I had to replace the battery on my car on Sunday. Now, that statement is not quite true. I didn’t have to replace the battery. I could have said to the mechanic type person, ‘Yeah, thanks for that mate; but just leave the old one there, it’ll be okay.’ I have to get a fill of petrol sometime this week; but I don’t have to get more petrol. Your right, Pastor John is once more beginning to talk jibberish. Of course you have to replace a dead battery and fill the car full of petrol otherwise you are not going to get anywhere.
Hmmm? I wonder how many people who say they are Christian have had a spiritual battery check and filled up with petrol lately? A reading from one of my devotional books struck me yesterday morning: ‘May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.’ 2 Thessalonians 3:5. Sorry, I have claimed this little verse its mine!
These words come after the writer – Paul – has asked for prayer so that God’s mission might flourish everywhere. He seeks their support in being protected from wickedness and reminds the church at Thessalonica that God is faithful and that he will guard us from evil.
In our busy lives I am always fearful that we are trying to be good Christian people without regularly taking on fuel for the trip. How is the battery – our prayer life? How much fuel is in the tank – reading of the Scriptures? What is the tread like on the tyres – meeting, sharing and being open to others?
The latest gadget for our cars is of course a Satellite Navigation system. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. How is our Sat Nav system going? Is the Lord directing your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ?
I love the passion of St Paul. He was full on for Jesus! So much so that then and even now many people can’t stand the bloke! If he was an Aussie, he would have fitted the tall poppy syndrome and we would have chopped him down long ago! I think that it was the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, who said that it was his desire to be so on fire for Jesus that people would come from miles around just to watch him burn.
If you had cut Paul – or either of the Wesley brothers – they would have bled mission. It was all they knew. Paul’s constant prayer was to have the way clear so that the message could be proclaimed and that the good news of Christ’s love might be transmitted and heard far and wide.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Are you making space for the Lord to speak into your heart? If we don’t, we do so at an enormous risk and potentially enormous cost, because our hearts have to be directed and filled with something.
There are so many TV shows these days that show human bodies disfigured, butchered and cut open that we have become immune to it. Nothing shocks us anymore. It is so for the subject of love. We have become engorged with so much love/lust that this has become our norm. We have allowed the bar to drop far too low and we are satisfied with too little.
What does the love of God mean for you? How is it being seen in your life? If you were a poster boy/girl for Jesus how is the ad’ campaign going right now? I have never suggested that it is an easy road and there are easier gigs, but I have found that it is worth the journey and that the steadfastness of Christ is enough for me to press on.
I didn’t have to replace the battery. I could have left the car in the driveway; maybe sat in it occasionally to remind me of the good old days. Looks good, but is totally useless.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thanks Sir Francis
I came across a prayer attributed to Sir Francis Drake the British explorer of the 16th century. It is a long one so excuse me if my waffle is mostly poem:
It must be a part of the process of age; but I have to confess to frustration at what I frankly see as a narrowing of vision in society today. When something of a controversial nature crops ups like disposal of nuclear waste or the settlement of a less than popular ex-criminal, we often come across the letters NIMBY – Not in my back yard. ‘Yes, we know that something has to be done; but not in my back yard.
Might I suggest that here in good old OZ – I can only speak for what I know – we might also suffer another societal malady called OIMBY – only in my back yard. I am thrilled that we can invest so much money into research for the many cancers that assail us across the world and that a worldwide disaster invariably finds Australians digging deep to generously give support; but what are we doing on a regular basis, week in and week out for a pain wracked world?
It is estimated that a child dies every ten seconds in the world and many of them don’t have to. We have the resources – money, medicine, food – to prevent this yet somehow these children keep on dying. Ronnie and I have sponsored children via Compassion Australia for many years now and will no doubt continue to do so, probably only increasing our support. I have taken too many funerals of little children; but my heart also breaks for the ones that we never hear of. Do we not bear a responsibility toward them?
‘
It is over 200 years since William Wilberforce and his supporters brought an end to the African slave trade and yet slavery continues in 2010 right on our doorstep. ‘Disturb us O Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.’
I don’t believe in the church because of what it is; but because of what it might be, if we could only break the sin of apathy and neglect that contains us in middle class mediocrity, where we have convinced ourselves that all is well on our little ship, while all around others are sinking. Thanks Sir Francis. I appreciated the wake up call.
Disturb us, Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.
It must be a part of the process of age; but I have to confess to frustration at what I frankly see as a narrowing of vision in society today. When something of a controversial nature crops ups like disposal of nuclear waste or the settlement of a less than popular ex-criminal, we often come across the letters NIMBY – Not in my back yard. ‘Yes, we know that something has to be done; but not in my back yard.
Might I suggest that here in good old OZ – I can only speak for what I know – we might also suffer another societal malady called OIMBY – only in my back yard. I am thrilled that we can invest so much money into research for the many cancers that assail us across the world and that a worldwide disaster invariably finds Australians digging deep to generously give support; but what are we doing on a regular basis, week in and week out for a pain wracked world?
It is estimated that a child dies every ten seconds in the world and many of them don’t have to. We have the resources – money, medicine, food – to prevent this yet somehow these children keep on dying. Ronnie and I have sponsored children via Compassion Australia for many years now and will no doubt continue to do so, probably only increasing our support. I have taken too many funerals of little children; but my heart also breaks for the ones that we never hear of. Do we not bear a responsibility toward them?
‘
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40Are you aware that slavery is still rampant in the world today? Known today as people trafficking, some 700,000 to two million people are trafficked each year. Children of primary school age are sold into slavery – most often prostitution – just so that their families can eat. As the Delhi Commonwealth Games are in full swing it is worth noting that of the 74 million women reported missing in South Asia, some 20 million are thought to be in Indian brothels of Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata.
