I've been unable to get into my site for a week or so hence the delay since my last post. There has been some good news however. The night shelter in Wellington has had a million dollar upgrade so the homeless now get top quality accomodation. Fantastic! I am sure there will be some who think they don't deserve it, it will just encourage them, why don't they get a job etc, blah, blah, blah. I think its the Jesus thing to do...to look to others before ourselves........especially the poor, hurting and disenfranchised. For too long they have had to put up with the minimum and the crumbs. A friend of mine from a country that faced the Tsunami said how horrified he was at some of the donated goods from the west....underpants with holes, socks that were worn, torn shirts etc. Clothing we would not wear yet it was expected that the poor would not only wear them but be grateful.
I ran a boys home for a number of years and we had a number of times when well meaning christian people would bring around broken cups, plates that were chipped, broken chairs etc and said we should use them....and be grateful! If I said we could not they got offended and thought the boys were unappreciative.
There were some 'wonderful' others as well.....one man turned up in winter with a brand new wood burner and installed it....all without even leaving his name. Its people like this and those that upgraded the night shelter that truly represent Jesus.

We have just had an horrific (is there any other kind?) murder here in New Zealand. A convicted murderer, out on parole, was on the run from the Police after an alleged assult he committed. While on the run in the bush he allegedly killed man for his Quad bike and then assaulted some others that were mountain bike riding in the area. He himself was eventually shot in the leg by the Police and has lost a leg. This has led to all usual rantings from people about how sentences must be harsher, life must mean life and there should be no parole for some prisoners.

There is no way a good spin can be put on the situation. A man was murdered and others traumatised and injured. Yet I fear there will be an over reaction that could do harm.

The issue of parole is complex, as is the whole prison and sentencing situation. In saying this however we do need to realise that in the midst of this we need to ensure that those who do change and will not reoffend are not all penalised by the few who do. We need to ask why it is that those in the prison service do reoffend and whether we are doing all we can to give them every opportunity to change and be supported in this change.

We do need to punish crime appropriately (which is not always with longer sentences), we do need to protect the public, we do need to ensure that people are given the chance to change and we do need to ensure we take a wise approach....not a knee jerk reaction!

It's the second day of 2007 here in New Zealand. Sadam Hussein has been hanged (What a disgrace); over 3000 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq; a conservative estimate is that over 100 Iraqi's are killed each day; there is still massive starvation in many parts of the world; the womens refuges here in NZ are full of families escaping the rise in domestic violence that happens at this time of the year....and yet all I seem to hear from people is how bad the summer weather is turning out!

Sure it is wetter and windier than normal. Sure we all like it when the sun is shining etc, but give me break.....I don't care enough to give it more than 2 sentences a conversation! We in the west are becoming so self centred and self focused people are genuinely seeing this a real tragedy!

I think the primary way to avoid becoming part of this problem is to stay connected with real people facing real tragedies........matters that can mean eating or hunger; being safe or unsafe; having the opportunity for basic medical supplies or staying ill; even life or death.....not just whether the BBQ is fired up. UNOH www.unoh.org is one such group that I am privileged to be connected to. When I hear the stories of the powerless, poor and ignored it puts our christmas weather in perspective.

While not into new years resolutions maybe we should all make sure we are connected with such groups and those people in our own neighbourhoods that face real issues. It'll help us in the west keep perspective in an increasingly self focused world.