TSA have partnered with the various funding bodies for some time now. The relationship has on the whole been an amicable one where their ideals have not conflicted with our mission and values. It has been a win-win, but the days are coming where those who fund our services will require greater accountability, and may challenge our positional statements and values.
TSA was once a major player in the social sector, particularly in Victoria, but there are now many players who are gaining the ear of Government policy and funding decision makers, with new models of service delivery. There is a real need to build our ability to speak up and speak out against social injustice, but back this up not only with quality research, but also with a model that facilitates our research into a deliverable pilot service model.
We have the ability, the relationships with academic bodies, and currently, the good will. We have the blood of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit and the compassionate heart of our Father God, but do we have the courage to challenge current thinking?
It is time.
Friday 13 July 2007
Thursday 12 July 2007
How are you, really!?
“How are you?”
“Fine”
“No, how are you, really?”
A good friend will ask the second question, just as a good friend will give an answer the first time that makes the second question unnecessary.
Real friendship is all about truth-telling, and our answer to the question “How are you?” says a lot about the depth of a relationship. For many of our more casual relationships, “Fine” will do just fine. We have neither the time nor the trust established for telling more. Quite honestly, people are usually not expecting to hear more from us than this.
Unfortunately, I think we get into placating each other a lot as Christians, which is unfortunate because of all people, we can be the most honest because of Christ's forgiveness and God's love which remains a constant in our lives. Still, we have gotten the idea that good Christians are always happy and on top of things, and we try and perpetuate this myth. The tragedy is that we are probably all hurting in some way, but no one knows. All it takes is one person to jump out and risk the truth to discover they were among friends and fellow-sufferers all along.
I have a mate who lives in South Australia, and we regularly ask each other the ‘hard’ questions. We account for each other. This was a choice that we both made about 15 years ago. I gave him permission to be ‘in my face’ with his enquiry of me. We agreed that there would be no boundaries to the questions offered.
There have been times when I have been embarrassed (and rightly so) by the strength of the challenge, but I am a healthier Christian, more caring to my family, a better person for the enquiry.
All of us need someone to whom we can answer, “Not well,” when in fact that is the case. Who is that to you? I have found that this works best when the person is not someone you have daily contact with. The separatedness can created the integrity you need for such a relationship to be beneficial.
Do you find yourself saying “Fine” a lot when inside you are aching to tell the real truth? Well step out and try a “Do you really want to know?” on someone you think can handle it. You might just find out that help and empathy are closer than you thought. If being a part of the family of God is worth anything, it should be worth a few “How are you, really?”s, don't you think?
“Fine”
“No, how are you, really?”
A good friend will ask the second question, just as a good friend will give an answer the first time that makes the second question unnecessary.
Real friendship is all about truth-telling, and our answer to the question “How are you?” says a lot about the depth of a relationship. For many of our more casual relationships, “Fine” will do just fine. We have neither the time nor the trust established for telling more. Quite honestly, people are usually not expecting to hear more from us than this.
Unfortunately, I think we get into placating each other a lot as Christians, which is unfortunate because of all people, we can be the most honest because of Christ's forgiveness and God's love which remains a constant in our lives. Still, we have gotten the idea that good Christians are always happy and on top of things, and we try and perpetuate this myth. The tragedy is that we are probably all hurting in some way, but no one knows. All it takes is one person to jump out and risk the truth to discover they were among friends and fellow-sufferers all along.
I have a mate who lives in South Australia, and we regularly ask each other the ‘hard’ questions. We account for each other. This was a choice that we both made about 15 years ago. I gave him permission to be ‘in my face’ with his enquiry of me. We agreed that there would be no boundaries to the questions offered.
There have been times when I have been embarrassed (and rightly so) by the strength of the challenge, but I am a healthier Christian, more caring to my family, a better person for the enquiry.
All of us need someone to whom we can answer, “Not well,” when in fact that is the case. Who is that to you? I have found that this works best when the person is not someone you have daily contact with. The separatedness can created the integrity you need for such a relationship to be beneficial.
Do you find yourself saying “Fine” a lot when inside you are aching to tell the real truth? Well step out and try a “Do you really want to know?” on someone you think can handle it. You might just find out that help and empathy are closer than you thought. If being a part of the family of God is worth anything, it should be worth a few “How are you, really?”s, don't you think?
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