Beyond Greed

Brian Rosner's recent book, Beyond Greed has been a thought provoking read. Brian writes,

"The most disturbing thing about the fact that greed is idolatry is that hardly anybody owns up to being a worshipper. Imagine the response of disbelief in the local church if it were revealed that the vast majority of its members were secretly worshipping other gods. Yet if our analysis of the religion of money is right, the unthinkable may not be so far from the truth.”

It is this stance that Brain seeks to challenge Christians on, that our beliefs and behaviours concerning money and materialism should not simply reflect those of society around us. And that perhaps unknowingly, many Christians in the western world seek material gain to the point of greed and idolatry. Beyond Greed offers more than just highlighting the dangers of greed, Brian also writes to educate readers on an alternative approach. One that offers something of real value/real riches in Christ, biblical perspectives on money and material possessions, sharing possessions and the joy of being content. Brian does not romanticise poverty or seem to be 'against' wealth, but rather against the assumption that striving for this is as important or central to life satisfaction as made out to be - something that seems to go against the grain of modern society.

Well written and easy to read book, definately worth looking at if you feel unsettled with these issues.

Training 1

So its approx 2 months till the Avon Descent - The Worlds Greatest White Water Event! Paddling has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. The Descent is an annual 134km race from Northam to Bayswater. My paddling partner and I are building up our training regime. We train 3 or 4 times per week, paddling between 1.5 - 3 hours per session. I sit behind him in the double kayak, he is the brains in negotiating the rapids and I am the motor in the back. Although we would like others to think we train hard - it usually is a time of bonding and growing our friendship, we usually talk the whole time, sharing and laughing each paddle. It's this friendship/fellowship that appeals most to me about the whole race. After last years poor race (blame a dodgy boat!) we are hoping for a higher river and a better run this year in a new (secondhand) K2.

Staff Retreat

I'm lucky enough to be working for an organisation that cares for the growth and development of its staff in both a professional development level, plus a personal nuturing level. So much so, that each year the council allows our entire staff (approx 300) to take two days off and participate in a staff retreat.
This year the theme was focusing upon 'faith development'
We had the usual array of guest speakers, staff input, group sessions and workshops.
The program begun looking at faith development as a personal journey, unique and imporant to all, without any right/wrong but rather experiences that you learn/grow from. We were challenged to consider the core values in our lives and then how are actions are demonstrating these (or perhaps the gap between them!)
The focus then shifted to considering generational changes, and how younger generations may build faith understandings in different methods than how baby boomers did (the average staff generation)
We considered the church (as a 'Sunday' model) and how its approach may need to change if it wants to engage and be meaningful to generation X/Y. This is a topic I am interested in, as working with teenagers, in and out of school and being 'semi' young, I can relate to and understand thier subculture's and can see the ways the Church (as a traditional Sunday model) all too frequently misses countless oppourtuinites to create anything meaningful for young people. I'm not suggesting church's need to change its message and mission, but rather consider how it may truley and accuratley promote this to a generation that does not share much in common with previous generations.
Pretty good mind wrestling for two days, hopefully we can see results in the lives of each other and the students. Something that it made me realise is how much I learn about my faith through my involvement with the students. It's a pretty good place to work.