I. Am. Sorry.

Saying sorry is a challenge for some of us. That five letter word is an endangered part of our vocabulary. Our pride gets in the way and we tend to believe that we’ve done nothing wrong and therefore an apology isn’t necessary.

However Kevin Rudd thought it necessary, and his apology to indigenous Australians for their “profound grief, suffering and loss” brought long awaited healing to many who’d been abused and exploited. Pope Benedict apologised last year to the victims of child sex abuse by priests in Ireland. Even the Vodafone CEO said he was truly sorry and admitted they’d taken too long to respond to product faults after a stream of discontent customers deserted them early this year.

I’ve encountered many people who’re disillusioned with God and our church because there has been no apology or acknowledgement of they way they were treated. Last year a friend met an ex pastor who explained that whilst he understood being defrocked thirty odd years ago, what he’d love is a sincere apology for the way he was treated. Whilst the Bible appears to say more about our need to forgive those who mistreat us, this in no way condones our silence and sins of omission. Jesus said we shouldn’t worship until we make amends with people who’ve got something against us (Matt 5:23,24). Zacchaeus took Jesus seriously and offered sizable compensation to those he’d mistreated.

I was elated to discover recently that a prominent church leader had researched the story of a former church employee, met him in person and apologised for the wrongs he’d experienced. The positive response from the employee shows that it doesn’t always have to be the perpetrator who apologises.

In my opinion, we need to selflessly reflect on our past to see who we owe a sincere apology to – not so they will come back to church or become our friends – but because it’s the right thing to do.

Celebrating the downfall of others

I’ve been really glad to see the response to the death of Osama Bin Laden. NOT the response of those celebrating his death, but of friends and others who’ve posted online their distaste for such celebration and delight in the downfall of another human being. This is the most popular and pertinent quote that’s been shared:

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr and Jessica Dovey.

Instead of writing too much, I thought the following posts sum up the situation (and our response) pretty well:

How Should We Respond to the Death of Osama bin Laden? by Jim Wallis (an international commentator on ethics and public life).

I’m not American so can’t totally relate to what some are experiencing, but Lindsay Branham is and posted this mature response: Are We Closer to Peace After Bin Laden’s Death?

One last response from Someone who faced enemies, hate and violence:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Bible or Koran – which burns best?

”Oh, I think I just tongued Jesus”. These are the words of Alex Stewart as he rolled and licked a spliff made from a page of the Bible (gospel of John). The Brisbane Lawyer has made national headlines today after posting a video on youtube of him ripping a page from the Bible and Koran, smoking them and deciding which ‘works’ best. Stewart is an atheist who ‘loves science’ and ran this experiment to show that “it’s just a f…ing book, who cares?”

I care Alex. I care a lot. The Bible is not just a book – if it was, my life wouldn’t be changing, wouldn’t have purpose and wouldn’t have power. I’d have a lot less hope for the future, a dwarfed love for other people, and would probably just end up doing stupid, disrespectful, ignorant and foolish things…..ah, just like burning the pages of the Bible and Koran. In fact I liked the response of Samir Selmanovic to the recent proposed burning of Koran’s in the USA; his facebook status said “In the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for every Quran you burn, I will buy one and give them to my friends.”

People have tried to burn and extinguish the Bible in ages past. They knew it’s power. Alex doesn’t. In spite of this, the pages of the Bible continue to burn in my heart…and I pray the fire never goes out.

“Heaven and Earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever”. Jesus in Matthew 24:35

Prayer and Pennies for Pakistan…

The floods in Pakistan appear to have had a bigger impact than the Boxing Day Tsunami and Haiti earthquake combined. Sadly, the impact is yet to be realised with waterborne diseases, malnutrition and dehydration on the increase. Peter Costello was on the box last night lamenting that not many Aussies had donated dollars – probably because the death toll wasn’t too high. I wonder if it’s our view of Pakistan (supposedly a home/training centre for Islamic terrorists) that his impacted our giving. More probable is that this disaster hasn’t been anywhere near the news headlines – our silly election campaign has taken the media spotlight and aid to developing nations isn’t on anyone’s agenda. Shame on us.

