Micah Challenge Australia Blog

 

The Micah Challenge blog is a space for discussion and debate about the issues of global poverty, faith, advocacy and justice and the Millennium Development Goals. This blog aims to provoke thought and challenge you to learn more about the issues discussed. We welcome your comments.

Micah Challenge is a global campaign of Christians speaking out against poverty and injustice. Click here to visit the Micah Challenge website.

  • Faith, Prayer, Justice

    Posted by David

    6 July, 2012

    In this post-budget context, it is time to pause from the daily discussion around aid and the poor and reconnect with our God. In a world that does not know God; we must constantly return and be filled with faith in order to constantly renew our minds, our motivations, and our will in Christ. We are players in a battle contending for God’s just will to be done here. We must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), we must let God invade this world through us because God has chosen in Christ to make His will known through us. Prayer is a matter of urgency. Jesus says we are to pray like a widow pleading to a judge; like a woman wanting bread who knocks on a neighbour’s door incessantly. I once heard a pastor involved in justice work express distaste for these passages inferring that God was a prayer merchant holding us to an impossible standard. The truth is that prayer is a gift, not an obligation. We need prayer to abide in God. The extraordinary reality is that we receive faith in prayer to continue, to believe, to receive nourishment for our… read more

    Comment on this post

  • A woman who epitomised the Micah challenge

    Posted by Micah Challenge

    3 July, 2012

    One of Micah Challenge's supporters, Anne Camac, reflects on the inspirational life of the late Lyn Lusi (co-founder of HEAL Africa) who knew what it meant to raise her voice for justice on behalf of the poor. "It was with great sadness that I have read of Lyn Lusi's death in March. Lyn was a co-founder of HEAL Africa - a partner ministry of CNEC Australia (now called World Share). Lyn dedicated her life to sharing and showing the love of Jesus to women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in particular to victims of sexual violence and abuse. Many Micah Challenge supporters will remember Lyn as one of our keynote speakers at Voices for Justice in 2009. Lyn talked with great compassion about the plight of women in DRC, where sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war. I remember her story of a woman grieving for her murdered husband, whose child also died whilst they were walking for days trying to get to safety. When some of the delegates at Voices for Justice were lamenting about how difficult it was to get our political leaders to… read more

    Comment on this post

  • Looking Forward With Patience

    Posted by Jarrod

    25 May, 2012

    “Don’t start me on stories!” - Dr. Vincent Harding. In light of both the Government and Coalition’s failure to let their yes be yes to the global poor, I want to share two stories. One is from Martin Luther King Jr’s most provocative speech writer, fellow campaigner and close friend, Vincent Harding. The is other from someone through whom I often hear God speak to me, my son Tyson. Many will be familiar with The Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s five word phrase that seems to ring in the psyche of every campaigner for justice, “The fierce urgency of now”. These words appeared in the first book by Dr. King that I ever read, aptly titled “Why We Can’t Wait”. Dr. Vincent Harding is now in his eighties. I have heard my good friend Joanna Shenk (who has recently written a wonderful book featuring Dr. Harding) talk of Dr. Harding’s love of telling stories. Stories of struggle for freedom. Stories of Martin Luther King and their close friendship. Stories of how faith must mean following Jesus.… read more

    Comment on this post

  • Looking Forward With Perseverance

    Posted by Steve

    24 May, 2012

    This is an Olympics year, hence the following athletic metaphor. The campaign to increase Australia’s official development assistance to a more reasonable and compassionate level is always going to be more of a marathon than a sprint. We have just experienced a major disappointment in our campaign to raise Australia’s official aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015. It doesn’t even seem a particularly ambitious target, and yet, in the name of fiscal discipline, the Federal Government has reneged on its promised timetable for achieving it. As a consequence there will be $2.9 billion less spent on programs to benefit the global poor over the next four years than was earlier promised. Many, many people will continue in their suffering as a result of this decision. It also means that Australia will not be doing its fair share in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. Unless, of course, either the ALP can be persuaded to renege on its reneging, or the Coalition can be persuaded to stick to its promise of delivering 0.5% by 2015… read more

    Comment on this post

Category:
Page 12 of 19
8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16 
Recent Blog entries