A personal challenge

A Certain Risk: Living Your Faith at the Edge by Paul Andrew Richardson

Of course getting our priorities right in life is important but Richardson moves everything to a new level. In fact you might say my understanding and more important my way of living is challenged in the edgiest way possible.

As the Spirit opens your eyes, what will he allow you to see? He will show you greater possibilities that you have ever dreamed before.(158) To be sure, many leaders have an important role as visionaries and communicators. Yet, as we come closer, we will always discover a band of people who have stepped out by faith in response to the dreams the Spirit has planted in their hearts.(38) The agony of faith ...is stepping out beyond the edge of human capabilities and trusting God's Spirit to lift us into his dreams.(113) Faith is the flash point between God's creativity and your participation in his creativity (100)

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A Gift

I got a parcel from Korea. In it was a book of Sting's poems. NB I said poems and not songs.

Of course they're the lyrics from decades of writing, but reading through the book I was separated from the music to appreciate the beauty of mere words. Sting describes it as being like separating a mannequin from the clothes it is wearing. The dummy is naked and there is a pile of cloth on the floor. The words stripped of their dependence on music are exposed to human examination.

When you're down and they're counting
When your secrets all found out
When your troubles take to mounting
When the map you have leads you to doubt
When there's no information
And the compass turns to nowhere that you know well

Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
He'll guide you well

I'm rereading what might a controversial book Dance of the Selves by a transpersonal psychologist within a Jungian understanding of the human personality as both male/logic/animus and female/intuition/anima. Loretta Ferrier basically posits we need both the male and female aspects of us to work together for us to be truly effective and maybe I might use the word healthy. She see that the feminine intuition is the visionary and guide, but unless the masculine logic is there then dreams remain dreams. If there is only the the male aspect then things might be orderly tidy but stale and locked into often unhealthy patterns of living. An interesting book with perhaps some kernels of truth to open ourselves to ourselves, but with some caution and care.

Where does this leave me? Thoughts about what happens in the crises of life. Medieval Christian spirituality adopted a view point from Aristotle, namely knowledge of self was knowledge of God. Here Ferrier offers a guide to better mental/emotional health through knowledge of self and I think is helpful but only when kept in the light of God i.e. illuminated by God. In Christian terms we do not merely need to change and grow in faith but also we need to know something of the old self because the old self will return and cause trouble. Regeneration or sanctification are processes.

culture clash

I've been clearing and sorting my CDs and there are 45 CD's in my current get rid of pile (and it's still growing). There's everything Jazz, rock, pop, dance, R&B, folk etc. I've also working on new playlists on iTunes for the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's. Tracks that I remember and remind me of things. The biggest at the moment is the 1980's currently 83 tracks and the 70's are 54. The other periods are still small as I sort out my memories and find out what is missing for me.

But as I review all this stuff that I acquired, picked up etc I came across a little gem a fusion CD Sacred Spirit II Culture Clash. Mixing cello blues and electronica, it's a fascinating blend. I've probably had the CD for 5-7 years and never listened to it. (If you want hear a sample I've posted a link to a youtube video on my other blog here.) John Lee Hooker, the blues musician is part of the mix but sadly the cellist is not named.

There are many memories that we have not listened to, like this Sacred Spirit CD. My current situation means that because my life is on pause and I am examining memories and my reactions and this means learning and perhaps even choosing now an alternative response to situations in the past. This all means I hope and pray a healthier future.

I will continue the CD sorting and compiling my playlists and I suspect also doing that with my life's memories.

It's not a bargain if you don't need it!

People use equipment as a crutch. They don't want to put in the hours ... They're looking for a shortcut. But you just don't need the the best gear to be good ... content is what matters. You can spend tons on fancy equipment, but if you've got nothing to say... well, you've got nothing to say. Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson Rework

Of course this is true but how many of us live this way nowadays. We look for the shortcut, the path of least resistance. I confess I have but that is not always the healthiest way to go. The product whether it's something I say , do , play, present, or simply make will be shallow lacking purpose and challenge. I don't want to live that way. Living out faith for me is to express and create something anew. My counsellor noted the importance of the personal insight, literally the "Aha" moment. He's right for I live for the moment when it all comes together, the pieces become one thing: when the collection of ideas or bits I've collected cohere together. Do we actually have anything meaningful to say unless we put the work in? That means spending enough time, being sufficiently open to what God would have to say to each one of us.