It is over 200 years since William Wilberforce and his supporters brought an end to the African slave trade and yet slavery continues in 2010 right on our doorstep. ‘Disturb us O Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.’
I don’t believe in the church because of what it is; but because of what it might be, if we could only break the sin of apathy and neglect that contains us in middle class mediocrity, where we have convinced ourselves that all is well on our little ship, while all around others are sinking. Thanks Sir Francis. I appreciated the wake up call.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
All things new?
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22, 23
William Law was an Anglican priest of the 1700’s who is once reported to have said, “If we are to be new people in Christ, then we must show our newness to the world.” As I reflected on this after a busy couple of days, I asked myself, how my newness might have been showing lately. I of course keep some good excuses up my sleeve just in case my ‘newness’ might be seen to be a little tarnished; I have of course been sick, very busy, family pressures and of course work is crazy right now and don’t forget that we have a wedding coming up!
It was probably easier for William Law to be new and people like St Paul and Jesus of course had no problems with newness being the Son of God and all. Good grief, they didn’t have to put up with the stuff that we are engaged with day in and day out!
There is another favourite passage of mine that comes from the Book of Lamentations:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
I spend a lot of time absorbed with me and my problems and sometimes this self absorption can so possess me that I forget some key truths. The first truth for me is that of free will. I have choices as to how I face my day to day activities. It is good to stop and call things to mind. A young fellow was stuck in a real mess once and it was hardly possible that things could have been worse, until one day ‘he came to himself’. A favourite word these days is another one of those that is of religious nature but has been picked up by the world – epiphany. Perhaps we all need regular epiphanies that allow us to come to ourselves.
Another truth is one that people must be tired of hearing by now; it is not about me! John Farnham had it right – One is the loneliest number. The creation story makes it clear that we are not designed to fly solo. We are at our best when in community.
I believe also that vision is a powerful reminder of the nobility of humanity. Again the Bible says:
‘Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.’ Proverbs 29:18 (New King James Version)
I am regularly concerned at the lack of vision among us today. There is no grand picture to inspire and encourage. Words of vision or revelation are drowned in the drab beige of life. I am always inspired by the story of Nelson Mandela. If someone had reason for bitterness and revenge it was this man and yet he overcame this because his vision was greater than his hurt:
‘During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’
How is our newness of life going? How will we spend tomorrow and hopefully, the many tomorrows to follow?
Friday, April 1, 2011
I am a bit stuck on this giving thanks stuff right now. I focused on it last Sunday morning and have to confess I am not sure that I did the subject justice; hence my second try via this medium.
One of the verses that I mentioned last Sunday deserved far more thought and so here goes:
The bread spoken of here is referring to the feeding of the 5,000. Now, there was only a kid’s lunch – five barley loaves and a couple of little fish – but after Jesus gave thanks, five thousand were fed and they picked up five baskets of scraps after the meal! The author points out that people saw Jesus’ giving thanks as the catalyst for a miracle.
I talk a lot about climate change and am convinced that a simple act of thanksgiving can change the environment in which we live. People today just assume that what they get they have a right to! With such a mindset thanksgiving is hardly a high priority. While my Year Two Scripture class might think that Pastor John fulfils the task on automatic pilot, the two or three, who each week, without fail, come up to me and say ‘Thank you Pastor John’, have no idea what an encouragement that is. Incidentally, by Year 5 and 6 we have knocked that grateful chromosome out of them and I rarely hear a similar word from those older kids.
Why do I believe so strongly in the local church? Mainly because I am so deeply grateful for what a local congregation in Victoria did for me a good many years ago now. I remain so thankful for the friends who continue to support me from previous congregations and am humbled by the continued love, care and support of this local faith community at NorthWest Uniting. If you haven’t felt thanked lately, my apologies!
Why is the Christian faith more important to me than a set of moral laws to live by and a tag that says I am apparently not an atheist? It’s simple really. You know that stuff in the Bible about God giving his Son to come and live among us and show us an alternative to the bland ‘religious’ existence that we have become used to? I believe that. The words of Jesus: ‘life in abundance, streams of living water, take up your bed and walk, Lazarus, come out! Father, forgive them.’ All those and many more, I believe! I believe and am grateful.
The whole Jesus story, birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension; I believe and am thankful, because without this amazing truth, I am unsure where I would be today.
In the same chapter as the above reading about giving thanks we find that Jesus’ popularity has dropped away and people were leaving him. Jesus turned to his mates – the twelve – and said, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Simon Peter gets a bit of bad press, but surely his reply is one of the great moments in Scripture:
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
I give up! Where else am I going to go? As a pastor who for the past twenty years has been involved in a challenging ministry of clearing, ploughing, sowing and nourishing new ground, there has been any number of disappointments and hurts. But man, where else am I going to go? Amidst all of the hard ground, pilfering birds, stones, rocks and weeds, I have seen God powerfully at work. I have been given so much and experienced so much blessing that the best I can do is continue to be thankful to God through Christ and hopefully encourage a similar spirit among others.
If something else works for you, that’s cool I guess; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
One of the verses that I mentioned last Sunday deserved far more thought and so here goes:
Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. John 6:23
The bread spoken of here is referring to the feeding of the 5,000. Now, there was only a kid’s lunch – five barley loaves and a couple of little fish – but after Jesus gave thanks, five thousand were fed and they picked up five baskets of scraps after the meal! The author points out that people saw Jesus’ giving thanks as the catalyst for a miracle.
