Holy integration

I was talking with someone today about how easy it is to compartmentalize our lives... it's also a tendency in organizations... we can easily put what we believe in one box and how we live in another... or we can put faith in one category and justice in another... the thing is God is completely integrated... he is love - and everything about love is whole, true, pure, believing... trusting...integrated.
So I was thinking about what a completely integrated life would look like - and the easy answer is Jesus... a completely true, authentic life looks like Jesus - but what about now... what would your life look like completely integrated - nothing boxed in or separated from - or hidden away... there is a verse of a song in the SA songbook that goes like this:
Thus supported, even I
knowing Thee forever nigh
shall attain that deepest joy
living unto thee
no distracting thoughts within
no surviving sin
thus shall heaven, indeed begin
here and now in me..

-albert orsborne (fellowship with thee)
For those of us in the tradition of the salvation army we can understand those verses as a description of holiness - the fight with sin over.. Romans 8... I want to live a holy, consecrated and integrated life. God send your grace.

domesticated Jesus

check out this video.

Holiness and Justice...

There is a connection between these things...
Wesley was noted for his notion that there is no holiness except social holiness... which is a nod to true holiness being infectious... it will impact the world.
I have many thoughts about holiness... I wonder if Isaiah 58 lived out is what holiness looks likes... I wonder about the nature of God's holiness being the perfect presence of Justice and bearing perfect peace - living that out in living colour... what does it look like... so I was picturing some things:
1. every spare room used for housing (hostels unnecessary)
2. every Christian a life bearer
3. generosity as a lifestyle
4. hunger ceasing because every one of God's children chooses to share
5. human trafficking stopped because of lack of demand...
6. people living what they know.

I'm interested in these things much more than the casual list of pathetic sins we think God came to save us from. I remember one leader telling me that Bono wasn't saved because he used the 'f' word... I may be inclined towards non-religious behaviour but I think his understanding and attempts at Isaiah 58 show fruit that he's got some holy power flowing in and through him... you remember the classic Tony Campolo (I heard Eva Burrows gave this a shot at a training college lecture years back) that kids are dying every day of hunger and we don't give a shit... and now you care more that I swore than you do that kids are dying of hunger... your offense is in the wrong direction. I'm offended at sin - social sin and systems and injustice and oppression - not just personal piety and religious sensibilities. let's aim for the goal. I'm going for Hebrews 12... a sprint towards God's kingdom come - last one there is a rotten egg!

Go Canada..

Request from Max Vincent... (a good one!)

I'm rallying all the Canadians I know to send a quick email to Stephen Harper asking Canada to do more to save the lives of millions of children around the world.

Please take 2 minutes to visit www.g8action.org and join people all over the world demanding a better deal for the 9.7 million children who die needlessly every year!

Lets see how many people we can get to raise their voices and ask their leaders to be a hero.......

http://www.g8action.org/

Punchy Pensioners

Old Age pensioners took to the streets today in Melbourne - flinders st.
It was crazytown (hattip hp)!
The ABC radio reporter was trying to describe the scene - and yet, it seemed like something you may just have had to be there to understand completely. Retired women by the dozens were taking off their tops in an effort to attract attention to the lack of pension increase in the budget announcements in Aus.

I didn't really know how to feel as I listened in... at first I was laughing at the boldness of the oldsters. But then I started to realize that it's their right to speak out on issues that effect their lives... it's a shame that we have to keep resorting to more and more degrading acts in order to get some attention... it's this thing about the media needing some entertainment value in order to get some air play... when one police officer asked a pensioner to step off the road he replied, 'my life built these roads.' - not a bad comeback!

then I took it as a challenge - how can we protest for things that are incredibily important to those who can't speak for themselves in creative and meaningful ways that will attract the media... those are the current challenges in justice... prophetic acts that are courageous, bold and fun... I'm wide open to ideas...

then I took it as an opportunity... I saw hundreds of old folks in Salvation Army uniform protesting in fun, creative ways - using their time to make a difference in the world and reforming society... BTW: if you have time you may want to check out the heritage society's latest event this Sat. at boxhill corps - they are highlighting the HAMIDOVA tea effort of 1897 (the SA Australia's first attempt at fairtrade beverages for mission purposes)...

power in poverty

I've been writing an article on the harmful effects of wealth... stay tuned for details.
But in the meantime consider these words from Jason Upton:

There's a power in poverty that breaks principalities
And brings the authority's down to their knees
There's a brewing frustration and ageless temptation
To fight for control by some manipulation

But the God of the kingdoms and the God of the Nations
The God of creation sends his revelation
Thru the homeless and penniless Jesus the son
The poor will inherit the Kingdom to come

Where will we turn when our world falls apart
And all of the treasures we've stored in our barns
Can't buy the Kingdom of God?

Who will we praise when we've praised all our lives
Men who build Kingdoms and men who build fame
But heaven does not know their name?

What will we fear when all that remains
Is God on His throne, with a child in his arms,
And love in his eyes
And the sound of his heart cries

JUSTLive network...

So, when social justice is boiled all the way down to it's essence it is about relationships.
It's about how we choose to live and how that life impacts the people around us.
There is a move about in the church... a radical move that some disciples are making that change the way they are living -and where they are living. it's a move into the economically poor areas of the world... an 'incarnation' of the gospel in us coming also to the neighbourhoods where we choose to live.
living that way has changed my life... I love it and have found it one of the best teachers in my pursuit of God and His Kingdom.
I remember reading Cry Of The Urban Poor by Viv Grigg (a must read for incarnational types) and it completely transformed the way I thought about bringing the gospel to the world.
The Booth's were convinced by theory and practise that incarnation was the best approach to kingdom advance and the good news is that a whole generation of Salvation Army folks are catching the primitive incarnation bug again!
In Australia we are hoping to gather all these types in a network that will encourage, inspire and equip people to do incarnation even more deeply. It's called JUSTLive and it's kick off event is at a conference called Surrender (hosted by Uniting Neighbours of Hope). If you can - you should come... it is a celebration of what God is doing through incarnational communities among the poor around the world... let's get justice right where we live... and then let's let it roll!
interested in joining? contact justsalvos@aus.salvationarmy.org for more info on how to be part of changing the world one community at a time.