Persuading or inviting

Before Christmas I went on some training about invitation and recently revisited a book on encouragement. These have forced some thoughts on persuasion and methods.

Dr Robert Cialdini is a scholar in persuasion and marketing. In his work he lists six “weapons of influence”:

• Reciprocation - People tend to want to return a favor.
• Commitment and Consistency - If people make a commitment to something, verbally or in writing, they tend to keep it.
• Social Proof - People will do things when they see other people doing it.
• Authority - Even with uncomfortable action, people will tend to obey authority figures.
• Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like.
• Scarcity - A perceived scarcity will generate demand for something.

Something I found in Neuro-linguistic Programing, which has very similar ends to influence people, was rapport. There seem to be key ways to establish rapport such as mirroring the body position and language of the other person. Similarly this is also done in the verbal language. In matching the other person's model of the world/worldview, and in conversation matching the scale of information being exchanged. if the other person works with large categories or large chunks of information then working on that scale will establish rapport and therefore influence. If the person works on the detailed level or micro chunks, then conversing on the large chunk level will necessarily fail. However get on the right level and rapport being established influence is possible.

The trouble is where does manipulation and brainwashing start and the sharing of a great idea or belief? So when is it inviting, influencing, persuading, or brain washing? Not easy... That's why we need ethics.

Listen

Listen to your life.
See it for the fathomless mystery it is.
In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness:
touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it
because in the last analysis all moments are key moments,
and life itself is grace. Frederick Buechner

I must continue to learn to enjoy the present moment but I still worry and anticipate or plan about the future. Can I let go at times? Even in the middle of pain, sadness and anxiety it is possible to find the hand of God at work in my life. Perhaps I live too much by desiring to see and not enough by the other senses of listening, feeling, tasting or smelling.

Health and Dust

Day 9 of my back trouble saga. My back is getting better with no sharp pains but a ban against riding the bike and lifting heavy weights. Both I had to do for the the BBQ on Saturday, (don't tell my chiropractor). We had far more people than we first expected or planned for and had to sort out extra food. But on the day, donations made the food even greater than we needed.

I still have the dull ache in my legs but the vertigo seems less again. Somehow adversity and troubles has brought something good. With the clear up, yesterday I could have a small birthday dinner at my place which is the first in two years! It felt so good having people around the table eating.

Strangely last night, a little almond nut turned up on the floor of the kitchen. It was almost a repetition of Totoro again. This whole episode in my life can only be described as an experience of the sacred or holy. New freedom and deepening relationships as each little event contributes to the next. For example, last night Iris and Naomi were delayed for dinner, so Dickie decided to lift and remove the old stair carpet. A dust trap and also liability as it is quite frayed etc. Today as I write and reflect I am increasingly aware that perhaps my ill-health over the last few years is also related to bad air quality and dust! Of course physical, emotional and spiritual health are interlinked and this journey is headed in a good direction.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Roman 8:28

The third day

Somehow three days into my back incident and I feel like this infirmity has been a catalyst for the good. People have been helping me clear and clean and a carpet of dust is now gone. I feel a new ordering.

The strangest thing is in the anime My Neighbour Totoro the little girl Mei follows a trail of nuts left on the ground. In clearing my living room we found a hazelnut in the corner and immediately thought of Totoro. Stuff is going out the door and I am feeling new freedom. Just to keep up the momentum is important and key to moving forwards. This set back is bring movement forward in unimagined ways. But still so much left to do. In all this I am feeling blessed.

Worship and Musical miracles

Years ago I was handed a copy of Grantley Morris' In Tune with God. It quite formative because it raise my expectations about worship and music in particular. You can download a copy from here or you can listen to podcast versions (I haven't check these) here. The subtitle The Quest for Music Miracles gives a lot away. It is a study into the spiritual, the metaphysical, the supernatural, or miraculous side of worship. My lasting memory are the accounts of jubilation, the phenomenon where the singing moves beyond the sum total of the individuals singing, where supposedly the angels of heaven join in. In my current clear up I rediscovered my printed out copy and deciding to dispose of the individual printed sheets instead I found versions on the internet to store on my hard drive.

