A (W)right Crazy Life

On Values...

2009-04-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

The first 10 verses of Mark 14 tell the story of a time when Jesus was at the house of Simon, who had been healed of Leprosy, and they were sharing a meal together. In comes a woman with an Alabaster Jar of expensive perfume and anoints Jesus with the oil contained within.

Some of those who were there were "indignant" that the oil should be used for such a purpose when it could have been sold and the money used to feed the poor.

Jesus tells them off for their attitude towards the woman and the act she has just performed.

Move ahead 2000 odd years and hear the story of an ex-minister (henceforth e/m)who now works in real estate. He was invited by his boss, because of the relationship the two of them have built over the time the e/m has been working for the boss, to join the local country club. The membership to this club costs $500 per month.

Some may wish to point out to that man that $500/month could do a lot of good in a lot of places (that's $6000/year).

I would like to ask a different question... What is the value to the kingdom of that $500/month? There appear to be genuine relationships being built between the e/m and, at least, the boss. The boss introduces the e/m to all of his friends and they start a new relationship. The e/m gets to share his story with those present and pretty soon you have a very interesting discussion about religion on your hands.

Potentially, the e/m goes away from time to time on mission trips or building for Habitat for Humanity or some other worthy mission-based exposure and he invites some of the guys from the club to come with him.

Now you have a whole heap of potential for those with the cash to have their eyes opened to the situation where ever they happen to have traveled to... the potential to have much more than $500/month put into communities that do need it.

Now, apart from the fact of the e/m joining the country club and how that happened, the rest of this is pure conjecture, but it made me think again about how we see and assess the value in this or that pursuit in our lives... may not be that we and God have the same ideas of currency or value.

Just a thought.
Blessings

PS... the story of the e/m came from his own mouth on Soularize in a Box Vol 2 and was told in a workshop run by Jim Palmer on Shedding Religion/Divine Nobodies.

Last days...

2009-04-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

I am in the last 2 weeks of working for the Uniting Church at Brougham Place in North Adelaide, South Australia. This will mark just over a year since I took up the position there with the hope of leading the youth at BPUC into extreme following of Jesus.

I wonder sometimes if I was the right person for that job. I wonder what the church was thinking employing me. I wonder whether there has been a long-term negative effect on my family from my working 2 jobs.

But in all of this wondering, I am reminded of the message from Ecclesiastes 3, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens".

So, as I sit and think through the consequences of the last year's activity, I pray that the time I have spent with the young people at that church has had a positive effect on their journey, faith and their following of Christ in extreme ways in extreme times.

Bless you all.

Not enough fun... :-(

2009-04-01T04:40:00.000-07:00

A while ago my wife told me that we don't laugh enough with each other like we used to... I've been thinking about that and it was brought back to me by a vodcast that I watched tonight; an interview between Spence Burke of TheOoze.TV (and Soularize) and Shane Claiborne.

Shane was busy juggling the whole way through the interview and was talking about the lack of use in talking theology if you can't go out and juggle. I was a bit confused by this until I started thinking about one of the Submersions at NCYC09 in Melbourne where they took part in a game of Alley Cricket with homeless people. I started thinking about the Choir for Hard Knocks and all the times in the televised series on the Choir that the participants ended up in tears from laughing. I started thinking about a series that was on TV about a soccer team that played in the homeless world cup (I think... please correct me if you know the full details) and the joy and laughter involved.

I decided that my wife is right. I haven't laughed a lot recently.

Time to start blessing the children and laughing a bit more with them... I wonder if Jesus ever played the stick and hoop game with those kids?

Blog ya later!

What is the point?

2009-03-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

An American comedian, who was also a Christian, once said that the problem with most Christians is that they tend to spend most of their time either polishing their armour or fighting one another.

I am ashamed to say that the latter half of this week has been a bit like this for me.

I posted in response to a friend's status on facebook, someone else posted and the argument (the same argument as I have had with some Christians before) started all over again... Is God sovereign? Am I an atheist? What is the meaning of Jesus death? Why bother with earth hour?

