Functionality, the god.

[fuhn-zchion]

Jaw is sore.
Doctor diagnoses as "...cause of stress, fatigue"
Teeth gritted to finish the job
A job well done
Job = done well.

Three people:
Leader. Follower. Slacker.
Enmass, machination
Teeth gritted (right down) to complete the job.
A job well done.
Job = done really well.

You will take the phones
While I, the banking
And you(th) to scan out the back there is a problem?
Problem. Problem.
We solve it, and then it's a
job well done.
Job = done brilliantly well.

--------------------------------------------

Enough of you do not deal with the wound.
There is a problem. You ignore it. You smile and you are polite and you make small talk but you do not deal with the problem.
This is incredibly, desperately, damaging.
Pick your battles. Be assertive and not aggressive. Anger is a valid emotion, but (with)in your anger do not sin. This is difficult, but we'll get there.

Too many of you worship Functionality, the god.
The god who lets someone continue in ignorance for the sake of not stepping on toes.
The god who smiles politely to mask deep, gaping wounds.
The god who has become so great at putting on a mask you are the social link-up.

Functionality has made you a fake.

This is not life. This is bondage to your own ideas of self preservation, when Christ came and died and was resurrected so you could live your life filled with non-agenda'd, love-for-the-sake-of-love for others.

-------------------------

My best friends and I are going to spend a weekend away crying.
It is the best idea we've had all year.
Then one of us will get married.

Three confident, gorgeous, highly functional women in the eyes of the world:
A first class honours graduate in a corporate job.
A high school dux, multi-lingual, highly versed bride-to-be.
And me, the indie muso and soon to be social work graduate.

What do you say, that the Lord sees only sleet and His justification,

The resume blows away like chaff
And what is left?

Delight.

This dress, it was my mother's. She must have been a size 7 at twenty years of age. Her tiny waist slipped comfortably into the zipper stage, where my own thighs struggle.

A rip, and a seamstress's brilliance later - a hug for a greeting. His hand enters mine. Surprise.

I say, are we? now?
He says, if you are fond? and then
I don't say. I shrug.

I adore his eye. Attention to minute detail, every subtlety well surpassed by onlookers rushed, rushing, ransacking treasure with the mind. But he is the one who stops. And looks long.

And confusion
imminent . Be spoken of!
I am withdrawing words, eating each echelon concept because, because

Belief: He will speak of it on his own accord.

I say, I am not ready yet,
that was silenced to me.
He says, our pace?
I say, is your decision.

He asks (like he is seventeen and I, sixteen and
this is 1954 and
we are yet to be acquainted with technicolour films)
if I would be his girl.

I would be his girl.

Take aways

Speak slowly, clearly, and respectfully to everyone. Sorting out miscommunication is such a waste of time.

Nothing says 'community' like walking through your old primary school, working for the AEC in your local suburb, chatting to the Korean retailers, asking the librarian for good old fashioned find-a-book help, and strolling home after dark, feeling perfectly safe. It's taken me ten years at least.

Singing to Father is good for the soul.

If a boy asks you to have coffee with him, he is not asking you to overanalyse his every text message into insanity. He is just asking you to have coffee with him!

You are only responsible for so much. (Psalm 16)

Card making is not only therapeutic, it's cheaper and more personal to the card-makee.

Some people really are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Journalling over coffee is always a good idea, so find your favourite cafes in at least four suburbs and enjoy!

Relax about the future. Seek first the Kingdom. Trust God.

Every person, no matter what age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality (whether you agree with their lifestyle choices or not), were made in the image and likeness of God.

We all have opinions. It's not always appropriate to air them.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. When words are many, sin is not absent.

Persevere with the contexts God has put you in. If you aren't sure that Father has placed you there, consult with an older and wiser Christian who walks with you.

Make sure you are constantly, always, continually, daily walking with fierce gospel carriers, fat with the love of Christ in them...

Criticisms bother us because we think they might be true, but not nice. We weren't called to be people of nice, but people of Truth (in love).

I am no longer ashamed to admit that given the opportunity, I would happily give up everything to be a full time Mum! (Yet I really have no idea what this entails).

We are called to love everybody. This doesn't mean we have to like them, become their best friend, say 'yes' to every ridiculous request they make, or listen to their potentially poisonous words. Regretfully, the uniqueness of every person means a personalised treatment of love to each.
[P.S. He, Jesus, was pierced for OUR transgressions, and bruised for OUR iniquities, suffering death on a cross for US! So LOOK directly towards Him.]

Everyone is often in their own fantasy land, their own dream. Some exceptional people are not essentially self interested and so have trained themselves to see things from another point of view. Aim to be one of these people.

the ransacker's rip

Red ones with gold characters
Discovered
By the un-oriental, and who knew our culture but us?
Amount you gave me that year, Cousin, we won't know.
And it's too rude to ask.
Recover the love letters
Entitled with all your names, all of them
And I stopped writing them only because
They were (no longer)
between us.

frozen lake

Three bags of cocaine

Led your two month old baby boy
to me

Rest assurred,
I will kiss his tiny face to sleep
Until he feels adored.

