Practical Joke?

I think someone's playing a huge practical joke on me!

I decided this week that my job is just stressing me TOO much. So, I reluctantly decided to foray out into the job market again. I knew I was getting underpaid, and figured a $10K payrise might be possible.

An hour after I sent my resume to a recruitment company in reply to a job ad, I got a phone call. They're interested in putting me forward for a couple of jobs, which pay $22K and $30K more than my current one, respectively.

I'm still in shock.

(No, it doesn't mean I'm going to GET either one - but the pay difference! Wowsers!)

Edited to say: The whole reason I posted about this was to ask for prayer. We really need wisdom in deciding what to do over the next few weeks. So far, we've decided that I should apply for both positions. If I get either, we'll need to move within a couple of months of me starting. If I get one of them, we'll need to change churches. If we get the other, it may well point the way to me (or us) getting involved in the Mission Team's Missional Church... because we'd be wanting to move into that sort of area anyway.

My brain hurts.

What the Muppets can teach us about church

I 'borrowed' this video from MrMuMu's blog because:

1. I remember this clip from childhood... and remember loving it (and Animal) back then.
   
2. I was struck by a very clear (to me!) analogy to church, and how we react to people who want to improvise a little. Oh... and the ultimate result (the person becoming more and more distant, then leaving!).
   
3. I relate to Animal and the whole church-looking-at-you-weirdly thing.

Watch and have a giggle!

I love this story...

I first read this years ago, and it always gives me a smile. I hope it's true. I doubt it... but hey, it's possible that it's true, right? See if you love it too...

The Pastor’s Cat

This is claimed to be a true story told about the pastor of the narrator’s own church.

The pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc.

The kitty would not come down.

The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. That's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured that if he went just a little bit further, the tree would bend over far enough for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went "BOING!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air ... out of sight.

The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten.
No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," and left it at that.

A few days later he was at the supermarket and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping trolley and was amazed to see tins of cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her,

"Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"

She replied, "You won't believe this," and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so her Mum finally told her, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it."

She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out into the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her."

Never underestimate the power of God and his unique sense of humor!

Goin' into Battle (Part 2)

Here's the second part of the post I promised y'all...

(PS. The 'I broke my blog' post was inspired by this very post... I couldn't get blogspot to actually publish it. Anyone else had problems recently?)

So, the next time. I'm a member of a christian internet forum. A Lutheran wandered into our SA area of the forum and basically said - you don't practice communion and baptism, you're not really christians. Hmmmm. I found it interesting that he was Lutheran - the denomination I grew up in and still have a lot of affection for! Anyway, I finished up replying with this -

I would have to ask you a question in return!

When Jesus (and the OT, for that matter) spoke so strongly and often about social justice - and spoke of it as mandatory in the christian life - why is the Lutheran church so lax in preaching, encouraging and organising its members to help those less fortunate? It strikes me as wilful, selfish disobedience.

Take a look at these verses:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25:31-40

"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:5

Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:10

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.
Deuteronomy 15:7

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 15:11

(note that these two verses show that not only do we need to avoid negative behaviour toward the poor, but that we must be active in positive behaviour - helping the poor)

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."

Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."

Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them—the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
Nehemiah 5:1-11

"If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless-
but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow-
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,
and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
Job 31:16-24

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Proverbs 31:20 (the wife of noble character)

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:5-7

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Matthew 19:21

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:32-34

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Luke 14:12-14

So, what do you think? Are YOU following God's very, very clear command to have compassion on the poor in our world? THIS is what we will be judged on.

What do y'all think? Was I fair? Prideful? Grouchy (always a good bet)?

(PS. This isn't really meant as a judgment on any particular denomination. I don't like to do that - I think it's generally unhelpful and divisive. It's meant more as a 'hey - these are the least of your worries - focus on the important stuff' call)

Goin' into Battle

Every now and then, I find myself slamming someone, theologically speaking. I generally know when it's from God because I really, really, don't enjoy it. Which is sort of weird, considering that I generally enjoy getting the upper hand in a debate. But I'll find myself praying a fair bit while preparing what to say, and before saying it... I guess because I hate false teaching, and hate the idea of ME leading someone down the wrong path.

Anyway, I've felt the need to do it twice in the last week. Lemme tell you about it...

The first time was when a friend lent me some reading after she heard me talking about tai chi. Now, I've done a fair bit of research into tai chi and other practices which have come to the west from eastern philosophy and religious practices. Nevertheless, I thought I'd practice humility, take the literature, read it with as close to a teachable heart as I could, and see what happened. Well, it languished a bit till she asked for it back... then I started reading. ACK. It was nasty stuff - and written by Salvation Army officers, btw. The teaching did have some truth to it, I'm not denying that. I'm not anti-spiritual-warfare, although I'm occasionally sceptical about stories that I hear. But... I followed the scripture references it gave, considered the concepts it taught, and sadly came to the conclusion that this could only be described as false teaching. Sigh. But God gave me an interesting question to ask about the authors of the 'book'. So she asked me what I thought, and before answering I asked the question - "Are these people still in ministry?". The answer? No. Their marriage broke down 'due to spiritual attack'. So, I told her I wasn't surprised, and why, and... she was incredibly gracious about me telling her that I thought it was a bunch of nasty false teaching with some truths mixed in. I still feel bad thinking about it, you know? I believe I did the right thing. But she got excited about that material, and I feel bad that I (hopefully) wrecked that for her. Thinking of that 'wounds from a friend can be trusted' proverb only helps a bit.

