Freedom Day 2008
I just had a highly productive meeting hashing out some details for WA’s Freedom Day on April 19.
I went in feeling unmotivated and discouraged, I came out feeling excited and empowered! Praise Jesus!
Behind a loud-blowing brass band, we’ll be marching through Northbridge to the Murray St mall, in an effort to raise awareness about Traffiking and Exploitation. We’ll be hanging out in the mall for the afternoon to chat with people, hand out some Kidzones and invite people to come to the screening of “The Jammed” at 6.30pm.
The Jammed is an Australian film, that has one three Australian Film Industry Awards - Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Music. In recent news:
The Australian Catholic Film Office (ACFO) has awarded its 2007 Film of the Year to Dee McLachlan’s The Jammed. Director of the ACFO and jury chair, Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard said 2007 was one of the strongest years in many for Australian films.”The Jammed, The Home Song Stories and Romulus, My Father were among the best,” Fr Leonard said. “The jury felt that The Jammed was a singularly courageous piece of cinema. Even though the extremely violent world this film portrays means many people would not want to see it, that does not allow us to ignore the sex trade in women and children occurring in our nation,” he said.
The movie traces the story of three women brought to Australia under false pretences for sexual exploitation. The Jammed reveals not only the horror of modern human trafficking and slavery but also peels back the complex moral layers involved for everyone, including governments. Fr Leonard said it would be hard to think of a social issue which the whole Church is presently speaking with such clarity. “Pope Benedict’s statement on human trafficking for sex, his message to mark World Day of Migrants and Refugees, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants have strenuously called for all Catholics, Christians and people of good will to do everything they can to counter the causes and the evil results of human trafficking.” “The Jammed plays the role of raising our consciousness on this issue.” This uncompromising and confronting film illuminates a dark, tragic side of Australian society and thus makes a significant contribution to increasing people’s awareness of an under-recognised but important issue of faith and justice.”
Here is a preview:
A poster summarising the day’s events will be out shortly. Watch this space.
Blessed.
So blessed, I can’t contain it.
So much I’ve gotta give it away!
I have had the most blessed 2 weeks.
I have been blown away by the power and love of Jesus.
Jesus is LORD.
Jesus is my LORD.
Mother Teresa
I was reading an article about Mother Teresa today.. and one small paragraph caught my eye:
She was a Catholic fundamentalist who opposed the Vatican Council reforms of the 1960s, and tried to intervene in an Irish referendum on abortion. The Church accepted her only because she attracted new believers.
Now, I don’t know much about the things she was fighting for, it didn’t go into it, and I don’t know enough about her life, but I’m sure she probably made a habit of causing a stir. I’m sure that she was being obedient to God no matter what the “rules” were. She was fighting for something.*
But, I think the greatest thing about this passage is that they liked her too much because of it. Haha! I think it’s sometimes the same for the “Salvos” that you hear about that are a little “wacky” or “out-there”. They’re fighting for things that matter, and saying things or doing things here and there, that maybe haven’t been approved by the PR department… But, generally those are the ones who are in Corps and Out-posts who are getting people saved, seeing souls won for the Kingdom. Hallelujah!
Bring it on LORD! 
–
* Quote of the Week: “The difference between people that do something and people that don’t do something, is that the people that do something, do something.” Banning Leibscher (find him at JesusCulture.org)
one+two+three+four+five+six
So a few things:
1. Jesus is amazing. And He told me some things tonight that made me cry but in a good way. If I seek Him, He will be found by me, if I seek Him with all my heart. Praise the Lord. He loves us. Oh, How he loves us.
2. We are the light of the world. Read: YOU are the light of the world. And your light CANNOT be hidden. Not, SHOULD not, CAN NOT be hidden. The Darkness has no choice but to run. So STOP putting the basket over your head! (I’m yelling this to myself really loadly)
3. Come down to JESUS CULTURE tomorrow at 9.30am to do some City Invading, or if you have no money but wanna get in on the Holy Spirit dance party action, come down at 5.30pm. 171 Rooks Rd, VERMONT (Just off Canterbury Rd - Victoria that is..)
4. The WA Police don’t like our ideas about Freedom Day, which means we’re going to have re-think our strategy a little. God grant us some more super-amazing ideas. Or tell those Police men & women to be nice to us. Plus, isn’t there something in the old rules that says The Salvation Army is allowed to gather in public anywhere they want to?
5. Our WA Social Justice group were talking about how we might need a bit of a budget for things we wanna tackle this year, even if for printing costs and the like.. I thought a nice starting figure would be $5000, so I put it out there, everyone thought it was a crazy optomistic number. Found out today the DC is willing to honour the $5000 for the year. Bring it!! I should make crazy suggestions all the time. So, $5000 isn’t that much, but God - please multiply it, so that we can to do our bit so that Your Justice can be seen.
6. Jesus is LORD.
