Signs of the Times

This sign at Redeemer University, where we are this week publicices a service offered by entrepeneurial students. They will check your assignments for things like spelling and grammer before you turn them in to be marked. It would be a better advert if they could spell "professor".


This slogan on a car in Wellington is equally perplexing. "I love to have fun. I love my family and friends. I love this beautiful planet earth. The reason why I choose this car is because it will totally satisfy my requirements for outdoor living. Well - tomorrow where shall we go?" Total satisfaction is quite a claim to make for any kind of transportation. The irony of proclaiming your love for the planet on a gas guzzling CO2 emitting machine is also evident.

Inconsistency is one of the characteristics of life today. Much of life for many people does not join up, they play different roles in different situations, adopt different personas online and can handle a degree of inconsistency without feeling it is hypocrisy.

We place a high value on "Undivided Life". Wholeness, health, healing and peace are all connected in the Hebrew idea of Shalom. Growing in integrity means joining up life; becoming the same person at work, at home, at church and online.

When I was a student a friend drew me a card which quoted from Paul towards the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians: "May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!"

In an age of fracture, fragmentation and disconnect it is a reminder that there is only one who puts us together again.

Sprint Customer Service

Sprint Wireless in the US has just written to a over 1000 of its customers effectively telling them that their custom is no longer wanted. These people call the customer helpline with greater frequency, are more demanding and harder to please. They have been told to make alternative arrangements and that their wireless service is being terminated.


"Our records indicate that over the past year, we have received frequent calls from you regarding your billing or other general account information," the letter reads. "While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of our ability, the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs."
"Therefore after careful consideration, the decision has been made to terminate your wireless service agreement effective July 30, 2007."

This is a landmark decision in customer service. It takes away the idea of the customer “always being right” and replaces it with a cost benefit matrix of service provision. Annoying customers are not worth effort even though ironically the company motto is “Where our customers come first”.


The most dissatisfied people do take up a disproportionate amount of time. I can see the attraction of blowing off complainants rather than resolving complaints. It is quick and easy and immediately puts up your consumer satisfaction ratings.


Sprint has had a reputation for poor customer service and poor network coverage. For the first quarter of 2007, it reported a loss of 220,000 monthly subscribers. This was the third quarter in a row the company had a substantial loss of these types of customers. Sprint argues that they routinely “audit” customer complaints and what they are doing is not unusual. It is hard to see how the policy improves public perceptions of customer service.

It does make me wonder how this policy could be applied in other areas. Expel the worst behaving 10 per cent of kids in a school and tell their parents to make alternative arrangements. Extradite the most argumentative and awkward citizens. Fire the awkward members of staff. Take the most difficult members of a church into the car park and explain politely but firmly that they should go away and never come back.

I guess many ministers would have a handful of people that consume a disproportionate amount of time and emotional energy. Most of us have people in our lives who drain, complain and complicate our existence. Some of us have people who have wronged us in the past or continue to do so in the present.


In Matthew 18 Peter asks Jesus how often he has to forgive his brother before he takes the Sprint solution. “How many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? I do not know how irritating Andrew Peter’s brother was but he offers what is culturally a generous suggestion of 7. There was a cultural three strikes and your out kind of a rule so Peter is doubling it and adding 1 to be on the safe side. Jesus replies 70 times 7; by which he does not mean 490 strikes and you are out but rather to keep forgiving time without end.


Jesus illustrates the extravagant nature of this with a parable about a servant who is forgiven a debt of 10,000 talents. 10,000 talents was an unimaginable large sum of money, it is the largest unit of denomination (1 talent was 6000 drachma) combined with the biggest number that could be used. It is like us saying a billion or a zillion dollars, more than could be paid in many lifetimes.

Jesus message is that those who have been forgiven much must forgive plenty.
Our policy on forgiveness is born in the context of the table rather than the desk.

This is what service looks like: giving up rights and taking on responsibilities, administering grace. Resolving of conflict, exercising forgiveness, listening, adapting and changing together are all opportunities for learning and growth.

How we treat the marginalised, the dissatisfied, the difficult and the demanding says more about the reality of faith than how we relate to the happy and the comfortable.

So if you are thinking about complaining about any of this don’t bother. I have a little black list of people that I used to be glad to be in relationship with and it’s getting longer all the time! But if it's me that is causing the problem i'd be grateful if you could cut me a bit of slack.