I believe I have had experiences of jubilation a number of times in my life. While they are thrilling and as a musician and worship thinker I am fascinated by the phenomenon, they are only somethings and experiences. Ultimately Christian spirituality is about falling in love with someone.

Fixing stuff but it's only repaired

Iris, one of the internationals I work with, broke her glasses. She uses contacts but uses the glasses at home. It would be crazy to buy a new pair so soon so I decided to try and fix them. There are a lot of problems given that it was the nose piece. In the end I drilled 2 very fine holes and stitched them together with copper wire. With hindsight I should have used steel wire. Anyhow the threads weren' strong enough by themselves even with epoxy. So I had to make an epoxy putty shell or cast to bridge the gap. Not a beautiful repair, but no worse than a plaster cast on your arm or leg. The trouble is the human body repairs itself and so the cast is eventually no longer needed but of course the glasses cannot.

I'm frequently troubled how many people around lack caution assuming or behaving as if things will sort themselves out. The trouble is that we are all accountable in one way or another for action or inaction. In the classic theological formulation the sins of commission and omision. War crimes tribunals do not accept the fact that "I was only following orders" as an adequate excuse. As I understand it every Israeli soldier is capable to assuming command as and when required to do so. There's a whole lot of stuff in this world that can be repaired but never really fixed. The damage has been done! Eeverything thereafter is a patched repair, something put together.

moving in the right direction

I've bought an electric toothbrush. The first time I've owned one but perhaps a little late because of the condition of my teeth. Somehow I've really got to get enough courage to find a dentist and start the long course of treatment. I'm blessed with a benefits plan that covers sedation but still have to find that important movement in myself.

I have to find a dentist. A tiny step but huge for me as I deal with my fear of dentists. The electric toothbrush is too little too late but still a step in the right direction.

There is that Chinese saying that the journey of a thousand li begins with one step. I would add in the right direction.

As I prepare to speak for a church conference, I am pondering issues for Christians around image. How Western culture and many others affected by it are now an image culture. The trouble with image culture is its superficiality. It's all about looking right and sounding right but not about character and substance. Dealing with the core nature of the human person. Perhaps we are less a culture fixated with idols things that replace God and now focused on self and image. (see video series Century of the Self here) Yet perhaps we should be icons either in the classical spiritual sense of windows through which others can see God or in computer terms as points which lead to or represent a program or file in a visible way.

Rumours of Glory

"The Sunday morning attendance shows how popular the church is. The Sunday evening attendance shows how popular the preacher is. The prayer meeting attendance shows how popular God is." source unknown.

Bruce Cockburn's song Rumours of Glory has been on my mind for the last 10 days or so. We need a constant experience or flashes of glory to maintain our faith and passion for God. Even in the ambivalence and pain of life, even in the uncertainties or struggles with believing any good can come out of a situation we need rumours of glory. This is hope, the reality of living faithful lives. Glimpses of something better than gold - God.

Smiles mixed with curses - The crowd disperses - About whom no details are known - Each one alone yet not alone - Behind the pain/fear - Etched on the faces - Something is shining - Like gold but better - Rumours of glory Bruce Cockburn

I live this way. This is foundational. This is the core. This is my reason and meaning. This has been laid bare in many ways recently and yet my heart is heavy because so many don't hear or see the rumours or glimpses of the glory of God in their lives. This is what discernment is all about. Not the happy false grin but joy that wells up even in the most difficult situations.

Here comes the sun

Pathos and hope, blues/folk and classical - Here Comes the Sun in 3/4.

Thanks Melody for this video and your encouragement - I've been reading Marva Dawn's Truly the Community. One of her key themes is the importance of joy in the individual and communal spiritual life. This is not meaningless smile from antidepressants/drugs rather the experience of joy even when you can't find your first job, joy when nothing seems to be going right, joy in the sadness of passing of Auntie Olive. This is tough joy because it rises out of the thorns of life.

