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: , , , , ,

 
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
::Theology-Some kind of conclusion...
Rowan Lewis, the Coordinator of Year in the Son (which is one of the teaching gigs I have), is always encouraging me not just to challenge students with the state of the world, but to also give them a vision of what could be. He loves my work, but is a great foil for my mind and heart, as he challenges me to inspire people with a vision of an alternative.

A few months ago, I posted my version of the Sheep and the Goats that I used in this particular class. It was my attempt at engaging Gen Y with the call to radical discipleship. After some careful thought, I rewrote the second half for the class in response to Rowan's encouragements. This is the first time I have presented it in a public forum. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Jesus turned to the ones on his left and he will say:
"Depart from me you who are accursed. For I was hungry, but you didn't give me anything to eat. So we grew our own food, but we had to sell it into the international trading system, using the money to pay off our debts to your country. We had little left to eat.

"For I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. So we found a water table and drilled a well. But Coca Cola Amatil came to our city and outbid us for access to our own water. They use it to make your Coca Cola. They outbid us with the profits they made from selling you their product.

"I was imprisoned in my own country, so I fled in desperation with nothing except the money that I was able to get in exchange for everything I ever owned. I managed to get to your country, even though the people smugglers told me I was going to England! When I got to your country, you put me into another prison. But you call yours a detention centre?

"I was naked, and you did not clothe me. So we had to find work in order to buy our own clothes. I found work, in a factory. I worked every day from 7am till 9pm with very few breaks, 7 days a week. It was hard work. I rarely got to see my family, life was very hard. This kind of life made me very sad. The factory I worked in made clothes that were sold to you.

"I was sick. I agonized as many of my family, friends and especially the children in my community died from things like diarrhoea and simple infections. I was afraid I too would die in this horrible way. Day after day, month after month, year after year. This happened whilst every now and then, you would give thanks to your God for your health.

"I was homeless and I read in one of your Christian books that if I applied myself and worked hard enough, I could have whatever I could conjure up enough faith for. I have been praying and believing for a home for my family. I cannot wait for God to answer that prayer.

"I was lonely, hoping for someone to visit. Often I saw your aeroplanes flying overhead. I suspect that you were probably on your way to London, or Paris to see things that were very important and special.

"You seemed so blessed with so many things. You must be very holy for God to bless you with so many good things. I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.

Then he will turn to the ones on his right, and he will say:
"Come you who are blessed by my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

"For I was hungry, and you decided to prioritise environmental sustainability and the just nature of trade regarding the food you eat. When you made your food producers and manufacturers accountable to the way they treat me and the planet on which I try to grow my own food, you slowly but surely made a difference in my life and the life of my family.

"When I was thirsty, you heard my cry and sacrificially gathered some of God's wealth and resources and gave them to me so that I could build a well in my community. Your simple sacrifice and concern for me and my family made a huge difference in the life and health of our community.

"I was naked and you were outraged. You demanded that the corporations from whom you purchased your own clothing treated me with justice. I was able to form a trade union and campaign for good working conditions. I was able to work and to rest and recreate because of your concern and action. You now have to pay a little bit more for your own clothing, but that does not concern you for now people are more important to you than money.

"I was sick with preventable diseases, and this filled you with remorse. You decided that you would give some of your monthly income regularly to programs that helped to improve the quality of my life, and that of my family and friends. In your monthly budget, you made sure that you remembered me always, for the remainder of your life.

"I was homeless, and you knew that this was wrong. You opened your home to me, sharing a room, meals, tears, time, frustrations, patience and love with me. It was uncomfortable for you; however you gave much and learned much about yourself, about God, and about our common humanity.

"I was lonely. But so were you, trapped in a world where you needed to be constantly entertained and stimulated. As you broke free from your materialistic prison, we found each other. We talked, and listened to one another, we spent time getting to know each other, and ourselves. In your act of reaching out, you became more human than you realised possible.

And the ones on his right said to the King:
"Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or lonely and in prison?

And the King answered:
"Whatsoever you did to the least of these, you did it to me."

Labels: , , , , , , ,

 
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
::Rants-FINISHED!
Sorry it has taken SOOOOOOOOO long but those of you who have been patiently been waiting for me to figure out how to convert Powerpoint files to Flash, here it is!

The Spirituality of Gen Y Presentation

This is a shrunken down version (file size wise) of a presentation I made to a gathering of Victorian church leaders a few months ago regarding the Spirituality of Gen Y in response to the report recently tabled and presented.

Enjoy!

Labels: , , , , ,

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

My Photo
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.

