I was recently listening to a sermon by American Pastor, Bill Clem. He provided a whole lot of insight to community for me.
He suggests that as humans we are anti-community at the core. Our culture and society has driven us to a place where we are self indulged to a point where we are more obsessed about proving our own point then being part of a team. Community is about prefering someone elses welfare at the expense of our own.
I thought that community was entirely about being together and having a good time... which to a certain extent it is. But more often then not as an extrovert I am romanticised by the thought of being in community... until... I read a bit more about it.
Bill says this amazing quote in his sermon which went KaPow to me...
Community is not Mirror Friendship!
He then goes on to say Community is built between hearts that are redeemed and redeeming, transformed and transforming, loving and loved.
So often I think Community is about being with the people who are like me, in the same place as me, who like the things that I like and get annoyed at the things I get annoyed about. But thinking about the multifaceted nature of community is such a beautiful picture and perhaps what makes it so attractive but also so difficult.
Henri Nouwen says living in community means living with the people that you would least like to live with!
Thinking about community... you cant be in community without other people... but also you arent demonstrating any characteristics of community if the people that you are with are exactly the same as you... for example you cant demonstrate patience if there is no one in your community who is frustrating or annoying. Interesting thought!
In my heart I get excited by community about the possibilitys... the beauty... imagine if we began prefering other peoples welfare rather then feeding our selfish nature. But I know that my heart is far far away from this...
Sermon: Its all about Community... By Bill Clem
January 25, 2010
January 8, 2010
Living in a tension of truth and rightness...
So I was thinking this morning...
I was sitting in my car at the top of mt Eden and there was this little old chinese lady with one of those awesome sun hats walking round giving out fallun dafa pamphlets and the old newspaper they hand out...
she came to my car window 2wice just to make sure that I was sure that I didn't want one... and then once again when I was wandering aimlessly around the mountain...
I said to myself how does this persistant lady think that she has the right to approach me and then attempt to force her beliefs dowm my throat unaware that I hold and value my own beliefs...
i felt revenge dwelling inside of me as I pictured me forcing a physical bible down her throat... (probablly a pocket sized cos any bigger would be nasty)!
But then i thought we live in this post-modern world where everyone thinks that they are right and as much as we get frustrated when other people attempt to inflict their beliefs on us we are reasonably open to everyone believing their truth. All truth becoming relative to each person...
Which I think seems openly fair and reasonably settling... it provides us with an everyone wins situation! But no no no my truth is THE TRUTH isnt is???
Living in this tension... ooooooooooooooo!
I was sitting in my car at the top of mt Eden and there was this little old chinese lady with one of those awesome sun hats walking round giving out fallun dafa pamphlets and the old newspaper they hand out...
she came to my car window 2wice just to make sure that I was sure that I didn't want one... and then once again when I was wandering aimlessly around the mountain...
I said to myself how does this persistant lady think that she has the right to approach me and then attempt to force her beliefs dowm my throat unaware that I hold and value my own beliefs...
i felt revenge dwelling inside of me as I pictured me forcing a physical bible down her throat... (probablly a pocket sized cos any bigger would be nasty)!
But then i thought we live in this post-modern world where everyone thinks that they are right and as much as we get frustrated when other people attempt to inflict their beliefs on us we are reasonably open to everyone believing their truth. All truth becoming relative to each person...
Which I think seems openly fair and reasonably settling... it provides us with an everyone wins situation! But no no no my truth is THE TRUTH isnt is???
Living in this tension... ooooooooooooooo!
January 6, 2010
Transport of the Foreign Kind...
I just refound this thought process I had drafted about 4 years ago... thought it was sharable!
5 years ago I visited the continent of Asia... staying in India and Thailand.
Having been to Asia several times in the past, the cultral experiences most recieve when visiting a foreign country were'nt really as evident to me as the may have been the next person. One thing however that did astonish me and to be honest send me at times into a diabolical life threatning panic as well as extreme hysterics was the traffic.