Teresa of Avila, one of those medieval spiritually insightful writers, talks about the human soul as garden watered by God. Firstly by hauling up water from a well, then by windlass, then the discovery of streams in the garden and then as rain. But the object is not collecting water revelling in the experience of God but water is for the flowers. The flowers are the virtues which include Faith,Peace and Love - and joy. Even when I can't feel the presence or love of God the virtues are there to affirm the presence of God. This virtuous joy isn't something I can live inside, the way I tend to live in my feelings, but joy like a warm jacket on a cold day.

Hope and Forgiveness

Our most painful suffering often comes from those who love us and those we love. The relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, teachers and students, pastors and parishioners - these are where our deepest wounds occur. ... The great challenge is to acknowledge our hurts and claim our true selves as being more than the result of what other people do to us. Only when we can claim our God-made selves as the true source of our being will we be free to forgive those who have wounded us. Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey

Yet there are always those around to encourage us. To bear us up in the difficult times. There is the greater community and wisdom from those I mentor. Thank you Janice, Wayne, and others. There are the continuing signs that I am in the right place - those internationals who affirm this path for this season of life. I move forwards being careful not to live in the feelings nor the thoughts but the grace of God.

Viruses in our thinking

I ran my antivirus on my little netbook and nothing turned up but I ran my anti-malware program and turned up a trojan virus. In my reading and thinking I've wondering more and more how we buy into worldviews without being aware of the corruption. A good example is the church as a company and pastor as CEO, another is programs and good methods are spiritual. Another is because I feel I am spiritual therefore I am. A variant version is because I enjoy playing piano and singing I am entitled to do it in public in front of a congregation.

We are full of viruses in our thinking. Some of the worst are from the Pelagian virus family, sucha as "I will convert people", "we will bring in the kingdom of God" and, "I will make myself a better believer". I remember in my first systematic theology class the professor asked a simple question giving alternative positions and asked us to confirm which we believed and surprisingly everyone had a heretical belief!

We need both good discernment, wisdom and education in community to keep us aware of the viruses that are around.

Trapped into Amusing ourselves

The Church stands at a critical juncture in history. More and more persons are becoming dissatisfied with the experience of liberal culture and the Christian community could offer an alternative society. We must ... understand the nature of the technological milieu in which we live in order to grasp more fully the kind of alternative that is necessary ... a myriad of factors have caused persons to become more and more isolated from one another. Marva Dawn Truly The Community

Last week I read about Dr Arig Sigman's article in the Biologist, the journal of the British Institute of Biology, which claimed the lack of real-world social interaction could make you more susceptible to cancer, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, influenza, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus etc. I also read some responses noting the weaknesses in Sigman's research but not refuting it.

But this week Baroness and Professor Greenfield, who is the director of the Royal Institution, a great scientific organization, has voiced her concerns that internet-obsessed children are losing their ability to concentrate and communicate away from the screen. Effectively the children's brains are being rewired. Greenfield is a professor of neuroscience and not a half baked politician. The British newspaper the Telegraph notes that a study from last year has showed that internet use can improve brain functioning and speed up general decision-making but the cost is loss of empathy and the ability to think in abstract terms. Furthermore there are possible connections with autism to be investigate.

It is twenty years since Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. He argued deeper than Marshall McLuhan not merely that the medium is the message but media inherently reduces messages. Thus a particular medium can only sustain a particular level of ideas. Writing especially about television he comments that things are reduced down to entertainment. We have been reduced to the soundbyte.

I wonder about the internet. My posts are generally short. What am I exactly doing here? I'm trying not to be a blipvert. But the medium does reduce and limit. Rather I suppose I am wondering out loud and hoping someone might start or continue to think critically about the world around them.

Charles Colson, in Christianity Today in 2006 titled an article 'Soothing Ourselves to Death Should we give people what they want or what they need?' Poignant strong stuff.

I admit I prefer traditional hymns, buteven so, I'm convinced that much of the music being written for the church today reflects an unfortunate trend—slippingacross the line from worship to entertainment. Evangelicals are in danger of amusing ourselves to death, to borrow the title of the classic Neil Postman book. This trend is evident not just in theater-like churches.