I talk a lot about climate change and am convinced that a simple act of thanksgiving can change the environment in which we live. People today just assume that what they get they have a right to! With such a mindset thanksgiving is hardly a high priority. While my Year Two Scripture class might think that Pastor John fulfils the task on automatic pilot, the two or three, who each week, without fail, come up to me and say ‘Thank you Pastor John’, have no idea what an encouragement that is. Incidentally, by Year 5 and 6 we have knocked that grateful chromosome out of them and I rarely hear a similar word from those older kids.
Why do I believe so strongly in the local church? Mainly because I am so deeply grateful for what a local congregation in Victoria did for me a good many years ago now. I remain so thankful for the friends who continue to support me from previous congregations and am humbled by the continued love, care and support of this local faith community at NorthWest Uniting. If you haven’t felt thanked lately, my apologies!
Why is the Christian faith more important to me than a set of moral laws to live by and a tag that says I am apparently not an atheist? It’s simple really. You know that stuff in the Bible about God giving his Son to come and live among us and show us an alternative to the bland ‘religious’ existence that we have become used to? I believe that. The words of Jesus: ‘life in abundance, streams of living water, take up your bed and walk, Lazarus, come out! Father, forgive them.’ All those and many more, I believe! I believe and am grateful.
The whole Jesus story, birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension; I believe and am thankful, because without this amazing truth, I am unsure where I would be today.
In the same chapter as the above reading about giving thanks we find that Jesus’ popularity has dropped away and people were leaving him. Jesus turned to his mates – the twelve – and said, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Simon Peter gets a bit of bad press, but surely his reply is one of the great moments in Scripture:
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
I give up! Where else am I going to go? As a pastor who for the past twenty years has been involved in a challenging ministry of clearing, ploughing, sowing and nourishing new ground, there has been any number of disappointments and hurts. But man, where else am I going to go? Amidst all of the hard ground, pilfering birds, stones, rocks and weeds, I have seen God powerfully at work. I have been given so much and experienced so much blessing that the best I can do is continue to be thankful to God through Christ and hopefully encourage a similar spirit among others.
If something else works for you, that’s cool I guess; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
By what standard
I asked the question last Sunday: Are you a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards? The question is not my own as I read it somewhere and I read so darned much that now I can’t find the source. I think that it is a question worth consideration.
The current standard will offer a wide range of choices depending on the context and culture in which we live. Being a disciple of Jesus – a follower of Jesus – is a very different call indeed.
We will all have a favourite Bible verse that speaks to us and I guess that mine change on a regular basis. However one verse sticks with me and I am aware that it is a favourite of many:
It is an Old Testament reading and I like to think that it might have been a favourite of Jesus also. I have several Bibles but I like to keep one as my ‘working’ Bible. I have two on my desk that offer me a whole bunch of trimmings. One is an excellent study Bible and the other a great devotional resource; but my working Bible is the one that gets dog eared, sweat stained, underlined, highlighted and scribbled on. Maybe Jesus had special parts of his Scriptures highlighted and old Micah was one of them?
Certainly as a disciple of Jesus I see his justice shine through as I follow him along the road. I see him take time for an outcast woman so desperate for healing that she had faith enough to just touch the hem of his robe. ‘Who touched my clothes?’ Jesus asked. Who touches us today? Who is it pushing through the usual crowd of our favoured ones, just seeking to be touched, seen or heard among the throng?
I see kindness as I follow Jesus along the way. I see it in the way he called children to him in a time where little ones had little or no status. I see it in the crying out of a blind beggar and Jesus stopping on his way to simply offer him hope. Perhaps Jesus’ stopping and taking notice was the beginning of healing for a man who not only could not see; but others failed to see him also? People talk about doing random acts of kindness. There was nothing random about Jesus’ kindness, it was who he was.
As I follow after Jesus, I see a life of humility. For Jesus it wasn’t a matter of ‘look at me’ but ‘look at them’. It all began in the feed trough of animals in a stable and it ended on a rubbish dump hanging from a cross. In between he rejected popularity and power, instead choosing to follow another voice; a quieter but a greater one.
At the end of his life Jesus stood before the ‘powers’ of the day. He was called before the religious leaders who scorned him, spat on him and struck him. He was sent to the political power of the day in Pontius Pilate who had him whipped and then crucified in exchange for a bandit named Barabbas. His best friend denied him and the crowds who cheered him on Palm Sunday gathered for the execution on Friday. Predicting Peter’s betrayal Jesus promised: ‘but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail’. To those gathered at the cross: ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’
Am I a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards?
The current standard will offer a wide range of choices depending on the context and culture in which we live. Being a disciple of Jesus – a follower of Jesus – is a very different call indeed.
We will all have a favourite Bible verse that speaks to us and I guess that mine change on a regular basis. However one verse sticks with me and I am aware that it is a favourite of many:
‘He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:8
It is an Old Testament reading and I like to think that it might have been a favourite of Jesus also. I have several Bibles but I like to keep one as my ‘working’ Bible. I have two on my desk that offer me a whole bunch of trimmings. One is an excellent study Bible and the other a great devotional resource; but my working Bible is the one that gets dog eared, sweat stained, underlined, highlighted and scribbled on. Maybe Jesus had special parts of his Scriptures highlighted and old Micah was one of them?
Certainly as a disciple of Jesus I see his justice shine through as I follow him along the road. I see him take time for an outcast woman so desperate for healing that she had faith enough to just touch the hem of his robe. ‘Who touched my clothes?’ Jesus asked. Who touches us today? Who is it pushing through the usual crowd of our favoured ones, just seeking to be touched, seen or heard among the throng?
