This post is to publically acknowledge my withdrawal of support for the Son and the Moon forums. After witnessing the very unchristlike actions of its owner Jean Luc Devere, I can no longer in good conscience support the forum, or his main site Ex witch Australia

The sign says it all. JL, I'm sorry it had to come to this, however I consider you to be no better than a spiritual abuser and I could not in all good conscience send people your way when there is a very good chance they will be subjected to the same abusive behavior your have been displaying over the last few days and it is not the first time this has happened

Labels: Withdrawl of support

You make me sick

You claim to be acting in accordance with Christ's instructions, but all you are doing is purpotrating further spiritual abuse on a group of people that already have difficulties in following Christ

You came to ancient crossroads, acting like a complete and utter bastard, seeking to provoke and wind people up, you then have the stupidity to wonder why Mark banned you. He didnt bann you because he was being an asshole, he banned you because you were acting like a complete and utter wanker

If SaM folds, it wont be because of sabotage from any other person, it will be because your erratic decisions and spiritually abusive actions have driven people away

Its a damm sad day when the abused becomes the abuser, and to be blunt JL this is the last you will hear from me. I was prepared to forgive and give you a second chance when this happened last time, this time, I will forgive you and I will pray for you from a distance, however I will not line up for another helping of spiritual abuse. I got enough of that from my old church and like I said, I never pictured you as becoming an abuser.

take along had look at yourself, before you drive away everyone who cares about you. Invisible has been nothing but loyal to you, yet you kick him in the teeth, I did nothing to you, yet you handed me out the same emotionally manipulative bullshit that I got from my old church

Take along hard look before you loose it all. The difference is this time you wont have me for support, because when things are rosey its good, however I've be buggared if you think I'm lining up to get slapped around the next time you are in a foul mood

Goodbye and best wishes

Labels: Goodbye

Well folks, it looks like New Zealand is likely to go the way of Sweden. It will be bad and illegal for any parent to use physical force as a means of disciplining their child



The March in Wellington protesting the bill. It would seem that while Ms Clark and and Ms Braford would have us believe that by removing section 59, that light smacking will be ok, there has been repeated opinions of well respected and well known law professionals that any force including a parent removing a tantruming child from the room could be construed as abuse

The speech is by Christine Rankin, who is I think the former head of WINZ

Labels: antismacking, Christine Ranking, Helen Clark, repealing section 59, Sue Bradford

I bought this book last year just before the start of Inner City Exposure and lost track of it when it was doing the rounds among friends, however managed to pick up a second hand copy from the Christian second hand bookshop in Mount Albert. Its the story of a young man who wanted to see if his faith in God could survive in the face of adversity. Could he still be a Christian without his creature comforts, the things he takes for granted?

With a travelling companion he stepped out of his life for five months, and over that time spent time living homeless in Denver, Washington, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix and San Diego. He and his travelling companion were shunned by the nice members of society, and unfortunately in many occasions the people shunning them were members of the body of Christ.

He asks the hard questions, eg does loving our neighbor is that only limited to being nice to those who are nice and dont ask us to be outside of our comfort zone, or does loving our neighbor mean that we are required to love those who are smelly and stinky, those with alcohol addictions.

The world is full of hurt and broken people. And as one who works in the social services arena at times I'm left scratching my head and wondering "where the heck if the body of Christ?" There are some outstanding people (Christians) who are working there and doing what they can. To look at the example closer to home, some of the most vocal churches who are speaking out about the moral decay, and actively campaigning against the repealing of section 59, yet these same people dont have any ideas or suggestions how to change it, or to make a difference

There is a vast gap between the need present, and the resources available...

Labels: Christian Secondhand Bookstore, Inner City Exposure, Under the Overpass

Well folks, its official, I'm off to Aussie in June. I am going at the end of June and coming back in July....... O my gosh, am so totally excited. I have paid for the tickets. Its all go


So much for the CIC prosperity doctrine that I can only be blessed if I am under appropriate leadership and paying 10% plus a week.....People Gods blessing on your life is not tied, to your membership of any particular church

Labels: Aussie, Brisbane

A novel thought from the discipleship course tonight. When Adam and eve sinned, and were made to leave the garden, was Gods anger about the sin, and the fact that Adam and Eve had gone against what He said. Or was Gods anger because He saw the consequences of the action.

