check this out

I have just read a blog of a friend of mine, about the Australian Government saying sorry....
it is written really well (as his blogs usually are), and i would like to encourage you to check it out.
here is the link to his blog.
www.holywarpropaganda.blogspot.com

I had a dream back in December. It seemed to be a dream not from God, as I was scared in it and got hit/punched or something, however I still wrote it done….
It is now halfway through February and it makes a bit a sense…
You see in January, I spent quite a bit of time at home, by myself, and I got thinking a few negative thoughts, wondering if I was loved, at times even thinking that I wasn’t loved. Even felt trapped in some ways in the house… partially cause it was hot outside and I didn’t want to go out there, and couldn’t be bothered. Being stuck by oneself is not the best thing; you start believing the lies that run through your head … the result…. At times it felt like I had been suckered punched…. Not Good.This week I re reading this dream… and it made a little sense now, looking back… it seemed as if it was meant to be a bit of a warning of what was to come. I now wished I took more notice of the dream… maybe the summer break may not of been as unproductive and such a battle, if I did.

Australia says sorry

Well, i had the day off work today, however even tho i felt like sleeping in, i got up around 8am... I pulled my t.v. out (which hasn't been plugged since Nov last year). Now this is not a normal thing that i would do, but i wanted to join the rest of Australia to see and hear, the Prime Minister say sorry to the indigious people of Australia.

As i watch and listened to the apology, and see the reactions of the indigious people present in Canberra, and also throughout the country (the beauty of national tv), i was happy to witness and be a part of the long awaited apology. Just as i saw people's emotions run, i felt the my emotions run, as i saw tears run down from people's eyes, tears welled up in mine.

The opposition leader also made a speech after the Prime Minister, the opposition's (Nelson)speech was not as well accepted around Australia as what the prime ministers sorry speach was.... this is because in Nelson's speach it sound as if he was trying to justify the apology, (which his party didn't make when they were in charge of the country). Now i think that Nelson was in a hard spot, i believe he thought that the apology was needed, however a number of his party didn't believe that.... (hence why a number of his party weren't in parilment today for the apology).... so in some respects, i see Nelson's speech as not trying to justify it to himself. However still present the apology and agree with the apology while trying to convince the people who disagreed with the apology within his party, however the disagreement to the apology didn't just lay in the cololition party, there are people Australia wide who don't understand the need to apologise for something that this generation wasn't apart of. That is what i sort of saw/heard when watching his speech. I pray that his speech will reach those who before today didn't agree with the government making this apology. However he is also taking a lot of crap for his speech, and "ruining" this Historical Day...

Overall, It has been a great day in Australian History.... however it is only the first step... there is so many issues that effect Indiginous people, that are injust, like indiginous people lifespan being 17 years shorter then the rest of Australia, poor health facilities, a highier child death rate, just to name a few.... More is needed... Which was reckonised by both parties.


The full apology can be read here
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23206077-5006301,00.html

And some of the oppositions response here
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brendan-nelsons-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760366050.html


Lux

Praise the Lord

Well tonight we had cell, and there was 5 of us there, for most of it.... 2 left towards the end to go to the soup run, and talk and share God's love with people. Cell was good.
At the end of cell there was a knock on the door, and an old friend was there. He had been to cell a couple of times at the beginging of last year, and we hadn't seen him for at least 8 months, he'd been out of town. So we invited him in and chatted with him for a while.
Now last year, i had talked a lot with him about Jesus and Jesus being the Messiah, and Christ has really kept this at the front of his mind, as when he arrived back in Adelaide, he remembered us here at Gen1 and wanted to come and see how we were and stuff.... However he came with more questions. Christ has been working in his life through this whole time that we didn't see him.
He arrived in town and rang a friend, and ended up staying with that friend.... that friend is a Christian. He has had deep conversations with the friend that he is living with, and then asked us some of the same questions and our response was the same as His friend, he was blown away.
This friend of ours is a Jew, so he belives that there is a God... however as for Jesus.... he is still working that out.... I believe that he can see that there is something real about Jesus, and Christians and their relationship with Jesus and he wants it.... However there is something holding him back from entering into that relationship with Christ.

So i thank the Lord for His continual and faithful work in this friend's life, and i pray that He will reveal Himself to our friend...

NT booze ban impacts on city

I was reading the local rag (newspaper), and one of the head lines stood out to me (well actually 2, this is the second one).
The article talks about the number of aboriginals that have come down to Adelaide from the Northern Territory, where bans on alcohol where imposed by the government at the time, in a reaction to a report that kids were being abused in the aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.
Now usually in summer there is a migration of indiginous people to Adelaide from the north, for medical checks, ceremonies and some other reasons, and then when the cooler months come they go back home.
However the Aboriginal Sobriety Group says that there is more than normal, and that is putting a strain on their services.
The local paper also talked to a few of the "campers" in the parklands, and they said that tension and fights have risen among the homeless community.

