I've got this whole journey to walkback through. I contemplated starting now and working backwards, also starting at the beginning and working towards the end. It just didnt seem right, with what I've felt about each step. I'll start with some of the more recent steps, and I'm guessing it will end with the first step. Between here and there, I'll just tell whichever story seems appropriate at the time. Come, take a walk with me.
How refreshing has this rain been? I couldnt help myself last night - after church I drove down to the beach to watch that storm come in . The sky was black, the air was warm, and the rain was that big sploshy kind (what a technical definition!) It was so nice to just kick back, put on some good music and feel it all. There was electricity in the air, and suddenly the sky lit up. The whole sky, in a silvery flash it went from black, dark and bleak outside to dazzling day. It was beautiful, but it was the huge crack of thunder that followed which really got my attention. It's been a while since we've felt a good thunderstorm. That first roll of thunder shook everything; God was stamping his ownership on that storm. This rain is nothing compared to what we need to solve our problems, but it is an improvement, and November is shaping up to be a pretty good month for rainfall. We've spent weeks praying for a break to the drought.As I watched that display come in over the bay last night, the light show in the sky, and felt fresh rain wash over my face, I knew that God was giving an answer, "Stay strong, pray continually. I am with you. When you suffer, I suffer with you. When you are longing, I am longing with you. When you are alone, I am by your side. When you are discouraged, I am your hope!".
For me this worked on more than one level. I'd had such a good week - an eye opening one, with a lot of lessons that God had been teaching me over different time frames (weeks, months, years) coming together. It was like I'd been weathering a storm for so long. At times I'd raged against God. At times I'd wept. I knew that God was never away from me, but it often felt like he was turning his face from me. Hope and faith were all that kept me going through the worst and most stormy times.
As the storm cleared, a peaceful night sky settled. Stars glimmered through. In the same way a peace settled in my heart. Hope shone forth. I thought about the old days of sailing ships, how in a storm, they dropped sails, tied themselves down and let the storm do its worst. When the sky cleared again afterward, the navigator would look for the first stars to come through, and figure out where they had been blown to. After the week I had just come through, it was like that. I'd weathered the storm, and now the stars were showing me the way home.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
U2. World Tour Saturday November 18
Just got home from the U2 Concert. Wow. If there's one man who inspires me to follow God in a different, but full-on way, it's Bono. The Concert was beautiful. Scripted, sculpted, and managed into perfect order. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen jnr showed us why after 30 years they are still the biggest, best and most relevant band in the world. It started with dazzle, newness and volume, with "City of blinding lights". Backed up by a huge light wall behind them, and 4 screens flanking it that followed each of the bandmembers, they worked their way thorugh some big volume stadium rock, newer songs in the U2 catalogue. Then, going back to their first single, "I will follow" they took us on journey of some of the key moments of U2's story arc, finishing with Bono's reflective "Sometimes you can't make it on your own".
Somehow at this point, U2 managed to turn up the intensity (must have gone all the way to 11) by taking aim at the hearts of 60 000 people and then shooting straight into them. Fresh from last night's 'make poverty history' concert, the following bracket of songs seemed more personal than ever, to the band and to the crowd. Arms in unison rasie with the ubiquitous white bands, swayed, pointed and clapped their way through a carefully chosen group of songs and political messages. "Love and Peace or Else" was dedicated to the conflict in the middle east, to our soldiers who are serving there, and ultimately cryed out to those who have decided we need to be there - "You don't have to become a monster to defeat a monster", Bono pleaded. As the song climaxed, with Bono playing drums at the stage apex, he donned a headband - we moved into "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and as it played out I strained to make out the message of the headband. "Coexist" it read, with the C being the Muslim Crescent Moon, the X being a Star of David, and the T being the cross of Christ. 'We are all children of Abraham" we were told.
The bracket built in raw power as we waved along to "Bullet the Blue Sky" and then were surprised witha song thats not a U2 stage regular - "Miss Sarajevo" with Bono even supplying the italian lyrics written for Pavarotti. We raised our phones in unison, a sea of twinkling lights to rival a beautiful night sky, to declare our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, read out to us as they scrolled across the light wall. Then, if the Telstra Dome Roof hadnt already been opened, it may have been in trouble as they Jammed out "Pride" and "Where the streets have no names" with all singing along, dedicated to the downtrodden of our world, and the third world nations in africa. With our hearts now fully opened to whatever Bono had to say, he pleaded with us to get behind 'Make Poverty History' before closing the set with the beautiful, haunting "One".