I see kindness as I follow Jesus along the way. I see it in the way he called children to him in a time where little ones had little or no status. I see it in the crying out of a blind beggar and Jesus stopping on his way to simply offer him hope. Perhaps Jesus’ stopping and taking notice was the beginning of healing for a man who not only could not see; but others failed to see him also? People talk about doing random acts of kindness. There was nothing random about Jesus’ kindness, it was who he was.
As I follow after Jesus, I see a life of humility. For Jesus it wasn’t a matter of ‘look at me’ but ‘look at them’. It all began in the feed trough of animals in a stable and it ended on a rubbish dump hanging from a cross. In between he rejected popularity and power, instead choosing to follow another voice; a quieter but a greater one.
At the end of his life Jesus stood before the ‘powers’ of the day. He was called before the religious leaders who scorned him, spat on him and struck him. He was sent to the political power of the day in Pontius Pilate who had him whipped and then crucified in exchange for a bandit named Barabbas. His best friend denied him and the crowds who cheered him on Palm Sunday gathered for the execution on Friday. Predicting Peter’s betrayal Jesus promised: ‘but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail’. To those gathered at the cross: ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’
Am I a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards?
What's it all about church?
Many years ago now I attended a workshop at an evangelism conference that focused on reaching young people. It was almost twenty five years ago but I still remember the workshop leader’s name and I can recite the main verse of his text from Ezekiel chapter 3 by heart:
Whenever I risk getting a little down on myself and begin to doubt my ministry and calling, I recall those words from Ezekiel and give myself a swift upper cut and get back to things. I am an evangelist and teacher. There may be times when some will think I am not very good at either, and that’s okay because I am not here to pander to others, but rather to serve an audience of one.
Another key verse for me is in Luke 19: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
I am really good with ‘exiles’ and ‘lost’ people and not so good with those who are already found, because I see the lost as the work of the church and the found need to be about that work.
Ezekiel was called to ministry among his own people. God was kind and made sure that he was well equipped: ‘See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead.
I was reminded this week of the ‘Liverpool kiss’. If you are a Scot it can be known as the Glasgow kiss also. In fact it was a Scot who tried it out on me one day during a soccer match. We had been having a good tussle all day and at one point, late in the game, my opponent grabbed me by the shirt and clearly was about to administer his trade mark love tap to my nose. Now, I am not fond of pain and in positions of danger my reflexes used to work really well. As his head powered forward I dropped mine and our foreheads collided. I was okay but my friend lay at my feet bordering on unconscious! God gave me a hard head.
He also gave me a soft heart and particularly soft for those who – in church parlance – are lost. You see, I was lost for a long time and I know the feeling. In fact while the lostness has long gone I still retain a good memory of these times and it is that which continually shapes my ministry.
I still like to sit among the exiles and very often I am stunned in their presence. Oh, many play a good game; but you see I played that game as well. I could probably have captained the team; I was that good. There are different things that tell about being lost. Eyes are windows into people’s world and it is hard cover the feelings of being lost and empty. Mouths are clues to people’s worlds as well. We try to cover being lost with clever words, loud words, deceitful words or insulting words. Of course it is not just the ‘lost’ that suffer from these symptoms.
When I begin to tire of church budgets, Occupational Health type stuff, property and meetings for this or that matter - When feelings of disappointment, disillusion and/or any other dis’s I might think of, begin to invade my territory; I remember the exiled and I remember my gifting and call.
The call is not mine alone; it is the central call of our lives as Christ followers. If we follow Christ then He will lead us to serve with him among the exiles. It is in our DNA. We can do no less.
‘I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, who lived by the river Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days.’
Whenever I risk getting a little down on myself and begin to doubt my ministry and calling, I recall those words from Ezekiel and give myself a swift upper cut and get back to things. I am an evangelist and teacher. There may be times when some will think I am not very good at either, and that’s okay because I am not here to pander to others, but rather to serve an audience of one.
Another key verse for me is in Luke 19: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
I am really good with ‘exiles’ and ‘lost’ people and not so good with those who are already found, because I see the lost as the work of the church and the found need to be about that work.
Ezekiel was called to ministry among his own people. God was kind and made sure that he was well equipped: ‘See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead.
I was reminded this week of the ‘Liverpool kiss’. If you are a Scot it can be known as the Glasgow kiss also. In fact it was a Scot who tried it out on me one day during a soccer match. We had been having a good tussle all day and at one point, late in the game, my opponent grabbed me by the shirt and clearly was about to administer his trade mark love tap to my nose. Now, I am not fond of pain and in positions of danger my reflexes used to work really well. As his head powered forward I dropped mine and our foreheads collided. I was okay but my friend lay at my feet bordering on unconscious! God gave me a hard head.
He also gave me a soft heart and particularly soft for those who – in church parlance – are lost. You see, I was lost for a long time and I know the feeling. In fact while the lostness has long gone I still retain a good memory of these times and it is that which continually shapes my ministry.
I still like to sit among the exiles and very often I am stunned in their presence. Oh, many play a good game; but you see I played that game as well. I could probably have captained the team; I was that good. There are different things that tell about being lost. Eyes are windows into people’s world and it is hard cover the feelings of being lost and empty. Mouths are clues to people’s worlds as well. We try to cover being lost with clever words, loud words, deceitful words or insulting words. Of course it is not just the ‘lost’ that suffer from these symptoms.
When I begin to tire of church budgets, Occupational Health type stuff, property and meetings for this or that matter - When feelings of disappointment, disillusion and/or any other dis’s I might think of, begin to invade my territory; I remember the exiled and I remember my gifting and call.
