This is the house that Harald built wants to build. 

Okay, I can’t show you a picture, but I can tell you the story.

Harald Falge is the founder and coordinator of Street Level Youth Care, a non-profit ministry working out of Cairns Baptist Church that feeds and clothes people from 5 to 21 years of age who live on the street.  Every night for 17 years (without exception) Harald or one of the SLYC team have provided meals for young people living on the street.  Of course, meals are not the only way SLYC ministers to these young people - clothes and blankets are provided where they are able to be, and counselling and help has been given in many other ways.

But that hasn’t been enough for Harald.

For years, now, it has been Harald’s dream and prayer that a house be built where young people who need somewhere to stay can be provided not just a roof over their heads, but a family to be part of.  It’s been a dream that has had false starts, setbacks and continual obstacles, but the dream is slowly being realised.

Harald’s House really got off the ground when Harald spoke of his vision during a radio interview a couple of years ago.  The then local federal MP, Warren Entch, had been a strong supporter of SLYC and could see the need for the sort of house Harald was describing.  It was he who came up with the name, Harald’s House, and a committee of interested local movers and shakers was formed to back the project and get fundraising underway.

Since that time, various community groups have held functions and donated money toward the cause.  Unfortunately, both federal and community council elections have meant some of the strong supporters of Harald’s House are not in as strategic a position as before, and some unwarranted negative media reports have also slowed progress.  Up until recently, the media was very positive about the project and Harald himself is a bit stunned by the sudden turn around.

Yet, the committee behind Harald’s House is still committed to seeing the dream realised and value your support.  Visit the Harald’s House website and see where they are at and consider what you can do to support them.

Keep it up Harald and team.  We’re praying for you.

Over the last couple of weeks an Australian photographer has been threatened with prosecution over his shots of naked underage teenagers.  In the ensuing debate, Bill Henson has alternatively been called a child pornographer and a leading artist.  The art community has come out in support of Bill Henson whereas anti-child abuse group Braveheart has come out against his work, as has the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, much to the dismay of the art community.

The crux of the issue seems to be over whether the images are sexualised or not.  Supporters maintain they are not sexualised images, while others believe that they are - or at the very least can be used that way.  But it seems to me that the whole issue should be approached a different way.  Sex is not the central issue - nudity is.

Since way back when in human history, nakedness has been something to cover - not because the body is dirty, but because it is valuable, to be cherished and to be shared in intimacy with another.  Does sexuality come into it?  Yes, but as only a part of the larger issue of intimacy.  To expose the naked body of a person is to open them up to being intimately known, and that requires trust and trustworthiness on the part of others. 

Cate Blanchett and others may believe that they are trustworthy, but the question is not so much whether the artistic world should have a right to consider naked children in an artistic light, but whether a child should be exposed to an audience where there is no intended intimacy, and indeed, is open to negative exploitation by perverted minds, even if just in their imaginations.  To put a child in that position in front of those outside of the intended protection of family or guardians (unfortunately not always a safe environment itself) is premature, potentially damaging and just plain inappropriate.

The artistic community, at least the part that has reacted so strongly over this issue, has declared that artistic endeavour must be allowed to push the societal envelope and I, personally, am happy to accept challenges to cultural mindsets.  I understand, believe it or not, the non-sexual artistic appreciation of the naked human body and I think I can even appreciate something of what Bill Henson is trying to acheive through his work.  However, I do not think art is the highest good like the artistic community seems to believe it is.  Has there ever been a gradual push that the artistic community decided was not appropriate?  Have they ever risen up and said, “We understand what this artist is trying to communicate but they have stepped over the line”?

One man representing himself as part of that community commented during a radio interview that judges are not able to decide what is pornography and what is art and police are not able to decided what is pornography and what is art.  This begs the question, “Who is able to make those decisions?”  It would seem the artistic community is claiming that right for themselves.  But I suggest that if judges, the police and a good portion of the general public cannot see what the art community sees, then perhaps this should be one of those times when they sidle up to Bill and say, “Hey, Henson, you’ve stepped over the line!” 

For quite some time I’ve used this blog as a place to write (mainly) theological thoughts and thrash out different ideas and concepts - not riveting stuff for most of you, I know.  (Yes, this is a shared blog between my wife and I, but I am the one cares about blogging).  In the process, I’ve tried to keep from revealing too much about our circumstances, even going as far as editing some posts in order to remove references to the city we live in. 

That’s about to change.  I’ve decided to take this blog in a different direction.  My intention is to make it far more local, link to local sites and comment on local issues and news items.  This doesn’t mean there will be no more theological posts, but there will be less.  It also doesn’t mean that there will be no posts about things wider than our city and region, but the focus will be Cairns and the surrounding areas.

