I’m using William Grimbol’s book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spirituality for Teens, for a session on youth spirituality in Adelaide next Thursday.
William Grimbol is pastor at Shepherd Island Presbyterian Church, New York, and for some years has worked with young people in the area through a youth centre.
Grimbol writes the way he talks - a bit like Robin Williams, if the online sermon reviews are to be believed.
I like Grimbol’s grappling with spirituality a way of experiencing life. He says that spirituality is all about awareness, being fully awake to life, mainly noticing. Spirituality, Grimbol writes, frees you to see deep into the universe that exists outside and inside, looking deep insisde yourself, others, the world, the earth, and even God. Spirituality, he says, is a vision of the best you can be, the best we can be, and the best the world can be - heaven on earth.
Spirituality, Grimbol reminds us, is not becoming less loving and more indifferent or hostile. It is not about becoming less forgiving and more judgemental, less tolereant and more intolerant, less open-minded and more rigid in your thinking, less willing to change or compromise and more inclined to be fixed in one position, less willing to make a mistake and more inclined to have to be perfect, less humble and more self-righteous, less fascinated by life’s many mysteries and more certain that you have it all figured out. As I read this section I couldn’t help thinking of the movie, Saved.
Grimbol offers some very practical approaches to spirituality for teenagers. There’s material on learning to recognise the language of the body - paying attention to lumps in the throat, goosebumps, tears, dumbstruck feeling, breathlessness and so on. He introduces the language of artistry - learning from the masters, experimenting with creation, claiming mistakes.
He goes on to explore spirituality through the five senses - vision quest, listening to your life, smelling like a rose, getting in touch, and developing good taste.
Grimbol finishes with an examination of spirituality as living the longings for home, calling, life to the fullest and forgiveness.
I’ve been wondering how to train search engine robots to stop by more regularly, and how to get them to look at the appropriate pages. I’ve managed to sort a few things out at Google Sitemaps. The site for webmasters sitemaps program is a two-way communication between webmasters and Google. We can give Google information about our sites so they can index them more effectively. And Google shows us how they see our sites and tells us about any trouble they’ve had crawling them.
There are three steps involved.
1. Visit Google Sitemaps, signing in with a Google account.
2. Add the URLs of the web sites.
3. Create an HTML document with your special code as the name - verifying that you own the site. Place it in the root directory.
4. Verify the site with Google.
5. Create a sitemap file, using protocol recognised by Google and other search engines. The XML file includes information on the URLs to be searched, with details on how often they are likely to be changed.
In the course of the Da Vinci Code Quest today I was asked to find the name of the city that houses the three dimensional rendition of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. The work is a self portrait of Marisol Escobar sitting opposite a boxed table with Jesus and the twelve disciples. The installation is made of painted and drawn wood, plywood, brownstone, plaster and aluminium. And the answer to the question? It’s housed in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Rebecca Huntley is another Australian who has published on Gen Y this year. “The World According To Y” was published by Allen & Unwin in March 2005.
Rebecca develops a connection between the field of gender studies and generational research.
Rebecca begins with a clear sense of her own identity. She’s a member of Generation X considering the world and lives of a younger emerging generation. She’s not anxious about the weight of labels. But neither is she quick to make broad
generalisations about any generation. She’s developed the style of examining broad trends, the experiences of subcultures, and the stories of students and others she has encountered along the way. The result is a very readable walk through the journey of young adults in the early twenty first century.
I found a number of valuable conversation starters here. The phrase “Chicks before
Dicks, Bros before Hos” was used to preface one of the early chapters on friendship being valued before sexual companionship. I tested the vocab out at the dinner table and found my two older teenage children knew exactly what I was talking about. And they were able to inform me that ‘hos’ refers to the adaptation of the word ‘whores’.
There’s a strong emphasis by Huntley on gender and sexuality. That’s a helpful contribution considering that many studies of generational values overlook the distinctives found in each generation. Huntley manages to highlight diversity without discounting common experience.
The chapter on spirituality was interesting. Rebecca starts by telling the story of attending Hillsong’s ‘Powerhouse’, a rock-concert/praise and prayer session catering specifically for ages 18 to 25. She talks about the way in which Hillsong have
developed a positive message undergirded by a selfish, materialistic approach. She helpfully points out that despite the ’success’ of churches like Hillsong, Australian young adults are overwhelmingly agnostic and unlikely to attend any church. She explores possible factors - leadership marred by scandal, parents who have rejected church, and experiences of worship that are as insipid as overcooked vegetables - enough to put people off for life.
Rebecca points out that young adults, despite their materialism, do recognise a need for meaning and will explore ‘things spiritual’ in many ways. Consumption, the pursuit of material things, is clearly not enough to provide Yers with a reason to live, Huntley says.
Huntley concludes her book with her personal observations on the inter-generational relationships that will need to be developed over the coming years. Like Ryan Heath, she is concerned that Baby Boomers have and will write off the valuable contributions of the emerging generation.