(continued next post)

Oooops...

I think I broke my blog! <:-o

Missional Church

I went along to a meeting for a 'Missional Church' which the Salvation Army will probably be starting later this year. There's some information on the Mission Team website.

I found that I'm... undecided. It sounds like fun. It's in one of my favourite suburbs... in fact, when I moved to this city it was the only place I could go and feel at home. I don't know, though, where God's leading. The timing (July) seems a little off for what I think God's given me (six months from March - so September-ish). In a way, it looks as though it could be an exercise in self-indulgence for me.

BIG HUGE NOTE
I'm not implying that this missional church, or any similar enterprise, is a general exercise in self-indulgence!

It could be an exercise in self-indulgence because I could keep my relatively-well-paying job, rent a house in the area, visit cafes and drink coffee in the name of evangelism... know what I mean? Maybe I'm getting stuck on the idea that mission has to be physically difficult and challenging, and require giving up all material benefits. Maybe it would actually be bad for me. After all, it sounds like my life at the moment, with a bit of extra 'church' and coffee. Maybe it would challenge me spiritually, and require me to rely a lot more on God.

Anyway, regardless, I figure I'll wait to find out what God wants. I think he wants me getting involved somehow, but I don't quite understand how, yet. So I'm meeting up with an organiser for coffee (hehe) in a few days. Maybe I should talk to our church leader before that and see what he thinks about me getting involved. He's a wise man, and I have a tendency to forget to use the huge pool of gifts in the people around me to help in my decision-making.

(Note: I sound like a single woman sometimes, don't I? Yes, hubby is involved in the consulting process, promise. That's part of my confusion atm, though, because he isn't overly interested in this venture)

Oh... and just to add a little bit more interesting stuff into the mix... I've been asked to head up a prayer team to go into a new housing initiative in my favourite 'dodgy suburb'. Yikes. How do I get myself into these situations? How did I get myself into all this prayer stuff?

An accidental laugh

I tripped over this while looking for Salvation Army blogs...

I quite liked the advert from the Salvation Army for a 'Divisional' Youth Officer and wondered whether they should be after a 'unifying' one instead!
Source

I love getting an unexpected chuckle!

Whoops...

I forgot one other (relatively major) thing...

... I'm leading bible study tomorrow night.

ARGH.

Juggler Extraordinaire

And...

I'm juggling again. Definitely. Let me see if I can summarise:

• At work I'm labouring on a project which is running horribly behind, yet will (*cough cough*) be finished by the end of the week (on time). <--- much sarcasm
• Hubby and I are attending a meeting tonight for a proposed 'Missional Church' (aka 614-style community churchy thing). Hmmmm. It's not in the 'right' suburb but it's in the suburb which is second-closest to my heart in this city. Even though I used to work there.
• My guitar-learning has fallen by the wayside in the last couple of weeks.
• I've been so caught up in getting Street War up and running (again) that I almost forgot about my personal blog.
• I need to spend more time with God.
• I'm preparing a surprise for hubby on the weekend - our second wedding anniversary. It seems a miracle that we haven't killed each other by now. In fact, it probably is a miracle... God's miraculous transformation of our hearts. Don't get the wrong idea, we're not at each other's throats, or even struggling (except with our own selfishness). We're simply two very stubborn people, and I'm a very grumpy person too.
  
• The Prayer Tent... I'm waiting to hear back from the people in charge of the markets. Might have to ring and hassle them soon.
• I think I might need to lead worship at church sometime soon.
• My gym visits are causing me far too much pain.
• I want a holiday.
• Because of Street War's different format, it's getting plenty of hits (well, compared with previously, not with uber-popular blogs)... but very few comments. Which saddens me a little, because I like getting lots of feedback and encouragement. I think I'm high-maintenance.
  

There... don't I sound like an incredible whinger? But I feel much better now. Purged.

Opened My Eyes

I had a bit of an epiphany at bible study this week.

We're studying James, and without the usual safety blanket of a bible-college-educated person in the room now. So, James 4. One person was giving what seemed to me to be contradictory answers, so me being me, I quizzed him on it.

Hmmm... I think I can be a little too confronting at times. But that wasn't the epiphany. The epiphany was when I realised that to this particular person, maybe 'belief' and 'action' were the same thing (how very Jamesian). And that if he heartily agreed with all of James 4, he'd need to do some major submitting to God.

Switch to me.

Contrast Central. I'm quite happy to 'believe' one thing, and act out another. While 'striving' for the ideal in a vague kinda way, of course.

Who, out of the two of us, is closer to what James was telling us to be?

Ouch.

Salvos in Australia - The Beginning

The Army's southern hemisphere work began in Australia in 1880 when Edward Saunders and John Gore led the first Salvation Army meeting from the back of a greengrocer's cart in Adelaide's Botanic Garden.

When Gore said, "If there's a man here who hasn't had a square meal today, let him come home to tea with me," little did he realise that within a century, The Salvation Army would be feeding hundreds of thousands of Australians, New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders a year.

Church seeks help to map its history

Mmmm... but we're not inviting them home for tea anymore, are we?