All of these questions are valid questions, but I must confess that they have not always been asked in a spirit of love and discussion, but of antagonism and frustration.

I'm sorry.

In a spirit of reconciliation and truth-telling, I want to put the following forward as a possible solution to the problem:

NOBODY holds THE truth or ALL of the answers. ALL of us hold SOME of the truth and SOME of the answers.

Now, if people still want to discuss Theology with me, that is fine, but from now on, I promise (and you can ask my wife how rarely I use that word because of the value I place in it) that I will discuss issues in a spirit of humility and listening and without the aforementioned antagonism and frustration.

Please can we just love one another instead of calling each other heretics and yelling to the world that "those Christians are always fighting"?

I hope so.

Blog ya later.

Why not pay it forward?

2009-03-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I promised at the end of my last post that I would be back to tell you all (I use this term advisedly as there are possibly only two ppl in the world who actually read this Blog) why I don't subscribe to the "Pay it Forward" doctrine on life, so here goes...

Time and time again in the Gospels, Jesus is said to have used words like "go" and "do" (sometimes in the same breath) as instructions to those who were listening at the time.

At no stage does Jesus tell us to wait until someone does something for us that costs them before doing things for others that cost us. In fact, Matthew 25 has Jesus telling us that unless we go, do, visit, feed, clothe, etc the poorest of the poor, we will not enter the kingdom.... Not only that, but to not do these things sees the "goats" sent to hell.

Bit harsh, but gets the point across I think.

So, when was the last time you visited the sick or ppl in prison? When was the last time you fed the hungry or clothed the naked? When was the last time you gave a glass of water to the thirsty? WHEN?

What? You've never fed the hungry? You've never clothed the naked? You've never visited those who were sick or in prison? hmmmmm... I know what Jesus said. Do you believe him?

Blog ya later!

Pay it FOrward...?

2009-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

I don’t know how many of you have seen the 2000 film, Pay it Forward, but as I was writing the first page of an e-zine that I sometimes do, this movie came to mind.
To give you the run-down, in Pay it Forward, the main character, Trevor, comes up with a plan to improve the world by getting everyone doing things for each other, with their only “payment” being that the person who had the good deed done FOR them was then obliged to “go and do likewise”.
There are many many organisations around the world carrying on their call to follow Christ in their every-day lives...without ever expecting either payment or payment-in-kind as the movie does.
What I was wondering was, does this movie miss the point? Does expecting someone to “pay it forward” make invalid the original gift?
When we look at the example of Jesus, we hear Jesus say, "Now go and do likewise," but are we really hearing Jesus say, "Pay It Forward"?
I am of the opinion that the answer to this question is a resounding, "No."

Stay tuned for the reason over the next day or two...

Rich young ruler... and giving.

2009-02-15T02:17:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I have been thinking a bit about giving and about the spirit or attitude in which people give in times of crisis, like the out-pooring of generosity we have seen over the past week or so for the victims of the fires in Victoria.

I was talking to my young charges this morning at Church about this and had a thought. See what you think...

When Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler and told him to sell all he had and give the money to the poor, he was wanting to humble the young man who had been brash enough to tell Jesus that he had kept ALL of the commandments and the law. He asked Jesus what it would take to get him into heaven.

Obviously, this young man came in an attitude of pride in his own achievements. Obviously, the one thing he lacked in his character at that moment was humility.

I told the youth that I didn't think Jesus was telling all of us who are wealthy (and let's face it, that is anyone who is able to read this blog in the first place) that we all had to sell everything we had a give it to the poor, but rather that Jesus says to us we should be humble in our giving... a similar message to the one he gave sitting in the Temple Courts regarding the widow.

How does this work today? We talked about this for a while. One said that he would be happy to give all of his clothes to those who lost thiers in the Victorian fires, but that he wouldn't give his suit. I said that I thought that was the whole point of what Jesus was saying.... that we should be able to humbly give the things we would least WANT to give naturally because of the value we place in them.

