Harm Reduction

It seems harm reduction is back in debate around the world. Check out this article for an Australian angle.. the global debate happens at the UN as the war on drugs is considered a failure.. many experts opting for harm reduction as a better strategy. I'm not convinced - especially since the proponents of the argument are using Vancouver as the best example... I lived and worked in the area they are talking about for over 5 years and I can tell you that harm reduction (especially in that sense) is not working. Most addicts think it's funny - it's like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound... it's almost pitiful really. I still believe we should be heading towards harm elimination - and not settling for a simple reduction (and who defines reduced harm...?).
In an australian (and vancouver for that matter) context this means the beefing up of experimental and flexible treatment options (for women and children and whole families) to re-group and discover new ways of living... it means holding out for transformation for every individual - especially preventative action for young kids at risk (almost 80% of drug addicts in Vancouver are from the foster care system... the situation there has less to do with drugs and more to do with a societial breakdown of the unwanted and abandoned). Anyway, not to break down the whole debate in this blog but to suggest that godly people begin to use our imagination towards a better world - can we even imagine a world where people are free from the chains of addiction altogether - where children are welcomed into homes and systems where acceptance and love are easier to access than clean needles. I'm praying God will help us use our godly imaginations to change the world.

Pentecost

One of the passages of scripture I've been mulling over for New Zeal and for the UK (springharvest coming up) is Pentecost. it's an incredible account of the birth of the church. And one thing is for sure - in keeping with all births it is not 'orderly'. The Holy Spirit literally shakes, rattles and rolls the disciples OUT to people looking for answers from every nation. that day with boldness Peter stood before them with an account of the gospel and 3000 were added to their numbers! Great preach and great power.
Those are the secrets of God's kingdom come.... God's power for His purposes... not just for our peace of mind or comfort but for the salvation of the world. So, here's to new birth, presence and power - may the Holy Spirit continue to shake, rattle and blow us out of our comfort zones and into the world.

New Zeal

Just finished an amazing weekend in Wellington, New Zealand with warriors from The Salvation Army gathered together to seek God for a 'new zeal' in spiritual passion and energy for mission.
It was truly a hungry crowd as we gathered together to listen to God's words for now. And God spoke. Now, the challenge is to actually walk out what we heard. That is often the tricky part of a powerful conference... and yet, it's also where the blessings are. So, I'm praying for every participant of New Zeal that they would become the people God has called them to be. The release of the new book by Judith Bennett called White Cloud Soaring (about the 24/7 prayer movement in New Zealand) is a must read and for those looking in trying to figure out how to replicate the spiritual hunger and enthusiasm of the army crowd at New Zeal may need to take a page from the book and start praying now! Here's to revival in New Zealand. Bring it on.

Important article from The Age....

Brothels to spell out illegal slavery

Kate Lahey and Maris Beck, The Age, Melbourne; 12 March 2009

Brothels in Melbourne would be made to install signs telling workers and clients sex slavery is illegal, under new laws being considered by several councils.

In an effort to reach women brought to Australia illegally and forced to have sex, often for no money, the signs would offer phone numbers to seek help and information on Australian law.

The move comes amid claims from the Federal Police and brothel owners that sex traffickers are using Melbourne's legal brothels as a front for their trade.

A Melbourne brothel owner has told The Age of several approaches made to her to buy women.

"Over the past three years I would have had at least four to five people approach me with the offer of girls," said the owner of Collingwood brothel Le Boudoir, who asked not to be named. "They said the same thing. They had girls available, 'Would you be interested? They'll make you a lot of money.' "

Another woman in the sex industry said she saw a trafficker approach the owner of an outer-suburban legal brothel with photocopies of Asian women's passports.

"He was basically offering for them to work double shifts, seven days a week, and he was putting the idea to her that they didn't need to be paid, that the two of them would go halves on the money," she said.

"It's more prevalent than people think."

William Albon, of the Australian Adult Entertainment Industry, said his organisation was opposed to servitude and trafficking. "We find it a heinous and dreadful crime," he said.

He said industry members reported more than 30 advances from suspected traffickers during 2006-07, but none last year. He said traffickers had moved to illegal brothels.

Jennifer Cullen, from the Federal Police, said Melbourne was a "major destination" for sex trafficking and most trafficked women were found in legal brothels.