I'm not sure if Colson is over-reacting but he is reacting to something which can be bad. self-indulgent emotionalism. I wrote about worshi-tainment when I started this blog and it still remains high on my radar. Tim Keller writes in the foreword to a book I've just finished (review to follow) that worship without the quality is intrinsically self indulgent because it excludes the stranger and the nonbeliever who have no relationship to those playing/leading nor to the God being worshipped. Whatever the medium, whether music, powerpoint, internet, etc, we need to understand what it is doing lest our ignorance and perhaps even our sins are visited on the next generation. Lest we become merely a reflection of our surrounding culture rather than an alternative.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! Psalm 111:10

All Saints and All Souls Days

[Word Studies are ] “to try to understand as precisely as possible what the author was trying to convey by his use of this word in this context.” Gordon Fee

Having been explaining what Halloween is (All Hallows Eve) for a few days - I've become sensitized to the difference between All Saints and All Souls. Strangely Sunday one service celebrated both All Saints on All Souls. It felt strange though I understand some churches have merged the two. So you don't understand? All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows' Day) is a feast day on November 1st to remember all the saints (literally Holy Ones) and martyrs throughout history. All Souls remembers all the faithfully departed this life especially those who have passed a way recently, while All Saints looks to those who inspire and model the faithful life to us. Therefore the two events are contrasted by mourning and living life fully. We ought to understand the words and events in their contexts.

Joey whose blog I follow has been posting about the meaning of Biblical words with particular emphasis on context. He comments about Duvall and Hays comment that "we should always keep in mind the distinction between determining the meaning and discovering the meaning." He notes key issues from Duvall and Hays' book. Namely English-Only Fallacy - languages do not translate exactly on a one to one basis, Root Fallacy - dismantling a word doesn't give its meaning rather its context does (just think about aweful), Time-Frame Fallacy - the modern word doesn't really point to the original word (thus the greek word dynamis doesn't mean dynamite), Overload Fallacy - over using other usages to determine the meaning rather than firstly studying the context of use (different human writers were involved) , Word Count Fallacy - assuming studying word is a complete understanding of the subject, Selective-Evidence Fallacy - only using verses that support our position instead of recognizing verses that challenge or present an opposite (Paradox and tension are integral to faith).

But there is more when using a Christian author's particular point of view. Thinking changes positions over a life time and we may adopt an understanding which the author has altered or even recanted. One only has to realize that Rick Warren, the writer of The Purpose Driven Life has publicly confessed a major omission in his understanding of the church, i.e. that of justice and poverty. Also Bill Hybel of Willow Creek noting their lack of attention to discipleship. Probably most interesting change is the ultimate individualist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre not only became a convinced socialist but there remain rumors he became a Roman Catholic (But never proven).

It seems to me we necessarily are called to think and continue to think. To judge and weigh things and make decisions that lead to actions. People of faith need to study and think and to be constantly open to discovering meaning in the divine human relationship.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1 John 1:1

Please check your translation

"We must shift America from a needs - to a desires-culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. [...] Man's desires must overshadow his needs." Adam Curtis quoting a US banker

Welsh is a difficult language in a country dominated by English however it is important to make sure your translation actually says what you think it says. Some local government officials in Wales wanted this notice translated as all signs have to be bilingual so sent an email request to the translation department and got this reply. "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated." They assumed that that what they got was No Entry .. etc. No-one checked.

In many situations we just don't check the translation. Whether it is spirituality, faith, studying the Biblical text, or what is our fundamental understanding of what exactly is the church and its purpose.

I having watched and thought about Adam Curtis' documentary series The Century of the Self has made this challenge even more focuses my thinking. Business and Politics use public relations to read and fulfill our desires to make products or speeches as attractive as possible to us. Curtis links this to Freud and the introduction of psychoanalysis to North American culture. Freud's identification of deep human desires have been developed into an out of control individualism. This is translated at its most dangerous into North American church culture in the meeting of people's need's (Here we should read human desires but not deepest.) Immediately we head towards advertising and programming and all the stuff that goes with individual wants. It is an externally imposed reinforcement of selfishness and self-centredness.

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.