The call is not mine alone; it is the central call of our lives as Christ followers. If we follow Christ then He will lead us to serve with him among the exiles. It is in our DNA. We can do no less.
Joined and knit together
I have been reflecting on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians of late and particularly chapter 4. My focus has been on the role and responsibilities of leaders within the church as I seek to bring a more regional style of ministry to the church in this region. However, once I got past our task to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ’; I then dallied on the rest of this magnificent picture of the church. Challenging – but magnificent!
Paul uses some great nouns in this chapter: humility, gentleness, patience, unity, truth, kindness, forgiveness. How many of those did you tick?
He uses a lot of ones. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God; Unity was really big for Paul. It was big for Jesus also:
My quote in the first paragraph was incomplete and it goes on to paint what Paul saw as the ultimate goal of the church: ‘..until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. That was Paul’s goal, but he was no blind optimist: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.’ Here is a Pastor/colleague who sees what might be but is ever aware of what is.
I have often said that I see one of my key roles as being that of defining reality. Everybody else has a go at it, so surely those who believe that we are created in the image of God are entitled to enter into the debate? Paul builds on the image of a body ‘joined and knit together’ that has each part contributing to the whole as it builds itself up in love. This might be the moment when you take a little ‘dream moment’ and reflect on what that could look like for you, your faith community and the world.
We have just survived yet another election here in New South Wales. These events bring language very much into focus for me. We hear different words at these times: factions is a popular word, and we hear that some are left or right of centre, wet or dry, conservative, labour, green and so many other shades or interest group. You don’t hear ‘joined and knit together’ all that much?!
I love Paul’s touch of irony: You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
There are truly delicious pictures here! I have no idea why people would opt for a bland, lifeless, formalized – can I toss in anaemic – faith, when an offer such as this is on the table?
I don’t know, it’s got me beat. We are offered this amazing gift and sometimes we might stop for a while and ponder; but too often, our response is, ‘Nah! Thanks all the same. I’m cool.’
Paul begins this chapter by begging his audience to take seriously their call to faith and he ends it superbly:
Thanks Paul. If no one else reads this bit of trifle today; the exercise of reflection in the midst of a busy day has done my heart good.
Paul uses some great nouns in this chapter: humility, gentleness, patience, unity, truth, kindness, forgiveness. How many of those did you tick?
He uses a lot of ones. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God; Unity was really big for Paul. It was big for Jesus also:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17
My quote in the first paragraph was incomplete and it goes on to paint what Paul saw as the ultimate goal of the church: ‘..until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. That was Paul’s goal, but he was no blind optimist: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.’ Here is a Pastor/colleague who sees what might be but is ever aware of what is.
I have often said that I see one of my key roles as being that of defining reality. Everybody else has a go at it, so surely those who believe that we are created in the image of God are entitled to enter into the debate? Paul builds on the image of a body ‘joined and knit together’ that has each part contributing to the whole as it builds itself up in love. This might be the moment when you take a little ‘dream moment’ and reflect on what that could look like for you, your faith community and the world.
We have just survived yet another election here in New South Wales. These events bring language very much into focus for me. We hear different words at these times: factions is a popular word, and we hear that some are left or right of centre, wet or dry, conservative, labour, green and so many other shades or interest group. You don’t hear ‘joined and knit together’ all that much?!
I love Paul’s touch of irony: You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
There are truly delicious pictures here! I have no idea why people would opt for a bland, lifeless, formalized – can I toss in anaemic – faith, when an offer such as this is on the table?
You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
I don’t know, it’s got me beat. We are offered this amazing gift and sometimes we might stop for a while and ponder; but too often, our response is, ‘Nah! Thanks all the same. I’m cool.’
Paul begins this chapter by begging his audience to take seriously their call to faith and he ends it superbly:
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Thanks Paul. If no one else reads this bit of trifle today; the exercise of reflection in the midst of a busy day has done my heart good.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Great Fear Trap
Surely one of the great prophetic speeches of all times was that of Martin Luther King Junior on 3 April 1968. He began by recalling a moment several years earlier, when he was almost killed by a crazed woman’s failed stabbing attempt. The blade just missed penetrating his aorta which would have been almost certainly fatal.
At the end of the speech he finished with these words:
The next day, Dr Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead by an assassin’s bullet.
I am struck this morning by just five words of King: ‘I’m not fearing any man.’
Fear is such a powerful beast isn’t it? When I was a youngster I would spend time on the farm where we first lived as new arrivals in Australia. Occasionally I would walk with my friend Ian and check his rabbit traps. Ian was always joyous at any success where I was less than thrilled. I have never liked traps.
I love the words from the Transfiguration story where Jesus gobsmacked disciples were cowering in fear at this new experience. Jesus’ spoke strongly to his disciples: ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
Taken seriously, the Christian walk is one of new horizons along with more than its share of traps. There will always be fear filled people who do not hold a Christian view who will mock us and take any opportunity to trap, criticise and belittle.
There will be ‘moderate’ Christians, who prefer a sanitized, easy faith who will raise their eyebrows at your zeal. And of course there is our greatest fear filled enemy; the one who greets us every morning in the bathroom mirror.
There are a whole bunch of ‘fear not’s’ in the Scriptures. We should take strength from this. It means there were as many fearful followers in Jesus’ time as there are today and those men and women did a fair job!?
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
I always like God’s word to a new leader in Joshua following an amazing time in Israel’s history: ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ I may lack the confidence of a Martin King Junior, but I do believe that Jesus is still calling us to get up and not be afraid.