Get Firefox Add to my Podcasts
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from Stephen Said. Make your own badge here.

Translate {neurotribe.net}

:: Spanish
:: Portuguese
:: Italian
:: German
:: French
:: Japanese

{neurotribe.net}

:: Control panel
:: Webmail
:: Edit this sucker

When it all seems too much...

:: Strongbad

Linkage

:: Planetfootball
:: Soccernet
:: Teamtalk
:: The world game
:: Spurs
:: Football 365
:: BBC Football
:: The Age (Melbourne Daily)
:: hurstbridge.org.au
:: Bankwest
:: Bloglines
:: advoc8.org
:: SBS Worldguide
:: Internet movie database
:: Allmusic.com

My other blogs

:: World Cup Football News
:: A-League News
:: Asian Champions League News
:: Mp3 Player Reviews

Recommended reading

:: The Shaping of Things to Come - Frost/Hirsch
:: Neuromancer - William Gibson
:: The Hacker Ethic - Pekka Himanen
:: Believe in the Future - David Bosch

Misseo Dei Bloggers...

:: missio Dei Blog
:: Lisa's Life
:: Missio Dei and Me

Blogs I read regularly

:: the rev
:: Bevis Blog
:: Jonnybaker
:: Si johnston
:: Mark Pierson
:: Miriam Writes
:: Emergent kiwi
:: Marcus Curnow
:: TheHeresy.com
:: Barro's World
:: Biscotti brain
:: Jon Owen (UNOH)
:: Steve Chatelier
:: Flying blue sky
:: Tall skinny kiwi
:: Sivin kit's garden
:: Radical congruency
:: Prodigal Kiwi Blog
:: Waving or drowning?
:: Tempting Shortcuts
:: Backyard missionaries
:: Where have all the cool people gone?

Faith communities web sites...

:: Leanne & Ken @ City Wesleyan

Bio...

:: The bio is here...

Blogerly stuff

Vagablog - Blog from your Palm
mp3mymp3 - Software I use to audioblog
Blog Search Engine