Team New Zealand

“I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.”


The call of the sea resonates in these islands. New Zealand is a seafaring nation. People arrived by waka, frigate and sloop, the sea has been a lifeline, a living and a recreation. Today NZ has the highest level of boat ownership in the world, New Zealanders have won every major international sailing title, including the America's Cup (twice), the Whitbread Race (three times), the Admiral's Cup (once), the Kenwood Cup (three times), the Southern Cross Cup (four times), New Zealanders have won more than 60 world titles, while sailing's 10 medals make it New Zealand's most successful Olympic sport.


Alinghi and Team New Zealand are locked in maritime combat for the oldest prize in world sport. The Auld Mug or as it is more properly known the Americas Cup. There is a buzz in the air here as people talk excitedly of the race the night before. I don’t begin to understand all the intricacies of how you race these yachts but they are an awesome sight on full sail. It is fascinating to watch the crew at work. They all have clearly defined roles including grinder, bowman, navigator, strategist and helmsman. If you look at what they are each doing you would hardly believe that they were involved in the same endeavour. Grinders are furiously working their handles, while someone up the mast is calmly scanning the horizon for wind shifts and another is preparing for the next tack. Each crew member playing their part is essential for the skipper to race the yacht competitively. It is a great picture of the truth Paul talks about to the Ephesians Chapter 4 albeit using a different metaphor! “Under his control the whole body fits together so that when each part functions as it should the whole body builds itself up and grows through love”.



In a different Team New Zealand, people with different characters and complimentary gifts, from diverse backgrounds are united in common cause and contend as one person for the cause of the gospel in Aotearoa and to the ends of the earth.

An Americas Cup yacht has a crew of 17 onboard during the race but there is a back up team of around 150 people providing support, logistics and back up. This does not include the sponsors who largely fund the enterprise. Our Team New Zealand has a back up team. These Friends, Graduates, Churches, Trusts and Supporters are an essential part of the fellowship and enable us to do the work that God has called us to. We are hugely grateful for your prayers and partnership with Team New Zealand.


Our confidence is not in programmes, resources, people or budgets. We have thought often through this year that it is “not by might or by power by God’s spirit” that the work of God is advance. Like the other Team New Zealand we appreciate that our activity is very dependent on the wind.
We look to Jesus and the sovereignty of God realising that “The wind blows where it wishes you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” In the providence of God we want to go sailing today!

Join us in the next phase of this adventure and pray that God would fill our sails with the wind of his spirit and enable us to work together, under his command for his glory.

I like the middle verse of “Sea Fever” by John Masefield best

“I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls cry”

A story for Uncle Jerry

This is the kind of story Uncle Jerry likes.


Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo are high school students at Pakuranga College in Auckland. In 2004 they were doing a science project. Science Fairs are a big thing here and kids do projects together and often pick their own topics. The girls decided to measure the amount of vitamin C in some of their favourite drinks including Ribena and Just Juice.

Their experiment came out that Ribena had 22mg of vitamin C and Just Juice had about 72mg this came as something of a surprise as the company advertisements seemed to suggest that Ribena had four times the vitamin C of Oranges.

They wrote to the company and got no response, so they telephoned and again got no reply. Being persistent teenagers they contacted the Advertising Standards Authority and Brandpower and again drew a blank. After all who is going to back a couple of teenagers against the mighty GlaxoSmithKline. The TV consumer programme "Fair Go" picked up the story and suggested the girls contact the Commerce Commission. They did so but put the issue on the backburner until the case made the news a few weeks ago.

The verdict was delivered last Tuesday. The girls now aged 17 were in court to hear the verdict.


The company was fined $217,500 after admitting it mislead customers about the vitamin C content of the blackcurrant drink.

The company appeared in Auckland District Court to face charges alleging 15 breaches of the Fair Trading Act.

It admitted that its cartoned Ready To Drink Ribena, which it claimed had 7mg of Vitamin C per 100ml, in fact had no detectable Vitamin C content.

The company also admitted it may have misled customers in advertisements saying the blackcurrants in Ribena syrup had four times the Vitamin C of oranges. The judge said that while it was true that blackcurrants had 4 times the vitamin C of oranges this was not true of Ribena.


They have been ordered to place half page adds in all the National Papers here.