The first encore opened with another mulitmedia big screen display, a giant slot machine of images scrolling through buildings, churches, concerts, people, before landing on images of Peter Garrett and John Howard (I wonder what that message was?) and then U2 roared back on to stage with "The Fly" acompanied by a full Zoo tv display of words - harsh, searching and unsure questions and statements - culminating with one word, one idea - Love. 'We can always go back to the beginning' we were told.
The end of the second encore was perhaps the most beautiful and personal moment of the whole evening. As they played "Kite" we all sang along
'Who's to say where the wind will take you, Who's to say what it is will break youI don't know, which way the wind will blow, Who's to know when the time has come around, Don't want to see you cry I know that this is not goodbye' and watched, fascinated, as a kite rose from the stage. Bono stepped forward and grasped the string, and holding it with the fascination of a child, looked up and sand purely to the beautiful bird that was the kite. Then, with a combination of regret and eagerness that we all felt, he set fire to the string and set the kite free, flying through the sky out of the stadium. As the band accepted applause from a grateful crowd, my eyes lingered on the Kite rising. Second star from the right and straight on til morning.
The Setlist:
City of blinding lights
Vertigo
Elevation
I will follow
New Years Day
Beautiful day
Stuck in a moment
Angel of Harlem
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Love and peace or else
Sunday bloody Sunday
Bullet the blue sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the name of love)
Where the streets have no name
One
1st Encore
The Fly
Mysterious ways
With or without you
2nd Encore
The Saints are coming
Desire
Kite
2 hours and 15 minutes, well worth the 100 bucks, the 6 hour wait, and putting up with Kanye West.
Somehow at this point, U2 managed to turn up the intensity (must have gone all the way to 11) by taking aim at the hearts of 60 000 people and then shooting straight into them. Fresh from last night's 'make poverty history' concert, the following bracket of songs seemed more personal than ever, to the band and to the crowd. Arms in unison rasie with the ubiquitous white bands, swayed, pointed and clapped their way through a carefully chosen group of songs and political messages. "Love and Peace or Else" was dedicated to the conflict in the middle east, to our soldiers who are serving there, and ultimately cryed out to those who have decided we need to be there - "You don't have to become a monster to defeat a monster", Bono pleaded. As the song climaxed, with Bono playing drums at the stage apex, he donned a headband - we moved into "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and as it played out I strained to make out the message of the headband. "Coexist" it read, with the C being the Muslim Crescent Moon, the X being a Star of David, and the T being the cross of Christ. 'We are all children of Abraham" we were told.
The bracket built in raw power as we waved along to "Bullet the Blue Sky" and then were surprised witha song thats not a U2 stage regular - "Miss Sarajevo" with Bono even supplying the italian lyrics written for Pavarotti. We raised our phones in unison, a sea of twinkling lights to rival a beautiful night sky, to declare our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, read out to us as they scrolled across the light wall. Then, if the Telstra Dome Roof hadnt already been opened, it may have been in trouble as they Jammed out "Pride" and "Where the streets have no names" with all singing along, dedicated to the downtrodden of our world, and the third world nations in africa. With our hearts now fully opened to whatever Bono had to say, he pleaded with us to get behind 'Make Poverty History' before closing the set with the beautiful, haunting "One".
The first encore opened with another mulitmedia big screen display, a giant slot machine of images scrolling through buildings, churches, concerts, people, before landing on images of Peter Garrett and John Howard (I wonder what that message was?) and then U2 roared back on to stage with "The Fly" acompanied by a full Zoo tv display of words - harsh, searching and unsure questions and statements - culminating with one word, one idea - Love. 'We can always go back to the beginning' we were told.
