God narratives understood by the early church.
I am getting to the point of exhaustion. So I am really looking forward to meeting up with Ralph (ex-Tear) and then picking up Lisa and Harry from the Gold Coast Airport tonight. I have not seen either of them since last Thursday and miss them crazily.
So I will be signing off for a week and a half, devouring re-runs of the X-Files on my laptop and reading the 14 books I have brought with me on holidays!
Labels: Blogging, Discipleship, Events, Itinerary, Mission, Theology
Posted by Stephen @ 1:27 PM 2 comments This is a plug for a Youth Ministry Conference in Queensland that I will be involved in. There seems to be some great input organised along the lines of global issues, working with marginalised young people and the like.
The National Youth Ministry Convention on the Gold Coast is a 4-day experience for anyone who works with youth or young adults. If you are a youth worker, chaplain, pastor, teacher or volunteer, the NYMC is designed to provide much needed recharging, professional development and connection with like-minded people.Posted by Stephen @ 11:21 AM 0 commentsDelegates will attend one full day seminar, plus 5 main and 8 elective sessions. Speakers include Duffy Robbins, Tony Campolo, Tim Hawkins, Chris Harding, Mark Sayers, Ross Farley, Stephen Said and many more.
Accommodation can be found easily nearby, and bookings can be taken online.
The NYMC is coordinated by Youth Vision Queensland, in cooperation with a large number of youth ministry partners including Scripture Union Queensland, Anglican Youth Ministries, Youth For Christ, Youth Dimension, Uniting Church Youth Ministries Queensland, Student Life, Churches of Christ, Fusion, Youth Ministries Australia, The Salvation Army Youth, and Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane – Youth Ministry
An event of this magnitude would also not be possible without the help of wonderful supporters such as 107.3.
If you would like to be part of this inaugural Australian youth ministry event, register now and pay the early bird rate. Bring a spouse for about half price, or a group of 5+ to save even more. (Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you know who works with young people!) Note: the early bird due date of May 25 has been extended to the end of June
For more info, email stephen@nymc.org.au, phone 1800 1 555 33, get a brochure or go to www.nymc.org.au.
I am going to be traveling up to Canberra on a bus tonight for Voices for Justice. VFJ is a four day Christian conference. On the Saturday and Sunday, we pray, worship and learn how to participate in the political process. Then on the Monday and Tuesday, we visit as many federal members of the Australian parliament as we can.
We talk to them about aid, trade and debt relief. We invite Christians to lend their voices to those who cannot speak out, namely the poor, the least and the last in our world. We invite Christians to speak to representatives of the Australian government. We invite the Australian Government to act on behalf of those same people.
It was quite a phenomenal experience last year. Getting an insight into the political process was both an inspiring and depressing exercise.
It is an election year, and I thought that this year, rather than whinge about the fact that our politic is so selfish and banal, I would participate in raising the level. As Australian Christians, we only desire from our government cheapest and safest ride through life, or we simply desire conservative moral laws, we dream in a way that is far too small, and we demean the immense God of compassion, mercy and love that we profess to serve.
PS - Anyone in Canberra who wants to hang out, let me know! I'd love a chat!
Technorati Tags: Itinerary, Rants
Labels: Itinerary, Politics, Rants
Posted by Stephen @ 2:58 PM 0 comments 
Well it is official! I am now a Bachelor, even though I have been married for 12 years. On Saturday I received the award for Bachelor in Mission Studies from Tabor College in Melbourne. I have been studying for the better part of 10 years. This is a photo of me with one of my students who also graduated on Saturday. Her name is Beth Rumble and she was better at getting the photo's out of her camera than I was. Thanks Beth.
Well, I am back on deck too, after taking three weeks off to build it that is! I had three weeks to rebuild our veranda (or deck) that had rotted all the way through, but I was back on deck last night, preaching at Ballarat Family Church of Christ. What a great community! I met so many people keen to want to do something about social change. I will look forward to developing a partnership with their church. Quite a few of them seemed keen to participate in Tear's DEEP trip to Nepal.
I will hopefully be blogging every other day or so now that I am back on deck.
Technorati Tags: Tear
Labels: Blogging, Itinerary, Rants, Tear
Posted by Stephen @ 8:32 AM 0 comments There are some wonderful people around the Forge network and it is a good time to reconnect.
Labels: Forge, Itinerary, Rants
Posted by Stephen @ 7:55 AM 1 comments In terms of official engagements, I will be spending time with the Forge WA crew for their mini intensive. You can find all of the details here... Posted by Stephen @ 9:50 PM 1 comments
About Me
- 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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