It will almost certainly affect global sales. If you want to see a particularly poor web site they have their response on www.ribena.co.nz

The vitamin C issue has also brought more negative publicity, for example the statistic that Ribena has 3.5mls of sugar per 100ml wheras Coke "only" has 2.6mls. The Ribena figure equates to 9 teaspoons of sugar per 250ml average serving. We won't be buying Ribena anymore and suspect we wont be the only ones.

The reason Uncle Jerry likes this kind of story is that it shows a couple of ordinary people can make a difference. Two schoolgirls taking on the second biggest company in the world and winning is terrific. Weakness overcoming power, and the difference that a couple of committed teenagers can make. I can see the powerpoint presentation as I type! It's not quite Erin Brocovich but it is good fun!

But it is also an example of the importance of listening. Somebody read the first letter from the girls, someone else fielded the first phonecall. They were probably in "Customer Relations". Which usually seems to mean not caring much about customers at all. It amazes me how many companies put such little emphasis on frontline customer interface. Usually when you bother to write you get ignored, fobbed off or processed. You very seldom feel that you are getting through to the decision makers or that they want you to.

This site gives you a flavour of some of the other ways you can do business, GlaxoKlineSmith take note!

http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/CUSTOMER-MADE.htm

and whoever you are next time you get a letter from a teenager....I'd recommend reading it.

Situational Ethics

In a world without moral absolutes, right or wrong depends on the situation. What may be absolutely fine in one set of circumstances would be totally unacceptable in another.
Trumpet ice cream have a great add here called Togs or Undies which illustrate the idea perfectly.

The basic premise is to decide when togs (swimming trunks) become undies (underpants).

The commentary goes:

“How far away from the beach do togs become undies?
Skin tight swimming togs an item of clothing you’d happily wear in public but not in public.
So how far is too far? So let’s begin…
Togs togs togs…
Togs togs togs…
Togs togs togs…
Togs… Undies.
Undies undies…
Undies undies…

If you can’t see the water you’re in underpants.
Local supermarkets.
Pedestrian crossings.
Office buildings.
Public transport.
Anywhere more than 300 metres from the water’s edge, all underpants transformation areas.”



You might be able to see it here.

The key, deciding factor to the issue is if you can see the sea you are wearing togs. If not the same garment has to be classified as underpants.

When does consumption become exploitation? When does sex become abuse? Is there a basis for universal human rights or does it just depend on the circumstances?
Probably the most common view of morality is that it depends on consequences. Something is right or wrong according to its outcomes. It is okay to do whatever I like as long as it does not hurt somebody. Not easy to assess objectively how my pleasure and somebody else’s pain should be weighed.

Joseph when facing seduction by Potiphar’s wife in Egypt exhibits a morality which is not just to do with circumstances and consequences.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2039-41

He determines not to sleep with her because it will be an act against his Master, Potiphar and will be a sin against God. Not only will the act betray the trust and rip the social fabric of his human relationships it will have spiritual consequences.

Biblical morality does not consist of absolutes, which are contingent only upon themselves. It has its origins in being made in God’s image and God’s character being the source of whatever standards of behaviour we practice and advocate.

There is a God who does not change from situation to situation; geographically, historically or culturally.

The big moral questions are decided not by reference to the beach but by reference to God. Which may not help you decide if you are wearing togs or undies but it may help with truth or lies, selfishness or sacrifice, freedom or oppression, activism or pessimism, indulgence or restraint, tolerance or prejudice and other important issues.

Barely a third of all Americans believe in absolute standards of right and wrong, and far fewer hold to a biblical worldview, according to an August 2005.
The poll by The Barna Group, a Christian research organization, shows that only 35 percent of Americans believe in absolute standards of morality -- that is, believe that right and wrong do not change with time or circumstances.
Thirty-two percent of Americans say that morality depends on the situation and the circumstance, while 33 percent say they do not know if morality is absolute or relative. The poll involved interviews with 1,002 adults in July 2005.
Moral relativity is often reflected in such statements as "that might be true for you, but it's not true for me" and "who are you to judge?"
"The fact that only 35 percent of all Americans believe in moral absolutes provides some frightening insight into our culture and the future of this country," Craig Vincent Mitchell, instructor of Christian ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, told Baptist Press.
"This statistic translated means that most people are willing to do whatever they can get away with. ... With so many rejecting the idea of moral absolutes, it is only a matter of time until our society collapses. A moral society is a happier society and a more successful one. An immoral society is one that destroys itself and its citizens."
But despite the outward rejection of moral absolutes, people still believe in absolutes "when it involves them or what belongs to them," Mitchell said.
"It is also interesting to note that most people who reject moral absolutes believe that Hitler was evil," he said. "No one believes that Kenneth Lay did the right thing for his employees or investors when he was the CEO of Enron. In other words, what people say or profess is often one thing, but what they really believe is another."