Through this blog i hope to give you a glimps of my experience, yet I can never portray to you the sheer enjoyment one will encounter when travelling in Asia.
Beggining at the bottom of the transport chain (although there is no real order)
Bicycles -
There are so many bikes in india... everyone seems to ride a bike or at least try to ride one. The bikes they ride are really old ones with buckled handlebars and dodgey tires. They dont have footpaths either, and the bikes dont ride anywhere near the side of the road (you cant really call it a road though its more of an area) instead they dominate with a mind of their own, just dwadling through trafic.
Motorbikes -
You couldnt really call them motorbikes they are more of a scooter/moped type thing. Seem to think they own the road aswell as all the other vehciles. Are really noisy and zip in and out of traffic.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1648.jpg
Rickshaws -
These are people running with little carts behind them. It's like they are something out of the 19th century. I didnt actually get to go in any while I was there, all up I think they just looked a bit too dodgey. The drivers are called Rickshaw Wallers (spelling?) and they have little bells which they ring to let you know they are out looking for business. They also have rickshaws pulled by bicycles which are slightly better as its not a frail old man pulling you along with his bare hands, but its still pretty hard labour.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1635.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1660-1.jpg
Tuktuks -
motorbikes with a half enclosed roof things but no sides. Drive really fast for what it is. The drivers get sick of sitting behing cars so they squeeze through although they are about the same size as a car. Tuktuk drivers use their hands out the side of the vehicle as like indicators. There was one point in Bangkok where we were waiting behing a car for a pedestrian at a crossing and our tuktuk just overtook the car and drove straight through the crossing. Unbelievable!!!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/tuktuk.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1664.jpg
Taxis -
Thai taxis are air-coned which is a great relife when you are constantly in the humid stuffyness of outdoor Bangkok. They also rip you off especially if you are WHITE! and the metres that the use for calculating money are so ilegit. They drive in the middle of the lanes on the motorway like over the cats eyes and not just while passing but constantly, they also dont indicate which isnt a biggy but when your on a motorway travelling at 125 KMph its like um excuse me please indicate when changing lanes!!! They also sway from side to side across the road and within the lanes that they are in. When changing lanes they do it at bizzare angles, ignoring a smooth transition from lane to lane. Reasonably cheap when you dont get ripped off, it cost us 165Bhat from the airport which converts to about $6.50 for a 45 minute drive.
Indian taxis are a whole different ball game...
In India they still drive Embassador Classics, they are everywhere in all different colours. The Taxis are bright yellow and look hilareously ancient. They are much worse then Thai taxis, mainly due to the Road Code - Rule 1: There are no rules.
There are no lanes on the road making navigation slightly difficult, and on what could be a road that has 2 lanes going both ways there could be 5 lanes going one way and 1 going the other.
They all HONK rediculously and beep ferociously at each other but especially the rickshaws, bikes and Autos (Indian Tuktuks) because they are bigger and stronger on the road. I counted once about 20 honks in 1 minute! and that wasnt in rush hour, and the horns are really loud and the drivers dont just beep them once but several times in a row. Again the dont indicate or have any sense of straightness. There are no seatbelts, making the journey a whole lot more exciting.
5 years ago I visited the continent of Asia... staying in India and Thailand.
Having been to Asia several times in the past, the cultral experiences most recieve when visiting a foreign country were'nt really as evident to me as the may have been the next person. One thing however that did astonish me and to be honest send me at times into a diabolical life threatning panic as well as extreme hysterics was the traffic.
Through this blog i hope to give you a glimps of my experience, yet I can never portray to you the sheer enjoyment one will encounter when travelling in Asia.
Beggining at the bottom of the transport chain (although there is no real order)
Bicycles -
There are so many bikes in india... everyone seems to ride a bike or at least try to ride one. The bikes they ride are really old ones with buckled handlebars and dodgey tires. They dont have footpaths either, and the bikes dont ride anywhere near the side of the road (you cant really call it a road though its more of an area) instead they dominate with a mind of their own, just dwadling through trafic.