I have the same issue with some of my books... well actually with most of them. I can't stand to see my book collection disappear.

And so I am still in a place where I have work to do to let go of the THINGS that keep me bound in pride... I have to learn, just like the rich young ruler, that to give in humility, regardless of the benefit to self (this is altruism), is what I am called to.

Let me know what your thoughts are, either here or at wright_2_me@me.com or on FaceBook.

I also now have a Twitter account.... d_wombat

Blog ya later.

It's a long way to the shop...

2009-02-13T03:15:00.000-08:00

Hi!

It's been a while.

I've been thinking... a lot.

I was in Melbourne for the National Christian Youth Convention in January. An awesome time was had by nearly all (and I only put that qualifier in because there is an old adage that you can not please all of the people all of the time).

I heard there from a guy called Shane Claiborne, of whom some of you may also have heard. He is an interesting guy and he has some really interesting philosophies on things, and God uses him to talk to people about their greed and their slovenliness all over the place, as well as bringing good news of what it means for him to follow Christ.

For Shane, following Christ has lead him to share a bunk... literally he is the top of a 3-tier bunk at his house. It has lead him to be a guerrilla gardener in his neighbourhood, to stand with people who were being treated unjustly... by the church, and to work in the slums of India with Mother Theresa.

Now, I haven't done some of the things that Shane has, but that's ok. I haven't been some of the places or met some of the people that Shane has been and met... and that's ok too, because Shane hasn't been some of the places and met some of the people and done some of the things that I have done.

This is what I've been thinking... Shane is an awesome guy who follows Christ to the best of his abilities, and God loves him just as much as God loves those Shane worked with in India... the residents and Mother Theresa.

The thing about Shane is that he seems to follow really well the scripture that says words to the effect of "the one who knows love knows God, for love is of God." When I met Shane, that was the way he treated me and the way he encouraged me to treat others.

So the old bumper sticker was right... know love, know God.

May we all be such followers.

Blog ya later!

on value(s)...

2008-09-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

If you keep up with the side comments on my blog, you will have read Fozzy's question... why is it so easy to get kids into the habit of brushing their teeth, but so hard to get them to have a quiet time? (my paraphrase)

My answer to him was that it is probably about how we get across to them (and keep in mind ourselves) the inherent value in the activity. Remember the stories from the Old Testament? Remember how God's chosen people, the Israelites, who had this really special relationship with God? Remember how, after Moses went up the hill for the stone tablets, and was not away that long really, they all started to worship the golden calf?

Aren't we just doing the same thing, but with 'new' golden calves? What is your golden calf? How do we keep our eyes on the prize and keep running the race and not fall asleep under the tree as we become complacent? Maybe, though, I have this all around the wrong way... a thought...

In our day, we rarely come across the laziness issue, but more often it is the busy-ness issue. Instead of today's story tellers warning us about laziness, they may be warning us against that busy-ness instead, so the one with the problem is not the one who takes some time out to spend with God (resting under a tree maybe)... the problem is convincing people that resting in the presence of God has value and that it is not wasting time.

Our lives are so full of 'stuff' that we find excuse after excuse why we can not spend that time, to our peril. The examples we need to look to are those who have found a way of keeping the time out within the rhythm of their daily lives. Those who have been able to take the contemplative approach to decision making and impliment it in their churches should be asked "How did you do that?"

These are the people I am seeking out. These are the voices that I am interested in listening to and learning from. These are the people whose examples I want to follow... like Jesus for instance.

Blessings.

Personal Practices...

2008-08-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I have started using a book (Enjoying the Silence by Duffy and Maggie Robbins) to regain the discipline of daily prayer... but this is no cure-all.

I have been more tired (because I don't yet have the associated discipline of going to bed early enough to match the earlier mornings) and therefore, at times, more grumpy. It sucks that trying to do something that will benefit me and my family (hopefully) should be so much hard work at the beginning and cause such pain.

I am determined to keep working at it.

