Is climate change going to be THE issue of the next federal election?

Both Labor and Liberal parties have different ideas about what should be done to tackle climate change, and both have different ideas about when and how Australia should go about reducing emissions.

The Labor party – says it will be aiming to reduce emissions by 60 per cent by 2050

The Liberal party – hasn’t yet set a target, but says it will do so next year. The Prime Minister says a carbon emissions trading scheme will be implemented by 2012.

But is this an issue you even care about in the lead up to the Federal election?

Is a policy on climate change important enough to you – to sway your vote one way or the other?

Maybe policies on education, health or welfare are more important to you than action on climate change.

I want to know how crucial an election issue this will be for you?

Brendan wants to know how long he should wait before asking out a girl who broke up with her long term boyfriend a month ago.
 
He met the girl shortly after she broke up with her boyfriend and doesn't want to be insensitive to her needs, but also doesn't want to 'miss the boat'....he would like her to know that he's interested.
 
How soon is too soon for Brendan to bring up the subject with her?

At the moment he sees her once a week at church and they chat occasionally.

He’d like your advice on this one….

DISCUSSION POINTS:

• Does Brendan, in his eagerness, run the risk of rushing things?
• Should he even be thinking about a relationship with her, so close to her having to deal with a breakup?
• Should he get to know her a bit more first…or is it OK to dive in, and put his affections for her ‘out there’?

I wonder if you were as sickened as I was this week to hear of the Dutch reality program called The Big Donor Show, where three nervous candidates would compete in front of a prime-time audience for one life-saving kidney operation.

The show worked like this: 37 year-old Lisa, a terminally ill cancer patient, agreed to donate a healthy kidney, but wanted to establish a connection with a ‘deserving’ person so her family could feel her death had kept someone else alive. Three candidates would share their story—talking about their lives, their family, their friends, and their dreams for the future. Viewers would advise Lisa of their choice by text message. Then Lisa would choose the winner.

When  first heard about The Big Donor Show I jumped on my computer and wrote an editorial, likening it to the gladiatorial combats of Roman times where we, the TV audience, like the Colosseum crowd, would gather round, chanting and salivating, waiting for the emperor to give the thumbs up or down to those in the ring. I said it would be a grubby, exploitative, immoral TV show that decides the fate of three desperately ill people through a popularity contest.

Then the news broke yesterday that it had all been a hoax! The show went to air but soon it was discovered that Lisa was an actress, and the three kidney transplant patients were in on the whole thing, to raise publicity for the low number kidney donations in Holland. Time magazine, the US media, our ABC—we were all duped!

When I first heard about The Big Donor Show I was disgusted and outraged. Then a thought came to me, which still haunts me. If the show had been true, and had aired here in Australia, would I have watched it? Would my sense of moral outrage have translated into action, or would I have secretly taken a peak to find out who got to live, and who got to die?

There’s something in us humans that is attracted to scandal; something in us that likes to stand at a distance and watch what we shouldn’t. Someone yells ‘fight!’ in a schoolyard and a crowd flocks to watch. We sit glued to shows like Jerry Springer, watching angry ex’s publicly expose their partner’s affairs. We listen to talkback shock jocks demean and humiliate callers they don’t like. Even something as ‘innocuous’ as a gossip session provides cheap and easy titillation at someone else’s expense.

There’s something in us that wants what is wrong. If The Big Donor Show had been real, I hope I would’ve maintained moral integrity and not watched it. Of course, in the end that would’ve meant I missed the surprise! Here lies the quandary—the producers of The Big Donor Show cleverly gained the publicity they wanted for a very serious issue. But their tactics may have actually alienated the conscientious viewers who may have actually gone and done something about kidney donations.

Floods, evacuations, train disasters—these past few days have been full of tragedy. It got Kirsty and I thinking about resilience, how we develop the strength to get through the hard times, and that brings up the issue of community support.

To bring through a sense of hope into the equation I’d love you to tell me about a time when the community came through for you.