Archives

03/24/2002 - 03/31/2002 / 01/25/2004 - 02/01/2004 / 02/01/2004 - 02/08/2004 / 02/08/2004 - 02/15/2004 / 02/15/2004 - 02/22/2004 / 02/22/2004 - 02/29/2004 / 02/29/2004 - 03/07/2004 / 03/07/2004 - 03/14/2004 / 03/14/2004 - 03/21/2004 / 03/21/2004 - 03/28/2004 / 03/28/2004 - 04/04/2004 / 04/04/2004 - 04/11/2004 / 04/11/2004 - 04/18/2004 / 04/18/2004 - 04/25/2004 / 04/25/2004 - 05/02/2004 / 05/02/2004 - 05/09/2004 / 05/09/2004 - 05/16/2004 / 05/16/2004 - 05/23/2004 / 05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004 / 05/30/2004 - 06/06/2004 / 06/06/2004 - 06/13/2004 / 06/13/2004 - 06/20/2004 / 06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004 / 06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004 / 07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004 / 07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004 / 07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004 / 07/25/2004 - 08/01/2004 / 08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004 / 08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004 / 08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004 / 08/22/2004 - 08/29/2004 / 08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004 / 09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004 / 09/12/2004 - 09/19/2004 / 09/19/2004 - 09/26/2004 / 09/26/2004 - 10/03/2004 / 10/03/2004 - 10/10/2004 / 10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004 / 10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004 / 10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004 / 10/31/2004 - 11/07/2004 / 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004 / 11/14/2004 - 11/21/2004 / 11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004 / 11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004 / 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004 / 12/12/2004 - 12/19/2004 / 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004 / 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005 / 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005 / 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005 / 01/16/2005 - 01/23/2005 / 01/23/2005 - 01/30/2005 / 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 / 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005 / 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 / 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005 / 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005 / 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005 / 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005 / 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005 / 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005 / 04/03/2005 - 04/10/2005 / 04/10/2005 - 04/17/2005 / 04/17/2005 - 04/24/2005 / 04/24/2005 - 05/01/2005 / 05/01/2005 - 05/08/2005 / 05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005 / 05/15/2005 - 05/22/2005 / 05/22/2005 - 05/29/2005 / 05/29/2005 - 06/05/2005 / 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005 / 06/12/2005 - 06/19/2005 / 06/19/2005 - 06/26/2005 / 06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005 / 07/03/2005 - 07/10/2005 / 07/10/2005 - 07/17/2005 / 07/17/2005 - 07/24/2005 / 07/24/2005 - 07/31/2005 / 08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005 / 08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005 / 08/21/2005 - 08/28/2005 / 08/28/2005 - 09/04/2005 / 09/04/2005 - 09/11/2005 / 09/11/2005 - 09/18/2005 / 09/18/2005 - 09/25/2005 / 09/25/2005 - 10/02/2005 / 10/02/2005 - 10/09/2005 / 10/09/2005 - 10/16/2005 / 10/16/2005 - 10/23/2005 / 10/23/2005 - 10/30/2005 / 10/30/2005 - 11/06/2005 / 11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005 / 11/13/2005 - 11/20/2005 / 11/20/2005 - 11/27/2005 / 11/27/2005 - 12/04/2005 / 12/11/2005 - 12/18/2005 / 12/18/2005 - 12/25/2005 / 01/08/2006 - 01/15/2006 / 01/15/2006 - 01/22/2006 / 01/22/2006 - 01/29/2006 / 01/29/2006 - 02/05/2006 / 02/05/2006 - 02/12/2006 / 02/12/2006 - 02/19/2006 / 02/19/2006 - 02/26/2006 / 02/26/2006 - 03/05/2006 / 03/05/2006 - 03/12/2006 / 03/12/2006 - 03/19/2006 / 03/19/2006 - 03/26/2006 / 03/26/2006 - 04/02/2006 / 04/02/2006 - 04/09/2006 / 04/16/2006 - 04/23/2006 / 04/30/2006 - 05/07/2006 / 05/07/2006 - 05/14/2006 / 05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006 / 05/28/2006 - 06/04/2006 / 06/04/2006 - 06/11/2006 / 06/11/2006 - 06/18/2006 / 06/18/2006 - 06/25/2006 / 06/25/2006 - 07/02/2006 / 07/09/2006 - 07/16/2006 / 07/16/2006 - 07/23/2006 / 07/23/2006 - 07/30/2006 / 07/30/2006 - 08/06/2006 / 08/06/2006 - 08/13/2006 / 08/13/2006 - 08/20/2006 / 08/20/2006 - 08/27/2006 / 08/27/2006 - 09/03/2006 / 09/10/2006 - 09/17/2006 / 09/17/2006 - 09/24/2006 / 10/01/2006 - 10/08/2006 / 10/08/2006 - 10/15/2006 / 10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006 / 10/22/2006 - 10/29/2006 / 10/29/2006 - 11/05/2006 / 11/05/2006 - 11/12/2006 / 11/12/2006 - 11/19/2006 / 11/19/2006 - 11/26/2006 / 12/03/2006 - 12/10/2006 / 12/10/2006 - 12/17/2006 / 12/17/2006 - 12/24/2006 / 12/31/2006 - 01/07/2007 / 01/14/2007 - 01/21/2007 / 01/28/2007 - 02/04/2007 / 02/04/2007 - 02/11/2007 / 02/11/2007 - 02/18/2007 / 02/25/2007 - 03/04/2007 / 03/04/2007 - 03/11/2007 / 03/18/2007 - 03/25/2007 / 03/25/2007 - 04/01/2007 / 04/01/2007 - 04/08/2007 / 04/15/2007 - 04/22/2007 / 04/29/2007 - 05/06/2007 / 05/13/2007 - 05/20/2007 / 05/20/2007 - 05/27/2007 / 06/10/2007 - 06/17/2007 / 06/17/2007 - 06/24/2007 / 07/15/2007 - 07/22/2007 / 07/29/2007 - 08/05/2007 / 08/05/2007 - 08/12/2007 / 08/12/2007 - 08/19/2007 / 08/19/2007 - 08/26/2007 / 08/26/2007 - 09/02/2007 / 09/09/2007 - 09/16/2007 / 09/16/2007 - 09/23/2007 / 09/23/2007 - 09/30/2007 / 10/07/2007 - 10/14/2007 / 10/14/2007 - 10/21/2007 / 10/28/2007 - 11/04/2007 / 11/11/2007 - 11/18/2007 / 11/18/2007 - 11/25/2007 / 11/25/2007 - 12/02/2007 / 12/09/2007 - 12/16/2007 / 01/13/2008 - 01/20/2008 / 02/24/2008 - 03/02/2008 / 03/02/2008 - 03/09/2008 / 03/23/2008 - 03/30/2008 / 04/06/2008 - 04/13/2008 / 04/13/2008 - 04/20/2008 / 04/20/2008 - 04/27/2008 / 05/04/2008 - 05/11/2008 / 05/11/2008 - 05/18/2008 / 06/29/2008 - 07/06/2008 /

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Powered by Blogger