Please feel free to post responses of your own experience of meditation and/or daily prayer... I'd love to learn from you too.

Blessings.

Post Jim Wallace...

2008-07-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hi there peoples!

Jewlz and I just came back from a great night of rousing encouragement from one of America's foremost Social Justice advocates, Jim Wallace. Can this guy preach?!?

It all leaves me with a bit of a conundrum actually.

You see, I have headed down a path towards Ordination in the Uniting Church, looking down the barrel of another 3ish years of Theological training. That is all well and good because I LOVE the head work of thinking through God stuff. I love writing essays... and I get good marks.

On the other side of that coin, is the offer of an alternative form of training that is more closely aligned with an Apprenticeship model of training, which would have me out working sooner and allow me to be working at the coal face sooner, but that has much less emphasis on the Academics of a BTh.

The actual dilema is this: which direction will give me the training and knowledge I may need to draw on in my call to minister to people? Which direction would allow me to be true to my call to ordained ministry?

This is all a part of the process of Discerning, and allowing the people who are church to discern with me the path God is calling me to.

Have you thought about how God might be calling you to follow? Maybe you should.

Blog you later!

In the beginning...

2008-07-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

I was listening this week to an audio file from Soularize, a gathering of Ministers and Youth Workers from all over the US that happened (as near as I can work out) in the few weeks following Sept 11, 2001.

This audio file is of a talk given by Dan Allender and was on the topic of "Call" and knowing The Story.

I have been doing what, in the Uniting Church, is called the Period of Discernment (PoD) for quite some time. This involves meeting with a mentor, specifically chosen, in my case, to be the one person I can trust to ask me the difficult questions. Part of this process has been a working through my own story, my family history and the history of my sense of call.

The simple (and very difficult) question I want to ask today is: what is your story?

The question above is one that Dan Allender asks of the assembled Ministers. His point (and mine) in asking this question is to offer you the chance to think about where you have come from, and how your story reveals God in a way that nobody elses story can reveal God; what unique part of God's character have you been created to display to the world?

My own story, when I am asked for it, usually starts with the sentence, "Well, I went to eight schools in three states."

That sentence usually has people intrigued from the start!

But what would Jesus have answered to that question?

"I was born in a shed and the king tried to kill me when I was about 2."?

Or maybe, "My dad is only my step dad. My real dad is God."?

I would encourage you to have a think about your own story, to listen to others tell their stories, and to allow your story to show that part of God's character that nobody else could show.

Blessings

The long break...

2008-06-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog-readers!

It's been a while since I last blogged, in case you haven't noticed! haha Thanks for hanging on.

I've been listening this week to some talks at a conference just after 9/11 called Soularize. There are some great speakers on the CD that I bought online from theooze.com for $20!

It's called Soularize in a Box and it's really good listening for anyone who is or has been or wants to start thinking about the state of the church today and where we are going.

Granted, it's from a USCentric perspective, but it's got some really good things to say and some really important things for the church to think about in our time.

What are we doing and how are we doing it?

How are we treating people?

How are we bringing not just the name of Christ into the world, but the love of Christ that leads to action?

Just a few thoughts. If you'd like to borrow the CD, let me know.

wright_2_me@mac.com

...on helping.

2008-05-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

I have a "thing" about helping people out that I am sort of proud of. It's hard to explain to people who aren't helpful people, but if I see someone in traffic who has tail/brake light issues, I will attempt to pull up next to them and let them know about aforementioned illumination issues.

This may seem strange to some, but there are two very good reasons to carry this on: first, my kids now expect me to do it, so if I stopped I would have a hard time justifying myself, and; second, I think it's one little way for me to show concern for the other person.

I don't need anything in return (although "thank you" is the most I will accept and that is a nice reply) which is why when, in peak hour traffic this morning I pulled over to help a lady by pushing her devoid-of-fuel commodore off the road so that all those "rushing off to work with only me in my gigantic family car" types could keep rushing off to work without further delay.

I was astounded that I was the only person to stop and help.

