The Logic of Heaven

God will not withhold his love and forgiveness from us. He testifies to this in the broken body of his son, Jesus Christ. Whether you are facing what looks like an insurmountable climb or an irredeemable tragedy, nothing is impossible with God. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for you, will accomplish what concerns you. His ways are severe but kind, perilous but purposeful.

Slice of Infinity No. 668, The Logic of Heaven, Betsy Childs. 06/29/04

... A trek down to Wollongong ...

Great weekend! Quickly running through the footy, another win to the Sydney Swans, in a terrifically close and tense match, in which the lead change 15 times, it finished 85-79. Kennelly, and O'Loughlin kicked back to back goals late in the fourth quarter to hold off the Magpies.
Sunday, was a nice quite day, and then church. We are back in the Old Testament looking at Amos now. Back to Monday, after work, caught the train down to Wollongong and went and caught up with Ben and Karen with my brother which was great.

It was a quick trip with many highlights, including dinner with Karen and Ben, the sunrise as I caught the train to work, and finally listening to Simon and Garfunkel's Katy’s Song.

Along with general catching up, conversations about movies, we also talked about CD’s, and we got on to the top 10 CD’s we own. In my list, I’m going to limit to 1 CD / Artist, no Greatest Hits, and Soundtracks. The other two disclaimers are firstly, draw nothing from the order, and the list is subject to change.

So here we go…

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
‘and did they get you to trade, your heroes for ghosts’ / ‘We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after and year, … what have we found, the same old fears' [Wish You Were Here]

The Sundays – static and silence
‘now I’m staring from a train / and all the trees roll back beside but I’m so oblivious / to the dark, to the light, its all the same’ [Cry]
‘as the night falls I hear voices on the radio, I’ll follow their dreams / and wake up alone [Homeward]

The Normals – Coming to Life
‘we can’t wait to move on drop these ragged bones and step into life’ [Every Moment]
‘we have asked to see your face, and noticed nothing but a well-timed honest smile from a friend’ [We are the beggers..]

Clear
‘Through a cradle of rest You've quietly brought me. I'm surrounded by mercy. As Your love unfolds, it makes me whole. I'll follow Your promise as my will gets lost deep within Your arms, and I see way beyond this broken life, way beyond the fall. In Your eyes I found a peace that carries me on and it's brought me to the Truth. This is what Your grace can do. ’ [What Your Grace Can Do]

Jeff Buckley –Grace
'This is our last goodbye I hate to feel the love between us die But it's over Just hear this and then i'll go You gave me more to live for More than you'll ever know' [Last Goodbye]

U2 – Pop
‘take this tangle of this conversation and turn it into your own prayer’ [Do You Feel Loved]
‘where is the hope and the faith and the love’
‘… and the cartoon network turns into the news’ [If God Will Send His Angels]
‘sunlight, sunlight fills my room, its sharp and its clear but nothing at all like the moon’ [If You Wear that Velvet Dress]
‘love is hard and love is tough but love is not what your thinking off’ [Please]

Radiohead – OK Computer
‘aliens hover making home movies for all the folks back home of all these weird creatures who lock up their spirits, drill holes in themselves and live for their secrets, I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me ... I’d show them the stars and the meaning of life, but they’d shut me away’ [Subterrean Homesick Alien]

Jars of Clay – The Eleventh Hour
'Shed your heart and your breath and your pain and fly… Now your alive' [Fly]
'Can’t feel the breath for the wind .. I get so used to these shadows / Will you chase away these shadows when you come back again' [The Edge of the Water]

Nichole Nordemann – Woven and Spun
'Give the rocks and the stones voices of their own if we forget to sing praises to our King' [My Offering]

Daniel Lanois - Shine
Every life that has no end / Every knee not ready to bend / Is falling, falling at your feet Have come crawling, falling at your feet ...
in whom shall I trust / and how might I be still / teach me to surrender / not my will, thy will ... [Falling at Your Feet]

Shrek (2), Symphony, and String Quartets

Nice few days of family bonding. Went and saw Shrek 2 with my brother on Thursday night. Great movie, for mine, as funny as the first, as many cultural references as the first, and maintaining the orginailty of the first one too.

The last night I went to the Opera House with my parents, and heard Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony. Brilliant! The athmosphere was great, and the music was fantastic. Even though you didn't hear all of the pieces, and some of the pieces that I liked were not performed, May it Be (FotR), The King of the Golden Hall (TTT), and Billy Boyd's terfficially moving song (RotK). Though they did play the accompanying piece The Steward of Gondor. But I guess that was always going to happen considering for the performance 12 hours of music was condensed into just over 2 hours.