Smelly Work

So what does your church smell of?

Now before you start thinking I have lost the plot completely and am heading into the realm of marketing manipulation lets face up to a reality. Your church does smell of something at the moment. Possibly wood polish, old paper, slight damp or industrial cleaning product. Maybe that smell you get in charity shops or second hand stores. If you are from some traditions incense or burning candles.
Research apparently indicates that 75% of our daily emotions are triggered by smell but 80% of commercial communication is targeted at eyes. A growing band of companies are looking at signature scents as a means of creating positive associations for their customers.

Singapore Airlines, a pioneer in the area use their own perfume called "Stefan Floridian Waters" in the hot towels, flight attendants fragrance and in the air in the cabin.

Omni Hotels spreads the scent of lemongrass and green tea in hotel lobbies of its 40 North American hotels. Omni also uses a chocolaty coffee scent in some coffee shops as a way of creating "a sense of place".

Have you walked into a bakery and smelled that warm and comforting aroma of just baked bread? Some local bakeries have an electronic dispenser that sprays an artificial baking scent into the store every few minutes.

Thomas Pink have the aroma of "line-dried linen" wafting through their stores.

It seems to work both ways. Smells with which you have a positive association will make you feel good about the place. This is why some house sellers roast a couple of coffee beans under the grill before open home viewings. But you can also create your own association by people having a positive experience and liking the smell.

It is not a new idea. The Romans commonly used incense in Triumphal Processions the smell premeating the atmosphere and slowly spreading into the crowd.

Paul picks up the idea in 2 Corinthians 2 from verse 14

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."

There is some amiguity in the image of the procession. Paul could be thinking of sharing in the triumph with Christ or walking with the prisoners with Christ. In either event we are the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ to the world.

The image shifts but remains centred on the sense of smell. We are not just an aroma to the world but to God himself. Here Paul is picking up some old testament imagery where the burnt offerings of his people are portrayed as a sweet smell. Noah in Genesis 8 makes an offering where there is an association of the smell with forgiveness, acceptance and a covenant (as well as a visual aid - the rainbow). In Exodus 29 the burnt offering is described as a sweet aroma to God but there were undoubtably smell associations for the people too!

The smell that we are has positive and negative associations depending on who you are. To those who are being saved it is the fragrance of life, leading to life - like the old "Bisto" adverts. To those who are perishing it is the smell of death.

I think the way our churches smell matters but I figure what we smell like matters more.

It's not easy, its not for profit, it requires sincerity recognising that it is God who calls and approves us.

In short - it's smelly work.

What would you rather?

Scotch tape are running a competition in NZ.

First prize is either a trip to Scotland or 3 Apple Imacs.

You apparently get to choose which of the two alternatives to select.

At least they have quantified what the experience to acquisition ratio is.

Could be a market for a formula that could work out cash or material alternatives to all of lifes experiences.
If your going to sell your soul - you might as well know what you can get in return.

Superman Returns

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s a muscly blue bloke with red accessories who flies and has a yellow S emblazoned on his chest in case anyone is confused about his identity. Yes! Superman has returned. After an absence of x years from the big screen the man of steel, with the allergy to kryptonite is back on the sliver screen. He still has the worst disguise of any superhero, favouring a pair of glasses, while others shroud themselves in hoods and masks. Superman remains the most globally recognised hero with special powers. He is an American icon, coming from outside the country, growing up in Smalltown and finding a place in Metropolis with a steady job and a few good friends, from where he quietly exercises his responsibility as protector of the weak, enemy of evil and saviour of the world.


For much of his life the man of steel stood for three ideals. Ideals that could be openly articulated and found widespread agreement not just in Metropolis but around the world. He fought for Truth, Justice and the American Way. The returning Superman only contends for truth and justice. In 2006 it is not possible around the world to connect truth and justice with the American way. It is interesting to observe as I have travelled to different countries how the United States has moved from a position of admiration and aspiration in many peoples minds to one of fear and loathing.

