things I like about Scotland: family, old friends, catch ups, the weak winter sun that sets at 3pm, fires, central heating, my Mum's cooking, Lydia's cooking, mulled wine, Christmas in winter, getting up before the sun (not hard), my brother's pub quiz, the golf tavern, St Andrews, German Christmas markets, hot chocolate and tea, spiced cider, expansive views, seeing your breath, scraping the car, thick socks, big coats, scarves, soup, knitting with purpose, folk who pray for and with, frost, ice, snow, trees, Hogmanay, driving, bridge, church family (gathered and scattered), humour, tv, accents, radio 2, home...?
NZ has been a wee bit consumed of late with a little festival of rugby - Rugby World Cup 2011! It really has been exciting times and there's folk from all over gathering for games and in fanzones. I've been along to a few as well! Sadly Scotland didn't make it to the Quarter Finals - they fell so narrowly to both Argentina and England. We just need to work out how to score tries and we'll be unstoppable!
me, pauline and matty readying for the bannockburn battle
An exciting element for us at TSCF has been partnering in different ways with some of the players who are Christians. It was exciting to have an event at Auckland Uni with Deacon Manu - the Fijian rugby captain - sharing how he had made a commitment to following Jesus while living in Wales, through the influence of his neighbours, a couple in their 80s. It was good to hear of the opportunities and the challenges of being a witness in international and club rugby, and the sense of calling he felt to where God has placed him now.
Godzone is a resource TSCF has produced in light of the witness of these players. It is the Gospel of Luke with testimonies from international rugby players from many nations, of how the Gospel has changed their lives. Several thousand of these have been printed and we're hoping each one ends up in the hands of someone who can meet Jesus through it, through the eyewitness Luke and the alongside testimony of those transformed in light of it. They're available to order on the website!
Last week a legend went to be with the Lord. I guess it is hard to quantify the impact a man like this has had and many, many folk, more qualified than myself have attempted to do so over this past week (like here). All I know is that for me John Stott's writing, preaching and life has been an example of a humble Jesus follower, committed to the Word and His Lord above all else and seeing the strategic value in students and in training pastors the world over.
I didn't realise when I was 15 how privileged I was to be at Keswick when he spoke throughout the week on 'One Lord, One Church, One Task', talking through 1 Corinthians. I remember a lot from those talks.
It seemed fitting that the verse that was on my blog the day he died was this one from 2 Tim4v7-8:
'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.'
A good fight fought, a finished race, a faith kept.
The NZ Film Festival is on at the moment. It has made me realise that I love documentaries. Fictional film can be brilliant but the amount I have thought, felt, enjoyed and been challenged by the handful of docos we've been to seen this year has shown me there's power in reality.
On Sunday I went to the premier of a NZ documentary called 'Brother Number One'.
It is the story of a NZ man - Rob Hamill, whose brother was killed in the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia 30 years ago, testifying at the trial of one of the senior leaders - Duch.
The detail of the tragedy in that country, the decimation of a society and the deaths of close to 3 million people was told in conjunction with the story of one NZ family who lost so much through the loss of their brother. It is completely heart-wrenching.
It brought up so many questions for me as I watched, of justice and restoration; of how one responds to or even begins to address such tragic situations.
What isn't shown in the clip above is that Duch, the leader of the most significant torture camp and prison during the regime, has since become a Christian and has been working for World Vision on the Thai border. There was a question in the film of the 'convenience' of this transition from Karma to Christ; one which was very much there for the asking. Interestingly though - Duch is one of very few leaders who admit responsibility for what happened.
I guess it felt trite for me to comment on any of this, being of such removed position and without ability to empathise or even properly understand. But I went to see this film with Sueanne whose family are from Cambodia themselves and lived through these very events. As we discussed the film afterwards I felt it convicting and challenging to hear Sueanne question where grace and vengeance lay in this story. It is not clear cut. It is not easy.
'Brother Number One' is worth engaging with. There are more trials of leaders to go and it is a story that will continue to be in the news. Not just because of this but because this wasn't an isolated, unique event. To be watching that film the very morning we woke up to hear close to 90 people had be shot dead in Norway, that famine continues in Africa, that Amy Winehouse's body had given up at 27 - this is a broken world in need of a Saviour.
few verses have changed my life more than john 1:14
'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.'
God became a human being, flesh like us, in the person of Jesus. He could be seen, touched, heard - john talks about it even more in his 1st letter and it's been challenging to have spent the past week or so looking at this.
it's made me think a lot about what it looks to 'incarnate', to be like Jesus where I am.
I am currently in middle of trying to fill in my tax return stuff (extremely late) for back in the UK. It is a nightmare of epic proportions. It involves me having to remember the ins and outs of dates two years ago. Whereupon I remember this thing! My blog! On which I kept track of some things back then! It was a good wee trip down memory lane, for which I am thankful, and it even helped me remember when I started work in the UK in 2009. Good job.
So updating was needed. Here it is. And hopefully there shall be more to come...