I was pleasantly surprised at her offer of a couple of bottles of wine for my trouble, which I would not accept, because, as I said to my kids this evening, "That's not what it's about".

None of what I do is for the purpose of receiving thanks.

What I do is because I feel it is the right thing to do and, to change an old saying, that's what Jesus would do.

I believe that we are called to love God and to love our neighbour as ourself. I believe we are called to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

This is not a theoretical life (or faith) we live. This is a practical life and a practical faith...

... on that note, one of my Youth on Sunday chastised me for asking for their e-mail address and if they were on Facebook. What is wrong with just phoning me? they asked. Fair point. My apologies. I'm off to the phone.

Blog you later!

...on being me

2008-05-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

I am a funny sort of chap, to say the least. I love the country and everything (almost) about spending time there, in those places and with those people... people of a sort that is hard to find in the city, except in people who grew up in the country.

I love motorcycles and four wheel drive vehicles, but I also have a dream of owning a horse-drawn cart (or 2) and the horses to pull said carts.

I have a dream of building my own house, but have trouble getting the courage to change tap washers by myself.

I love to drive, but I... well no buts really... I just love to drive.

I loooooooooooooove to dream... I dream big and I dream long. I have a different dream almost every week and I think I have almost always been this way inclined. This does present issues on the home front when my lovely wife gets a bit jack of all my day dreaming and the like. Leads me to utter phrases like... you just don't understand me and her to utter things like... Yes I do.

I once applied for a job on the spur of the moment... the job was as a Jackeroo in Birdsville, 1800 odd k's directly north of Adelaide. I applied on the Saturday, was accepted on the Sunday, left Adelaide on the Wednesday, Arrived in Birdsville on the Thursday, Started working on the Monday, left Birdsville on the following Sunday and limped my poor battered hilux ute into Adelaide again on the Monday.

10 day round trip for not much, except the experience. That was worth the pain and the physical scars my shins still bear from riding motorbikes through sand dunes. Pity none of my photos turned out.

Odd bloke, me!

Contempt for the Courts...?

2008-05-03T05:41:00.000-07:00

Lucky this is a free country and people don't have to think or act in a particular way to be a valued part of it!

Most of the month of April I spent in or around the Courts (Sir Samuel Way Building for those in the know)performing my civic duty as a Juror and it is interesting the different reactions when you tell people... shows that not many would actually go and be a Juror if they had the choice, which they don't.

I am one of those odd people who would have put my hand up if they asked for volunteers, which they don't: possibly they are afraid they would have a Jury Pool of 1 if they did. I was a Juror on three separate trials over the month and I was asked to hand down, on behalf of the community, 3 verdicts as Foreman of all three Juries, and was released from being selected in one case for personal reasons.

The three trials were very different, as you would expect, but they were different for reasons other than the differing charges levied against the accused persons, the Judges and the court rooms: they were different because each had a different Jury.

Let me explain: there are two ballots involved in selecting who will be a juror for any case. The first Ballot is when your name is selected from the Electoral Role. That sends you in for selection. The second Ballot is when all the players are in the court and the clerk pulls numbers out of a 'hat' to see who will be one of the twelve.

This means that, from the 20-30 people sent to be in the Jury Pool, 12 will be selected, allowing for the 'challenges' allowed each to the Prosecution (I didn't see one person challenged by the Prosecution in 5 or 6 trials) and the Defense and for any prospective jurors who gain exemption either by knowing someone involved in the trial, or having some other reason why they could not give a fair trial to the accused person.

It was interesting, if not surprising, that not too many actually took this opportunity to be exempted from trials. Most, I feel, had a decent and honourable attitude to this process.

It is always a fascinating subject to me, an extrovert, to see how people interact. It was no exception in the Jury Room with those who were conspiracy theorists sat next to those who are Liberal Party Members. Teachers and Undertakers, nurses and retirees had to get along for the duration of the trial... interesting way to meet new friends, as I did (surprised?).