Check out Rebecca Huntley’s interview with Richard Fidler online at ABC Brisbane Radio Conversation Hour: Windows Media Version
The Micah Mandate - Seeking Justice for the globally marginalised
During May 2006, Micah Network will be hosting a series of events in Australia and New Zealand featuring Vinoth Ramachandra, Karin Ramachandra and Leonardo Alvarez.
Vinoth Ramachandra lives in Sri Lanka with his Danish wife Karin. He is Secretary for Dialogue and Social Engagement (Asia) for IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students). He is the author of The Recovery of Mission (1996), Gods That Fail (1996), Faiths in Conflict? (1999) and The Message of Mission (co-authored with Howard Peskett, 2003). He is involved with various groups in Sri Lanka that seek to empower the poor and bring reconciliation to a war-torn island. He has been a visiting lecturer in theological colleges in Sri Lanka, India, England and Canada. He also serves on theological commissions, both ecumenical and evangelical, but feels a special calling to equip lay Christians to relate biblical truths and values to their work and everyday world. Vinoth and Karin share a love for walking, omnivorous reading, films, music and bird-watching, while Vinoth used to be passionate about cricket before it became too commercialized and politicized! If you’d like to read an article by Vinoth, download his paper on Globalisation and the Biblical World View, from the Micah Network website.
Karin was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. From a fairly ‘pagan’ background she had a dramatic conversion to Christ at the age of nineteen, which included the healing of mental disturbances. The next several years found her in different forms of Christian social work ?with drug addicts in Denmark and Holland, Cambodian refugees on the Thai-Cambodian border and foreign prisoners in Bangkok’s gaols. These were mostly, but not exclusively, with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). She also helped start and run a children’s home in Thailand to protect children from prostitution and factory slavery.
Leonardo is a Chilean singer/songwriter and pastor. He has written and performed all of the songs on the CD. “El Camino”, which is part of “Music for Integral Mission”, a project of the “Del Camino Network for Integral Mission in Latin America”. The CD produced has 10 songs arranged in a variety of latin musical styles (tropical, ballads, worship and nova trova and more). It represents a challenge for the local church to respond to all needs of it’s community in love and action. Leonardo says, “All of the songs have their own story, taken from the life of the communities and people we have known and learned from along the way. During his time in Australia and New Zealand, Leonardo will be sharing his music with theological colleges, churches and small groups. He will also be leading some workshops with Christian songwriters on the theme of integral mission, at which he will share the inspiration for his music, perform some of his songs, and invite others to share their music. It is also expected that at one or more of these, the musicians will meet for an afternoon, then perform together at an evening concert.
Health care professionals who endeavour to work holistically face a number of questions about spirituality. What is meant by ’spirituality’ as opposed to ‘religion’? What is its specific relevance to health care practice?
This accessible book provides answers to these questions and offers a model for personal and professional development. Gillian White sets out a framework within which health care professionals can discuss spirituality and equip themselves to respond appropriately to the spiritual concerns of their patient in daily practice. She draws on her experience of sharing and discussing spirituality and spiritual care with other health care professionals and proposes that multi-professional health care teams should talk about spirituality in challenging but safe environments to develop shared understanding of it, and to increase their confidence about integrating spiritual care into their daily practise.
This text is a useful contribution to the multi-disciplinary, whole-person approach in health care and will be of interest to all health care professionals, nursing staff and students in these fields.
Gillian White has been practising as a dietician since 1980 and is currently Acting Clinical Director of dietetics and nutrition at Nottingham City Hospital Trust. She also has a doctorate in philosophy. Gillian lives in a village in Derbyshire, UK.
Doris Zagdanski will be taking a seminar on youth and grief in Brisbane on July 15. For only $5 you can register for the grief awareness training day at Canon & Cripps Funerals in Kelvin Grove Road. Included in that cost is training, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea and all materials. What a gift!
Doris is a gifted, compassionate communicator with more than 20 years’ experience in this field. As General Manager of InvoCare, she currently trains her own staff in helping grieving people. The training will examine the complexities of caring for those who are grieving. Doris has written & published some extremely helpful material on grief & loss which will be available to purchase &/or order on the day.
In the 20+ years that Doris has spent working with grieving people, she has been asked hundreds of questions on grief & loss. Many of the same themes keep recurring. In this informative & entertaining day, Doris will address a wide range of grief-related questions including:
* How should I bring up the subject of their loss? I don’t know what to say!
* Why do people avoid me, do they think my grief is contagious?
* How do I handle their guilt & anger?
* What do I say to the children?
* In my job I spend all day caring for others, but who looks after my well-being?
To register for the training day contact Cheryl Howatson at Scripture Union: 3632 2239 or cherylh at suqueensland.org.au
Churches respond to South East Queensland Regional Plan
At a workshop convened by the Ecumenical Projects Team of Queensland Churches Together last Friday,(7th April), representatives of several churches underlined the need to work together to respond to the changes that are expected in South-East Queensland in the next 20 years.