Your family might’ve been struck with illness, perhaps you were unemployed for a time, maybe you lost your home and possessions in a disaster. How did others come through for you?

It might’ve been your church community, your neighbourhood, a bunch of work colleagues.

Describe a time when the community came through for you—what happened, who helped, what was the impact on you?

I spent a day and a half at the Sydney Writer’s Festival last week. One part artistic, one part intellectual and one part bohemian, it’s an event largely inhabited by creative, philosophically-minded, melancholy sorts wearing lots of classy blacks, browns and charcoals, plus the odd lime-green scarf and turtleneck sweater. Between sessions you find scores of people sitting at tables, latté in hand and nose buried in some new hardback. It’s quite a sight.

It’s here that authors, playwrights, aspiring wordsmiths and plain old book lovers come to ponder the big issues of life, loss, hope, longing, politics, war and dreams. And what I found interesting was the amount of religious talk that filtered through the event. Some of the sessions had obvious religious themes: Ayaan Hirsi Ali spoke about her book Infidel and her renouncing Islam; Robert Kenny talked about Nathaniel Pepper, Australia’s most prominent Aboriginal convert to Christianity; there were typical sessions on the interplay of religion and politics too.

But matters of the spirit slipped into other conversations as well. One author spoke of her great admiration for the Aboriginal worldview, the ‘Dreaming’, calling it an all-encompassing poem of life. On another occasion an audience member spoke of the supernatural phenomena he saw while visiting Uluru. Queensland-born novelist Janet Turner Hospital talked about her experiences living in the racially-divided US state of South Carolina. She was most touched by a black newspaper columnist who told her he copes with regular death threats by praying. Even actor Richard E Grant said he felt most spiritual when he’s acting, and that one of the most profound experiences he’d ever had had been when his mother asked him for forgiveness.

Compare all this with an experience I had this week. I was sitting in a seminar that, amongst other things, was discussing the needs of abandoned children around the world. The facilitator asked us to consider what motivates people to bring a child into the world in the first place. Some answers were called out, and when one person said it can simply be our biological urge to reproduce, the facilitator said, ‘That’s right. After all, we’re only animals.’ I’ve got to say, that comment sounded so incongruous after all the talk of loss, need and care for abandoned children.

It seems to me that we’re a generation in search of a worldview. The secular naturalistic idea that humans are nothing more than animals—who arrived by some cosmic accident, and are heading into a random future—may be popular in education, the natural sciences, the media and so on, but it isn’t satisfying, and it isn’t improving the world that quickly either. All the religious talk at the Sydney Writer’s Festival at least shows that there’s something in us that wants to talk about ultimate things. Perhaps because we’re not animals, but creatures made to a divine blurprint.

I long for the day when writer’s festivals allow onto the platform those authors, thinkers and playwrights who articulate their faith in a transcendent Being. Because what the thinker’s write, teacher’s teach, students learn and culture becomes. And I for one have discovered that life, loss, hope, longing, politics, war and dreams only fall into perspective once that Creator God is part of the equation.

© 2007 Sheridan Voysey is a writer, speaker, broadcaster and author of Unseen Footprints: Encountering the divine along the journey of life (Scripture Union, 2005). www.thethoughtfactory.net

What are your thoughts on this issue?

What’s your experience…do you think Primetime television is too violent?

And what’s your response to TV violence? Do you feel strongly enough about it to switch off or change the channel? Or are there some shows where violence can be justified?

When was the last time you covered your child’s eyes while watching TV together?

Are there programs you no longer watch because of the amount of violence?

On the other hand, are there some shows that you think wouldn’t actually work without violence?

How concerned are you, really, about violence on TV?

Sam has recently befriended a new guy at his church who he suspects is probably depressed. This friend never has anything positive to say about anything, and will often reply 'terrible' when asked how he is.
 
He hates his office job and he says he hates his life.
 