At the end of the speech he finished with these words:
‘Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountain top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you.But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the Promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. ‘
The next day, Dr Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead by an assassin’s bullet.
I am struck this morning by just five words of King: ‘I’m not fearing any man.’
Fear is such a powerful beast isn’t it? When I was a youngster I would spend time on the farm where we first lived as new arrivals in Australia. Occasionally I would walk with my friend Ian and check his rabbit traps. Ian was always joyous at any success where I was less than thrilled. I have never liked traps.
I love the words from the Transfiguration story where Jesus gobsmacked disciples were cowering in fear at this new experience. Jesus’ spoke strongly to his disciples: ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
Taken seriously, the Christian walk is one of new horizons along with more than its share of traps. There will always be fear filled people who do not hold a Christian view who will mock us and take any opportunity to trap, criticise and belittle.
There will be ‘moderate’ Christians, who prefer a sanitized, easy faith who will raise their eyebrows at your zeal. And of course there is our greatest fear filled enemy; the one who greets us every morning in the bathroom mirror.
There are a whole bunch of ‘fear not’s’ in the Scriptures. We should take strength from this. It means there were as many fearful followers in Jesus’ time as there are today and those men and women did a fair job!?
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:18,19
Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:14,15
I always like God’s word to a new leader in Joshua following an amazing time in Israel’s history: ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ I may lack the confidence of a Martin King Junior, but I do believe that Jesus is still calling us to get up and not be afraid.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What does hope look like to you?
I love the piece in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where Christian and Hopeful are seemingly sinking in the river within sight of glory:
Those words have always meant a lot to me and even more so in my years of establishing a new church in this North West district of Sydney. There have been many occasions when the ‘billows’ have been over my head and I am ever grateful for my friend Hopeful, who keeps reminding me that he can feel the bottom and all will be well.
Hopeful comes in a variety of forms for me. It can be the encouraging words of a spouse who believes in me far more than I believe in me! It can be conversation with a friend/friends and/or colleague. Hopeful often speaks to me in a quiet place where I can hear a still small voice call me forward, and my friend Hopeful so often speaks to me out of the words of Scripture. Through these various avenues Hopeful opens my ears to hear the voice of Jesus saying to me, ‘Get up! Don’t be afraid.’
Last Sunday I heard an inspiring message of hope from a member of our community. Born very prematurely this tiny life was kept going by bucket loads of deep care, love and prayer. We heard of the times in those very early days when her dad would often re-start her breathing! That is INSPIRATION of the highest order.
Since our beginnings as a new faith community in the outer North West suburbs of Sydney I have talked about building communities of care and hope. Care and Hope are two very simple words but both have the power to transform and inspire people’s lives. The church will focus on the great miracles of Jesus: feeding thousands with a few fish sandwiches, or turning water into wine, or healing the sick, giving sight to the blind or even raising the dead!
Much of my inspiration from Jesus I find behind these things; in-between the lines of the great story as it were. Most of the stuff that excites me about Jesus isn’t even written down – it is more imagined. Mark 12:30 intrigues me: And the large crowd listened to him with delight. I don’t think it was just his charismatic way, his charm or even his wise words that did it for people; but there was / is something about this man that defies a simple description. There was about Jesus something about REALLY caring. There was something about Jesus that REALLY gave hope.
In Brian McLaren’s new book he quotes a Brazilian man called Claudio Oliver: ‘The Bible is a book that isn’t meant to be read.’ I know exactly what Claudio is saying. For centuries the Bible was only heard. It is only in recent times that we now have mass produced Bibles that often carry more dust than hope! If all we do is read the Bible then it is the words that we wrestle with not the things in between and around those words. Each Sunday at our church we have the Bible read and pandering to our modern needs the words are on the big screen for everyone to see.
More often than not I try close my eyes to shut out the vision and HEAR the words being spoken. It is in the hearing together that a community of faith can then wrestle with what these words mean for us today. It is why Christianity is not a singular – I can be a Christian at home – faith. That is a fairy story perpetuated by lazy people unwilling to test their faith in the cauldron of a gathered community. It is the gathered community that provides a crazy, confusing cauldron from which new lives reflecting a new hope and a new focus of care can be born.
Be of good cheer .. I feel the bottom, and it is good.’
They then addressed themselves to the water; and entering, Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful, he said 'I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head, all his waves go over me!’Then said the other, ‘Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the bottom, and it is good’
Those words have always meant a lot to me and even more so in my years of establishing a new church in this North West district of Sydney. There have been many occasions when the ‘billows’ have been over my head and I am ever grateful for my friend Hopeful, who keeps reminding me that he can feel the bottom and all will be well.
Hopeful comes in a variety of forms for me. It can be the encouraging words of a spouse who believes in me far more than I believe in me! It can be conversation with a friend/friends and/or colleague. Hopeful often speaks to me in a quiet place where I can hear a still small voice call me forward, and my friend Hopeful so often speaks to me out of the words of Scripture. Through these various avenues Hopeful opens my ears to hear the voice of Jesus saying to me, ‘Get up! Don’t be afraid.’
Last Sunday I heard an inspiring message of hope from a member of our community. Born very prematurely this tiny life was kept going by bucket loads of deep care, love and prayer. We heard of the times in those very early days when her dad would often re-start her breathing! That is INSPIRATION of the highest order.
Since our beginnings as a new faith community in the outer North West suburbs of Sydney I have talked about building communities of care and hope. Care and Hope are two very simple words but both have the power to transform and inspire people’s lives. The church will focus on the great miracles of Jesus: feeding thousands with a few fish sandwiches, or turning water into wine, or healing the sick, giving sight to the blind or even raising the dead!