America, in its latest caped crusade has become more the embodiment of Batman. Dark, dysfunctional, driven by revenge, with vast wealth, the most technologically advanced gadgets and few friends. In fact Bush as Batman and Blair as Robin would make a great PhD thesis, even if it has not always made great television.


I do not buy into the all pervasim anti-American fervour. I believe there are many ordinary Americans who share God’s concern for truth and justice.
The problem is with those people of all nationalities who are more interested in
claiming that God is on their side than seeking to be onside with God

God is concerned with truth and justice. He has shown humanity what is good – that we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. He does not endorse particular countries and automatically bless their foreign and domestic policies. Jesus says “blessed are the peacemakers”.

“God Bless America” is a commonly used phrase stateside. Offered as a genuine prayer its impact could be powerful.

If my people who are called by name would confess their sins, turn from their wicked ways and humble themselves and pray; then would I hear from heaven and answer their prayers and heal their land.

Now that would be super.


[Oh and a word of caution. If you are of a nervous disposition while flying – its probably wiser to choose an alternative in flight movie. The plummeting jet scenes will work better on DVD in the serenity of your own living room!]

Minority Report

It is not easy navigating in a landscape devoid of familiar markers. My family and I have now been in New Zealand for nearly a year. There have been a whole host of things for us to adapt to: giving way to right-turning traffic, paying for medical bills, different Weetbix and the pronunciation of vowels. This cuts both ways, of course. In the UK, I have met with Kiwis adjusting to queuing in post offices, driving on motorways and living without pineapple lumps, milo and friendly faces.

I am not sure that we feel entirely at home anywhere at the moment. I can empathise with the question: “How Shall we Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land?” It is a vital question, which has implications not just for the dislocated but for all believers, even those who have never left the land of their birth. How do the people of God live in an alien environment with opposing values, morals, ideas and religious philosophies?


How does anyone live as a minority community in wider society? Through history there have been three main approaches to this issue:
• Assimilation–where the minority loses its distinctiveness and becomes absorbed into the collective culture, perhaps contributing something of value in the process.
• Isolation–where the minority withdraws and attempts to isolate and inoculate itself from the majority.
• Colonisation–where the minority changes the majority culture so that it becomes like them, taking on their values and characteristics.

I believe that a key problem of the church through history and of the church in Western culture is that we have conceived of our role in society through one of these approaches. Assimilation is the mistake of the liberal; giving the unbeliever less and less to disbelieve. Isolation is the error of the pietistic; abrogating responsibility for wider society while constructing an irrelevant haven. Colonisation is the fallacy of Christendom; seeking to influence positively but unable to untangle the eternal from the temporal.

The Bible presents us with a powerful alternative approach to the problem: the notion of Exile. I believe the rediscovery of this radical fourth approach is vital for the people of God today, and provides a prophetic theme for TSCF to pick up in these days.

The Exile was extremely significant in the history of the people of Israel. All the things that had been seen as key to their identity, security and prosperity were lost. Yet, when we read the scriptures, we see that in Exile a new paradigm for being the people of God emerges. Israel’s identity is rooted primarily in their relationship with God and in a future hope connected to his promises. They are to love and serve the Lord; they are to make an impact where they are, but they are to live with the hope of a future return. They are to seek the welfare of the city, build houses, plant crops and have children. But they are to get involved in Babylon remembering that they are not Babylonians and that in 70 years time God will rescue them and take them back to where they belong.

Exile is a powerful paradigm for the church in the world today. We are called to live as a faith community in enemy territory, with one eye on the future. As believers, we live as aliens and strangers in the world, fully engaged but waiting for Christ’s return.


To do this effectively our identity needs to be centred on the gospel. We need a fresh confidence in biblical, cross- centred evangelism, which clearly focuses on Jesus. The gospel is not uncertain, since God has revealed himself to us in his word. The truth is not simplistic but it is simple. It is not an abstract concept. It is rooted in the person and work of Jesus, centred on his death and resurrection, and orientated towards his future return.

In Nigeria, I once met a businessman who had been an international student in the UK in the late ’90s. “Nobody knows what church stands for anymore”, he told me. “I was searching for certainty, looking for absolutes. I was attracted by the teaching and person of Jesus and by the clarity of the scriptures. But the modern church in Britain has abandoned this simplicity for a sophisticated irrelevance. That is why I turned to Islam.” The persuasive articulation of truth is vital if people are to understand the gospel, which defines our identity and delivers salvation and hope.

