The death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, made world headlines. He died tragically from a Stingray barb leaving his family, and seemingly heaps of adoring fans, devastated. As is so often the case in these situations we Christians managed to make it worse and show how shallow we have become! There was an email and txt (sms) going around that he had made a decision to follow Christ in a church meeting a couple of weeks before his death. It spread like wild fire only to be found out as a hoax.
I think the tragedy here is that most Christians were not excited that he was a Christian for his sake but that a famous person was a Christian and this makes us feel better about ourselves! Why do we constantly need the validation from the rich and the famous? Why does this make us feel better about ourselves? On the day he died I am sure there were thousands of others that died in Australia and millions around the world but it is only the famous who supposedly turned to Christ that excites us and gets our attention! I hope Steve was a Jesus person and I wish his family well.....I am just sick and tired of this innappropriate fascination the church has with the wealthy and famous that usually comes at the expense of the poor and lonely.
I've got more to say on this at a later stage.

Singing seems to be both attracting people and keeping people away from church these days. I have a number of problems with singing. Usually it requires me to suck up my testicles, put on a soft smiling face and sing soft love songs all in the name of worship. Nothing wrong with this (actually I'm telling lies here but can't be bothered explaining why today) if its your cup of tea but I know a lot of blokes who are put off by it all. The big problem is when we are told that if we don't get into it we aren't worshipping and somehow we stop God working and ruin it for everyone else! What a load of bollocks. We reduce worship to singing or a particular practice.
There is the alt worship crew....I like them but I heard one person say "why is it they can only worship in the dark"; the traditional hymn crew.....good enough if you can read the small print in the hymn books; the mystical crew....chant and act all Gregorian but manage to not take the vows in most cases; the emerging church crew....hang out in bars and cafes acting like Jesus is their wine waiter or barrister; and so on.
I guess they all have a place, and I personally like the emerging forms and mystical forms, but a lot of their proponents seem to say their way is best and the others are wrong. It's this part that gets me. Time for us to stop telling each other how to worship and start reflecting a bit more on why we are so interested in telling each other how to act to please God.......and for those who aren't into singing....God doesn't care at all!!!!

I'm sitting in Perth Airport waiting to catch a plane home to NZ. Its been a great 4 days with Hamo and the Forge team here. A good bunch seriously looking at a number of issues in a fresh light. The subject came up on John Howards (the Prime Minister here) speech on defining what Aussie values are so that migrants will know what they have to adopt to live in this country. What a joke! If the man is serious he will go to the indigenous people and ask them. They have been abused, ignored, nearly wiped out in some areas and had their children stolen in recent history. He has never apologised and now thinks that Australian values are defined by the colonisers. I know many Aussies do not agree with him but sadly many do. If you want National values to help assimilate foreigners then get them.........from the original inhabitants!

A lot of people, Christians in particular, say that homosexuality, and the rights they now have, will destroy the family in New Zealand. What a load of crap! The family in New Zealand has been disintegrating for a long time and for a range of reasons. I would suggest the number one is fathers that are working too hard and long, that are abusive or that are absent (physically or emotionally)! Talk to any counselor, youth worker etc who is working with young people that are in trouble or struggling and this comes up time and time again. So why pick on the homosexual issue? I contend there are at least three reasons;
1. Historical bias and even hatred that is continuing today. This can be handed down through the generations.
2. In some circles they are an easy target. Often there is no one in these circles to put forward a more truthful view and as the old saying goes...."When everyone is thinking the same no one is thinking".
3. The truth is too close to home. It means we have to face ourselves, what we hold as precious, and who we promote. I think this is particulary true with some successful professional men. We hold them up as role models because of their work and ask them to join our boards and committees.....Even if they are lousy fathers. If their kids go off the rails we blame the homosexuals!
Its time we got honest. Families are important and need to be protected...Lets start doing it by facing the real issues rather than creating straw men arguments.