He doesn't have any family in the country, and doesn't have many friends. He also doesn't like hanging out with big groups, preferring to spend time one on one with people.
 
While Sam wants to be there for him, and spend time with him to help him, he also finds his company quite draining.
 
How can Sam best help him...without becoming resentful?

DISCUSSION POINTS:

• Should Sam get his friend to seek professional help…or should he just continue being his friend?
• Should Sam challenge his friend to change…or accept him as he is?

The cases of these three babies being dumped in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth are extreme cases.

But there’s no doubt that parenting is a tough task.

If you’re a parent, I want to hear from you about a time when you felt overwhelmed bringing up small children – and how you got through moments of desperation…

Was it family that supported you? Your church? Maybe you had a baby when you were young and felt overwhelmed by the whole parenting thing.

How did you get through it, and what did you learn in the process?

Earlier this morning, our time, the funeral of Ruth Bell Graham was held, beloved wife of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. She died on Thursday at her home in North Carolina, aged 87, surrounded by her husband and five children. Billy and Ruth had earlier agreed that they would be buried side-by-side on the grounds of the recently dedicated Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. She was buried in the Library’s Prayer Garden—a fitting resting place for this woman of faith.

Ruth Bell was born in China, in 1920, to medical missionaries. She attended high school in Pyongyang, (now North) Korea, and first visited the United States at the age of 7 while her parents were on furlough. She returned to the US at the age of 17 to attend Wheaton College, where she soon met the man students nicknamed “Preacher”—the strapping Billy Graham from Charlotte, North Carolina. Billy and Ruth were married in August 1943, and had five children, whom Ruth raised—sometimes single-handedly—while her husband was away on his national and international evangelistic trips.

Without Ruth, Billy Graham would not have become the touring figure of Christianity he became. Ruth helped him prepare his talks, often editing them for strength and correctness. She encouraged Billy to visit the People’s Republic of China and later accompanied him during his historic visits there. It was Ruth that came up with the name for Billy Graham’s still running radio program, The Hour of Decision.

Ruth had been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis in 1995. This was on top of a degenerative back condition she’d suffered since 1974 that resulted in chronic back pain for many years. Bedridden or wheelchair-bound since the late 1990s, Ruth wasn’t able to accompany her husband during his last years of ministry, but was always a continued source of inspiration and support for him through her prayers and wise biblical counsel.

Ruth Bell is survived by her husband Billy; daughters, Virginia, Anne, and Ruth; sons Franklin, and Nelson; 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Final words should go to Billy Graham who at his beloved wife’s passing said, “I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we’ve had in the mountains together. We’ve rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.”

This week on the show, does the masculine soul need healing? With redefined gender roles and more fatherless households than ever before, are men losing what it means to be men? Author Gordon Dalbey believes so. He’ll talk about society’s ‘father wound’, will show how it can be mended, and will describe the qualities he believes are the mark of true manhood.

Essential listening for all of us. Join me this week.

What do you think of the government’s plan to tackle indigenous child abuse by banning X rated pornography and alcohol?

Do you think it’s heavy handed and draconian – or good management of a serious problem?

Do you think these are good ideas that will help tackle the problem?

FOR:

The Prime Minster says we can’t afford to turn a blind eye to the abuse and neglect of children.

Mr Howard says the only way to help dysfunctional communities is by grabbing control of the communities, providing medical help for children, and stemming the flow of alcohol.

Mr Howard admits the measures are hardline, but says there’s nothing wrong with that, because it’s a crisis situation

Although the plan was initially criticised as being racist, Mr Howard now says all Australians who do not use welfare benefits for the good of their child - will have their payments quarantined

AGAINST:

Some have voiced reservations though….

Rex Wild QC, who we just heard from, says the government should have consulted indigenous people before taking action.

Clare Martin, Chief minister of the Northern Territory says she wrote to the Prime Minister a year ago, requesting action be taken on the issue, and is calling the government’s action now, nothing more than a ‘vote grab’ – leading up the federal election.

