The Simple Things

Another year has come and gone and the politicians are again giving us positive messages for the new year.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has called for a renewed national spirit and unity and she has pledged to create a better world for future generations. The opposition leader, Tony Abbott is going to deliver jobs and a strong prosperous economy.

We've heard it all before.The promises of hope and prosperity and the calls to get behind our leaders as we march forward into a brighter and better future.

I guess that is better than having them tell us that it is all gloom and doom; that 2013 is going to be a tough year when we're likely to lose our jobs, the economy will go into recession, and politicians will continue to say nasty things about each other.

So let's just hang on to those positive messages for a minute as we reflect on how we do our own planning for the new year. If your plan is to create a better world for future generations you are likely to wind up on December 31, 2013 feeling a little disappointed. But if you plan for more achievable goals you may be better off.

At the risk of being considered simplistic my little piece of new year's advice is: Enjoy the moment.

• Take the opportunity to appreciate the brief conversations you have in passing;
• Look at the flowers, the birds, the trees and the clouds and give thanks;
• Have a theological discussion with a three-year-old;
• Drive slower than the speed limit;
• Say thankyou to someone for no reason at all;

There you go. Simple as they may be, these small goals will help life to be less stressful, and maybe .... just maybe ... you'll be on the way to creating a better world for future generations.

Happy new year.

A Time of Mystery

I remember waking up early on Christmas Day as a child, and in the early morning light silently looking to make sure there was a bulging pillowcase hanging at the end of the bed. Pillowcases, you would realise are bigger than stockings, but in tough times they were probably also cheaper, because there was a supply of them in the cupboard. Whatever mum and dad's financial capacity, they always made sure that Christmas was a special time and the pillowcase was always full of interesting things.

There was a certain mystery about Christmas that I was happy to maintain.  I don't recall Santa ever getting a serious mention, but I did know that mum and dad always acted very strangely on Christmas Eve and were anxious for me to get to bed early.

There is something special about Christmas that I fear we have taken away in our rush towards commercialism, but it is worthwhile, just for a moment, to take a childlike look at this important season.

In a world of economic rationalism and globalisation, a world of climate change and carbon taxes, a world where violence is evident in schools and homes as well as on the battlefield, the story of a baby born in a stable somewhere in the Middle East may seem insignificant.

But it is in this story that we are introduced to someone who had been anticipated for hundreds of years before and whose life and death has influenced society for thousands of years since. This story is not just a blip in history, but the defining story in the lives of those who have chosen to say yes to Jesus. Christmas is a time when I am able to give thanks that Jesus came as a baby, and that through his life and death I have found a purpose and hope.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Christmas to all those who have read my blog this year and to thank you for your support.  While this blog is written specifically for people associated with Baptistcare, it is read much wider than this and it is a privilege to be able to say something from time to time that helps people, wherever they are, to think more deeply about various issues we face in life.

I gave the benedication at our church's Carols night last night. Here it is:

May the Christ of Christmas bring peace in a world where violence is so evident;
May the Christ of Christmas bring joy when sadness surrounds you like a black cloud;
May the Christ of Christmas being hope when you feel that things are hopeless;
May the Christ of Christmas enfold you, and envelope you, and enrich you with his love at Christmas and every other day.
Amen.

A Prayer With Those Who Suffer Violence

Gracious God,

Christmas is a time when we reflect on how God identified with humanity through the birth of a baby. Here in the vulnerability of childhood we experience love and acceptance in an unprecedented way and understand something of how we can find hope in the most difficult of circumstances.

On the weekend children in Connecticut had their young lives taken from them even as they prepared for the excitement of Christmas; and as we think of this event we seek your comfort.

This Advent week, families, communities and a nation are grieving, and we grieve with them.

Lord, may we open our hearts in love for those in Connecticut, as well as those in Syria and Afghanistan and so many other places where people suffer at the hands of violence. Help us to learn from these experiences that we may hear the heartbeat of suffering and reach out in grace and comfort.

Lord, may we also hear the murmurings of violence that occur in our own hearts, and hands and words, and while the results may not be as dramatic as those we read about in our online news streams, we know that the suffering can be just as deep.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Watch this one

Here's a great message for the International Day of People with Disability.

International Day of People with Disability

Today is the International Day of People with Disability. This is a United Nations sanctioned day that aims to promote an understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being.

The Disability Services Commission has reported the following information:

An estimated total of 405,500 Western Australians have disabilities (20.6 per cent of the population) and an estimated 246,800 Western Australians are carers for people with disabilities (12.6 per cent of the population).
More than one in every three carers has a disability (91,600).

Of the 405,500 Western Australians with disabilities, 115,800 people have profound or severe core activity limitation. 71,600 of these are under 65 years of age and may be eligible for Disability Services Commission services.

Profound limitation refers to when a person is unable to do, or always needs help with, a core activity task.
Severe limitation refers to when a person sometimes needs help with a core activity task, has difficulty understanding or being understood by family or friends, or can communicate more easily using non-spoken forms of communication.
Most people with disabilities experience some form of limitation or restriction due to their disability. This is defined in terms of the impact of the disability on selected activities of daily living.

It is worth taking the effort today to find out more about disability.  Have a look at these links:

International Day of People with Disabilities

People with Disabilities WA

Developmental Disability Council of WA

Disability Infolink

Disability Services Commission