Please pray for Zoe and the DMC team out in Thailand. They were meant to go on outreach today, but on returning back to the guesthouse last night discovered they had been robbed. Apparently in the afternoon an English man checked into the guesthouse and left later in the afternoon with cameras, cards, phones, passports, money etc.

Their trip has been delayed as a number of them (though not Zoe) have had to get new passports and have been sorting out their insurance.

I'm going to try and pull together a paper on these ideas at some point, but for now I'll just give a few of my thoughts on giving over the last week.

we need to try and embrace grassroots projects
by this I mean projects which are able to take most of the money which is given and applies it directly to the problems. I was chatting with Matt the other day and he told me that one of his friends out in India is able to carry out cataract operations for £15. This means that every £15 that was sent would give someone their sight. When compared with giving to Oxfam, which uses most of its donations to fund its staff, this is a far wiser way to invest.

In order to do this we should take advantage of our faith links
There are followers of Jesus all over the world who are working day in, day out in the poorest of people. We should network with these people and find routes of giving which will make most use our money.

Learning to live simple lives
We are told day in day out what we "need." I was struck recently when hearing about Zoe's experience visiting Thai Hill tribes. She slept on a hard floor in a wooden hut and was woken up by a rooster at 3am. It's incredible that most of the world live in these conditions. On the particular outreach she was on they were building a well, laying piping etc. Isn't it shocking that we take for granted having large sheltered accomodation, internet, coffee, tea, extravagant food etc. when there are people for whom a good supply of water is a luxury?

By living simply we can free up 'spare money' which would enable us to give more.

But how do we define simplicity in the midst of such a complex society? Where do we start?

Check out this article in the Guardian - it gave me hope that there may be a way of checking George's powers.

Just a quick round up of the last few days...

Going clubbing with my parents
There's this funk club in Cardiff called the Toucan. We went there to hear Sambaloco - a Brazillian drum'n'bass star. She sings on some of DJ Marky's tracks and was there (we thought) with her band. It was a new experience for all of us going into a club with my folks, but they seemed to have a laugh - particularly when this middle aged woman (Elaine) tried to chat up Matt.

Unfortunately when this lady, the dnb star came on she was like a one woman band. She sang and played sax, drum, keys and guitar all the while accompanied by her ibook. To be honest it was like a very talented version of a karaoke. It was funny though.

Easter Sunday
Yesterday Tim came round for lunch and we spent some of the afternoon organising our European travels in the summer. It took us a while to decide on the best flights but it looks like we're flying into Prague in early August and then out of Barcelona in early september.

Later we all sat around the table, ate Simnel cake and (in a rather belated fashion) meditated on some of the stations of the cross, discussing them as we went along. To be honest I've only come across the 'stations' recently and yesterday was my first experience. It's funny because while my folks are from a generation that was eager to flee religiosity in tradition, I've not ever experienced these things so it's real nice to be able to dip into them. It's so good to talk about Jesus, to learn from each others' perspectives and to allow the words to enter and fill our hearts.

I was struck by Mary sat at the foot of the cross hearing all these people walking past hurling insults. The mixed feelings she must have had - having heard God's promises and stored them in her heart, now her son is hanging there on a cross having abuse hurled at him. The way that even in the agony of the cross Jesus thought of others. He, as the first born, ensures that his mother is cared for. Having given up everything to follow Jesus, John now gains a mother through his saviour.

I've just been reading Altiero Spinelli's "The Ventotene Manifesto." He's a maximalist who believed that we should move towards a federal Europe (a 'super-state'). I often come across little pearls while reading political theory which relate a little to this journey of planting faith communities.

In the final paragraph of chapter three he states:
"The time has now come to get rid of these old cumbersome burdens and to be ready for whatever turns up, usually so different from what was expected, to get rid of the inept among the old and create new energies among the young."

He also talks about the need for leaders in times of revolution. Referring to democrats he states "they are suitable leaders only in times of ordinary administration" but that "During revolutionary times, when institutions are not simply to be administered but created, democratic procedures fail miserably." However he's not advocating some form of despotism which is why it made me think of the kind of paradigm we're in. How to be the kind of leader (to borrow from Todd) who can genuinely admit "I'm glad it's me sat here in this prison cell and not you"?

Regarding the identification of leaders, Spinelli states: "it must pick out and recruit into the organization only those who have identified and accepted the European revolution [instead read Kingdom of God] as the main goal in their lives..." Ok, maybe the last one was a little tenuous, but it got me thinking a little...

Occasionally I find my skin crawling at the question "how big's your church?" It's funny really but it seems that our 'movement' (if that's what it is) has become a little too intent on being small. I'm not saying that small is bad, but I am saying that a faith community that isn't growing isn't healthy. I think the perspective needs to be planting lots and keeping them small, rather than just 'being small.'

I'm not scalding myself for letting my skin crawl at those questions though. It'd be nice if people asked "so how's your disciple making coming along" - other forms of growth are just as important.

I think I'm rambling.

I was just watching Sky News. The camera was running by a road in Basra and they zoomed in on this family car. There was this tiny little girl sat in the window waving at the camera with a smile on her face.

A little quote I found on the howies website:

"On a journey of a thousand miles, we have not put our boots on yet
This is where we have got to on the journey of ours.
The journey is by no means complete.
And the journey so far has taught us some important things.
Like where we want to go. And just as importantly, where we don’t want to go."

Wow. I think I'm about to explode. That 'banquet' was great. Pan-Asian, therefore lots of noodles, pilau and fried rice, saag aloo, balti, naan...then Dr Pepper. Advice: don't drink fizzy after 3 plates of curry. I was happy as I won when we took bets on when Matt would arrive. I guessed 8.05pm and he strolled in at 8.01pm. Not bad.

We're having a guys night tonight - curry at the King Balti. They do a "banquet" which I assume is their version of eat as much as you like. I haven't eaten much all day, so I'm adequately prepared!