We also must be discovering new ways of being the people of God today. The triangle between where people live, work and worship is getting bigger all the time. The structures that served the gospel in the last century are not necessarily going to serve them this century. Over the past year we have been considering the transition of graduates into the workplace. Many graduates are entering professions or businesses where they will live as a minority.

Connecting Christians at work, encouraging them to sing the Lord’s song together rather than just whistle their own tune, and resourcing them in evangelism is the great opportunity and challenge of today.

Our Graduate Initiative will seek to facilitate the transition from final year student to first year of work through short term mentoring programmes and resources. We are starting to put resources on the web site which are relevant to particular professions. Initially we are targeting medicine, law, nursing, teaching and business. This will be supported and complemented by a physical professional resource centre in Wellington.

We are also developing strategies which will help make OE a more positive spiritual experience through international networks and we are looking to better support international students as they return to their home culture. Churches around the world are increasingly realising the importance of being more intentional in equipping members for work. It is both a means of honouring God and of involvement at the heart of society. Proper engagement with the marketplace is absolutely vital if we are to be salt and light in the world. The workplace is the vital arena for most Christians to connect with culture, share faith, build relationships and manifest the essential difference that Christ makes through word and action. We want to be at the cutting edge of this in New Zealand.

We must be God’s people and bring colour to the washed out landscapes of communities that are living away from Him. As we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, may our music lead many lost people home.

From "Canvas" November 06

Surfing in China

China's internet users lead the world in chatroom usage. Each Chinese Internet user holds an average of 7 chatroom accounts. China has nearly 100 million instant messenger users and approximately 123 million internet users.

Zhejiang University, a prestigious Chinese University has advised first year students not to use laptops to stop them wasting study time surfing. Mr Cheng Yi, director of recruitment said increasing numbers of students were becoming addicted to the internet. Between September 05 and July 06 two thirds of the 90 students who dropped out of the university did so because of internet addiction.

The newspaper reported a student named Sun "The intention is good but have they realised that we could just as easily hang out in Internet bars for the whole night?"

Sun, on the basis of this brief quote, does not appear to countenance a life which does not involve 12 hours of internet usage a day! He probably only surfs to be sociable.

Bringing Life to your office.

As I was parking outside a building last week the rentokil operator was getting back some gear from their truck.

I walked in behind them, reading the slogan on the back of their tee shirt. "Bringing life to your office".

Life Bringer as a job description sounds so much better than EXTERMINATOR.

Interesting idea that putting something to death may be motivated by a desire to bring life.

Would be a neat thing for your average Christian to have on their back going to work.

The key is not an inscription on the back but an incision in the heart.

"Bringing life to your office" becomes a growing reality when something is put to death.

Colossians 3 could have big implications for where you work.

It's about being true to who you are rather than what you were. Putting to death that which belongs to that which is dead and living differently, with and like the one who is and has brought life.

Some pest control is way beyond rentokil but the life that it brings is way more substantial.

in both cases, though, people in the office will appreciate the difference.

The Ladder

Toby Barraud, Kiwi film maker living in New York, interviewed in "Metro" May 2006.

I asked him in a follow-up email if he ever saw himself coming back to New Zealand and - before predictable talk about how if he had children he would want to raise them here - he wrote that his time in New York had been mostly hard work, struggling to survive and get ahead.

"But of course, now that everything is in place I think about changing it all again by moving somewhere else. I guess that's the nature of attainment - it's not until you get to the top of the ladder that you wonder if it's propped against the right wall."



Not sure where this cartoon comes from - will acknowledge if I can find out - but it's making the same point.

Alcohol in New Zealand

New advertising campaign in print and television is trying to address attitudes to alcohol in New Zealand. The theme is "It's not the drinking - it's how we are drinking" and seeks to link behaviours with outcomes by stressing consequences. Coming from Scotland I am hardly in a position to lecture any culture on its attitude to alcohol.

But for a country which prides itself on a healthy, outdoors, quality of life culture the kiwi statistics are interesting. Remember our population is just over 4 million - which makes some of these figures quite stark.

88 percent of men and 83 percent of women are happy to claim that they are drinkers.

Nearly half the population thinks that it is okay to get drunk.

25 percent of current teenage drinkers admit to having drunk at least five glasses of alcohol
at least once in the last two weeks.