The month is now over and some new conscripts are working through the facts of the cases before them... I can only hope that those who are there now are half as good as 99% of those whom I sat on Juries with and freely carry the same responsibility as my group did in April... I can only hope that if I ever get mixed up in anything that ends in court, my jury is 100% as conscientious as those with whom I served
Thanks

Blessings

This is not a blog...

2008-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Blog followers!

Today is my 34th Birthday and this is not a Blog.

I am currently being utilised by the State of South Australia in the part of our Legal System we call Jury Duty.

As a result of this, I am not going to be actually doing a Blog until after the end of April so that I can't get myself into trouble with that same Legal System for anything I might think or say about anything.... Hope you get the picture.

Please wait with baited breath until my next installment at the beginning of May.

Blessings
Andrew

Government not people...

2008-03-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Two different people have asked the same question of me in the past week when we have been discussing the issue of Tibet and China: You mean the Government, not the people, right?

The answer is yes. Yes, I am talking about the Government of the People's Republic of China, not the people of the Republic of China.

As is so often the case, the People get caught in the middle; it is the actions of the few that effect the many. There is no way that any human could possibly hold responsible the person on the street for the actions of those in command... even the Army and Police should not be held responsible for this mess.

The blood of both sides rests squarely on the shoulders of the National People's Congress.

Just thought I'd sort that little question out for those who were wondering. :-)

Blessings!

The Tibet Project...

2008-03-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

I meant to add this to my previous post, but forgot.

http://www.thetibetproject.com/

This is the site for a group of Adelaidians who are producing (since the filming is done now) a doco on Tibet, including an interview they were allowed with the Dalai Lama.

The calendars are great and have some excellent pics. I have 4 left or you can order them from the site.

If you can't (or don't want to) do anything else, buy one of these calendars for someone you think might appreciate it.

Blessings

Tibet vs China

2008-03-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I've had more comments about my last blog than I've had the whole time I've been blogging. I looked at the comments and thought, "wow! I didn't know three people were reading my blog!"

... but one of them had commented twice! lol

Thanks to Fozzy, I had a look at this link: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,541976,00.html

Fozzy was right when he said that it was a fairly even-handed approach to the subject (what does that say for my approach Fozzy?) but I just wanted to take issue with the last suggestion of the author: that the Chinese Government should invite the Dalai Lama to China as a guest of honour for the Olympic Games...

Wouldn't this be like Jesus returning to Jerusalem or Paul asking to be taken to Rome?

There is a difference between political suicide and actual suicide, and I cannot see the Chinese Government allowing this man to walk freely around Beijing, stand in a place of honour in their Bird's Nest for the opening and have free access to the world's media from within China without exacting their pound of flesh!

"Not going to happen!" would be my response to that suggestion.

Blessings

Tibet = Tiananmen Square?

2008-03-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings blog-readers everywhere... well tassie and canberra at least!

It's been a tad warm here in Adelaide over the past few days; some may even say hot. ;-) Unfortunately, it's been hotter in a little country called Tibet.

According to reports, some 80 people have died in protests against Chinese occupation of Tibet in recent days. Why? What is it about this little (insignificant in size and resources compared to China) that makes such a fight necessary? I don't know.

What I also don't know is why China still (or ever did) deserve to host the Olympic Games. In my opinion, China's record on human rights with regard to Falun Gung, Tibet and their own working class whom they sacrifice to the "on-time" production schedules of the West.

What will make this "superpower" kneel before the UN and other authorities? What will make this "Great Country" of great history and honour return to the honour of their ancestors and allow the Tibetan people to run and rule their own country.

It is distressing to all who love justice to see what is happening in this small country. It is abhorrent that soldiers come against civilians with guns and armoured vehicles. Have we forgotten Tiananmen Square less than twenty years after it shocked us all?

Do not let us repeat the silence of that time for actions just as wrong and just as injust.

blog or not to blog... that is the question!

2008-02-26T02:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. Life is busy.