Katie Noonan, and David Bruce, were brilliant soloists. I have heard a little of george, but she sang Gollum's Song, and Into the West beautifully. David likewise sang In Dreams (featured in The Breaking of the Fellowship).

Above the Orchestra and the choir they projected images, including sketches of the Characters, maps of Middle Earth, and the Balrog. Yeah, it was well worth the ticket price. (And nice to spend some time with my parents :))

I've bought a series of String Quartet tribute CD's, one of U2's songs, and another two of Radiohead, one features just the songs from OK Computer, and the other has both earlier, and later music. Also found another interesting Tribute CD too for Radiohead, Christopher O'Riley's True Love Waits, which features beautiful interpretations of a variety of Radiohead songs for the Piano. Brilliant!!

From the Papers

At work yesterday, we had a seminar presentation from Professor Bruce Headey of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, at Melbourne University, he presented a paper co-authored with Professors' Mark Wooden, and Ruud Muffels.

The presentation was titled: 'Money doesn't buy happiness – or does it? A reassessment based on the combined effects of wealth, income and consumption'

It was quite an interesting topic. The general view from research is that money does not matter when it comes to looking at general life satisfication. While previous research had examined the relationship looking at income, the current study sought to use a measure derived from a combination of household income, wealth, and expenditure in relation to measures of satisfication with their well-being, and with their standard of living.

In summary,

Nothing in this paper should be read as indicating that psychologists have got it wrong in claiming that personality and personal relationships matter a lot more to happiness than money and material well-being. Nor do we necessarily deny the claim by some psychologists that giving top priority to material gain is toxic to happiness (Nickerson et al, 2003). All we claim is that by including wealth and consumption, as well as income, on the right hand side of equations, we have shown that money matters more to happiness than previously believed.

A link to the full paper is here. As I was sitting listening to the presentation, one of the things that I did notice as that he used many control variables (such as employment, gender, age, partnered [new word, not sure what that encompasses], he did not control for religious belief (be it Christian, Islamic, Hindu).

The research was also publicised in the SMH today as well.

UPDATE: Ross Gittins, wrote an article in the yesterdays Herald about wealth and happiness.

Some Politcial Reflections

Seeing that I am living in Kensington, I've been following the 'rapid rise' of Peter Garrett with a deal of interest. Before I do get on to that, I have been wondering a little about whether it would be a better system to have a fixed terms, and even fixed election dates ~ any thoughts here?

With respect to Peter Garrett. I have to admit that I would prefer not to have a candidate dropped onto the electorate, but am far more interested in seeing what an alternate Labour government would bring our country should they be elected. Anyway, I do look forward to debate, for in my mind thats we need, lively political debate. Garrett may well provide that, Latham seems to have a little. But we will see.

Unreal Reality TV.

I don't watch Big Brother, and I don't think much of reality TV in general. But something that happened on the Eviction show this weekend caught my attention.

One of the contestents, who was evicted over the weekend, post eviction, came on with a sign on his T-shirt saying 'Free th[e] refugees'. During the interview, he remained silent with gaffer tape over his mouth.

Here's some links to the two SMH articles, and one from today's Australian commenting.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

What would you give for your soul? What would you give to be forever young? In Wilde’s book, Dorian Gray is painted, the painting is a beautiful representation youth, when Dorian finally sees the painting he realises that unlike the painting, he will change, the youthful looks, will disappear, wrinkles along with grey hair will take their place. It’s a pretty frightening realisation for Dorian, and in a moment; he does offer his soul, in exchange for remaining youthful:

“How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will always remaining young … If only it was the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give, I would give my soul for that”
[pg 38]

That, is the secret we long for above all else, the secret that allows us to have youth, is eternal youth the only thing worth having.

For those of you who don’t know the story, what happens next is exactly that, the painting ages, and reflects the disintegration of Dorian’s soul, while Dorian himself remains as he was the day he was painted, youthful in appearance.

We see it begin through the relationship of Sybil Vane, and Dorian. Sybil is an actress, and Dorian is completely taken by her, her likewise taken by him, taken to the point where see is no longer able to act, for the loves and passions of the characters she plays are shallow compare to the reality of the love she has for Dorian. Interestingly Dorian the opposite is true for he can no longer continue the relationship as it is, for he fell in love, with the characters portrayed rather than the actress.