Motorbikes -
You couldnt really call them motorbikes they are more of a scooter/moped type thing. Seem to think they own the road aswell as all the other vehciles. Are really noisy and zip in and out of traffic.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1648.jpg
Rickshaws -
These are people running with little carts behind them. It's like they are something out of the 19th century. I didnt actually get to go in any while I was there, all up I think they just looked a bit too dodgey. The drivers are called Rickshaw Wallers (spelling?) and they have little bells which they ring to let you know they are out looking for business. They also have rickshaws pulled by bicycles which are slightly better as its not a frail old man pulling you along with his bare hands, but its still pretty hard labour.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1635.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1660-1.jpg
Tuktuks -
motorbikes with a half enclosed roof things but no sides. Drive really fast for what it is. The drivers get sick of sitting behing cars so they squeeze through although they are about the same size as a car. Tuktuk drivers use their hands out the side of the vehicle as like indicators. There was one point in Bangkok where we were waiting behing a car for a pedestrian at a crossing and our tuktuk just overtook the car and drove straight through the crossing. Unbelievable!!!
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/tuktuk.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n196/roxieclaire/IMG_1664.jpg
Taxis -
Thai taxis are air-coned which is a great relife when you are constantly in the humid stuffyness of outdoor Bangkok. They also rip you off especially if you are WHITE! and the metres that the use for calculating money are so ilegit. They drive in the middle of the lanes on the motorway like over the cats eyes and not just while passing but constantly, they also dont indicate which isnt a biggy but when your on a motorway travelling at 125 KMph its like um excuse me please indicate when changing lanes!!! They also sway from side to side across the road and within the lanes that they are in. When changing lanes they do it at bizzare angles, ignoring a smooth transition from lane to lane. Reasonably cheap when you dont get ripped off, it cost us 165Bhat from the airport which converts to about $6.50 for a 45 minute drive.
Indian taxis are a whole different ball game...
In India they still drive Embassador Classics, they are everywhere in all different colours. The Taxis are bright yellow and look hilareously ancient. They are much worse then Thai taxis, mainly due to the Road Code - Rule 1: There are no rules.
There are no lanes on the road making navigation slightly difficult, and on what could be a road that has 2 lanes going both ways there could be 5 lanes going one way and 1 going the other.
They all HONK rediculously and beep ferociously at each other but especially the rickshaws, bikes and Autos (Indian Tuktuks) because they are bigger and stronger on the road. I counted once about 20 honks in 1 minute! and that wasnt in rush hour, and the horns are really loud and the drivers dont just beep them once but several times in a row. Again the dont indicate or have any sense of straightness. There are no seatbelts, making the journey a whole lot more exciting.
Have been completley inspired by this thought recently... just the sheer beaty in the the vision...
Christianity is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If you can bring anyone into that hall, I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall that there are fires... and chairs... and meals. When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.
C.S. Lewis
Just imagine...
Christianity is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If you can bring anyone into that hall, I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall that there are fires... and chairs... and meals. When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.
C.S. Lewis
Just imagine...
January 3, 2010
excitement in Denver...
So im really excited cos some friends of mine released an album this year... a truly amazing album... and i played a bit on it... and it made a top ten list and it wasn't my top ten...
Reverb - The Denver Post
7. Bear Cat, “Xiong Mao” (Bear Cat)
This self-released, Moldy Peachesesque gem is the year’s best indie pop release. This Auckland, New Zealand-based duo rocks without pretense, and they get extra points for writing an entire album about a panda.
And if you like me was wondering about Moldy Peaches... they are a band who are leading proponents of the anti-folk scene!
Reverb - The Denver Post
7. Bear Cat, “Xiong Mao” (Bear Cat)
This self-released, Moldy Peachesesque gem is the year’s best indie pop release. This Auckland, New Zealand-based duo rocks without pretense, and they get extra points for writing an entire album about a panda.
And if you like me was wondering about Moldy Peaches... they are a band who are leading proponents of the anti-folk scene!
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