In my latest efforts to be “green-er”, I have been re-using plastic bags. Washing, rinsing and hanging in the sun to disinfect means that they are as good as new (with the occasional hole). These bags I take with me on every shopping trip – bread bags for fruit and grocery bags for, well, groceries.
My odd ways have caused a few eye-rolls and head shakes from people at the checkout impatient to get home and consume their potato chips (I would be if I was buying them too). However, on Monday one lady at the butcher even dared to giggle. I realised that it was ironic to be re-using plastic bags while purchasing one of the biggest environmental killers, beef, but justified to myself that at least we are eating it only once a week.
However, my indignation soon turned to horror when I realised the reason for her smirk. I had given the mildly-handsome young butcher a plastic bag from the school tuckshop which had my name and phone number written on the outside. It had held the book order I had recently collected and was now being filled with 500g of premium mince.
I am desperately hoping that he and his colleagues hadn’t noticed or at least realise it was an innocent mistake. Otherwise, I’m not sure I can show my red-face there again.
Fortunately, I haven’t had a phone call from him yet...
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
The BIG Question
“Lisa, as well as looking after your family and all the effort that is in a developing country, you have also been able to assist various projects benefitting poor communities. What are some of the challenges the poor in Cambodia face and how can we help?”
This was the question asked by Ashley Withers, our missions pastor, at the morning and evening services at Gateway Baptist Church this Sunday. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest questions facing our generation. And with hundreds of people sitting there, waiting for what I would say, I was nervous. This is what I tried to say...
“Great question, Ashley. I think the biggest challenges that the poor face are the impossible choices they have to make. Recent research by the United Nations shows that the average Cambodian does not have enough income to cover life’s basics of food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.
One family we know were forced to choose between keeping their farm or selling it in the hope it would be enough to gain life-saving treatment in Thailand for their 21 year old daughter. (She died).
One man with severe back pain was unable to work and so took out a loan charging interest at 10 per cent per annum just to feed his family.
While these are extreme examples, there are also the everyday kind where a mother I know was unable to afford to use an electric fan throughout the night for years despite the pleas of her young daughter… they simply could not afford it.
So what can we do? A lot. You’d be surprised how much our lives impact the poor.
Gateway is a great giving church and I would encourage you to excel in this. But if we are serious about the poor, it has to go a lot further. We will need to make some tough choices of our own.
Firstly, choose to read with Bible with the understanding that we ARE the rich and take seriously the admonitions of God to care for the poor and not to oppress them.
Choose to live simply. If everyone in the world lived like the average Australian we would need seven worlds to support us. We are taking more than our fair share at the expense of others. (My heros in this are the generation of elderly people who grew up during the Depression and still now continue to live simply and give generously.)
If buying new, choose to buy fair trade where workers receive a wage they can live on. Our demand for cheap imports has serious consequences for the workers producing those items.
Choose to speak out for the poor. They have no voice and we can use ours to make a huge difference. Join the church Catalyst group and find out how. It is an election year here in Australia and everyone wants your vote.
And as we continue to take responsibility for our choices, it will change our prayers. We will pray more earnestly for the physical and spiritual poverty faced by millions.
Our lives and choices have a huge impact on the impossible choices of the poor. Choose well.”
It was longer than the allocated 2½ minutes (I had to pause a number of times to gather my nerves). Ashley was able to say it much more succinctly.. “Basically, it’s to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with our God”. Exactly.
This was the question asked by Ashley Withers, our missions pastor, at the morning and evening services at Gateway Baptist Church this Sunday. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest questions facing our generation. And with hundreds of people sitting there, waiting for what I would say, I was nervous. This is what I tried to say...
“Great question, Ashley. I think the biggest challenges that the poor face are the impossible choices they have to make. Recent research by the United Nations shows that the average Cambodian does not have enough income to cover life’s basics of food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.
One family we know were forced to choose between keeping their farm or selling it in the hope it would be enough to gain life-saving treatment in Thailand for their 21 year old daughter. (She died).