Kathleen Maltzahn, a former brothel outreach worker and author of Trafficked, agreed. "The women that I've met, almost without exception, have been in legal brothels. Really the best place to hide a woman is in a legal brothel."

She said the mandatory signs being considered by councils would help reach enslaved women who were often impossible to contact. "You may not get an outreach worker in there, but you can have a sign in someone's language that says 'If you're experiencing this, it may be sexual slavery, that's a really serious charge in this country and you can get help'," she said.

She said while some men did not care whether or not a woman was a sex slave, or enjoyed the fact that they were, occasionally clients wanted to help women in these situations but did not know how.

The City of Melbourne has drafted a by-law that would force brothels to put up signs. Other councils, including Yarra and Moreland, are planning similar laws.

Charter of Aboriginal Rights

From Kath Walker’s “Charter of Aboriginal Rights” (hattip AM)


“Give us Christ, not crucifixion

Though baptized and blessed and bibled,

We are still taboo and libeled

You devout salvation sellers,

Make us neighbours, not fringe dwellers

Make us mates, not poor relations

Citizens, not serfs on stations.”



Written in the 1960’s

FAIRTRADE

A Fairtrade Church Service (a few corps did this last year with great results)

Mothers Day (10th May) Have a fairtrade morning tea, what Mother wouldn't want to support something that meant children got education.

Movie and Discussion - Black Gold and China Blue are both really good. I have a copy of each which can be borrowed.

Get in a speaker to talk about it.

Fairtrade T-shirt Tie dying

Write to companies like Cadburys encouraging them to use Fairtrade.

चिकागो वर College

Chicago War college was a little taste of heaven on a heavy travel trip.
The warriors there (brand new start up year) are paving the way in holiness to transforming discipleship, mission and incarnation. Led by Josh and Jen Polanco and their faith-filled mission to transform Blue Island from the inside out... it's going to be fun to watch the devil run! Warriors around the world should be encouraged and inspired to pick up our pace in the fight for God's kingdom come. thanks Chicago War College - you guys are awesome! Check out the war college site.

Home

Well, it's a been awhile... not even sure where to begin.
I've been on quite a journey of late. In New York highlights were:
the UN - the City - the friends - the opportunities of connection/conversation and learning - and in Chicago - the parents - the reports on the fight against human trafficking - the peers - and VICTOR MALAREK (you must get his new book called the JOHNS and is an investigation behind the demand side of the sex-slave trade... it's an eye opener and he's a great presenter). There is no doubt that male sexual deviant behaviour is the driver behind the world's worst exploitation of women and children around the globe... a few of us have been thinking how we can re-shape the cultural acceptance of that in Australia... all suggestions welcome.

Anyway, now I'm in an airport waiting to board a flight for a 20 hour journey home and can't wait to see my fam.

I've been getting tonnes of reports from people who have taken the time to write Cadbury's and it's exciting... the more I think of Cadbury's position the more excited I am that we can really change injustice systems and shift the power back in the favour of the poor... that truly is good news. I'm living for it.

Cadbury's Australia - please go FAIRTRADE!!

This post was from Robyn Evans and on JUSTsalvos blog but thought there may be others who would/could participate...

Cadbury's Australia are not as yet going to commit to making Fairtrade Chocolate. But we want to encourage them to make the change. Click on the link and have your say to Cadbury Australia.

Below is a template you can use.

Lets be the change we want to see,

Robyn

Dear Cadburys

Cadbury UK have announced that Cadbury Dairy Milk, their best known product, is to receive Fairtrade certification by late summer 2009.

STOP THE TRAFFIK congratulate Cadbury UK on this ground breaking decision which comes two years into the STOP THE TRAFFIK Chocolate Campaign.

It has long been known that thousands of children are being trafficked onto cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast and across West Africa to harvest the cocoa that makes the chocolate that the world consumes. Despite the fact that industry committed in 2001 to remove all forms of exploitative child labour from the chocolate supply chain little progress has been made until now.

STOP THE TRAFFIK, a global movement against people trafficking founded in 2006, has been calling for individual companies to take responsibility for the chocolate they sell and asking for it to be traffik free.

Today STOP THE TRAFFIK campaigners around the world celebrate that in the summer 2009 there will be another traffik free chocolate bar.

However, it is only Cadbury's in the UK who are making their Dairy Milk Chocolate bar Fair Trade.

