Pauline Hanson immigrates to Britain…

I haven’t commented on the bushfire tragedy here in Oz this week.

Its hard to know what to write without sounding either trite or glib. It has been a shocking and devastating week for many people.

What it has shown very clearly however are the two sides of human nature.

How totally braindead dipsticks can go around lighting more fires while people die and others risk their lives fighting them is beyond me. Surely this is the dark side of humanity – the human race at its worst – ’sin’ at its most brazen. I don’t know anyone who is anything but appalled at this tragedy and would want to see the arsonists suffer great punishment.

By contrast there is the amazing spirit of support and co-operation from all over Australia to give help to those who have suffered – a beautiful picture of humanity at its best – loving and caring for one another simply because there is need. The generosity has been great to see.

Its a reminder that we are sinful people capable of incredible depravity and yet at the same time created in the image of God and equally capable of acts of kindness and goodness.

of course out in left field (or more correctly ‘far right’ field) there is the Christian leader who wants to see the bushfires as the judgement of God on Victoria for passing the pro-abortion bill… I could write so much more… and I would like to… but I think it best if I simply let you know that he and I do not agree on that one.

• karate dog the free chronicles of narnia prince caspian the download free

• divx balto

Is there really a world financial crisis?…

I went to the beach today and for the first time in my life I was a little worried about sharks. The reason I was feeling like this was the huge number of recent stories in the Perth news about shark sightings. Its as if there are more sharks lurking in our beaches than ever! And yet reality is that there have always been sharks and there are probably fewer now than ever before because we are better at killing them.

But the more we are told that something is true the more likely we are to believe it.

Which makes me wonder if the world is really in such a bad state… or… if we have heard some news reports and the result has been a self fulfilling prophecy.

We hear that things are bad so we sell our shares and as we sell our shares things get bad, so we sell more shares. So the media reports on the growing crisis and we get alarmed… and so it goes on.

Were things really that bad 6 months ago?

Or has media reporting actually created the crisis?

Whatever the case I am off to Lancelin tomorrow to go surfing and I know there is 50 000 x more chance of me getting killed on the road on the way there than getting eaten by a shark!

bud abbott and lou costello meet frankenstein divx online

“He who would seek revenge should dig a grave for two.” Jewish proverb

This week I wrote a letter to the editor of the West Australian newspaper disagreeing with the opinions of another Christian.

His letter basically stated that the death penalty was the only appropriate punishment for the Bali bombers and that this would be ‘God’s justice’ meted out to them. He quoted the OT and was pretty vitriolic in his comments towards a previous letter writer who had suggested death was not the only option.

I was reading the paper while sipping a long mach in Cranked Cafe and couldn’t help but respond. It was a ‘gut’ response rather than a much thought thru and deliberated upon letter.

My letter reads:

The same book Don Jackson cites to advocate the death penalty for Bali bombers also says ‘do not return evil with evil but overcome evil with good’. Which one is it? Which one will build a better world? Justice must be done – no question – but you have limited it to one response and called it ‘God’s justice’ when it actually sounds a lot more like ‘Don’s justice’.

I find the question of what to do with the Bali bombers a hugely vexed one with no easy solutions. I think the death penalty is

a neat and tidy, ‘easy’ solution. It removes them from the planet and they can kill no more…

However this action gives birth to many consequences. To kill these men is simply to return evil for evil – which in turn will get responded to by more evil and so on. Someone has to break the cycle. It may also serve to make them martyrs and heros – probably not the desire result either. But it won’t act to dissuade people from killing. And even if it did I would question whether it is an appropriate response.

In talking with Mike & Rachel the other night (when I dropped in for dinner and had an amazing prawn salad) Mike mentioned that all of our attempts at justice are only approximations. We are not God and can never get things perfectly right. While in this case there may be a clear situation of wrongdoing we are still approximating a response.

To be quite honest there is a part of me that thinks they should die and even more, they deserve to die, yet I find it hard to hold that position biblically. I don’t expect a secular world to hold any regard for the biblical story, and I recognise that we as Christians will even disagree on best responses at times.

The reason for my letter was not because I am an ardent ‘anti-capital punishment’ supporter (although I would definitely err on that side of things) but it was because sharp, black and white often simplistic responses based on Old Testament passages of scripture leave me cold and infuriated.

Life is rarely as simple as I hear it made out to be.download red letters free

• hostage download

enemy of the state dvdrip download

While I didn’t get to any of the events held around the country, this was a significant day in our history, when we apologised to the stolen generation of aboriginal people for the wrongs we did to them. Great to see it finally happen and very moving to watch.