Who cares?  Well, I don’t know.  Maybe very few people :).  But I’ve been convicted for a while that my blog reading and thinking cover topics and issues that don’t even touch the place I’m living in right now.  I mean, who cares what the Southern Baptists in America are arguing about?  Just how important are the discussions of theological minutae taking place in other countries and cultures when I’m not taking part in anything of substance where I am?  It’s all well and good to follow the development and reasonings of a certain group of people and what they are doing, but Jesus hasn’t called us to live vicariously.  He calls us to live out the gospel ourselves.

So, slowly and surely, there will be change here at Kiwi and an Emu.  How long will it take?  I don’t know.  What will it end up looking like?  I don’t know.  (It will require a big revamp).  But that’s the re-direction I’m heading in - this will be a Cairns-based blog.

I found this 1993 article in the archives of the Briefing called, Why, Where and How should Christians Meet? (Reproduced from Evangelicals Now).

Under “Characteristics” the writer of the article states this:

There are no set New Testament patterns for Christian meetings, but there are many hints about the sort of things that should characterise them. For example, Christian meetings are to be Spirit-filled (Eph 5:18); Bible-centred (Col 3:16); congregational (Heb 10:24); varied (1 Cor 14:26); characterised by praise and thanksgiving (Eph 5:18); intelligible (1 Cor 14); done decently and in order (1 Cor 14:40), and they should include the breaking of bread (1 Cor 11) and teaching and intercessions (Acts 2:42).

There are no set New Testament patterns for Christian meetings?  Hello!!!!!!  What about 1 Corinthians 11, 12 & 14 - especially chapter 14?????

I’m glad the writer found the hints that he did - it was a worthwhile exercise - but everything he discovered can be taken straight from those three 1 Corinthian chapters (even the “hints” found that do not come from texts about Christian meetings)!  Let’s have a look at the verses that give us those hints.

Spirit-filled (Eph 5:18)-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

I had to add the next three verses to show how it could relate to a meeting.  Nothing specific about meetings there, though it is fair to say that if our daily life is to be described this way, so should our meetings.

Bible-centred (Colossians 3:16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Same sort of thing.  Good, valuable, and to characterise every part of our Christian lives.  These are truly hints, because they do not specifically address meetings at all.

Congregational (Hebrews 10:24)-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

I’m pretty sure the writer meant verse 25 because verse 24 doesn’t illustrative “congregational” quite as well.  Still, it actually does refer to meetings, so that’s great!  (Though, the “hint” that a Christian meeting involves Christians meeting really doesn’t add much to the conversation!)

Varied (1 Corinthians 14:26) What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Aha!  An instruction on how meetings should work.  Is it too much to call it a pattern?  And look, it’s in ye ole 1 Corinthians 14!

Characterised by praise and thanksgiving (Eph 5:18)-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wait a minute!  Haven’t we looked at that already?  And verse 18 (which ends at “but be filled with the Spirit”) doesn’t address the point being made either!  You have to read on to verse 19 and 20!  Again, it doesn’t necessarily speak of meetings, but it’s reasonable to use it as a “hinted” characteristic.

Intelligible (1 Cor 14).

Far too long to reproduce here, but this is the very place where a pattern for worship can be found!  Not suprising it’s included, just suprising that it’s only considered a “hint”!

Done decently and in order (1 Cor 14:40) But all things should be done decently and in order.

A good hint, but again, not suprising in the same section of Scripture that is actually telling you how to meet together!

The breaking of bread (1 Cor 11).

Again, far too long to reproduce, but this also is part of the section of Scripture that gives instructions on how to meet together (1 Cor 11-14)!  Support for breaking bread during Church meetings can be found many other places also.

Teaching and intercessions (Acts 2:42) And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Non-Charismatics love to say that Acts is not normative.  Why then take this as a normative “hint”?  This is not describing a weekly meeting but rather a lifestyle.  Still 1 Corinthians 11-14 does include teaching and prayers in the pattern it gives.

Am I being snarky?  Sure.  It really gets me going when I read the totally unfounded statement that there is no New Testament pattern for meeting.  Not only do these hints easily and mostly explicitly fit into 1 Corinthians 11, 12 & 14, it is in those three chapters that a pattern can be found!!!

I’ve lamented about this before, and received some encouraging responses, but I still find it completely astounding that claims are still made that there is no pattern for meeting in the New Testament - back in 1994 right up to today!

Maybe God will use me to do something about it one day.

Tony Payne of Matthias Media has got a group of Moore Theological College graduates and begun a blog.  He has outlined what they are wanting to do.

I’ve added The Sola Panel to the sidebar.  We’ll see how it goes.