Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

Place: in the car

Poison: water

Favourite things: home

Land is such an envied commodity in our society.

We work hard to purchase it. We work hard to toil it. It works us hard.

Land is something that nations fight over, land is something people have lost their lives for. Land is precious.

In our times land equals wealth, land equals potential, ownership of land places you at the top of the food pile.

Why don’t we place more value on
our spiritual land then?

What is in the physical, mirrors the spiritual.

Each and everyone of us has spiritual land that we have been given.
You have a field, a hill, a plot, a desert, an ocean of land set out before you.

What is your land?

Proverbs 12:11 says this

‘he who works his land will have abundant food but he who chases fantasies lacks judgement.’

We sat discussing this verse at Hugo’s in Manly tonight as the sun set, before we stepped on a plane towards home.

The conversation was simple but has the potential to be life changing.

What is my land?

What has God set before me to plow, seed and grow?

What is your land?

What have you been privileged with…

More than ever our world chases fantasies, a reality tv, quick success, obsess driven society, full of quick take away meal goals.

Fodder, chewing gum, big macs of the mind.

If only I won the lotto, if only I just got that big break. A culture of if onlys.

Scripture implores us however that we each have been given an inheritance, each a promise, each a purpose, each land.

What is your land?

Find it, plow it and make it grow.

A

Place: SPARC

Poison: white tea

Favourite things: a room full of innovative people

Where is your truth?

What is your truth?

Truth

What is it?

We were designed to live a provocative life. The word provocative has been framed and tainted by this world. Yet it originated in a place of stimulating a response in others.

To provoke.

To prod.

To intersect.

pro·voc·a·tive/pr??väk?tiv/

Adjective:
Causing provocation, esp. deliberately: “a provocative article”.
Arousing sexual desire or interest, esp. deliberately.

Are you deliberate in the way you live your life?

What is the soundtrack of your life provoking in others?

Truth.

Truth pointing to beyond. Truth that leads people home.

Truth.

Your life is leading people somewhere.

Towards sexual desire

Towards consumerism

Towards manipulation

Towards beauty

Towards presence

Towards Him

What are you provoking?

You were designed to provoke something. Step away from the side of the hall, step forward into your arena, provoke response.

A

Place: darlinghurst

Poison: Pepsi max

Favourite things: sparc

He sets a table before us in the presence of our enemies.

Are you facing enemies?

Do wolves surround you barking?

Are there friends you thought were for you that are now against you?

There is One who wants to sit down, to eat with you, to toast life with you, to speak of greater things to come.

He sets a table. He sets a banquet. A feast awaits. He sets a place. He lights a candle. He pours you a glass of wine.

He is Lord.

He is friend.

He is not your enemy.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Ruminate with Him, discuss with Him, laugh with Him, Reflect, design and debrief.

I love hospitality.

But do I understand the hospitality of Christ? I’m not sure I believe I can sit with him for hours, undone, with no guilt and refresh my soul.

A banquet awaits dear friend.

Eat, drink and be merry.

Your enemies will retreat as they spy you sitting down laughing with your maker.

A

Place: the crabtrees

Poison: roast chicken

Favourite things: time to reflect

In the background of the house I am staying, all day a looping track has been built to create space.

It’s airy, light, it’s operatic, it’s luminous, it’s sacred.

A sacred space is being constructed. A sacred space is being built. It’s foundations are keys, it’s rafters are ebbs and flows. The music is being constructed ready for our conference tomorrow.

As I listen it causes me to stop. To step out of the traffic and reflect, to ponder, to read, to create.

A sacred space.

Where is your sacred space?

Is it in the charts of a music score?

Is it in the glare of a untouched canvas?

Is it in the folds of fabric unhemmed?

Your space awaits you.

Creativity is burgeoning.

A friendship between you and an idea is evoked.

A sacred space.

It’s prepared.

It’s encountered.

It’s deliberate.

Find your space today.

A

Place: Jeff and Julie crabtrees house

Poison: red licorice bullets

Favourite things: new sheets

I stood in a space today that continues to reflect the image of God through the ages.

A collection of bricks, a slathering of mortar, paintings, stained glass windows, surrounded by homeless folk, prostitutes and businessmen.

I wonder what prayers the soft sand of the limestone bricks contain? I wonder what hands were held in secret in the pews? I wonder what lives have been radically transformed on top of the floorboards? I wonder?

Innovation is at the very core of Gods being.

He created.

The earth was formed by His breath.

We were birthed by His thoughts.

Colour, life and friendship were designed by His words.

God is colour. God is life. God is friendship.

They all reflect His beauty, they all reflect His being.

Without God, colour has no meaning, without God beauty is futile.

Without God friendship bears no fruit.

Innovation is the foundation of our being. You were created to reflect Him. He innovates we reflect it. We innovate we reflect Him.

What is it that you are reflecting?

How long since you have created something new?

How fresh is your connection to the Creator?

Innovate
Create

Can’t wait for the next few days… The Inaugural SPARC conference 2012.

A