However, the report on Channel 7 news tonight was disturbing. The so called ‘pulse of Perth’ newspoll asked West Ozzies whether they supported the Rudd decision to apologise. 13 000 West Ozzies phoned in to respond and the result was 90% who said NO witchcraft 13 blood of the chosen free download and a mere 10% who said YES.

What the hell is that all about?!

An overwhelming percentage of West ozzies said ‘don’t apologise – bad idea’.

I reckon thats gotta qualify for a ‘worst of Perth‘ award. Unbelievable…

And then Brendan Nelson gets the dickhead of the week award for completely subverting his own apology by telling aboriginal people there is no money in it. That might well be the case Brendan but you don’t say it!

Grendel has his own apology here alsowar of the roses the dvdrip

Its pretty easy to take pot shots at pollies and people in positions of influence and I have done my fair share of it over the years. Sometimes you forget they are real people too with kids and families who hurt and cry like the rest of us.

This week Neale Fong resigned from his role with the Health Dept after the CCC revealed he had been connected in some way with Brian Burke and was guilty of ’serious misconduct’. (if you’re not a West Aussie this will mean nothing to you)

I don’t know Neale well, but he was a person I committed to pray for when he took on the job as director for change in the health system. He is a Christian, a good bloke, an incredibly gifted man and also an ordinary flawed human being like the rest of us.

I imagine he will cop a fair bit of criticism over this incident and while some may be fair, some may well be the offhand smartarse comments we all make from time to time.

Perhaps its all part of being in the public eye, but I certainly feel for him at the moment.

Seventeen years ago I was a youth pastor at Scarborough Baptist Church and many of the young people I was involved with attended Churchlands Senior High School – one of Perth’s ‘good’ public schools.

However it wasn’t all good and on one tragic day a young girl by the name of Vicki Groves was murdered. A young man took a large hunting knife to school strapped to his back and murdered her in broad daylight in the classroom.

Some of the kids we knew were actually in the classroom at the time so it impacted them significantly and I remember the event well.

Now that killer has done 17 years in prison and is due for parole… The question being asked on the news this evening was whether he should be granted that parole or whether Jim McGinty should over-rule and disallow it.

The murdered girl’s parent’s aren’t opposing parole, but the question has many facets.

What does justice look like in a situation like this?

Has he done his time and should be let out?

or should he be permanently locked up and kept away from people in case he does it again?

A part of me says that everyone needs a second chance… another part of me says that if he were to live next door to me I’d feel differently.

What would be a Jesus-like response?…

Here is an article related to the situation. I realise this is not a joyful subject, but its an important one for us to consider. How do we live as a society when there is so much brokenness all around us?

This came thru from Andrew, who is involved with Kenyans working among their own people. I was talking this morning to a Kenyan friend whose family are just 20kms from the trouble. Please read.

Dear Supporters,

As you are probably aware, Kenya is currently in a state of violent unrest following less than successful election earlier in the week. Day 4 is involved with an organisation which works with AIDS sufferers in the slums directly affected by the current violence. The organisation, City Harvest, is involved in transforming the lives of some of the poorest people in Africa through business, health and social initiatives – giving people a new lease on life and introducing them to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the process.

During our recent visit to the Nairobi slums we were greatly moved by the work being undertaken there and are greatly saddened to hear of the new threats this latest violence poses to the lives of these people.

The purpose of this email is to ask you to share among your contact and congregations news of the current uprising in Kenya (I will forward more information as I get it – below is an email I received from Edward Simiyu, leader of City Harvest church in Nairobi) and ask for prayer but also to ask you to promote a special appeal for funds to go to City Harvest to help them help rebuild the homes and lives of those most affected by the violence.

Edward’s latest email:

Kenya is at a civil and political crossroad this 31st December 2007 morning as we wake up to a day of uncertainty after a night of violence in Kibera; the home of KTDP among other slums and the major towns of Kisumu and Mombasa. This followed the announcement of Kibaki as winner of the just concluded peaceful elections. The nation was largely prepared for a Raila win as early returns indicated so until the last central Kenya votes started coming in to tilt the scale. Claims of rigging were voiced by Raila’s team and a committee put in place by the Electoral Commission to scrutinize the returns.

The tension and unrest resulted to no church services in the city yesterday as public transport was paralyzed.

We do not know what the findings of the above committee were as they worked all night but what we know is that Raila’s and Kibaki’s teams claimed victory by making all sorts of press and counter press announcements right in the ECK’s premises and podium. This made the work of the ECK difficult resulting to the announcement of the winner being made behind closed doors.