125,000 teenagers under the age of 17 fall into the category of binge drinkers. 75,000 will
drink regularly – once every two weeks – and binge. 50,000 drink at least once a week and
binge, usually with the intention of getting drunk.

635,000 adults drink at least once a week and binge. 785,000 adults drink regularly, often
every day, and with equal regularity binge.

1.2 million drinkers are okay with bingeing or accepting of bingeing and regularly do so.

450,000 of us were binge drinking on our last drinking occasion.

In New Zealand we estimate that alcohol harm costs somewhere between $1 billion and $4
billion a year.

It costs the public health sector $655 million.
It costs in crime and related costs $240 million.
It costs in social welfare $200 million and in other government spending $330 million.
In lost productivity, it costs about $1.17 billion a year.

Alcohol is responsible for 70 percent of accident and emergency hospital admissions.
75 to 90 percent of weekend crime is attributable to alcohol.
One in four women can’t remember what they did while drinking.

The advertisements aim to get New Zealanders to see the connection between getting drunk and the harms that result.
"It's not the fact that we drink that's the problem; the problem is how we drink, that is, the excessive per occasion consumption," says ALAC Chief Executive Officer Dr Mike MacAvoy. "The first step to change is to get people to link that pattern with harms, and at the moment many don't recognise that connection. We're not likely to get behaviour change if no-one thinks it's their problem. So that is what our advertising campaign will do at first.

"New Zealand is a nation that seems to pride itself on the 'save it up for Friday night' style of drinking, the 'we deserve a drink' perspective or consider 'it's a rite of passage that causes little harm'.

Why are we drinking so much? Why are we so accepting of teenagers and students abuse of alcohol?
What is complicated too is working out what is cause and what is effect. If we are serious about addressing the issue we need to be tough on the things which drive people to drink, like poverty and unemployment.

Perhaps after all that - you feel you need a drink.

My Life is Lost

I live on an island. The majority of people on this island were unknown to me before the plane brought us here. There is much that is hard to understand in this world: What is the nature of the opposition? What is the meaning of the messages? How do we make sense of our experiences?

This much I have in common with the characters in "Lost". Admittedly there are some significant differences.I have not had to cope with polar bears, hide from "the others" or press buttons down the hatch.

The genius of "Lost" is that it draws you into a mystery. We are moving towards the Series 2 conclusion in NZ and there is much that is unresolved. I guess the writers may know where it is heading. I presume they had a plan to end it plausibly at the end of Series 1 if the ratings bombed. Actually I doubt if the final denouement will be satisfying but answers is not really what "Lost" is about.

"Lost" is about a journey, it concerns the relationship of characters with complex pasts into which we are granted unique insights. Each of the main characters has a story. There is no single hero and no one leader.

One of the interesting dynamics is between Locke and Jack. I heard a sermon recently in the US which tied together two quotes highlighting their relationship.

From Exodus 2 in Series 1

LOCKE: I believe that I was tested.

JACK: Tested.

LOCKE: Yeah. Tested. I think that's why you and I don't see eye to eye sometimes, Jack. Because you're a man of science.

JACK: Yeah. And what does that make you?

LOCKE: Me? Well, I'm a man of faith. Do you really think all this is an accident? That we, a group of strangers, survived, many of us with just superficial injuries? You think we crashed on this place by coincidence? Especially this place? We were brought here for a purpose, for a reason -- all of us. Each one of us was brought here for a reason.

JACK: Brought here. And who brought us here, John?

LOCKE: The island. The island brought us here. This is no ordinary place. You've seen that. I know you have. The island chose you, too, Jack. It's destiny.

and from Orientation in Series 2

JACK: No. It's not real. Look, you want to push the button, you do it yourself.

LOCKE: If it's not real, then what are you doing here, Jack? Why did you come back? Why do you find it so hard to believe?

JACK: Why do you find it so easy?

LOCKE: It's never been easy!

The point being made was that the way of faith is not easy but that faced with the evidence there is no real alternative.

Interesting as that thought is - it misses much of what "Lost" has to say.

As I learn to live on this island, not the Lost island but Aotearoa, I need to appreciate what makes my fellow travellers who they are, listen to the questions, issues and challenges which arise from the context and communicate honestly out of experience. Yes there is hope, yes there is rescue and yes there is One who seeks and saves. But to tell that story well...

I need to learn again what it means to be lost.