Outlining the main policies contained in the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Regional Plan 2005-2026, senior planner Raelene Corner said that the region’s population is expected to increase at the rate of 50,000 per year, an increase of over one million by 2026. The Regional Plan attempts to set down strategies for coping with this anticipated increase in a sustainable way. It is complemented by a Blueprint for the Bush, which deals with anticipated changes in rural Queensland.
Participants responded with a call for churches to engage in the planning process, recognizing that there would be clear advantages in doing so together. Many participants favoured the idea of setting up multi-function centres in which churches have combined spaces along with other community groups and services. However, while it is clear that the Government wishes to involve community groups in planning, the processes for doing so are not spelled out sufficiently. “In the past if the church wanted land for a new building it would simply buy it from the local farmer,” one participant noted. “Now it is extremely difficult to intervene early in the planning and it is left for us simply to negotiate with the developers.”
Several participants stressed that local and state governments need to recognize the contribution that churches already make to the community by providing services and employment opportunities. “We are providers, not developers.” The presence of church-run facilities such schools may well add value to the community as a whole, not just in monetary terms. Churches are also sensitive to issues of social cohesiveness and can bring to the attention of decision-makers the voices of those at the margins of power, such as Indigenous people, youth and the elderly.
QCT will follow up the workshop by facilitating links between relevant Government offices and churches.
Inquiries can be directed to:
Glenine Hamlyn - General Secretary, Queensland Churches Together
PO Box 2045, Milton BC, Qld 4064 – Email: qctgsec at tpg.com.au
Restoring Eden is about a conversation and a community that lives out the biblical mandate to “speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8) as advocates for natural habitats, wild species and indigenous subsistance cultures.
Ryan Heath has just been back home to Australia to promote his book, “Please Just F* Off It’s Our Turn Now: Holding Baby Boomers To Account”, published by Pluto Press.
I read a summary of his thinking in his article in the Weekend Australian Magazine over Easter, “War of Words”. The 25 year old journalist says it’s time Generation Y began taking the reins of power and influence from the baby boomers. Imre Salusinszky responds with an alternative point of view. Sadly the article is another example of the press fuelling intergenerational contempt rather than helping people develop a ‘win-win’ approach to intergenerational passing of the baton.
More thoughtful reviews can be found at Bad Analysis February 5 (Andrew Norton). I’ll be back with more when I’ve finished reading the book.
From Ryan’s web site, it appears as though Pluto Press approached him and asked him to write the book. Once again, who is gaining from this approach to generational journalism?
The Pluto Press editorial review:
Australia watch out! This is a snapshot of the generational change that is coming.
A call to generational battle not seen since the 1960s.
Ryan Heath, a twenty five year old writes about his generation - young people in their twenties who he says are very different to Baby Boomers and Generation X.
His book is a sexy snapshot of the people born after 1970 - the people of this century. How they are different, special and ready to take over from Baby Boomers.
Like many of his generation, Ryan Heath has had a gutful of the same bunch of boomers still hogging all the good jobs and holding Australia back. He says: Enough is enough - it’s time for a generational change or Australia will slide into decline.
In a style that is controversial, passionate and with humour, this is an enjoyable and provocative read in the tradition of Mike Moore. A must read for Generation Y and X but also for Boomers who will love to hate Heath’s criticisms and mockery of them.
He pulls no punches when it comes to Aussie sacred cows and institutions - Fairfax, the ABC, and the ALP particularly.
Ryan asserts that his generation is very different to boomers and X’s. They may be smaller in number but are more diverse, better educated, more socially responsible, switched on to new technologies and believe in working through networks rather than hierarchies. He believes they have what it takes to make Australia a better place.
Ryan says Australia is moribund and stultified with superannuated leaders arguing over outdated orthodoxies while business, media, culture and political parties sag under the weight of tired methods and ideas recycled from the 70s and 80s.
According to Ryan Heath, Australian public life has ignored the energy and ideas of younger people leading to mediocrity and decline here, and an exodus of hundreds of thousands of talented young people like himself to take up opportunities overseas, where younger people are given positions of responsibility, and where generations share more fairly.
Ryan grew up near Coffs Harbour in Australia, studied communications in Sydney, wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald, before moving to the UK for a job in public service.
Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
I’m using William Grimbol’s book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spirituality for Teens, for a session on youth spirituality in Adelaide next Thursday.
I’ve been wondering how to train search engine robots to stop by more regularly, and how to get them to look at the appropriate pages. I’ve managed to sort a few things out at Google Sitemaps. The site for webmasters sitemaps program is a two-way communication between webmasters and Google. We can give Google information about our sites so they can index them more effectively. And Google shows us how they see our sites and tells us about any trouble they’ve had crawling them.
Check out Rebecca Huntley’s interview with Richard Fidler online at ABC Brisbane Radio Conversation Hour: 
During May 2006, 
The editorial review:
Ryan Heath
Like many of his generation, Ryan Heath has had a gutful of the same bunch of boomers still hogging all the good jobs and holding Australia back. He says: 