The ending of their relationship; a whirlwind romance, lead to Sybil’s suicide; and one of many interesting dialogues in the book, Basil, the man who originally painted Dorian, comes to console him after hearing that Sybil had died, and Dorian says;

A man who is the master of himself can get rid of an emotion. A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use then, to enjoy them, and to dominate them. [pg 127-8]

And from this point Dorian’s soul gradually decays, ending in his action in murdering a friend. [Basil]. Basil is murdered as Dorian reveals to him the extent of the his decay. I found it interesting at this point Dorian is assured by Basil that though his sins be as scarlet, they could be made as white as snow; and it is not possible to move outside the possibility of forgiveness. [181-182]

Thinking back a little about the book, I think it is not simply the corruption of Dorian’s soul that I found to be disturbing, but perhaps more Dorians fascination with it, Dorian’s choosing to walk down that path [perhaps in part this is the truth of the human condition]:

The portrait would be to him the most magical of mirrors. As it had revealed to him his own body, so it would reveal to him his own soul [pg 125]

The book is as much about influence as it is about the appeal of youth. For it is in part the influence of Henry in the book, which sends Dorian down the path travelled. Henry sends Dorian a book; and it is this book that traps Dorian, he seeks to live by it, and he buys multiple copies of it.

Hmm, and this is something that also intrigues me, that as entranced as Dorian was in this book, as this book shaped the direction and course of his life, our lives are likewise shaped by the Author of another Book. Our lives direction is mapped out by the Word of God, the Word that is living and active [Hebrews]. Yet in another sense, every word has the power to be alive, to bring life, or to bring death [see James 2, various Psalms, and Proverbs]. The preface itself, is worth a close look too, it talks of another theme of the book, about the nature of art.

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Deborah's also posted a very interesting excerpt. Seemed a very interesting idea. Going to have a look for the book.

A Blog Birthday ..

Hard to believe, but Drawn from Still Water has now been around for one year. Hopefully the well won’t run dry.

Bad analogies aside, I thought I’d take the time to do a little bit of reflecting. Over the last 12 months, I’ve seen parts of the World I’d never been to before, I’ve written much about children in detention, written a fair bit on sport too, and recently I’ve added film and book reviews to that.

Over the last 12 months, and I’ve recently posted about this too, I’ve changed a little, and am not really as clear on what I actually want to do. There’s the possibility of doing a Masters at UNSW, and also looking into Moore College (Maybe for 2006).

What does the next year have in store? God-willing more surprising opportunities to serve God, more struggles and trials, a deepening understanding of who God has made me to be, and what His will is. The more I think about it, I realise that on one level His will is simple – Be Holy, Love and serve God only; and the other details will take care of themselves, career, whether or not I’ll be married, whether or not I’ll be a father, all that, is secondary to being a Godly son, brother, employee, church member.

Back on D-Day

Read a bit on D-day over the week. Wanted to post an excerpt from Chirac's speech at the Franco-American Ceremony at Normandy.[Chirac's speech in Full]

But there is no end to this struggle of man against himself, in a dangerous world where violence and hatred too often stir up men, and even peoples. The message of these heroes, the heroes of the "longest day," the flame that our forefathers bore so proudly and have now bequeathed onto us are our common heritage, which implies a corresponding duty of remembrance for us -- a duty of remembrance, a duty to recall this still recent past when fanaticism, the rejection of those who are different from us, the rejection of others, cast men, women and children into the night, the fog of the death camps.

We must never forget that without a compass, without remaining faithful to the lessons of history, there can be no future. We have also a duty of vigilance, also a duty to fight ruthlessly all these upsurges and seedbeds of hatred that feed on ignorance on obscurantism and on intolerance. And we have a duty of remaining faithful to our values so that our generation may build and pass on to our children a world of progress and freedom, as is indeed their birthright -- to build that society which bears the hallmark of respect and dialogue, of tolerance and solidarity that was the very quintessence of the struggle we are commemorating today, to keep alive for all time the spirit of hope.

Here's a second exert from the International Ceremony.[Speech in Full]

On 6 June 1944, when the sun set on "the longest day" and night cloaked Bloody Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold Beaches, when darkness descended over battered Caen, when night fell on France, maimed by years of war and occupation, they held on. They held on to a few acres of sand and soil. But hope was alive again, at last.

Today on the sixth of June 2004, it is that same hope, that same ideal that we owe to those men whom we shall never forget.

Faced with the dangers of a changing world, let us strive to remain loyal to the legacy, the sacrifice and the message of our fathers. Let us strive to give substance to the humanistic values of respect, justice, dialogue and tolerance, for which they gave their lives. Let us strive together to build a world of freedom and progress for our children, a world that respects the diversity of individuals and ideas, cultures and peoples.

It is that legacy, that duty, which we are commemorating today, for we are its custodians and tributaries. It is incumbent upon us to entrust it to new generations.