Riots followed immediately after the announcement as a swearing in ceremony was hurriedly arranged to avoid a constitutional crisis following the expiry of the president’s term at mid night 30th Dec 2007. We now have a president who many don’t consider legitimate and have to make a choice between peace or chaos and riot to demand justice. Sadly the injustice of seeking justice in this part of the world is that it is the poor in the slums who suffer and die as they already have by battling each other while their leaders go around with high security around them. Secondly, the reality of the battles in the slums is not political but rather a hive of lawlessness to cover up for looting and theft of private property.

What Kenya asks of you is that you pray for restoration of calm and unrest to dissipate. That torching of houses in the slums will stop and that Kenya will wake up to a sense of responsibility and stop destroying a nation built over 44 years as leaders haggle over a 5-year term.

To donate go here www.day4.org.au

Jarrod McKenna’s Wednesday’s with Gandhi:

 “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always.” -Mohandas Gandhi

I’m off to Indonesia this Friday (forgive me my carbon debts) to the Historic Peace Church Gathering on behalf of AAANZ and Quakers (It will be a bunch of very respectable, intelegent and impressive people from around the world… and this dreadlocked kid from Perth!).  So this will be my last ‘Wednesday with Gandhi’ for the year.  It’s funny I set out to write about a bunch of stuff that I didn’t get round to but I trust the Spirit will take what I have done and use it to invite and inspire people to know in deeper ways for themselves this Jesus that Gandhi said was the greatest practitioner of nonviolence in history, central to his revolution in India, and the one through whom, I believe, God’s dream for creation has broken into history.

I thought I’d end by letting you in on a little of the life of our community. Us Peace Tree mob can say with our hero Dorothy Day “We have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” As a community we seek to ‘serve in silence’ and not make a big deal of what we do but since the gang fights and the subsequent killing in the street behind ours was so public and made the news overseas, we thought we’d let our light shine in the hope that it doesn’t glorify us but the God who is transforming our world not through force but through a love seen fully in Jesus.

As Eastern Orthodox bishop Kallistos Ware writes (I love this quote);

“The Cross, understood as victory, sets before us the paradox of love’s omnipotence.  Dostoevsky comes near to the true meaning of Christ’s victory in some statements which he puts into the mouth of Starets Zosmia:

“At some thoughts a man stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and he wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide: “I will combat it by humble love.” If you resolve on that once and for all, you can conquer the whole world.  Loving humility is a terrible force: it is the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it.” “

We witnessed something of this humble love and healing on Saturday with our ‘Peace and Pizza’ event in response to the gang killing in our streets. As Nick Cave might put it “God was in the house” (well… garden). The family of the 18 year old kid who was killed bravely join us as well as many indigenous people and white fellas like me. We had yummy wood fired pizzas, great music, and Maori, Noogar and Wajalla (as well as  people from Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, Kenya and elsewhere) came together for a time of silence to honour the life of John[ston] the young man who was killed and tree planting and prayer for an end to violence in our neighbourhood and our world. Thanks for all who have supported us Peace Tree crew over this time. Please keep the families involved, and our neighbourhood in your prayers. 

These photos were taken by our good friend and brother Tom Day who is an amazing photographer now in Perth. (his website is worth bookmarking: http://www.thomasdayphotography.com/ )

 the guy with the dog in this photo is classic :)

Prayer with the family that have lost their loved one on our streets.

 …love.

This was one of the most moving parts of the day when Noogar elders, parents and children helped to plant a tree to honour the life of a Maori boy killed by a Noogar gang.  It was truly beautiful and touched the family and the community gathered deeply.

 …love.

Youth Worker, Community gardener, co-chaplain at Hampton High and Peace Tree brother Josh Hobby, helps plant the tree with one of the family members.

 …love.

…love.

Thanks to all who have journeyed with me and Gandhi this year. I can still be found at http://paceebene.org/blog/jarrod-mckenna. Thanks more so to all who don’t put out PR releases but quietly go about living the decision “I will combat it by humble love.”   
You inspire me to know Christ more, to walk in the resurrection more. You witness to the reality that in Jesus love has won… and not even violence’s ultimate threat of death can stop resurrection power.

Grace and peace of the new world breaking in be with you,

Jarrod

Here’s zathura a space adventure online

verdict the download

a useful site.

It asks you 20 questions then gives you a ‘how to vote’ card for your own electorate based on your answers.

Great if you’re lazy or finding it hard to decide.