Last weekend I worked both days (saturday at the MacCentre and Sunday at the Clipsal 500 (http://www.clipsal500.com.au/2008-power10/)) and Monday was my weekend. I am always amazed at the wastage at large events like the Clipsal 500.

I was talking to some of the other Security Guards, some who had been working in the Corporate areas of the event, and they were telling stories of masses of food thrown away (with none of the staff allowed to eat it) because it was left uneaten by the Corporate people who spend loads of money to watch tv screens in tents out of the sun with food and drink laid on... only to not eat 1/2 of the food prepared for them.

How wrong is all of this?

"Very!" is the answer. Why is it that these companies and individuals can not only afford to budget for such events, but can justify the spending of this money on schmoozing and on waste? Am I the only one who can see that this is not right? Am I the only one who can not understand the pure unadulterated hedonism of this process? What is going on?

I hate watching this wastage. It can not go on forever.

Blog you later!

What a week!?!

2008-02-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

Hi there Blog-Watchers!

What a week! (oops I already said that)

For those who missed it (maybe if you live on an island off the Australian Mainland to the South called Tasmania) Kevin Rudd Apologised to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Federal Parliament. Couldn't have come a minute sooner, if you ask me... which no one did.

For me, there is absolutely no question that this was the right thing to do and I just hope that Brendan Nelson and the rest of the Liberal Party learn a valuable lesson from his own speech on Apology Day 08... If you want to say something on behalf of someone else, maybe consult them as to whether what you want to say is actually what they would have you say.

PM Kev has, in my humble opinion, done a great job of consulting the Australian Public, whom he serves, what they think he should do... the answer is "Say Sorry!" so he did.

We have owed this apology to the Custodians of this land for the longest time. We have owed them so much more, so this really is the least we could do.

For my part, I am sorry that my ancestors allowed you and your ancestors to be dishonoured in so many ways. May we always remember what happened so that we never ever allow any of it to happen again.

Now Kev, what about those refugees?

What else happened this week? I was summonsed today for Jury Duty. Wonder what that'll be like.

Blog you later.

Simple is Hard

2008-02-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

My wife and I recently made a decision to simplify our lives; to take some of the clutter away. We probably didn’t really know what areas of our lives would be affected when we made this decision.

Since this decision, I have been looking for ways to use less. Less power. Less water. Less paper. Less is more.

One of the habits I have tried to change is the habit of walking through automatic doors at shopping centres and major buildings, but today I found that my new path through the building I work in was thwarted when I found that the manual door had been locked!

I know this is just one small thing, but think of all the things you could be doing, if not for the efforts of those who, for unknown reasons, deliberately do things that run against the tide of common sense.

Have a think today about what you might be able to do to simplify your own life. If this is not for you, maybe have a think about some of the things you do and how they might be stopping another person from simplifying their life.

Blessings!

2008-02-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

I have never done a public Blog before, so take it easy on my while I get going, won’t you?

I have been inspired by my friend, Bec Goulding who, with her husband (also my friend) and children, has moved to Tassie where they have bought a property and are living in a Bus and Shipping Container while they build their Straw-bale House.

The reason I have been inspired by Bec is that she is writing a Blog that she is trying to keep up with, whereas Monte (Bec’s husband) has a Blog too, except that he hasn’t updated his since January 23 (and the previous update was November 22 last year!).

In truth, both Bec and Monte inspire me. It may come to pass, down the track somewhere, that my crazy life may end up being lived in Tassie... you never know.

Blog you later!

2008-02-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Crazy Life!

I am A Wright. By day, the mild-mannered seller of Apple Computers in sleepy old Adelaide, by night the studier of Theology, bringer-up of children and lover of one wife. Why have I named my Blog as I have? Because through-out my life, I have had times where it has been a (W)right Mess, I have made (W)right Royal Stuff-ups, there have been times of down-(W)right down-(W)rightedness and other times of far too much self-(W)righteousness. All of this has been worked out, worked through, is being worked on, or has just been thrown out, but is all has to be dealt with one way or another... and then you have to move on.