Please spread the word about this horrible situation for the people in Pakistan, and head to pakistan.com.au to make a donation. Thanks.

To stay or go?

Some friends asked me about a couple of issues this week; the first was regarding the ‘free agency’ of NBA stars Lebron James, Dwayne Wayde and Chris Bosh. I was out of the loop on this issue, having not watched anything NBA since the finals finished in early June. The second issue was that of SDA pastors moving from church to church so often, and how rare it is to see a pastor staying as leader of one church for more than 4 years. I can relate to this as a PK (pastor’s kid) – 4 years is the longest I’ve lived in one spot, I’m now in my 26th? house since birth and think I did well to stay ministering in the west side of Melbourne for 3 years. It’s in my blood to desire movement and change.

As it turns out, Lebron James has followed in the footsteps of previous players who haven’t won a championship and changed teams to join his buddies in a quest for a ‘ring’. The people he’s left behind in Cleveland aren’t happy. I don’t like it when players apparently ‘sell out’ like this but I don’t know the full story. What about SDA pastors moving – or being moved – every 2-3 years? Rick Warren says “churches that rotate pastors every few years will never experience consistent growth. Few people want to follow a leader who they think won’t be around a year from now.” Read the rest of his thoughts here.

Lessons in Aussie Leadership

It’s been quite a day in terms of leadership here in Australia. This morning the Socceroos played a great game against Serbia – particularly the second half – but despite winning 2-1 didn’t qualify for the next round of the World Cup. Their coach Pim Verbeek has copped much criticism because of his choice of players for their opening match against Germany – a 4-0 loss which ultimately stopped them advancing today. I’m no soccer expert but listened to commentators today questioning Pim’s belief in the team (he supposedly doesn’t want the coaching job anymore) and why he wouldn’t be more aggressive (like the second half of today’s game) considering you don’t get many chances in the World Cup. Australia has copped some harsh penalties from horrible referee calls but it appears ultimately that the coach’s leadership decisions were the ones that handicapped them in the end. Leadership is a tough gig. Speaking of which….

It’s just been confirmed that Julia Gillard is Australia’s new Prime Minister (also first female and redhead). K Rudd has seen a major dip in his approval rating and in what were rapid movements from yesterday to when he bowed out this morning (without a ballot) so to save face and maintain party unity. How could a guy go from being so popular in ’07 to being ousted today? The political commentators and media will have plenty to say on this, but some are pointing to K Rudd’s ‘go-it-alone’ leadership style. Apparently he wasn’t one to share the vision with his cabinet/team and wasn’t in the practice of consulting regularly with them. Perhaps Australia liked what he stood for in ’07 but found it difficult to relate to him as a person. Either way the Labour party thinks Gillard is their best shot, so as George Negus said this morning, it’s going to be an interesting fight coming up to the next election between ‘Captain Testosterone’ (Tony Abbott) and ‘The Teflon Lady’ (Julia Gillard). One thing is sure – whilst Gillard may have had a great run till now, once the honeymoon is over the Aussie public/media will be sure to do their darnedest to bring her down.

Should the SDA church system work more like the Australian political party (and soccer team) so that IF people don’t perform well they can be voted out – at any time (not just at ‘sessions’)? Would this help ensure church, conference, union and division leadership would stay true to the unchanging mission of the church whilst trialling new methods to reach a changing culture? Or would the members – who can be as passionate and critical as soccer fans – just bring disharmony and ruin to what God has ordained? I don’t imagine this issue being on the agenda of the 59th General Conference Session which is almost underway.

What I take from today’s soccer and political excitement is that it’s vital to believe in your team and let them attack (the best form of defense), but you must consult your team about the best way to do that. I hope this lesson sticks.