After all God created Adam and Eve to be perfect Human beings, living in right relationship with God.

Bears thinking about.

Labels: Adam and Eve, discipleship, Sin

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

Amazing grace. Words are so inaequate to describe Gods grace. God saw that humans would never be able to bridge the gap between him and them and sent His son to pay the cost. Jesus came into this world knowing that one day at an appointed time he would face the most horrible death, and he had every chance to turn back, tell God that "he had to find another way", yet he never faltered from the will of the Father.

We live in a world where ungrace runs rampant. War, and civil conflict runs rampant. Tribes are fighting over offiences that occured 3 generations previously.

Had the first night of the discipleship last night, and it was very cool. Rich Johnson, the 2nd in command priest is taking the lessons, and well it is ssuch a pleasure to listen to him, because he isnt afraid to ask the hard questions, also he isnt afraid to admit that he doesnt know, which is a refreshing change in many ways. So many try to explain the miracles of God away which very much cheapens the nature of God IMO

God is such IMO that we as mere mortals will never be able to comprehend the things of God

Anyhow, back to the course. The first things we looked at was into the history of jewish society at the time of Jesus birth and when he was growing up. At the age of 6, all the boys and girls would go of to the synagogue to complete the first stage of learning, known as Bet Sefer (House of the book). Children attended Bet Sefer from the age of 6-10yrs old. During that time, the students were required to memorize the torah (the first 5 books of the bible) also known as "the way, the truth and the life".
At the age of 10, girls dropped out of learning, and went home to their parents to possibly learn how to become good wives. Of the children who continued one, only the brightest would continue. Boys that dropped out at this stage, would go to their fathers to learn the family business.

The second house of learning was called Bet Talmud (house of learning). During this time, the students were required to memorise the the entire old testament. Only the best and the brightest students progressed on to the third stage of learning, known as Bet Midrash. The student was required to go to a rabbi and convince the rabbi that they (the student) would be capable of learning the rabbis yoke (interpretation of the torah) and also capable of passing it onto others.

John 11 28-29 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Whether Jesus was actually a Rabbi in the orthodox sense is unknown, however he was very much regardes as a rabbi, which can be seen from many places in scripture

Mathew 26:25 25Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"
Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

Mark 11:21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

John 1:48-49 48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

John 3:2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

These are only a few of the places where Jesus is refered to as Rabbi, it occurs at least 16 times in the gospels.

However everything about Jesus contradicted the culture of his day. While other rabbi's were chosing their disciples based on academic excellence, Jesus was picking boys who were working with their fathers in the family business.

More to come

Labels: discipleship, Jesus

I've been looking back at the posts of the last few days and thinking whether I should delete them. They are rather explicit and rather colourful language in one, and well I'm not sure if they are really accurate any more. However they shall remain, because they are descriptive of my journey and the path it has taken through the foothills of life.

I think hopefully they let people see that I am human. Heaven forbid the day that I happen to be in a position of leadership, and people get into the idea of thinking I am some sort of saint and that I have it altogether and never have a bad day.

To me, the face a leader wears in the public eye, should be no different or minimally different from the face they wear in public. This doesn't require that we bare all for each and every one who crosses our path, there are some things that is not appropriate to share with all. However often in the christian church leader may appear to be happy jovial, and wonderfully neat people when they are standing on stage before their adoring public, yet these same people off stage, can be completely different almost like a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Dr Jekyll was a scientist who was experimenting with a solution, and it transformed him into a completely different person, he went from being charming and nice, the perfect gentleman so to speak and yet transformed into the complete polar oppisate.

The way Jesus was in public, getting stuck into the pharisee's, healing people, interacting with people was the same way he interacted with people in private e.g how he was with the disciples was the same to how he was with people in the public eye. The only difference was when he went away by himself to be with the Father, and that was because he knew the disciples wouldn't be able to handle the things he was anguishing about.

Labels: Dr Jekyll, Integrity, Leaders, Mr Hyde