I am wondering if you can advise when Cadbury's AUSTRALIA will follow the UK's lead, and in fact, go a step further and make ALL of your chocolate products Fair Trade?

I look forward to seeing a guarantee that there is no slavery used in the harvesting of Cocoa and I also look forward to purchasing Cadbury's Chocolate once again when it carries this guarantee.

extravagant worship

Heard a sermon on the John 12 passage about the women who anoints Jesus' feet with perfume and washes them with her hair.
A very great reminder of the need to offer up to God our whole selves in an act of selfless love... it's so easy to become a spectator in worship and in spirituality - always critiquing, never really investing - always studying but never really listening... an easy trap. I was thinking about ways to combat against these tendancies and came up with some ideas:
1. stop judging. This was a big part of the sermon... I'm not the judge of other people's worship... so, if I remove myself from the judgement seat it could free me up to encounter God. I'd imagine this goes for the whole of life not just the corporate worship segments.
2. start listening. Create space for God to speak... intentional listening. Sometimes this is best done in my life through getting outside for a run or a walk... I tend to hear God best when I'm moving but still intentionally listening and looking for Him. But even in corporate worship I could do a better job at listening and looking for God in the midst of the activity.
3. obey. radical, instant obedience is one of the better recipes for godly engagement. When you hear the spirit do what he says. Right away. confession, prayer, worship, singing, witness, and reflection... all of those things and more. One of the great killers of worship is the rational quiet in-you-head conversation between yourself and the spirit... lose the wrestle and just try it out right away... could be surprising!

those are the top three to get us started on extravagant worship - I'll keep you posted.

Wanted

Time to take a deeper look behind the oppression called prostitution.
Check out CATW for more information.

Some GREAT news...

04 March 2009
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Cadbury goes Traffik Free

STOP THE TRAFFIK campaigners around the world are waking up to the news that in summer 2009 Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bars can be part of their diet.

Cadbury have announced today that Cadbury Dairy Milk, their best known product, is to receive Fairtrade certification by late summer 2009.

STOP THE TRAFFIK congratulates Cadbury on this ground breaking decision, which comes two years into the STOP THE TRAFFIK Chocolate Campaign.

Steve Chalke, STOP THE TRAFFIK founder, said, ‘This is a very significant step in our campaign. We congratulate Cadburys on their commitment to justice and now look to their policy being adopted across their entire product range as well as to their lead being followed by other manufacturers. But the STOP THE TRAFFIK Chocolate Campaign marches on. We now call on Mars and other manufacturers to follow Cadbury’s lead and abandon their reliance on the use of cocoa produced through trafficked and exploitative forms of child labour.’

STOP THE TRAFFIK CEO, Ruth Dearnley added, ’Cadbury’s decision demonstrates the power of ordinary consumers to bring about change and freedom. Two years ago, when STOP THE TRAFFIK met with Cadbury we were told that the decision we have witnessed today was impossible and impracticable. This is a victory for every person who has complained, campaigned and spread the message. But most of all it is a victory for every child held in exploitative labour on the cocoa farms of West Africa. However, let us not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - they will not be set free until Mars and Nestle and Lindt and Hershey and all the others have the integrity to put human rights before profit and make similar announcements.’

It has long been known that thousands of children are being trafficked onto cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast and across West Africa to harvest the cocoa that makes the chocolate that the world consumes. Despite the fact that industry committed in 2001 to remove all forms of exploitative child labour from the chocolate supply chain, little progress has been made.

STOP THE TRAFFIK, a global movement against people trafficking founded in 2006, has been calling for individual companies to take responsibility for the chocolate they sell and asking for it to be traffik free.

Today STOP THE TRAFFIK campaigners around the world celebrate that in summer 2009 there will be another traffik free chocolate bar.

LA

I've spent the day in Los Angelas as a result of New York facing a snowstorm and my flight being cancelled. It's amazing the kind of life and energy in a city... it reminds me that God is present everywhere. Today I saw Him in the eyes and lives of people of all kinds and shapes and sizes, the incredible beach scenes with mountain ranges in the background and the very blatent song sung by a busker Amazing Grace in the middle of a street market full of eclectic life. Top of the lungs, that's how he sang and that's a good way to sing that ballad. I'm going to try to sing as boldly with my life as he did with his guitar...