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I finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) over the last week, and will post some thoughts over the weekend. In general though it was an interesting read, if in parts disturbing. I'm still thinking through what about it disturbed me, but these are reflections for another entry :)

Went to a trivia night last night, which was great fun. I have to admit that I'm quite keen on trivia nights. Trivia nights are great, a great way to mix with people, and great fun too.

A weekend of sport

My bible study group headed out to the AFL yesterday. It was a good afternoon. Great to spend an afternooon in the Sun, getting to know each other. The Swans won, 17.10 (112) to St Kilda's 11.10 (76). St Kilda up until yesterday were undefeated. I have to take my hat off to Roos... it wasn't simply that the Swans won, but they outclassed the Saints. Gehrig, the AFL's leading goal kicker, didn't score, and was kept virtually out of the game by Leo Barry. The Swans sparkling run, from the back returned. Kirk, had his best game for the year, Hall, kicked 5 goals. Oh me of little faith!

Then after the game, we went back to our leaders place, had dinner, played take two, then headed off to to church. Heard a good sermon on 2 Tim 2.

My sympathies are with anyone involved in a football tipping competition. Yesterday would have been totally unhelpful. Of the League games on the weekend, I don't recall a favourite winning. And then you have the soccer ... NZ loses to Vanautu, Australia draws with the Solomon Islands. Hardly predictable. Meaning that Australia will play the Solomon Islands, for the right to play the fifth best South Americian team. [For the record, I don't believe Australia deliberately drew with the Solomons to avoid playing NZ. NZ shot themselves in the foot by losing to Vanautu. Oh dear...].

Song for the week

We are beggars at the foot of God's door

We are gathered in cathedrals on a Sunday / We are shrouded in our pride and lust’s despair / We have heard that You said to go to where your hearts once were / Trusting we’d arrive to find You there / We have known the empty senses of a funeral / We are haunted by the promises of death / We have asked to see Your face and noticed nothing /But a well-timed honest smile from a friend,

Oh we of little faith, Oh You of stubborn grace We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door

We have grown cold to the kisses of our lovers / We have rolled the windows up and driven through / The forests of the autumn, The innocence of snow / The metaphor of Jesus in the dew / We have known the heated passion of the cold night / We have sold ourselves to everything we hate / We’re hypocrites and politicians running from a fight / We’ve cheated on a very jealous mate,

Oh we of little faith, Oh You stubborn grace We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door

We have known the pain of loving in a dying world / And our lies have made us angry at the truth / But Cinderella’s slipper fits us perfectly / And somehow we’re made royalty with You,

Oh we of little faith, Oh You of stubborn grace We are the beggars at the foot of God’s door / And You have welcomed us in

[Words/Music: Osenga, Lockett, Aberle, Taquino, Cooley, from The Normals - Coming to Life, 2000]

June 6 2004 - 60 Years on from D-Day.

Sixty years on, we commemorate today the landing at Normandy, as the Allies began Operation Overlord, to reclaim Europe from the Nazis. The war would last another year, but D-Day was the beginning of the end.

... the anniversary being celebrated on the coast of Normandy today [is] a special one. It is not only that this 60th anniversary of D-Day has a sentimental significance because it will be the last to include many veterans of the invasion - the greatest in the history of the world - in its ceremonies.

It is also, and even more importantly, because the liberation of Europe began a great movement to create an international order based on respect for what President Franklin Roosevelt called the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression; freedom to worship God in one's own way; freedom from want; and freedom from fear.

After D-Day, the Allies began calling themselves the United Nations, and the ideals set out in the Four Freedoms remain the foundations of the UN Charter and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[The Age - Editorial]

Dwight Eisenhower gives the order:

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Seperation of Church and State in Australia ...

Peter Costello's speech on the National Day of Thanksgiving

Thursday a reply was published by Helen Irving.

Sport ... War and Peace ...

I read a fair bit after September 11 2001, from the New York Times, from the Washington Post, and from the Herald. But one of the articles that was the most intriguing for me I found on the SBS Soccer Website. It was written by Les Murray - who is one of the wiser sports journalists in this country.

In a piece entitled ‘Now for the Ugly World Game’ (SBS Website September 29 2001) he writes describing the terrorist attack against New York, and Washington earlier in September, and the inevitable response by the American in through a sporting analogy

Only in this game there are no rules. There are no bounds and touchlines. There are no yellow cards. No free kicks. No compensation for foul play. No retribution for ungentlemanly conduct. No final whistle

The article is quite powerfully written. The analogy of sport is a powerful one, the images of strings of subs rolling of the bench, each more determined and inspired, highlights the bleakness and stakes in a battle of ideas, there are no winners.