And his sister, your daughterIs the most beautiful little girl I've seen
She made up her own rules for tic tac toe
She was x and I was o, o, oh.

For one night they will stay near the beach
And for two weeks
They will play with the horses
(Shame baby's not old enough to "neigh")
Nanna,
Come flying on a jet plane
Scoop up the babies
I hope you have a good relationship
Cos you will raise the kids from now

I wonder if you were more desperatefor love or money
Did he make grandiose promises like
"I'll be your man baby,
I'll be the one to protect your kids"

A ma with bubs is so unsuspecting
What shall we say to your offspring?
That Ma wants you to go skate in the frozen lake down the park 'cross the street
While she attends to business overseas (?)

Young lady

As you fall asleep on your knees
If you could wish for one thing from us

I know it would be to see her again

Mama,

Come back on a jet plane and

Scoop up your babies

I hope that when it's explained to them

They don't discredit your love

Say goodbye
As you embrace her and your little man

I hope you maintain the relationship

Cos you won't see your babies for a while.

Jessica Santosa Music

Copyright 2010

Currency

Every time I'm stoned on the couch
My newborn baby cries:
"You have withheld your love from me again"

Every time I judge you
As I walk down the street
The Holy Spirit grieves.

Every time I blog
About the selfishness of Westerners,
I allow you no chance to defend yourself.

Every time I abruptly answer you
One ear hole is blocked
With an extra mouth

All the times
I fight wars with petrol bombs
In the name of God
I am endorsing belief in anything but-

Every time I refuse to make plans with you
It means I really think
I am better than you

Every time I pay another woman to sleep with me
It's not cheating it's variety
I am the fool.

And each time I fall in love
With the flesh and blood because I am lonely
I keep saying,

eternity is not good enough
I want the temporary.

eternity is not good enough
I want the temporary.


Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me.
Psalm 66:20

This is what is wrong with us.

I am so excited.

Brother Yun is coming to Sydney this Sunday!
He is behind "The Heavenly Man".

I wanted to type out an excerpt from his autobiography explaining the iron bar non-surrender of the Western world. I don't care how harsh this is. You and I both need to hear this.

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From page 296:

Many pastors in Europe and America have told me they want to see great revival. I'm frequently asked why China is experiencing revival but most places in the West are not. This is a big question to answer, but some reasons are very apparent to me.

When I'm in the West I see all the mighty church buildings and all the expensive equipment, plush carpets and state-of-the-art sound systems. I can assure the Western church with absolute certainty that you don't need any more church buildings. Church buildings will never bring the revival you seek. The pursuit of more possessions will never bring revival. Jesus truly stated, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15.

The first thing needed to return to your churches is the Word of the Lord. God's Word is missing. Sure, there are many preachers and tapes and videos of Bible teaching, but so little contains that sharp truth of God's Word. It's the truth that will set you free.

Not only is knowledge of God's Word missing, but obedience to that Word. There's not much action taking place.

When revival came to believers in China, the result was thousands of evangelists being sent out to all corners of the nation, carrying fire from the altar of God with them. When God moves in the West, it seems you want to stop and enjoy His presence and blessings too long, and build an altar to your experiences.

You can never really know the Scriptures until you're willing to be changed by them.

All genuine revivals of the Lord result in believers responding with action and soul winning. When God truly moves in your heart you cannot remain silent. There will be a fire in your bones, like Jeremiah, who said, "His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in, indeed I cannot." Jeremiah 20:9.

Furthermore, it's only when we step out in obedience and share the gospel with people that we come to know God's blessing in every are of our lives. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote to his co-worker Philemon, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon 6.

I've seen people in Western churches worshipping as if they're already in heaven. Then someone invariably brings a comforting message like "My children, I love you. Don't be afraid, I am with you." I'm not opposed to such words, but why is it that nobody seems to hear a Word from the Lord like "My child, I want to send you to the slums of Asia or the darkness of Africa to be my messenger to people dying of their sin"?

Multitudes of church members in the West are satisfied with giving their minimum to God, not their maximum. I've watched men and women during offering time in church. They open their fat wallets and search for the smallest amount they can give. This type of attitude will never do! Jesus gave his whole life for us, and we give as little of our lives, time and money as we can back to God. What a disgrace! Repent!

This may sound strange, but I even miss the offerings we used to give in China. On numerous occasions the leader of a meeting would announce, "We have a new worker who is leaving tomorrow to serve the Lord." Immediately every single person would completely empty their pockets of everything they had. With that money the worker would buy a train or bus ticket and leave the next day.

Often this money was not just everything we had in our pockets at the time, but everything we owned in the whole world.

Just because you have a church building doesn't necessarily mean Jesus is with you. He is not welcome in many churches today. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

To be continued.

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