Clothed in Righteousness...

True Dutch Courage!

One morning mid last year this white man was simply stunned when news came through over the airwaves of a shooting in the Melbourne CBD. "This is Melbourne, not New York!" was my first thought (that reaction was actually misinformed as New York City has probably an equal or even less amount of street crime in their CBD than Melbourne does due to their successful zero tolerance crime policy but that's another discussion...). News continued to filter through that a Melbourne lawyer was dead and a woman and a backpacker seriously injured. It was revealed that the lawyer and the Dutch tourist came to the aid of a woman being assaulted by another male. The protagonist then produced a gun and the three were summarily shot. In time the offender was eventually arrested, charged, found guilty in court and sentenced to life in prison. And still an innocent man's family grieve their loss of a husband and father. Another woman still struggles to piece together her life after the trauma she was subjected to. And then there is the Dutch backpacker, Paul De Waard...

Paul De Waard, a young tourist on the other side of the world from his home made a decision one day to do the right thing. It can't have been an easy decision, after all he was here on a holiday in a country not his own and really, he didn't have to get involved in what transpired...but he chose to involve himself. And he has paid a heavy price for that act of heroism. This white man has travelled abroad and cannot imagine the dilemma of being faced with a similar situation in another country, let alone my own. Today Paul De Waard has been honoured with a bravery commendation and medal. It is both an appropriate and obligatory gesture no doubt, but even still it seems inadequate compared with the real legacy I believe this brave Dutchman has left in our lives here in Melbourne. For me, his legacy is this - a personal challenge. That come any time in my day-to-day life, if I was to be confronted with a scene alike what he was faced with, that I, too would remember his rightful actions and follow his example by not being content to be a spectator to another person's suffering but be willing and able to interject myself, even at personal cost if necessary. Moreover, I would expect it not only of myself but also, later in life when they are older, I would expect it of my sons. Why are my expectations worth the time of day? They aren't in themselves, but I also believe them also to be Christ's expectations and so at least for me that means something.

I feel personally challenged by this and consider the heroism of Paul De Waard a clarion call into the collective consciousness of Melburnians. How often to we keep walking past situations when we truly know deep inside that we should have stopped to help? How often do we cower to our innermost fears and retreat into self-preservation when confronted with the suffering of others? Let me tell you, this white man has heard the story of the Good Samaritan many, many times over. Yet honestly, it took a real life good samaritan on my own streets to fully reveal the deep truth Jesus taught one day in responding to a simple question "who is my neighbour?" I guess that Dutch guy knows the story of the good samaritan - whether he knows it or not, more importantly he lived it. May I also have the same courage to make that truth the testimony of my life as well.

Happy Birthday to the White Man!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

The Final Solution?

This white man duly noted with regret the recent executions of the three men infamously known to Australians as "the Bali Bombers". These three men, Imam Samudra, Muklas and Amrozi received exactly what they desired - martyrdom for their flawed insidious cause. Not surprisingly, most Australian families affected by the 2002 Sari Club atrocity indicated relief at the executions but few said that it really changed anything or provided any real sense of closure for them. They will always be without the loved ones who were callously taken from them that fateful night.

Let it be said from the outset - this white man vehemently opposes capital punishment. And the case of the Bali Bombers is no different. The simple fact is this - for those three misguided individuals death was not a punishment, it was their reward. Their executions will not be a deterrent to other deluded bloodthirsty zealots of the same terrorist cause - it will be an inspiration...something worth emulating to receive their due "reward" in Allah's paradise with a "harem-full of virgins" etc... So why execute these depraved three men? Surely if the Indonesian judicial system truly wanted to punish them then they would have denied them their wish of a glorious martyrdom.

Well I know that many will share an alternate opinion and say with an arguable amount of truth that the Bali Bombers got what they deserved. All this white man would say is that justice isn't so black and white. A Jewish peasant man proved that on one ground-shaking day when stones fell upon the earth as a broken woman cried for her life...and she lived. No justice isn't black and white but grace is all-consuming...

Verse for the day....

Knowledge is power?

It was Sir Francis Bacon, the English philosopher and statesman who famously quoted the popular saying "knowledge is power!" That statement can be understood in many ways but one way in which some people live out what they believe to be the essence of this notion goes something along the lines of "the more I know, the more powerful I become..." And that is why some unfortunate individuals in this world carry a self-harnessed cross because they are constantly anxious and even paranoid to know everything that is going on around them. Their equation is simple - to know means to control, or at the very least attempt to control. They are the troubleshooters in life who troubleshoot problems before they are even problems! They have no concept of feeling content not knowing about matters that are not their concern - for everything is their concern! This white man feels desperately sorry for people like that - especially in church circles. The only person I can recall who could ever adequately handle omniscience was Jesus Christ Himself! And He truly was the exception! As for me...well I fall back into the comfort of that other famous quote - "ignorance is bliss!"

Will they still call it the White House?

Amidst the euphoria of many pro-Obama supporters, not only in the United States but globally as well, this white man has had cause to reflect on President-elect Barack Obama's ground-breaking victory in the US presidential election yesterday. Of course much has been made of Obama himself, a highly skilled and intelligent man who ran a relatively near-flawless campaign to grasp the highest seat of power in the US, if not the free world. And of course one cannot escape the issue of Barack Obama's racial background - he will be the 44th president of the United States of America and the first not a caucasian white male. Personally, I found it poignant to hear repeatedly throughout the media coverage yesterday the deep echoeing voice of Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr reminding us of his dream, a dream for an equal, truly united America between white and black and anyone else in-between. The significance of the people of America's choice to elect their first coloured president cannot be lost upon those of us in the world who can now be of lesser doubt that the US is a land of opportunity for all. As Barack Obama himself said yesterday "It's been a long time coming. But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America." And that it has; America will never be the same.

Yet this white man wants simply to make one point. Whilst the racial significance of Barack Obama's victory should not be lost, let it be said that regardless of what colour the leader of a nation is, that alone cannot be the defining measure of who they are and how they will perform in their role. As the first Anglo-Australian ever ordained into the Vietnamese Evangelical Church of Australia I know that at the end of the day my skin colour counts for little when compared to who I am as a human being and how I do my job. And when they gather at my funeral some day I earnestly hope that the conversation about my legacy isn't focused on my ethnicity but rather on my good nature and integrity. So I will judge Barack Obama on how he tackles the mountainous task of re-building global respect for his nation and re-stabilising the economy. Whether he is black, white, red or yellow should not matter as long as he stands worthy of the high office before him and presides fairly and equally for all Americans.

Yet all that being said and at the risk of sounding contradictory, how long will it be before an indigenous Australian can ascend to the highest office in our great southern land? Hopefully in my lifetime! I have a dream too...

Back from Tranquility...

This white man and his family have just returned from a relaxing long weekend with good friends down Gippsland way. His blog will fill in the blanks tomorrow, along with some US presidential reflections and the like.

Grace & Peace!

Verse for the Day...

Halloween Truth...

This white man received this recently as a more Godly response to the celebration of Halloween. Not a bad reflection for your consideration..

A woman was asked by a coworker, 'What is it like to be a Christian?' She replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin.' God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.'

AMEN (and happy Halloween!)