How to serve a community during a flood
I was talking to my friend Mike O’Connor on Facebook today. Mike is the minister of the Presbyterian Church in Rockhampton. And I love the way he thinks about how to serve and engage the Rocky community. He’s got a good eye for a media story and keeps Christianity on the agenda in a positive way.
I’ve been watching on Facebook as the Rockhampton flood situation unravelled. Mike has been on the front foot the whole time. And the stuff they’re doing up there, with help from his network of friends around the country, is pretty phenomenal.
Here’s a little video they put together:
Here’s what they’ve got on the agenda as a church so far as Rocky continues to deal with current flooding, and future clean up. From Mike:
What they’re doing
1. We have become the child care facility for anyone wanting to have their kids minded during the clean up
1.a We are going to do evening BBQ to feed people when they pick up their kids
2. We were GIVEN 5 chest freezers (new) yesterday to freeze meals to give to people and when we’re done we can give the freezers away.
3. We are still organising a team of people who can just labour – door knocking an area to assist people in the clean up.
already in place and set to roll when the waters go down.
4. Obviously helping people from church flooded in.
How you can help
This sounds like a CMS ad – but you can help by praying, giving, or going.
- Pray for the Rockhampton Church as they seek to serve their city.
- There was a team from Brisbane lined up to come to Rockhampton to help – their status is now “unsure.” If you’ve got some spare time in the next weeks or months, and would consider travelling to tropical North Queensland to help out – let me know, and I’ll pass your details on to Mike. They’re particularly interested in hearing from tradesmen of all varieties. Especially electricians – who need to certify each house. But they’ll take anybody.
- Give money…
You can give money to the Presbyterian Church’s Flood appeal by Direct Debit:
Presbyterian Church of Queensland
Westpac Bank
BSB 034 010
Account No 131237
Calvin and Hobbes: Fight Club
This had to happen sooner or later. Two popular “texts” dealing with imaginary friends.
Brought together. So good.
You can’t walk straight…
It’s true. But don’t worry. Apparently neither can I. Nor, in fact, can anybody else.
According to this video anyway. And it’s so well made that I have to believe it.
The Building I work in…
So, I have a summer job. And for today and tomorrow that summer job involves sitting at home. Not being flooded. This is why. This is the building I am working in.
Maybe Friday won’t be my first day back after all.
Best termination notice ever
I want to get a job at Dominos just so I can replicate this… (slight language warning).
Oldies choir sings hip-hop with organ backing
Eminem eat your heart out.
There’s a few songs here. Watch to the end.
The conductor is just a little bit too enthusiastic.
Driving in cars with ploys
This video made me laugh for some reason.
The world’s most under-enthusiastic film clip participants
If you were going to make a film clip about God using kids for ministry – a notion I have no problem with1 you could at least pick a bunch of kids who looked happy to be there.
1I think God uses kids. I think kids participating in ministries is fine, and evangelising people is fine, and generally the concept of kids being Christian children (as opposed to the ideas popularised by Richard Dawkins). I think these things are fine only if the kid is acting under the kid’s own (and God’s own) steam. Just want to put that disclaimer out there… in case you think I have a problem with the sentiment of that song – and not just the apathy expressed on the faces of those children.
Colby is less apathetic though. I suspect this might be the original version of that song.
Dead birds and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
People get in real trouble if they try to link world events to specific acts by members of specific governments. We saw that with Danny Naliah yesterday. Exhibit B is YouTube Prophetess (or televangelist) Cindy Jacobs – who suggests a bunch of birds are dying because of a decision to repeal the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy regarding homosexuals in the US Army.
If we could track God’s direct intervention in judgment like these guys suggest:
a) I’d be a very rich man.
b) He’d be using a better logical connection than “the Governor’s name is B.B and this is happening in a place called B.B.”
c) He’d be doing much nastier things to much nastier places. Queensland is Australia’s Bible belt. We’re the birthplace of Ken Ham. Why isn’t Kings Cross flooding?
H/T Scotteriology.
If JW theology was a He-Man cartoon
There are some doubts about the origins of this cartoon (found at Scotteriology) – said to have been produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses to explain their faith. The sword and fireballs are my favourite He-Man-esque scenes.
This serves alongside the South Park Mormon episode, and this other video, as a bit of a primer on the difference between these Cultic offshoots from Christianity and the rest of the flock.
Danny Naliah: Australia’s Westboro Baptist
Some people should learn to keep their mouths shut. A few years back Danny Naliah had much of Australian Christendom on his side when he spoke out against Islam and fell foul of Australia’s religious vilification laws… free speech is important. But it seems he has a desire to walk around as a test case. Here’s his idiot filled statement about the Queensland floods.
“Around 8pm on Friday night the 7th of January we had a strong prompting by the Holy Spirit to repent on behalf of Australia. As we started doing so, I was reminded that every time America went against Israel, there was disaster in the land and this has been documented over the years.
Then at once I was reminded of Kevin Rudd speaking against Israel in Israel on 14th December 2010. It is very interesting that Kevin Rudd is from QLD. Is God trying to get our attention? Yes, I believe so.
Also the Lord said to us, “ I will humble Australia and bring her down on her knees. As she has taken pride in my blessing, and man has taken the glory and not given it to Me”.”
Idiot.
Apparently the floods are God’s punishment of K-Rudd for speaking against Israel. This is the same guy who said the bushfires were God punishing Victoria.
I wonder what he’s going to do if New South Wales goes under. And you’ve got to wonder what these people did wrong (using his thinking).
Here’s what Jesus said about people in natural disasters (from Luke 13) as quoted last time Naliah opened his stupid mouth…
““1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.””
Don’t be one of those classless Christians who meets people’s grief with talk of judgment. I’ve seen murmurings like that from friends on Facebook. And I don’t like it. Sure. Judgment is part of the broken world we live in. Be one of those Christians who meets grief with love, and the promise of hope in Jesus.
That is all.
Book Review: Just My Type
I just finished reading what I think is possibly the best book you’ll read on Fonts and typography. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’ll change your life… it changed the font here on St. Eutychus. I decided I was bored with Georgia and switched to Palatino. They look almost indistinguishable.
The book takes an entertaining walk down memory lane, stopping to study different fonts – as though they’re shopfronts – along the way. It makes the most of the Interweb’s collective fascination with typography – featuring the type of thing you’ve no doubt encountered here and elsewhere (including a vivid description of Max Kerning).
You’ll learn fun facts about Helvetica and Arial, the history of Futura, German blackletters, old school printing press movable type… how fonts are designed. You won’t regret it. Promise.
If you’ve ever been curious about the world of type but not known how to dip your toes in – or if you’re a bona fide expert who knows your baskerville from your goudy old style – then check it out. It’ll no doubt provide some good blogging fodder over the next few days before I return it to my dad. Who I borrowed it from.
More flood photos taken with Instagram
I like this app a lot.
The Go-Between Bridge from the Library window
Boats doing their thing on the river
I took a walk down to the pontoon on the way home.
The walkway is pretty covered
It started getting a bit foggy
I managed to get the train home
And I reckon this sign was a little redundant
