June happenings

With Colin Harbinson

Visions - the Macquaries
Mini Mos Marathon



It's the last day of June and I haven't written my blog for this month! Half-way through the year - it's hard to believe time can go so quickly. It's been a big week already and it's only Wednesday.

Colin Harbinson of Stoneworks and Belhaven College, Jackson, Mississippi, has been staying on his way there and back from Melbourne and Adelaide where he was teaching on Theology and the Arts. Monday night he spoke at Annandale Creative Arts Centre, the Uniting church recently dedicated for this purpose, about the restoration of the Arts in the Christian community over the last fifty years and what he has learnt about this and God's purposes through his own life journey. Two of the significant stories from the bible that are particularly significant for him are Is 61 & 2 - preparing the way, removing the stones, rebuilding the devastated places and John 11 - dealing with disappointment, not understanding why God allows certain things to happen in your life. And then how Jesus brings resurrection, new life at the right time but asks the community to be involved with removing the stone from the tomb and taking off the graveclothes. This was illustrated with some remarkable stories from his own life where he had tried huge projects only to have them seemingly fail but then seeing God act in similar situations later in life in similar circumstances with amazing success. http://www.stoneworks-arts.org/, http://www.colinharbinson.com/

I really resonate with this story. The passages from Isaiah have been pivotal to my calling from and to many others as the Holy Spirit has been impressing this on many people's hearts around the same time in the 70s and 80s I found out later. I have also experienced situations where God has turned around seeming failures and disappointments in ways I would not have expected. At the moment I am working on two CaraMayan meditations on Hope and Faith both of which we all need in abundance in our life journey.

Recently my husband and I went into town (Sydney) to see Visions, an amazing presentation of the accomplishments of Governor and Mrs Macquarie presented by images beamed onto some of the buildings he built in Macquarie Street. This year is the centenary of Macquarie's arrival in Sydney. He was one of the early governors of NSW who was a remarkable visionary and earned the title "Father of the Nation". He and his wife accomplished so much in the decade in which they were in Sydney with an ambitious program of public works many of which are still standing including government buildings, hospitals, schools and towns, dealing compassionately and imaginately with convicts, aboriginees, the disadvantaged and building a road over the mountains to open up new farming land. It was very inspiring to see how creative and successful they were in making such positive contributions to the colony. However his policy of encouraging convicts brought him into conflict with some of the rich and powerful who complained to England and he was recalled to answer the charges made against him. He died soon afterwards. So many great people are not fully recognised until after their death.

At the end of May I had a big birthday bash. It was great to see so many friends together and have several important people in my life tell stories. Being born on the turn of a decade I have been very aware that each decade has brought new things and I'm looking forward to this one which has also started with many new challenges.

One of the new things I decided to do was to run (actually walk) in the Mini Mos Marathon fun run to raise money for the local school and charities. The church I have recently joined cancelled their service so that they could be part of the community that Sunday morning. I chose the 5 k route and enjoyed the challenge of completing it and being part of a community event with my church t-shirt on although a bit frustrated that a policeman sent me in the wrong direction near the end which meant I walked two extra blocks before finding my way to the finish line! I might even try the City to Surf which is one of the largest fun runs in the world with thousands taking part in the 10k run from the city to Bondi beach.