 There’s also concern about the sexual abuse checks on young children being inappropriate – to the point that they could be considered abuse in itself

Heavy handed and draconian? – or good management?

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at a breakfast for Macarthur Chapel’s Men’s Ministry, in the south-west of Sydney. I spoke about conviction—the power of a belief that has been tested and proven true. I shared a couple of my own convictions, one of which was a lesson I’ve learnt about success.

It’s the product we all want to buy, isn’t it? In business or sport, as a parent or spouse, we all want to succeed. It’s as if the concept has been written into our DNA. But what really is success? If I was to start the sentence, ‘Success is ….’, how would you finish it?

When I ask this question the common replies I get include, ‘Success is being happy’, ‘reaching my goals’, ‘moving forward and not stagnating’. A former colleague once replied, ‘Success is achieving prosperity in all areas of life—spiritual, physical, financial and relational’.

But what makes a successful success definition? What about when we are not happy? Are we then failures? What about when our goals are not reached, when our dreams lie shattered, when our bank statement points south?

The question is all the more important when you realise that success is normally measured with the ruler of comparison. Think about it. Which looks more successful: the CEO of a multinational company, or an abattoir worker? A family with three kids, an SUV and a nice home in the suburbs, or a single mum pushing a borrowed stroller down the street? Who looks more successful: Robbie Williams or Barry Manilow?

In my second year of Bible College I had to take a break from my studies. I had developed acute insomnia; the doctors said I was emotionally exhausted and needed rest. What was really causing my exhaustion was overwork, motivated by an unhealthy comparison. Somehow I had determined that my college principal was the standard of success. And why not? Here was a man who directed an entire learning institution, sat on a handful of director’s boards, undertook international speaking engagements and, of all things, helped run a chain of furniture stores as well. (Back then I didn’t even think to include that he was a husband and father too.) ‘Surely, Sheridan’, I thought, ‘if he can do all that, you can at least handle your studies, a little radio work, some counselling training and a part time job’.

Well, no, I couldn’t. And one evening at midnight I arrived on my parent’s doorstep asking for my old bed back. I took a few weeks off, returned to a part-time study load and stepped down as a student leader. I felt like a failure. And it was all because of comparison.

Looking back I can see now that God was trying to teach me what true success was, to find a definition that wasn’t based on comparison; a type of success that’s unrelated to whether you’re a CEO or an abattoir worker; a kind of success which is more gift than accomplishment.

There’s a wonderful story told about Jesus of Nazareth. On one occasion he sent a group of his followers on a welfare mission, giving them supernatural ability to cure diseases and expel evil forces. The team went out, then returned to Jesus bursting with excitement. ‘Wow!’ they said, ‘even the demons submit to us in your name!’ They were tasting success, seeing terminal illnesses cured and spiritual oppression released.

‘That’s good,’ Jesus replied. ‘However,’ and here came the great lesson, ‘don’t just rejoice that the demons submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:17-20)

Amidst the fireworks, the results, the accomplishments Jesus says, in effect, ‘Guys, this is true success: that your name is written in heaven’s book in God’s handwriting.’

See, trophies, promotions, results—we’ll experience varying quantities of these throughout our lives. But a far better offer is made to us. Our names can be written into heaven’s roll call, with ink that can’t be erased. Getting listed has nothing to do with achievement, but following the One whose name quashes demonic forces and calms roaring storms. It’s a kind of success that can never be taken from us, and a success that frees us to work and achieve without the pressure to measure up.

Yes, it’s my conviction that true success is more a gift than accomplishment.

Join me for another dose of life, faith and culture this week as we talk to Australia’s leading lady of musical theatre—Marina Prior. Cats, Phantom, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story… we’ll cover Marina’s illustrious career, her heart for orphans, and the faith that drives her.

Plus, the 23 year old behind Australia’s Make Poverty History campaign, and Cover-to-cover: our new review of books.