The end of the second encore was perhaps the most beautiful and personal moment of the whole evening. As they played "Kite" we all sang along
'Who's to say where the wind will take you, Who's to say what it is will break youI don't know, which way the wind will blow, Who's to know when the time has come around, Don't want to see you cry I know that this is not goodbye' and watched, fascinated, as a kite rose from the stage. Bono stepped forward and grasped the string, and holding it with the fascination of a child, looked up and sand purely to the beautiful bird that was the kite. Then, with a combination of regret and eagerness that we all felt, he set fire to the string and set the kite free, flying through the sky out of the stadium. As the band accepted applause from a grateful crowd, my eyes lingered on the Kite rising. Second star from the right and straight on til morning.
The Setlist:
City of blinding lights
Vertigo
Elevation
I will follow
New Years Day
Beautiful day
Stuck in a moment
Angel of Harlem
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Love and peace or else
Sunday bloody Sunday
Bullet the blue sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the name of love)
Where the streets have no name
One
1st Encore
The Fly
Mysterious ways
With or without you
2nd Encore
The Saints are coming
Desire
Kite
2 hours and 15 minutes, well worth the 100 bucks, the 6 hour wait, and putting up with Kanye West.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Pushing the boundaries
Hey Guys, was checking things out over at Father Bob's http://www.fatherbob.tk/ and came across this great post and grat thought provoking coments. Seems there's some involved discussion going on over some controversial sermon topic.
'SPP is not a comfortable church' is probably a paraphrase rather than a direct quote, but it's one of the things I remember from this morning's 11am Mass.' - Remember, PREACHING as opposed to TEACHING tends to messiness and lack of neat and tidy outcome. Preaching is meant to "break open the Word" as they say and that breaking open leaves a mess!Respect. Bob Maguire.
One of the responses started out with me going 'you idiot', Maybe they're low standards, but maybe being engaged with a community on a personal level is just a higher priority for me. With me assuming that the person was only in it for the sense of community, and what they could get out of it. You know, a 'me' church; but they finished with a point I couldnt fault 'Kids (read teenagers) push boundaries (for a living) and need their boundaries pushed without being judged, its an fact of development and essential for growth. You, Bob, connect with young people, and devoted healthy catholics want to have their boundaries pushed so they can grow. ' Obviously this person digs the conflict, cos they know its casuing growth. Their engagement isnt just over having some good friends to hang out with, or feeling better on a Sunday, but about actually getting change!
It led to this exchange with a friend:
yup. do we push enough boundaries?
it's so true, in spiritual growth, etc etc do we? I don't think so
there are no major fights at mitcham at the moment
me either. we're too comfortable. opur standards are so broad, and too
low. And frankly, I d0nt think we epxect enough of each other
it's very friendly
so how do we do it? what should we be doing? what boundaries should we be pushing?
good questions
So yeah, what do you think? Is Mitcham too safe? Too comfortable? Should we be fighting?
How do we do it? What boundaries should we push?
'SPP is not a comfortable church' is probably a paraphrase rather than a direct quote, but it's one of the things I remember from this morning's 11am Mass.' - Remember, PREACHING as opposed to TEACHING tends to messiness and lack of neat and tidy outcome. Preaching is meant to "break open the Word" as they say and that breaking open leaves a mess!Respect. Bob Maguire.
One of the responses started out with me going 'you idiot', Maybe they're low standards, but maybe being engaged with a community on a personal level is just a higher priority for me. With me assuming that the person was only in it for the sense of community, and what they could get out of it. You know, a 'me' church; but they finished with a point I couldnt fault 'Kids (read teenagers) push boundaries (for a living) and need their boundaries pushed without being judged, its an fact of development and essential for growth. You, Bob, connect with young people, and devoted healthy catholics want to have their boundaries pushed so they can grow. ' Obviously this person digs the conflict, cos they know its casuing growth. Their engagement isnt just over having some good friends to hang out with, or feeling better on a Sunday, but about actually getting change!
It led to this exchange with a friend:
yup. do we push enough boundaries?
it's so true, in spiritual growth, etc etc do we? I don't think so
there are no major fights at mitcham at the moment
me either. we're too comfortable. opur standards are so broad, and too
low. And frankly, I d0nt think we epxect enough of each other
it's very friendly
so how do we do it? what should we be doing? what boundaries should we be pushing?
good questions
So yeah, what do you think? Is Mitcham too safe? Too comfortable? Should we be fighting?
How do we do it? What boundaries should we push?
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