We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. - Edward Bernays

Edward Bernays, Freud's nephew saw happiness was more than just a way of selling stuff but it was also political way of control the people. By satisfying particular inner irrational desires people could be made happy and thus docile and controlled. In any case people have to consent to make democracy work and maintain a stable society. Therefore engineering consent is a good thing. The US government, big business, and the CIA developed ways to manage and create this consent. But then Wilhelm Reich, a pupil of Freud's, came to influence believing that the self did not need control but should be free for self expression. The freedom of the 60's was born except that this was hijacked and people now were encouraged to feel unique individuals and they needs things to express their uniqueness. Curtis contends that those with the power , whether Thatcherites or followers of Blair, felt they were creating a new and better form of democracy which responded to individual opinions. However these techniques were not developed to liberate people but a way of controlling them. The new left's appropriation nor translation does not remove the original issues. Curtis demonstrates this in both the rise to power of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. In the documentary we are left with the real question of who is in charge. It seems like it is the power brokers. (first episode is here)

Israel was never meant to be monarchy. It should have been a theocracy but the people wanted to be like other peoples. They wanted security and political structures like the other countries around instead of living out an alternative counter-cultural position. The church as new Israel should not really be a democracy, nor an autocracy rather a people seeking the will of God as a theocracy.

When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 1 Sam 8:18-20

More on Zimbabwe

Death is stalking Zimbabwe’s children, as a potentially catastrophic famine gathers momentum. Aid agencies say that half the population, about five million people, face starvation, two-thirds of children are out of school and water shortages have led to deadly cholera outbreaks. Jan Raath Times online

Over the last while I have posted once a month on Zimbabwe, July, August, September and now October. Why can't things get better instead of worse? Even with a supposed power sharing deal brokered by former South African Prime minister, Mbeki, there is no change and my earlier posting (here) doesn't show anything better only now the feared disaster in on the doorstep. The diseases which tell us of hunger, kwashiorkor, marasmus and pellagra, are now easy to see. The Times reports

When Zimbabwe’s Government does spend money on the health sector it does not help the people. Three months ago the Central Bank allocated $5 million (£3 million,) which was used to buy imported cars for the state’s 100 or so specialist doctors.

The number of starving is 5 million, half the population. I can't even get my head around a number like that. Try and imagine 100 of something, your brain can't hold that, but perhaps more than the entire population of your city is starving, not just hungry. How can Mugabe even think about this? We're not just talking about the poor or the peasants anymore. The middle classes are starving and even teachers are joining their pupils in receiving a bowl of basic food porridge. Starvation also heaps coals on the heads of those with HIV/AIDS because the drugs require food and nutrition and a third of the population is infected.

I've been watching the first episode of The Century of the Self which tracks the influence of Freud and his family on Western values and consumerism and propaganda, public relations, and advertising. Freud's basic identification of hidden deep sexual and aggressive forces in the human psyche might be helpful if it hadn't been for his Americanized nephew, Edward Bernays, who promoted fundamentally the sexual material. Humans have deep aggressive tendencies which seems true but surely we should also take seriously the lust for power which even Machiavelli seems not to have fully acknowledged. Politicians seem incapable of truly caring about the people or the citizens rather more about remaining in power or gaining power.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Proverbs 25:21

A Sense of Justice

Thus, while I accept that granting leave to appeal could appear unfair, it does not amount to a level of unfairness that is contrary to the interests of justice, ... Granting leave to appeal would not violate the conscience of the community. On the contrary, as I have mentioned, the error in the sentences imposed is of a nature such as to require the Attorney General to appeal to ensure that the administration of justice is fairly and properly carried out. The Court of Appeal

I am frequently filled with a sense of injustice listening to court rulings and sentences. In a recent case I found this statement which was very special. In a plea bargain, in exchange for a guilty plea the Toronto Crown Attorney's office agreed not to appeal, however the Attorney General appealed the sentencing. I was amazed to see a sense of justice, as the conscience of the people, removed from contract law. Of course Christians place justice in a different place.

If spirituality is to be authentic it requires a sense of justice and injustice, just as discernment, as an aspect of spirituality looks at good and evil As I sit on my student council at college we have wrestle with justice and social justice issues. After a year we have replaced virtually all the disposable styrofoam cups and plates and plastic utensils with paper or corn based plastics. Not merely a matter of environmentalism but ecojustice and stewardship. I hope this year to raise questions about justice for international students who seem to fund universities with their escalated fees and get limited specialized assistance to enable them to complete their programs. Spirituality is not merely about practices but values and concerns which are divine.

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless. What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Isaiah 10:1-3