Category - Faith

I was cycling to work this morning and was passed by a learner driver.

It struck me that being a driving instructor would be a perfect occupation for an urban missionary. Instructors have a steady stream of people spending an hour or so at a time alone with them in their car over a period of weeks. Most of these people are around 17 or 18 years of age and at a transition stage in life.

The instructor is a ‘friend’ who is helping them to achieve something they desperately want – their license. There is a great deal of trust between an instructor and their student.

Obviously such a person needs to be sensitive and not spend the lesson preaching, but I’m sure there’d be great opportunity to share elements of faith during this time.

Are there other occupations that would allow opportunities like this?

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Following the premiere of the trailer to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on ET in the US on Friday the official website received in excess of 3,000,000 hits over a 24 hour period. It was peaking at 92 hits per second.

Here in Australia, Icon, the film’s distributor, is partnering with The Bible Society to put resources in the hands of Christians who wish to use the film evangelistically.

If you want to get on board with what The Bible Society is doing with The Passion of the Christ, check out the website that has been put together for the movie by them. (I should declare the fact that I work for The Bible Society in Western Australia.)

A few quotes from those who are backing the film.

“The film is faithful to the Bible’s teaching that we are all responsible for Jesus’ death, because we have all sinned… No one who views this film’s compelling imagery will ever be the same.”

Billy Graham

“The greatest evangelistic tool I have ever seen in my life.”

Brian Houston

“…an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.”

Keith A Fournier

(Constitutional lawyer and graduate of the John Paul II Institute of the Lateran University, Franciscan University and the University of Pittsburgh)

We have a powerful tool at our disposal. Let’s not miss this opportunity.

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I mentioned a couple a days ago that I was trying to sing my boy to sleep so that he could get an afternoon rest. Singing him to sleep is something I used to do regularly some time back when he was much smaller.

Tonight I sang to him again as he went off to sleep. This time he asked me to sing Amazing Grace. It’s a very special song for us. I used to sing it to him a couple of years ago and he really loves the song.

In August of 2002, my father was seriously ill in hospital. Although he was a Christian in his teens, he had not followed Christ after his service as a cook in the second world war.

As he put it he “made his peace with Jesus” while in hospital. In the week following his decision he talked about going home to Jesus his Saviour and of seeing his wife again. (Mum passed away in 1987.) Our family had never heard dad talk that way before. There had been a huge change in him.

On Saturday at the end of that week he was in a pretty bad way. We went to the hospital to visit and he wasn’t really there. Most of the time he was in a very deep sleep. James was just three and a half at the time and I held him in my arms beside the bed. James then started to sing Amazing Grace. I joined him quietly to help him with the words. Dad opened his eyes and acknowledged us there. We stayed a little longer and then headed home. Dad passed away that night.

We were the last visitors to see dad and I imagine the last thing he would have seen and heard while on this earth was a very small boy, his grandson, singing about the Amazing Grace that he now knew so well.

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Hamo reckons that we should have an Aussie version of the Alpha course presented by Mick Molloy.

I think he’s onto something. Maybe we should all come up with a few ideas of Australians we think would be great to present an Alpha course.

Steve Irwin: Crikey – I can’t imagine why anyone would put their own son in danger – but that’s just what God did for us – yet he was in total control the whole time.

Rove: God coming to earth as a man? What the?

Dame Edna: Hello Possums. You know, it was just yesterday as I was speaking to God – and he said to me …..

Rolf Harris: Save my hide when I’m dead Fred, save my hide when I’m dead, so God saved his hide when he died, Clyde and that’s it hanging on the shed, all together now …

I’m sure others can come up with something more imaginative. Let’s get the comments rolling. (Sorry for those who are unfamiliar with the Aussies mentioned.)

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After recently re-reading parts of Genesis I am struck by the way God wanders into the garden and asks Adam what he’s been up to when he already knows full well.

The same thing happens when God asks Cain about his brother. Of course God already knows that Abel has been murdered but God gives Cain the opportunity to explain himself. Cain tries to wriggle out of the situation asking if he is his brother’s keeper etc but we know that God is never going to go for that.

I wonder if things would have been different if Adam and then Cain had fallen on their knees and confessed rather than trying to shift the blame or change the subject.

How many times do we use Adam or Cain style tactics when God is giving us opprtunity to make things right betweeen us?

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