Now i know i am not on the streets all day, everyday, however i have noticed more indiginous people about, and a number of them from up north. I have also noticed that it is a little noisier around the streets at night, mainly cause some of the indiginous people from the bush don't know how to talk quietly, they also talk in their native tongue, sometimes it is hard to work out whether they are just chatting (loudly) or if there is a fight. Even when you see what looks like a fight sometimes they are just mucking about.
However a lot of the indiginous people that i know drink, they drink as much as what they can afford or get their hands on, some of them become abusive once they are drunk (the only time i have had trouble with indiginous people was when one of them was drunk, they appoligised the next time they saw me). I know that it is the same with all people, once drunk emotions fly highier, and fights can break out.
N0w i love the indiginous people of Aus, i always have.... as i was growing up an aboriginal guy taught me how to box, and play darts.... I have fond memories of him and his family and the time i spent there.
What are we to do with this information, how do we help, what help do they need.
They need Christ, They need His healing. Pretty much all aboriginals in Australia have heard and know about Jesus Christ. Many were raised at missions, or with the Stolen Generation were taken away and placed in White families, where they were forced to go to Sunday School. There are many aboriginal people who know the Bible very well, however they are not "alive", they don't seem to have the relationship with Christ, that makes them alive. (and i say seem, cause i don't fully know and it is not my place to judge). All i know is that so many need healing, i see the hurt in their eyes, and experience their distrust.

On Wednesday the Government is going to Apologise to the aboriginal people for the acts of the government a number of years ago, that resulted in the "stolen generation". I pray that this will be the beginning of the healing for the Aboriginal people. However i know that words along is not enough, so i pray for wisdom for the government in the steps after the apology.

Sorry this blog has been long (nearly as long as my mate Kurisu's blogs) and all over the place, i have just been typing what comes to my head about this article.

Lux

It's meant to be summer still....

At the moment it is meant to be still summer in Australia, at least til the end of the month... and usually we still have fairly warm weather, however today was only 20 degree C, last night was 10 degrees. Which is fairly cool for an Adelaide summer, where it would usually range between at least 25 and 43 degrees C during the day, and 15 to 30 degreees at night.

For us who have clothes in our wardrobes, and doonas or quilts stored away in the cupboards, it does bother us that much, we just put a long sleeve shirt on or a jumper, and pull out an the doona or an extra blanket. However the guys on the street don't have that luxury, they have either what they are wearing and maybe what they can carry... These guys aren't prepared for the cooler weather, especially this early in the year, they haven't thought about going to the different welfare groups to see if they can get a blanket, or some extra clothes during the day. So they come out to the soup run, wanting blankets, cause it has got cold, and at the soup run there is either only a small supply of clothes, maybe a couple of blankets (if they are lucky) or sometime nothing at all.

The more i see these guys out there, on the street, with out much, the more i want to do, the more i don't want to be living in this 2 bedroom place by myself. i think it is unfair, but also i am here to live incarnationally, however at times i still feel as if i live above the people that God has called me to, and reaching down to them, instead of standing along side them, and being on equal ground.

I am yet to find the answer to this... I have a few thoughts floating in my head of what i could do... However it is what God wants, His will, that i want to do. So I want to spend some more time in prayer about this. I would appreciate your prayers as well

Blessings.

Lux

Tonight on my way home, i walked through Whitmore Square, and i saw a mate of mine, He was drunk per usual, i went over to say g'day. I then met the friend he was with... and heard a little of his story. He had got out of jail today, he was there for 7 months, cause he hit a bus driver and took some of the cash, cause the bus driver missed his stop by six stops and the bus driver tried to stab him. (not 100 % how true the story was) This guy handed himself in, the day before his birthday.
So he got out of jail today at 4pm, and was suppose to be set up in a house somewhere, but by the time he got into town it was too late, for the workers to get him set up... (What's with that, you think that it would be for the best interest of everyone for someone getting out of jail to be set up somewhere, off the streets, even if it is so that they have less of a opportunity to get back into old habits). So with it to late to get set up in a house, he has no where to stay at the moment, cause by the time that he found that out, it would of already to late to get a bed at St Vincent, they start accepting people in the afternoon. The only place left where he could stay is the sobering up unit, however you have to be "drunk" to get in
If this is the case, what incentive does someone getting out of jail have to start straight, that alone stay straight.
This is the first story that i have heard personally of this sort of thing happening, however i don't think it is an isolated case.
I came home, and think it is so unfair, that this sort of thing shouldn't happen here.
but i also think it is unfair, that i am living in this nice house, when the people that i want to reach for God, either don't have a place or it is at least a lot smaller. I would love to open the doors of this house to anyone that i met on the street, that have no place to stay, and let them stay here. Whether on a bed, or the floor, at least it is warm (especially now that the nights are getting a bit colder) and it is dry. However i have been taught that it is not safe in doing that, and the majority of people that i meet are males, which would make it not above reproach either.
I know that there is a bit of a safety issue in me opening up the house for people to stay, especially since i am now here by my self. But that doesn't stop me from feeling this way....
I don't want a house... with this place i feel as if i am still someone trying to reach these guys from the outside, from my comfortable life, doing my good turn for those less fortunate.
I would be more happy in a single unit or studio place (at the moment i would rather sleep on a matress on the floor, than one of beds here). I don't want to live a comfortable lifestyle (in the world's sense at least, i would probably find it actually uncomfortable). i want to live in Jesus' footsteps, and follow Him, and go where He would go and live where He would live.

Any way it is time to get some sleep... got work tomorrow.

Lux