The second piece written upon reflection after a conference of journalists is a little cheerier, but the undertone has not changed.

The conference attended by delegates from many of Asia’s Muslim countries talked of the ‘Western lens’ by which the journalists portray the East. Les Murray made an interesting point about how they are unable to present truths they do not know. He illustrated this in the following way:

The 'other side' gives us no explanations about its grievances. There are no souped up press releases, carefully engineered news conferences or strategically placed spin doctors who, lawyer-like, argue the case. There are no cogent arguments forthcoming, or not enough of them, about why monstrosities like Bin Laden, the Taliban and Saddam, are spawned in the sick world in which we live.

In short, the 'other side' has a huge PR problem.

A naive teenage Palestinian girl blows herself up and kills a dozen innocents in a Jerusalem café. And we are to take this as some kind of PR message sent to the 'west' about the rights of the Palestinian struggle.

Sorry, but it won't wash. We need to be told more about why she did it. Better, we need to be told more about what spawned the criminals that made her do it.

In the absence of such explanations, one was left wondering and helpless. What is the cause and measure of the grief and hate that drives human beings to such pain and desperation

Les then goes on to talk about what he knows best, Sport, and in particular examples of sport playing a healing role, or bringing countries together.

The educative anecdotes are everywhere. What about that match in the 1998 World Cup between the USA an Iran, where the players exchanged flowers before the game and, at the end of a furious 90 minutes, embraced after it? They put the small-minded politicians to shame.

What was the first human link in Afghanistan between the locals and the invading forces after September 11? A football match between a British Army eleven and a local one.

What was Iraq's first venture into the outside world following the demise of Saddam? A trip by its football team to Australia.

What was the first thing that unified the warring Hutu and Tutsi tribes of Rwanda, a conflict that left a million innocents massacred in 1994? A football match involving the Rwanda national team, composed of players from both tribes, who enjoyed the buoyant support of all Rwandan fans.

And what has been happening on the sub-continent recently? A cricket series between Pakistan and India, played without incident and with smiling goodwill, between two nations that have been toe to toe, at war or under the threat of war, for the best part of over half a century.

Sport does not have entangled in it, the elements of culture, religion that divide this world, and sports competitions are not ruled by the morals of the west, or for that matter the East. Would it not be more desirable if the conflict our world is torn asunder by could be sorted out in matches with civilised rules.. [nice dream, eh?]

Perhaps sport, as illustrated through the above could play a role in bringing nations together, as has been spoken about the reintegration of Africa into the world community, the healing in hosting the World Cup of Cricket (1995), the World Cup of Rugby Union (1995), and the World Cup of Soccer (in 2010).

While sport may not be the most significant cog in the wheel of restoration and peace, and is riddled with its own problems. Sport is one of few things in ‘civilised’ society that unites not divides.

A parting word on peace, while we know that the end of conflict may not come in our time, may not come in our children’s time, or indeed come at any time. True and lasting peace will come as the King of this age returns. But it is my prayer we may see peace. Or perhaps to put it another way:

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case ...


We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessd beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace ...


But, Jesus, would You please ...

[Gratitude - Nichole Nordeman, from Woven and Spun - I think I've posted the lyrics in full previously]

...You want to go home and rethink your life...

[A slightly relevant, but deeply humerous quote from, an otherwise flat [lame] film]

As an undergraduate student I did a BA degree, majoring in Psychology, and History. Haven't done much with either really since, outside of 6 months teaching high school kids History. But one of the more memorable experiences I had while I was doing my history major was a subject called Theory and Method of History, or something similar. For a component of the course I needed to write a thesis proposal. In short, my proposal was written on 'The [Decline] of the Church'. In brief to look at the nature of this "decline", or is the decline an illusion of statistics and perhaps more fundamentally – what factors can be examined as components of the cause.

Since then, it has more or less been in the back of my mind. I've fleshed out the issues a little more, thought a little bit more about methodology. But I would be keen to hear what some of you thought about the proposal. Seeing as I don't really want to force everyone to read it, I am going to offer to send the document to anyone who is interested, and I would value whatever feedback you were willing, or able to offer. [Please email me at zeph318[at]hotmail[dot]com, if you'd be willing to read it, and offer feedback].

I've sort of been toying with the idea of doing this while at Moore College, or more recently, thinking about seeking to do this as a Masters Study at UNSW (where I currently work). Though I don't really know when I'd do it, I do know that it is something that I would love to spend time thinking through, and writing.