Much of my inspiration from Jesus I find behind these things; in-between the lines of the great story as it were. Most of the stuff that excites me about Jesus isn’t even written down – it is more imagined. Mark 12:30 intrigues me: And the large crowd listened to him with delight. I don’t think it was just his charismatic way, his charm or even his wise words that did it for people; but there was / is something about this man that defies a simple description. There was about Jesus something about REALLY caring. There was something about Jesus that REALLY gave hope.
In Brian McLaren’s new book he quotes a Brazilian man called Claudio Oliver: ‘The Bible is a book that isn’t meant to be read.’ I know exactly what Claudio is saying. For centuries the Bible was only heard. It is only in recent times that we now have mass produced Bibles that often carry more dust than hope! If all we do is read the Bible then it is the words that we wrestle with not the things in between and around those words. Each Sunday at our church we have the Bible read and pandering to our modern needs the words are on the big screen for everyone to see.
More often than not I try close my eyes to shut out the vision and HEAR the words being spoken. It is in the hearing together that a community of faith can then wrestle with what these words mean for us today. It is why Christianity is not a singular – I can be a Christian at home – faith. That is a fairy story perpetuated by lazy people unwilling to test their faith in the cauldron of a gathered community. It is the gathered community that provides a crazy, confusing cauldron from which new lives reflecting a new hope and a new focus of care can be born.
Be of good cheer .. I feel the bottom, and it is good.’
Thursday, March 3, 2011
I like the thoughts of General Schwarzkopf of Gulf War fame in the early 90’s:
I always remember a quote from an old Melbourne High School Principal, George Langley, who liked to remind his students: ‘They are only truly great who are truly good.’
When I think back to my dalliances with the church over the years, the thing that attracted me – against all the often imagined negatives – was the issue of goodness. From childhood, I have found myself attracted to people who have a goodness about them and more often than not I found them to be Christian people. Now, in these multicultural days I do not deny the goodness of others, but I speak of my experience as an older bloke these days.
Now my Bible students are going to get into me here and tell me that Jesus says: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Jesus had a wonderful way of exaggerating a point to make a point and surely this was one of them? Ultimately I agree with Jesus – He will be pleased about that I am sure – but can I be allowed to keep the debate at an earthly level?
Goodness has been something of a magnet to me over the years, probably due to my struggles with matters of self esteem. For years and years I would hide behind a curtain of lies because I was not particularly fond of myself. I became a champion liar, which probably explains why I generally have such a good ‘liar antennae’ system and am able to pick up truth benders fairly early. Don’t try to kid a kidder, especially one as good as I was!
Goodness for me is not about behaviour. It is about character. Over the years I have been involved in many job interviews and my overriding criteria was that of character. I remember a man called Colin. I was interviewing for the position of Stores Coordinator in my textile days and worked through a large list of applicants, narrowing it down to three. Of the three Colin was the least experienced never having worked in the rag trade before as had his rivals. He was also the oldest by quite a few years. When I told my managing director that I was going to appoint Colin he was surprised and wanted to know why I would pick him above the more qualified applicants. My reply was simple enough: ‘It comes down to character Max, I trust him.’ Col was probably the best appointment I made while at that place.
The great blessing for me in life is identifying the people of character. They may or may not be the smartest in the group but something about good people draws me to them. Good people are not flawless; but generally I find that they can own the faults and hiccups as they journey and still have the courage to push forward.
It is interesting to consider the people that Jesus gathered around him on the journey. It was hardly the Who’s Who of the Middle East! Tax collectors, zealots, hot heads, prostitutes all figured on Jesus’ hiring list. I wonder by what criteria Jesus appointed people to his inner circle?
‘Leadership is a potent combination of character and strategy.But if you must be without one, be without strategy.’
I always remember a quote from an old Melbourne High School Principal, George Langley, who liked to remind his students: ‘They are only truly great who are truly good.’
When I think back to my dalliances with the church over the years, the thing that attracted me – against all the often imagined negatives – was the issue of goodness. From childhood, I have found myself attracted to people who have a goodness about them and more often than not I found them to be Christian people. Now, in these multicultural days I do not deny the goodness of others, but I speak of my experience as an older bloke these days.
Now my Bible students are going to get into me here and tell me that Jesus says: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Jesus had a wonderful way of exaggerating a point to make a point and surely this was one of them? Ultimately I agree with Jesus – He will be pleased about that I am sure – but can I be allowed to keep the debate at an earthly level?
Goodness has been something of a magnet to me over the years, probably due to my struggles with matters of self esteem. For years and years I would hide behind a curtain of lies because I was not particularly fond of myself. I became a champion liar, which probably explains why I generally have such a good ‘liar antennae’ system and am able to pick up truth benders fairly early. Don’t try to kid a kidder, especially one as good as I was!
Goodness for me is not about behaviour. It is about character. Over the years I have been involved in many job interviews and my overriding criteria was that of character. I remember a man called Colin. I was interviewing for the position of Stores Coordinator in my textile days and worked through a large list of applicants, narrowing it down to three. Of the three Colin was the least experienced never having worked in the rag trade before as had his rivals. He was also the oldest by quite a few years. When I told my managing director that I was going to appoint Colin he was surprised and wanted to know why I would pick him above the more qualified applicants. My reply was simple enough: ‘It comes down to character Max, I trust him.’ Col was probably the best appointment I made while at that place.
The great blessing for me in life is identifying the people of character. They may or may not be the smartest in the group but something about good people draws me to them. Good people are not flawless; but generally I find that they can own the faults and hiccups as they journey and still have the courage to push forward.