One man with severe back pain was unable to work and so took out a loan charging interest at 10 per cent per annum just to feed his family.
While these are extreme examples, there are also the everyday kind where a mother I know was unable to afford to use an electric fan throughout the night for years despite the pleas of her young daughter… they simply could not afford it.
So what can we do? A lot. You’d be surprised how much our lives impact the poor.
Gateway is a great giving church and I would encourage you to excel in this. But if we are serious about the poor, it has to go a lot further. We will need to make some tough choices of our own.
Firstly, choose to read with Bible with the understanding that we ARE the rich and take seriously the admonitions of God to care for the poor and not to oppress them.
Choose to live simply. If everyone in the world lived like the average Australian we would need seven worlds to support us. We are taking more than our fair share at the expense of others. (My heros in this are the generation of elderly people who grew up during the Depression and still now continue to live simply and give generously.)
If buying new, choose to buy fair trade where workers receive a wage they can live on. Our demand for cheap imports has serious consequences for the workers producing those items.
Choose to speak out for the poor. They have no voice and we can use ours to make a huge difference. Join the church Catalyst group and find out how. It is an election year here in Australia and everyone wants your vote.
And as we continue to take responsibility for our choices, it will change our prayers. We will pray more earnestly for the physical and spiritual poverty faced by millions.
Our lives and choices have a huge impact on the impossible choices of the poor. Choose well.”
It was longer than the allocated 2½ minutes (I had to pause a number of times to gather my nerves). Ashley was able to say it much more succinctly.. “Basically, it’s to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with our God”. Exactly.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
To be numbered amongst the numbered...
I’ve always wanted to do a triathlon – to wear a race number and counted amongst the “fit”. However, being a TERRIBLE swimmer (completing 50 meters free-style without lapsing into side-stroke was a huge achievement), I never thought it possible.
This weekend, I did it.
It wasn’t quite a full triathlon, but an “enticer” designed to encourage wider participation by the general population. 200 meter swim. 5km bike ride. 2km run. But still, I did it.
A good friend had invited (or was it “conned”) me to try it and since arriving back in Australia we have been meeting twice a week at the local public pool for training, plus a weekly run together. Steve was impressed. He says that me swimming is like a vegetarian eating a steak.
So on that rainy Sunday morning in Caloundra, I thought my expectations weren’t so high. For the swim, I only wanted to “not get rescued and not come last”. So I was stoked when I beat 18 others out of the water.
But I didn’t realise that I had one other expectation ... that I would complete it without having to stop and walk. But having pushed too hard on the bike leg, riding my husband’s over-sized hybrid, I was exhausted by the run. I had to stop and walk three times over the 2kms. I still placed in the top half of the group but I was so disappointed that I stopped and walked.
It gives me something to aim for next time, right? I’m just trying to decide if there will be a next time because I discovered this weekend that, while I love training, I hate racing.
Still, it might be worth it just to pose in a race number again. :)
This weekend, I did it.
It wasn’t quite a full triathlon, but an “enticer” designed to encourage wider participation by the general population. 200 meter swim. 5km bike ride. 2km run. But still, I did it.
A good friend had invited (or was it “conned”) me to try it and since arriving back in Australia we have been meeting twice a week at the local public pool for training, plus a weekly run together. Steve was impressed. He says that me swimming is like a vegetarian eating a steak.
So on that rainy Sunday morning in Caloundra, I thought my expectations weren’t so high. For the swim, I only wanted to “not get rescued and not come last”. So I was stoked when I beat 18 others out of the water.
But I didn’t realise that I had one other expectation ... that I would complete it without having to stop and walk. But having pushed too hard on the bike leg, riding my husband’s over-sized hybrid, I was exhausted by the run. I had to stop and walk three times over the 2kms. I still placed in the top half of the group but I was so disappointed that I stopped and walked.
It gives me something to aim for next time, right? I’m just trying to decide if there will be a next time because I discovered this weekend that, while I love training, I hate racing.
Still, it might be worth it just to pose in a race number again. :)
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