It is interesting to consider the people that Jesus gathered around him on the journey. It was hardly the Who’s Who of the Middle East! Tax collectors, zealots, hot heads, prostitutes all figured on Jesus’ hiring list. I wonder by what criteria Jesus appointed people to his inner circle?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
New Year reflection
In my final few days of holidays I am slowly shaking myself awake for another session of tilting at windmills. I received a small email devotional today and want to share the gist of it in my own words.
In the two big football codes last year St George and Collingwood came out on top, beating the Sydney Roosters and St Kilda respectively. Now, please keep in mind that neither the Roosters nor the Saints were bad teams; they were both very good teams indeed. Here is a truth to reflect on this year: In sport, if you are good, chances are that in the last game of the season you will lose. At the end there are two really good teams who play off and only one of them can win. If you are mediocre and it doesn’t really matter, you get used to losing quite early on. Striving to be the best can end in pain.
This is a useful parable for life and it is always helpful for me who suffers from an acute desire to be the best I can be. There is a cost to wanting to be the best. You can train, study and strive your backside off and just as you reach out to touch the peak of Everest somebody reaches that bit further and pips you at the post. I have reached out for any number of Everest’s over the years and occasionally have even enjoyed the view from the top. My dear old Collingwood have played in 42 Grand Finals over their 109 year history and have won just 15 of them. We have a lot in common!
During holidays I try not to answer any phone calls and my darling wife is fairly zealous about guarding me from doing so. She was out this morning and when the phone rang I just couldn’t help myself! I am pleased that I did answer the call as it was a colleague and friend. For some strange reason this person sees me as a mentor and amazingly seeks my wisdom from time to time.
You know, speaking in general terms, the church talks up a storm about doing new stuff and wanting to touch the lives of their community; but too often, when push comes to shove, we don’t really mean it! We want new people to join us but we would prefer it if they looked, thought and lived like us. ‘You are more than welcome but please don’t move the furniture!’
My friend was lost and deeply emotional as they shared the frustration and great hurt of Christian ministry. Their faith in God is without question but faith in the church has taken one hell of a beating. We share a common desire to seek to tell the great gospel story of Jesus but in language and concepts that are understandable to today – 2011.
Jesus had choices. He was a well respected Rabbi and with his charisma, wisdom and clear leading of God could have lead any Synagogue in the Holy Land; maybe even the Temple itself!? His faith was informed by the narratives and examples of the great saints of the past, but his eyes were ever looking at the distant horizon. In striving to be the best, chances are you will lose the final game.
So 2010 is now consigned to the history books because it belongs there and a new season is upon us. History may inform us but the Spirit of God is to be found calling us to those distant horizons.
Mediocrity allows us to stand at a distance; but I am still keen to tackle the thick darkness.
In the two big football codes last year St George and Collingwood came out on top, beating the Sydney Roosters and St Kilda respectively. Now, please keep in mind that neither the Roosters nor the Saints were bad teams; they were both very good teams indeed. Here is a truth to reflect on this year: In sport, if you are good, chances are that in the last game of the season you will lose. At the end there are two really good teams who play off and only one of them can win. If you are mediocre and it doesn’t really matter, you get used to losing quite early on. Striving to be the best can end in pain.
This is a useful parable for life and it is always helpful for me who suffers from an acute desire to be the best I can be. There is a cost to wanting to be the best. You can train, study and strive your backside off and just as you reach out to touch the peak of Everest somebody reaches that bit further and pips you at the post. I have reached out for any number of Everest’s over the years and occasionally have even enjoyed the view from the top. My dear old Collingwood have played in 42 Grand Finals over their 109 year history and have won just 15 of them. We have a lot in common!
During holidays I try not to answer any phone calls and my darling wife is fairly zealous about guarding me from doing so. She was out this morning and when the phone rang I just couldn’t help myself! I am pleased that I did answer the call as it was a colleague and friend. For some strange reason this person sees me as a mentor and amazingly seeks my wisdom from time to time.
You know, speaking in general terms, the church talks up a storm about doing new stuff and wanting to touch the lives of their community; but too often, when push comes to shove, we don’t really mean it! We want new people to join us but we would prefer it if they looked, thought and lived like us. ‘You are more than welcome but please don’t move the furniture!’
My friend was lost and deeply emotional as they shared the frustration and great hurt of Christian ministry. Their faith in God is without question but faith in the church has taken one hell of a beating. We share a common desire to seek to tell the great gospel story of Jesus but in language and concepts that are understandable to today – 2011.
Jesus had choices. He was a well respected Rabbi and with his charisma, wisdom and clear leading of God could have lead any Synagogue in the Holy Land; maybe even the Temple itself!? His faith was informed by the narratives and examples of the great saints of the past, but his eyes were ever looking at the distant horizon. In striving to be the best, chances are you will lose the final game.
So 2010 is now consigned to the history books because it belongs there and a new season is upon us. History may inform us but the Spirit of God is to be found calling us to those distant horizons.
‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ John 4:32I am presently committed to some pretty solid training for the upcoming game. Part of my position on the team is to be a leader and teacher, and I am presently focusing hard on my first few games looking at ‘Moving Closer’ in our faith. In the opening round of the season on Sunday week my goal is to look at the subject of Sabbath, and my Bible reading is taken from Exodus 20:1-21, where Moses receives the Ten Commandments. My main subject matter is found in the first eleven verses but verse 21 gave me some food for thought: ‘Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.’
Mediocrity allows us to stand at a distance; but I am still keen to tackle the thick darkness.
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